A super creepy town that seems to stand still? Let’s explore the book:
Letter - Becks has received a letter from her mother to find her in the town of Backravel, AZ. Problem is, her mom is dead
Rural town - Backravel is in the middle of nowhere and there doesn’t seem to be a lot of people anywhere
Search - So Beck begins to look for her mother and what she finds confuses her
Losing Time - People have glazed over expressions, forget where they are, and Becks finds herself losing time

Courtney Gould has a way of writing that makes you want to keep reading until you find the answer. This book was slightly slow paced but the descriptions were so deep and beautiful. The way the topic of grief was discussed was also very insightful. While this was a YA Horror, I wouldn’t say it’s extremely graphic, but rather that the horror might take place psychologically. I liked this book a lot. Thank you to Wednesday and Macmillan audio for sending me this ARC to share with you!

An amazing fantasy story written in Courtney’s beautifully woven prose. This story explores grief in very deep and beautiful ways that hit me so personally. The methods that Beck uses to deal with her mothers death are not healthy per se, but they are thought out and nuanced. Echoes is beautiful.

A strange and wonderful and atmospheric meditation on grief and loss. I will read anything that Courney Gould writes.

I switched between the audiobook and digital copy of these eARC and thoroughly enjoyed both.

This story is part Stranger Things season 1, part Welcome to Nightvale, part Eerie Indiana. It sits with you like a layer of caked on sand. And I mean that in a good way. All vibes, written in a way that is succinct but also extremely detailed. There’s a journalistic stick to the facts flair, but it’s still literary. I can’t say much other than I loved the vibe of this book. It was an intriguing story, the narrator of the audiobook was pleasant, and overall I love this supernatural mystery! Can’t wait to get it in kids hands!!

DID NOT FINISH-20 percent.

Honestly, this was a really bland YA horror novel that I said nope to at 20 percent. Apparently 20 percent is now my limit with books that I am not feeling. Maybe one day I can get that down to 10 percent? This just didn't grab me. I loved the cover, but not the characters or writing.

"Where Echoes Die" follows a teenager named Beck (yes my mind went straight to You) who receives a letter from her dead mother, telling her to go to the town of Backravel to find her. Look, I maybe said, really girl like ten times when I got to this, but kept reading. Just know bad things seem afoot. Also Beck brings along her sister Rachel to help with this. I would have told my sister, I am out before she even finished her sentence.

I have to say that Beck and Rachel both are not developed very well. Beck's whole personality seems wrapped up in her mother. There is enough there for me to form a conclusion about the mom, but I didn't want to keep reading til the end to see if I am right.

Too much of the writing was vague and I started to feel as if we were getting whiffs of the unreliable narrator going on. There just wasn't enough there for me to push through to the end of this one.

The flow was beyond bad though. I just kept wondering if the story/plot was going to get better or what. I have read other YA horror novels that have been done very well, but this one wasn't doing enough for me to continue to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!

While reading Where Echoes Die, I swear I could feel the sand beneath my feet, the heat beating against my brow. That’s how masterful Courtney Gould is at creating atmosphere: you can practically taste the setting.

Where Echoes Die is a story about grief: how it feels, how it changes you, how it changes the world around you. It can be hard to write that type of story and do it justice, but Gould makes it look easy. Like in her debut novel, The Dead and the Dark, Gould weaves a gorgeous web of mystery, emotion, love, and loss — a web you can’t help but become tangled in.

What I love most about Gould’s work, though, are her heroines: they are messy, frightened, flawed, brilliant girls who you can’t help but feel for. Their struggles and their feelings are so real, it’s like you can reach out and touch them. You root for them every step of the way, every page of their story, and you carry them with you even after you close the book and walk away.

Where Echoes Die is a love letter to everyone caught in the in-betweens of grief, everyone struggling with going back and moving on. If you like desert sunsets, small towns that aren’t quite right, main characters who are barely keeping it together, and queer girls stargazing in the middle of nowhere, this is the book for you.

DNF-ed at 30%

I was not connecting to the story or characters at all which made it difficult to read. I did not get intrigued by the story the way I did with The Dead and the Dark. Sadly, this book is not for me.

Wow, this book… this is such a beautiful, painful story exploring grief and how not letting go, staying in the past can cause more harm than learning to move forward.

Beck lost her mother only a few months ago and she and her sister are on their way to Texas to live with their dad, but first Beck has to find out the truth of Backravel, the place that her mother was investigating, the place that basically stole her mother from her. But things in Backravel don’t make sense and things are more sinister than Beck realized.

This is a book that takes place over the course of only a couple weeks, and so much happens in that time. Everyone talks about getting treatment from Ricky, the leader of the small town, but no one will (or can?) explain what treatment is or does. Beck is determined to find out, and the truth is messy and complicated and at times horrific.

In some ways this started slow, but honestly the pacing works so well for the story because in the beginning Beck is mostly stuck in her grief and depression, and Backravel gives her a focus and energy, but she’s still not really living because everything is about Ellery and what she found in Backravel that kept her coming back. As things were revealed and pieces came together, the pacing picked up with intensity and urgency, and I really liked how the pacing worked so well with the storytelling.

This is really such a great book on grief and how hard it is to move forward, how hard it is to let go of loved ones. It’s also a great examination of motivations and how a good intention can have the most harmful impacts. I really enjoyed this story and can’t wait to see what Courtney Gould will write next.

4 stars - I really liked it. This is a perfect summer read for the spooky girlies, a cozy horror.

When Beck receives a letter from her dead mother asking to come find her. She, with her sister Riley in tow travels to a small isolated town called Backravel in Arizona to search for answers. There things seem to get stranger and stranger, no cars, no cemeteries, no churches anywhere. The whole town is a either crumbling military structures or brand new buildings and every resident seems to always be confused, not remembering important details . All overlooked by the towns leader and his daughter from the Treatment Center. There, Beck begins to search for answers about her mother..

The pace was a little slower but the story was engaging from page one. I kept coming up with multiple theories as to what could possibly be going on, some were right and some were way off. I couldn't put the book down and when I had to, I went back to reading it any chance I had. I finished it within 24 hours, I just HAD to find out what happens. It did drag a little bit for me around 3/4 of the way and although the big "twist" reveal ending was intresting I still felt slightly underwhelmed. There was a lot of build up and I just wish there would have been a little more to it. The final moments of the story was lovely though.

The author did a wonderful job with the setting, with the detailed descriptions I really felt like I was in Backravel myself. The plot was great, I was working with Beck to solve the unsettling mystery with each page. I enjoyed all the characters, and what each contributed to the overall story. The themes of mental health, grief, and loss were well executed, I especially liked how the author showed how it can be expressed so differently with each character. It also included a little bit of casual sapphic romance sprinkled it. X-files x Goosebumps vibes.

Read this book if you love creepy small towns, YA books, horror mysteries, sister bonds, feeling confused and on the edge of your seat, isolated settings, casual sapphic romance, strange vibes.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and Courtney Gould for sharing the digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my authentic review.

The atmosphere of this book is 10/10! When Beck and her sister arrive in Backravel the unsettling feeling is immediate, and it only gets worse the longer they stay in town. Beck wants.. no needs to figure out why this town had such a hold on her mother, and why she returned again and again. The people in town aren't any help with her investigation, every question asked gets either an I don't remember or you'll have to ask Ricky who seems to be the founder of this strange little town.

It seems like everyone but Ricky is an unwitting prisoner in this town, and Beck is told again and again that she should take her sister and leave while they still can. But Beck can't leave, not until she figures out why her mother couldn't leave this town alone, and the answers she does get just give her more questions.

I loved the eerie feeling this town and its residents have, I loved Beck and her unrelenting desire to figure out this town while dealing not only with the grief of losing her mother but also how much of herself she lost while her mother was sick. I loved Beck and Riley's relationship, while it did get rocky a few times you could tell how much they loved and wanted to take care of each other. This book took me on a wild ride, the creepy town and Beck sucked me right in and wouldn't let me go until we get to the end which was perfect. I can't wait to read what Courtney Gould comes out with next!!

3.5/5 Rounded to 4
I was looking forward to this one after reading and loving the author’s first book.

This one takes on a more sci-fi plot line than her first book’s paranormal dynamic (which I preferred) but still keeps true with the sapphic love interest for the main character.

This book doesn’t hold as much mystery as I would have liked. The sisters arrive in this weird town that has no cars, cemeteries or churches but instead looks like a military simulation of what a town should look like and for some reason I felt like Dean and Sam Winchester from Supernatural might end up investigating a town like this. The author does do well using the setting to give the reader all the creepy and unsettling vibes.

But moreover this book is about loss and grief as Beck and her sister have lost their mother and Beck is desperate to find out why - what was in Backravel, AZ that caused them to lose the only parent they were really close with. It’s an accurate depiction of how two people, sisters in this case, can show grief in completely different ways.

I still prefer the author’s first book to this one but I did enjoy it.

I really enjoyed this book. Courtney Gould never disappoints! It’s creepy and fun. I would definitely recommend!

A haunting mystery and moving exploration of the desperate things we cling to when grief threatens to overwhelm us. Gould presents a protagonist effectively unmoored by the recent loss of her mother, and a story occluded by mysteries that never get fully resolved. The fragmented perceptions, time jumps, and comforting numbness occasionally shattered by intense emotional intrusions felt very real to the experience of grief, giving us an intimate look into the world of its narrator.

Courtney Gould writes such incredible horror. This book had twists and turns that had me reeling in the best possible way. Beck's panic attacks feel tangible, and her worries about memory loss because of it is familiar to me and felt represented well. There is also blatant use of the word "lesbian" on page for representation, which may not seem like much to some, but happens so rarely that I was pleased to see it. The growth of Beck and Riley was interesting to observe in the environment they were placed in, and what I thought was just going to be another cult story really proved itself to be something new in a world of repeated plotlines. This was truly an original and unnerving plot and I loved every minute of it.

I am a poly reader and always have a few books going on at once. I quickly abandoned the other books when I started this because I wanted to know what the heck was going on in Backravel.

I spent a lot of time angry at Beck. I felt she was being selfish. Her sister was clearly suffering and wanted out, and Beck ignored her in favor of her deep dig into the town. No town was worth what ultimately unfolded in the story. It was twisty, unpredictable, and so atmospheric. You know something is off right from the start, but you have no idea what is going on, and I loved that element of not knowing.

There’s not much else one can say without spoiling the entire plot because there are many moving parts. But expect not to know what the heck is going on for a good chunk of the book. Expect a bit of sci-fi, a mystery, and a very stubborn teenager who won’t quit until she uncovers all of Backravel’s secrets—nicely done!

Thank you, St. Martin’s, for sending this my way.

Thank you to NetGalley for access to this title in exchange for a honest review!!

Just, wow. These characters and everything they’ve endured truly came alive and flew off the pages. I honestly didn’t know what to think was going to unfold throughout this story and it was such an enjoyable reading experience. These characters and their story will be with me for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publishers for this eARC in exchange for my honest review! As well as Courtney for a physical ARC!

I loved Courtney’s first book The Dead and the Dark. I actually read it last June for Pride and am reading her newest one for Pride as well!

While Courtney played with more horror vibes and had a bit more of a creature feature going with her last book, this one focuses on mystery and suspense.

Beck has just lost her mother. Her father left and while her mother’s illness and memory began to get worse, she was forced to be the parent to her little sister. Now, months after her mothers death, she and her sister Riley are going to go live with her father and his new wife. Before she decides to uproot her life, she drags her sister on a “vacation” for two weeks. They are going to stay in Backravel AZ, a place where their mother frequently visited over the months before her death. Right after she passed, Beck is sent a letter in the mail from her mother only saying “come find me” and she is determined to figure out what kept bringing her mother back to this place and what secrets the small town holds. They don’t have cars, there are no cemeteries, & everyone’s house looks like it’s from a different period in time.

This is a good look at grief and letting go. Beck is ready to run into danger to figure out what happened to her mother before her death. Everyone in Backravel is having issues with life and with a grief of their own. I was very invested in the mystery with Backravel and her mother.

I also liked the different types of relationships here. We have Riley and Beck, which is a relationship between siblings. Beck had to parent Riley for a long time and feels like she has to protect her from the world. There’s Riley and Avery. Avery’s father runs Backravel and Beck knows she is hiding things from her even though she is falling for her. Last we have Beck and her mother Ellery. Beck loves Ellery, even though she had to take care of her mother after her father left and she became ill. She became the adult in Ellery’s decline. Beck wants to figure out what happened to her mother at all cost, even though she was hurt so much by her. I’m enjoying Courtney’s books a lot so far. I’m looking forward to everything she has coming out in the future!

Thank you Netgalley for the advance audiobook and reader copy of Where Echoes Die by Courtney Gould in exchange for an honest review. I wasn't too sure of this book as it does deal with grief and the pain of loss. I have been sensitive to that since my mom died last year. I kept listening and before I knew it, it was 2am and I was 65% done and really wanted to finish, but also needed sleep. I really liked the story of Beck and Riley and them trying to find peace after their mom died. Of them going to a town to try to understand her better and finding more than they expected. This was a beautiful and heartbreaking story that I am so glad I read.

This was a fun and quick read. It is a story of two sisters that travel to a remote and mysterious town in Arizona to investigate why their mother kept coming back here before she passed. There’s something creepy about this town and its residents, which kept me engaged in the book to find out what was going on.
Great mystery that I would recommend checking out this summer.
Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Book: Where Echoes Die
Author: Courtney Gould
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Wednesday Books, for providing me with an ARC.

In this one, we follow Beck, who is grieving her mother’s death. She is barely hanging on but is pretending otherwise. It’s summer. She and her sister, Riley, are supposed to be going to Texas to live with their father. The two girls are going to go there after their vacation with a friend. Or so they say. The thing is the girls are not going on a beach vacation with their friend, they are going to Backravel. It’s a place that their mother was drawn to and Beck feels the pull. She is hoping that the town will be able to tell her more about her mother. When the girls arrive, they quickly realize that there is something off about this place. There are no graveyards, no churches, and no cars. What’s even more strange is that no one remembers how they to Backravel or how long they have been there. All they can remember is that they came here for treatment from Ricky and are now better. Beck starts to develop somewhat of a relationship with Avery-it could be friends or something more. As their relationship develops, Beck begins to notice little changes in Avery, such as her not remembering what they talked about the day before. This is not enough to make her want to leave though. For you see as her relationship with Avery develops, so do her emotions with her mother’s death.

It did take me a little while to come up with a classification for this book. It’s a brilliant mixture of science fiction, horror, and romance. I love it whenever books include so many different elements. We have this town is shut off from the rest of the world and we don’t know why. We know that something very unsettling is happening, but it’s difficult to put a finger on it. Courtney does an amazing job at giving us this unsettling atmosphere and I’m not sure how she did it. This is not an overly long book; it’s under four hundred pages. To give us this spooky environment, yet believable is the mark of a truly talented writer. The warmth of the air, the town that never changes, and the mystery all come to life in a way that will leave you breathless. The girls are drawn to Backravel and we are too. Courtney has this gift of pulling you in and making it hard to come out. Her writing is very immersive. I will say that her style of horror does remind me a little bit of Stephen King. Like with his books, you get a sense that something very wrong and messed up is happening, but you don’t know what.

I thought the characters were well done. Once again, Courtney does an amazing job at giving us characters who fit into the story and have this sense of the unknown. While the characters are developed, it feels like we don’t have their whole story. Like with the setting, there is a mystery to the characters. Now, this is more than likely because they don’t know much and their memories appear to be a little clouded. At first, Riley and Beck seem to be the only ones who think something is off. This changes. The more they are in the town, the more it becomes them. It’s like they are in this dream-like state and are half awake, half asleep. It feels odd. Plus, whenever you have questions, the characters turn away from them.

I did like Beck and Avery’s relationship. It’s a slow burn. I could see that the author was going to pair them up, but I liked it. Avery is Ricky’s daughter, the town leader. She is the one whom many times people will turn to. She gives tours and almost makes sure that everyone is falling into line. Beck has questions. At first, it seems like Avery is trying to get Beck to stop asking those questions. I take that back, that’s what she is doing. As the book progresses, so do their feelings for each other. It does so in a nice way again one that is believable.

So, why four stars? Since there are so many things that I liked about this book, why only four stars? Well, if I am going, to be honest, I felt like the middle was dragged out. I get that it was to add suspense, but I felt that the middle was rather weak. I also found some of the plot to be too predictable, so the big reveal wasn’t that exciting. Had those little things not been there, this would have for sure been a five-star read.

This book comes out on June 20, 2023.

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