i’ve been anticipating this book since i read and loved the dead and the dark a couple years ago, and it was everything i wanted it to be. i love courtney goulds’ writing so much, and i was so easily drawn into this world. it was creepy and unsettling and the build was absolutely perfect. i loved the exploration of grief, from so many sides, i thought it was really well done. i just loved it so much!

This is a YA contemporary horror book, which is completely out of type for me, but I picked this up because the blurb was so intriguing - and I'm so glad I did!

From the very first chapter, the book pulled me in with the narration and the mystery. The plot was steadily developed over the course of the book, with more questions popping up with every answer, and the mysteries getting deeper and darker. The MC's and side character's emotions were also written really well, and that got me more invested in the book. Every mystery point was resolved so so well at the end, it was really perfect and satisfying.

The emotions and emotional resolutions in the last 30 pages were also insanely good, I was legit crying (on a flight too, lol) through those pages.

--- ty to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for giving me an advanced copy!

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC!

I have never read anything by this author and I thought this may be a good introduction - I was right! The writing was great, I loved the atmosphere, the dynamics, I loved the LGBTQ+ rep, I loved the way it dealt with grieving... there was so much I was into. Also, loved the big reveal in the ending, really made the story for me. I can't recommend this enough and I'll definitely be checking out more books by this author!

Stunning cover! I could look at it all day.

I love the premise and idea. I like the twists/big reveal at the end. But was not a fan of the protagonist. It's hard to fully enjoy a novel when I just don't care about the main character. She repeatedly lied to her sister and dragged her along, even though she had stated she didn't want to stay in the weird town. Also, I had some issues with the pacing.

Overall, an interesting read. If you're interested in YA sapphic mystery novel with some sci-fi elements. Give this novel a try.

***I would like to thank NetGalley, Courtney Gould (the author), St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for graciously sending me a copy to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.**

Where Echoes Die was so so incredible. It dealt with grief and moving through grief in such a beautiful and realistic way that I’ve never quite experienced before. The different dynamics between each character and their relationship with pain was fascinating. I was not expecting many of the turns that this book took and it made it all the more enjoyable. This one will definitely go on my reread list.

My sole complaint is that I felt like the relationship between Avery and Beck moved too fast at times. I wish there had been more of a chance to see their relationship develop, because it would have made Beck’s motivations clearer at the end of the book. However I don’t feel like this took away from the overall impact of the story.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book.

Setting: Arizona, USA
Rep: lesbian MC (describes herself on page as a lesbian); sapphic LI

Oh wow.

This book.

I already knew I was going to love every word Courtney Gould wrote after I read The Dead and the Dark, and this solidifies it. She's a phenomenal writer. The best sense of atmosphere and eeriness I've ever read. An absolute stunner of a book.

3.5 is rounded up to my head is extremely hurting and the main reason is not my terrible new year hangover, this book truly burned my last precious brain cells with its complex structure stars!

I feel a little numb! I think book hangover term might be real! I’m suffering from it!

Courtney Gould is so intelligent, brilliant author creating creepiest, most mind numbing, complicated, surrealist universes! I liked her previous work! “When Echoes Die” is also interesting and extremely intriguing work contains different genres like mystery, thriller, sci-fi, fantasy, romance!

It’s a little slow burn and characters are not much likable but Backravel - the mysterious Arizona town of the city has its own ominous, tempting, secretive character that draws you into its black hole!

You want to learn more about its big mystery! When was it founded? Why it looks like a ghost town? Was it initially military testing site? Why there’s no animal, no church and no cemetery in the town? Why everybody rejects driving a car? And what’s the purpose of the treatment center? Who is the mysterious Ricky working on treatment center?

Sisters Beck and Riley decide to have a vacation without informing their father before moving to Texas to live with him. Their mother has passed away and Beck has a secret agenda to choose Backravel/ Arizona as their vacation place. Because that’s the last place her mother was insisting to come to at several times before she died because of brain tumor. She was investigative journalist and she tried to solve a big mystery about this town, leaving bunch of inconsistent notes like breadcrumbs behind.

Beck wants to solve the entire mystery and finish what her mother started by coming here, digging out, talking with the people! As soon as she starts asking questions, her path crosses with town’s young tour leader Avery and her mysterious father Ricky who seems like treating the entire population of townies!

Everybody seems keeping secrets, spiraling, acting like robots! As Beck digs out deeper, she realizes by coming to this town she just stepped into very dangerous zone where she could not return back!

Overall: the town’s big mystery and its unfolding were truly interesting! I couldn’t connect with the characters! But it was still smart, intriguing, unconventional novel!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press /Wednesday Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

i adored courtney gould's debut the dead and the dark, one of the surprises of the year, and I'm very glad to report how much i also enjoyed where echoes die. gould has such a great way of creating atmosphere

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Where Echoes Die by Courtney Gould is an atmospheric YA mystery and thriller that you won't be able to forget. The story revolves around Beck, who is traveling with her younger sister to Backravel, a mysterious town in Arizona. Their mother, an investigative reporter, sent them a letter after her death that says "Come and find me." But after they arrive, they encounter mystery after mystery. Will they be able to find out what happened to their mother?

Here is an atmospheric excerpt from the opening chapter:

"In Arizona, on the road between nowhere and somewhere, there is a moment where sunrise and sunset look the same.
Or maybe Beck's been driving too long. She's got that twitch in her calves, the kind that scuttles through her legs and begs her to get moving beyond the shift of her foot from the gas pedal to the brakes. She holds a hand up to block the light from her eyes, palm facing the sun, and she feels the last heat of the day die behind the jagged horizon.
Roads in the Southwest aren't like the roads back in Washington, all tunneled with trees so thick you can't see the sky. There's no deer crossing signs, no falling rock warnings - actually, Beck can't think of the last sign she saw on this highway. Deep in the desert, the road is like a weathered conveyor belt, rolling the car through an unchanging backdrop of red dirt and sky."

Overall, Where Echoes Die is a wonderful YA thriller that will appeal to fans of Twin Peaks or the webtoon Stagtown. One highlight of this book is the LGBT representation, which is sorely needed in the YA thriller genre. Another highlight of this book is the eerie atmosphere. The author is a master in establishing the mysterious setting of Backravel. I definitely won't forget this book for some time. I enjoyed it that much. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA thrillers in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes in June!

What a cool book! Courtney Gould has certainly done it again with this novel! Where Echoes Die is a unique, queer novel with mixed elements of horror, thriller, and sci-fi. I definitely got some Don't Worry Darling vibes but if DWD had been queer and with more of a sci-fi twist to it, which was fun to read. Beck and Avery's attraction to each other was gorgeously done and feels realistic. How many straight pairings have I sat through where they were like, "I don't know why I'm drawn to you...but I am *dramatic smolder*" and people act like it's the second coming of literary romantic Christ? Too many. Beck and Avery are the perfect queer girl balance to that, and I loved it!

I don't want to say much more about this book because the plot twist is so worth it to uncover on your own. But I highly recommend this book, and even though I was sold on Courtney Gould's work after reading D&tD, she has become, without a doubt, a must read author for me!

Well, I only loved this book with my entire being.

Seriously, the plot is so intriguing! Within the first few pages, I was thoroughly in and didn’t want to come up for air.

I loved our main character and her sister and my heart broke for them a thousand times.

While the mysterious person in the desert wasn’t quite so mysterious (knew who that was IMMEDIATELY), it also didn’t matter because I was waiting for our characters to realize it.

Utterly unique concept and very entertaining read.

Love.

• ARC via Publisher

Thank you, St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, for allowing me to read Where Echoes Die early.

Gould wrote one of my favorite books in 2021 and I was sad when this one got post-poned until 2023. Anyhow, I loved it and the way the authors writes dark atmospheres and queerness.

I have to admit that one of the main reasons I wanted to read this book was I liked The Dead and the Dark and the fabulous cover. The story sounded promising so I was eager to give it a try.
Once I started reading this book, I was hooked and ended up having a great time with it. The ideas behind world-building and characters are so intriguing. This was such an interesting read that I'd definitely recommend to people who enjoy sapphic YA books.

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5

I am so happy to have received an e-ARC of Courtney Gould’s new book! Having read ‘The Dead and the Dark,’ by her last year, and liking it, I was really excited to read her next book. This is an intriguing YA horror novel, with some sci fi ish elements as well. I think this book really fell a bit flat in said sci fi elements. They weren’t explained as well as they could have been. Another issue (one I find common with books that involve situations where it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s not) is that since our MC is confused nearly the whole book, the reader is as well. The explanations aren’t easy to comprehend and the last few chapters I honestly wasn’t sure what was going on.
I also felt annoyed with Beck for most of the book, and I didn’t really connect with her much either. I much preferred Riley, and I wish the book had been dual POV between the sisters.
The romance between Beck and Avery was very underdeveloped and quite forgettable to me as well. I wish they had more depth. I just didn’t feel the chemistry between them.
That being said, the book itself is fast paced, has a pleasant writing style, and is creepy enough to keep you wanting to keep reading.
I’m a bit underwhelmed, but I think Courtney has lots of potential as an author, and I’m very excited to see what she writes next!

I liked the plot and the setting, but I didn't really care about the characters. I don't care about the relationship between Beck and Avery, they didnt have any chemistry. Beck is stupid and selfish throughout the entire book. She didn't seem to care about her sister at all. And even though she acknowledges it and apologizes at the end, I don't think it makes a difference.