I really enjoyed The Dead and the Dark so I was excited to get approved for Where Echoes Die. Unfortunately this one just didn't do it for me. The story was a long convoluted groundhogs day type scenario. The setting was interesting but after 75% of the book without anything moving forward I just wanted to get it over with. The ending was anticlimactic and disappointing.

This started out with an interesting mystery about a small town in Arizona that holds secrets and is more than it seems. Beck's mother became obsessed with finding out what was going on and now that she's gone, Beck wants to see just what was so compelling about this place.

Beck and her sister arrive at the beginning and things are immediately strange and slightly off. The plot then takes it's time, giving the reader more questions but not really going anywhere. The reveal was intriguing, but I felt like Gould wanted more of the focus to be on grief than the mystery.

The ending was lackluster and I think there are a few questions and threads that weren't quite resolved. I still give points for creativity on what was going on in Backravel and will be looking forward to Gould's next book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley.

I did listen to the audiobook and would recommend that as a format choice. The narration is excellent. I felt it fit the tone of the story very well. During the story, Beck will form some relationships, and have to figure out her relationship with her sister, and of course, come to terms with what happened to their mother. So it is definitely emotional and certainly mysterious! I felt quite invested in this creepy town as well as Beck's journey. Can't wait for more from this author!

The cover of this book is absolutely amazing!!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners for allowing me to listen to this ARC for my honest opinion .

There is definitely a lot to follow in this book. The intricate world building is top notch but can be challenging to keep up with.

Two sisters have recently lost their mother. On top of grieving, there is an air of mystery surrounding a good portion of her life that Beck can't let go of. They decide to go to Backgravel for a vacation before moving to live with their father. Backgravel is the town their mother was continually drawn to for years.

There's just so much to this story. It's clear that Backgravel is an unusual town. It's just a matter of determining why and how bad it truly is. But none of that is as easy as it sounds. This book definitely feels a bit Twin Peaks to me. It's unexpected and twisty but still follows a standard recipe. For instance, there's always a bad person (or people) at the helm in a story like this. That person is typically hiding something and may or may not have the well being of the town as a priority.

While the main characters are struggling through trying to uncover the mysterious town of Backgravel much like Scooby Doo and his crew would do, they also make some solid discoveries about who they are as people. It's a book that really speaks to someone who's trying to find their way.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The audio was done quite well with top notch narration. 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the ebook and audiobook. I chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

I don’t know how I feel about this book. It’s kind of weird. I think there were a lot of great things about this book, and the writing was quite great. I actually want to go and read her other book. Yet, the one thing that drove me mad was the amount of read flags from everything in that town that Beck somehow just decides to ignore despite being with her younger sister, just to find more about her mother’s story.

Other than that, which was just a personal annoyance, that I’m sure many readers won’t care about. It has that creepy feels that kept the story quite interesting. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the book, and I think it ended up being still a book worth reading. The story behind the town and its people was worth it. It just think I would have enjoyed it more if Beck had been on her own, since it would have removed the majority of my frustration.

Overall, it’s really worth reading, and I’m definitely adding Courtney Gould’s first book to my TBR pile, and will check out her future work.

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Difficult to follow at times and a little slow. Typical and predictable love story. It was a struggle to finish reading it as it was so blatant what the ending would be. Very disappointed as the last book I read by this author was so so good. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I really enjoyed this authors first book so I was excited to be able to read her follow up novel - she's got this great ability to move us into eerie small towns and create a fabulous atmosphere. Backravel feels like a town frozen in time and our main character is trying to find out what's going on after losing her mom. Unfortunately for me, i found thr majority of the book a little confusing and it stretched out a little too long before being resolved for me.

Book Summary:

Beck Birsching's mother was brilliant. But as with many brilliant minds, she was also trouble. She worked as an investigative reporter right up until the day she died. Her death sent Beck adrift, unsure of where the shoreline was.

That is until a letter arrives. It's in her mother's handwriting. This new mystery puts some life back into Beck as she determines to travel the clues. Thus, she and her sister end up in a small but strange town named Backravel.

My Review:

If you're looking for a book that is a little bit of everything (mystery, thriller, horror, prosaic, etc.), Where Echoes Die is a worthwhile book for you to check out.

Where Echoes Die had a solid start, I was immediately hooked, curious about the mystery of Beck's mother, not to mention the strange town she's been led to. Unfortunately, I did find myself losing the thread before long.

While the writing is stunning (Courtney Gould knows how to write evocative descriptions), I struggled to connect to the characters. That's a problem, given that we should be connected and rooting for Beck. In truth, I couldn't bring myself to care – or root for her.

All that said, I do think Where Echoes Die is worth the read. However, I wish I could go back in time to adjust my hopes/expectations before diving in. That would have significantly altered my experience for the better.

Highlights:
Mystery/Thriller
LGBT+
Horror Elements

Trigger Warnings:
Familial Death

This ones hard to nail down genre-wise -- it's got so many different things going on, woven together seamlessly! A little sci-fi, part western in vibes, and also some horror/thriller stuff going on -- I'm not even sure where to start & kind of wish I could go back and immediately reread it now that I'm done, which to me is the sign of a good book!!

4.5 stars!!!

I generally enjoy YA horror/mystery/thrillers and this was no different! This novel follows two sisters as they set off to a town in the middle of the desert that their late mother had an obsession with, and when they arrive, things are much werider than they every imagined. The pseudo-science had me super interested and just how weird everyone who lives in this town was made it hard for me to put this down. I just needed to know all the answers! This features a very sweet female/female romance that I wasn't expecting and my biggest gripe is that I wanted more of them! I'm super excited to read Courtney Gould's other full length novel and anything that she writes in the future!

I loved this author's first book, but unfortunately, this one didn't do it for me. The vibes are creepy and unsettling and there is solid character development and a remarkable exploration of grief and loss, but the underlying plot was a big miss for me. If you are less concerned about a mystery having an explanation and everything tying together, you will still enjoy this book. For me, I was hooked early, but then quickly realized that this was going to be one of those books where we never really figure out what is going on in this town, and I lost a lot of my interest.

However, I love this author's dark writing style and I am still interested in reading whatever she writes next.

The desert air was stifling, making each breath more difficult than the last, but she had to keep going. This town was interesting, capturing her attention, something hidden beneath the dusty layers that was calling to her. The people here were friendly, but seemed different from others she had encountered. She’d figure this out, even if it killed her.

Where Echoes Die is a YA horror following Beck who is tracking down answers to her mom’s unfinished news story. The town she must visit had intrigued her mom for months, but there is something wrong with this town. Sinister.

This book was slow paced, but Courtney wrote in such a way that little pieces that began to unravel kept my attention throughout, even with the slower moving plot. It was a very unique take on a time travel element and I kept turning pages eager to find out what was going on. Overall an entertaining read!

If you’re looking for a queer YA horror (that isn’t scary), with a unique twist on time travel, then I’d recommend picking this one up.

This book was definitely an interesting one! I really liked the beginning. It seemed a little obvious at the beginning that something was up with the town but it wasn’t the most intriguing. I really didn’t think the story needed the relationship between Beck and Avery. It seemed forced. And towards the end, Riley just disappearing with Ricky seemed rushed. I did still get emotional at the end so it managed to do that. Overall a solid read with a few pain points.

This was my first novel by Courtney Gould and I really enjoyed it. The plot captures your attention from the very beginning and pulls you into it because you just have to know what’s going on. Short recap two sisters have lost their mother and decide to venture to the town she frequently visited to find out why but what they find when they arrive is more than they could have ever expected. This book involves lost loved ones, working your way through grief, a budding romance and learning when to let go. The twisted element of the unexplained happenings of the small town kept me wondering right up until the very end when it’s finally revealed. If you haven’t had the opportunity to read this novel but enjoy horror, mystery or a bit of sci-if this book is for you!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy.
This book was atmospheric and filled with tense moments that were very well written. The plot was so good and the twist was a good surprise. It was a overall good young adult coming of age novel that was suspenseful and enjoyable to read.

*Thank you Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the eARC for review.

Book points:
☀️The Twilight Zone vibes
☀️Creepy Arizona town with strange residents
☀️Past/present timelines
☀️Intriguing mystery
☀️Sci-fi/horror elements
☀️Themes of grief and loss
☀️Sister/family relationships
☀️Sapphic

I enjoyed Courtney Gould’s debut “The Dead and The Dark” so I was super excited to read her latest book. I thought “Where Echoes Die” was an intriguing ya mystery/thriller. There are some heavy topics explored in this book, including grief and trauma over the loss of a family member and emotional abuse. Be aware of trigger warnings before going into this one.

This story had sci-fi elements that I found interesting. I loved the creepy small town setting and I definitely got The Twilight Zone vibes while reading this book. I thought the main characters, Beck, Riley, and Avery were well written and compelling characters. I liked the relationship that was forming between Beck and Avery throughout the story.

I guess my only con would be the pacing, as the story was a little slow in parts. Certain chapters were told in the past and that kind of slowed down the pacing for me. Also, I thought parts of the story were a little confusing. These parts definitely had me scratching my head and I am still a little confused. 🤔

Overall, I thought this was another fun mystery/thriller by Gould that I would recommend. I look forward to Gould’s next book!

4/5 stars

I waited a good couple of years after the cover reveal for this book to be released, the mysterious small town setting with secrets to be uncovered is always something that intrigues me. This book was interesting, but I felt like there was a lot of missing details.

Beck and Riley arrive in the poorly named town of Backravel after their mother's death, Beck hoping to uncover the secrets of the town her mother dedicated so much of her life to revealing. Along the way she meets Avery, daughter of the owner of the town, and they find solace in their shared grief.

A lot felt missing, or not completed, at the end of this story. There was a big question I had about Avery that was never revealed, and the background cast of teenagers never felt like real people. I did like that the family Beck and Riley were staying with hold a big clue as to what was happening however.

The author was trying to keep the mysterious vibe by having the town feel so empty, but it really needed something to make the town feel more realistic. Beck mentions that the houses along the street feel like no-one is inside, and I would have loved a reveal when she went to check that out for herself.

Overall, I do think that Remember Me Gone wove a story about small towns and lost memories so much better, and there wasn't quite enough to make me really root for Beck and Avery as a couple. I was curious as to what their future might be, and would have liked an extra chapter showing us.

Thank you to the publisher for letting me read an e-arc of this!

The writing style, plot beats, and how the flashbacks were placed were so much fun to go through and see how things connected. Beck and Riley were really intriguing characters and I wished that there were more scenes with Riley in them instead of some of the detailing we got for the town of Backravel. I'm a sucker for the eerie atmosphere within small towns but this story was sadly not for me, and that was just due to personal reasons.

This book is like the quote from the Eagles: "We are programmed to receive. You can check out any time you like
But you can never leave." But Backravel, AZ is no Hotel California. It's weirder and mysterious, with no cars, no graveyards, and seemingly no actual past. Beck and her sister Riley head there after their mom died. Ellery Birching spent a lot of time in Backravel researching for an article she never finished. So Beck is taking up the mantel.

I love a quiet horror that creeps up on you, and boy did this book creep. Atmospheric and sinister with the thread of Beck's grief woven throughout. I also LOVE that Beck calls herself a lesbian on the page so that there is no question in the reader's mind. We need more of this clear representation, especially the messy kind.

An absolutely wow of a book and just speculative enough to keep me asking what is actually happening? Already have a shelf talker for it up in the store.

Thank you for the review copy!

Big thank you to NetGalley as well as Courtney herself for sending me this arc! (Baby’s first arc, I’m a little emotional 🥹)

This book was SO good, I got sucked in right away and it was always crushing when I had to put it down to do real world stuff. All I wanted to do was just sit down and read it in one go (and honestly probably will in the future!). I’m already a big fan of her writing style after reading TDATD, but I just cannot thank her enough for not falling into the “romantic small town” trope. Thank you for giving us the creepy, weird, little off putting bits of small towns because it’s way more realistic.

The characters were seriously great. I adored the sibling dynamic between Beck and Riley, it felt like an actual relationship I have with my own sisters where it’s not always great all the time! Sometimes it’s a little messy and confusing but that’s alright! I also felt very seen by Beck’s inability to let things go. As someone else who has a hard time letting things rest and needing to know every detail, it was so nice to read about someone with similar habits.

Anyways this review is a rambling mess, sorry not sorry. I genuinely loved it and I can’t wait for the publication date to roll around so more people can discover it.

4.5/5 stars ✨