Thanks Netgalley for the ARC! This is a perfect second book for Adam Sass. It was funny, scary, and a very entertaining read. It had a great twist at the end. For anyone who loves classic slasher films, you will love this book!

→ 3.5 stars;
→ arc provided via netgalley;

i fully understand that this is a me problem, but jesus christ, if i read or hear the word „flop” one more time i will go insane. there is absolutely no reason for someone to use that word so many times and it pulled me out of the story everytime. the slang was simply over-used.

despite this minor setback, i thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. it held my attention from beginning to end, as i managed to finish it within a day. the book's mystery element was skillfully executed, although the identity of one of the culprits was somewhat foreseeable. i liked how the horror and the humor were intertwined, but i can’t say i loved every joke. at times, they leaned too much towards cringy for my liking. overall, it was a quick, fun read, perfect for fans of true crime!

i’m not sure if that was the point, but dearie & cole aren’t very likeable characters. they often display a sense of superiority when it comes to their classmates, but especially towards those in the queer club.while their behavior aligns well with the main characters typically found in slasher stories, i think sometimes they were mean purely for the sake of it, only to be shocked when their peers disliked them for it. while i did enjoy dearie’s pov, cole was unbearable at times, especially towards the beginning of the novel. i do have to point out that the author did an amazing job at creating these two characters, as they had very distinct voices, so the two point of views didn’t feel redundant.

one aspect of the plot that i found less effective was the portrayal of dearie's relationship with grover. it felt forced, lacking any noticeable chemistry between them. prior to this development, their connection was not convincingly established, as they weren’t even friends, so they jumped from hating each other to being in love in the spawn of a few pages. in parallel, cole and dearie’s friendship was so well-crafted and it flowed naturally and i liked that it didn’t grow towards a romantic relationship, which is often the case. the cast of side characters was wonderfully done as well and i liked their dynamic – from being enemies to being friends because of the shared trauma.

overall, “your lonely nights are over” is a fun slasher novel, that features a diverse and intricately crafted cast of characters. it combines horror, humor & some heavier themes quite well and i can see this being a well-loved book by its targeted audience.

A queer YA horror novel that addresses DV and incorporates our obsession with true crime, Your Lonely Nights Are Over is a must read. I will admit, I think it started out a bit jerky - I wish there'd been a teensy bit more backstory before jumping right in. But once it got going, it really got going. The relationship between Dearie and Cole is lovely, and their relationships with their own and the other's parents is really well written. They both felt believable as seniors aching to get out of their small town, while also clinging to each other their long-term friendship. The mix of fear and longing for the future was beautiful and poignant.

Onto the horror! The Sandman was delightfully creepy, and I really did love the "clips" we got from the true crime series about the older murders. Our protagonists do occasionally fall prey to the stupidity of all horror movie characters, and let the killer escape to kill again another day. (Seriously folks, kick em when they're down!) But overall no one behaves with glaring idiocy, and the ways people survive - or don't - are all pretty reasonable. And the threat of The Sandman felt very real. Every character we grow to love had me fearing for their safety.

Overall a very fun thrilling read, and one I definitely recommend.

You’re Lonely Nights are Over

Queer YA Horror

I am here for this book! I absolutely loved it! Can we get more YA Horror?!

This book is more than just a horror book. But I’ll start there. The horror aspect of this, totally plays out as a sharp tongued dialogues slasher film. The characters are trying to avoid being killed when they are alone, they all suspect each other, while trying to work together. Its fast moving timeline really kept up the anticipation and made it so thrilling. This gave me the vibes of the Scream TV show by mtv (not the movies).

Now for the social aspect of this book. All the characters in this story (except for most of the adults which had such a tiny part) were queer. The killer is targeting the Queer community. But within that Queer community is strife, bullying, gaslighting, manipulation and so much toxicity. It shows how one alpha bully can change the narrative on so many situations, large and small, and how easy it is to get caught up in their manipulations.
These are high school seniors, so the peer aspect is important and accurate (queer or not) so seeing toxic relationships and friendships vs healthy ones is important.

The two MCs are besties, and it alternates between their POVs. One is white, and one is Hispanic. This also gave us different perspective on the situation, especially with how the police treated them, as well as how the public was quick to forgive one and demonize the other.

For a slasher/horror book, this is so much more. So many deep layers, which made it so much fun, since I love horror.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

𝙎𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝘾𝙡𝙪𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙔𝘼 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙧, 𝙞𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙜𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝘽𝙁𝙁𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙖 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡’𝙨 𝙌𝙪𝙚𝙚𝙧 𝘾𝙡𝙪𝙗.

Scream is one of my favorite slashers, it’s such a classic movie. I was so excited to pick this up when I heard that reference, this would be the perfect spooky read!!

This was a YA story, but I found myself intrigued throughout the book. The actual kills start off early and multiple members of the Queer Club die off one by one. I always love when we get action right away, and this book definitely didn’t disappoint with that.

I really enjoyed Cole and Dearie’s friendship in this book, they’re both queer, but their friendship is so strong - and romantic feelings.

While this is primarily a mystery, I did enjoy that romance subplot. It wasn’t too strong and didn’t take away from the overall story, which I fairly enjoyed.

This book definitely has diverse & LGBTQ+ characters. While they’re not all rootable, I really enjoyed the concept of this book with the Queer Club… with that does come homophobia though.

I did find the ending to be very unsatisfying and predictable. I predicted who the killer was and the bigger twist very early on. Also, the subject matter in this book wasn’t discussed that well IMO. The combination of humor and terror just didn’t blend that well. I also felt like the tension of these kills was over the top.

However, this book was very enjoyable for the most part. It definitely gave similar vibes to Scream, I just wish it wasn’t as predictable. I still think this book is worth the read!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Penguin Teen for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

Im a big fan of queer horror and friendships, so I was excited to read this book. Right off the jump it gets into the action. I don’t think I’m the target audience of this book, as I’m not a teen. Because of this I think I had a hard time connecting with this book.

Also worth mentioning that in the book members of the queer club are being targeted by a serial killer. Because of the subject matter, some people obviously might be uncomfortable with this read.

I was tentatively excited to pick this up as Sass' debut, [book:Surrender Your Sons|45154800] [ my review <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4961877444">here</a> ], was a surprise hit. While their follow up didn't work for me as much as I would have hoped, this at least was a return to a darker story like the debut. As bad as it feels to call a book about queer people being slaughtered by a serial killer, this was a fun time. I didn't quite expect for the novel to go as far as it did, for the murders to start as soon as they did or for the scenes to be as descriptive as some of them wound up being.

Unlike other books I've read I really felt like I was watching a teen horror movie play out as I read through this book. The middle dragged slightly, simply because I am never invested in playing detective. I think it's very admirable that these boys wanted to clear their name and get the person that was setting them up unmasked, but I had a pretty firm idea of who was behind it and was just waiting to see if I was right, so these boys could play detective for as long as they wanted as far as I was concerned.

Speaking of our two POV leads, I loved them. 2023 seems to be the year of me reading queer books with protagonists that break the mold of what I've come to expect from queer representation in this age category, and while I was side eyeing Dearie quite a lot in the end I did really enjoy him and Cole and the way the two of them interacted as well as the way they interacted with the other prominent characters.

This book comes out right in time for the Spooky Season and I think that any October would be thoroughly lacking if this wasn't included.

This was a great thriller and at times very funny. It was great seeing 2 friends and their close relationship and how they were protective of each other. I loved how each character showed a different side of themselves to other characters and not just each other to me that made it realistic. What I didn't like was how they made them kind of stereotypically gay at times. Something else I liked was the representation of how domestic violence is more than just being beat on but there is a mental and verbal form as well.

This book was so much fun! Very funny and crazy! I just wanted to say YASS queen the whole time. Thanks NetGallery!

Thank you Netgalley, Adam Sass, and Penguin Teen for sending me an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review! 🥰🫶
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WOW! The way my throat hurt from screaming when I finished reading! There were so many twists and the last half of the book had me on the edge of my seat screaming at each reveal! I loved the pacing of this book and it picked up right from the first chapter. There were a lot of characters but they were all different enough that over time you’re able to sort and identify them easily. I also like how there is plenty of foreshadowing of who the killer is and events that happen later in the book, as it was fun to realize all the clues I missed. This book is also wonderfully queer as the killer's main target is the MCs’ queer club members.
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I would compare it to The Pledge by Cale Dietrich as it is the only other queer slasher I’ve read and I loved both of them! I think I need to read more queer slasher horror! So if you need a book to tie you over until September, I would recommend The Pledge while you wait. Besides books, it also gives Scream vibes as well as Fear Street vibes.
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I really really loved this one and read the majority of the book in one sitting as I just couldn’t put it down. I really didn’t expect to love it as much as I did! I absolutely can’t wait for this one to come out so I can have a physical copy on my shelves.
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Your Lonely Nights Are Over by Adam Sass comes out on September 12th!

I was 100% sucked into Your Lonely Nights Are Over. A long dormant serial killer has come back soon after a show features the cold case…and members of the high school queer club seem to be targeted.

This book is advertised as “Scream meets Clueless” and that feels very accurate. There was humor and camp, witty banter and inner thoughts, and just enough romance to round it all out. The murders start very early—first chapter!—and the action just keeps on going.

The best part of this book was the friendship between Dearie and Cole. I seriously loved them, definitely friendship goals (hashtag that).

I enjoyed the final reveal of the murderer, and the twists that got us there. I got very invested in all the characters and was obsessed with this book. I wish I could revisit these characters in another book.

Thank you to Viking Books for the review copy.

Your Lonely Night are Over is nothing short of FIERCE. Even the title which encompasses fear and resilience at the same time, this novel sets a precedent for queer joy that is unmatched. It tests boundaries that I as a baby, confused queer have yet to press or begin to understand. This novel, despite its setting during the end of the two best friend's senior year, reads mature but is filled with the youth of longing, love, and loneliness. Through themes of prejudice and judgement within the queer community itself and the "rules" that have ruled over the community since straight people realized they could "other" us via slurs and colorful vocabulary. This book in itself, all wrapped up in a gorgeous rainbow bow, is the true meaning of PRIDE.

We follow Cole and Dearie, two very gay boys struggling to exist outside of their couple-ship. High school rumors and bullying is abound, but creeping into their bright futures is blood and carnage in their wake as an old serial killer comes to their home town and starts taking out their old and new friends, one by one.

YLNO ( for short ), kept me guessing until the twisted, emotional, bittersweet end. The story was so full of character that I was immediately swept off my feet within moments of picking it up, and reminded me that I seriously need to finish my first read of Surrender Your Sons.

I give this five stars knowing that as an ARC it has its faults, but will see the light of day in all its glory, a masterpiece. Today, we need more pride than ever. We need each other. We need love.

In this story we face things such as emotional manipulation and abusive relationships and the sort of love that isn't right, healthy, or love at all. We experience systemic racism and how easily complicity can break a bond and ruin the lives of people around you, how easy it is to point fingers and not care about another's life.

One of the best aspects of YLNO was the relationship between Dearie and Cole. I don't want to go into it, because it's more than just complicated and integral to the story, but it's unexplainable. It's a feeling. It's a whole. You need to experience it for yourself.

I just finished crying quite a bit after I finished, so my brain is a bit scrambled. I wasn't sure how I would feel after finishing, but now I know.

I adore this book, and it needs to be read by everyone. I think we, as queers, as a community, as people, need it.

Dearie and Cole have been inseparable best friends since the first day they met. Are they the most likeable teens at Stone Grove High School? No. But when they have each other, it doesn't matter. It's them against world. At least, until a notorious serial killer, Mr. Sandman, starts attacking queer kids at their school. And all of the evidence points to it being either Dearie or Cole behind the killings.

Now, the two have to team up in order to clear their names. But will they be able to unmask the killer in time? Or will their friendship survive the dark secrets bound to come out during the investigation? Only time will tell. Otherwise, their lonely nights must just be over.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for an advanced copy of Your Lonely Nights Are Over by Adam Sass! YA horror seems to be really taking off in the last couple of years, especially this year. I've read quite a few, and this one will definitely be a great fit for true crime fans. Clues to follow, focusing on a serial killer who comes back like 20 years later. Sass introduces a lot of twists and turns that will definitely keep you guessing unti lthe very end.

This book is formatted like watching a true crime documentary on TV, separated into sections kind of like episodes. In the book, there is a fake, documentary-style show that a lot of the characters are watching about the serial killer, Mr. Sandman. The parallels between the past and the present made reading the book an entertaining experience; the two different sort of plot lines work together to help create the mystery, as you are watching it unfold.

From the beginning, you know that Dearie and Cole aren't the most likeable characters. They kind of think they're above all of the high school drama, in that teen movie drama sort of way. Even if they weren't likeable, they were still complex, interesting characters, different from what you see in a lot of YA books. And there's a great side cast of characters as well.

My only real complaint is that the book itself felt a little longer than it needed to be. But other than that, this is absolutely an entertaining take on horror that teens will devour when it comes out in September.

One of the most highly-anticipated YA horror novels of the year, “Your Lonely Nights Are Over” starts with a description of instructions about a killer named Mr. Sandman. One day, without warning, the killings ended. Fifty years later, the killer has not been identified. What then looks like the prompt of a podcast or a television show encourages people to watch vnow to see what everyone is talking about and to find out where this killer went, why he stopped, and if he is still alive and will strike again. Chapter One begins with a character who tells us they’re likely the only person at their school who isn’t obsessed with the Sandman show but can’t escape it. Like a phenomenon that has taken over, everyone from the students to eachers to janitors, even, has seen the show and is obsessed with it. The protagonist tells us his best friend, Cole, is also super invested in this serial killer show. The slayings, we’re told, happened in San Diego, CA and the people in this school are in a city in Arizona, “a rusty, dusty canyon town of twenty thousand” called Stone Grove. They have a Queer Club, which is awesome, and the protagonist looks forward to meeting about texting drama during their free period. The protagonist and Cole often have to shut down rumours that they are involved with anonymous texts related to the killer that have been going around. With the revelation of the tie-in to the book’s title, it turns out that these text messages from anonymous numbers to 2 members of the Queer Club say: “Your lonely nights will soon be over.” The reason this is a tie-in to the Sandman killer is because victims saw this message 24-hours the day before they were killed. On the bodies, he would then leave a note that said they lonely nights were then over.

The tone that begins this novel is very engaging and instantly gives readers a compelling situation to follow along to, and ends with a death, up front and center, in the Queer Club. There’s also a reality tv-esque addictive quality that the characters are immersed in as the narrative continues. With the story moving forward, things get more dangerous for the protagonist and Cole, and it becomes a game of who is going to survive until the end?

Mysterious elements build more and more and escalate as the story continues. With alternating viewpoints that push the story to its climax, the novel comes to an explosive crescendo before it cools down. Highly recommended for fans of other supernatural YA novels.

From the very first chapter, you are launched into a dark, queer, campy YA slasher at full speed, and you’d better buckle up for this wild ride of a novel.

Cole and Dearie, best friends since childhood, enter their senior year of high school with two goals—ignore the Flops (those in the school’s Queer Club that actively rooted for their downfall), and get to New York to live their lives as the iconic screenwriter/actor combo they were meant to be. But when Mr. Sandman, a terrifying serial killer in the ‘80s and focus of the newest true crime docuseries, makes a surprise return, everyone becomes a suspect and no one is safe. When evidence mysteriously appears, pinning the blame on Cole and Dearie for Mr. Sandman’s first two victims, who happen to be Flops, they must race against the clock to prove their innocence and avoid the queer-focused resurgence of Mr. Sandman.

As a fan of Sass’s work, the bar was set high, and YOUR LONELY NIGHTS ARE OVER defied all expectations, going above and beyond. The dialogue was full of wit, dark humor, and overflowing with queer references that I found incredibly refreshing. My heart pounded as I read through every terrifying attack, and I, too, feared the wrath of Mr. Sandman. I’ve never seen the Scream franchise (I know, don’t yell at me), but even I got major Scream vibes from this thrilling novel. I haven’t stopped thinking about this story since I finished reading and cannot recommend enough that you get yourself a copy once it hits store shelves.

This was a fun Queer slasher from the start! Dearie and Cole, best friends and thick as thieves, have had rumors going around about them bullying members of their school club. To nip it in the bud they show up to their Queer club at school only to find one member there. When one member of the club is found dead in the hallway and another member nearly on the way, the evidence is directed right at Cole and Dearie.

This book's pacing was fast at the start and then steady for the rest of the book. It definitely has Scream vibes which makes it so much more fun! I would also say that it gives a little bit of Mean Girls just due to it being in a high school setting and teenagers can be petty and mean to one another. I enjoyed the friendship of Dearie and Cole immensely and thought the writing of the other sides characters were done very well. There was a decent amount of twists and turns trying to figure out who the actual killer was. Overall, this was a good read that kept my attention the entire time!

Thank you to Penguin, NetGalley, and Adam Sass for the young adult horror Your Lonely Nights Are Over. Teen BFFs Cole and Dearie and the other members of their Queer Club are being targeted by a serial killer from the past and his new apprentice. Who will survive until graduation and will they ever be the same? This book did a fine job of addressing issues of how race, sex and gender all make a difference in a matter of being suspected of a crime but the author was able to work it in in such a way that he didn’t try to offend anyone. This was a very enjoyable read and I hope to read more from this author.

I jump at most horror on offer at NetGalley, tbh, because it's my favorite genre. I'm not too picky when it comes to sub-genres within horror (though I have my favorites of course), but I will always be a sucker for a fun slasher - and that is exactly what Adam Sass has given us. This is Scream Queens if the Chanels were gay boys and still in high school. Like, this is exactly that. It's VERY Ryan Murphy and this will absolutely be made into a fun teen horror comedy film one day, I am calling it, and I will be shocked -SHOCKED- if Mr. Murphy isn't involved.

It is catty, witty, biting, satirical, sad, and somehow heart-warming. Sass really excels at writing some very fun dialogue and there are a lot of fun jabs and creative insults, because our main characters? They are the mean boys. 100%. This Chaneloween-every-day situation puts them squarely in the FBIs sights as the prime suspects as a new/old slasher starts targeting their high school's LGBTQA+ group.

The slasher is a Son-of-Sam type who was last active decades ago, and has everyone, including the reader, wondering whether this is the return of the original or just an inspired copy-cat... because, just like in real life, there has of course just been a big docu-drama featuring the novel's mysterious killer. Each section (the book is organizing into chapters and sections) starts with a quote from the in-universe show, which is a fun addition given how many characters bring it up, giving the reader the chance to see what has everyone so obsessive. And in a world where some true crime story blows up every month, it all felt surprisingly real.

Overall, I had a GREAT time reading this. It's very much a present-day story but it has such nostalgic vibes to it that it felt very much like I was a teenager again while reading it. It's fun and it's bloody, and Sass smartly gives his mains the opportunity to grow and evolve, and become better people (or at least consider it, hah). That growth allows for the novel's final line to really hit its emotional mark, and perhaps makes it best closing line in any piece of literature, ever.

Can't wait for the Netflix adaptation!

a fun and funny thriller that i really enjoyed

thank you to netgalley and to the publisher for this review copy.

This book did so much right. It was a downright slasher. It had awesome twists. It really did talk about gay loneliness and the way very specific things affect our community.