I've read quite a few horrors/thrillers lately and this one is by far my favorite! I was not expecting that with a YA novel, but this was extremely well written, well paced so that I was constantly on edge, a wonderful plot/mystery that did keep me guessing, and I fell in love with the main characters. It was very traditional slasher feel but interwoven I thought there were some big important messages about being queer and being lonely, but they weren't forced in an unnatural way. Adam Sass has definitely made a fan out of me.

Cole and Dearie are as close as two best friends can be, without being boyfriends. A famous serial killer called Mr. Sandman reemerges after years of no killing, and the two are framed for the deaths of their fellow queer club members. In order to clear their names, they decide to figure out who is behind the deaths, and to stop them before more killings happen.

I had so much fun with this one, honestly such a good first book for my October reading! I was flipping between a 4 and a 4.5 rating, but ultimately went for the 4. There was just something missing that I can't quite put my finger on. I adored both Cole and Dearie. They were both really fun characters to read their POVs from. I loved the banter and sass these teens had, and how they weren't afraid to dish it out at any given moment. They were both a bit unlikeable, but I couldn't help but root for them and their friendship. I loved trying to piece together who the murderer was, and did end up figuring it out, but quite close to the reveal so it didn't hinder my enjoyment of the book. Also, absolutely ADORED the epilogues.

This is my first Adam Sass book, but if his other books are anything like this I may have to check out more of his writing!

I couldn’t finish this book, left at 57%, only because of excessive school workload. Personally i did love this book’s plot however the main characters were quite annoying. I’m a sucker for thrilling murder novels so i will most definitely be buying it to continue and read further!

Campy & queer horror - what more could you ask for? Your Lonely Nights Are Over is a fun, queer take on the YA Slasher and while I didn't find it particularly scary, I did enjoy the story and characters quite a bit.

A new Netflix special on The Sandman Killer has everyone obsessed - and for some, that obsession may have gone a little too far. While the original Sandman Killer was never found, it appears that he may be back. And he seems to have an apprentice who is hell bent on taking out the local high school queer club. Soon, the bodies are piling up and you're not sure who can be trusted.

I listened to the audiobook for the second half of this book and really enjoyed it. The story was pretty fast-paced and was a quick read. The author has a witty way with words and I would definitely read from them again. While I did guess the first killer reveal, I didn't see the second coming. I thought it was someone else!

If you're looking for a fun, YA Slasher with great queer rep I'd recommend checking out Your Lonely Nights are Over this spooky season.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the review copy.

I didn’t love this one.
I understand that we’re not meant to love the MCs but I just couldn’t get past it. They were so incredibly annoying.

This is a thriller but it seemed so far fetched. Half the stuff that happened just seemed so unbelievable.

I did love the representation though. Loved having so many queer characters.

I got an ARC of this book.

DNF pretty quickly.

The two MCs were that awful bitchy cis gay that thinks being mean and gay makes you better than everyone around you. Constant judgement, constant being mean to everyone, I just couldn't enjoy anything because of the two narrators. Catty can be fun, but when it is constant and so full of real judgement for everyone, it just makes really obnoxious characters.

If you have more of a tolerance for that, might be worth a shot. I didn't even make it to the real action, because I couldn't stand the narrators.

This was the perfect story for October! The spooky vibes were everything and this definitely lived up to expectations! I absolutely adored this & can not wait to read more stories like this one! I thought the characters were amazing and I loved just how gripping this book truly was. I hope everyone reads this!

One thing you should know about me…. My favorite sub-genre of horror is slashers. So when I heard this was coming out, I knew this was going to either be a hit because it was amazing….. Or a miss because I had built it up so far in my head. And let me just tell you, it was EVERYTHING I wanted it to be. This was so good! I binge read this by reading the physical hardcover (from the publisher SERIOUSLY, THANK YOU!) while reading the audio while I was doing other tasks. It was seriously a good time and i really can’t wait for more of you to read it.

Ok so boom, this book starts with the main characters being accused of cyber-bullying. It’s said that they sent out some texts copying a retired killer from back in the day. They’re in the midst of trying to make sure they clear their name during a meeting when the first two people are found dead. And listen the way they’re found is crazy. This whole book was crazy. I could not stop reading it. I literally put down one format just to pick it up in another. I don’t know what Adam Sass put in this, but I really hope we get more of it lol And the crazy thing is, I read his author’s note, and it was like something along the lines of he had been wanting to write this but he thought it was too out there and I was like, WTF I NEED MORE. So if you see this Adam Sass, you had no reason to doubt yourself. This book was so much fun. (Can I say that? People were murked………. Well, y’all know what I meant lol)

The characters were what I really liked about this tho. Dearie and Cole made a hell of a duo. Cole was the realist who thought of literally everything and Dearie was the dreamer. He was in relationships and living in his own world, but he never once stopped paying attention to what was happening around him. I was happy that they both had completely different personalities but they still were friends and they were still both on top of everything. I was hella impressed on how they handled this mystery and I loved that they solved it the way they did. Both of them were hella impressive.

[SPOILER JIC?] I don’t want to give anything away, but I did guess who the killer was. But I still was so into the story I didn’t even care. I STILL was like “OH SHIT” when it was revealed. Now the real surprise was one half of the duo. I was not expecting THAT. Now that, I got that especially wrong. Loved that for me. Definitely another favorite part of mine. Idk what it is, but reveals in thrillers and horror books are really important to me. And this one was bad ass. And like when they realized the other thing that happened while they were doing that…. Yeah, it was LEGIT. And for this to be a YA, I realized it at the same time they did.

And this performance of the audio? I feel like I should mention it since I did listen to some. Y’all know I’m a sucker for an audio that has a full cast or with the sound effects and stuff. And this one has a full cast. I found myself listening to the audio at the same time I was reading the physical book. It really was entertaining and they did a great job.

This book was so good! Definitely my fave of last month. I knew there was only 2 ways for this to end and I’m happy it was this way. I really hope this isn’t the last slasher Adam Sass writes because this was a TRIP.

First and foremost, thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the chance to give my honest opinion in exchange for a earc of this book.

I was drawn in from the moment we met Dearie and Cole. I was wrapped up in who they were and what was going on. I found that the queer friendships, toxic friendships, and fear all played really well in this novel.

I will say that there were moments where watching Dearie and Cole's dynamic was hard because it felt a bit toxic to me, but I may have felt that way because they were just friends but often acted as more. The side characters were very lackluster and not likable to me, which made it hard to want them to stay alive.

Overall this was a great read, and I'm so glad that I got a chance to read this thriller headed into spooky season. 4.5/5 stars

3.5/5 ★

Years ago, a serial killer named the Sandman killed lonely single people. No one ever found out who he was. Now, best friends Dearie and Cole find themselves and the Queer Club at their high school being targeted by the Sandman.

This one took a while to get into. I don't think it really built the suspense much until about halfway through the book. I appreciate the setup the author needed to do, but I think that part could've been shortened so we could've gotten more of the Scream factor and less of the Clueless. There were some good twists at the end, but you can figure them out if you pay close attention!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

October is here. Officially.
And my spooky season reads are well underway.

This weekend, I finished "Your Lonely Nights Are Over," the new queer horror novel from Adam Sass, the author of last year's breakout hit "The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers."

In his new book, Adam Sass pays homage to classic slasher flicks like Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween, but with a very twisty Wes Craven spin.

It's like a gay Scream for the ages.

And if the Melpomene-adorned Mr. Sandman doesn't quite pack the same chill factor as Freddy or Jason or Michael Myers, his creepy calling card is deliciously camp.

Much like the melodramatic co-dependence between Dearie and best friend Cole.
It's all great fun, if you don't think about it too hard.

I kind of love this. I love a story where the friends are still friends at the end and don't fall in love. I really appreciate that highlight on platonic queer relationships even amongst the craziness that is a book about a serial killer.

That being said, I said it once and I'll say it again, it is 2023 and if you are going to have a book with a large group of queer kids, you have to have an aspec character. I don't know how to explain it to people. The A exists in the acronym for a reason and it would not have been hard to plop an ace or aro character in there. I actually think that it could have been a wonderful commentary about what loneliness is and how aromantic people are constantly told that they're lonely. This whole book is based on a serial killer who knows when people have been broken up with or are inherently lonely and I would have loved to see an aromantic person outwardly survive this and pretty much stick it to the man.

Beyond the continued absence of aspec people, this book was really good and one that I would definitely recommend for your spooky season reads.

A scary academia book that I absolutely devoured! It made my skin crawl and I loved it! Definitely should be on every spooky list!

Thank you to Penguin Teen for the arc of this one!

When besties Dearie and Cole are accused of sending a menacing text to a member of Queer Club, Dearie wants to prove they had nothing to do with it. But as the infamous Mr. Sandman appears to be back and killing the besties frenemies, all eyes are on them. They are no longer trying to just prove their innocence, but stop the killer before more gay people are murdered.

This was so good! I absolutely loved Dearie and Cole and their incredibly close (maybe codependent?) friendship. The tension in this is impeccable and I found myself turning pages late into the night to try and find out what happened next!

I loved the way it all wrapped up. This is such a great thriller with amazing vibes!

CW: blood, injury, death, racism

Cole Cardoso and Frankie Dearie are best friends who don’t play by the rules of the other members of Stone Grove High School’s Queer Club. In fact, they’ve both grown so disillusioned by the rest of the club that they usually try to avoid the other members whenever possible. Newest recruit Em seems like a decent person, though the vast majority of the club maintains a rigidity that puts them at odds with Cole and Dearie. As Cole observes:

QUOTE
Theo groans from the top tier, rolling their eyes at Em, who does not return the gesture. Good for her recognizing an asshole when she sees one. Theo is second only to Grover in being the reason why I put thirty football fields between myself and this club. Scolding, self-important closet Republicans. Just because Dearie and I meet up with boys from other schools–and <i>not</i> for little milkshake dates–we’re what’s “destroying the queer community” (i.e., why they can’t get a date.) Same old envy-fueled slut shaming from the Pilgrim days, just with a new Pride flag filter.
END QUOTE

Unfortunately for our main characters, they’re pulled back into Queer Club drama when threatening messages are sent to two of their fellow members. Grover Kendall and Gretchen Applebaum immediately call an emergency meeting because, to them, it’s obvious who sent the texts. While the members of the Queer Club all used to be friends once upon a time, the now frenemies spend an inordinate amount of time being openly mean to one another. The whole school knows that they all have beef, so when Grover and Getchen publicly claim to have gotten messages that echo the tagline of a serial killer who’s been back in the news lately, everyone figures Cole and Dearie are just (tastelessly) pranking their former besties.

But when Gretchen is murdered in the exact same way as the rest of the serial killer’s victims, and Grover barely survives the same attack, things take a far more serious turn. Mr Sandman was notorious for targeting the single and heartbroken, leaving notes that said “your lonely nights are over” on the bodies of his victims. Thing is, he’s been inactive for decades, with most people presuming him dead. A recent podcast diving into his murderous spree has put his name back into the public conversation. Now it seems like a copycat is targeting the kids of Stone Grove’s Queer Club. Will Cole, Dearie and co be able to overcome their differences and band together in order to face down a murderer and survive?

This slasher novel was by turns hilarious, gruesome and thought-provoking as our protagonists grapple with the end of high school, metaphysical threats to their friendship and an honest-to-God serial killer. The mystery thriller is compelling with several very solid surprises throughout. Being a jaded genre reader, I figured out whodunnit quite early on but still really enjoyed the rollercoaster of revelations on the way to the excellent ending.

Told from the alternating viewpoints of both Cole and Dearie, Your Lonely Nights Are Over deftly showcases the many different ways and experiences of being queer. Adam Sass has made a point to underline how especially fraught it is for Cole as a person of color to be involved in a murder investigation, how easy it is for others to scapegoat him and how carefully he has to tread in order to be afforded the same rights and privileges as a white person. Cole is prickly, but for good reason. This sort of authentic representation, of both him and of so many others in this book, reminds readers that queer people are not a monolith, and that intersectionality matters.

It’s also refreshing that there are so many queer people centered in this book, and that they’re never tokenized. Perhaps the best thing about this witty, wise novel is how it holds out hope to queer kids trapped by fear and oppression, as Cole listens to the boy he’s been kissing talk about a bully:

QUOTE
“Walker broke my arm in seventh grade,” he says, traces of fear still lingering.

A boy this beautiful deserves no fear. I shake my head and say the truth, the first thing that comes to mind: “I don’t remember that.” I kiss the tip of his nose. “Someday, you won’t either. Walker Lane isn’t going to show up in the movie of our lives again. When we get out of this place, you get to be anyone you want to be. Queers get to do that, that’s our right.”
END QUOTE

This novel takes the idea that stories of serial killers targeting teenagers are a metaphor for the American high school experience, centers it on a group of wildly diverse queer kids and launches off with it into the stratosphere. It’s a rollicking, cathartic read that really ought to be adapted to the screen, if only so more people will come back to the terrific source material. I had a lot of fun reading about and rooting for Cole and Dearie, and hope many others will do the same.

Dearie and Cole have been best friends their entire life, and they don't need anybody else. When they end up at a meeting of Queer Club that is mysteriously devoid of queers, they're a little suspicious - which is very fair, considering that two of the members of Queer Club are busy being murdered. Cue gradually increasing stakes as someone keeps murdering queer people, successfully evading attempts at catching them. In true YA fashion, though, our teens are on the case, scrambling to find some indication of who this is before they themselves get murdered.

As a thriller, this was solidly meh on its own but with Scream as a comp title, I feel like that was authorial intent. What really sparkled was the commentary on queer culture and how in queer culture, attempts at isolating us tend to actually bring us together. Dearie and Cole are extremely catty in the way that drag culture celebrates cattiness, and along the way they learn to rein that in a little bit which I liked. I also loved that the two point of view characters are exceptionally close to each other but there's no romantic engagement between the two of them. Weirdly enough, I agree that this is absolutely a mixture of Clueless and Scream - take that as you will.

Overall I'm going to recommend this to thriller fans who are looking for a little camp in their day but not to people who are looking for a fresh take on the genre. I do not recommend it to adults who don't normally read YA.

A fun, campy, queer YA Horror slasher that is perfect for fans of Scream or other tongue-in-cheek horror.

It features queer best friends Dearie and Cole in a dual-pov that spans the course of several months as murders linked to a viral true-crime docuseries, start in their high school. When it becomes clear that Mr. Sandman is not only hunting their queer club at school, but circling Cole and Dearie specifically, they have to act fast before winding up dead.

I loved this book so, so, so, much! It was sharp and funny, while also deftly dealing with things like abuse, and racism. It has the vibes of Scream, but written for a current audience, which was an itch I didn't know I needed to scratch.

If you enjoy horror, slashers, or murder mysteries with a queer cast, Your Lonely Nights Are Over has to be on your TBR list.

When I heard that this book is a combination of Clueless and Scream, a YA horror, funny, and that it was about queer friendships, I knew I had to pick it up!

From the very beginning we are immersed in the main characters' lives: Drearie and Cole, two gay teen BFFs whose platonic relationship is praiseworthy and tender with major Clueless vibes. The two boys want to clear their name of the crimes that they are being accused of and not only survive but also work together to unmask the real killer.

The action starts from chapter one and makes it a fast-paced read albeit a bit jarring but done intentionally.

To be honest, I was a bit apprehensive about reading a book about queer people being slaughtered by a serial killer but I really enjoyed the two POV leads. We get two complex queer characters interacting with other nuanced queer characters. I've really been enjoying reading YA books and I like seeing the queer rep in books!

I'd recommend giving this one a try if you like to read YA thrillers, queer rep, don't mind a bit of gore, and like playing detective!
I included a playlist of the songs that I think fit with the vibes of this book and of course, I had to include songs from Clueless (these are just 10 of the songs of a 1 hour long playlist).

This book is a fun, "Scream" inspired romp. I didn't quite connect to the characters, but I wanted to keep reading to find out what was going on. It's always wonderful to see how much media is out there now for young queer people compared to when I was in the YA age range, and I enjoyed reading this book and getting an idea for how the genre is evolving and growing!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers. I absolutely adored this book. Dearie and Cole are the best set of best friends I've gotten to read about in a while. They definitely have their ups and downs but they come out okay and I love them. Dearie in general, what a sweet useless bean. Cole is the sass and I loved every second. I thought the murder was well drawn out and the suspense and guessing were. I definitely will recommend this one all the time.