Your Lonely Nights Are Over by Adam Sass is a fun, Scream-esque, YA slasher that keeps you guessing and keeps the energy going all throughout the book.
In this book, we follow Dearie and Cole, two high school best friends who are being essentially framed by Mr. Sandman - a serial killer from the 70s who's made a return and is targeting their school's Queer Club.

What I loved about this book is what I love about the movie, Scream - it's a slasher, but also a murder mystery/who-dun-it. It was so much fun to guess who Mr. Sandman was and the anticipation had me flying through the story.

The book was surprisingly endearing and empowering had good points about how everyone's a little lonely. Cole and Dearie are a great pair of best friends and you can really see how much love them have for each other. There was a lot of character growth and I enjoyed watching the Queer Club overcome their petty dramas in order to come together to help stop Mr. Sandman.

Overall, I think this is a great read for anyone who enjoys slashers like Scream and enjoys a YA horror, especially with spooky season being here.

"Your Lonely Nights are Over" by Adam Sass is a rollercoaster ride of suspense, teenage drama, and LGBTQ+ empowerment that blends the horror of "Scream" with the sass of "Clueless." Sass takes us on a thrilling journey through the halls of Stone Grove High School, where teenage insecurities are just as terrifying as the lurking serial killer.

Dearie and Cole are the fabulous duo you'll love to hate and hate to love. They're flamboyant, fierce, and unapologetically themselves. They navigate the treacherous waters of high school with a snarky attitude and a killer wardrobe. But when a real killer, Mr. Sandman, sets his sights on their school's Queer Club, their friendship is put to the test in ways they never imagined.

Sass crafts a storyline that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The tension escalates with each page as evidence piles up, bodies drop, and suspicion lands squarely on Dearie and Cole. Are they being framed, or could they have a hidden dark side?

Dearie and Cole's relationship is not just about friendship; it's a lifeline in a world that often feels hostile. Their camaraderie illustrates the strength of chosen families and the resilience of LGBTQ+ youth. Sass explores the challenges faced by queer teens, from discrimination to self-acceptance, making this story both relatable and empowering.

As the protagonists race against time to unmask the real killer, they uncover not only the identity of Mr. Sandman but also dark secrets lurking beneath their seemingly quiet desert community. The book's blend of horror, mystery, and social commentary creates a narrative that is spine-tingling.

Sass's writing is sharp and witty, with humor that balances the darkness of the plot. You'll find yourself laughing out loud one moment and gripping the book in suspense the next. Dearie and Cole are complex characters. Throughout the chaos, they evolve, learning about themselves and each other, and ultimately, their journey is one of self-discovery.

In "Your Lonely Nights are Over," Sass delivers a captivating queer YA horror that speaks to the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ youth while keeping readers guessing until the very end. It's a scream-worthy page-turner that doesn't shy away from tackling important themes of identity and acceptance.

In the 70s there was a serial killer called the Sandman and just like this song Mr. Sandman instead of a dream he would bring a nightmare by killing those who were recently broken hearted and or single. It has recently become a pop-culture phenomenon TV show that everyone is watching everyone except for Deerie that is. Frankie Dearie and Cole Velozo are seniors and best friends and sometimes hook up but on this morning they’re supposed to meet at the LGBTQ support group meeting because two of its members claim to have gotten the famous note saying you’re next from someone who is pretending to be the Sandman and because for some reason that I as the reader didn’t get everyone thought it was these two. Unfortunately it seems just Deery and a girl name ‘Em will be the only members attending the meeting that morning until Cole stumbles in late while they are discussing Grover and Greta getting these messages they see the teacher who sponsors their group looking frantic and calling 911 when they go to investigate Rover has razor wire around his neck and gretta is dead this is Win dairies mom Mary a local detective comes and starts the investigation. I want to say there is some racism and people in power being abusive in the book so if you cannot stomach that then pass it up but if you can then do yourself a favor and read this book! There is way too much to describe the summary but what I will say is there is moments in this book that will make you angry, laugh, sit on the edge of your seat and find yourself swooning over children in love… Lol! I absolutely love this book and it isn’t because teen horror thrillers or my favorite genre it is because this book has great writing and delivers it all you will be wiping tears away and not know if it is due to sadness or tears do to laughter this is a great book and one I highly recommend if you love thrillers do not pass the book up it is so so so so so so so so so good!!!!! Did I mention how much I loved the book! I want to think Viking Young readers penguin group Dutton and net galley for my free Ark copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

4.5*

Once again Adam Sass had me staying up past my bedtime to finish a book! Like his debut, Surrender Your Sons, Your Lonely Nights Are Over kept me riveted and I couldn't put it down! I was so invested in what was happening to Dearie and Cole, those boys had my anxiety through the roof. This book definitely lived up to the Scream meets Clueless vibe and I loved it! Throw in a dash of Mean Girls, but make it gay, and you have all the makings of a truly engaging and thought-provoking story.

This book started off strong but I felt like a few chunks were just filler. It probably could have been novella length and cut out the filler and it would have been perfect!

Kicking off spooky season with this new YA slasher where two queer BFF’s are unlucky suspects when a old serial killer comes to town 50 years later, but this time targeting their school’s queer club.

This was such a thrill from start to finish, like I couldn’t put it down! Needing to find out the killer and how the little queer pack of ‘friends’ unmasks them. Finished in one day. This isn’t a romance in that the two MC’s aren’t destined to be together, it’s about young loneliness and friendship.

Described as Scream meets Clueless, and I would agree.
If you like 90s teen slashers this is the book for you!

Happy Pub Day to Adam Sass! This was my first book by this author, but won’t be my last.

𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙇𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙉𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙊𝙫𝙚𝙧 by Adam Sass (2023) ★★★★✬ 4.5/5

4.5 stars

This was my first book by Adam Sass and I can honestly tell you that I am now a big fan of his. I’m looking forward to reading more from him.

“Your Lonely Nights Are Over” is a super fun and entertaining young adult murder mystery. It was a page turner. I was constantly trying to figure out who was the murderer. And while I did eventually guess who was killing everyone, it wasn’t obvious right away. Sass had me following right along with his clues and twists and turns.

It has its own murder mystery docuseries going on. This show delves into these murders by Mr. Sandman from decades ago that have remained unsolved. But, all of a sudden, the murders have started back up again. And Dearie and Cole are under the microscope.

The book is cleverly divided up into parts that coincide with episodes of the docuseries.

Two super cool gay kids against everyone else (i.e., all the haters). The snark, banter and all-around sassafras in this were hilarious.

Dearie and Cole are #bestiegoals.

*** I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion. ***

I had a great time with this book! Just like a slasher movie but super queer and full of clueless/mean girls vibes. I hope lots of people pick this up for their spooky season TBR. Definitely would recommend.

4.5 stars Thank you Penguin for this ARC
A fun and witty queer slasher, dead bodies run as high as the cutting jokes in Your Lonely Nights Are Over.
We follow besties Dearie and Cole, friends who are unabashedly themselves, and not afraid to call out anyone and everyone that annoys them. When members of the Queer Club start dropping like flies, fingers are quick to point to the two of them. But is it the retired never-been-caught serial killer Mr. Sandman? A copycat? Either way Dearie and Cole have to discover the killer, before they are killed, or arrested!
This is such a hilarious book, I don't think I've had such fun reading a horror book before. Their friendship is so nice to see, as well as reading them "read" others when they try to come for them gave me life. I alternated between laughing and then being scared at was about to happen. This really feels like an old school slasher movie in the best possible way.
Adam Sass shows it is not impossible to write books with great POC characters, even if you are a white author. I really love how Cole's characters is written, and how different the students treat him as a murder suspect vs Dearie. There is so much great racial microaggressions in this book, so innocuous to many, I love it so much. (See guys it's not impossible!)
Without spoiling anything, I also love how relationships are depicted. Be they healthy or not, sometimes you don't realize what's going on until much later, when your brain finally feels ready to process it. There is a lot of symbolism in YLNAO and it is very well done.
This book is also very sex positive, and the discussions and situations surrounding "acting gay" reminds me of Camp. There is no reason to police how you act, or change how you talk just to be more palatable to straights. Sass hit the nail on the head with every issue he tackled.
For me the only issues I really have are at the beginning with the pacing, and some of the structuring. We are introduced to the characters, then there is a time jump of two months. A lot of what happens in that time jump is referenced later, or we get a few flashbacks. I almost wish we got to see more of Dearie's relationship and really how isolated he became from Cole. It would have had a larger impact on later events in the book if we got see more from Dearie's relationship. After the two months, the characters quickly reunite again, but we haven't seen enough of them to really understand the importance and feel that emotional weight for this event.
All in all, I had an enjoyable time reading this, and it got my mind of life. (Which is always a plus!)
This is a must read book for horror fans, lovers of queer books, or anyone looking for a fun read! This is my first book of Adam Sass, and I am going to go look at what other books he's written, because I am now a fan!
This cover!?! Obsessed. Perfection. Wouldn't change a thing. From the colors to the composition, to even the illustration, this is a perfectly done cover. 10/10 wouldn't change a thing.

As a slasher: this a good time. 50 years ago the Sandman killed lonely hearts, and then disappeared. His kills were random, and no one could figure out how he knew the innermost thoughts of his victims. A true crime documentary comes out and then the killing starts in Stone Grove, Arizona. Two states away and with much more specific targets in mind. It's like the Golden State Killer meets the Son of Sam, and then the present motives become something much more horrible. The deaths themselves are brutal. Everyone is vulnerable. There's no protecting yourself from the Sandman. I had a great time with the "who is it?!" aspect of the slasher plot, and the side characters are very fully realized that it hurts when some of them are lost.

As a book about young queer people: potentially just as brutal. Our main characters, Dearie - a very pretty gay white boy, and Cole - an excessively handsome Latine gay boy, are the very best of friends with a complicated but true friendship. They are best friends. PERIOD. Because of their friendship, perceptions about their more than friendship, and their confidence, they found themselves on the outside of the queer community at their school. Teens are fully of jealousy, petty grudges and revenges, and this book is a slap in the face reminder that just because queer people are open to sexual and gender identities, they aren't immune to racism and toxic moral purity. Cole becomes a target due to his ethnicity, and the perception that he is "easy."

While I have no grounds to speak to the authenticity of Cole's perspective, what I can say is he's a deeply lovable character. He's intelligent, articulate, and sharply critical. Which is mellowed out by Dearie, who is kind to a fault and even when it results in his own harm. It takes Dearie a long time to see how he's hurt and ignored Cole's concerns, and Cole's fears as a man of color who has already been a victim of their local PD. Over the course of the novel, when they are both the hunters and the hunted, these issues do not fall into the background. They are confronted. Ugly conversations are had. Both Dearie and Cole have things happen to them that would've been different if the other had spoken up, and they learn that lesson.

There are also subplots with romantic storylines that are precious. Cole's romantic journey is especially adorable.

Overall, an emotional, tense read full of "oh no!" moments and a friendship that makes you feel good inside.

CWs: murder, mayhem, racism, law enforcement and racism in law enforcement, homophobia, violence against queer people, relationship and intimate partner violence, frank discussions of sex.

Your Lonely Nights Are Over 🎭
Adam Sass
This is that perfect time of year to consume all the horror and thrillers I want. So this book was exactly what I was looking for. I binged this YA thriller in a weekend because I literally could not put it down until I was done. It was Mean Girl meets Scream in all the best possible ways. The witty teens were great! I could easily see myself watching this as a hilarious teen, horror slasher with a high body count. I LOVED it! 💀

So what's it about? Cole and Dearie are BFFs, inseparable, so close people think they are boyfriends. I love their friendship! One day, the boys are called back to their high school Queer Club , where they haven't been in a while, because other members are accusing them of sending some serious, awful text messages. But before the boys can plead their innocence, a Club member is found dead.

It seems to be the work of the notorious, never caught serial killer, the Sandman. But as suspicions soon turn to the boys, they must take on the arduous task of having to defend themselves and their innocence while trying to unmask the killer as more Queer Club members end up dead.
It's a twisty plot that kept me guessing from the first page. Even when I thought I'd guessed the killer about 85% through the book, I couldn't put it down. I had to know the fate of all the Queer Club members.

The story deals not only with homophbia but also racism, classism, abuse, friendship changes, and the way people process trauma. (So check those trigger warnings uf you need to). But even with all this heavy stuff and a fair bit of gory violence, the camp and comedy offer enough levity to keep the story fun.

I loved Cole and Dearie getting their moment in the last chapter. The heart of the story is their love for each other. The 2 boys growing up queer together, and being able to lean on one another was so special. I might have almost shed a tear in the end. 🥹
So if you're looking for a suspenseful, campy, sexy, funny, and scary fall read, this is it right here. I highly recommend it.

Thank you to Netgally and Penguin Group for this ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Your Lonely Nights are Over
By: Adam Sass
Publication date: September 12, 2023

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

This book is a YA horror/comedy.

Let me start off with what I liked about this book:
- [ ] Multiple POVs
- [ ] The main character
- [ ] The start of the book
- [ ] The ending

What wasn’t my favorite:
- [ ] In my opinion this book was about 100 pages to long

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group Viking Books for Young Readers for gifting me this ACR in exchange for my honest reviewer.

3.5 stars

This book is so many vibes. It's Scream meets The Breakfast Club in a slutty campy slasher book where everyone is getting killed or getting together. Or getting together to not get killed. It's not the perfect book for me, it dragged a bit too much and just made me feel old; but I'm sure this is going to be perfect for a lot of people. There is bunch of pop culture references, music, and fashion melded in this, and a diverse cast of characters I cared about. I think a lot of teenagers looking for a fun quick read will enjoy picking this one up.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

This was such a perfect fall read, it was like a gay Scream! Your Lonely Nights Are Over follows Dearie and Cole, two queer teens, as they find themselves in the middle of a slasher flick. Every time they turn around another member of the LGBTQIA+ club ends up dead, and everyone has their fingers pointed at these two friends. There's murder, cattys gays, serial killers, and, at the core of it all, a friendship worth dying for.

This was such a fun read, which is weird to say when there seemed to be another teenager killed on every other page, but it was just on the right side of campy to still feel like a good time despite all the gory deaths. The story touched on some more difficult topics as well such as loss and grief, abusive relationships, toxic, queer culture, bullying, and, of course, loneliness. I also appreciated how gloriously sex-positive this book was. Our two main characters unashamedly relish in their queerness, and despite other character occasional slut-shaming, never let it interfere with their desires and happiness.

Your Lonely Nights Are Over is the perfect book to pick up this fall if you're a fan of slasher films, tons of queer representation, and a mystery full of twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat for the whole ride! I highly recommend!

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers/Viking Books for a copy of Your Lonely Nights Are Over in exchange for an honest review.


(Almost) All the Queers Are Dead

If you cannot stand queer death, this book is not for you. When the summary states, "the bodies pile up," it means it. Usually, that would be a no-go for me, and I'll admit it took me a few tries to sink my teeth into Your Lonely Nights Are Over. But Adam Sass creates a tale so page-turning that I got past it. 

Dearie's and Cole's friendship is ride or die, and we need more queer friendships in media. Don't get me wrong: I love watching/reading "teh gays" become OTPs as much as the next queer, but but but ... queer friendship is integral to surviving. Your Lonely Nights Are Over makes that literal. 

Location, Location, Location!

Deserts are my happy place. They're also places that can be incredibly creepy, lonely and deadly, meaning they're a most excellent location for a horror story. Couple that with a queer club, one of our greatest nightmares, and you've got a recipe for terror on full blast. 

Your Lonely Nights Are Over is gruesome and gory without being gratuitous. Adam Sass sets up those chilly scenes where you're yelling at characters to get out of there, but they don't listen. Your heart will be thumping because you just don't know if people will be OK. 

Should You Read It?

If you are in any way a fan of Bodies Bodies Bodies or They/Them, you'll get a kick out of Your Loney Nights Are Over. (Though it is worlds better than They/Them.) If you're looking for a great gay read for spooky season, this is it. Bone-chilling, fun and with an actual message, what else could you want?

Your Lonely Nights Are Over is out on September 12, 2023. Pick up a copy at your local indie bookstore or library. 🎭📚🩸

This book was SO fun. The cast is built up of a diverse set of somewhat unlikeable characters, but even at their worst I couldn't help but root for them. This story is very queer, and something I love about newer generations of books is how queerness is just a part of the story rather than a plot device (throughout the 2000s most YA books that featured queer characters did so with the lense of it being a growth arc). The main characters, specifically Cole and Dearie and to a lesser extent Grover, are presented to us as solidly a part of their school with their sexuality front and center to them (the bulk of the story takes place within the Queer Club, after all) but is just a small part of their identity to the rest of the cast.

Sass instead puts emphasis on the othering placed upon his characters of color, and he does a great job in showcasing white Dearie's allyship (and the correct way to take accountability when it falters), while not taking away from Cole's validity of experience.

Is Sass Gen Z? He does an amazing job of catering to a Gen Z audience, which felt so fun to read. Every ten-15 years, pop culture has a generational shift (binge watch the entirety of the Scream franchise to watch gen x meld into millenial and slowly transform into current gen z to see an example of this), but books sometimes seem slower to catch up. YA is of course the best genre to start witnessing the shift in real time, and one of the reasons I advocate for adult reviewers to keep their mind open to YA. We are about to see a surplus of new writers bringing their generational experiences to the page, and I am definitely here for it.

Back to the book at hand, lets sum it up real quick. I'll do a spoiler free review here, but discuss the ending below for anyone who wants to read it. High school seniors Cole and Dearie are besties, and also suspected of sending some threatening texts to two other members of their high school's Queer Club, based on the fact that one of the text receivers (Grover) has a tumultuous relationship with our main protagonists-especially Coke. The rest of the Queer Club members (there are ten in total) call for a meeting to get some answers from Cole and Dearie, but almost no one shows up. Meanwhile, Grover and Gretchen are attacked by a masked assailant; both students are found with barbed wire wreathed around their necks.

The threatening texts and this mode of attack are actually the MO of a decades old serial killer called Mr. Sandman, who preyed upon the lonely. Throughout the 1970s, a rash of killings terrorized a couple of towns, focusing on victims who'd recently been dumped or showed other signs of loneliness. Currently, a true crime documentary has gained popularity going through the Mr. Sandman case, in which a killer was never caught.

Although Grover survives, it looks like we have a copycat on our hands- or an elderly serial killer has returned to his old tricks. As the story unfolds, there's a lot of conversation about the judicial system and how it impacts children of color (while white Grover concedes that Dearie is innocent, he still believes Latino Cole is responsible for his near death, and the following murders), and the various forms of abuse that can haunt us.

While I loved this reading experience, and love the messaging, my one complaint is that it felt a little undercooked. The abuse discourse is two fold- one storyline with Cole (that goes hand in hand with the racism he experiences) and the other with Dearie. The Dearie one is arguable a larger arc but is contingent on a scenario that, personally, felt like it needed a bit more time to marinate in the start of the story.

Otherwise, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read! Sass brought a ton of depth to his characters, created vivid scenes, and depicted dialogue SO WELL (something I feel that a lot of YA books struggle with). The entire book could easily be imagined on screen, and if this is ever opted into a movie I will be buying opening night tickets.



Stop reading if you don't want the story to be spoiled!!









Spoiler review(!!!!)

The story does a wonderful job of paying homage to the teen slashers that it pulls inspiration from. From start to finish, readers are met with sarcastic teenagers, inept adults (sprinkled with some very well-intentioned ones), school-property murders, and of course a climactic party scene.
Early in the book, Grover survives his attack, and lets Dearie know that there is video evidence of Dearie's innocence. This interaction (somehow) starts a relationship between the two boys for the next couple of months. There is a chapter in which, from Dearie's perspective, we see what seems to be a sweet relationship- albeit a little anxiety inducing for Dearie who just wants to protect Grover. After an argument about Coke, Dearie breaks up with Grover and essentially sentences him to death via loneliness. The next night, at a graveyard movie event, Grover is not only killed but mytulated beyond recognition. The boy he'd taken as a date to the movie, Justin, flees the scene and later exhibits a lot of strange behavior. This of course catapults Justin to the top of the suspect list, working in tandem with Cole, who remained prime suspect due to the amount of evidence being framed against him. While Sass does a very decent job of north foreshadowing and keeping the mystery alive and well, I was able to suss out both Mr. Sandmans relatively early. Grover and Justin had been deceived as nearly identitcal, save for a small tattoo Justin had. During the movie, Grover switched places with Justin and murdered him, then murdered Justin's dad to keep his identity secret for the time being. The other killer was another character introduced in the book, but I want to focus on Grover's storyline.

Essentially Grover was abusing the entire Queer Club to some degree, not just bullying Cole. His abuse became focused on Dearie, whom he'd had a crush on for years, and the entire book becomes Grover's quest to isolate Dearie and gaslight him.

I think this storyline would have worked much better if we'd had more time in the beginning of the book with the characters' backstory. While Sass foreshadowed everything well and he characterized Dearie well enough that it was believable he'd not only accept abuse but not recognize it, I just didn't really buy into Dearie falling for Grover in the first place. Then the two month skip forward in time took out a lot of the context of their relationship. Personally, their relationship was the weakest part of the storyline for me, and that's unfortunate because that's what the whole book conclusion is really built around. However I don't think it necessarily weakens the book overall! I think especially for the targeted audience (actual YA readers), there's enough balance of nuance and confrontation that the important messaging maintains its impact.


Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group and Adam Sass for this ARC

I am fully in my YA Queer Horror/Slasher era! I had such a great time diving into this book and couldn’t help but enjoy the light-hearted banter and friendship between our two main MC’s. This story is full of angst, queer characters, open discussions on loneliness and a suspenseful storyline.

One of my favorite parts in this story is the unreliability of all of the characters – the vibes fit a true slasher film as you race to the end to discover who is the killer and why are they targeting the lonely queer community?

Our characters are truly and unapologetically their own fabulous, iconic teenage selves and I loved them for it. I can’t wait to see more stories like this in the future and I’m excited to check out this author’s backlist. 4.5 stars.

Thank you to Penguin Group / Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley for an E-ARC copy of this book.

[4.5⭐️]

Thank-you to NetGalley, Penguin Young Readers Group, and Adam Sass for the eARC!

Okay I absolutely LOVED this book. As a HUGE fan of slasher flicks, I LOVE finding books that give me the same feeling I had the first time I watched SCREAM, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, FRIDAY THE 13TH, and so on and so forth. I loved Cole as a main character and was always desperately rooting for him to come out on top. I guess I could relate to him because I, too, am never wrong. 😜😜😜

I find it so interesting that the original title of this book was DEARIE, because I was NOT a Dearie fan in the least and it took QUITE a while for me to warm up to him.

Now, did I correctly guess the killer (or is it killerS? guess you'll have to read to find out 😉😉😉) almost immediately? Yes. But that doesn't necessarily mean that it was OBVIOUS. As someone who grew up watching procedural crime shows, I was (and still am) notorious for seeing a character appear on screen, pointing at them, and going "oh that's the killer." Proof? I have none, sis, it's all ✨vibes.✨ So I'm gonna need one of y'all to take one for the team and read this book so you can let me know if it WAS obvious, at which point you guessed, who your suspect(s) was/were, etc. Please. I promise it's a good read and I just REALLY want people to discuss with!!!

The #1 streaming show in America is
YOUR LONELY NIGHTS ARE OVER:
The Search for Mr. Sandman

fifty years ago, in San Diego, CA, there was a serial killer the newspapers took to calling "Mr. Sandman". he was never caught and simply up and disappeared one day. he targeted people who had recently undergone heartbreak and always sent them a note in the mail first. it said: "Your lonely nights will soon be over."

(side-note: this is apparently a reference to that one Sandman song, which is why the public called him Mr. Sandman. idk, I feel like we could've gone a million directions with horrible romance puns. or literally just like, The Heartbreaker lol)

he'd always sign his notes with a little doodle of a tragedy mask, which the very few witnesses who survived and reported seeing him stated he was always wearing. he'd kill his chosen victims via barbed wire around the neck within 24 hours of their receiving the note. on the bodies he'd leave a second note that said: "Your lonely nights are over."

when a hit new reality "docuseries" show analyzing his murder streak pops up, he returns to being a household name and folks start talking about him a lot more. we come into the story following best friends Dearie and Cole.

We swing our arms lazily. Em is probably baffled about what our deal is. Most people are.
“Don’t worry,” I whisper, “I’m not marrying anybody until I’m fifty.”
Cole’s dimples pop. “Me, right?”
I nod. “For the taxes.”

Frankie Dearie and Cole Cardoso are top notch mcs and hilarious besties. they live in Stone Grove, AZ (which you may or may not know is pretty far away from and a very different vibe to San Diego) and spend their time kissing boys and breaking hearts. unfortunately, one of their ex-best friends from childhood has just received a text stating "Your lonely nights will soon be over," and Dearie and Cole are being accused of sending it.

this kicks off the absolutely unhinged ride the book proves to be. things rapidly descend into madness and chaos; people are dying, Cole is being racially profiled by the local police, and the funky fresh new Mr. Sandman is apparently wildly homophobic as he keeps killing queer kids. the cops in this town are hilariously incompetent so of course Cole and Dearie end up having to go do everything themselves, with endlessly hilarious dialogue and a bunch of bg murder.

“So, when you jumped into that helicopter at Mooncrest,” Cole says, his eyes never drifting from the news, “did you, like, hang off that bottom rung like an action hero or ride sidesaddle out of the open door, like in war movies?”
“Um, I was seated safely and wearing a seat belt,” I say, scratching my fresh arm bandage.
Cole moans. “Not as cool.”
“I know. But I got to leap out into the parking lot before the chopper completely landed.”
“Sick!”

Your Lonely Nights Are Over was a very fun ride and one I don't regret giving 5/5 stars too. Adam Sass just gets it y'all

I will say, folks that are hardcore mystery/thriller readers probably won't love this book (I figured out who was behind everything really early on and I rarely read murder mysteries) but I still had a lot of fun with it. the book also tackles some difficult topics, like systemic racism and emotional abuse. full points for any author who can balance conversations like that with scenes of teenage boys kicking ass.


rep - achillean mcs (2); achillean love interest/s; tons of bg queer characters
thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc ✨

I wanted to like Adam Sass's YOUR LONELY NIGHTS ARE OVER, but unfortunately, the book was basically unreadable - literally. For whatever reason, the publisher couldn't be bothered to format the e-ARC appropriately, and it was almost impossible to read. In terms of the book itself, it felt very much like other queer YA stories, and I had a hard time connecting with the characters.