It was very promising for the first 100 pages or so. Then it all went downhill. Character arcs were just dropped. The explanation for the time travel was almost laughable. It had some interesting ideas, but they weren’t developed properly.

oh this was proper creepy and unsettling (in the best way!) it made me rethink everything i know about time and life in general, and i was desperate to figure out the truth around her brothers disappearance and the dodgy circumstances. reality now doesn’t feel real.

A haunting story likes behind the eerily beautiful cover of this book. Nothing is scarier than secrets, and those who keep them. This book brings to life that very fear. No matter how old you are, you will finish the book covered in goosebumps and go to bed with the lights on. A masterfully crafted spooky tale perfect for any horror fan.

3.5 rounded to 4.

I couldn’t quite gauge if this was time-travel or magical realism, but I enjoyed it all the same. I liked the character development and it had a hauntingly eerie approach. I enjoyed the romance aspect and I found the book easy to read. It’s YA and it was a nicely written book.

I grateful for the eARC for this novel in return for an honest review. I did not read toonmuch about the novel before starting it so I could go in blind. Based off the cover I assumed it was going to be very dark and spooky and in some aspects it was (the sewed up mouths reminded me of Coraline) but I was pleasantly surprised when time travel was introduced. I also really loved the relationship btw Lee & Eilam, super sweet and truly star crossed. One of my favorite characters was Eilams grandfather and wish that him and his knowledge was better explained. Overall it hit all the YA feels for romance, and teen angst, I just wish the pacing and overall explanation of time travel was more fleshed out. I was left with a beautiful teen love story but alot of family secrets unanswered.

This book was really interesting. It took me some time to really get into it. Time travel YA is a fascinating genre to me...it can be done convincingly, or it can be done very poorly, and there really isn't any in-between. For a while, I thought this was a spin on a similar thing to Get Out, but the book does come into its own.

Hylee disappears when she begins to think about the most traumatic thing that's ever happened to her. Her parents don't know what to do with her, her best friend can't deal with it, and so, very lonely, she goes to live with her grandmother, who doesn't seem to want much to do with her either. There's some mystery going on...more than Hylee knows, and nobody will talk to her about it. She becomes close with a young man who has a similar trait, and they work through her trauma together.

I do think the time travel thing was an apt metaphor for processing trauma. It was well-written, and the characters developed throughout the story. I docked it one star because it shouldn't have taken me as long to really get into the story, but that might have been a "me" thing and not a "book" thing. The cover was also misleading...I really wanted this to be a much darker, spookier book than it was.

A very different take on the time-travel trope. Was it caused by trauma? Was it genetic? Was is scifi? There were some questions left open at the end for me, which I won't get into without spoiling the story! I really liked the relationship and connection between Hylee & Eilam, and with her new friendship with Sarah. Sarah just went with the flow and that's why Hylee needed after all the craziness in her life. This is a half horror/half scifi book for me. It would be interesting if the author wrote more about these characters in another book.

Though intrigued by the premise of this story, I found the execution of the story to not be my vibe. I did not complete my read of The Dark Place and am not sure who I would recommend pick up this story.

This book started out fairly spooky. But the narrative shifts abruptly. We leave the realm of the supernatural for a more sci-fi oriented plot. The pacing is uneven and events don't always make much sense. With characters that aren't complex enough to drive the plot I have to call this one a hard pass.

A dark mix of Coraline and Doctor Who, THE DARK PLACE appeals to sci-fi, horror, and young adult fiction fans as a whole. Lewis has crafted a mysterious and thrilling world, and a young romance top it all of. Truly a book you won't want to miss!

I love everything about the dark place! Currently taking a drive into Britney Lewis Backlog. 5 stars it was an easy and fun read. Also found myself laughing and scared at the same time,

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide, Disney Hyperion for an eCopy of The Dark Place!

When I first read The Undead Truth of Us All, I was absolutely stunned by how good it was. And The Dark Place lives up to absolutely all my expectations. Perfectly eerie and haunting, heart clenchingly romantic, The Dark Place is the perfect blend of romance and horror. Britney S. Lewis writes her stories in the best kind of way and she really excels at blending fiction with lessons on how to deal with the darkest parts of ourselves.

Anytime I get to read a book that is laced with magical realism, speculative fiction, and YA fantasy I'm grabbing it up because these types of books heal the inner child in me. I am so grateful for books like this because growing up, I did not have novels with characters that look like me that was a part of this magical, beautiful world, that I absolutely love. This is a phenomenal read!! Please add this one to your reads !!

This was such an atmospheric read that my older students would enjoy. It is spooky, haunting, and interesting. I enjoyed the characters and much of the pacing.

Britney S. Lewis strikes again with a work that is cringe and yet delightful. There is something about her stories that make you go aawwhh and aaahhh simultaneously and its never questioned. I don't know the film inspiration for the tale but whatever the characters motivation for love was not missed. Britney is for sure an auto-buy,no questions, author for me.

Britney Lewis is officially on my list as an auto-buy author. This book is so good????? I was hooked from the very first page. The concept of this is so intriguing and the plot is initially what piqued my interest, but then as we got further into this, it really kept getting better. The Jordan Peele comp is so warranted. Throughout Hylee's journey, I was getting this awful sense of dread that I also get during literally all of Jordan Peele's movies. This definitely was giving Us and I loved it. And if you want a book that will mess with your head and send you into a mini existential crisis, look no further!

As Augie says about cola in Role Models: I like the idea of this more than I actually like it. The story sounded like a dark, twisty mystery, and it was in parts. But I feel like the actual Dark Place Hylee visits and her abilities could have been explained better. I also think her family seemed to be over dramatic about things, to the point where I was like, would this genuinely be an issue or did the author just need to insert rifts? Everyone seemed to have communication avoidance, which I can understand sometimes, but not to that extent. I wish things had been fleshed out more instead of a lot of the story focusing on Hylee and Elat’s romance.

At the start, the book takes its sweet time to rev up, but once things get going, you're hooked, no doubt. And whoa, the author's got this knack for serving up the creeps and suspense. I gotta admit, those descriptions of the creatures in that other dimension? Nightmare material right there.

Let me toss out some things I dug about the book:

👲Characters? Legit, felt I knew 'em.
🏫The places? Described so vividly.
😨That suspense factor? Nailed it.

But hey, it's not all rainbows and butterflies:

🥱Starting? Bit sluggish. Could've used more oomph.
⚔️Some actions? Kinda made me go, "Would anyone really do that?"
😨And then, bam, the author leaves us hanging about the whole deal with that freaky "other" place Hylee and her borther got sucked into.

😏Bottom line? "The Dark Place" is a winner in the horror department. Seriously well-written and a heck of a ride. If you're into stuff like Netflix's "Stranger Things" or "The Haunting of Hill House," this book's right up your alley.

Thank you @britney.s.lewis, #disneyhyperionbooks #netgalley
, and @turnthepagetours for the eBook and my honest review.

I thought this book was excellently crafted. It leans a bit scifi/cosmic horror/magic realism. I think if you are reading this for straight general horror you may be a little disappointed as it is quite a genre bender but I think it squarely fits in cosmic horror. The MC's situation is written with a lot of emotional depth, and as a YA it isn't overly gratuitous in the violence and horrors.

As with her first book Britney's mastery of prose and her writing style really draw the reader into the book.

Such a fun read!
***spoilers***
Coraline meets the multiverse of madness meets the time travelers wife.
This was surprisingly a sweet love story intertwined with a twisty enthralling mystery. loved getting to know Hylee and her fantastic story.
If you are a fan of thrillers, YA, and Coraline this is a must read.