Did I decide to start this late at night? Yes. Did this send chills up my spine?Also yes. 5/5 stars

Teresa aka Replay is terrified to leave the safety of her room after surviving a traumatic accident that claimed the life of her best friend. Her window through to the outside with is through the streaming community. However this starts to dissolve when a creepy figure appears in a popular streamer and his behavior completely changes with him suddenly dying in front of millions of viewers.

As Replay she begins to unravel the whole/what this figure is, especially as it's impacting other people's stream making them 'open the door'. To save herself an everyone else who is impacted Teresa must open the door to the outside world.

I really enjoyed the multi media take what chat logs, reddit posts and group chats. It definitely made it feel more immersive and related to the YA of today.
Teresa's panic attacks were well written.
The figure was definitely interesting and I felt like I figured it out rather early on. However the big scene did creep me out a fair bit.
The ending definitely felt a bit cheesy but tied it all together nicely.

I received an eARC of this book via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

1.5 stars rounded up

I’m not really sure where to begin with this review. While it did have some elements of suspenseful horror, it was poorly done in the end. Also with the LGBTQIA+ rep, it almost felt like rep just to be rep. Even the names of some of the characters were very cliche in my opinion. I’m all for LGBTQIA+ rep but it needs to be done right. This is not it.

Character development did not happen. Our main character was terrified of stepping foot outside until all of a sudden she wasn’t? Same with her friend Ozma. At no point was there any feeling of romance or anything more than friendship. Until Replay goes to save her and all of a sudden they are making out and then having sex basically? What in the world? It was weird all around.

The narration style was also all over the place. Sometimes we were in third person, sometimes it felt like first person and then others it was a completely different person. It could be very confusing coupled with the chat logs and trying to describe the streams, it was hard to follow at times. I can understand that the author may have been trying to tell us about the dangers of the internet but honestly, it doesn’t go over well in a book. At least not a style like this. A movie would have been much better.

It honestly gave me the same vibes I got from Horror Movie and I Was A Teenage Slasher but Horror Movie done it way better. As I mentioned earlier, there was some decent suspenseful horror to the book but that was early, early in the book. But as the book continued, it was like it lost its steam and the author lost their track of thought too.

This book had a really interesting premise especially as someone interested in the streamer community, and I'd definitely recommend checking it out if you're looking for a fast paced YA thriller that you won't be able to put it down! The mystery surrounding the main character's trauma really impacted how she acted throughout the novel.

Teresa is an online streamer who struggles with leaving the house after her best friend’s life was claimed by a car accident. She finds online streaming to be her escape, until one day a shadowy figure appears in the background of her favorite streamers video. Strange things begin to happen to this streamer and eventually to Teresa herself. She finds herself investigating the strange things that are going on in the streaming community. This book was very suspenseful and kept me guessing. The book was very exciting until the ending, where it lost me a little bit. Overall, this was a very thrilling story that many people who are online could connect to.

I really enjoyed this book! It sticks hard to its premise of livestreaming and an evil entity. I thought the mystery was well done and balances the horror elements, pacing and character development well. Books that are specific to technology can be a little dated after a while, but it is certainly a topical and good read for today.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this early.
Imagine you are watching your favorite live streamer playing a game, doing art, packing orders, or just chatting. Now imagine the door behind them opening just the slightest bit, a shadow in the doorway.
You think “What the heck, it’s not even October. It’s not time for their Halloween stunt yet.” And they turn around to look at the shadow. They turn back to the camera, a confused look on their face.
The chat is going wild:
[10:35]- oooo spooky 0.o
[10:36]- it’s April wtf is that
[10:36]- Tjbnfskha sent a gift
[10:36]- open the door
The streamer leans in closer to their screen, reading the chat as it comes in. You see the shadow move behind them, out of focus but still visible. It’s inching closer to the camera.
“Guys what is happening I literally don’t see that. It’s just on the screen!”
The shadow inches closer.
So close. It reaches a hand out to the person you’ve watched so many times before.
The screen goes dark.

This book has literally taken over my brain ever since I finished it. It combines the narrative of a regular book following a girl who experienced a tragic car accident and now is too afraid to leave her room. Something weird happens during one of her favorite streamers live streams and she tries to figure out what is happening. The book also includes video descriptions, online Reddit threads, and chats between characters. If you watch streamers, you need to read this. Please! It comes out April 1st!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I like to think of myself as young and still read some YA for enjoyment. However, this was definitely YA for the kids of today. I usually like some mixed media inserted into stories as it provides a more realistic side to stories in today's world, and I understand the entire book is based around livestreams, a strange entity, and the online community, but it was a bit much.

The creepy parts of the book were good. Would I really compare it to The Ring? No. It did give a good mix though of showing the downsides of the internet vs. some of the good that can come out of it. This is not something that I would recommend, but I think for the kids of today, it would be right up their alley.

okay, this is DEFINITELY NOT just a YA horror. it's deeply ominous and actually made me at points shudder. in the middle of the afternoon, in a brightly lit room with multiple windows. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Deadstream grasped my attention right away and was able to hold my attention the entire time. I think streamers would like this book seeing how they’ll be able to relate to the lingo and some of the streamers.

I really enjoyed how the viewers could see something different than the streamers when they were live. I think that the explanation of the main characters group of friends was not needed and it would have been nice if the other streamers were spared. I also must add that I was happy the main character was able to overcame a lot of things that she was dealing with, that was really good.

Lastly the main thing I like although fictional is that the author tried to show how too much of anything can be dangerous. If elaborated a little more although not the main focus, it would probably help those who do need to touch grass or even pick up books more. Streaming or the internet is fine but with a limit. I appreciate where this book was trying to go. Overall not a bad YA read. Thank you.

Thank you Netgalley, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers and Mar-Romasco-Moore for the Ears of Deadstream.

This is a horror/mystery and it is exactly what it states on the tin. A group of young influencers/ video streamers get sucked into a nightmare once they have watched a video of someone opening a door, that only exists in the digital world. One said video streamer Teresa has to battle her past and her crippling anxiety to work and and stop this phenomena.

Deadstream is a medium paced YA horror/mystery that has a great balance between character development, identity, mental health and horror elements. The pacing is constant which kept me engaged right the way through. The gory details don't hold back for a YA but isn't overdone either making Deadstream a nice intro to horror for the reader.

4 stars

I tend to like books that are about the internet, especially when they are genre fiction. This one was being offered on NetGalley, and the idea of a ghost haunting streamers pulled me in. A lot of the narrative is told through chat transcripts and descriptions of what viewers are seeing while watching streamers on the screen. It is definitely creepy, to the point that I had to switch to something a lot less intense when reading at bedtime. The mystery that unfolds as the main character gets wrapped up in the hauntings is well plotted, and I thought that the author did a very nice job of laying out the crumbs for the main character and reader to follow. Endings to horror novels can sometimes feel like a let-down, but this one stuck the landing pretty well. It left me unsure if the final conclusion was hopeful or ominous, which was a nice bit of ambiguity.

“Remember that you are going to die. You are going to die. There is no other way out of this place. No other door.”

This has no business being as good as it is. I’ve seen a number of horror movies/books try and fail to make phones and the internet scary, and if Stephen King can’t land the concept, I wasn’t expecting a lot from anything else. While Deadstream does have the occasional ridiculous element, it hits the mark more often than it misses. Some of the ghostlike scenes are genuinely chilling, with a few moments of gore [tw: eye horror] thrown in for flavor. The haunting aspect takes on an interesting explanation, and I like what Romasco-Moore does with the idea. While I know it isn’t real, it feels plausible enough that it could be, and it lends the horror a little more gravity.

Teresa is another strength of the story. I sympathized with her right away, and the book does an excellent job of handling her agoraphobia and survivor’s guilt. The message isn’t so much about overcoming trauma as it is about finding healthier ways to live with it, and that’s something I really wanted to see for her. There’s also an emphasis on internet friendships and both the positives and negatives of those: in some ways, we can be our truest selves in our online communities, which tend to be more accepting of queer identities. On the other hand, there’s doxxing, bullying, and in this case outright haunting.

I can’t speak to whether or not the streaming culture is well-represented (I have an allergy to being talked at for hours on end), but Romasco-Moore portrays it well enough for their purposes. Like a lot of things, it’s an interesting dip into a world I have no interest in joining myself. I can’t remember the last time I started and finished a book in the same evening, so there’s also that! It’s quick-paced thanks to the many DM conversations, and I was eager to find out what was happening. Definitely recommended for YA horror fans who can suspend their disbelief long enough for a fun, spooky ride. I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Penguin.

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.

Rating: 4/5 Stars
Pub Date: 4/1
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I am really digging the YA streamer horror. I think it is super relatable and honestly there is a lot about the online world that is terrifying. I think that Mar Romansco-Moore did a fantastic job at creating that livestream world.
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I was hooked to this story right from the start. I was real into the whole fact that Teresa wouldn’t leave her bedroom (and was interested in the reasoning behind it) and I was loving the online forum where a super famous streamer goes catatonic. I loved how Teresa was so determined to figure out what was happening.
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This reminded me of basically a modern age The Ring and it was so fun to follow all of the threads and Teresa and her closest friend as they uncovered just what was going on. I absolutely loved the paranormal aspect of this story and exactly how/what/when this entity does what it does.
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Deadstream is a pretty fast paced book and since I’m a huge sucker for any epistolary style books, I flew through this one pretty quickly. It’s not overly scary and I think that people who want to dip their toes into horror will enjoy this one. Let me just add that this is considered YA, but I don’t think it read too much like a YA. I very much enjoyed this one!
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Huge thank you to NetGalley, Mar Romasco-Moore and Viking Books and Penguin Group for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

A surprisingly emotional YA horror/thriller. I'm a sucker for interactive books where you get clips of text messages and live streaming chat groups throughout the book. The storyline was unique and I zoomed through this one. I'll definitely be picking up a copy for my shelves when it's released.

I think the premise for this was well thought out. It made me wish for the earlier days before the internet. Streaming can be deadly in today's world. LITERALLY. I remember as a teenager I was wondering why adults were so scared for modern tech. Now as a mother of two in my forties I can say it. I. GET. IT. The ending had my skin crawling. You don't need to be a tech wizard to enjoy this story. It was laid out masterfully and left you on edge.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

This was a good easy YA read overall. It was a more updated version of “the ring” per se with streaming. It keeps you interested and wanting to know what is going to happen next.

This was such a unique story and refreshing twist on the haunted house/ghost genre! Fast-paced, entertaining, and extremely chilling, this felt like a modern day version of The Ring mixed with elements of Disturbia. There are some really creepy moments and disturbing imagery especially toward the end. I loved the concept of live streaming becoming a deadly trap for a mysterious, sinister entity.

Told from Teresa’s perspective and using a mixed media format, this book incorporates text messages, online chats, tweets, and other digital elements, making certain sections feel as if you’re right there in Teresa’s room watching the streams unfold. If you enjoy this type of format, you’ll probably really enjoy this book! However, since I’m not very familiar with the online streaming community, I felt a bit lost at some parts due to the lingo and chat format- I may just not be the target audience for this one!

If you’re looking for a fun YA horror book filled with eerie shadowy figures, mysterious doors, live streaming, a mixed media format, and LGBTQ+ representation, consider checking this one out.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an electronic ARC of this book!

I enjoyed this book and was able to get through it in about 24 hours! I thought the concept was pretty original and engaging. I was sufficiently creeped out by the descriptions of the catatonic states and beyond. I wish there had been a bit more resolution, as well as maybe less characters to dive into them more. Overall was an entertaining read!

Tigger warnings: suicide, panic disorder, mental illness,

I think my high schoolers are going to love this story being told. It has the right amount of clean horror that won't make anyone upset.
Teresa is not the same after being in a car accident that killed her best friend. Because of this she is now considered to be agoraphobic and can not leave her room. The only people she truly communicates with are those she speaks to online. One night while watching her favorite person online do his thing she sees a shadow and this starts our story. It seems that something paranormal is attacking those that are online. Why? What is the connection? With this going on we see how it makes Teresa try and let go of her disorder so she can save those that are being affected. I enjoyed the way the author brought into the story "the quiet zone" I had to look it up to see if it was ever true. Imagine my surprise when I noticed it was! Can you imagine living in a place where there is no cell phone usage, wi-fi? I think that would in a way be a dream come true. I like the idea of how technology plays a huge part in it, as that is what our world is like nowadays. Imagine something coming to life and causing havoc through the internet could it ever be stopped?

Deadstream is a chilling, fast-paced horror that keeps you on edge. Romasco-Moore's ability to build tension and create an eerie atmosphere makes this one tough to put down.