Honestly I didn’t go into this book with very high expectations based on the summary, but I actually really enjoyed it. It was addictive and I finished it within a day. The beginning chapters were extremely gripping, although it started to lose be a bit towards the end. Can’t say I really enjoyed the ending too much, but it was alright.

If you’re looking for a quick YA horror read, this is definitely your book.

There was an attempt at a bit of depth and reminding us how we all use our devices too much, but it didn’t really hit much.

And the subplot is LGBT inclusive, although the romance seemed a biiiit out of place when it showed up, as the characters took a break from an intense life or death moment to… realize their feelings and get back to saving the world the next day.

But those points aside, it was an entertaining read and rather well written, and switching viewpoints between watching streams, reading chats, and Teresa’s POV worked rather well in my opinion.

The whole book took place over the course of just a couple of days (although I lost track of how long it had been at times).
I’d definitely recommend this book as a way to get out of a reading slump due to its fast paced nature.

This really does have potential, and it kept me fairly entertained. However, I felt like it was lacking an emotion aspect. Teresa certainly showed signs of trauma but it didn't feel fully fledged out. And the addition of gender confusion felt half-done and not talked about enough for me to have found it to be an important part of the plot if it was meant to be. I thought it was a really cool take on modern technology and how it can affect us, paranormally or not. I just think it could be fleshed out a little better!

This was exciting and different!
Teresa survived a car accident that unfortunately killed her best friend, she is experiencing survivor's guilt on surviving the accident that killed her friend. That survivor's guilt has caused anxiety and made it so bad that she could not leave her home and most of the time her room. However, she enjoys streaming and has made friends over the internet with whom she enjoys watching other streams.
One night while watching a stream the streamer said there was something weird going on with the door and hallway and then they saw a shadow in the stream and the stream went dead. Many assume it is play-acting or something else Teresa is not quite convinced and then that streamer starts streaming again but he is acting very odd and she decides to investigate. Once she does she knows something is wrong while trying to ask her followers to help the streamer she releases the streamer's address and ultimately gets banned from streaming because she broke the rules. Feeling stuck she watches as the sinister events unfold and then the sinister history of everything that was going on! Teresa has to overcome her fears to help her new friends and to help shut down the spooky shadow that is now going after other people!
Originally I thought that this story was not going to be something I'd enjoy but this is a new level of horror with the spooky aspect! I loved it and this is definitely one that you are not going to want to miss!
Thank you Penguin Group Viking books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this one! A new fear has now been unlocked!

Over all 3.5 stars. I am a big fan of horror and this was a great try. I think there are lots of potential here but would have loved to see more.

This was good. I can definitely can see a teenager really liking this story. Although it was a bit juvenile for me, I enjoyed the premise of this story.
I will definitely be recommending this to my teenagers

Tried but couldn’t get into this one. I think it’s more because I’m not invested in the streamer realm. It was kind of repetitive in certain areas as well.

YA horror really is a hit or miss, but this definitely hit all the right notes and enjoyable for all ages. I really enjoyed the pace, suspense and twists of this read that gave so much in fewer pages than anticipated. This book did a great job of portraying online use, the danger that can be imposed on us with over use and made the reader subconsciously start to think of the internet in a new way. I highly recommend this YA thriller for anyone who loves a fast, twisting story with a solid underlying theme that is relatable for all generations.

🚨WARNING: This book is addictive! 🚨

There’s something wrong with Teresa’s favorite streamer, Brick. The whole internet saw as someone crept up on him in the dark during a live stream. However, Brick swore that no one was there. When he cuts off abruptly, his fans become extremely worried. Teresa, a fellow streamer herself, begins to use her small platform to investigate. What else is she supposed to do when she hasn’t left her room since an accident that ended with her best friend dying? What she finds is haunting. Brick is in a zombie like state, staring at the screen for hours, eyes unblinking, barely muttering a word. When other streamers are affected and Teresa starts seeing things in her stream too, she’s desperate to figure out what’s going on before it’s too late. Will she be next?

Wow, what a story! This one literally sucked me in and held me there! I finished it in one sitting because I just HAD to know what the hell was happening. It was creepy and unsettling which instantly makes me a fan.

I love how it had the subliminal message about the internet as well. How things go viral and take over so quickly. How someone is always watching, listening. These platforms take over your life and can bleed you dry. Much like the characters in the book, though, I won’t stop using them. 🤣 I liked Teresa’s character and felt sorry for her, but could also relate. I appreciated how her mental health was discussed and well thought out. the paranoia and anxiety she feels was well depicted.

I also enjoyed the format of this book. I felt like I was watching on TikTok, scrolling through the comment section.

This is my first book by this author, but I will definitely be checking out more!

“Nothing is safe. Nowhere is safe.”

Book:
DEADSTREAM by Mar Romasco-Moore
Thank you PeguinTeen and Netgalley for the Earc (April 1)

Review:
4⭐
Teresa hasn't been out of the house since the accident. Instead, she spends her days streaming, watching them, and running multiple channels. When one of the streamers she watches becomes catatonic, Teresa is pulled into a world that is almost unbelievable as she tries to put a stop to the whodunit.
DEADSTREAM is a fast-paced thriller that kept me entertained throughout---I managed to read it in just under 24 hours, eagerly waiting to see what was going on with the streamers, shadows, and doors.
I'm unfamiliar with streaming in the terms of this book, so some of the phrases in the "chat" threads left me confused. However, because I was so intrigued by the happenings in DEADSTREAM, I looked past that, trekking through as I rooted for Teresa to figure out what was going on. When everything ramped up, and it was revealed what was happening, I honestly didn't believe it. It left me almost dumbfound and kind of horrified.

I really loved this! Marketed as "Rear Window" meets "The Ring", this book was right up my alley. I really loved that this book included a mixed media element including live streams and chat comments. This book was fast paced and surprisingly graphic for a YA horror novel. I also really liked the queer and mental health representation.

Overall, this book was fast paced and a lot of fun. There was great character development and lots of creepy moments. The perfect blend of horror and heart.

A great addition to the YA horror pantheon - the author truly gets how to write teenagers in the 2020s. I loved how it embraced some of the great aspects of online culture (queer acceptance and community) while still creating compelling scares within the streaming world. I especially liked the epistolary storytelling elements, with chats and messages, and those will feel recognizable to today's YA readers. Was it a bit kitschy at the end? Sure. But Teresa's growth was strong, the catatonia elements were great, and the final confrontation was solid.

I usually don't read horror; I don't like being scared. Luckily I don't stream or watch streamers, so I don't live in fear that this could happen to me lmao.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review. Thank you as well to Bookish First for providing me the first fifty pages in exchange for my first impression - it left a strong enough impression that I wanted more!

"Deadstream" was about a girl who survived a horrific accident, while her best friend did not. It was an interesting read, but a little hard to follow with the varying a text/computer format. I found myself r-reading a few sections as it did not flow as easily as it maybe could have, however, still a fun and intriguing read!

First off, I want to comment on the cover. It's perfect and I love the old school-horror look it has to it. This book was pitched as the Ring meets Rear Window and I think that's spot on, with a modern twist. I found this book very interesting and well written for the most part. There were no boring stretches, waiting for something to happen. I appreciated that the action started and kept going. I have to say, though, there were a few things that felt sort of forced for the story. Theresa barricading herself in her room and her parents letting her, despite being worried she'll hurt herself. Or googling what to do about her brother instead of calling 9-1-1. At no point is that addressed as the incorrect response in an emergency, not a learning point or anything. Again, it happened to move the story forward but was frustrating. The pronouns stuff also felt forced, like it was mentioned once at the beginning and once at the end with an odd footnote. I think it's important for YA novels to have protagonists deal with pronouns, but the main character didn't. She just once at the beginning and once at the end. I think it's a bigger point than just a throwaway line with a little footnote. Maybe I missed something but it felt forced as well. Like "Oh this is YA and YA books should also deal with this subject so let's mention it and be done with it." I don't know if the point was to normalize the situation or what but that was not how it came across. It would have been better as either more of a plot point or not mentioned at all. This felt like someone suggested the author toss it in. (I write this as someone who think its a good point to have in YA novels, for the record.)
Overall it was a fun plot with some genuine scares. Frustrating main character but interesting side characters. And I found the streamer lingo to be insufferable - however that means its accurate and is a compliment.

Deadstream by Mar Romasco-Moore offers an intriguing blend of horror and psychological suspense, but it ultimately falls short of its potential. The story follows a character caught in a live-streamed horror scenario, blending the fear of the unknown with the pressures of a modern digital landscape. While the novel has an eerie atmosphere and a compelling premise, the pacing can be slow at times, and some of the character development feels underwhelming. The tension builds well in places, but the payoff doesn’t always satisfy. Overall, it's an enjoyable read for fans of psychological horror, though it doesn't fully deliver on its promise.

I enjoyed this. It was creepy and funny and maybe more relatable than I'm comfortable with. I don't think I've actually seen anyone do streaming horror in novel form (there are some found footage films that handle it), and it was neat to see it.

Our main character is sometimes a bit frustrating, though there is a lot going on there with her. The story starts getting eerie pretty early on and holds pretty well with that. Watching the character melt down and then pull herself through it was compelling.

The author seemed like they were actually familiar with the world of online streaming, which I was not completely expecting, so those bits rang true with what I've seen with people I know. It did a good job of showing it as a positive force in people's lives, though definitely not without being able to cause problems. Sometimes a LOT of problems.

I didn't love the ending. It was...okay? It at least had a real ending, which is sometimes a trend in horror where books just kind of stop. At least King knows to set things on fire to show you it's over! This, again, did end, but it wrapped up a bit more cleanly than I thought made sense. I wasn't surprised by the way certain relationships shifted like I know some people were -- it seemed obvious that's where it was going, though not in a bad way.

Overall, if the idea of the book strikes you as interesting (or you like found footage horror, which was why I snagged it), I do recommend.

(I got this book for free from Netgalley. This did not affect the content of my review or opinions.)

"Rear Window meets The Ring in this sinister YA thriller, in which a teen girl witnesses the livestreamed murder of a popular online streamer by a paranormal entity . . . and could be its next victim." I love social media horror, and this book was no exception! This was a fast-paced novel that was fun and creepy. I may have yelled at the FMC a few times. I loved the mystery surrounding what or who the entity was that kept appearing in streams. Also, if you are not a fan of bugs, you may want to skip some parts. Definitely a great horror book!

This is a really fascinating book! This book's formatting was a novel decision. Anyone in their late teens to early twenties should read this book, in my opinion, as it offers a moving glimpse into the life of an anxious streamer and teaches us that sometimes we must log off and simply live life.

Thank you to the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Deadstream started out really well. You really get immersed into the story. It leans heavily into screaming culture and if you don't know anything about that you might be lost by some of the lingo and I do think it could impact your ability to understand the story. Things like "raids," on stream are used a lot and if you don't know about that, you're going to be confused or lose context (this is not a dig at the book, its delivering what it promises).

I struggled with this one. I will own, I am not the target audience. However, I feel like this book moved too fast for the story to really sink in. I wish we would have spent more meaningful time with the main character and built her character more before things started moving. However, the age range this is for may not like that. I think this being a.YA thriller, it will do well with it's audience. This, feels closer to a middle grade horror though it is genuinely scary at times so maybe not suited for that audience for that reason. However, the writing and story structure was close to middle grade.

Because I am not the wheelhouse for this, I am not going to rate it on Goodreads. I think this is a good book for it's age range, it does not cross over though like some YA do and that's okay. This will be a good book for younger audiences to connect to and that's important. Rating 3 star on netgalley as rating is required and that's my rating with age range considered.

Teresa (aka Replay) is a teenager consumed by grief and guilt after the death of her best friend. Unable to leave her room, she retreats into the solace of streaming and online communities, where the glow of a screen feels safer than the outside world. But when a popular streamer begins acting strangely, Teresa is pulled into a dark mystery. Her search for answers pulls her deeper into the dark corners of the internet, where reality and digital nightmares begin to blur.

This book begins with a fairly fast-paced narrative and creative format, weaving chat logs, forum posts, and livestream transcripts into an unnerving story. The author does well capturing an overwhelming sense of claustrophobia and dread, amplified through Teresa’s battle with PTSD, anxiety, and agoraphobia. Her emotional state and physical reactions felt raw and authentic, capturing the crushing isolation and helplessness that often accompany such conditions.

However, the book’s ending faltered for me. The final act loses focus, overwhelmed by too many moving parts. Teresa’s journey into the villain’s mind became convoluted and difficult to follow. It felt more like a series of disconnected set pieces than a cohesive conclusion.

That said, the book excels in exploring the eerie, all-consuming nature of the online world. It delves into the bittersweet paradox of the way the internet can foster connection, but also feed isolation.

In the end, Deadstream didn’t fully work for me, but I can see it resonating with other readers, especially those who appreciate YA horror with a streamer-centric twist. If you’re someone who enjoys eerie atmospheres, relatable mental health struggles, and a touch of digital chaos, this book might just be your next binge-read.

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

There are some genuinely creepy moments in this book and the premise is interesting. It's a dangers of streaming and what it can do to a person book, and while it's certainly based on things that can and do happen as a result of social media, I do think it inches a bit close to being preachy on the subject matter.

That being said, I enjoyed the read and love a non-traditional narrative. Though, some of the texting was difficult to read on Kindle.

The incentive nature of the haunting was my favorite element of the book.

There was a bit at the end where the pronoun "they" was used in a way that felt misleading and sort of misrepresentative of how "they" is used by non-binary folks.