3.5⭐️

This was such an interesting premise but I'm afraid the execution wasn't quite there. It's almost like this tried to fit too many topics into the story and ultimately made the whole think a bit clunky. I can appreciate being inclusive, but the way the genders and sexualities were listed for members of the server almost felt like a checklist of inclusion. I also found the way Replay's guilt and and agoraphobia was dealt with to be odd. I know everyone processes grief differently, but her motivations to stay in her room felt weak. If it's because everything outside is 'not safe' then why is everything in the room safe? I also feel like she just pushed all her feelings into fear to push past her agoraphobia and still hasn't worked out the root of things.

I do think this did a great job portraying online streaming and the parasocial relationships that come from that. In a way, some people may build a community from streaming online, but just like in real life those communities can be cliquey. Kyle, his desire to be famous, and his jealousy at Brick's success just shows that streaming can do just as much bad as it does good. Then there's the aggressive chats that sometimes lead to death threats, doxing, and swatting attempts from 'fans' who think they know a person because they follow them. This was a warning not to take things too seriously.

Thanks Netgalley and Viking Books for Young Readers for providing this ARC to me!

This was terrifying and atmospheric! I loved the text threads and chat rooms, it made the book feel so unique! I was on the edge of my seat with this one!

I typically like YA novels, and I love horror/thriller novels. There were elements of this that I really loved- Teresa’s friends were fun and her little romance subplot was extremely cute. I liked how it was written for streams with the chat being interspersed and the text bubbles.
However, there was so much about this that I struggled with. This had high school-aged characters, but read more like a middle grades novel. As a parent, I struggled with Teresa’s parents and how hands-off they were with a child who is struggling with grief and anxiety to the point where she doesn’t leave her room. Although I appreciate that Teresa was in therapy, at what point do you try to do more for her? The supernatural elements became a little too much for me toward the end (I found myself starting to skim through).
I think there was a point being made about our ties to screens (and also maybe online radicalization), but I think it became overshadowed by the ultimate fate of the protagonist. I think young readers will leave this only taking away the success of the protagonist, not the overall dangers of screens and the internet that the author might be asking them to consider.
It’s possible that I am just not the right audience for this.

As someone who struggles with social anxiety and has a family history of agoraphobia, I was thrilled to get an ARC of Deadstream.
While the trope of cursed social media isn't a new one, this story had enough twists to make it interesting.
Some of the scenes felt a little phoned in but the story quickly made up for it with others (the eye scene!).
Highly recommended for fans of YA horror who want a quick read to keep them up at night.

I love a good YA horror novel and I specifically put this book right after a heavy adult fantasy novel in my reading list. I tend to use books like this as a palette cleanser after a particularly heavy book. With that being said, this book was way more than I expected! It dealt with some serious topics. As someone with diagnosed agorophobia, I really liked the way the main character's agorophobia was written, particularly the aspect of symptoms getting much worse after traumatic events.
As far as the horror element, I think this book had some incredibly scary and gory moments! I love that we are seeing more and more gore in YA! *Points to the Clown in a Cornfield series by Adam Cesare*
The mixed media playing into the story made it feel really immersive at times and made me feel like I was flying through this book!
If you like horror, streaming, and a suspenseful quick read, I would recommend this book, even if you don't typically read YA.
*I received an e-arc of this book. All opinions are honest and my own.

I'm leaning at 3.5. it was good, not up to par with I am the Ghost in Your House. But it had it's definitely creepy, mysterious moments. I thought it would go a little deeper, but maybe streamers aren't my genre for books. I did like the idea of a The Ring comparison.

I think this had a lot of potential, but towards the 30% part of the book I started to have some doubts about it. As is, I’ll give it a 3.5, as parts of this story were definitely freaky. The eye horror towards the end made me physically recoil.

Open the door.

After a car accident leaves Theresa agoraphobic and without a best friend, she turns to the world of twitch streamers and YouTube as a comfort. In her room, nothing can hurt her. Watching these streams, she can pretend to be normal. But when a notorious streamer begins to act extremely weird during one of his streams, Theresa, known as Replay, clips it. Unbeknownst to her, the clip she posts will skyrocket her.

And Brick isn’t the only streamer to be left in a catatonic state. One by one, bigger streamers fall like dominos. One by one, Theresa struggles to piece together answers, no one seeming to believe her besides her online friend Ozma. When the entity targeting the streamers sets her sights on Theresa, there’s only one thing for her to do.

But can she open the door?

Thank you to Netgalley and Viking Books for the e-arc! Check out Deadstream on April 1st! Review will be up on socials in a day or a few.

With the rise of social media, streaming, and living one's life online - the internet has been a place sorely lacking in good horror content focused solely on that. There's been a few decent games and ARG's I can think of that focus on the internet as the birthplace of the horror (the game Simulacra comes to mind), but as a whole I find it difficult to find many ventures into this genre to be both believable and entertaining.

What if every time you post to social media or Google search, a little digital echo of you remains out there in the internet. And if you die while streaming online, your ghost can then access and haunt the internet.

Treasa has agoraphobia ever since a tragic car wreck. The only place she feels somewhat normal is when she streams. As she is watching a popular streamer, he is asked to open a door. Harmless enough, however the chat can see a shadowy person behind him, but in real life there is nothing there. It can only be seen on the computer screen. Treasa decides to look futher into this apparent stunt. But what she finds is dark and more sinister that they imagined.

This was a little hard for me to follow personally. There were moments where it all made sense, but then would take a turn where it was a bit murky to follow. Not my favorite book, but there are those out there who will love it.

This book was a pleasant surprise.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, as it was a quick read and a good time.

Oooh that was creepy. I think readers will be drawn in by the varied ways dialogue is presented, and how plot points are communicated. The premise is intriguing, there's a presence you cannot control or even see in person, who controls you and controls others through streaming. You cannot interfere or the spirit/demon (it's later revealed who/what it is, toward the end of the book) and the impact they have, but you just know that streamers and viewers are unsafe. I would recommend this to young adults who are fans of a medium-paced story about gaming and social media.

Deadstream is a creepy horror novel. It turns streaming online into a nightmare. It's a real page-turner that is hard to put down once you start reading it. I highly recommend it to all young adult horror fans.

I really enjoyed this book. My daughter is also reading it right now. It felt like I was watching a twitch stream and the author captured the twitch environment perfectly. I think the horror elements and gore are at an appropriate YA level.

So good! I'm not usually a YA reader, but I love tech horror and this delivered! Also had a diverse cast and dove into questions of mental health.

I am voluntarily leaving my honest opinion.

THIS BOOK WAS SO CREEPY!!!

I am writing this review and am a bit irrationally concerned about it.

I don't even know how to write a review without spoilers! OMG, what a ride!

DON'T OPEN THE DOOR!!!!!!

Thank you to Netgalley, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers, and Mar Romasco-Moore for the ARC of this gripping book.

Thanks NetGalley for the #lARC of Deadstream by Mar Romasco-Moore! I read this in one sitting today and it gave me palpable anxiety 😅😬 I loved the format -- many sections were told through text messages or livestream chats, and it had a lot of interesting ideas! I liked the characters and the LGBT rep, and I love the concept of like cursed media. I will say, I thought the ending could've been better, but I'm also probably not the target audience for this, as it is more of a YA read for the generation who grew up plugged in to the internet. Still a very fun (and tense lol!) read overall! Gave me some of the same vibes as the Spree movie but with some creepier moments.

DNF @ 36%.

I'm just too old for this lol. It was confusing and I didn't care about our characters. While I appreciated that the author tried to take a relatively trite plot and take it in a new direction, I just kept thinking over and over of the authors who have done it better.

Not for me.

I am not the demographic, but this book is for, however, I can see why someone younger would enjoy it. I do think it was a good, unique idea. I am a sucker for mixed media in books: text, emails, news clips, pictures— all of that, I love. So I really enjoyed that part of the book. I also like books about the Internet for some reason, so I really enjoyed that part of it too. I thought the plot was behind it was creepy in that the way the ghosts showed up….I don’t want to spoil anything, so I won’t elaborate. However, the ending lost me a little bit and seemed rushed, and I kind of got confused. Overall, as a YA book, I think it’s fine. It also depicted the thoughts that someone with anxiety has well. It kind of got a little annoying to read, but I have had the exact same thoughts as the main character, so yeah, it is annoying— it’s annoying to have anxiety, lol.

Overall, it was a unique story, and it was fun to read.

I think many will enjoy this book.

Theres a lot to love.

The cover is stunning. The concept is fresh and unique. The story grabs you from pretty early on. Romasco-Moore creates an atmosphere that is deliciously creepy. Teresa’s perspective as a streamer and as someone who struggles greatly with mental health gave me fresh insight into the daily life of someone much different than me. The text messages are a fun touch. It was fun to compare this book to the film The Ring.

There are some things that didn’t work for me.

Some of the aspects of the ending did not feel as cohesive as I would have liked. I love to read a book with mental health representation but this one missed a few notes for me. While I appreciated the inner workings of Teresa’s mental health struggles and the insight reading about a character like Teresa brings, at times it felt repetitive which led me to skimming through some of Teresa’s thoughts and feelings near the middle and end.

Overall, I think this book will work for many people, especially those who are in the streaming and gaming world.

I received this arc in exchange for an honest review.

'Deadstream" is a compelling young adult horror novel that intertwines modern digital culture with supernatural terror. The story centers on Teresa, a seventeen-year-old grappling with severe agoraphobia following a traumatic car accident that claimed her best friend's life. Confined to her bedroom, Teresa finds solace in online streaming, connecting with the world through her digital presence. Her fragile sense of security unravels when she witnesses a shadowy figure appearing in a fellow streamer's live video—a harbinger of mysterious deaths among online personalities. As this malevolent entity begins to infiltrate other streams, including Teresa's own, she must confront her deepest fears and step beyond her self-imposed isolation to halt the spreading horror.

The novel is lauded for its immersive narrative style, incorporating mixed media elements such as livestream transcripts, text messages, and online forums. This approach not only enhances the storytelling but also reflects the pervasive influence of digital interactions in contemporary life. This book has been able to create a claustrophobic atmosphere that mirrors Teresa's escalating anxiety, effectively building tension and suspense. The portrayal of Teresa's mental health struggles, including her agoraphobia and panic attacks, is handled with sensitivity and realism, offering depth to her character and making her journey both relatable and compelling.