Whoaaaaaa finished this last night and I could not read it fast enough! The creep factor was extra high in this book and I loved the mystery aspect as well. I did struggle to keep track of all the characters at times (there are a lot). I do think Friday Night Lights meets Stephen King with a LGBTQ+ twist is an accurate description. There is some adult content just as a heads up if that is something you aren't a fan of. I can't believe this is a debut and can't wait to read with Fram writes next!

Let me start by saying I knew nothing about this book before I started reading (did not even read the back cover synopsis). This is not my typical genre and I think that influenced my experience with this one. This story has elements of a thriller, confrontations with homophobia and racism, small town drama, football themes (although that does not define it at all), and also horror. The horror was the part that I was not prepared for when I opened this book.

The characters and the mystery are instantly engaging. The book moves fast and there is a lot going on right from the start. Also the setting is great (small town Texas, football). The end of the story is shocking and I definitely did not see it coming (in a great way). I just really struggled with the horror aspect but that is a personal preference. I think most people will love this fresh take on horror/thriller. This is definitely different from any other books in this genre right now!

Trigger warning: Homophobic Slurs, Sexual Assault, Suicide

Thank you to John Fram, Harlequin/Hanover Square Press, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews at https://www.NerdGirlLovesBooks.com.

This book is a creepy, weird mixture of mystery/suspense and horror - a combination that works surprisingly well. I couldn't stop reading it, even though part of me didn't want know anything more about what happens and just wanted to go on about my life.

The town of Bentley is a typical Texas small town. Young and old alike - their entire world revolves around high school football. As a gay man growing up in southern Texas, Joel Whitley had a difficult life in Bentley. He fled town for New York City ten years ago after a big scandal and never looked back. He's now a successful business man that is able to be himself in his new city. But, a troubling text from his younger brother Dylan, who is the star quarterback player on the high school football team, suddenly takes him back to the town he vowed he'd never step foot in again.

Sheriff’s Deputy Starsha Clark, who used to date Joel in high school, never left town and has been able to make a life for herself, although she is still haunted by the mysterious disappearance of her older brother ten years ago. She's not happy about Joel's appearance in town, but when Dylan goes missing after the Friday night football game, they find themselves thrust together to investigate the missing boy.

Dylan's friends and teammates are definitely hiding something, and Joel and Starsha must keep digging to get to the truth. Complicating matters are the disturbing nightmares they, and other town members, start having the night Dylan went missing. Things definitely aren't as they seem, and supernatural forces may be in play. Joel and Starsha may find out what's going on - but do they really want to know the answers?

I can't go into much detail beyond this without spoiling it for you. This book caught my attention and didn't let go until the end. I stayed up until 4am to finish it because I just had to know how it ended. It is very well written and while the story unfolds slowly in the beginning, the pace quickens as it gets weirder and creepier. The author plants little tidbits throughout the book, which peaked my interested until I was dying to find out what the heck was going on. While I guessed some of the mystery, I had no idea other things were going to happen - and that's what you want in a mystery/thriller. Some of the story is very salacious and pretty far-fetched, but hey, if you're going to write something that is really "out there", you might as well go for it.

Frank depictions of topics including child abuse, drug addiction, misogyny, and antigay are scattered throughout the book. It definitely isn't for the faint of heart and if you're put off by graphic sexual content, violence, cursing and hate speech (derogatory words used against homosexual characters), you should pass on reading this book.

This book is original and was quite a surprise. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend you read it.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In this horror/mystery/thriller, Friday Night Lights like story we find Joel, who has returned to his small Texas town to try to help his younger brother, Dylan. After Dylan disappears Joel is forced to face the demons of his past that led him to flee the town ten years earlier. What he learns is that there is something more sinister than he even imagined going on that members of the town wish to keep secret and will kill to keep them that way.
With a large cast of characters, and written from some of their POV's this one will keep you on your toes as the plot thickens and the suspense builds until the pulse pounding explosive conclusion. Although it comes in around 480 pages, I found this to be a quick read that I consumed in two sittings.

I liked the first half of the book. The prose is decent and Clark and Joel are likable enough. I was interested in the mystery, until they discover the bright lands.
I didn't think the horror elements were well executed. The book would've worked better as a straight thriller. Additionally, I don't think 3 additional POVs besides Clark and Joel added much to the story. Besides Joel, I don't really feel like any of the character were well developed. Character relationships weren't explored.
Additonally, the climax dragged on for a long time.
This story had potential, but it failed to deliver.

QUICK TAKE: Friday Night Lights but with an LGBTQ+ twist. I know others are going nuts for this one, and I really enjoyed 75% of it, but the ending kinda took me out of it. I was here for the moody and atmospheric, the grounded horror story of a gay man returning to his southern homophobic hometown to find his missing brother and confront the monsters of his youth (both literal and figurative...). The mystery kept me invested and intrigued, but the expansive cast of characters and "balls-to-the-wall" ending made this a 3-star for me.

Wow - so if this is a debut novel then sign me up for whatever comes next! In this nearly-500 page book, John Fram delivers a dark and gritty thriller akin to Gillian Flynn with supernatural horror elements resembling something we might see from Stephen King. This story explores a small town that, on the outside, is obsessed with their high school football team (I can relate with that upbringing - so much that even alumni in their 60s are raging mad on Facebook groups that there is even talk about changing our mascot name in light of current situations). But beneath the surface, literally and figuratively, there is a seductive and dark power. It seems everyone has secrets in this town, both past and current. And many are trying as hard as they can to protect these secrets. But what are the secrets - how dark and terrible are these secrets? What happened to the star quarterback? What are the Bright Lands?

This book is completely intoxicating and you may find it hard to put down. The chapters alternate between different POVs and are pretty quick which helps keep the flow and pace moving along quite nicely. The Bright Lands perfectly blends crime fiction, horror, thriller, supernatural, and suspense! 5 stars!

For a debut novel I believe this author has a bright future ahead. With that said, this book just wasn't for me. I love a good thriller but when you throw in horror type stuff I kind of check out. If this book had stayed strictly a murder thriller I think I would have given this one 4 or maybe even 5 stars.

The writing in this one is pretty dang good and polished. There are a lot of characters in this one though to keep up with and at times it did get a big confusing on who was who. The climax of the story was just meh to me after the build up. The supernatural part of this story is just really touched on, never really explained. I think this would have helped a lot in me enjoying this one a bit more.

This book is LONG so be prepared to read for what seems like days. This is a solid debut novel for this author and I can see fans of this sort of thing devouring this one. For me, I think I'll just move on.

ohhhh what a ride this one was and did it disappoint... absolutely not!!!

I really like how original this mystey/thriller was and it definitely stands out on its own and one that will e hard to forget especially after that wild last 20% of the book I was like oohhhh.

this is a mystery that follows an abundance of characters from the detective, to the victims brother and also the victims close friends and girlfriend. it is so clever how this mystery is woven together and with each character your trying to guess until the end what's happening and how this all wraps up. but oh boy does it wrap up and in a. very big wayyy.
very edge of your seat stuff for sure.

this has got to be such a fantastic debut novel, that I had to check to make sure this actually the authors first book!!! it was like it was written from someone who had quite a few novels out.
this is one book for sure that I can't wait for everyone to pick up and read In July and see everyone else's reactions to this novel.

definitely not one to miss out on!!!

You had me at “Friday Night Lights”.
Pitched as a cross between the fantastic NBC drama and “Twin Peaks’, @john.fram made this an absolute must read for me.
Bentley Texas loves it’s high school football more than anything. It’s church to this town, and its players are revered like gods. But when dreamy quarterback Dylan Whitley goes missing, his estranged brother Joel returns home from Manhattan to find out what happened, and confront the demons of his past that shattered his youth.
This is a town rotting with secrets, shifty eyes, tight lips, and double crossing that makes the kids from “Elite” look like bratty toddlers. But Fram’s book, as fun as the ride is (and trust me the mystery unraveling is page turning fun) has bigger and heavier themes at play here some of which I won’t reveal to avoid spoilers but include, homophobia, racism, as well as the agonizing pressure of belonging and loneliness. And yes, there’s a horror element that really doesn’t rise up until the packed climax of the story, and if you’re someone looking for a true horror novel, this is not that. However if you like your horror lite, with a great mystery to wrap around it, this could be the book for you. Hard to believe this was his first book, and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.

John Fram breaks onto the scene with a thriller/horror novel that builds suspense exquisitely and will have your heart pounding in no time! Centered around the small town of Bentley in Texas where high school football is EVERYTHING, it doesn't take long to realize that bad things happen around here and more bad things are a coming. Secrets have lived here for years and terror lurks.

Fans of Stephen King and Dean Koontz will enjoy this read even as they ask are-you-sure-this-is-a-debut-novel?

My thanks to NetGalley and Hanover Square Press for allowing me to read a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

Police corruption, small town secrets, peer pressure, homophobia, racism and misogyny - these are a few topics you can expect to be brought up in this wonderful debut novel by Fram. This suspenseful thriller with light horror undertones is one to put on your TBR. Don't let the page count dissuade you - each page is necessary to tell this enthralling tale set in a small town in Texas.

This book hooked me right from the beginning, then tapered off while building its suspense and then explodes at the end. There's quite a cast of characters and I enjoyed being in the minds of all of them. Well, maybe enjoyed isn't the right word for some of these minds because I found myself flinching at quite a few scenes. For the majority of the read, I was wondering why this was even considered horror at all - we get a hint in certain parts but it doesn't really show its horror face until a certain part. Personally, I would've liked to have seen more of this throughout the read rather than placed mainly just in one spot. HOWEVER, take that with a grain of salt because the horror in this novel isn't just contained within that part of the storyline.

With loads of mystery and an ending you won't be expecting, I'm duly impressed that this is a debut novel. Fram is an author to watch out for - I highly recommend adding this to your reading list. I'll certainly be looking for his next release.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I could not have been more excited to read “The Bright Lands”. I related to the premise of the novel so immediately and could not wait to start. The story centers on Joel Whitely, a gay man living in New York, who returns to his hometown of Bentley, Texas after receiving disturbing text messages from his brother Dylan. Dylan is the high school quarterback and star of the town. Without giving away any spoilers, Joel’s life is turned upside down when his brother goes missing under the Friday night lights. The events that follow send Joel and the inhabitants of the town into a tailspin of deadly secrets and a supernatural turn of events.

I should’ve loved this book. It checked all the boxes and yet I struggled to even make it through. The second half of the book does pick up pace and eventually begins to feel like the mystery novel that I signed up for. However, that doesn’t even begin to excuse the first half of the book, which is riddled with laughable cliches and cheesy writing. It felt like Fram was trying a little too hard with the spooky whispers from the universe that haunted the dreams of the every character in the book. Too much time was given to poorly drawn characters and constant reminders to the reader of something that had been said two chapters ago began to drag on in this 500-page doorstop.

The second half of “Bright Lands” does pick up and I found myself tearing through the rest of it, having nearly given up in the first 250 pages. That being said, I just didn’t buy the big reveal at the end. I can dig a supernatural turn of events, but this one felt completely unwarranted. The whole buildup to what happens at “The Bright Lands” was far fetched enough and I couldn’t get behind any of it. By the time I got to the climax, I felt very little investment in any of the characters or the mystery that had taken so long to unravel. The most dangerous thing about this town is the homophobia that still permeates and taints the lives of its inhabitants. If this is all an allegorical tale and the real monster all along is bigotry, then that’s all well and good. But the ending doesn’t feel like a satisfying resolution in any sense.

Overall, this book just didn’t do it for me. The concept drew me in but the execution held me at an arms length the entire time. Much like its premise, a trip to “The Bright Lands” had me leaning forward in anticipation until I became bogged down by the horrors that awaited. *Cue thunder, lightning strike*

2.5 Stars

The minute I started this book I could hardly put it down. I became immediately invested in the characters, deeply curious about the plot, and scared. It is the Steven King of queer horror.


My one critique is I would have loved to see more diverse queer experiences. To have this many different queer characters but all of them to be cisgender men was a strange choice.

The elevator pitch of this book is: Friday Night Lights meets a murder mystery meets horror. Bentley is a dying small town with lots of secrets, the only thing going for the town is that their high school football team has a chance to make States. However, the disappearance of star Bison QB Dylan Whitley has the town reeling. Some people seem to know more than they're letting on, while others are desperately seeking answers to what happened. At the same time, everyone in town seems to be having similar strange dreams, with a sensation that whatever was in their dreams is also in the real world.

The book jumps through a vast cast of characters who all play a different role in town, but they are trying to put the pieces of what is happening together in their own way. Each discovers secrets about their friends, family, the town, and even themselves - culminating in a night none of them will forget.

The book uses a mix of the murder-mystery and horror genres as a way to discuss hypocritical homophobia and toxic masculinity. It doesn't pull any punches on the violence and demeaning acts against gay members of the community - and it gets graphic. The author doesn't call himself "Stephen Queen" for nothing, he doesn't hold back on his descriptions of gore. If people are looking for happy endings, this is probably not the book to read.

While there are supernatural elements to the book, the bulk of the horror comes from: the unyielding and far ranging depths of human cruelty; the trepidation and fear that comes from a society built on toxic masculinity; and the dread that comes after intense shame and guilt linger for too long. The terror caused by these human-made horrors are written so well that they overshadow the supernatural. With all the build-up throughout the book of something unearthly at work, the ultimate climax dealing with the supernatural reveal was almost lackluster because everything before it already hit so perfectly. Humans don't need an evil hellbeast to make life and living awful for one another - it's just an easy thing to blame at the end.

The supernatural part of the book fizzled out for me. I feel like while there was a lot of build-up and questions that came up, there weren't a lot of answers given. I think this is one of the few times where I would not have complained if a character just straight up infodumped. And like I mentioned earlier, Fram handled the earthly horrors so well, this just seemed bland comparatively. I did enjoy the other aspects of the book. Fram doles out just enough information about what happened to Dylan to keep the reader interested, but not enough for the reader to be able to figure it out way before the other characters. The book is almost 500 pages, but it goes by very quickly.

3.5/5 rounds to 4/5.

This is one of those books that makes review writing a tricky business. "The Bright Lands" by John Fram is a solid, engaging, frightening, and bizarre book and I loved it. I will endeavor to give you a feel for what this book is like without giving away the great surprises and twists that are in it!

Joel Whitley fled his home town and didn't look back... until the night he gets an accidental text from his younger brother. With just one text, Dylan hints that he too is finding Bentley, Texas to be a challenging place to live. But it shouldn't be like that. Dylan is young, handsome, the quarterback on the football team, and dating a gorgeous cheerleader. His life should be great, it should be much better than the life Joel has escaped.

Joel decides that it's time to step up and help out his brother. He is more than settled financially and can help Dylan with his future. He travels back to his home town and it's almost like going back in time. Nothing much has changed... the bright lights of the football field still call the townspeople together to celebrate one of the most important things in their world. Football is pretty much everything in Bentley.

Shortly after Joel arrives back home, his younger brother Dylan disappears. Joel promises his mother he will get to the bottom of what has happened and things just spiral down from there.

This is a really eerie story. Farm has a great style of writing. The pacing is great and there are stiletto punches of reveals that take your breath away. I read this in two days because every time I thought I had found a spot to put it down... something else would happen and I had to keep reading. It's hard to believe this is a debut novel because it's such a solid story!

The characters are well developed and all the way through I could sense my brain trying to put the pieces together to sort out the mystery but I just couldn't pull it off! I was locked into the plot from the moment Joel got a series of painful texts from his brother. I've given nothing away... and that's intentional. If you like horror... suspense...drama... you'll love this book.

This novel had a lot going for it. Football in Texas is big and this had the feel of another Friday Night Lights story with a compelling mystery thrown in. When one of the key players is found murdered, the entire football team, as well as a few others, were cast as likely suspects.

As much as I was enjoying the mystery, other parts of the book were so off-putting that I began to dread reading it. These players and this small town were nothing like what I grew up around in Texas. Every town has secrets, but this town has secrets on steroids.

Heavy drug use, homosexual activities, paranormal elements, bad language and disreputable characters filled the pages and fueled the secrets. This book pretty much lost me at some point after the halfway mark when the sexually explicit details and the paranormal elements came into play. I’m sure there are readers who will like this book, but it just wasn’t for me. I think this would have made a great story if the author had simply written it as a murder mystery.

Thank you NetGalley and Hanover Square Press for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for NetGalley
Fram's debut novel resonates on a personal level. My hometown nestled in the Sierra Nevada Foothills had an unhealthy obsession with High School football. Our small-town community rallied around anything and everything having to do with the football team, but little else.
Playing for the team was like a badge of honor; an instant boost into the popular-kids sub-culture at school. All the other extracurricular activities were shadowed by the eclipsing glory of football.

Fram captured the essence of this kind of atmosphere perfectly in his book, THE BRIGHT LANDS.
The main character, Joel Whitley is a former high school quarterback who left his old stomping grounds to pursue a career a little less 'sports-oriented'.
He becomes increasingly concerned about his younger brother who is following in his footsteps back home, after receiving some cryptic text messages.

I struggled with this book in the very beginning. There was a lot going on in a short amount of time. A lot of characters come in and out which is confusing for readers trying to hold on to the important cast members in their minds. I found myself wondering about certain people only to realize they weren't coming back to the story.
There was something about the writing, especially the dialog, that felt like one of those stylized teen drama sitcoms on network television-think PRETTY LITTLE LIARS or something like it, where everything is a little too "on the nose". You know how when you watch those shows and you think to yourself, "Nobody really talks/acts like that in real life."
Yeah, that.
It took a good hundred pages before I settled into the pacing and started investing in the main characters.
But once I did, the story became more compelling and interesting. Fram introduces some unexpected elements that lift this book beyond stereotypical, YA genre labeling and into a fresh, contemporary horror novel with thoughtful, social commentary on bullying and homophobia.

Let me preface this review with...well written, well constructed story, just not my gig. The story is touted as a mystery in a small Texas town as a high school football player disappears and his brother, Joel, returns to a town of bad memories, homophobia, obsession with football, and violence. The first half sets the scene, with viewpoints told from a variety of characters: Joel, whose current life in NYC is haunted by his youth; Clark, the old girlfriend now turned cop; Bethany, the high school cheerleader, Luke, the newest acolyte; and the daughter of the hardware sales store owner, who is so much more than first appears. I loved the first half, but the hint of darkness alluded to in the book blurb is a LOT more as this book veers more toward Stephen King than John Grisham, which is great if that's what you're into but I would have liked a bit more forewarning. I don't totally love the supernatural thing and found myself rolling my eyes a bit in the end, which I understand is unfair if this genre is your thing. I think this book will be a big hit for those who love horror mixed with mystery.

Joel Whitley is living the high life in Manhattan, but 10 years ago he was just a scared, gay kid running from his conservative Texas hometown. When his little brother, now a senior in high school and the captain of the football team, sends him a suicidal text one night by mistake, Joel rushes home to help. By the time he gets there, that week's football game is starting and his brother, Dylan, rushes off immediately afterward, promising Joel he'll be back Sunday night. Dylan, however, disappears. As Joel investigates his disappearance, old prejudices and rivalries return and Joel may not make it out of town alive.

For me, it was pretty slow getting going and it took too long to get to any reveals. There's a paranormal aspect that was never adequately dealt with or explained and I was left feeling frustrated about that at the end of the book. I was never bored enough to want to stop reading it, but I was never in a hurry to pick it up again, either, until the last 20%. Fram did create some interesting characters, but many were stereotypical rednecks, too. I particularly liked the main character, Joel, who was strong and real and messed up but never gave up. I loved the kicka$$ female cop who stood up for what was right, regardless of what the Old Boys Club who run the town told her to do. I liked the strong high school girls who defy the stereotype of cheerleader.

What really brought this one down for me was the end. Too much stereotyping and unexplained paranormal stuff combined with:

*************spoiler alert********************

a bizarre reveal of what the "bright lands" are that seemed to glorify unrestrained gay sex and drug use as the ultimate pleasures. It was just bizzare and felt like the author (who is gay) was trying to convince readers that that every man/boy wants to have sex with other men, whether they know it or not, whether they consider themselves straight or gay. Why would the strongest homophobic voices driving Joel out of town 10 years ago be the ringleaders of all the homosexual stuff happening in the bright lands? It felt forced in the story and I just don't buy that.

*************spoiler end**********************

Before the ending, I would have given the book 4 stars, the unrealistic and unresolved ending brought it down to 3.

Disclaimer: received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.