Historical fiction meets southern gothic. Very creepy and atmospheric. with fully developed characters. The book is impossible to put down.

This is a decent young adult story full of plenty of heart stopping moments. There are ghosts/spirits, a love story, betrayal, scary woods, family and drama.

This cover alone is worth 5 stars but the story was creepy as hell and I loved the close sisterhood between Lilith and Verity. The writing style was perfect for the dark atmosphere of the story, I felt like I had to look over my shoulder as I was reading to be sure I was safe also. Glad I read this in the comfort of my bed. It has several twists and turns and cant wait for a hard copy of this book.

If you want to be spooked out of your mind, this is it. Highly recommended and a new must read author for me. Thanks to Netgalley, Sarah Goofman and Macmillian-Tor/Forge for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 10/6/20

This story was SO. GOOD. It was spooky and atmospheric in a way that kept me engaged and wanting to read more. The author did a great job creating a small town vibe and the mystery surrounding the woods was captivating and woven into the story in a way that really drove the plot. The subtle elements of magic included in the story added to the atmosphere and spookiness of the story. I will say that there was a bit of insta-love that was a bit unrealistic and wasn't my favorite personally, but the characters felt pretty well developed and seemed to have some interests outside of relationships for the most part. I loved the conflict between Lilah and Verity and the focus on sibling relationships in the story. The ending caught me by surprise and I definitely didn't see it coming. Overall, this was a really griping and enjoyable read! Highly recommend.

I love Libba Bray books, so this one was a must-read for me, and I cannot say that I am disappointed. I didn't have a big expectations, to begin with, so I was really surprised when I discovered how gripping and interesting this story is. The plot is a great combination of historical fiction with a trace of fantasy, about two sisters who lost their parents, one to death and one to madness. The younger sister Lilah is very quickly adopted, but the older one, Verity, is not, so she still stays in the same place, as a farmhand. But nothing is as it seems, especially the dark and mysterious woods around the town.
The theme of this book intrigued me from the beginning, and though it ended a bit differently from what I expected it, overall it was still a good story. The writing was not bad, but I didn't like the pacing of the book, especially in romance, which was unrealistic and too instant.

3,5/5*

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For me, this was really more of a 3.5-star read!

From the very first pages, Eventide proved to be one of those books that, despite my lack of experience with early 20th-century America or the American South, succeeded in fully immersing me in its setting. I could see the farm where our protagonist, seventeen-year-old Verity, had to stay after her father's declining mental health caused her and her little sister to be moved from New York to Alabama; I could see the spooky woods that this story centred around.

The ending came as an unexpected, bittersweet surprise, and did a good job at answering some of my questions! However, I think the reason I landed on a 3-star rating is that I just couldn't get myself to root for the romance at all. I felt like it developed rather quickly and I couldn't see why Verity and the love interest were so attracted to one another beyond him being good-looking and bookish and her being spirited - there's a scene where it's implied that she's the perfect girl for him, but I couldn't find anything to make me believe that. I'm usually a big fan of romances in novels, but in my opinion, this book would have been stronger without the will-they-won't-they dance and instead with a greater focus on the power of familial and platonic love, which it did very well.

It was creepy, it was gothic, it has a cool cover...There's alot to like here. It did start off a little slow, and the main character was oblivious to important things going on around her on more than one occasion, but, all in all, quite readable.

I deeply enjoyed this debut book by Sarah Goodman, and was certainly not expecting it to take me on so many wild twists and turns, though I enjoyed them all. Eventide is a hybrid between historical fiction and paranormal thriller, and I loved it. There were so many moments I thought I'd figured it out, only to be blindsided by another reveal. One of my only critiques was that I wished Verity's interest in medicine was mentioned more often, rather than just when usual for the plot. I also had a few queries about the historical accuracies of a few terms, however they didn't detract from my enjoyment of the novel. Overall, I loved the book and would happily recommend it to fans of Stalking Jack the Ripper and other similar books.

In 1907 seventeen-year-old Verity and her little sister Lilah set out from New York City on an orphan train to find a new home. Verity was bitter because she hadn’t been allowed to care for her sister. She was almost eighteen, and had taken care of her ever since their mother died and their father started to go insane. However, she was still underage, so they had been forced to go to an orphanage when their father was taken to an asylum.

When they arrived in the small town of Wheeling Arkansas Miss Maeve, the local schoolteacher, adopted Lilah. Desperate to stay near her sister Verity allowed herself to be indentured to a couple that needed help on their farm. As she struggled through her chores, the thought of being able to leave forever with Lilah in a few months enabled her to get through the days in this little, superstitious town.

Verity couldn’t understand why everyone was afraid of the woods, and why she’d been warned to stay away from it. When she decided to explore it for herself she couldn’t understand why it suddenly became freezing cold and foggy, nor could she explain the presence of a little girl who disappeared when Verity tried to follow her. As Verity learned more about the people in the small town she began to realize that Lilah was in grave danger. Verity will do anything she can to protect her sister – even if it means giving up everything she once held dear.

I loved this book! It was suspenseful, spooky, thrilling and kept me up turning pages until late at night. I did have some questions about the ending that I would love to ask the author but, because they might reveal spoilers, I can’t ask them on this blog. However, I would love it if Sarah Goodman contacted me on the “down low” so I can unburden myself and get the answers I seek.

Despite my questions I highly recommend “Eventide” for ages 16 and older.

I received a digital advance reading copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

<i>Everyone: Verity, don't do this thing.
Verity: I won't. *does exactly that thing*</i>

<b>This book was... okay. Just okay. I kept hoping that it would surprise me but it never came. </b> Reading this made think: that's it?

The concept was really cool. Seventeen-year-old Verity and her little sister Lilah are put up for adoption after their mother dies and their father is sent to the insane asylum. They end up in a tiny town in Arkansas, albeit separated into two households: Verity becomes a farmhand and Lilah is adopted by the kind schoolteacher. But as Verity starts seeing things that aren't truly there, she has to wonder: is there something dark and dangerous in this town? Or has she inherited her father's madness?

I really enjoyed Goodman's descriptions of the tiny town and the eerie woods. <b>But true horror requires a sense of wrongness. A sense of mystery. <i>Eventide</i> didn't have enough of that.</b> Sure, there were a few creepy images (a ghostly little girl, an ancient well, doppelgangers and visions of dead townspeople) but there was never enough to keep me on the edge. Every mystery is either explosively obvious or explosively brushed aside. <b>And while the other townspeople warn Verity away from the woods, she plays the dumb horror movie heroine route and refuses to believe them, instead choosing to chase ghosts that harm her over and over again!</b> Whaat.

Anyway, speaking of the setting: <b>I forgot this was a historical novel set in 1907.</b> There's absolutely no sense of time aside from Verity's clothes (which could pass for early to mid-20th century anyway), sending telegrams, and the mention that her mother died from scarlet fever. <b>This could have taken place in 1907... or 1950... or 1980... and I wouldn't even know the difference.</b>

The romance was plain bad instalove. I actually thought it was going <i>too</i> smoothly in the sense that her love interest was secretly a villain who meant to hurt her. Wouldn't that be exciting? Isn't that exactly what you expect out of a creepy town whose citizens wish harm upon her? But nope. Goodman missed out on that more exciting possibility.

And the ending was a giant deus ex machina. No thanks.

<b>TL;DR Move along, nothing new to see here. If you want creepy small towns, dark magic, and luscious atmosphere, then check out Shea Ernshaw's books instead.</b>

This is such a good book. The characters are well written, the foreshadowing is well done, and the history in the story is very compelling. The setting really brings all these elements to life with classic gothic horror vibes that had me glued to the page. I was initially drawn in by the comparison to Libba Bray’s writing and I think Cat Winter’s fans will also really enjoy this tale. For me this book hit a lot of my favorites; historical fiction, creepy setting, strong female characters, and supportive family bonds were all well executed in the story. It also had some great surprises that make the story stand out.

I loved the magic represented in the book, the characters discuss folklore and knowledge brought to the United States by people from different emigrant backgrounds and illustrates the different groups that settled in the area and the history of the town. This helped bring the town more to life and established its own history. Overall I highly recommend this book.