*TW, provided via the author: Some of the thematic material in The Dead and the Dark involves child death and endangerment, violence including strangulation and drowning, homophobia and homophobic slurs. For a more detailed description of sensitive content please visit gouldbooks.com/books/tdatd


The Dead and the Dark was pretty fabulous, in more ways than one, so I am going to tell you about them!

►I was so pleasantly surprised by the character development and relationship development, especially for a mystery/paranormal book! Logan and her family have been going through some upheaval for some time, and the story delves so deep into their family dynamics. I also loved how we even got some insight into her fathers' relationship, too! It made me feel like her fathers were actual characters, not caricatures.

We also see wonderful development of Logan herself, and Ashley, who is so much more multifaceted than we initially think. At first, we think these young women will never be able to even stand in the same room as each other, but the more we get to know them both, the more we see how genuine each is- and so do they. It's also really interesting to see Ashley's relationships within her small town. The dynamics of Snakebite are so different, especially to Logan who has been all over the country.

►Because of how well done the characters were, the stakes felt so high. When you actually like the characters in a murdery book, you get really emotional when they die and such.

►The writing was so good! You know when the author just makes you feel stuff, based on just how beautifully they write? Yeah, that happened here. Not only that, but the author absolutely nailed the atmosphere. This is impressive for any book, let alone a debut!

►Huge focus on diversity and overcoming hatefulness. I love how the author wove these important messages into the story! All the characters had to contend with some kind of hate being thrust upon them, in some cases more than one instance, and the author brilliantly illustrated how Snakebite's bigotry was harmful to everyone in the town.

►Kept me guessing throughout. A few times I thought I knew. But I had no idea. These are my favorite kinds of books!

►There were some bananas twists and a plot that moved at a great pace. It was such a great combination of character development and plot that I never felt overwhelmed, nor did I feel bored. And when certain things were revealed, I was pretty blown away!

Bottom Line: A book that nails both character development and being thrilling, a rare feat indeed!

Wow! A fantastic debut!

This twisty, spooky tale is rich with a dark atmosphere in a small, conservative town, a mysterious Dark that is haunting the town and killing their children, and some great LGBTQ+ rep. (The main character is a lesbian who falls for a girl, whose sexuality is not explicitly stated, and the MC's dads are gay.)

This story wraps you up from the very beginning and keeps you wondering what will happen next through it all. It's not so much a "mystery that keeps you guessing" as it is a paranormal thriller. But the world Gould weaves is truly incredible. The dark atmosphere is expertly set and I love the "real" paranormal aspects of this, even if the idea of "The Dark" is a little hard to grasp.

This was an easy read that didn't take too much to get into, but that didn't stop me from getting invested in the main characters, the town of Snakebite, and the mystery behind the deaths/disappearances of three teenagers.

The main characters, Logan and Ashley, were both solid and fun to read. While sometimes their personalities bled into each other a little bit, for the most part, they were each their own person and came alive on the page. I cared for both of them and wanted to see everything resolved happily.

My only complaint about their budding friendship and romance is that it was a little difficult to get on board with in the last part of the story. From the beginning, Ashely is the grieving girlfriend of the first teen to go missing and Logan is the daughter of the two gay ex-townies, who most of Snakebite blame the disappearances/deaths on. Clearly, there are some things standing in their way. But after they get closer, there is a major betrayal that gets addressed, but not in any major way. After that, it's harder to just go along with everything progressing.

Overall, this was such a fun and spooky read and I'm really looking forward to hearing more thoughts on it from everyone else. Courtney Gould is an author to watch out for in the future!

Snakebite Oregon, even the sound of the name sounds lonely and desolate. That's what seventeen year old Logan Ortiz-Woodley thinks and feels as she packs up with her dad to go ghost hunting on the road again.. She just wishes she had a real place to call home. Her dads are the famous ghost hunter team Alejo Ortiz and Brandon Woodley from a very popular tv show and now they are going back to the hometown where they both were originally from to investigate the darkness and mystery that has always surrounded Snakebite. Things have gotten worse in their hometown because a teenage boy has suddenly disappeared and the people from Snakebite think Brandon has something to do with the missing boy as the darkness continues to seep more quickly into the heart of the little town. This family is not welcome in Snakebite and most of the people will do everything they can to push them away as the darkness grows stronger and and more teenagers are targeted by an evil that only Brandon and Alejo see and understand but this team may not have the ability to stop this evil unless one of them dies.

This was a creepy, fun and intriguing story about ghost hunting yet so much more. Logan is a beautiful young girl trying to find herself and wanting to have a stable and loving relationship with her dads but she yearns for more. There is a lot of mystery surrounding Brandon and also his aloofness with his daughter. The darkness in the town is very spooky and unsettling at times. The author did a great job of keeping the mystery going until the very end which continually had me puzzled and wondering how the story would play out. At times the story felt a little disjointed to me with timelines and some of the plot but it didn't change the enjoyment or the entertainment value. This was a very strong debut for Courtney Gould and I will definitely look forward to read more of her books.

I want to thank the publisher "St. Martin's Press" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this entertaining story and any thoughts and opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given this book a rating of 3 1/2 SPOOKY 🌟🌟🌟🌠 Stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read and review an advanced readers copy of this book. This in no way affects my review, all opinions are my own.

Courtney Gould’s thrilling debut The Dead and the Dark is about the things that lurk in dark corners, the parts of you that can’t remain hidden, and about finding home in places―and people―you didn’t expect.

This story was a fun, spooky, and heartwarming adventure following Logan Ortiz-Woodley with her ghost hunting dads and their explorations in Snakebite, an eerie town full of secrets. With a town name like Snakebite, you know this story was going to get very dark very fast.

I enjoyed this book more than I ever thought I would. I was afraid after reading the synopsis that this one might be too cheesy or unrealistic to the point where I wouldn't enjoy it, but wow was I wrong! Logan is a captivating character and I loved the back and forth we got to experience between her and Ashley. This is the perfect cozy, spooky read that'll keep you on your toes the entire time. I couldn't put this one down and was thoroughly invested until the end. The mystery aspect of this book was really well done and kept me guessing on how people were connected and what we would learn about their pasts. I also really loved the representation we got from the characters and felt very attached to them by the end.

I would recommend this for anyone looking for a good paranormal story that will capture their attention from the beginning to the end. I really enjoyed it and would definitely suggest picking this one up!

Logan and Ashley were strong characters you will root for. This is more of a plot-driven story than character-driven. Some of the characters are flat and/or a device to carry the story forward. That is okay for what the story is.

This is the type of book I would have wanted as a teen. As an adult, I found some of the coyness of the adult characters when asked questions they had answers to frustrating. I didn’t see some of the revels/twists coming so that was done well.

As usual, thanks to the publisher and net galley for this ebook ARC! Was really excited to crack open a wonderfully queer paranormal story.

The Dead and The Dark follows Logan, whose dads are the stars of a paranormal investigation television show, and Ashley, whose boyfriend just disappeared in the town of Snakebite. Logan’s dad Brandon returned to Snakebite, the hometown of himself and his husband, and immediately after a young man goes missing, so Logan and Ashley team up with differing motives: Logan wants to clear her dad’s name, but Ashley wants to find her boyfriend and prove he’s just missing, not dead.

This book made me cry. That doesn’t happen a lot- books make me feel things, but never bring me to tears. The Dead and the Dark was able to do what many a book cannot.

I LOVED. This book.

Things I appreciated about this book: the chapters were not back and forth between the two point of views. It changes based on where you’re at in the story and whose point of view serves it better, and I really valued that break from tradition. I also really loved the dads in the story- I would read a prequel story just about their experiences in Snakebite as a kid. Logan herself was a really fun protagonist to read from, and I loved her characterization and personality. It also portrayed internalized homophobia fairly well through Ashley’s character.

I was less into the pacing. Sometimes it felt like it was going a mile a minute, then suddenly it would slow to a mile an hour. One moment I was bored, the next I was gripping the edge of my seat. I don’t know if this is a book I’d read while I was in a reading slump, because I’d have to force myself to get through some of the parts that dragged. My biggest problem with this book is that I found myself having a hard time getting into it, because of the pacing issue. The beginning is a bit slow, but once you get there- it’s worth it. It’s really, really worth it.

Still, it’s a five out of five for me.

Who would I recommend this book to? Lovers of Ghostbusters who wish there was more queer rep in the Ghostbusters world. Specifically if you loved the all female reboot of Ghostbusters (like myself), so you know, everyone except incels. Lovers of Buzzfeed Unsolved.

Just a heads up, in regards to triggers: there is a lot of rampant homophobia in this book, both internalized and expressed by others. There are hate crimes depicted on the page, and you experience what a small conservative, MAGA town feels like. If you are not in the right mental space to read about that, I would suggest waiting on this one.

Fun fact: my dad wanted to name me Logan, and his name is Brandon. No wonder I was so emotionally wrecked.

There is something so believable about evil lurking under the surface of a small rural town in the Pacific Northwest--especially when the town's name is Snakebite.

"It had taken Ashley until seventh grade to realize that it was called Snakebite for the shape of the lake...It twisted through the bald hills like an uncoiling serpent, forking at the north end into a snake's mouth. And inside the mouth of the viper was Snakebite, laughably small and unnervingly alone."

Logan is visiting Snakebite with her dads--who happen to be famous paranormal investigators who grew up in the town. Coinciding with this arrival is the disappearance of a local teen who happens to be Ashley's boyfriend. And things just get stranger from there.

Aside from a couple of corny moments this was a really fast-paced, well-written, atmospheric story that I finished in 24 hours. The characters were very well developed and I liked both Ashley and Logan and felt like I had good insight into their motivations. And while this wasn't put-it-in-the-freezer scary, it had some good thrilling moments that I enjoyed and the voice of The Dark was well written as well. I ended up liking this one a lot and would recommend to anyone who enjoys the evil-in-a-small-town trope.

This one felt too... Quiet. I didn't feel the lurking sense of menace I would expect with two narrators whose peers are being murdered one by one. Like, yeah they talked about it, but there was never a fear that it would happen to them.

I also feel like having the Interludes kind of undermined the mystery of it all. Because the whole time we, the readers, know significantly more than our protagonists.

But also when a huge portion of your plot hinges on A asking B a question that B knows the answer to but B saying "I'll tell you later" is a little flimsy. Like, to know that the answer was there the whole time but just out of reach because... Why? Like, we never got a reason for why B elected not to tell A, just that B would tell A later. I guess the big reveal needed to happen, but... Flimsy.

I did enjoy the descriptions of the town and the area, the cabin, the motel, how the two protagonists view each other. I would definitely read another book by Gould, but this one wasn't quite a winner.

Honestly I think the YA genre is killing the game and this book is a perfect example of that! From beginning to end this was a fantastic read! It was thrilling, engaging, creepy, emotional, and was paced perfectly. There is never a dull moment here and yet it does not go so fast that it does not hit the right beats. It made those beats and then some. It is a rockstar book, ok?

If you like supernatural thrillers I do not think this will disappoint you at all. I saw it compared to Riverdale (but better) and that is an apt comparison. We have teenagers getting into dark situations and dealing with supernatural elements, but we also have complex relationships and characters written with so much heart. The mystery was complex and I was surprised by certain elements quite a bit! Also, this is a tear-jerker! Were my eyes wet by the end of this? Yes, they were. As a story about family, I think this really hits home.

I like to tell people not to sleep on books, so here I am saying it again, don't sleep on this! The world of publishing moves so fast that it can be easy to miss books in the many that are on the market and being published. Keep this one on your radar as this is one not to be missed!

I really enjoyed this book, it was spooky with a good mystery. It took a while to figure out what was going on in this book but it didn't take away from the enjoyment of the story. There is ghost hunting, a murder mystery, and a love story. It is a very complex in the same way that real life is complex. This is one of those books that is really hard to talk about without giving away the plot but it was a fun ride along the way!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Dead and the Dark follows Logan, whose ghost hunter dads drag her to their hometown of Snakebite to scout locations for their show. However, things in the town of Snakebite are on shaky ground following the disappearance of Ashley Barton's boyfriend, especially when it coincides with the arrival of Logan's dad. As more kids disappear, Logan and Ashley reluctantly team up to solve the mystery of what happened, and who's doing it.

This was one of the best books I have read this month. Courtney Gould balances an emotionally compelling story and characters with a thrilling mystery, all in under four hundred pages. I was absolutely enraptured.

Even being introduced to The Dark early on, I loved that I really didn't know much more about what was happening, who was doing it, and why. I was along on the ride the characters and the plot were taking me on, and oh, what a wonderful ride it was. I really have nothing bad to say about it, it was just absolutely phenomenal and I will be recommending this to all my friends with spooky season right around the corner. Oh, and did I mention it's sapphic?? We love to see it,.

Thank you to the author, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

Sapphic romance + ghostly mystery = 5 star read from me. I was a really big fan of this book and was so happy I got the chance to read it as it was one of my top anticipated releases for this year. If Supernatural mixed with Twin Peaks you would get The Dead and the Dark.

Writing

One thing I was really shocked about was the different POVs. I had only expected one and was happily surprised when I realized I would be reading from both Ashley and Logan’s pov. Oh and I can’t forget the 3rd pov that shows up every couple chapters, this pov is from our murderer/dark character. I found this third pov super interesting as it was so distinct compared to the other two povs and it added to the overall creepy vibe of the novel.

I think Gould’s use of the pov’s and her way of describing the struggles of both really added to the story. I feel like I had a good sense of the grief and loneliness of our main characters and I came to really like them.

Outside of the character's writing, I really liked how information was given. I had a lot of questions during the first 70 pages but Gould didn't rush to give us answers. I appreciated that the information was told throughout the story. As the story developed and the characters got more comfortable with each other and their feelings, we eventually learn more. Since I had so many questions I was excited to keep reading and learn about the town and characters, I appreciated that this wasn’t included in a giant 2-page info dump.

LGBTQ+ Rep

One thing that really pulled me to this book was the Sapphic relationship. I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was also a M+M relationship as well. I felt like their relationships and feelings were not just realistic but also added to the visualization of the town. Snakebite is a small town with more issues than the murders, they're judgmental and have outdated opinions on same-sex relationships. The reactions to the relationships feel realistic and add to the darkness of the town (when I say realistic I mean realistic for a homophobic town). In terms of the relationships themselves, I feel like they are represented well. I would have liked to see a bit more detail on the romantic development of Logan and Ashley’s relationship. I think the story also could have benefited from more detail on Ashley realizing she likes women, the mixed emotions were lightly touched on but I would have liked more.

Plot

I’m not going to give anything away as this is a mystery/thriller but I was super intrigued with the plot. A missing kid and ghosts of an ex were really intriguing but one I was a little nervous for. There were some plot twists that had me excited and by the end I was shook. The book took a turn I really hadn’t expected it to which was a good thing. I haven’t read a book like this before so I’d say it’s pretty unique.

Thoughts

This was a great debut novel and I’m super excited to see what else this author puts out. I’d honestly be thrilled to see more from these characters, I feel like there’s a lot of room for creativity. There could be a book on the dads, a book about the town's past, or even a book following Ashley and Logan in the future. If you’re looking for a new thriller/mystery with ghosts and gay rep, this is definitely one to consider.

The Dead and The Dark is a heartfully crafted thriller novel focusing on the small town of Snakebite, where Logan and her fathers Alejo and Brandon return to after years away, just as kids in town start going missing and turning up dead. Meanwhile Ashley, who has lived in Snakebite her entire life, still wholeheartedly believes her missing boyfriend Tristan is still alive and out there and is ambitious* to find out what exactly happened to him. An unlikely team-up between Logan and Ashley results in the mystery behind the missing teens unfolding.

The first thing that drew me to this book is the introduction of Logans dads who have their own ghost hunting tv show. My mind immediately went to Buzzfeed Unsolved, my favourite youtube series about exploring unsolved paranormal cases, and was already on board. While that wasn't a big part of the novel, it did paint a picture of Logan - who vaguely believed in the supernatural but was still skecpitcal. She has never done much mystery hunting herself until she's in Snakebite and people are now pointing fingers at her dads for being responsible for the dissapearances and murders of the local teens.

The story is told from both Ashley's and Logan's POVs, though we do get a few other characters' POVs. Their voices are so distinct that it's easy to get wrapped up in the story and the characters. Logan is headstrong and outspoken, while Ashley is more wistful and naive, which make for interesting comparisons in chapters. I enjoyed reading both of their perspectives and seeing their relationship blossom.

What struck me most was how prevalent the homophobia in the town was. I had seen the trigger warnings about homophobia, but didn't realise how awful it was until reading it. Casual homophobia is prevalent* throughout the course of the Ortiz-Woodley's stay in Snakebite. I'm glad it's not shied away from, since I know that this ostracisation of queer people is something that still occurs in small towns (and even big cities!) and it's good for people to be aware of it - even if it did make me sick to my stomach reading Logan's dads being accused of such heinous crimes only because they were outsiders (nevertheless the fact they had grown up in that town).

Despite all the hardships faced, our main characters always stay true to themselves. It really surprised me when Logan so honestly just said "I'm a lesbian" because it is unfortunately so rare to see a lesbian character actually say they're a lesbian. It's not a bad word! It shouldn't be avoided and I'm so glad it wasn't here! Likewise, Alejo's (Logan's dad) bisexual identity wasn't erased either, which was comforting to see too. I just loved the rep and inclusivity in this book.

TDATD is expert in giving away small clues as breadcrumbs to help readers get to the truth behind the mystery. The foreshadowing was wonderful, and it was straightforward to put the pieces together before the big reveal - which was wonderfully crafted in a way that wasnt exhbition so much as good storytelling and character development. It was satisfying to see my theories be confirmed. My only qualm with it is that I wish there had been a bigger air of mystery surrounding it all - with these clues I felt less scared about the big bad and more scared for the characters being victims of homophobic hate crimes. But, I do wonder if perhaps that was the point of it, to show what the real evil is.

The Dead and the Dark is a creepy, complex paranormal mystery that should be made into a movie ASAP!

Logan is the daughter of two TV stars who investigate paranormal activity and she firmly believes it’s all bologna. When one of her dads is drawn back to his small town home to investigate a missing teenager, she and her other dad follow him. And then another teenager is killed. There’s a definite body count in this one. The town suspects her dad and after a while she does too. She’s drawn into the mystery and begins to realize that all those creepy things she didn’t believe in… might just be stalking her.

Lots of uncomfortable, hair-raising moments in this one. There’s good character development, we learn a lot about this family and their history in this town. We see their sexuality impacted their ability to live in a small town. Some great moments about standing up for yourself and acceptance scattered through the story. The Dark as a character was fun to read, very Stephen King-esque. I really liked how the character was formed and how things ended.

Thanks to Netgalley for access to this novel. All opinions above are my own.

This ended up being just okay for me. I enjoyed the premise and initial set up of the story, but I was hoping for a more atmospheric and unsettling tone. I also feel the main characters could have been more fleshed out and their relationship more developed. The overarching mystery was engaging and kept me interested and I liked how it all wrapped up. I am excited to see what this author does next.

The Dead and the Dark was such a fabulous, dark, and twisty read! I really enjoyed the storyline and the characters were great! I switched between the audiobook and the eBook and definitely recommend the audio. The narrator did a really great job with this! I do think this one should be classified as a SCI-FI thriller since some of the subject matter has a paranormal aspect to it. This could be off-putting to typical mystery/thriller readers. I found it to be a page=turner though and definitely recommend to those who love SCI-FI/paranormal mystery/thriller reads!

This lesbian horror YA novel would make a perfect read for the Spooky Season. Logan and her paranormal-investigator dads return to the town her parents grew up in, only for teens to start disappearing or turning up dead. Local Ashley's boyfriend was the first to go missing and months later, there's still no body. The town of Snakebite is so small and insular that outsiders are immediately suspect, especially if they're queer and Latinx. Even if they grew up in town.

As things escalate, Ashley and Logan team up to figure out what's going on and develop feelings for each other as they do. I would not call this a romance, but there is an HEA/HFN. The Dead and the Dark kept me guessing and while I had figured out some of the reveals, others were surprising and one was rather shocking. I wanted some more consequences for a few characters, but unfortunately that's not how the real world works either.

In all, a compelling horror/paranormal suspense and a very gay one at that.

Audio notes: This narration was solid, but since it's two young women in dual-POV, I would have preferred two different narrators. The characters themselves are different enough that it was mostly fine, but Soneela Nankani doesn't differentiate between their voices and I kept losing track. (This may be a "me" thing.)

***

Content Warnings: murder, attempted murder, hate crime (attempted drowning), homophobia, implied racism, possession, death of a child, gun violence, lots of violence

I received an audio and ebook review copy of this book from the publisher. I read the audio.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

I picked up The Dead and the Dark after concluding my rewatch of the new Fear Street trilogy, in hopes it would fill the void until I could (re)visit some of those books. It’s not as outright scary (in my opinion), and thematically different, obviously, but there were some of the same aesthetic vibes of creepy small towns and great queer rep (including romance).

I really liked the dark vibes conveyed in-text, setting the tone that all is not well in Snakebite, Oregon. The pacing is slow building, but effectively amps up the creep factor, and you learn more about the vague paranormal events as the story unfolds.

I loved seeing a healthy gay relationship in Logan’s two dads, Brandon and Alejo. It’s not without their bumps in the road, especially as their past is seen in flashback, but I really enjoyed seeing how they met and ended up together as the ParaSpectors. I did kind of wish they told Logan things instead of keeping it from her, but could also understand why they decided not to.

I had mixed feelings about the relationship between Logan Ashley. At times, I struggled to see real sparks between them at times, and their relationship is not without its serious complications. However, it’s still pretty sweet, especially given the dire circumstances they were in.

This is an enjoyable YA thriller/horror read, and if you enjoy other teen thriller/horror properties like Fear Street, Riverdale (editor Jennie Conway is quoted as calling it “like Riverdale, but good” in the Acknowledgements), etc., you’ll enjoy this.

Wow. This book is THE book for fans of ghost hunters and other paranormal shows. I don't watch those shows, to be honest I can't stand them, and yet, this book was ADDICTING. After the first few pages I found myself ignoring everything around me, my eyes glued to my tablet I couldn't read fast enough. Spooky and unsettling The Dead and the Dark will twist your stomach in knots in the way only a truly gripping tale can, and leave you craving more!

Logan Ortiz-Woodley is used to bouncing around from place to place, following her two dads, the stars behind the fantastically popular ParaSpectors tv show. So when the news was given that she would be moving to Snakebite Oregon for an undetermined amount of time she see's no reason to be upset. After all, its just another place to hang out for a while before returning as a family to their home in L.A. What Logan doesn't know is something is very very wrong in Snakebite and I don't just mean the way the town treats new comers.
Things are happening, kids have gone missing with no trace, some turning up dead while others remaining missing.

The story is told from the point of view of Logan and her temporary partner, Ashely who has lost her boyfriend and determined to find him, even if it means hanging out with the girl no one wants there. Will they discover what or whom is behind this? Can they find Tristan and uncover the mysteries surrounding Logan's family and their experience in Snakebite so long ago?

The prose on this story flows well and is absolutely beautiful. The descriptions Courtney Gould was able to paint were at times breath taking. The relationship between Logan's dads is one of my favorite things in the story. It's such a fun journey learning how they came together and what makes them so absolutely perfect for each other.

This will be one of the best new releases in the second half of this year. I imagine best seller list and the way the story is told it lends itself well to fandoms, fanfic, etc.

So gather your ghost hunting tools and get ready for one mind blowing experience you won't soon forget.

Thank you to Netgalley, Courtney Gould, and publishers for providing an advance e=copy in exchange for my honest opinions. I was a little unsure before I started this book but I am truly lucky to have had the chance to dive into this one and I don't think I'll recover completely for quite some time!

This was really well written! It kept my interest. I loved the setting, the characters, and how so much of the story tied into Logan's relationship with her fathers. I enjoyed learning more of their history and why their relationship was the way that it was. The element of the "dark" made for an especially spooky and interesting element for what could have been a more typical thriller.