I will read anything set in Oregon and LOVED this book. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a good mystery.

Unfortunately, this book was too difficult to continue reading beyond the first two chapters. I'm not sure if it's intended for a younger audience but the beginning in addition to not being alluring enough, was confusing on the setup. The cover looks great though!

Love love love. Very dark but so unique. I bought a physical copy for my bookshelf because of the cover.

Hmmm, I expected more from this one. It was okay, I just personally found it boring and there were a lot of logical related things that just didn't sit right with me. I think this would be much better for younger readers, maybe middle school or early high school age. The characters in this are mostly around the age of 18 but the book itself reads younger.

Good concept, but poor delivery. I also wasn't a fan of the ending and how the problem was resloved. Seemed way too easy and anticlimactic. The only reason I didn't give up on this one early on was because of the Dark chapters...and unfortunately there were only a handful of those. I thought there would be enough of them to hold me over but... was not the case. I gave it a fair shot anyway and was still a bit disappointed.

The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould is my all time favorite books of 2021. I could not put it down. If you rally enjoy television shows like ghost hunters or any of the you tube shows about ghosts, then this is right up your alley.



Something is wrong in Snakebite, Oregon. Teenagers are disappearing, some turning up dead, the weather isn’t normal, and all fingers point to TV’s most popular ghost hunters who have just come to town.

A YA book that introduces us to Logan Woodley and her dads who are with tv’s Paraspectors, as they visit Snakebite, Oregon for some ghost hunting. However something more sinister is going on when teenagers go missing at just the same time the ghost hunters arrive. Ashley Barton’s boyfriend is one of the first to go missing and she is looking for answers. No one is too interested in Logan and her dads but it seems that Logan is the only one who can help Ashley but as the two start looking things no one wants told start coming out. They find out things that will turn that little town upside down.

Gould is an amazing writer with an uncanny ability to tell a story that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat until the end. I usually do not read books from the YA genre but this one sounded great and boy was it. The ending is explosive and you will NOT see it coming.


5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley as well as the author/publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

I don't often read horror novels but this was definitely something! The mystery was pretty interesting and overall the characters were really fun although I did find myself confused with the ending and some parts were a bit off in pacing but overall a solid book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Logan, whose two fathers host a show about paranormal activity, finds herself living with them in the town where they both grew up, and kids start disappearing. Are Logan’s parents involved? Maybe, but not in the way you might think…

This was an entertaining YA mystery that kept me engaged and curious throughout. I appreciated the bi and queer representation, and I thought the portrayal of teenagers in the story was fairly believable. I’d recommend this to folks who have enjoyed movies and shows like Stranger Things, It Follows, and The Babadook.

The Dead and the Dark effortlessly combines mystery and romance and had me hooked right from the start. I don't read thrillers very often, so it took me a while to pick this one, but I'm so glad I finally did. From the atmospheric writing to the unique and slowly creeping but thrilling plot: The Dead and the Dark was a page-turner. I do wish the characters had been developed a bit more as they fell a bit flat for me, but I did overall quite enjoy it.

I tend to have a hard time with YA, especially with those in the Ya thriller genre; however, this is an entertaining and quick read. Solid debut.

3.5 stars. Rounded-up as the queer representation is excellent.
Queer ghost hunters. Need I say more?
Okay I guess I can also tell you about The Dead and the Dark.

Let me first be clear, I really like Courtney Gould's delivery in most areas. I would definitely read another book by her and certainly wouldn't want my review, that has some not so good moments in it to deter someone from giving this newer author a try.

Overall, The Dead and the Dark is quite different. A bit of a whodunnit mystery, with some teen romance (bi, lesbian, and gay representation) thrown in, add a spooky (but not scary) premise, some missing (or dead?) teens, a small town of relatively one-dimensional people; and you pretty much have most of what this story entails. The Dead and the Dark is overall a good read. I didn’t think it was amazing, or anything too special necessarily; but it’s a solid read. Overall, for me, it lagged a bit in the middle, mostly when it was Ashley’s point of view (I wish they’d focused more on her attraction to both boys and girls, instead it just being an unsaid fact; I need more bi-representation!!). Our other lead gal, daughter to two gay married ghost hunters; is far more interesting. I felt empathy for her situation with her Dads, the awkwardness, the constant travel (no real home base), and the lack of real friends she has because of the transient life of her Dads travelling ghost hunting TV show.

If the premise or representation intrigued you then I’d say this is worth a read. If you're only mildly interested then I wouldn't don't read it; as it is good. But maybe don't put it at the top of your list? In fairness, someone I really trust (who is a good 10+ years younger than me, non-binary) really, really enjoyed it. So this could be one of those times (sad sigh) where I have to admit that my age is perhaps getting in the way of connecting with a YA book. Thus, I want folks to try this one out; and why I will definitely pick-up another book by Gould. This is after all a debut novel and there is always room to grow.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

This one was okay. I would have liked more of a backstory and development of the "Dark." The characters helped propel the story along, but the end was somewhat lackluster.

This turned out better than I initially thought. Good storyline, but a little slow at parts.
Ashley really drove me nuts a lot of the time.

Brandon and Alejo’s story was really intriguing. I wish there was more of their relationship. But this focused more on Ashley and Logan.

I cried. A lot. Multiple times through this. Heart touching and heart wrenching.

LGBTQ+ rep: gay, lesbian, mentions of bisexuality

Check content warnings.

Special thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books for this digital ARC.

This book was so fun! It was gay and spooky and amazing! I loved the characters and their relationships. The cover is insane and I can't wait to read more from Courtney Gould.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC of The Dead and the Dark! I truly appreciate the opportunity to read and review this title.

Courtney Gold's The Dead and the Dark follows Logan Ortez-Woodley and her paranormal-hunting tv star fathers as they return back to her fathers' hometown, as murder and disappearances pop up upon their arrival. As Logan begins to uncover her and her fathers' roots in Snakebite, she meets Ashley Barton and fellow friends, who have been the first hit by these disappearances. Ashley's boyfriend, Tristan is the first to go missing, yet she still feels his presence and has seen his ghost. The unlikely pair of Ashley and Logan pair up to uncover the truth and throw themselves into the darkness that lies in Snakebite, all the while, feelings arise between the two. The novel explores the distance we go for those we love, the homes we find in people rather than places, and all that lurks in the darkness.

To start off- This cover is stunning. Breathtaking. It's easily mesmerizing and is one I could stare at and enjoy for the simple art and beauty of it. Likewise, it does a wonderful job depicting the eery and mysterious town of Snakebite which the reader is thrown into.

Gold does a wonderful job bringing to life a divisive town, unwilling to conform to change in their own community. The life of Snakebite parallels the ominous vibes perfectly as our main characters explore the land and history of the town. I really appreciated the eery setting and being uncertain about what would occur next. I truly was left in the dark about how this would conclude and what was behind the mysteries.

Things I didn't like as much..
I felt very icky about Brandon and Logan's relationship, and how rough it was, particularly when it was first introduced. I feel that it was a bit unrealistic that he would be so cold toward his daughter, even considering the explanation later provided. It also rubbed me in a weird way in the way it particularly represented an mlm parenting duo toward an adopted daughter.

I feel as though while the mood was very eery and led the reader well into the novel's setting, there were many plot holes or unexplained aspects of the supernatural in this world.

I believe in particular there was a lack of convincing reasoning behind why a police officer would be behind it all.

Things I did enjoy...
I really loved Logan's slow integration into the town, particularly the beautiful depictions of family relationships between her cousins and other extended family.

I loved the supernatural being a reflection of the real world, in particular the emotion of loneliness. I think the depictions of emotion were vibrant and relatable, bringing the reader face to face with the darkness and deep chasm of emotions that humans are capable of.

Suppose you enjoy a book capable of hitting many genres (mystery/thriller, romance, paranormal) and important topics such as tense familial relationships, pain, small hometown drama and trauma, and more. In that case, this book is for you!

Source: Electronic Copy from Netgalley / Physical Copy from Library
I liked the idea of this, I just don't know if I was in love with the journey or the pacing. I also don't know if I really needed this to be dual perspective. I don't think I did.
The horror aspect of this was very interesting. I liked what it was trying, but it needed a little more oomph. I needed more answers to my questions. Everything also gets resolved a little too neatly in the end. The weird goings on in Snakebite definitely had potential.
Snakebite also had potential, but I don't think it every fully got there. There were multiple sections telling how bad Snakebite was, but you didn't really see it. It felt just like any small town. Some of the residents maybe weren't the nicest, but would that make a place really evil? I saw no.
Our duo of Ashley and Logan were subpar when it came to investigating the situation. It mainly just served as an excuse for them to hangout. They didn't really find out anything. They didn't do any kind of research. They didn't follow up on questions they did find. Or if they did follow up, they'd give up very quickly.
This also had weird time jumps that just got to be a little irritating. It was always two weeks passing. Why two weeks? What was annoying about it was that we would get some big happening at the end of a chapter, and instead of the next chapter showing those consequences, it would instead be two weeks later with nothing really to show for it.
Logan, to me, didn't really feel like she had parents. They didn't treat her like their child, more just like their little sister, niece, cousin, or something. Alejo and Brandon didn't really keep track of her. They were always off doing mysterious stuff or just lounging in their motel room. They didn't seem to care what Logan was doing with her time in Snakebite. I don't think she had much structure.
Ashley's switch flipped too fast. Maybe even Logan's too. I felt a whole lot of nothing when it came to their relationship. It wasn't insta-love, but it sure had no real development. Logan getting mad and jealous just didn't really fit for me.
I also was very annoyed with Logan because she didn't push for answers when it came to anything. This book would have been a whole lot more enjoyable if secrets were revealed a whole lot sooner. Then it could have really been an investigation into the goings on in Snakebite with Ashley, Logan, Alejo, and Brandon. There could have been relationships built and more character growth.
I also questioned why Ashley wasn't more freaked out when it came to seeing ghosts. Why does she even have this talent?
I enjoyed the last bit of this book because that's when everything really came together. The final battle was a tad anticlimactic though.
This book was just okay for me. It had the potential, but it didn't quite reach it. It had good story bones.

I didn’t have time for this book when I was approved. I plan to read it in the future though. Looks fun!

Before we begin my review I want to say a big thank u to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for sending me an e-arc of this Ya thriller that is a standalone! Let's jump into this review shall we??
So I had an e-arc of this since June of 2021 and just never got around to reading it until now and I'm kind of mad about it because this Ya LGBT+ standalone thriller was amazing! Before I forget let me tell u my rating 5/5 stars! So I was shocked that this was the author's debut novel because the writing was so beautiful and easy to follow along and easy to imagine everything Courtney have wrote in this book! Another perk about this book was that the chapters are short so I flew through this in 3 days! It was also a fun time for me because I don't read a whole lot of thrillers and I was buddy reading this with my friend Donna from @momsbookcollection
Anyways this was a fun standalone novel full of twist and turns but I would say check the trigger warnings before reading this one, as there is homophic stuff because our main character Logan is a lesiban and she have two dads as well! There's also a lot of talk about death and greif and I really loved how the author handle these topics and one thing that made it a five star read is the interludes those were creepy! Especially when I was reading this at night too!
Thank u again to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for sending me an e-arc of this one I really enjoyed it and can't wait to check out more from Courtney Gould! Five out five stars!(:

A perfect read for Halloween-season. It was spooky and creepy, and I loved the romance. It was surprising in all the best ways.

I was given this book by the publisher in return for an honest review.

So this book is kind of like ghost Whisperer with an LGBTQ vibe. I would just like to note that the story is based in an unchanging and unaccepting small town so if this is a trigger for you please avoid this book.

Our main Character Logan can't figure out why one of her Dad's is distant. They come from a small town called Snakebite where they were not accepted or wanted. They go back there to explain some odd phenomenon (as her Dad's have a show).

Weird things have been happening since They arrived in town a teenager is missing. The town obviously thinks it's the returned townsfolks fault.

The story is good, the plot keeps you guessing. The main charter is just likeable enough. She bands with the local golden girl to clear her family's name.

Some of the twist I didn't see coming, some of them I did. Over all it was enjoyable and really engaging.

I recommend checking it out especially if you're looking for LGBTQ characters!