This was an almost perfect paranormal/ghost hunter story.

We follow two main characters. Ashley has recently had her boyfriend go missing in her small town, but she feels like he is still there with her. Logan is the daughter of tv show ghost hunters who are originally from this small town, and might be the cause of the disappearance.

I liked that this book didn't pull any punches with the darkness that was going on in town. There were scary things happening, both of the paranormal variety and of the homophobic small-town variety.

I really loved the spooky atmosphere, and really didn't want to put the book down. There were twists that I did not see coming that I really loved.

However, I didn't fully get the ending. It came together so quickly and neatly that I felt a bit cheated because the rest of the story was so good. I really wish the climax/ending would have been a bit longer and more explained... or at least less of an easy out.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Logan's dads are the stars of a popular ghost-hunting TV Show. When her father wants to return to his hometown it quickly becomes apparent that Snakebite, Oregon is as eery as its name suggests. Logan meets Ashley, who's boyfriend went missing, and now his ghost is haunting her. Ashley and Logan must team up to investigate what exactly is happening to Snakebite, and along the way secrets about their families and themselves come to light.

This one reminded me of the Cassidy Blake series by Victoria Schwab but for an older audience. So basically Cassidy Blake meets Riverdale? It was a definitely a fast-paced novel with mysterious characters and plot twists. I enjoyed reading about the dynamic of Logan who has two dads, and how growing up in an unaccepting town affected them. The author did a great job portraying the town and the hate bursting from its boundaries. I wasn't;t sure about the dual perspective.at first since the story with Logan's family seemed much more centered, but I grew to like having Ashley's too. Although at first, I really didn't love Ashley and her small-minded tendencies, but of course that was the point.

My one criticism is that the story became a little too convoluted at times. I enjoys the different mysterious plots, but having to many directions left the best ones being slightly underdeveloped Overall, this is a great debut mystery with unique characters and spooky atmosphere.

Alternative title: Supernatual, but with a gay family instead of queer baiting.

Can a book that is literally so dark it’s about “the darkness” still be considered fun? If so, this is a fun romp through small town America in a land that’s nearly frozen in time. Filled with implicit warnings about stopping progressive evolution, the depiction of Snakebite definitely has a slant, but since I agree, I’m here for it. The romance between Logan and Ashley feels a little underdeveloped (honestly like they just start having the hots for each other with no real build or chemistry), but meh. I’ll even accept that. Sometimes these things can be very sudden.

I will say, the story did leave me with some questions that I think needed to be answered (how is _______ still alive?), but this kept my attention and left me more content than not. What else could you want?

The Dead and the Dark was such an incredible mix of YA horror/thriller and just the barest inkling of magic/spirituality. I was really interested in this book from its first pages and I really enjoyed getting to know Logan and Ashley throughout its pages, and maybe it's because of my age now, but I found myself so immensely interested in learning more about Logan's dads. I really enjoyed any moment I got to learn more about them, and I wish there had been more of their story interwoven within the greater plot line.

I found the progression of Logan and Ashley's relationship to move really quickly. I can deal with bits of magic in a story like this, but it weirdly irked me to see two people hate each other then not hate each other so quickly.

Overall though, I really love this book and thought it was written really well. Gould knocked it out of the park, and I'm excited to read more from her.

Thank you netgalley and wednesday books for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest review. This one had all the spooky vibes. Death, ghosts, secrets, small town what more could you ask for. It took me a bit to get through it (life ya know) but it was a quick read. I would definitely recommend.

rep: f/f romance, lesbian m/c's

tw: violence, drowning, attempted murder, murder, homophobia

Logan Ortiz-Woodley is the daughter of two of the most popular ghost hunters, and due to this, she travels around the country, always on the move. When her family arrives at Snakebite, Oregon it is just another stop for another episode. What Logon didn't expect was the frost reception she and her two dads are met with. Soon there is murder, darkness, upheaval, and a web of secrets.

The Dead and the Dark is deliciously creepy, eerie, haunting, and full of secrets and ghosts and romance. I enjoy a good haunting full of mystery and darkness and The Dead and the Dark does it well. There is an f/f enemies-to-friends-to-lovers romance. It's an unlikely friendship/relationship which draws a lot of negative attention in the conservative town of Snakebite. Both girls are flawed and realistic and are fighting against an invisible and dark supernatural force with brings them closer and threatens to tear them apart.

Highly recommend.

Full review to be posted soonish.

I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting, well-written novel. Unfortunately I had trouble losing myself in it and that kept me disconnected. Not my thing, but I can see others enjoying it!

I got more than I expected in this creepy and intriguing story. It was the perfect mix of scary, romance, and paranormal. I loved pretty much all the characters and their roles in the story. All the characters were detail vividly and easily imagined. The author did amazing job with the writing in this book and I would highly recommend it!

3.5

This book was OK until the second half of the book, then it got much better. The ending was great!
The whole book reminded me of Sawkill Girls, so I would recommend it to those who liked that book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I don't feel like we got to the action quite quick enough for me in this one, and I didn't end up finishing it. I love the cover though :')

This book was much different than I originally thought. Definitely a slow burn thriller that focuses on Logan, a teen newly relocated with her dads (ghost hunters!) to Snakebite Oregon.

As soon as she gets there, mysterious eerie things start to happen. I liked the aspect of the diverse characters and the never knowing who to suspect!

If you want an entertaining and supernatural thriller, this book is for you. The story is initially about this popular show, where the crew travel around the country hunting ghosts. Then they return to the hometown that had been left years beforehand, Snakebite, Oregon. At first it appears to be for good reason, they returned to see their daughter meet some friends and get involved, instead of just hanging around the crew and show. She meets some local kids and seems to make easy relationships and then one of the boys has been missing. Everyone goes to search for him and this becomes the next theme for the show. The plot is engaging and definitely grabs you with the supernatural twists.
Fun and quick read.
#TheDeadandtheDark #NetGalley #StMartinsPress #WednesdayBooks

*Arc provided by Netgalley and Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review."

Snakebite, Oregon is about as small town as small town can get. Everyone knows everyone and the circles are tight. When Logan and her dad's, famed tv paranormal investigators, come to town the town's teens start going missing and of course the best suspects are the towns newcomers. Logan teams up with Ashley, the town's popular girl and girlfriend of the first missing teen, to launch an investigation of their own into what is happening to clear her parent's names.

Not sure why I put this one off for so long, but I shouldn't have. I really loved this book. I haven't read anything YA that the paranormal entity wasn't somehow a love interest or stereotypical supernatural creature and I need more books like this. While keeping the creepy vibe The Dead and the Dark was able to still dive into social issues in a realistic way. The characters were really fleshed out and by the end everyone's actions felt genuine to their story arcs. While this doesn't end with a cliff hanger I would be interested in reading more tales from Logan and her dad's past ghost hunts.

I can't believe I never reviewed this! This book still sticks with me after I read it because I love me a small town horror novel. With the creepy atmosphere that builds up and a mystery that keeps the book going, I found my interest lied even more in the family and romantic relationships--which is how I like my horror!

This was a pretty solid read for me, but I found that it meandered quite a bit near the beginning, which led to the ending being too rushed for me. In this book, we follow Logan, who is moving to the small town of Snakebite, the place where her dads both grew up. Since her dad got there, the town has felt off and a high school student has gone missing. The town has turned its backs on Logan's family, but they are there to find out what has happened and stop other high school students from going missing or turning up dead.

This was a super atmospheric YA horror/thriller book. Logan's dads host a paranormal show and bring those vibes to Snakebit while they are there and the creepy small-town atmosphere was great. There were definitely parts of the book that creeped me out. Our main characters were interesting as well. We had Ashley, your typical small-town girl, who has no plans of leaving and whose boyfriend has gone missing. Then we have Logan, the rebellious teen who angers all the townspeople for daring to be herself. And while they did develop further throughout the book, Ashley especially, I wish we saw more character development from them. I wish the same of all the side characters, who felt one note and stereotypical the whole time. The romance was super cute and really helped change my perception of Ashley.

My main problem with this book was the rushed ending. We had a lot of time skips with little plot development throughout the story, and the ending action takes place in the last 10% of the book. I just wished the mystery revealed itself little by little instead of all at once at the end via flashbacks. I also wished it leaned into the horror aspect a bit more.

Overall, this was a solid paranormal book with an interesting mystery. It just left me wanting a little bit more.

This was fun! It took me a long time to get around to reading it and now I'm kicking myself for waiting so long. It's so creepy and engaging! A quick read.

While I don't think I'll be teaching this in my college-level courses, I will absolutely use excerpts from the text to discuss how to write more chilling narratives.

Did not realize this was sapphic when I picked it up. Bonus!

I would love this book for one thing in particular, even if everything else wasn't to my liking. That thing? The main character calls herself a lesbian, actually uses the word!

Thankfully, I also loved everything about the novel.

The Dead and the Dark is atmospheric, it's creepy in the most delicious of ways, It has ghosts, it has secrets, it has interesting family dynamics. It truly is a little bit of a perfect book, especially given how beautiful the prose is.

I just can't help myself, I love any storyline that has an intertextual element like a tv show or podcast or movie.

Great spooky character study with an unsettling pitch black mystery at it's heart.

This is the first Gould story I've read but I can't wait to read more.

3.5 rounded down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an arc of this title.

im on a roll with my reviews!!! i really liked the atmosphere with this book!!! the setting was great and i liked the storyline as well. very fast paced and easy to read!