I am in love with this story. Rarely do I ever think a debut is flawless, but THE DEAD AND THE DARK is a flawless story about family secrets, small town ignorance, and grief that will consume everything in its path if you let it. Logan and Ashley are perfect protagonists and I really enjoyed how both of them are seeking their own truths while growing closer. Super enjoyed that there are trigger warnings at the beginning of the book!

Wow! Loved it! To me, this story is like “Stranger Things” meets Nancy Drew. I was thrilled to snag an ARC from NetGalley and this story didn’t disappoint at all! Pacing was on point and the deep 3rd person POV was well done! I tried to guess what was happening and I could not, then twist, surprise! Courtney is a fab storyteller and I can’t wait for more!

First off, a small town setting for a horror novel is just perfect. I don’t know why. There’s just something about it. Snakebite is the definition of an insignificant small town, and there’s just something creepy about the center of paranormal activity happening in a place so small and insignificant. The rusty, dilapidated motel is even called, wait for it, Bates Motel. Super subtle, I know. Even the supermarket in this town was dingy and creepy. NO THANKS

The reason I gave this 3 stars instead of 4 is because we learn from page one who/what is behind what’s going on. We basically go through the entire book knowing a good deal about the paranormal force wreaking havoc, and that takes away the curiosity factor. There is a bit of a mystery over who is behind it all, but not enough to make me want to race towards the end for answers. I think the book gave away too much too fast and needed to conceal more of the mystery, and that is it’s flaw. That being said, I loved at the ending where the root of everything was explained. With all the hate and prejudice going on in the world today, a story like this is extremely relevant.

If you’re looking for scares, this probably isn’t the book for you because no part of this book is remotely scary. But if you’re looking for a light, supernatural mystery involving ghosts, you would enjoy this read! 3/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy in return for an honest review.

The Dead and the Dark is spine-chilling scary with some really intriguing twists and turns, I definitely do not recommend reading it at night. I am not into paranormal mystery books and I only picked up this book because of the sapphic aspect and I am so glad I did because it ended up being of the best books I’ve read in quite some time. It was totally addicting and so gripping, I slept at 3 in the morning.

As the main reason I was interested in this book was the sapphic romance so it was disappointing in the beginning that I didn't feel sparks between the couple and thought it was gonna be mediocre. But then like everything else in Dead and the Dark, it surprised me greatly and became one of the best things about the book. It turned into a chemistry filled slowburn that I couldn't get enough of.

If the sapphic and the top notch horror-mystery element isn't enough then read it for the father-daughter relationship. It was my most favourite thing in the book (and reminded me of Walter-Peter from Fringe) It didn't seem like much in the beginning but by the end it had me sobbing.

I did have a few little issue like <spoiler>If someone's drowning the girl you love right in front of you, would you just go and call the police, instead of trying to stop him? How could she not realize it'd be too late? ..And in the end where was John's punishment? Instead we got Ashley sympathizing with with that homophobic garbage can.</spoiler>

Overall, I pretty much loved everything in this book the eerie atmosphere, the relationships and the horror-mystery and now I am even more excited to read Echo Sunset by Courtney Gould.

Copy provided by the publisher, Bold Strokes Books, via NetGalley.

SO GOOD!!! I absolutely loved the heartbreaking dynamic between logan and brandon it made me ache. Logan and ashley were cute too but GODDD they deserved more pining and development

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of The Dead and the Dark in exchange for an honest review!

The Dead and the Dark follows sceptic Logan after her ghost hunting fathers drag her back to the town they grew up with where she has to battle social ostracism, murder allegations, and a potentially paranormal murderer that's somehow linked to her family's past. Our other main perspective follows Ashley: a decently popular, influential member of that town who also happens to be the girlfriend of the first teenager to go missing in a string of disappearances and deaths.

I liked a lot of things here. A lot of the Ashley/Logan scenes were really cute and I think at its core, the mystery was well done, but this just had so many excess details that I don't think were needed. Everything included definitely fleshed out the world and characters, but it was often done in a way that wasn't necessary to or even hindered the plot. Paranormal mysteries like this one need to be snappy and fast-paced and while I enjoyed this, I think it could have been a lot better were a few more subplots trimmed down or removed entirely.

Courtney Gould’s thrilling YA 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.

𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 - 𝙽𝚘 𝚂𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚛𝚜

𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌 by Courtney Gould

☞︎Thank you to the Publisher, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an eARC of this book. All review and ratings reflect my personal views without bias from this generosity.

𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎
YA Paranormal (Romance)

𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚜
352

𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎
~2.5 hrs total

𝚜𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚢
Darkness lurks in the shadows it creates, but it is leaking out and searching for a new place to cast into the shadows.

Logan and her reality show ghostbusting dads show up in Snakebite just as kids start disappearing. Secrets of their past hide and relationships of their present blossom. While some mourn the lost other deny they are gone and claim they still linger.

Logan goes searching for answers to her own questions and others. What she discovers is far bigger than she could have imagined.

𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢𝚎𝚍
-The romantic relationships represented are diverse and not just for tokenism’s sake. Characters grapple with contempt and acceptance of their relationships, but it isn’t done in a way that is disrespectful and a write off.
-The story had me on edge every moment I was reading it. I finished the book in two sittings and I didn’t even want to stop reading the first sitting.
-There is a trigger warning at the beginning. This books deals with triggering topics, so I think that was important to mention.

𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢𝚎𝚍
-Honestly not really anything.
-I was at times like actually scared when reading this, but given the genre, I think that’s the point at times. But, if that’s not you’re thing, then take it into consideration.

𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐
★★★★★/5
I very very rarely give a full five stars to anything. This one blew me away.

𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚜
☞︎ Please note that some of these could be considered spoilers, so only read if you need to know possible triggers. These are listed on the website and the dedication.

Homophobia (verbal and physical)
Death of a child
Murder
Claustrophobia
Drowning
Slurs
Physical abuse (non-domestic)

Oh my goodness did I want to love this one!

Ugh, I'm not surprised but am in the minority of this one since all I have been seeing for this one has high praise and stars.

I am a HUGE horror and supernatural aspect... and this one in my opinion was lacking BIG time in that aspect. The book is marketed as a paranormal plot and it just fell super flat.

In this small town of Snakebite, I was gripped initially with the story but as the chapters wore on my confusion continued to grow and was wondering what was going on. I was skimming a lot of the book and there was too much unnecessary parts in the book that just weren't important to the story.

I was sadly left disappointed and was wanting so much more with this story.

Overall, 3 stars.

Thank you to Wednesday/St Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 8/3/21
Published to GR: 2/16/21.

5/5

Sometimes a family can be a lesbian, her girlfriend, and her two ghosthunting dads, and I think that is truly beautiful. The editor for The Dead and the Dark described it as “like Riverdale, but good,” and they are absolutely right about it. In a quiet town in Oregon on the edge of nowhere, the tragic disappearance of a young boy marks the beginning of a descent into upheaval. Enter into the chaos TV’s resident ghost hunting duo, Brandon and Alejo, returning to their hometown of Snakebite after many years in hopes of solving the disappearance. Joining them in this endeavor is their daughter Logan, who has never felt more out of sorts than she has upon her arrival in the strange town. With more teenagers winding up missing, and still no answers in sight, Logan begins to take matters into her own hands as she enlists the aid of an unlikely stranger. Someone who just might help her discover what lurks behind the shadows.

Upon starting The Dead and the Dark, I began to feel myself slowly unwind as I was led deeper into its tangled web of secrets. Secrets that built up inside my mind until they threatened to crash down the very foundations that had been so delicately composed. All this is an elaborate way of saying that this book not only architectured an intricately layered horror story, but managed to make me cry in the process. A feat that has never been easily attained in my book. Courtney Gould’s inquiry into grief and loneliness is certainly one that evokes emotion, and left me with not much else to do but grapple with all that had been expressed. The novel's subtle exposition of a darkness taking root in a small community, and the ramifications associated with giving such a darkness voice, was such a powerful component throughout. I've found that horror grounded in truth will always triumph over everything else and never fail to leave an impression on me. Which is perhaps the strongest part of this debut, and had me thinking for days afterward about the meaning behind it all. Going into this, all I really had in the back of my mind were two things: sapphics + ghosts, and dammit if either of them weren't flawlessly represented in all parts of the novel. The ghost hunting girlfriend representation the world was waiting for and we all deserve. From the cover alone, I should have known this book would give me everything I needed. A look into an eerie town and the secret’s it contains, and a visualization of the resentment that often follows people from place to place. I loved the deep dive into family dynamics and the commentary on how unresolved trauma can adversely impact the relationship between parent and child. Throughout the sinister undertones, that remained apparent and was touched on well. The twisting nature and Stranger Things vibe of this will certainly draw people in, but much like the darkness at work within the town, they will stay entirely for one messy ghosthunting family.

Trigger warnings: blood, violence, murder, attempted murder, drowning, funeral, death of a main character, homophobia, homophobic language, hate crimes

OK, I admit it--I picked this book because of that stunning cover. But a supernatural whodunit was intriguing; it reminded me a bit of Supernatural's "GhostFacers" episodes. The setting of this small Oregon town was vivid and well done, and I enjoyed the characters. And can I say how fantastic it is to see an uptick in publishing queer stories? And not just the funny gay best friend or the quirky lesbian bartender in the background of a few scenes--front and center queer characters and stories. But as soon as ghosts started sending text messages via some convenient spectral technology chip, I was done. I skimmed to the end just to see what the heck was going on. Without spoiling anything, I appreciated the underlying message of the manifestation, but I just couldn't get on board with the path to get there. Still, I have no doubt this book will find its audience; it just didn't include me.

This debut YA thriller is CRAZY-in the best way possible. Logan finds herself back "home" with her two dads, Alejo and Brandon, in tiny Snakebite, Oregon. This town hasn't changed much over the years and is definitely on the traditional side. When teens start to disappear, it is all-too-easy to blame the gay paranormal investigators.

Though Logan has no real connections in Snakebite, she eventually gets close to Ashley, a popular daughter of a family that seems run the town. Together, Logan and Ashley set out to see if they can uncover the truth behind the disappearances. Are these kids the victims of small town crime or is there something sinister and other-worldly at play?

The mix of real life themes and paranormal activity will keep you guessing. I really enjoyed the writing style and the realism in which the story was written, perhaps especially because it makes the potential threat of true evil all the more real.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for granting me an ARC. The Dead and the Dark is set for release on August 3, 2021. It is definitely worth checking out!

Interesting supernatural mystery, I felt the author did a good job portraying the different characters handling their traumas and certain personal realizations, and the author didn’t give away too much too quickly. The only things I have to say against it is that it felt a bit choppy at times with the way time would progress and I felt like I needed a bit more explanation about the Dark. But overall an enjoyable book. I read it in a day.

This book was an incredibly well written book about dealing with uncomfortable subjects. There are characters that can see ghosts but are having a hard time accepting this skill. There is a town dealing with the hatred towards gay/lesbian couples. There are people with secrets. There is a malicious entity looking to cause pain and chaos. All of these ideas made me stop and think about my own biases. This book is a good way for people to read about situations they cannot handle and observe how fictional characters dealt with strong emotions.

“‘We know that spirits are made of unresolved pain that lingers somewhere between life and … beyond. Theoretically, I’d say pain that leaves a deep enough impact–pain that kills a piece of a person–could leave ghosts, too. Ghosts are death, but maybe death can mean different things.’”

Teenagers are going missing in the small town of Snakebite, Oregon. Logan Ortiz-Woodley and her dads, hosts of the famous ghost-hunting show ParaSpectors, have arrived to investigate, but their welcome is hardly warm, and their history in Snakebite is fraught. Most everyone believes they had something to do with the disappearances, and Logan has to deal with their suspicions on top of the usual small town bigotry. Ashley Barton’s boyfriend was the first to go missing, just days after Brandon Woodley arrived in Snakebite. Now his ghost is haunting her, and working with Logan might be the only chance she has to find him–alive or dead. The girls launch their own paranormal investigation, and what they find is a darkness that lurks at the heart of Snakebite, a darkness that may only just be getting started. I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at St. Martin’s Press. Trigger warnings: death/child death, drowning, severe injury, homophobia, hate crimes, slurs, threats, bullying, grief.

This is so much my kind of book, it’s ridiculous. I love it so much; I’m not even sure where to start without descending into fangirl shrieking and incoherent rambling. I guess I’ll start by making a list of my favorite things: strong family themes, good representation (mlm, wlw, poc), a delightful mystery, scorching social commentary, and a Gay Dads ghost hunting show that I fervently wish was a real thing. (Every Supernatural Destiel fan and I would watch the shit out of that.) There isn’t a lot about the book that’s overtly frightening, and I think Gould could have played up the haunting aspects a bit more instead of relying on a general sense of “wrongness” in the town, but it’s still effective. In the tried and true tradition of horror, the humans are often a greater threat than the supernatural. More than the horror aspects, it was the mystery that kept me turning pages. Who or what is the Dark, and where will it strike next?

There’s an excellent cast of characters, beginning with Logan, who’s complex enough to take over whenever the action lags. She’s a combination of sophisticated city girl and a kid who desperately wants her fathers to love her. Alejo is an absolute gem of friendliness, jokes, and solid advice. Brandon is distant and hard to read, and the strangeness between him and Logan characterizes much of their family relationship. Ashley is a little more run-of-the-mill, a big deal in her small town, who occasionally makes painful statements about how “people just aren’t gay” in Snakebite. Fortunately, we have Logan there to call her on it, and Ashley probably sees the most personal growth of any of the characters. There are themes of family, grief, and self-discovery that all see excellent arcs.

The book is also a critique of homophobia and generalized bigotry found everywhere, but that seems to be especially concentrated in certain kinds of rural small towns. I’m way more afraid of an entitled white dude than I am of ghosts, frankly, and The Dead and the Dark has plenty to fear on both sides. The horror is expertly woven in with the social commentary, and while I don’t want to get into spoiler territory, I love the direction Gould takes it. I love the way everything in the book is connected, and she pulls it all together for a tense and satisfying ending. Easily my favorite book of the year so far. If you liked Sawkill Girls, this is for you.

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.

This group was so well written; the detail and the descriptions within the book are well done without feeling like they are dragging out. The suspense and mystery in the book are well done and unravel in a way that makes sense but not a slog. I was interested and hooked from the story early on. I think that one of the things that really shines is the side characters! I really enjoyed the cast of the story as a whole, which is not always the case. Overall a well done YA story.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me an arc of The Dark and the Dead by Courtney Gould in exchange for an honest review!

This book was a mix between castle rock, rosewood, and “riverdale, but good” as the editor aptly labels it. I can’t even begin to describe how much I LOVED this book. It was, and I cannot stress this enough, ADDICTING in every sense of the word. It was dark, twisted, and utterly captivating.

Logan and her dads find themselves back in a small town in which they grew up, but something is different in Snakebite. The weather is changing, a darkness lurks around every corner, and it seems as though secrets are the only thing holding the place together.


Reading this book was like watching a movie-the description was so good that I had to remind myself that I wasn’t actually there, that I wasn’t actually in the woods of Snakebite. The world building was effortless and the way the author included queer representation into this book felt like something other authors could learn from. I will not stop thinking about this book any time soon. READ THIS BOOK!

Young gay love, the paranormal, and a good mystery - the formula for an addicting read that keeps you wondering how the world will settle at the end of it. The little girl that I once was that stay up watching "Scariest Places on Earth" grew up to be the woman I am today who loves True Crime podcasts and thriller novels. Love that this book can combine several of my interests.
And the cover is breathtaking!

4.5/5.

This book had me questioning everything! Very early on I thought I knew what was going to happen, and it was very quickly twisted around to create such an interesting plot that left me gasping in surprise. It kept me invested in the characters and all I wanted was to keep on reading so I could find out more!

In general, I thought the dialogue and text messages were realistic for the characters' ages; lots of times, text messages between teenagers and young adults aren't portrayed accurately. So that was refreshing. The chapters were short enough to make you say "just one more chapter" and keep you engaged. I tend to LOVE stories involving small, tight-knit towns and boy did this book deliver. The characters and the town itself is where this story shines - I loved Elexis, and Brandon and Alejo's relationship, and enjoyed following the somewhat impulsive Logan.

If I had any criticism, it would be about the ending. I find it a bit cliche to have two people fall in love and then immediately run away together/dedicate their lives to each other. Maybe that's just because I'm getting older haha. But the ending was written well, and I still read it and ate it up so...

What an amazing read. If a book makes me laugh or cry or gasp, it's good. And this one definitely delivered.

This was so good! Logan and her parents find themselves in a town filled with disappearances, deaths, hate, and so much darkness. The plot hooked me from the first few chapters and the ending was not what I expected. This is a great thriller, LGBTQ, and enemies to lovers book for anyone looking for a unique take on small town crime.