Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC!

First of all, I'm a huge fan of these creepy covers, where plants and flowers are just growing out of people. It definitely prepares you for the eerie and utterly creepy story you're about to get into.

This town, Bishop, is just freaking weird. So this group of girls all have missing mothers and the whole town is just...okay...with it? I mean the people are weird, they all give off sus vibes. It feels like the kind of creepy town you never get to leave.

You're left wondering as the story goes on, what exactly happened to the moms? Theories were going wild in my head. It makes you wonder who is hiding what secrets. Also...the wind talks to some people, so there's that.

Ultimately, I was happy with the ending. This story had the eerie atmosphere and mysterious plotline that I adore. I think the author did an amazing job painting every scene with just enough details.

This book is haunting, creepy, and gorgeously done. The plot, with the sunflowers that whisper secrets and a land that craves blood and makes its thirst known, is riveting. The writing is very pretty and it fits the story well, it gives it the perfect atmospheric vibes. All the girls’ voices were very distinct and developed, and though I found it hard not to hate Jude, I understood why the things that she was doing occurred even when her actions infuriated me. It was such an unsettling story, it pulled me deep i. and wouldn’t let me go, much like the town it takes place in.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I am a sucker for the flowery/eerie flowers covering girls faces on covers. But, while the cover drew me in, the writing put me in a hold. Similar to the hold Bishop has on its residents. The prose is stunning, the plot is spooky and it absolutely enraptured me. I definitely put up the do not disturb sign for this one. From beginning to end, this book was incredible.

I loved the idea of this book. Andrea Hannah created a space where the eerie feeling crawls into your bones as you read. It makes you feel like you're right there with Bo, Delilah, Jude and Whitney. The flowers had me entranced and Bishop worked its way into my heart. The mastery of this suspense is one you won't soon forget. I felt attached to each and every one of the girls. It was complex, yet simplistic, and still effective. It was a perfect spooky season read.

Where Darkness Blooms is the perfect suspense, even while some parts may have been predictable, I still found myself unable to put it down. This was incredible!

Haunting book and riveting atmosphere with this! I loved it and I thought it was a good and the supernatural elements were well done.

For me to rate this five stars you KNOW it's something special, because I literally cannot handle any creepy/scary/spooky books and this one has ALL THE CREEP FACTOR. A town surrounded by what seem to be sentient sunflowers with women who are going missing or dying at an alarmingly increasing rate- I was freaked out and intrigued to say the least!!!
This book was such a quick read- pretty much one sitting- and what helped with that was the four POVs of the main characters. Each girl (Delilah, Jude, Whitney, & Bo) are so strong in their own way, and so so real. The villains in the novel are incredibly portrayed- I hated them *viscerally* I can't even explain it.
This was the perfect read for this month, and I truly loved everything about it, even though I was so freaked out while reading lol.

Where Darkness Blooms is a fast paced, tense YA horror. It was very easy to read and get sucked into. Like the town of Bishop, the reader is drawn in and the book won’t let you go. It has children of the corn and midsommer vibes but with teenage girl drama sprinkled in.

The characters’ remembrances from over the past 2 years is what provides most of the secondary mysteries and secrets to uncover but it sometimes becomes hard to differentiate what is present and what is past.

The 4 POV characters of the teen girls are well developed characters, easily distinguishable from each other and wholly formed being. Some are frustrating, some heartbreaking but they feel very real. I found it hard not to hate Jude. I get that she is a victim as well but she just collects secrets and doesn’t tell or help until the absolute end. She does have a good arc but it did not fully resolve her in my eyes.

The story is not super mysterious for the reader because the pieces are easy to put together but it’s still super tense and compelling and despite being able to solve what is happening well in advance of the characters, you want to see if they will be able to get themselves out of the mess.

The story made some pretty intense choices for a YA novel but it definitely helped the story be more thrilling. However, without stating spoilers, there were 3 choices the author made that were revealed or happened near the end that I felt lessened the impact of the story. I wish the author had committed more. The key climatic event was also incredibly lacklustre after all the build up.

The only spoiler I must include is that I literally LOATHE the mothers. I could not justify their actions in the slightest and all the girls should have not have been able to forgive and forget that quickly.

In all, it was a great story that I had a blast reading. 4 stars.

This book goes where no other story has gone before. Rather than fitting into a fantasy genre it has created its own mix of deep characters and supernatural mystery which was impossible to put down. I felt what the characters felt and was so drawn into their lives I was born elated and distraught when it was over. I can’t rave enough how the author was able to represent difficult topics such as sexual assault, abandonment, guilt, and grief it a way that seems natural while also providing rich three dimensional characters that didn’t feel like they were made to check a representation box.

Where Darkness Blooms centers the story of four girls trying to uncover the mystery of what happened to their mothers in a town that craves their end. Bo, Delilah, Jude, and Whitney have each processed and struggled with the loss of their mothers in different ways.

The story is one of generational trauma and the acknowledgment that "good" men are often complacent in the violence that other men perpetuate. The bones of the story are fascinating but the execution could have been improved. Overall, I enjoyed the book and think it is worth the read.

I enjoyed the prose of the book but felt it dragged in places. This was evident in action scenes, particularly where the action was interrupted by introspection and exposition. The use of four points of view in the book did mean none of the girls were as well developed as I would have liked.

A tense and exciting YA story about a small town that isn’t what it seems. After the women in the town die or disappear over the years, people begin questioning whether foul play is at hand. This is a multi-POV story that explores supernatural magic realism in a thrilling way with varied, compelling characters.

Super creepy and haunting. Well-thought-out characters and the imagery were very well written. I think I'm afraid of sunflowers now.

3.5 Stars.

Four teenaged friends live together in a house they once shared with their mothers, who all disappeared one night two years ago, never to be seen or heard from again. But that isn’t unusual in Bishop, the odd town where the girls live, which is known for the plentiful sunflowers that surround it and the numerous missing and dead women throughout its history. The girls are done believing the town’s official story that their moms just left willingly and that soon afterward, one of their friends (and one of the girls’ love interest) just dropped dead in front of her home. So they decide to uncover he real secrets of Bishop. But it may end up costing them their lives because some powerful people are invested in keeping its secrets buried.

The writing in this book is really gorgeous - the storytelling just flows throughout the book and and the descriptions put you right in the story. I felt like I was right there in the field of sunflowers with the petals all around me or feeling the wind from the storms as they raged through town. The author does a great job just grabbing you and pulling you into the story.

And its a really interesting story. It’s a mix of a thriller/coming-of-age/supernatural story which really works together well. It’s marketed as a “YA” book, but I think readers of all ages will enjoy it, I certainly did, and I didn't think it was to immature or anything.

The ending was a little too happily-ever-after for me, which is why I went with 3.5 stars. I can’t say too much, but I don’t feel like it fit well with the overall tone of the story and it felt a little rushed as well.

But overall, I greatly enjoyed this book and the writing was some of the best I’ve seen in awhile. It was a treat to read!

This book started out with such promise, and the prologue was fabulous horror. The point-of-view characters/chapters were...less promising, for me at least. They were perfectly fine, but the chilling atmosphere of the premise wasn't always as at the forefront of things as I'd wanted.

Where Darkness Blooms seemed like a truly intriguing read, perfect for the beginning of spooky season, and it gave off "Bone Gap" vibes, if that makes sense. Female-centric. Small town. Creepy flowers. It had everything a girl could want from a creepy-good read.

However, I struggled with the first half of this book. Four points of view for a standalone without established lore really strained the storytelling at first. While I enjoyed the plot and characters, the constant change of perspective stilted the flow of the story for the first 100+ pages for me. These plot points were absolutely necessary, but I wish they'd been established in a slightly more cohesive way.

That said, once the story really began to flow, I could not stop reading. The intrigue. The drama. The action. Even the multiple perspectives. It all became so expertly interwoven that I couldn't put it down. The exploration of the cycle of violence and exactly what it takes to break from that was heartbreakingly well done. Overall, this story really hit the mark for me, and despite the struggle of the first half of the book, I would definitely revisit it.

so twisted yet so good.
There are multiple pov and they’re all brilliant. The setting is truly so creepy which really just sets the mood.
Overall clever writing and great balance of all elements!

***I received an ARC, ahead of the February 23rd [2023] release, through Netgalley. All thoughts are my own.***

Content Warnings: Blood, death, violence, gun violence, toxic relationships, abandonment, misogyny, grief, fire/fire injury, bullying, police brutality, confinement, and rape [off-page but it is mentioned a few times with some detail].

Being a teen is hard enough but being a teen in Bishop? Well, that's a whole other level. Bo, Delilah, Jude, and Whitney grew up together as their mothers were all best friends. Two years ago on one fateful night, all their mothers disappeared and so they've taken it upon themselves to watch out for and care for each other. But being a teen is hard and you never want to share all your thoughts, feelings, or relationships.

The night their mothers disappeared deeply affected each of the girls and forced them to each hide some of their thoughts and feelings from the others. As some of their secrets are brought to light all of the girls will have to decide how to move forward...or if they even can.

Although the beginning felt like a bit of a slow start...once I hit that 40% mark I couldn't put the book down until I found out how it all ended. This was a story of friendship, shared trauma, and taking back the life others have tried to take from you.

Overall I really enjoyed the story and the journey it took us on...although I do wish we'd gotten a little more history on the town, the residents we meet, and the girls themselves. There were just some aspects that I felt could have been fleshed out a bit more to enrich the story and allow us to feel more connected to everything that happens.

I wish this was getting released sooner as it was a perfect eerie read for this spooky season but you'll just have to wait until its February release.

I received an e-arc from NetGalley of this book. It took me awhile to get into this book, and once I did I was a bit disappointed in it. It felt like it was picking up around 15%, but by 50% I felt it was losing me again. This was mostly due to lack of connection to the characters. I think I had a hard time empathizing with them for some reason. I think the book had a lot of potential. In some ways it was a very structurally sound book. I just felt like there was a disconnect between myself and the characters in this book.

“Bishop just wasn't the kind of place that could satisfy restless, hungry women with sharp edges.” -From Where Darkness Blooms

2.5 stars

Just look at this cover. Soak it in. What perfection. Now read the prologue. Fantastic, right? What an amazing idea and opening. Okay,,,you're good. You might want to stop there. I mean, you could read the rest of the book, and wait for the entire town to come to their senses and figure out what is happening (you certainly know from the prologue), but unless you have an intense love of slightly overwriten prose and four characters who sort of blend together--I wouldn't advise it. Except one girl does stand out-who I guess is an asshole because.....oh yea, we never really find out why. Just the start of many plot holes if you really stop and think about it. (No seriously, no one in town knows there is no hospital?) The ending is sort of hillarious in the believability- not on the magical realism stuff, just that those mothers would have just left their kids to that town. What? I'd believe one, maybe. If you really like sunflowers and bonfires maybe give this a try, but otherwise just stick with the prologue and your imagination of what the story could be. It's probably better.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

First of all the cover of this book is to die for, it’s artistically so beautiful. I really liked the essence of this book and where the story led, it was the perfect read for spooky season!

I requested this book because I thought the cover was stunning. The story itself is even more stunning. This book grabbed me in a chokehold and would not let me go. I could not put it down, it was that kind of read. It was also unlike any book I had read before. It was the perfect mix of small-town mystery, feminism, and the modern gothic aesthetic. This book really stood out to me compared to a lot of books I read this year, and for a good reason, it had an original plot, incredible pacing (like seriously I cannot talk about this book's pacing enough), and very enjoyable characters. I would recommend this book to any of my friends and/or students, not just for how much I liked it, but because it also has great representation and incredibly relevant themes. And any educators curious if this work is appropriate to add to their classroom library, it is, but only for high school (in my opinion) due to some mature content, which one can review based on the trigger warnings conveniently placed at the start of the book.

Where Darkness Blooms is a nice balance of mystery, horror, and YA.

Andrea Hannah perfectly swirled together four strong willed female characters with missing moms and a cursed town into a delicious supernatural treat.

LGBTQIA+ representation was front and center in a casual way that resonated with the story.

No spoilers, but I had a bit of problem with the ending. That feeling is reflective more on me as person with mother/daughter issues than with the resolution of the mystery.

Give it a read for Halloween. You won't be disappointed.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.