This book had a lot of potential and a lot going on, but it never quite got under my skin the way I expected it to. The story is slated as a horror vibe, at least that's the way I interpreted it, but it's more of a sapphic scifi mystery and perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if I'd had that expectation going in.

The town has a bit of a gothic, atmospheric vibe, which I loved but it was never really explained why. But I really struggled with the main character. Nevermind that I found her unlikeable and her actions endlessly frustrating - I have enjoyed loads of books when I didn't like the main character(s). The problem for me here was that the relationship between Beck and Riley left me with more questions than answers. They're here on vacation but Beck avoids Riley all the time? I didn't need the romance, it felt shoehorned in and stilted. Mostly, though, I was just bored. The plot was slow and predictable.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Quietly creepy with a slow build, this mystery center on 17 year old Beck. After her mother’ dies, she receives a mysterious letter in her handwriting and decides that she and her sister will take a detour to Arizona. What they find doesn’t make sense and they need to figure it out… I liked it, but I’d still recommend starting with Gould’s The Dead and the Dark.

I really wanted to like this book, but I just didn’t. This is the only book so far this year that I started to DNF. I probably should have stopped reading but I had hopes it would get better. It took way too long for anything to become remotely interesting. This was just not for me.

This is one of those times that I really hate being a mood reader because why did it take me so long to pick this one up? I’m so annoyed with myself because I absolutely adored this book. It’s not a genre that I normally read but it was just so perfectly done and I couldn’t put it down once I picked it up.

The characters in here were perfection – Beck was the best main character and I loved getting to see everything from her point of view. The way she was so torn between looking after her sisters wishes but also wanted to follow the mystery that led her to this desolate town felt so authentic and it really brought you into the story. I also really enjoyed the way that her relationship with Avery developed and grew, it was so lovely to get to read about a queer relationship that felt genuine and just…nice.

The aspect of this book that really made it a 5 star read for me was the atmosphere and the world building. It was so quietly creepy and left you questioning everything that was happening and everyone that you met. The had decrepit but half shining new town where no one remembers when they got there? The mysterious woman that appears and disappears? The answers that Beck was looking for regarding her mother? It was so incredibly compelling and I loved every second of it.

If you are looking for a book that is a true genreblend then this is your book. It has elements of thriller, mystery, sci-fi, romance, and fantasy. Not only does this story contain and incredibly unsettling amount of secrets within the family but within this town where nothing seems right.

Beck Birschling has been lost since the death of her mother, an investigative reporter who was stuck on a story about a small town in Arizona, Backravel. As her and her younger sister (who she often cared for when her mother was off exploring her story) are packing up to move in with their estranged father and his new wife, Beck receives a letter from her mother asking her to "come and find me." So, she promptly lies to her father about staying with a friend for a month, then drags her sister on a road trip quest for closure. For Beck this is the chance to find out the truth her mother was trying to uncover in Backravel. However, the town is eerie, residents appear to live in the past, some often losing memory and time. Plus, there's a strange desert woman that leads Beck to believe the town leader and his daughter, Avery, have a lot to hide.

This book was gripping from the beginning. With a narrator who has little idea of who she is, what she is doing, and what she wants from her future. She is stuck in the past and who she used to be. She was the daughter who cared for her little sister, who dealt with her mother's memory loss, who longed for the days before her mother's obsession with Backravel began. But, she is also like her mother, determined, keen, smart, and needs to know why her mother cared more about this town than her crumbling family and personal health.

The characters came alive as Beck went about unravelling the truth. From her connection to Avery, who is brave and fearless at times and completely lost and vulnerable at others. To Avery's father's control of the town and all the people who live within it. To the strange occurrences where people within town freeze and forget. What is happening and what is with all the run down army buildings scattered throughout town? Is this a scam for money, is there truth to the "healing" that happens, why does Beck feel something shifting and changing within her, something strange and powerful? Something that grows stronger the longer she stays in Backravel.

This book looks at the power of hope and the misuse of that power for personal gain. Also, how easily you can be sucked into a "cult" to save those you love. This is also a book about parents and their children and the sacrifices both make for each other. Specifically, it focused on Beck's relationship with her mother, or lack thereof since Backravel, and her relationship with her sister, especially how much she wanted to hide about their mother and her investigation, in order to protect her sister and to make sure she was able to investigate without questions or concerns. But her sister worries about her, and then worries about the fact they are not spending time together. Soon, her sister begins to slip into the "cult" and Beck no longer knows how to pull her out or how to help her when she begins to become sick.

I loved the twists and turns, the science and believability of the unbelievable. There was never a moment where I was bored or I thought the story was too long or reaching. The story is paced well, keeps the reader interested, and slowly reveals the truth while you worry for the state of Beck and her sister and all that she is exposing.

The desert is another character in and of itself. With a feeling of being in a loop, being stuck in a barren land that just goes on and on without end in sight. It is so easy to lose yourself, to lose your focus, and to lose sight of what is important. The desert is also unforgiving, with its heat and hidden secrets. Beck can feel the pull of something in the desert, something she is scared of, and then there is the desert woman who she only runs into outside of town without her meaning to. Why is this woman so disconcerting, and why can she not find the town, why is she alone, and is she safe?

Highly recommend checking this book out if you enjoy sci-fi thrillers about strange towns and cults.

I had previously withheld feedback due to the SMP boycott. Now that it has ended, I feel comfortable sharing my review!
I loved this one! Courtney Gould is fantastic at crafting dark gothic-adjacent tales full of twists, turns and mystery! I love a ghost town-esque setting and this book delivered on all of it!

I was really enjoying the book until the end. The ending threw the whole thing off for me, and unfortunately, I didn't care for it.

Courtney Gould is the QUEEN of writing atmospheric creepy little towns. Also the queen of writing beautifully written stories with characters that you can't help but root for and love!

I am pleased to say that I loved this book just as I have the author's other ones. This book is a mystery/thriller, but the big part of this book is about grief. Gould always writes books with much deeper meanings than just a mystery and I love that.

3/5

I received this book from NetGalley as an eARC in exchange for a review.

Where Echoes Die by Courtney Gould follows a young woman, Beck, who travels to a mysterious Arizona town with her sister after their mother's death. Beck seeks answers about her mother's connection to the town, but as they delve deeper, they uncover unsettling secrets and face supernatural forces that threaten their sanity and survival.

I put off reading this for a long time because I thought it was going to be spookier or more mysterious but ultimately the supernatural piece didn't really feel like it did enough to be fully supernature. I don't know how to properly describe it but it was just whelming. I still love Courtney's work though and her dive into the weird and supernatural has been interesting.

I really am not a Thriller girlie, but I enjoyed Andrea Hannah's Where Darkness Blooms, so I thought I'd give this one a go. It's not that I disliked Where Echoes Die. I thought the writing was great and I was really drawn into the world. there was just something a little bit off for me. It's probably just because this isn't my genre, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it was all going over my head just a little bit.

The Dead and the Dark was the book that got me hooked on Courtney Gould. Since then I've had my radar up for her new releases. This was a vastly different plot from the first book I read but the writing style and atmosphere is perfectly Gould.

Remote town with secrets, two sisters who've lost their mom and a past that links both in a way you'll never guess. Heck, I didn't even see the major twist coming.

The writing style is immersive. Drawing you into the creepily desolate town of Backravel, the scene stretches into the surrounding desert and mysterious treatment center. There are no animals, no cars, no religious structures or cemeteries. Even more obscure is the weird memory loss and almost zombie like zone-outs of those we meet from this town.

Beck detours her and her sister, Riley to this place in hopes of learning more about their mom who passed. It's a slow building ride into the grief of two daughters who have not fully learned to heal from their loss. Beck is the more prominent of the two characters and she has an almost fervor to unraveling the secrets left behind. Almost to the detriment of here sister. Riley seems more solid in the present than Beck but she comes with her own flaws.

I really enjoyed how this novel takes the concept of grief, living in the past and constantly looking back and molds it into a heart felt yet cautionary tale. There is still life to live and not everything is worth getting back what was lost.

There is an almost sci-fi feeling to this. While I enjoy that genre, I did find the revelations a little hard to follow at times. It also vaguely reminded me of the movie A Cure for Wellness (loved that movie). The audiobook is narrated by Isabella Star LaBlanc in her almost iconic smooth tones. She has narrated so many audiobooks I love with effortless prevision and brings that talent to this novel.

I fell more for the sisterly bonds, healing and mystery parts of this book more than anything else. The Dead and the Dark still holds the #1 spot in my faves list but I can't deny how much I enjoyed getting back into the mind of Gould. True rating 3.5/5.

I had such a great time reading this book! I really enjoyed her first book, so I was really excited to read it. And it was well worth the time spent reading it, because it was such a great read! The synopsis was intriguing and the book fulfilled it!

The atmosphere in this book was just top notch! It was creepy and spooky, and I wanted to know what was going on with that letter in their mother's handwriting, and this town that was so strange and odd, and I just had to keep reading!

Finding out what was going on with this strange town was so intriguing, because there's a bunch of small weird things, and really odd things, and the question was if it was man-made strangeness, paranormal, supernatural, I wanted to know! Loved finding out the answers!

This was a story of grief, as well as finding out what was going on. Investigating this town took their mom away from them so often, so going there ends up helping Beck through her grieving which was really great to read.

This was such a great read, and I can't wait to read more by Courtney Gould!

A supernatural thriller that follows two sisters on a journey to uncover the truth behind their mother's death. The characters, Beck and Riley, are well-developed enough to be relatable in their grief, but don't reach a level of standing out. The Arizona town of Backravel provides a suitably creepy and isolated setting, but its mysteries unfold at a steady, rather than suspenseful, pace. The plot, while intriguing with its sci-fi elements and small-town secrets, lacked a surprising edge for me, personally. Overall, this is a "fine" read for those who enjoy atmospheric mysteries with a dash of the unknown.

There was so much about this book that could have been good, but in the end I just didn't like it. I found Beck, the main character, unlikable and uncaring of other people's needs. The whole thing starts with her lying to her family to find a small town in Arizona to find out more about her mom's death. She continues to lie throughout the entire book. There is a bit of romance, but it is underwhelming and leaves a lot to be desired. By the end of the book I was confused and had more questions than answers.

While I didn't love as much as the author's debut, still thought it was a gripping story with shocking twists and I wasn't sure who was going to make it out alive.

Not the type of book I'd typically pick up and read on my own, however, I'm glad I got the opportunity to read this!

This story is one that'll have you constantly on the edge of your seat, waiting and anticipating what is going to happen next! It was such a page turner and so intriguing.

Definitely a story you won't regret reading, nothing like I've read before. This book really took me out of my typical book comfort zone and now I plan to expand my horizons and venture around in stories similar to this one!

Just finished "Where Echoes Die" by Courtney Gould, and it’s a haunting, atmospheric read that’s perfect for fans of eerie small-town mysteries.

While I found the plot a bit slow at times, the emotional depth and exploration of grief, first love, and family bonds kept me hooked. If you enjoy stories with a blend of mystery and emotion, this one’s for you! 🌟

This was a suspenseful eerie read and I really enjoyed it. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting but it kept me engaged and I couldn’t put it down until I figured out what was going on. I definitely plan to read more from this author.

In Courtney Gould's "Where Echoes Die," 17-year-old Beck Birsching, thrust into a parental role after her mother's death, delves into her family's past and uncovers mysteries in the enigmatic town of Backravel. With her sister Riley falling ill and strange happenings surrounding their mother's fixation on the town, Beck navigates a complex web of secrets and intrigue. The atmospheric narrative, reminiscent of "A Wrinkle in Time's" Camazotz, immerses readers in a tale of discovery and healing, offering a creative exploration of loss and the unknown.