I requested this book because I really enjoyed The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould.
We spend a lot of the book getting to know Beck and Riley and learning about why they have traveled to Backravel, Arizona. Their mother has just died from cancer and she visited Backravel many times, but told the girls they could never go. Beck wants to know why their mom went there over and over while Riley doesn't really care and just kind of wants to humor Beck before they go live with their dad in Texas. I knew this was marked as horror, so I just kind of kept waiting for the horror to show up. It crept in slowly and by the time I realized what was going on, I was really invested.
The residents of middle of nowhere Backravel seem to have no real memory of anything that happened before they moved there "a few years ago." They all moved there for treatments at the mysterious treatment facility run by Ricky Carns. These treatments succeeded where everything else failed. As Beck manages to dig deeper and deeper and find more clues, she ends up discovering more about Backravel than she bargained for.
I liked Beck, though she didn't have perfect relationships with anyone. Her relationship with Riley was strained, it felt more like Riley was taking care of Beck even though she's the younger sister. They were both processing the death of their mother in different ways. Neither of them had a good relationship with their father who left when they were young. I loved how different Beck and Riley were, Beck is very withdrawn and has panic attacks, while Riley can make friends with anyone, anywhere in a day. While in Backravel, the girls meet Avery who is Ricky's daughter. Beck and Avery hit it off, but I personally didn't feel a lot of chemistry between them. Avery had an interesting backstory though.
While the horror element did manage to hook me, there were times where my jaw dropped and there were times I was a little confused. The ending was very fast paced and exciting.
If you are looking for an atmospheric, not too scary horror book, give this one a try!

Beck Birsching has had a hard life. Her parents divorced over her journalist mother's obsession with a story she was investing, and then her mother's illness leaves Beck in charge of herself, her mother, and her younger sister, Riley. In her search for answers about the story that consumed her mother, Beck takes Riley to Backravel, Arizona, the town their mother was investigating, to try to understand what it was that drove her so hard, and why she returned so many times over the course of years.

At first glance, Backravel is a seems like a normal small town, but that first impression quickly vanishes as Beck looks around; there are no churches or other religious centers, no cemetery, and no one drives - the few cars that are in evidence are carefully covered against the desert dust. The day after their arrival, the host of their AirBnB has forgotten their existence, although his wife and son remember. When the sisters set off to explore the town, they are offered a tour, which covers the minor attractions common to any small town, and highlights the odd mixture of defunct military installations with new construction dotted through it, but, notably, does not include the gleaming, new-looking treatment center on the mesa overlooking the town. Something is clearly off in Backravel, and Beck is determined to find out what, using her mother's notes to guide her.

This is an interesting novel, a mystery about secret government experiments and the aftermath that was abandoned in the desert, hidden in plain sight. It's also a novel about family, and the lengths people will go to keep their family together, as well as the lengths people will go to to understand what drives those they love to actions that appear inexplicable.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Where Echoes Die is a YA sapphic novel about a town that seems to stand still. It’s also about grief and how it changes you and the world around you. I think we’ve all experienced pain that made you hold on to the past.

It’s so hard to explain this book. I would say it’s similar to something like Stranger Things. It’s eerie and perfect if you love spooky towns.

I will read anything that Courney Gould writes. I absolutely loved her debut The Dead and the Dark and this one didn’t disappoint.
I recommend this if mysteries are your jam.

I’m not quite sure how I feel about this book. I didn’t hate it, but it wasn’t a favorite either.

There were many many elements that I am not a fan of, in this book - one being, the author leaves the reader confused and with more questions all the time. And I get it, that’s the point. Other elements would be spoilers.
One thing that drove my CRAZY is the main character’s mom. Her first and last name were used 20+ times in the first five chapters. First AND last name. I got it after the first time.

Goodreads also has this tagged as a horror - zero horror elements in this. So that is misleading and I unfortunate since I was hoping this went more the horror route.

That said - I did enjoy the characters, I did enjoy all the guessing (usually I am good, and I got most guesses wrong), and I enjoyed the ending! I’m usually very critical of an ending - this one satisfies!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the e-arc.

A story about grief, memory, loss, and the things we are willing to do to get back to the ones we love, 'Where Echoes Die' is a beautiful sapphic YA horror novel and I loved reading it. In a town where the lines of past and present blur, Beck and her sister are pulled into a world of mystery and what-ifs as they reel from the loss of their mother and the uncertainty of what their futures hold. This story is deeply thoughtful and poignant, and weaves in themes of horror and mystery that are brilliantly done. I also loved the relationship between Beck and Avery and the ways that they both grew from each other in their time together. Like with Courtney Gould's previous book, I highly recommend this novel to those looking for a good sapphic YA horror and a thoughtful read on grief and time.

*Many thanks to the publisher for an eARC of this one in exchange for an honest review!

A super creepy town that seems to stand still? Let’s explore the book:
Letter - Becks has received a letter from her mother to find her in the town of Backravel, AZ. Problem is, her mom is dead
Rural town - Backravel is in the middle of nowhere and there doesn’t seem to be a lot of people anywhere
Search - So Beck begins to look for her mother and what she finds confuses her
Losing Time - People have glazed over expressions, forget where they are, and Becks finds herself losing time

Courtney Gould has a way of writing that makes you want to keep reading until you find the answer. This book was slightly slow paced but the descriptions were so deep and beautiful. The way the topic of grief was discussed was also very insightful. While this was a YA Horror, I wouldn’t say it’s extremely graphic, but rather that the horror might take place psychologically. I liked this book a lot. Thank you to Wednesday and Macmillan audio for sending me this ARC to share with you!

An amazing fantasy story written in Courtney’s beautifully woven prose. This story explores grief in very deep and beautiful ways that hit me so personally. The methods that Beck uses to deal with her mothers death are not healthy per se, but they are thought out and nuanced. Echoes is beautiful.

A strange and wonderful and atmospheric meditation on grief and loss. I will read anything that Courney Gould writes.

I switched between the audiobook and digital copy of these eARC and thoroughly enjoyed both.

This story is part Stranger Things season 1, part Welcome to Nightvale, part Eerie Indiana. It sits with you like a layer of caked on sand. And I mean that in a good way. All vibes, written in a way that is succinct but also extremely detailed. There’s a journalistic stick to the facts flair, but it’s still literary. I can’t say much other than I loved the vibe of this book. It was an intriguing story, the narrator of the audiobook was pleasant, and overall I love this supernatural mystery! Can’t wait to get it in kids hands!!

DID NOT FINISH-20 percent.

Honestly, this was a really bland YA horror novel that I said nope to at 20 percent. Apparently 20 percent is now my limit with books that I am not feeling. Maybe one day I can get that down to 10 percent? This just didn't grab me. I loved the cover, but not the characters or writing.

"Where Echoes Die" follows a teenager named Beck (yes my mind went straight to You) who receives a letter from her dead mother, telling her to go to the town of Backravel to find her. Look, I maybe said, really girl like ten times when I got to this, but kept reading. Just know bad things seem afoot. Also Beck brings along her sister Rachel to help with this. I would have told my sister, I am out before she even finished her sentence.

I have to say that Beck and Rachel both are not developed very well. Beck's whole personality seems wrapped up in her mother. There is enough there for me to form a conclusion about the mom, but I didn't want to keep reading til the end to see if I am right.

Too much of the writing was vague and I started to feel as if we were getting whiffs of the unreliable narrator going on. There just wasn't enough there for me to push through to the end of this one.

The flow was beyond bad though. I just kept wondering if the story/plot was going to get better or what. I have read other YA horror novels that have been done very well, but this one wasn't doing enough for me to continue to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!

While reading Where Echoes Die, I swear I could feel the sand beneath my feet, the heat beating against my brow. That’s how masterful Courtney Gould is at creating atmosphere: you can practically taste the setting.

Where Echoes Die is a story about grief: how it feels, how it changes you, how it changes the world around you. It can be hard to write that type of story and do it justice, but Gould makes it look easy. Like in her debut novel, The Dead and the Dark, Gould weaves a gorgeous web of mystery, emotion, love, and loss — a web you can’t help but become tangled in.

What I love most about Gould’s work, though, are her heroines: they are messy, frightened, flawed, brilliant girls who you can’t help but feel for. Their struggles and their feelings are so real, it’s like you can reach out and touch them. You root for them every step of the way, every page of their story, and you carry them with you even after you close the book and walk away.

Where Echoes Die is a love letter to everyone caught in the in-betweens of grief, everyone struggling with going back and moving on. If you like desert sunsets, small towns that aren’t quite right, main characters who are barely keeping it together, and queer girls stargazing in the middle of nowhere, this is the book for you.

DNF-ed at 30%

I was not connecting to the story or characters at all which made it difficult to read. I did not get intrigued by the story the way I did with The Dead and the Dark. Sadly, this book is not for me.

Wow, this book… this is such a beautiful, painful story exploring grief and how not letting go, staying in the past can cause more harm than learning to move forward.

Beck lost her mother only a few months ago and she and her sister are on their way to Texas to live with their dad, but first Beck has to find out the truth of Backravel, the place that her mother was investigating, the place that basically stole her mother from her. But things in Backravel don’t make sense and things are more sinister than Beck realized.

This is a book that takes place over the course of only a couple weeks, and so much happens in that time. Everyone talks about getting treatment from Ricky, the leader of the small town, but no one will (or can?) explain what treatment is or does. Beck is determined to find out, and the truth is messy and complicated and at times horrific.

In some ways this started slow, but honestly the pacing works so well for the story because in the beginning Beck is mostly stuck in her grief and depression, and Backravel gives her a focus and energy, but she’s still not really living because everything is about Ellery and what she found in Backravel that kept her coming back. As things were revealed and pieces came together, the pacing picked up with intensity and urgency, and I really liked how the pacing worked so well with the storytelling.

This is really such a great book on grief and how hard it is to move forward, how hard it is to let go of loved ones. It’s also a great examination of motivations and how a good intention can have the most harmful impacts. I really enjoyed this story and can’t wait to see what Courtney Gould will write next.

4 stars - I really liked it. This is a perfect summer read for the spooky girlies, a cozy horror.

When Beck receives a letter from her dead mother asking to come find her. She, with her sister Riley in tow travels to a small isolated town called Backravel in Arizona to search for answers. There things seem to get stranger and stranger, no cars, no cemeteries, no churches anywhere. The whole town is a either crumbling military structures or brand new buildings and every resident seems to always be confused, not remembering important details . All overlooked by the towns leader and his daughter from the Treatment Center. There, Beck begins to search for answers about her mother..

The pace was a little slower but the story was engaging from page one. I kept coming up with multiple theories as to what could possibly be going on, some were right and some were way off. I couldn't put the book down and when I had to, I went back to reading it any chance I had. I finished it within 24 hours, I just HAD to find out what happens. It did drag a little bit for me around 3/4 of the way and although the big "twist" reveal ending was intresting I still felt slightly underwhelmed. There was a lot of build up and I just wish there would have been a little more to it. The final moments of the story was lovely though.

The author did a wonderful job with the setting, with the detailed descriptions I really felt like I was in Backravel myself. The plot was great, I was working with Beck to solve the unsettling mystery with each page. I enjoyed all the characters, and what each contributed to the overall story. The themes of mental health, grief, and loss were well executed, I especially liked how the author showed how it can be expressed so differently with each character. It also included a little bit of casual sapphic romance sprinkled it. X-files x Goosebumps vibes.

Read this book if you love creepy small towns, YA books, horror mysteries, sister bonds, feeling confused and on the edge of your seat, isolated settings, casual sapphic romance, strange vibes.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and Courtney Gould for sharing the digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my authentic review.

The atmosphere of this book is 10/10! When Beck and her sister arrive in Backravel the unsettling feeling is immediate, and it only gets worse the longer they stay in town. Beck wants.. no needs to figure out why this town had such a hold on her mother, and why she returned again and again. The people in town aren't any help with her investigation, every question asked gets either an I don't remember or you'll have to ask Ricky who seems to be the founder of this strange little town.

It seems like everyone but Ricky is an unwitting prisoner in this town, and Beck is told again and again that she should take her sister and leave while they still can. But Beck can't leave, not until she figures out why her mother couldn't leave this town alone, and the answers she does get just give her more questions.

I loved the eerie feeling this town and its residents have, I loved Beck and her unrelenting desire to figure out this town while dealing not only with the grief of losing her mother but also how much of herself she lost while her mother was sick. I loved Beck and Riley's relationship, while it did get rocky a few times you could tell how much they loved and wanted to take care of each other. This book took me on a wild ride, the creepy town and Beck sucked me right in and wouldn't let me go until we get to the end which was perfect. I can't wait to read what Courtney Gould comes out with next!!

3.5/5 Rounded to 4
I was looking forward to this one after reading and loving the author’s first book.

This one takes on a more sci-fi plot line than her first book’s paranormal dynamic (which I preferred) but still keeps true with the sapphic love interest for the main character.

This book doesn’t hold as much mystery as I would have liked. The sisters arrive in this weird town that has no cars, cemeteries or churches but instead looks like a military simulation of what a town should look like and for some reason I felt like Dean and Sam Winchester from Supernatural might end up investigating a town like this. The author does do well using the setting to give the reader all the creepy and unsettling vibes.

But moreover this book is about loss and grief as Beck and her sister have lost their mother and Beck is desperate to find out why - what was in Backravel, AZ that caused them to lose the only parent they were really close with. It’s an accurate depiction of how two people, sisters in this case, can show grief in completely different ways.

I still prefer the author’s first book to this one but I did enjoy it.

I really enjoyed this book. Courtney Gould never disappoints! It’s creepy and fun. I would definitely recommend!

A haunting mystery and moving exploration of the desperate things we cling to when grief threatens to overwhelm us. Gould presents a protagonist effectively unmoored by the recent loss of her mother, and a story occluded by mysteries that never get fully resolved. The fragmented perceptions, time jumps, and comforting numbness occasionally shattered by intense emotional intrusions felt very real to the experience of grief, giving us an intimate look into the world of its narrator.

Courtney Gould writes such incredible horror. This book had twists and turns that had me reeling in the best possible way. Beck's panic attacks feel tangible, and her worries about memory loss because of it is familiar to me and felt represented well. There is also blatant use of the word "lesbian" on page for representation, which may not seem like much to some, but happens so rarely that I was pleased to see it. The growth of Beck and Riley was interesting to observe in the environment they were placed in, and what I thought was just going to be another cult story really proved itself to be something new in a world of repeated plotlines. This was truly an original and unnerving plot and I loved every minute of it.

I am a poly reader and always have a few books going on at once. I quickly abandoned the other books when I started this because I wanted to know what the heck was going on in Backravel.

I spent a lot of time angry at Beck. I felt she was being selfish. Her sister was clearly suffering and wanted out, and Beck ignored her in favor of her deep dig into the town. No town was worth what ultimately unfolded in the story. It was twisty, unpredictable, and so atmospheric. You know something is off right from the start, but you have no idea what is going on, and I loved that element of not knowing.

There’s not much else one can say without spoiling the entire plot because there are many moving parts. But expect not to know what the heck is going on for a good chunk of the book. Expect a bit of sci-fi, a mystery, and a very stubborn teenager who won’t quit until she uncovers all of Backravel’s secrets—nicely done!

Thank you, St. Martin’s, for sending this my way.