This book touched a soft place in my heart for the southwest. It reminded me of the little ghost and desert towns I’ve seen in New Mexico and West Texas.

I loved the airstream/trailer aesthetic and the desert, the imagery and detail, the flat land, the vintage vibe, and the desolate community.

The book hooked me from the start. I was intrigued and wanted to know more and more throughout the book. It hovered at 4 stars the whole book, but when things started really unfolding, I was a little underwhelmed/disappointed.

Overall, I loved the writing style and the book was definitely gripping to carry me through eagerly.

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC!

📚📚📚📚/5
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*Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this novel for an honest review* available June 19t, 2023!
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Where echoes die follow sisters Beck and Riley through an isolated town in Arizona. Left with nothing but the sentence of “come and find me” from their deceased mother, Beck knows she must follow the bread of trail crumbs her mother has left her.
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Upon their arrival in Backravel, Beck and Riley notice the differences between the ghost town and most other towns. No cars, no cemeteries, no churches, it’s all very odd. Even more weird, the towns people are almost always in a state of confusion.
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When Beck and Avery, enemies turned friends start to have shared ideas and feelings, the two begin to bond. Avery is the daughter of the town leader, Ricky, whom promises healing in his treatment center. But beck knows that her mother committed so much time to Backravel to figure out what is really going on at the treatment centers.
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Courtney Gould writes a haunting tale traveling through the Arizona desert. So many mysteries to solves in such an odd town. This kept my attention extremely well and I really enjoyed this read!

Courtney Gould’s sophomore novel packs a powerful punch! Following two sisters Beck and Riley who search for clues of why their journalist mother was obsessed with a quaint town called Backravel in Arizona. The story unfolds in Backravel where Beck and Riley road trip under the guise of a vacation where Beck works to uncover what her mother found so enticing about Backravel but Backravel has secrets of its own and those who live in Backravel are not keen to let them be known.

This novel was part thriller, part sci-fi, and part contemporary. It gave me very similar vibes to NOPE in the way that Backravel was a near desolate, quiet town in the middle of nowhere. I really enjoyed the slow unraveling of secrets and that readers were given just enough information to not feel too in the dark and I was already beginning to put my own theories and speculations together. I love that Gould has a knack for making her setting feel like its own character. The exploration of grief and the things we carry I the face of grief was also so well-done.

Readers are really going to enjoy this interesting and fresh take!

After the death of her mother, Beck Birsching still feels lost and is driven by a need to find answers to questions she has surrounding her mother’s last letter and her obsession with a remote town in Backravel, Arizona. When Beck and her sister Riley arrive in Backravel they find an enigma of a town...new developments mixed with old military structures, no churches or cemeteries, and townsfolk unable to remember when they arrived. As Beck digs into the town’s history along with its mysterious leader and his daughter she begins to discover unbelievable truths about her mother’s connection with the town.
Where Echoes Die is a new YA mystery by author Courtney Gould which focuses on two sisters who have recently lost their mother and go searching for answers in a town she was obsessed with. As with her last novel, the cover art completely drew me in. The plot sounded interesting however, I was not expecting the sci-fi element that this novel introduced. I really wanted to love this novel and as enjoyable as it was it just didn't captivate me as much as I had hoped. Part of the issue I had with this novel was that I just didn't connect with any of the characters and most of them felt a bit flat to me. The townsfolk acted a bit like robots, which is understandable with the plot, but the sister’s relationship is supposed to be strong and honestly I just didn't feel it. This was the same with Beck and her love interest, Avery, where everything just felt a bit blah. Overall, this was another interesting and unique read and I look forward to future novels by this author.

Where Echoes Die is the story of Beck, a girl haunted by the death of her mother, her younger sister traveling with her, and the tiny town of Backravel where their mother spent so much of her time before her death.

Courtney Gould spins another delicious dark and twisted story with enough turns that I couldn't seem to stop reading. The location is fantastic, and the characters are prickly and realistic, but it's the mystery behind Beck's mother, and the town itself that drew me in and kept me turning page after page.

It's a fast read, but not one I can sum up easily or simply...and I've been trying for a few weeks now. It revolves a lot around the bonds we share with people, the way grief can consume us, with memory and consent, and manipulation...and more to boot, all while weaving a gorgeously intricate story.

An intriguing mystery wrapped in a creepy town with a story that explores family dynamics, love, grief, memory and more.

This was a great read! Very suspenseful, with a creeping sense of unease and horror for the main character that translated really well for me as the reader. I loved the themes around grief and moving on versus trying to live in the past.

This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.

I liked the characters in the story; both Beck and Riley were relatable and well written. Avery was a bit confusing and some of the other characters too but goven the nature of what was going on in the town, that became more understandable later. I did feel like the windup took a very long time, however, and the twist was not as surprising as it could have been.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I loved the atmosphere, and I really connected well with the characters. I did seem to figure out the ending a little early, but that didn't bother me at all, I was there for the ride and it didn't feel disappointed. I really love Ms. Gould's writing style, she makes such creepy environments with with a relaxed-yet-thrilling tempo (is that physically possible?) that kept me glued to each page. This was my second book by her, and I plan on picking up the others to immediately add to my shelf. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

Atmospheric, and the suspense builds slowly over time. I found myself wanting to know more about Backravel's history than was provided in the narrative, but overall it's a well-developed mystery.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Publishing Group for providing this advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

This story focuses on Beck (Rebecca) and Riley Birsching, who travel to the mysterious fictional small town in southern Arizona called Backravel, in an effort to understand the fascination that their mother had with the town and work to come to terms with her sudden death.

The story was very unique and constantly had me at the edge of my seat. There is a slight lull in the story about half way through, but otherwise, it was very imaginative and I love the overall allegory used to exhibit to love each day and appreciate the beauty in life.

I enjoyed this book and will be excited for it to release later this year.

This book was everything. The character development was bomb. The plot chefs kiss. I finished this book and I wanted more.

I tried to get into the plot of this book, but I ended up not enjoying it as much. The ARC I received didn’t appear to be edited, which is totally fine but I am super picky and am easily bothered by typos/narrative shifts. The plot seemed interesting at first, what with the mysterious town and the inhabitants and why they all seem so weird. Beck’s mom was also a mystery to me but I didn’t want to solve it. Overall, the plot was interesting but the book didn’t hook me in and I didn’t enjoy my time reading this. I would recommend for people who enjoy thrillers but it wasn’t a favorite of mine.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Publishing Group for providing this advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

This story focuses on Beck and Riley Birsching who go to the mysterious small town of Backravel in an effort to understand the fascination that their mother had with the town and work to come to terms with her passing.

It also asks the reader to consider the passage of time and how, if we could live in a perfect day or even a perfect week, would we choose that over living our normal life, even knowing the pain and loss that comes with it.

I enjoyed this book and will be excited for it to release on 6/20/2023!

Thank you to NetGalley and Courtney Gould for approving my request to read an ARC edition of Where Echoes Die in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book had an interesting and unique story concept. It's a slow-burn mystery story following two sisters who recently lost their mom. They travel to a mysterious town where the MC, Beck, tries to uncover secrets her mother had been investigating. She needs to know what's so special about this isolated town in the middle of the Arizona desert, and it start to become an obsession. Meanwhile, Beck and her sister, Riley, are still grieving the loss of their mom...each in their own way.

It is a slow-moving story, but interesting nonetheless. Especially when things started to come together, all the pieces of the mystery making sense leading up to the WOW moment at the end of the book. Like I said, it's an interesting and unique story concept. And if you enjoy mysteries revolving around magical or fantasy realism, then I highly recommend reading this book:)

Would you give up the world to bring back someone you’ve lost?
Where Echoes Dies brings that question into play using some science-fiction and mystery elements.

Ellery Birsching was formerly an investigative journalist until one story caused her to change completely. After she dies, Beck, her 17 year old daughter decides to travel to Backravel, Arizona after receiving a letter with the words “Come and find me.”

This felt like reading the Lotus Casino section of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief if it took place in a podunk town in the middle-of-nowhere Arizona.
I felt like the characters other than Beck, Avery, and Ricky were not fleshed out as well as they could have. The mystery was a little predictable and I had figured it out at about the 40-50% mark.
That being said, the book was still enjoyable and I would recommend it to readers around 14-18.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for letting me read an advanced copy of Where Echoes Die! This is my very first ARC and attempt at a longer review.

Interesting concept for this book! It reminds me of a Stephen King book but for young adult! A little weird, but intriguing enough that you can't look away! I've enjoyed the authors novels in the past and am always looking forward to her next releases.

Okay.. well.

This was a journey but I’m not sure it was the one I wanted to take.

Things I liked:

The setting and the plot. - I love small town mysteries! They’re always filled with that kind of slow, creepy, uneasiness that settles into your belly, that keeps you glued to the pages.
Riley - She deserves better. All she wanted was to spend time with her sister, and Beck couldn’t care less.

Things I didn’t like:

Referring to Mom with her full name “Ellery Birsching” - It’s used 74 times in 350 pages. It pops up so much I started groaning and rolling my eyes.

Beck. I hated Beck. She was stupid, selfish,reckless, neglectful and just awful to her sister, who she DRAGGED to this podunk town under false pretences and then ignored her the entire time. Then she refuses to leave even when Riley begs her too because she’s afraid of what the town is doing to them. She spends more time worrying about Avery than she spends worrying about Riley.

Avery was rude from the very first meeting with Beck for no reason, maybe that was to show her growth later on in the book? There wasn’t much of that either.

The romance - I didn’t believe it. Beck and Avery have zero chemistry. Avery witnesses Beck have two panic attacks and helps her through them and then all of a sudden they’re besties and hooking up? It just feels convenient and unearned?

The ending. - Dissatisfying and it left me with 20 more questions.

Also can someone please explain how these girls struggled so hard growing up? Dad seems to be pretty successful and a near solid parental figure (it’s mentioned in so many words) but he never paid child support? He just sat back with his new wife and allowed his daughters to pinch pennies and eat 7-11 frozen pizzas every day?

A big thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

It was a little confusing with the sci-fi stuff but ok overall. It was odd to me, the relationship the girls had with each other and also with their mother but maybe that’s just because it’s unrelatable for me. I can’t imagine leaving my younger sister on her own while I go off in a strange town where we don’t know anyone so it was just kind of unrealistic for me.

I wanted to enjoy this one but I found the plot, story, and characterizations hard to follow and not really resonate the best for me at times.

I did enjoy this book though it was very difficult to get behind the protagonist because she was so unlikeable. I just couldn’t care about her at all. That made the read a little difficult for me. I did love the final twist though. Wow.

All in all, an enjoyable read.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.