I always love Gould's bookcovers, however I never really like her books it seems. This is very disappointing as the premise sounded really cool.

This was my first book by Courtney and I do want to go back and read her first book.

My first impression...what a weird book. I mean it was creepy and well, different is probably the best way to say it. Just weird. Not so weird that I hated the book. I did not hate it. This is a solid 3 starts for me, only because I did enjoy the writing style here (which is why I want to read her other book)

Just be warned, this book does start off very slow. In fact, while it wasn't terrible to really deserve for me not to finish, I did consider it for a hot minute but decided to force through it. It picks up for sure.

Thank you so much to #Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

Courtney Gould might just be my favorite newer YA author on the scene. Her books just hit every time, and Where Echoes Die was no exception. From start to finish, I was a ball of anxiety, frantically flipping through pages, hoping desperately for some sort of resolution. The story was weird and interesting and tremendously well developed, to a point where I could so easily see where everything was taking place. The commentary on grief driving people to extremes and losing themselves in desperation was so very real, and as was the bits of grieving people being taken advantage of by others. The romance here was sweet and felt very perfect for the story. I will say I didn’t quite connect to the characters the same way here as I did in Gould’s debut and that I saw many of the major plot twists coming the very first time they were even sort of foreshadowed, but it was still a really enjoyable and captivating story. I even got a little misty eyed in the final chapter.

I really enjoyed THE DEAD AND THE DARK from this author in the past so I was excited to check out another story from her, but unfortunately it felt a little too similar to me and I've personally lost some interest in reading young adult novels since I last read from Courtney Gould so it didn't work out for me.

Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5

This one was very middle of the road for me because it didn't grab me until about 30% of the way through. It had a slow start but the premise and the initial emotion from the MC, Beck, kept me going. I love a haunted MC to be honest and Beck is HAUNTED by the death of her mother and the secret of her many trips to a tiny town called Backravel in Arizona.

What I love most about Gould's books are that she gets the atmosphere perfect every time. Her books are spooky and this one had a sticky, cloying feel to it that went perfectly with this little town and its secrets. She also brings teen emotion out in her characters perfectly without too much drama or too little. And she's always talking about parental trauma!!!! FELT!!! Beck here is grieving, lost, and the only thing holding her together is the thought of finding out what happened to her mom.

I think my problem with this book was mostly personal - the main conflict is one of my least favorite kinds and I also thought the "twists" were obvious. I also wanted more of the story after finding out what was going on in the town. I think there needed to be more backstory about the town and the people there. I did love the small spark of hope at the end that Gould always gives us though.

I would definitely recommend this to its intended audience or to anyone that loves a spooky YA mystery!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC!

This book had a very slow start for me, but the second half was paced well. The secret of Backravel was interesting, but the characters were not very endearing. I received a copy of Where Echoes Die from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A small town mystery and completing what MC's mother once started lead to even more secrets and the uncanny valley. This started a bit slow for me and was a little hard to get into but once it started going it was incredible!

This is a sci-fi fantasy novel with mystery. This was quite good!

Riley and Beck's mother has passed. Beck is grieving. Riley has seemed to accept it and move on. But Beck found research of her mother's on a little town in Arizona. Beck decides she wants to go and figure out what is going on, what has caused her mother to spend so much time there. So they set out on a road trip to find the answers.

Many thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am currently supporting the boycott against St. Martin’s Press until they respond to influencer’s concerns about safety, inequality, systemic issues at hand and also meet the demands of the boycott. I am looking forward to leaving an updated review for this book once the demands are met ❤️

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this one! I ended up listening to it on audio and I definitely recommend that format as the way to go. I love a mysterious creepy town with creepy people, but this was more sci-fi than I like usually. I loved Gould's previous release, The Dead and the Dark so I thought this one would be a slam dunk love for me. I did like the love interest, but would've liked more relationship building with the sisters.

Enjoyed this weird little book! The characters are well drawn and the town is creepy with a delicious sense of raising stakes.

This expose on grieving masquerades well as a science fiction story reminiscent of Stephen King's Desperation. However the writing wasn't at all King-like but definitely the author's own.

The main character, Beck, was endearing and believable and her aching loneliness can be felt.

I thought that I had a n inkling of what was going on and I was right - in a way - but getting to the climax was beautiful, fun, twisty and unputdownable.

I plan to check out more from this author.

"She's alone the way she's always alone. Alone surrounded by people, swirling in a toxic cocktail of her own thoughts."

First time reading this author and was not disappointed.
Great atmosphere, eerie is an understatement! While it is classified as YA, I think anyone who enjoys twisty books that are deep and have many levels will enjoy it.
Thankful for the ARC!

This YA novel was spooky and atmospheric. I enjoyed the character development and the sense of dread I got as I turned the pages. Will read more from this author!

I want to start my review by saying that I adore this author. Courtney Gould is extremely talented and her books play well with my brain by the way she writes. I read "The Dead and the Dark" last year so I was very excited to pick this one up. This book did a great job at creating an atmospheric experience that is incredibly haunting. Very fun read!

This one was a tough read in my opinion. The story was a bit odd and while the characters were interesting, the story itself was hard for me to get into. Even after finishing it, I still don’t really understand what exactly happened in Backravel. This isn’t a book I would recommend.

I really wanted to like this book since the previous book by this author was creepy, engaging, interesting and different. Well, I am sad to say that I did not really feel the same about Where Echoes Die. To be fair, the book was different- but more in the extreme I had no real idea what was going on and by the end when everything was wrapped up in a super unrealistic bow, I just don't think I cared anymore. There was some super great potential for creep here too, but it was lost in the pacing and randomness that didn't really fit. I am sure others will love this mystery mixed with a hint of supernatural and romance, but it was not for me. I will check out more from the author in the future though since I have enjoyed her previously.

A nice athmospheric read! The structure was a bit too complex for the actual material in the book, Really loved the worldbuilding and characters!

Book Review: Where Echoes Die by Courtney Gould

Where Echoes Die is a young adult science fiction novel about two sisters that visit the town that was the obsession of their mother in the years before her death.

Lying to their father about where they are going teenage sisters Beck and Riley decide to take their beat up car on a road trip across several states to visit Backravel, Arizona. Before their investigative reporter mother died she visited the town repeatedly over a decade chasing a story about its mysteries. But upon their arrival they find a tiny town with no hospital or cemetery and where none of the residents remember where they lived before coming to Backravel. Keeping both Riley and their father in the dark Beck uses her late mother’s notes to try to get to the bottom of what kept her coming back and trying to unearth its mysteries.

I was looking forward to reading the one but I struggled with Beck as a character. She is determined but lacked the savviness a person needs to investigate a story this size. She also gets majorly distracted by a pretty face which was really annoying and the romance didn’t help the storyline at all. I would have enjoyed it more if she was a little bolder and less naive because she doesn’t really do anything but bumble around and put herself at risk.

Overall Where Echoes Die was just an okay read for me. I personally enjoy a main character that is a little more exciting to read about and has a few tricks up her sleeve. The two sisters in this book were too passive and bland for me. But I enjoyed the overall concept and weirdness of this isolated desert town.

Three stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was requested when I first found out about NetGalley and I had requested so many ARCs that I could not get to all of them before they were archived. I really wanted to get to this one, as it seemed interesting. If I can find this somewhere for a reasonable price, I will try to get it! I am giving this book three stars, as I don't want to give it a good or bad rating, since I did not get to it and we have to leave a star rating.