I was honored to be sent an advanced copy of Where Echoes Die without having requested it, as I very much enjoyed Gould’s previous book, The Dead and the Dark. Unfortunately, I felt this one was a little underwhelming, in the sense that, while it had a strong sense of place, the plot and world building left a lot to be desired. One of my main issues being something I also found bothersome about The Dead and the Dark, the plot device of a character searching for answers, all while knowing the “mystery” could easily be solved by some just telling her what they know. I felt like the story didn’t make good use of its time, in some ways feeling like it dragged on, all while not feeling like we knew much about any of the really interesting stuff by the end. That said, I would still give the author another try, depending on the subject material, based on my enjoyment of her strong atmosphere and consistent, if not entirely my personal favorite, sapphic relationships. Thank you to Wednesday books for an advanced copy.

#NetGalleyarc I really enjoyed this book, it was very suspenseful and thrilling. It kept me hooked throughout the entire story and this would be a great October read.

Two sisters go looking to solve the mystery of what mystery their reporter mother was working on during her final years before dying of cancer. Creepy and wholly addictive. I couldn't put this one down.

I really wanted this to be better. This was so messy. Like, the concept was cool. The main character was fine, as were the side characters, even the setting was fine and well developed, but it was just cluttered, drawn out, and messy. It felt like it needed at least three more editing go-rounds.

Thank you, NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Beck is struggling since her mother, a brilliant and troubled investigative reporter, died. She can't stop thinking of happier days and things more normal. So when she got a letter in her mother's writing, telling her to come find her in a small town at the center of her last investigation, Beck and her sister Riley decided to investigate. But the town of Backravel, in Arizona, is definitely weird. There are no cars, or cemeteries or churches and it's a mix of dilapidated military buildings and shiny ones, overseen by a treatment center high on a pleateau. None seems to remember how they got there and the sisters start to understand something wrong is going on and that the town's enigmatic leader and his daughter, Avery may know more.
As they start to investigate, Beck and Avery are more and more drawn to each other, but more time it passes, more she risks to lose herself and the way out of the town.

From the same author of the magnificent The dead and the Dark, Where Echoes Die is a supernatural thriller and it's impossibile not to love. The author mixed fantasy, sci-fi, queer romance and contemporary in this investigation, setting everything in a creepy and isolated Arizona town where weird things happen. With complex characters, weighed down by their losses, creepy setting and weird things happening, Courtney Gould explores with care and sensitivity loss and grief, the deep desire of not letting go of the past and to remember the good and easier days and the struggle of moving on and saying goodbye to our loved ones.
Mixed with supernatural, the author talks about love and sisterhood, the bond between mother and daughter, first love, queer love, curiosity, investigation and so much more, leaving the reader captivated and uneasy until the very end of the book.
I felt deeply involved in this book, I found it magnificent, I felt moved and sad and hopeful and scared and I loved everything.

This one was hard to rate for me. I'm thinking 3.5 is where I'm most comfortable, though.

I loved Gould's last book, so I knew I had to read this one as soon as I could. This one was very complex, dark, and mysterious, much like the last. But this one didn't quite drag me in like the other.

It was well written and kept me on my toes, but I think it was missing more of the horror aspect. I saw another reviewer state that it was more sci-fi, and I would have to agree. It isn't quite what you are thinking you'll be reading.

I was definitely feeling an empty Arizona desert town with this one. The atmosphere felt very empty, dry, and sparce. Though maybe it would have been nice to have a little more storyline with a few more townspeople. But I understand what the author was trying to get at with not too many people being brought into the mix.

The MC's were well written, but at times, felt as dry as their surroundings... maybe it was meant to be that way, but I wanted to feel a little more from them. I felt like there was such a separation from the sisters, and sometimes, it felt like the other sister wasn't even there.

I did, however, like they storyline of the mother and the crazy outsider lady. I think the author did a great job on that and I would have maybe loved a little more of that.

It was still a good book, and I will always be open to see what comes from this author.

After reading The Dead and the Dark, I already knew Courtney Gould was a terrific writer and Where Echoes Die certainly did not disappoint. This novel is an eerie atmospheric tale with elements of science fiction and horror/thriller tendencies. I love a good queer novel that showcases representation done in a good way and Courtney Gould's novel certainly does that. The plot is gripping and the characters are fascinating and the mystery is absolutely enthralling. Five well-earned stars!

𝖂𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝕰𝖈𝖍𝖔𝖊𝖘 𝕯𝖎𝖊 is the second book by Courtney Gould that I've read. I wasn't sure if this was going to match the same quality or if it would be a let down. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I liked the plot of the story as well as the cover. I think Gould does a good job of establishing these characters with authentic backgrounds so the reader is invested in them very early on into the story. The setting reminded me of her previous book, but in a good way. It felt like a typical town that you could drive into anywhere in the world--relatable--and I liked that. I don't believe in spoilers, so I'll sum it up by saying that this is definitely worth reading. It's also a book I can see myself picking up again to read during spooky Fall season when the season matches better with the tone of the book.

This didn't quite grab me the way Gould's debut did, but it was solid and well-written. I liked Beck a lot as a protagonist, but thought the romance element was a little underdeveloped. A couple of the big plot twists/reveals were also very obvious far enough out that it felt unrealistic for her to not realize. That said, this was a really compelling meditation on loss/grief, while also being about one of my favorite things, which is a town that's Just Kinda Fucking Creepy.

It's a bit of a slow burn, but holds your interest as you follow sisters delving into their mother's past, which leads them to a very mysterious, secretive town and it's enigmatic leader. It's slow and atmospheric, so best read on a rainy day when you can enjoy the drawn out tension and search for answers.

Courtney Gould does very well writing Sapphic characters and giving those subtle hints at interest or flirting and I love that about her books. I do find them confusing, this is the second book I've read of hers and the first one I was confused even after the ending. This one panned out with a bit more explanation but I know the twists before they happened. All in all this was a quick, good read and I did enjoy it even with the confusion.

I thought this book was a compelling concept that did a good job of holding my attention even while handling difficult fantastic real concepts. However, I found some parts of it to be just a bit too confusing and not super deep.

I thought the familial relationships were the most well done, but I found the romance subplot to be very surface level and somewhat unnecessary.

That being said, I enjoyed reading the book and liked that it took a bit more of a horror spin than her last book

A sad story about grief and loss after a mother dies. This book was hard for me to get into and to keep reading.

I was a big fan of this author’s debut novel, so I couldn’t wait to read her sophomore release. And what a cover!

Sisters Beck and Avery are still grieving after their mother’s death. She was a talented journalist who’d developed an unhealthy obsession with the small town of Backravel, Arizona over the past few years to the point that everything else fell to the wayside – bills, family, her marriage. She also seemed to be confused about where she was at times. After she passes away, the girls tell their father they’re going on vacation with a friend for two weeks before moving in with him and his new family in Texas. In reality, they’re going to Backravel. Beck is determined to uncover the truth about the town and the note she receives in her mother’s handwriting.

No doubt about it, Backravel and its citizens are a little strange to say the least. Beck notices there are no cars, churches, cemeteries, or pets. What’s up with that? There’s a mysterious treatment center in town no one wants to talk about, but plenty of citizens have been treated. Some of these citizens are slipping in the same way Beck’s mother did. Something just isn’t quite right. After she becomes friends (and maybe a little more) with Avery, the town leader’s daughter, Beck begins to unravel the mystery. And soon wonders if she’s starting to lose herself like her mother did.

This is a slow burn story with a tangled web of secrets that I needed to uncover as much as Beck did. The author is skilled at creating an air of mystery, but I did get impatient at the amount of time it took to get answers. It’s a baffling twist that still stick with you after finishing the book.

I’d recommend this novel for readers who enjoy strong family bonds, first love, and perplexing mysteries that gradually unfold.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

How far would you go to get rid of your pain and grief?
Personally I’d go very far.


On goodreads it is marked thriller/horror/mystery/young adult. I started reading it blind thinking it was contemporary fiction and it was great. The book a bit too slow and melancholic for a thriller and horror elements are also more vague.

Sad girl summer (in this book it is more than just sad, main character is dealing with grief), Stephen King small town vibe, coming of age story and reflections on how far we can go to get rid of our pain and loss.

It is difficult to describe without giving away plot details and the plot is very interesting in this book. Loved the poetic writing as well and great characters, you can 100% relate to the main character and her struggles but also clearly see why other characters do what they do and it is a very big question whether you would do the same or not.

Courtney Gould never misses! This book is truly incredible. I was instantly hooked and along for the ride. The town’s characters were the right level of eerie and sus to keep me grounded in the secrets and intensity of their world, and the main plot with the sister’s was both heartbreaking and hopeful. Can’t wait to read more from this author!

Where Echoes Die follows Beck and Riley, two sisters whose mother has recently died from cancer. While she was alive their mother was a journalist who was obsessed with discovering the secrets of a mysterious town called Backravel, so Beck and Riley take a trip to Backravel to learn more about it. Everyone who lives in Backravel seems to have memory lapses, and none of them remember when they moved there. The town feels both brand new and ancient. There are no cemeteries. The town has a leader who provides unspecified “treatments” to everyone in town. Beck and Riley try to figure out what exactly is happening to the residents of Backravel and why their mother was so fixated on it.

I have such mixed feelings about this book that it’s a little overwhelming and confusing to talk about. First of all, it’s labeled as a horror, but it also feels like a sci-fi story. I think that because of that I don’t feel knowledgeable enough about the genre to properly review this. I don’t read enough sci-fi to fully understand it. I loved loved loved how threatening and spooky Backravel felt. Courtney Gould did such a great job at building up the tension paranoia a person should feel while reading a horror story. That was definitely my favorite part of the book.

My least favorite thing was that all of the horror/sci-fi elements and the explanations for everything weird that was happening in Backravel were all too vague for me. The last quarter or so of the book was MUCH too vague for me. I often hate when authors spoon feed explanations to their readers, but for this book I needed to be spoon fed! I liked the characters. I grew to care about all of them (even the annoying ones). The romance was fine. I wish Beck did a better job at communicating with Riley, but terrible communication between main characters is often necessary for stories like these to work lol.

I think this is all I’m able to say. I wish I could do a better job at talking about this but this is not my area. Even the fact that it was a YA book made threw me off a little. I’m not used to reading those either. But I hope my little summary was helpful.

3.75 stars

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an eARC via netgalley for an honest review.

This was a really interesting read. I thought it was leaning in a couple of different directions, but it ended up going in a way that had me surprised. I found the ending was really exciting and had me flipping the pages, but the rest of the book I found pretty slow. I struggled a bit with the writing style. It was very beautiful and lyrical, but it seemed to work against the slower pace because I had trouble focusing on the story.
I liked Beck’s character. She’s been struggling with the grief of losing her mother, and she gets wrapped up in trying to unravel the mysteries of Backravel. I thought Beck was interesting, and I could relate to her feeling lost and trying to find answers. I wish that her relationship with her sister had been a bigger part of the story, but I did like the few interactions they had. The pieces of losing time were interesting, and I liked watching Beck try to piece together what was strange and off about the town.
I thought Avery was an okay character, but I didn’t really buy her romance with Beck. I felt like I didn’t know anything about her even by the end, and the mysteries of the town left her an inconsistent character.
Overall this one had an intriguing premise, but I think there were some misses in the execution.

Where Echoes Die was a super creepy, quick read - I couldn’t put it down because I just had to know what was going on in the remote desert town of Backravel, AZ.

Beck and Riley’s mom recently died, and has left behind a mystery about a strange small town she became obsessed with. As a detour on their way to their new life in Texas with their dad, Beck convinces Riley they should spend two weeks in Backravel to try to figure out why it had such a hold on their mom. And to no surprise, they find a whole lot of creepiness there.

Gould does a fantastic job maintaining suspense throughout the book. The pace is consistent, with Beck’s investigation into the town uncovering key pieces frequently enough to avoid the plot dragging. Things do get a little confusing - if you’re hesitant about time related science fiction, this might be a little rough for you. For me, a Lost girlie through and through, I loved it! I also thought the way Gould explored the concept of grief was perfectly done; so many characters are grieving in this book, and she shows the many different ways that can present itself.

Overall, a great read if you’re in the mood for something a bit unsettling. Will definitely look for more work from this author!

Beck ‘s world fell apart when her mother died. Her mother was an investigate reporter. Beck finds it easier to drift back into memories of happier days. She receives a weird letter that says “Come and find me” in her mother’s handwriting. There is a return address with the town called Backravel, Arizona. She decides to go to hopefully find answers she needs to get her life moving on. As soon as Beck and Riley (sisters) arrive in Backravel they find the town to be weird. There are no cars, churches, cemeteries, pharmacies or hospitals. The residents don’t remember hen they got there. The The town has old military structures falling apart and new buildings. There is a luxurious treatment center towering over everything. None of the residents can recall when they got there. It seems the only people who know what’s really going on is the town’s mysterious leader and his daughter, Avery. How? Why? Beck has a connection with Avery that she doesn’t want. Will Beck be able to find the answers she seeds and not lose her memories of her mother?

I felt that the beginning of this novel was slow but it didn’t stop me from reading it. In fact I read this novel late every night. The writing by the author include themes around grief and loss, coping with pain, the power of memories, and family relationships. The town seems haunted to me. I enjoyed reading Beck’s determination to find answers. Mystery fans who like creepy atmospheres are sure to savor the slow unspooling of Backravel's dark truths.