I was 100% sucked into Your Lonely Nights Are Over. A long dormant serial killer has come back soon after a show features the cold case…and members of the high school queer club seem to be targeted.

This book is advertised as “Scream meets Clueless” and that feels very accurate. There was humor and camp, witty banter and inner thoughts, and just enough romance to round it all out. The murders start very early—first chapter!—and the action just keeps on going.

The best part of this book was the friendship between Dearie and Cole. I seriously loved them, definitely friendship goals (hashtag that).

I enjoyed the final reveal of the murderer, and the twists that got us there. I got very invested in all the characters and was obsessed with this book. I wish I could revisit these characters in another book.

Thank you to Viking Books for the review copy.

Your Lonely Night are Over is nothing short of FIERCE. Even the title which encompasses fear and resilience at the same time, this novel sets a precedent for queer joy that is unmatched. It tests boundaries that I as a baby, confused queer have yet to press or begin to understand. This novel, despite its setting during the end of the two best friend's senior year, reads mature but is filled with the youth of longing, love, and loneliness. Through themes of prejudice and judgement within the queer community itself and the "rules" that have ruled over the community since straight people realized they could "other" us via slurs and colorful vocabulary. This book in itself, all wrapped up in a gorgeous rainbow bow, is the true meaning of PRIDE.

We follow Cole and Dearie, two very gay boys struggling to exist outside of their couple-ship. High school rumors and bullying is abound, but creeping into their bright futures is blood and carnage in their wake as an old serial killer comes to their home town and starts taking out their old and new friends, one by one.

YLNO ( for short ), kept me guessing until the twisted, emotional, bittersweet end. The story was so full of character that I was immediately swept off my feet within moments of picking it up, and reminded me that I seriously need to finish my first read of Surrender Your Sons.

I give this five stars knowing that as an ARC it has its faults, but will see the light of day in all its glory, a masterpiece. Today, we need more pride than ever. We need each other. We need love.

In this story we face things such as emotional manipulation and abusive relationships and the sort of love that isn't right, healthy, or love at all. We experience systemic racism and how easily complicity can break a bond and ruin the lives of people around you, how easy it is to point fingers and not care about another's life.

One of the best aspects of YLNO was the relationship between Dearie and Cole. I don't want to go into it, because it's more than just complicated and integral to the story, but it's unexplainable. It's a feeling. It's a whole. You need to experience it for yourself.

I just finished crying quite a bit after I finished, so my brain is a bit scrambled. I wasn't sure how I would feel after finishing, but now I know.

I adore this book, and it needs to be read by everyone. I think we, as queers, as a community, as people, need it.

Dearie and Cole have been inseparable best friends since the first day they met. Are they the most likeable teens at Stone Grove High School? No. But when they have each other, it doesn't matter. It's them against world. At least, until a notorious serial killer, Mr. Sandman, starts attacking queer kids at their school. And all of the evidence points to it being either Dearie or Cole behind the killings.

Now, the two have to team up in order to clear their names. But will they be able to unmask the killer in time? Or will their friendship survive the dark secrets bound to come out during the investigation? Only time will tell. Otherwise, their lonely nights must just be over.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for an advanced copy of Your Lonely Nights Are Over by Adam Sass! YA horror seems to be really taking off in the last couple of years, especially this year. I've read quite a few, and this one will definitely be a great fit for true crime fans. Clues to follow, focusing on a serial killer who comes back like 20 years later. Sass introduces a lot of twists and turns that will definitely keep you guessing unti lthe very end.

This book is formatted like watching a true crime documentary on TV, separated into sections kind of like episodes. In the book, there is a fake, documentary-style show that a lot of the characters are watching about the serial killer, Mr. Sandman. The parallels between the past and the present made reading the book an entertaining experience; the two different sort of plot lines work together to help create the mystery, as you are watching it unfold.

From the beginning, you know that Dearie and Cole aren't the most likeable characters. They kind of think they're above all of the high school drama, in that teen movie drama sort of way. Even if they weren't likeable, they were still complex, interesting characters, different from what you see in a lot of YA books. And there's a great side cast of characters as well.

My only real complaint is that the book itself felt a little longer than it needed to be. But other than that, this is absolutely an entertaining take on horror that teens will devour when it comes out in September.

One of the most highly-anticipated YA horror novels of the year, “Your Lonely Nights Are Over” starts with a description of instructions about a killer named Mr. Sandman. One day, without warning, the killings ended. Fifty years later, the killer has not been identified. What then looks like the prompt of a podcast or a television show encourages people to watch vnow to see what everyone is talking about and to find out where this killer went, why he stopped, and if he is still alive and will strike again. Chapter One begins with a character who tells us they’re likely the only person at their school who isn’t obsessed with the Sandman show but can’t escape it. Like a phenomenon that has taken over, everyone from the students to eachers to janitors, even, has seen the show and is obsessed with it. The protagonist tells us his best friend, Cole, is also super invested in this serial killer show. The slayings, we’re told, happened in San Diego, CA and the people in this school are in a city in Arizona, “a rusty, dusty canyon town of twenty thousand” called Stone Grove. They have a Queer Club, which is awesome, and the protagonist looks forward to meeting about texting drama during their free period. The protagonist and Cole often have to shut down rumours that they are involved with anonymous texts related to the killer that have been going around. With the revelation of the tie-in to the book’s title, it turns out that these text messages from anonymous numbers to 2 members of the Queer Club say: “Your lonely nights will soon be over.” The reason this is a tie-in to the Sandman killer is because victims saw this message 24-hours the day before they were killed. On the bodies, he would then leave a note that said they lonely nights were then over.

The tone that begins this novel is very engaging and instantly gives readers a compelling situation to follow along to, and ends with a death, up front and center, in the Queer Club. There’s also a reality tv-esque addictive quality that the characters are immersed in as the narrative continues. With the story moving forward, things get more dangerous for the protagonist and Cole, and it becomes a game of who is going to survive until the end?

Mysterious elements build more and more and escalate as the story continues. With alternating viewpoints that push the story to its climax, the novel comes to an explosive crescendo before it cools down. Highly recommended for fans of other supernatural YA novels.

From the very first chapter, you are launched into a dark, queer, campy YA slasher at full speed, and you’d better buckle up for this wild ride of a novel.

Cole and Dearie, best friends since childhood, enter their senior year of high school with two goals—ignore the Flops (those in the school’s Queer Club that actively rooted for their downfall), and get to New York to live their lives as the iconic screenwriter/actor combo they were meant to be. But when Mr. Sandman, a terrifying serial killer in the ‘80s and focus of the newest true crime docuseries, makes a surprise return, everyone becomes a suspect and no one is safe. When evidence mysteriously appears, pinning the blame on Cole and Dearie for Mr. Sandman’s first two victims, who happen to be Flops, they must race against the clock to prove their innocence and avoid the queer-focused resurgence of Mr. Sandman.

As a fan of Sass’s work, the bar was set high, and YOUR LONELY NIGHTS ARE OVER defied all expectations, going above and beyond. The dialogue was full of wit, dark humor, and overflowing with queer references that I found incredibly refreshing. My heart pounded as I read through every terrifying attack, and I, too, feared the wrath of Mr. Sandman. I’ve never seen the Scream franchise (I know, don’t yell at me), but even I got major Scream vibes from this thrilling novel. I haven’t stopped thinking about this story since I finished reading and cannot recommend enough that you get yourself a copy once it hits store shelves.

This was a fun Queer slasher from the start! Dearie and Cole, best friends and thick as thieves, have had rumors going around about them bullying members of their school club. To nip it in the bud they show up to their Queer club at school only to find one member there. When one member of the club is found dead in the hallway and another member nearly on the way, the evidence is directed right at Cole and Dearie.

This book's pacing was fast at the start and then steady for the rest of the book. It definitely has Scream vibes which makes it so much more fun! I would also say that it gives a little bit of Mean Girls just due to it being in a high school setting and teenagers can be petty and mean to one another. I enjoyed the friendship of Dearie and Cole immensely and thought the writing of the other sides characters were done very well. There was a decent amount of twists and turns trying to figure out who the actual killer was. Overall, this was a good read that kept my attention the entire time!

Thank you to Penguin, NetGalley, and Adam Sass for the young adult horror Your Lonely Nights Are Over. Teen BFFs Cole and Dearie and the other members of their Queer Club are being targeted by a serial killer from the past and his new apprentice. Who will survive until graduation and will they ever be the same? This book did a fine job of addressing issues of how race, sex and gender all make a difference in a matter of being suspected of a crime but the author was able to work it in in such a way that he didn’t try to offend anyone. This was a very enjoyable read and I hope to read more from this author.

I jump at most horror on offer at NetGalley, tbh, because it's my favorite genre. I'm not too picky when it comes to sub-genres within horror (though I have my favorites of course), but I will always be a sucker for a fun slasher - and that is exactly what Adam Sass has given us. This is Scream Queens if the Chanels were gay boys and still in high school. Like, this is exactly that. It's VERY Ryan Murphy and this will absolutely be made into a fun teen horror comedy film one day, I am calling it, and I will be shocked -SHOCKED- if Mr. Murphy isn't involved.

It is catty, witty, biting, satirical, sad, and somehow heart-warming. Sass really excels at writing some very fun dialogue and there are a lot of fun jabs and creative insults, because our main characters? They are the mean boys. 100%. This Chaneloween-every-day situation puts them squarely in the FBIs sights as the prime suspects as a new/old slasher starts targeting their high school's LGBTQA+ group.

The slasher is a Son-of-Sam type who was last active decades ago, and has everyone, including the reader, wondering whether this is the return of the original or just an inspired copy-cat... because, just like in real life, there has of course just been a big docu-drama featuring the novel's mysterious killer. Each section (the book is organizing into chapters and sections) starts with a quote from the in-universe show, which is a fun addition given how many characters bring it up, giving the reader the chance to see what has everyone so obsessive. And in a world where some true crime story blows up every month, it all felt surprisingly real.

Overall, I had a GREAT time reading this. It's very much a present-day story but it has such nostalgic vibes to it that it felt very much like I was a teenager again while reading it. It's fun and it's bloody, and Sass smartly gives his mains the opportunity to grow and evolve, and become better people (or at least consider it, hah). That growth allows for the novel's final line to really hit its emotional mark, and perhaps makes it best closing line in any piece of literature, ever.

Can't wait for the Netflix adaptation!

a fun and funny thriller that i really enjoyed

thank you to netgalley and to the publisher for this review copy.

This book did so much right. It was a downright slasher. It had awesome twists. It really did talk about gay loneliness and the way very specific things affect our community.

This is the queer YA slasher of my DREAMS! The love and fundamental understanding of the genre flows in the pages. It has fun with the tropes while subverting them. The characters are so unabashedly queer and complex and messy, I loved them.

It's a beautiful blend of Mean Girls and Clueless and Scream and has a bit of David Lynch peppered in. It wears its influences proudly but it's also distinctly its own thing.

I love Adam's books but this one especially would've been something special for a younger version of me out there.

I'm not usually a slasher fan but this book reeled me in! The sarcastic and witty gay banter sent me giggling staying up past my bedtime before work. It kept me on my toes and I am so glad I requested this.
Adam wrote the bff well that you don't see very common in contemporary books when there's eventually a love interest the book usually zooms in on the new boo than the friendship.
Very scary but somehow ended up very funny along the way.

Your Lonely Nights Are Over is a book that took me by complete and utter surprise.

I went into reading this book almost entirely blind about the plot, and with that always comes some uncertainty.

I think it's fair to say that my uncertainty about Your Lonely Nights Are Over was definitely misplaced.

Your Lonely Nights Are Over is reminiscent of teen slasher movies, with a perfected queer twist.

There were so many ups and downs and turns, I may have well been riding a rollercoaster and not reading a book.

I wasn't expecting to love this book as much as I do, but clearly, I was very wrong because this has rocketed up to one of my favourite reads in 2023.

Rife with drama, blood, queer identities, laughter, goosebumps and slasher core, Your Lonely Nights Are Over is a book that you definitely don't want to miss out on reading.

Thank you to NetGalley, Adam Sass and the publishers for granting me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

5/5 stars! 🌟

Your Lonely Nights Are Over by Adam Sass was just what the doctor ordered. This book gave me all the vibes and spooks. I loved every single page of this book and I wanted more.

This book was a ton of fun, especially as a queer slasher fan. It follows our final boys, Cole and Dearie, as a mysterious serial killer stalks their high school's queer club. To make matters worse, Cole is quickly becoming the number one suspect in the case.

This book clips along at a fast pace, but that's fitting for its role as a YA horror/thriller/comedy. The writing is cinematic, and there were so many times I could completely picture the scene in my mind's eye. It doesn't shy away from some of the bloodier aspects of its plot, and the ending is suitably melodramatic. Admittedly, like many slashers, you're able to guess the killer far in advance - but I didn't feel that limited my enjoyment at all! If anything, it makes this book feel even more like a love letter to the genre.

This book weaves together narratives on racism (perpetuated by cops in some instances), abuse, trauma, intersectionality, and gaslighting. It also takes a look at the queer community, spotlighting both the resilience of the community when banded together and the harm that we can enact upon one another (particularly at the intersections of queer identity and race/class).

Overall, this read was 4/5 stars for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers for the chance to read and review this book. I had a great time reading this, and I definitely plan to check out more by Adam Sass!

Thanks for the opportunity to read and review this book! My review will appear on episode 20 of the podcast which will drop on Monday, August 7. The review will be posted to Goodreads and Storygraph on that date and will also appear on my website (link attached to this review). I will also promote on Instagram.

Review:
I am a child of the 80s and I was raised on cheesy slasher movies. I loved them. Couldn’t get enough! All I needed was a group of dumb teens and a sicko psycho stalking them and I was happy. I didn’t care how stupid the storyline was, or how terrible the acting, I just need a little tension and some good chase scenes and I was happy.

In the early 90s there was a lull in the slasher genre, but then Scream came along and reignited it and my slasher-loving heart was so happy. Needless to say, when I read the synopsis of this book, I knew I had to read it. I mean, hello! Clueless meets Scream? Immediately sold. I’m happy to say I wasn’t disappointed. This is the type of book I wish I’d had when I was in high school!

The book alternates between the first-person points of view of Cole Cardoso and Frankie Dearie, gay BFFs and seniors at an Arizona high school where nothing much ever happens. Both can’t wait to graduate and move to California where they plan to break into film - Cole writing and directing and Frankie (who goes by Dearie) starring. They’ll just need to survive their senior year of high school first, and their senior year is worse than most. Cole and Dearie have always kind of gone against the grain - not conforming to a certain set of standards set forth by the school’s Queer Club and their bitchy leader, Grover, who seems to have an especially strong hatred of Cole - maybe because Grover wants to date Dearie and he’s jealous of Cole and Dearie’s close friendship.

But Grover is the least of their problems. When Grover and another girl are viciously attacked, and one of them ends up dead, it doesn’t take them long to realize that a serial killer from the 70s who was never caught may be killing again - or maybe they have a copycat. To make matters worse, whoever is stalking the teens in Queer club is doing everything they can to pin the murders on Cole and Dearie. The teens now have to not only clear their names but also do their best to help their fellow students survive the Sandman. Dearie’s mom and the FBI are on the case, but Cole has a penchant for true crime, so he, Dearie and the rest of the Queer Club start their own investigation, which ends up putting them in even more danger.

The book clips along at a nice pace and is a heck of a lot of fun to read. I adored Cole and Dearie - I liked that they were comfortable with who they were and unapologetically sassy, while still being kind and empathetic. They were less Regina George and more Cher Horowitz, which I loved.

Being that I am basically a slasher movie pro, I had the identity of the killer pinned down pretty early on, but that didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the book at all. If you are a slasher fan (especially if you liked “Scream”) I would highly recommend this one. I gave it four stars.

Adam has crafted a perfect horror/thriller/comedy packed with tension, unique characters, and an excellent commentary on queerness and how queer people can some times be our own enemy. and it’s all wrapped up in a voice that would make kevin williamson proud and ryan murphy jealous.

avoid all spoilers going in because this mystery is best experienced as it unfolds naturally. it has layered mythology, a creepy killer, and enough red herrings to keep you guessing until the end.

i LOVED our final boys, Dearie and Cole. they’re witty, loving, and unafraid of being themselves. i loved the physicality of their friendship and how they always knew what they were and never had to explain themselves. they bounced off each other really well and could deliver a killer punchline in the midst of all the chaos.

my favorite thing about the book, outside of all the thrills and laughs, was the commentary on the internal fighting that can happen in the queer community over how we express ourselves and how it ultimately hurts everyone in the end.

this book was an INCREDIBLE time and i can’t wait for everyone to read it so we talk everything with spoilers.

There is nothing that I’ve desired more in literature than a queer slasher - and Sass delivered that with this incredible work of art.

This book managed to be a page-turner while simultaneously making you care about/suspect each intricately written character.

The suspense within these pages kept me reeled in the entire time. Sass’ ability to pen a story that read like a movie is beyond impressive.

This is the type of story that has been missing from the shelves. I will forever have Dearie & Cole in the back of my mind as some of my favorite characters I’ve ever read.

If I had to compare this masterpiece to anything, it would be ‘Scream’ meets ‘Geography Club’.

If you like slashers - you’ll LOVE this.

I could tell from the first chapter that I was going to love All Your Lonely Nights are Over by Adam Sass, and it totally lived up to my expectations. This is the kind of book that leaves you craving more – a definite book-hangover kind of a book, in the very best way.

The plot follows two queer friends, Cole and Dearie. They’re ostracized by their school’s Queer Club for being too promiscuous – going on dates with boys from other schools – and are labeled bullies for calling out their fellow students. When a tv series on a local, never-caught serial killer, Mr. Sandman, starts airing, the killer reemerges and begins targeting members of the Queer Club. Cole and Dearie are accused of being behind these new attacks and must find out who the real killer is and clear their names before they become the next targets.

Like the best slasher films, you might be able to guess who did it. I certainly had a good idea from early on. But it doesn’t make finding out how everything will play out any less satisfying. I honestly felt like the resolution couldn’t have been better.

I really appreciated how the book also tackled issues around racism and gender, as well as having a focus on the pressure to conform to heteronormative relationships and puritanical values in the queer community. This last focus, developed through the other characters’ judgement of how Cole and Dearie date different guys as well as their close relationship with each other, was particularly well done and it’s something I’ve rarely seen addressed in fiction – particularly in YA.

This book might address these issues that sometimes divide our community, but it’s equally a celebration of queer love in many different forms, and ultimately a celebration of community. I think the nuanced friendship between Cole and Dearie was particularly well done.

Overall, I honestly couldn’t have loved this book more. If you’re into teen slashers, horror, and queer kids kicking ass, maybe this one’s for you too! Thanks so much to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC!
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TW: violence, depictions of racism, homophobia, slut-shaming, and an abusive relationship.

Thank you Netgalley and PenguinTeen for the ARC!

I couldn't put this book down. It was very much a who done it thriller. Makes you think of Scream except there are two! You should definitely read this if your into suspense and love to keep guessing who the killer is. The fact this also delt with the lgbtq community is chiefs kiss!

The humor was on point and the over all drama was perfect for me. This also made me think of more adult like Scooby-Doo without the dog as they tried to put clues together as they work on figuring out who's behind the mask.

I honestly could read this book again and again I just enjoyed it so much.