Thank you NetGalley, for an audio-ARC of The Dark Place by Britney Lewis.
Dark and twisty with supernatural elements will make this book a great recommendation for teen readers. The idea of time travel as well as the creepy cover will appeal to young adults.

The Dark Place by Britney Lewis is a haunting and gripping story and the narration was perfect - definitely kept me hooked through the entire story.

I enjoyed this book as a magical realism/science fiction exploration of grief and family dynamics. One day, ten years ago, Hylee's older brother went missing after a break in at their family home. Hylee's family has all grieved his loss in different ways and even though Hylee has a lot of questions about that night, since she was only seven at the time, no one will talk about it.

Time travel was a very interesting way to explore these issues. I enjoyed listening to Hylee figure out what her "powers" were and I liked that, although she met a boy who helped her learn about herself, she was still the one who ultimately controlled her own destiny and saved the day.

Some things I didn't like were that this book was categorized as horror on the platform where I accessed it. It definitely had a few creepy moments, but I wouldn't call it horror by any means. Also, how the "dark place" exists, which isn't something the experienced time travelers have ever encountered, is never explained.

Overall, I thought this was a very good book addressing common yet difficult topics about family relationships. I really enjoyed the writing style and the narrator who read the audiobook.

First off I want to say I WILL READ ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING BY BRITNEY LEWIS! Not only is she from Kansas City and writes about those cities (I am originally from Kansas so I am biased), but her words are so descriptive. I feel like I am right there with her in the story and it very well could be because I am familiar with all the places she talks about.

I fell in love with her writing in her first book and her second novel The Dark Place did not disappoint. I loved the concept of time travel mixed in with a little horror and of course a main character who is willing to do anything for her brother's love, with a dash of starcrossed romance. The storyline keeps you engaged and wanting to know what the end result will be in this novel.

This book is must read not only for its storyline, but for the descriptive text that will make you fall in love with her writing. Plus if you are from KCK or KCMO this book should be a must-read for you.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced audio copy of The Dark Place by Britney S. Lewis. All reviews/opinions are my own.

The Dark Place stands out because it combines contemporary storytelling with science fiction in a unexpected way, while also taking the reader on an emotionally charged journey that deals with complex topics such as grief and family dynamics.

The Dark Place follows Hylee, a 17 year old girl who has the ability to disappear, the downside is she can’t control when it happens and when she vanishes from our world she comes to in a dark, twisted version of the night that changed her life forever: the night her older went missing. Hylee has a feeling that the key to unlocking the mystery surrounding her brother’s disappearance lies within that dark moment she keeps disappearing to. In an effort to feel normal, she attends a party with her best friend, there she meets a boy named Eilam, who she feels an unexplainable pull toward. Classic boy meets girl, until she disappears right in front of him. Together, Hylee and Eilam look for the truth about time, space, and reality. Over time, Hylee becomes more convinced her time travel ability holds the key to saving her brother. But the more they learn, the more the darkness begins to bleed into Hylee’s reality and soon she feels it may even be lurking within herself.

First, I want to express that the audiobook production was perfect; the narrator did a great job.

Okay, this story made me feel lots of things so let’s talk about the good stuff first. I really enjoyed the first half of this book. The atmosphere was really well written and the character development was on the right track. It definitely gave me the creeps in the beginning of the story and I think a lot of that was accomplished by well written descriptors and through the mystery that was unfolding little by little during Hylee’s time travel episodes. It left a lot up to the imagination—maybe too much so if I’m honest with you. On that note, let’s get into the nitty gritty of the not so good.

This story had SO MUCH potential. There were so many different wild ideas I had about what was going on with Hylee because it felt like it was written to lead you to understand this was going to be a truly deep story with many layers of symbolism and self discovery for the character. But it did not deliver that. In fact, I felt blindsided by the end because the story ended up being very straightforward—it seems silly to think that a book would be directing you to NOT read into anything. Without getting directly spoilery, I can’t name specifics but just know I was disappointed and at the end I just thought “That’s it? Really?”

There were several plot points that didn’t really seem to matter in the end in addition the main story component completely copying (& even referencing) Marvel’s timeline/multiverse theories. I’m pretty sure it was the same wording used and everything. And that feels lazy to me. If there is one thing I could stress to authors, it would be to PLEASE STOP RELYING ON POP CULTURE REFERENCES in your own works. It’s not necessary and it takes me out of a story. Characters and worlds can be relatable without that! (Yes, even contemporary ones!)

I also can’t stand the adults in this book. Hylee’s grandmother frustrated me to no end. The information she sat on AND FOR WHAT??? The initial reasoning is understandable, but not to the extent to which she conceals things from Hylee. Who knows if Hylee ever would have gotten answers if she hadn’t taken it into her own hands. Also, Hylee’s parents are awful in the present toward her. The only adults in this book I liked were Eilam’s mother and his grandpa.

The Dark Place also did not make sense even after the disappearance ability is explained. You don’t get an answer as to why The Dark Place people look the way they do or why the environment is like that either. An attempt was made to explain this but it didn’t make sense.

I’ll close this out by saying this isn’t the first novel to trick me into reading it by marketing itself as paranormal only to find out it’s science fiction in the end. There was absolutely zero paranormal or horror elements in this book. It was all science fiction.

I don’t recommend this book, but should you choose to read it anyway, it’s available now!
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (2.5)

Can we get someone to stop calling her books horror? Don’t get me wrong, I really loved the last one, but for it to be about zombies, they were hardly in the story. It was just a bunch of descriptions about them having “dripping skin.” I thought since people were so adamant about it not being classified as horror that this one would be different. Alas, this one was magical realism and time travel so some sci fi. Because of that horror label I was left hella disappointed.

So this one was about a girl who just randomly disappears one day. I was already side eyeing it right then, but I still kept going. Since I had the audio I didn’t mind keeping going. When she re-materializes, she in the night that changed her forever…. When her brother is taken from her. But when she finally gets to where her bother is, it’s nothing like she thought. Now another thing y’all might know about me… I don’t like when the synopsis says everything that happens in the book. And that’s exactly what happens here. I don’t really know what the point of the rest of the book is for if you’re going to tell all of it on the back. I mean yeah, there’s some more depth to the books, but this is basically the over all thing and because of it it got boring.

I also don’t like the fact that this is called horror. There’s horror elements (like the trees growing through her brother and the ghosts) but there’s nothing scary in this entire book. And yes I know I’m an adult talking about a teen book, but I’m also a teen librarian who’s going to have to answer questions about this book; the first being “So what’s scary about it?” I’m so glad I rfead this because the synopsis doesn’t talk about that at all. Why? Because it literally doesn’t show up until the ending. By the time it got to it, it was the literal ending.

I also liked the romance. Time travel romances always trip me out because I get worried there’s an age gap, but they’re both from the same time frame and they’re about the same age. There’s nothing outrageous and for that I was thankful. The love interest was the person who helped her along the way to get to know more about the time travel and to solve the mystery of what happened with her brother. But, it basically overpowers the story. Basically I would call this like a romanticized horror book. (Is that a things???)

The reason I didn’t DNF this, was because I still did like her writing style. I love her writing, but I hate that y’all keep giving her buzz words to add to her books. Like it’s puling in the wrong crowd? Because us horror readers are fed up. I think if this had been called sci fi and/or fantasy, I would have liked it more. But because it was called horror, I kept looking for it to be scary.

I also didn’t DNF this because I was a super fan of the narrator. I’ve listened to a lot of books that were narrated by her, and I fell in love. All of them have been good. Her voices were good, and none of them sounded the same. Even the guy in it was different, so that was cool. Do I like books that have a full cast? Yes. Am I more impressed when it’s all done by one person tho? Also yes. Amd this one was one of those books that I was really impressed by.

This book was interesting and could have been so good, but they are really doing her a disservice. Even her covers give horror vibes, but the horror aspect in her books are always so small. In order for me to sing it’s praises, I think she needs a bit more time to nail down some things in the genre a bit more. I really think had this been pitched as something else, I would have given this 5 stars.

Time travel is a difficult theme to write about, and Lewis does so masterfully. Additionally, this novel explores timely themes like race and socioeconomics. Lewis intertwines these themes to create a novel that is intriguing and would interest young adult readers. At first, it was difficult to follow this audiobook, because as a reader I was not sure that the "disappearing" was actual or metaphorical. But once the reader understands that the main character really does time travel, and thus does disappear, the plot unfolded and culminated in an ending that causes the reader to want a sequel! I like the gothic nature of the alternate timeline, but would have liked to have this be more prominent in the novel.

This was a good quick read for teens. I enjoyed the friendship between Hylee and Eilam. I liked the presence of teens dealing with poverty and the extent parents go through to provide-we don't see enough poor teens in YA fiction.

The time travel took a back seat to everything else and although I think it was simple enough for teens to digest, I do think more development was warranted. There was also some underdeveloped friendships like the new friend and the old friend and her parents.

This book!!

This haunting book will leave you heartbroken but also make you smile. Hylee is such well developed character you can’t help but feel with her what she’s feeling. From her disappearances to her broken family dynamic to lost family and friends to new family and new friends you will experience it all with her.

I also love Eilam’s character and that he came into her life when he did.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

One night Hylee disappears. She ends up in a whacked out version of this world, which she calls The Dark Place, on the worst night of her life, the night her brother disappeared. Her parents don't know how to handle Hylee's disappearance, so she's shipped off to live with her cranky grandmother. Trying to get her life back on track, she goes to a party where she meets Eilam who's not only good looking, but may have more in common with Hylee than she ever thought possible.

I think this book is mis-marketed. It's #1 genre is horror, but I think this definitely fits more in the sci-fi category. Either way, both these genres are a hard sell for me in YA. However, Lewis crafts an completely realistic and relatable character in Hylee, and you really want all the things to work out for her. I loved this book, and found myself tearing up at some of that later scenes that were just so real and raw.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. I really enjoyed Shayna Small's narration as she really brought Hylee to life. Definitely recommended.

Thank you to Disney Audiobooks for this audiobook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really enjoyable read. I really liked how Britney made genres blend so seamlessly - from the horrific imagery to what haunts Hylee in her past to the sci-fi and fantasy aspects of the multiverse and having the power to time travel.

Hylee and Eilam were wonderful characters. I enjoyed following Hylee's story as she faced the emotional fallout of her own unknown abilities that emerged during a traumatic event of the disappearance of her brother. Her powers keep pulling her back to experience that day. Her family shuts her out and won't talk to her about it, so she can understand, move forward, and maybe find some kind of closure. Hylee's chemistry with Eilam was really sweet to watch blossom.

The plot was really interesting and gave suspenseful twists that keep you hooked in. The tone was mysterious and dark as you try to figure out what's happening. The environment was written well that makes the story come alive.

I really enjoyed this book. Not my usual pick but I think my teen students would enjoy. I all loved the narrator for this book. Highly s journey/ story was crazy.

4/5 rating because I wanted more from the ending and a little more spook

Audiobook review - Britney Lewis creates a unique and gripping story with The Dark Place. I really enjoyed this story and thought the narration was spot on! Recommended for all YA collections.

Really enjoyed both this story and the audiobook narration. The narrator did a wonderful job of stepping into different roles and adding tones of mystery to the narration. Recommend both to readers of mysteries and light science fiction.

I might not have been the right audience for this book, but it was a solid listen! I enjoyed Elim's character the most, but the main action comes in the last 10% of the story, which felt a bit off.

A solid sophomore story from Lewis. Not quite as unique as her debut, and a few elements felt a little similar, but still a noteworthy sci-fi horror - which isn't a common combo. I enjoyed this take on time travel - and the end of the book had me screaming! (in a good way).

The narrator was great and the audiobook was produced well.

3.5 stars rounded up.
This time-traveling story had a nice dash of creepiness! I also thought the love story aspect of the book was well done. Sometimes YA love stories make me roll my eyes, but this one was nice. Hylee was a well developed character. I would totally read a prequel about Eilam's story too. The ending was a good mix of sad and happy and overall I enjoyed this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Disney Audiobooks for this advance listening copy to review