Streetlight is a tiny town - filled with reminiscent small town activities like the drive in and the carnival. Kady lives there as a Have-Not but her devoted Have-Lot boyfriend Nik makes her life brighter. Nik is a member of the IV Boys, an exclusive social club/gang. When Nik leaves for college, Kady's friend Aaron is there to fill in, but Kady finds herself missing Nik and reliving their times together through a time-travel magical candy.

It's not until the end that the book twists and turns and really blows your mind. When Kady finds out what the candies are, she needs to make a choice. What would you do?

.#penguin #YA #streetlightpeople #charlenethomas

Streetlight People by Charlene Thomas is a poignant exploration of human connection and resilience. Thomas’ evocative storytelling and rich character portrayals create a compelling narrative that resonates emotionally, though its pacing may vary for some readers.

In the small town of Streetlight, Kady feels out of place among the wealthy elite known as The IV Boys, especially as her boyfriend Nik belongs to their exclusive group. When she gains the power to manipulate time to keep Nik by her side, she uncovers dark secrets about herself and the town that challenge everything she thought she knew.

Unfortunately, this one was not for me. I really wanted to like it, and I love magical realism, but I found the candy time travel to be confusing rather than exciting or mysterious. I didn’t really care about Kady and her boyfriend, and I was more invested in her friendships.

I do think it felt like the candy could be a metaphor for drugs or addiction, but it just didn’t hit like I wanted it to. That said, I thought the writing was strong and the side characters were great.

*I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, all thoughts are my own.*

The comparisons to Twin Peaks and Black Mirror here are apt, but I think Charlene Thomas has crafted something truly unique here. Horro and heart in equal measure, Streetlight People was thrilling, poetic, insightful and insidiously unsettling. I had a lot of fun reading this one!

My Thoughts

The town is called Steetlight, and it has a vibe that those born and raised there consider to be normal.

However, the truth about this town is that it is anything but normal and as the reader finds out neither are the people who inhabit it.

The magic alluded to in the description provided is one that is both addictive and corruptive to its users.

After all who wouldn’t want the power to change time in the way they want it to serve their best interests.

What is truth gets outed as lies and when Kady herself becomes caught up in what was exclusive to the boys who rule Iverson she also runs the risk of becoming worse than they are at abusing the power she was never supposed to have.

The twists are well laid out and the final scenes give pause for thought while the ending chapter explains even more of how Streetlight was chosen to play a game that no one really wins at.

Different take on the use of time travel and so many characters whose private school of the privileged wealthy are the towns elite compared to the public school characters in a very unfavorable light.

A YA tale some will love and some will hate by the time its last page is turned.
[EArc from Netgalley]
On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

This is a mystery YA book that takes place in a town called Streetlight. It follows Kady and two boys, Aaron and Nik. Nik is her boyfriend but there's a weird rumor going around by a leader in the boys group that she kissed Aaron. The boys are part of this exclusive IV(I can't take this name seriously I keep thinking of an IV drip in the hospital) club. There's also candies they have access to that allow them to go back in time, but there's rules to follow with it. This was a confusing book at the start but I liked unraveling it and understanding what happened in the past that Kady had forgot.

Streetlight People was such an excellent read! I enjoyed it from the beginning and was sad to see it end.
I was immersed in the story that Thomas created due to excellent character development, world-building, and plot progression. I was truly fond of the writing style. Descriptive enough but not overboard like many authors tend to be. The concept of the "magic candies" was mostly unique and I appreciated the spin taken on time travel. Everything flowed at a steady pace yet still created ample imagery. I loved our characters, down to their idiosyncrasies and flaws. I was glad to see the inclusiveness and diversity in our characters, their backgrounds, preferences, etc. The world-building was superb, giving Streetlight such a familiar yet eery vibe. You almost found yourself wondering if this was a fantasy but relished in the fact that it was not. The story flowed at such a consistent pace that it was hard to put down. There are still a few questions that were not answered for me, a few things that didn't quite add up that I couldn't make complete sense of. I will be honest, I am still unsure exactly what happened at the very end and am anxious for this to be released so I can talk to someone about it and get their thoughts! My only critique would be the gaps but since that could be entirely on me, I still think this book deserves a solid 4.5 stars! Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to read this beautiful book!

The concept of being able to travel back in time with the help of a little candy is fascinating and fun. The way Kady got it (on a Halloween night at a carnival at a booth apart from the main festivities) gave me a bit of "Something Wicked This Way Comes" vibes. The way it was described by the old man and the limitations of the time travel were a tad confusing as internal logic often is and it took me out of the flow for a moment. Kady's enthrall with her boyfriend Nik who is off at college while she is still in high school, is very relatable for a lot of young people. Of course she's not thinking about bigger issues, about the future, etc. She is a girl in love with her guy and that's all she thinks about. Songs have been written about this forever and no surprise, they are always popular among teens. I'm sure this book will be popular among them too.

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc to review.

This book will mess with your mind in the best possible way. I was fortunate to get my hands on an early copy, but now I'm struggling to wait until NOVEMBER to discuss it with everyone else!

I adored the cozy fall vibes with an underlying creepiness. The small-town nostalgia is so VIVID here—the local carnival, the traditions, the drive-in theater, and the close-knit community where everyone knows everyone. I desperately want this to be adapted into a movie or TV show, but in a way, I feel like I've already seen it because the author immerses you so completely in the characters' world.

The book raises many fascinating questions that I can't discuss without spoiling, but it weaves them into the story of two incredibly likable yet flawed characters. Each has a mix of admirable goals and questionable motives as they try to fit in and "play the game" in a world that isn't designed for them to succeed.

I also loved the combination of beautiful writing and tight plotting. Few writers can pull this off, and it's SUCH a joy to read when they do.

Did I stay up way too late to finish this? Yes. Was it totally worth it? Absolutely!

I just don't get it.

Not the story itself, because the themes about classism are starkly clear, especially with how the time travel candies metaphorically represent the imaginary lines the rich draw to distinguish themselves from the not-rich. I got all that, but what I don't understand is all the hype the blurbs and reviews gave this book. If anything, I found this book very boring.

Kady using the candies just to relive moments with her boyfriend got old so fast to me. I dunno if it's because I've never been in a fully committed romantic relationship, but the thought of reliving specific moments, even when I loved those moments, over and over sounds tedious to me. I have, like, 10 separate characters/runs in my BG3, and I'm quick to skip a lot of scenes because I've played through them so much already. I just struggled to fully connect to Kady's motives, making it a hard read for me.

Aaron didn't do it for me til the last bit of the book. I thought it was interesting that there was a POV of a rich boy outsider who could give insight into the IV boys where Kady couldn't, and I thought that was the sole purpose of his chapters til the twist was revealed. I'm not gonna say what it is, but, man, did it make me feel stupid for not figuring out. I was half paying attention due to boredom, so that's probably why I missed the clues leading up to it. I still wished it didn't take about ninety percent of the book to get there.

The writing is fine, I guess. A lot of it was repetitive - Kady wanting validation and kissing her boyfriend, the IV boys being rich assholes and spreading the rumor, small town things like carnivals and festivals, etc. - there wasn't really much to keep me engaged in the plot. Kady also had a group of friends that I didn't care about either, one of whom was a guy who got a boyfriend (Wooo, gay rights)

I dunno, all I can really say is that this book wasn't for me. Judging by the reviews and praise this book has gotten, I'm sure it'll have its audience once it officially releases in November, but you definitely won't find me amongst them.

4.5 rounded up
This is the perfect book for a book club
Lots to talk about and a great time travel book. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Page-turner! Usually I have to pace myself with suspenseful stories, but I powered through all the delicious anxiety and could not put this book away! I’m a huge fan of Charlene’s work. She can write anything.

I loved the cozy fall vibes with something creepy under the surface. The small town nostalgia is VIVID here—the local carnival, the traditions, the drive-in theater, everyone knowing everyone. I SO want this to be adapted into a movie or a TV show, but I feel like I already saw it in a way, because the author really puts you in the characters’ world.

This book poses tons of interesting questions that I can’t say much about without spoiling, but couches them all within the story of two incredibly likable, flawed characters, who each have an intriguing mixture of some really admirable goals and a few questionable motives of their own as they try to fit in and “play the game” in a world that isn’t set up for them to win.

I also loved the mixture of the gorgeous writing and the really tight plotting. Few writers pull this off, and it’s SO fun to read when they do.

Did I end up staying up way too late to finish this? Yes. Was it totally worth it? Also yes!

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I don't know what I was expecting going into this, but what I got out of it was SO much more than I anticipated. I loved the twist on a private school story, which really set it apart from others when throwing in the ability to manipulate time. The POV changes were a pleasant suprise, I normally don't love them, but I thought the author did a great job of keeping the two MCs separate so I didn't get confused. Can't wait to put this one on my physical shelves!

Damn. What a wild ride! The pacing was so fast I felt like I couldn't breathe in some parts, waiting and dying to know what happened next and after that, and after that...

I loved that this was told with alternating points of view, and I loved that the candy made it all feel so unreliable. Who could I truly trust? KD and Aaron's stories were both relatable and distinguishable, and, side note: I'd love to see another story with both but also with Shawn & Luka's POV, please!

I loved that this was a fresh take on what I find can be a tired trope of the "small town/secretive club/private school thriller." There was nothing tired about the way Thomas developed this story and its characters. The setting was visceral, and I love that this book will be released in the thick of fall so that future readers can be even more swept away with Streetlight's spookiness than I was!

Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC and the opportunity to read and review this book prior to its publication.

Streetlight People was one of those books that hooked me, and I couldn't stop reading until I finished the book. The characters were well-developed and the storyline was engaging. The relationship between the "have lots and have nots" was very relatable to anyone who has experienced small town life.

This was a cute and creative time travel read. Thomas does a good job of creating realistic characters and sticking to her own magical rules. Another reviewer said this felt like a Goosebumps, and I totally agree — I would have been obsessed with this book in middle school, reading all about these fun older kids and how much more fun they’re having than the rich bullies. Definitely a worthy read.

I’ve read many books featuring time-travel and this was, by far, one of the best. The characters, the mind-bending twists and turns - it is amazing! Comparing it to Black Mirror is fair, it definitely had that feel to it. Anyone who loves books that keep you guessing throughout will enjoy it. It will make a perfect read for the fall and I can’t wait to recommend it to my book club. Thanks for the opportunity to read in advance!

Wow.

I don't have all the words right now to describe this book but WOW! What an incredible story! Charlene Thomas is a master at what she does! From the characters to the storytelling, it was so real, so full, so Incredible.

The idea of time travel, how the characters see it, use it, feel it, was amazingly put together.

I wanted to keep reading, give me some candies so I can relive this story again and again!