Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book. These opinions are completely my own.

I love finding age-appropriate mystery thrillers, and this one fits the bill. It's something I can recommend to a student without question, which is always nice. It did take a minute to feel connected to the characters, but you feel like a fourth member of the team pretty quickly

This novel is the epitome of “The horrors persist but so do I.” – Just that horrors isn’t a metaphor but a reality in this novel. That you get dragged back to that house in Alvarado over and over again. At some point you don’t even know if you ever escape this place.
The novel does really well with making your skin become goosebumps in seconds and wondering if the things you see are real or not.
A super intricate book. Would pick it up again when I am back in a YA horror book phase because I love haunted places and this one just is top notch.

"A teenage psychic is drawn deep into the honeycomb of an abandoned hotel - and into a cat-and-mouse game with a predatory entity - in this riveting new supernatural horror novel.

Everyone in Gypsum, Texas knows the Hotel Alvarado changes at night - especially Quinn. A teenage clairvoyant, he's been having dreams about it... dreams that call him to its dark, abandoned halls. The hotel is a monument to the town's more prosperous past, when celebrities flocked to the mineral spas and films were shot in the desert. The Great Depression killed all of that, it killed the Alvarado, and frankly it killed Gypsum, too. Now, when the sun goes down, things no longer living stir deep within its creaking depths.

But the dreams are relentless. When Quinn braves the hotel's darkness with his best friend June and unrequited love Selena, looking for answers, he gets only one: ghosts aren't the scariest thing lurking inside the Alvarado (although they're there, cold and restless and angry).

No. He's been called by something worse: a predatory, inhuman entity that threatens to wipe Gypsum off the map, along with everyone in it. And wrongly - accidentally - he's let it out. It takes the shape of a handsome young man. It walks. It talks. It laughs. It can even make you laugh. But its appetite for death can never be sated. Quinn has always had the power to see the future... can he find the power to change it?"

People who are psychic should never go into old hotels. Period.

I truly, genuinely loved this. What a story! Stranger Things meets The Outsider. I read it in less than a day. It’s got wonderful commentary on found family and what it means to love someone. I highly recommend you give this one a shot.

Thank you to Holiday House and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are mine alone.

I loved this book from the first line. Very beautiful but succinct prose and very engaging characters and set up from the get. Teenage Witch? Sign me up. Super spooky setting too which was my favorite part.

I really appreciated how the book established a strong connection with both its characters and the town of Gypsum. It felt as though you were one of the 1,021 residents, fully immersed in the unfolding events. As a YA read, it offers a compelling introduction to the paranormal and horror genres. However, I found the resolution to be somewhat fleeting, leaving me with more questions than answers.

Thank you Netgalley and Holiday House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“Sweetest Darkness” by Leslie Lutz follows three friends—Quinn, Selena, and June—who are drawn to an abandoned hotel in their small Texan town, Gypsum, through reoccurring dreams. As they delve into the town's dark past, Quinn's psychic abilities reveal a connection to supernatural incidents at the hotel, leading them to confront a lurking menace that threatens their town. Like with many horror stories, I recommend looking into content warnings before reading, though this book is more of a suspense than a horror. It’s pretty light on the horror elements, creating a "cozy horror" feel, which I actually really enjoyed.

The atmosphere is brilliantly creepy, with a mysterious desert town and an eerie, abandoned hotel. There is definitely more of a focus on the supernatural and suspense, and the setting really allowed for those moments of suspense and dread to have an effect on the reader. The setting of Gypsum feels almost like a character itself. Lutz makes the town come alive, immersing you in its mysticism and hidden secrets. I think the setting was my favorite part of the book.

The characters are richly developed, with Quinn standing out as the hero with psychic abilities. His connection to the supernatural adds depth to the story while Selena and June are equally engaging, and Ollie’s complexity adds another layer of intrigue. I really liked Kit as a character and wished Kit was more prominent throughout the book. The book really captures the essence of teenage angst and wonder, making it relatable for YA readers. I would actually recommend this book to younger YA readers as the horror elements weren’t that prominent. The main supernatural entity takes a while to appear and doesn't dominate the narrative as expected. This might disappoint readers seeking a more traditional horror experience. Nonetheless, the mystery and suspense keep the plot engaging and enjoyable. The story’s resolution, however, feels a bit temporary, and I wanted it to be fleshed out more.

Overall, “Sweetest Darkness” is an excellent introduction to YA horror, offering a perfect balance of suspense and supernatural elements. While it may not fully satisfy hardcore horror fans, its intriguing plot, well-developed characters, and immersive setting make it a thrilling read.

Sweetest Darkness is an interesting book. While I find it haunting and captivating at points, at others it fell flat. I enjoyed a couple of things; the Alvarado hotel has a life on its own, and the town and its people have strong place in the overall plot as well as the character’s arcs. I liked the relationships formed throughout the book and I did like our main character.
I feel like the atmosphere wasn’t as well-crafted as you would expect for a horror novel. Sometimes the descriptions were great, sometimes they weren’t. As someone in love with horror movies like me, the paranormal aspect left much to be desired.
My main problem is that the payoff wasn’t satisfactory. The problem was there for the whole book, and the solution wasn’t a solution at all. It feels to me that it wouldn’t work for long, and if it does it would be solely because of a plot hole (can I call it a plot hole if the plot is already finished??). Unless it’s like that so the author can revisit the world for a sequel, which I don’t think the book needs.

Sweetest Darkness is the perfect introduction to YA horror! It’s the perfect amount of suspense with a creepy creature. While I would consider this more suspense than horror, it was still an interesting and enjoyable read!

These characters were easy to feel for, especially Quinn. Selena and June were also incredible. I loved the complexity of Ollie, his character really stood out to me. The plot was intriguing and kept me interested all the way until the last page! I do wish Kit was featured a little more, especially considering he’s very relevant to the plot.

Overall, this was still a chilling and fun read! Thank you NetGalley and Holiday House for the arc! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This one was pretty great. Found it very easy to get into, and it captivated my interest just right. 10/10 would recommend.

really enjoyed this book!
i feel like it's a great introduction to begin reading YA Horror, i really liked the main character Quinn as well.

Leslie Lutz's "Sweetest Darkness" delivers a haunting tale that blends small-town intrigue with supernatural horror. Set in the fictional town of Gypsum, Texas, the novel follows Quinn O'Brien, a teenage psychic drawn into the dark mysteries of the abandoned Alvarado Hotel.

Lutz excels at creating a palpable atmosphere of dread and unease. The decaying Alvarado Hotel serves as a character in its own right, its creaking halls and shadowy corners hiding secrets both mundane and otherworldly. The author's vivid descriptions bring the setting to life, immersing readers in the eerie ambiance of a town past its prime.

The protagonist, Quinn, is a well-developed character whose struggles with his psychic abilities and family troubles add depth to the supernatural plot. His relationships with friends June and Selena feel authentic, capturing the complexities of teenage friendships and crushes. The supporting cast, while not as fully fleshed out, adds color to the story and helps ground the fantastical elements in reality.

The pacing is generally strong, with Lutz skillfully building tension as Quinn delves deeper into the hotel's mysteries. However, some readers may find the middle section slightly slow before the action picks up for the climax. The final confrontation is suitably intense and satisfying, though a few plot threads feel somewhat rushed in their resolution.

"Sweetest Darkness" successfully blends elements of horror, mystery, and coming-of-age drama. While it may not break new ground in the genre, it offers an engaging and atmospheric read that will appeal to fans of supernatural thrillers and young adult fiction alike.

A haunting and poignant immersive read about a teenage psychic whose visions lead him down a very dark path in a West Texas town struggling to survive. The setting is magnificent, and it captures the angst and wonder of being a teenager. This is a twisty and complex thriller that will appeal to YA and adult audiences. Highly recommended!

UGH! I really hate this but I did not finish this book. The struggle was real and while I maade it 40% of the way, I'm afraid I've given up. I hung in there until Kit the Sandman arrived and then...I just couldn't go on. :-( Many thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t really know how to describe this book, other than it was absolutely amazing. It was enigmatic in that I couldn’t predict what might happen--which is what I love to do while reading; sometimes it's easy and that's perfectly fine--that's fun and enjoyable--other times I need to work for it and even more rarely I can't see it until it's right in front of me. Some things I did guess and understand before the reveal but they were small in the entirety of the book and the world the author created. It was poetically written--I highlighted sooo many quotes--but with enough warmth, personality, and everyday reality to keep you grounded, to keep the thought that this is something that could happen to an everyday town/person even though it was a paranormal, thriller, mystery kaleidoscope of a book.

I will say the beginning was a bit slow, It was a bit hard to grasp where the book was going to go, and how certain things earlier in the book would connect to/impact the middle and end, but once you found your footing it was hard to put down, and it was entirely worth it to keep going and see how the story turns out. And that is how really good books are, the unknown is tangible enough to grasp and find, but where it fits in as the story goes on is a gradual, wondrous, discovery. The anticipation, the wonder as information and secrets and history are revealed, the intensity as the later horror aspect came into play, those painful moments of loss and heartache, and the amazing spiritual, magical system--the Dark Place--was so well written it was as if I'd stepped over with Quinn himself.

As you grow to love and understand these characters, the ending, the bittersweet ending really hits home. Though all the same, in the end, when the dust settles in that bittersweet end, that achingly sad-happy-bittersweet end, sometimes living an ordinary life can be equally extraordinary. And this book shows that.

Sweetest Darkness was an intriguing take on what I thought was more of a YA horror. The atmosphere was excellent and perfectly creepy — a mysterious desert town, an abandoned hotel, a hint of magic and mysticism.
It did have more of a YA feel to it, much more subdued and “light” I guess than what I was expecting.
I really enjoyed the characters and Quinn, the hero of the story. Their backgrounds were interesting and rich, the whole town came alive in front of my eyes. The paranormal aspects were a bit disappointing, as in lacking a bit more screen time and more of those creepy spooky feels I was looking for with this read, but it still had a nice flow to it. More of a cozy horror, and if that’s not a thing well, it is now.

📚 Sweetest Darkness - Leslie Lutz
⭐ 4/5

💌 REVIEW:: This book felt like watching an old Bollywood thriller movie 😂 It's completely different from my usual choice of genre (rom-com) and i had no clue what to expect.

Leslie Lutz did an amazing work with this book! It's fun with a hint of paranormal description. A psych teen trying to earn money by using his "powers" and then him and his two best friends start having the same dream- a calling from the haunted hotel in their small town. They go to venture, and discover secrets.

It was a good mix of fantasy and YA thriller. The ending felt a little rushed but the plot was good enough to make me stick around till the end💕

I loved how this book made strong connections to the characters and the town itself. It felt like you were one of the 1021 residents of Gypsum and were able to see the story happening and play out in real time. This is a YA read and would be a great introduction for YA readers who would like to venture into the paranormal/horror genre. The problem I had with this book is that the solution seems very temporary and would not solve the problem for more than a year or two. *SPOILER* trapping Kit in the Diner and putting up “Do Not Cross. Dangerous Chemicals” warning all over is just inviting trespassers to come snooping around and let him out. If there are plans for a book two this solution might make sense but if not, the wrap up of this story just leaves me with more questions.

Sweetest Darkness is set in a small town, and follows a teenager called Quinn. Quinn is a physic, he can read a persons future, and although his older brother forbids him from doing so, money is tight, so Quinn continues dwelling into peoples minds for quick money. But something is off, Quinn and his two best friends, June and Selena, start having the same dream about the abandoned hotel. Eventually the work up the nerve to go investigate, but what they find in the hotel has the power to destroy the town if they don't find a way to stop it.

I liked this book, the town had a nice vibe and I had no problem connecting with the characters, and though I really enjoyed the plot the ending left me unsatisfied, it didn't really feel like the problem had been fully dealt with, more that they'd found a temporary solution which felt a bit rushed.

Thanks to Leslie Lutz and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Quinn lives with his older brother, in their late Nan’s house in a small town that’s just a bit too strange, Quinn is reading people’s futures against his older brother’s wishes trying to make a bit more cash, and Quinn’s brother chasing the next big thing that can save them and the home they love, but this time something, someone has noticed and it may not be all that friendly, there’s something more going on in town than anyone realises.

With visions of the future, puzzling dreams and a safe that has a stalking problem, this book is a must-read for horror lovers, it does start out a bit slow, but by the midpoint, it goes from 0 to 100 in a blink of an eye keeping you on the edge of your seat and the pages turning to find out what happens next.