I am not the demographic, but this book is for, however, I can see why someone younger would enjoy it. I do think it was a good, unique idea. I am a sucker for mixed media in books: text, emails, news clips, pictures— all of that, I love. So I really enjoyed that part of the book. I also like books about the Internet for some reason, so I really enjoyed that part of it too. I thought the plot was behind it was creepy in that the way the ghosts showed up….I don’t want to spoil anything, so I won’t elaborate. However, the ending lost me a little bit and seemed rushed, and I kind of got confused. Overall, as a YA book, I think it’s fine. It also depicted the thoughts that someone with anxiety has well. It kind of got a little annoying to read, but I have had the exact same thoughts as the main character, so yeah, it is annoying— it’s annoying to have anxiety, lol.

Overall, it was a unique story, and it was fun to read.

I think many will enjoy this book.

Theres a lot to love.

The cover is stunning. The concept is fresh and unique. The story grabs you from pretty early on. Romasco-Moore creates an atmosphere that is deliciously creepy. Teresa’s perspective as a streamer and as someone who struggles greatly with mental health gave me fresh insight into the daily life of someone much different than me. The text messages are a fun touch. It was fun to compare this book to the film The Ring.

There are some things that didn’t work for me.

Some of the aspects of the ending did not feel as cohesive as I would have liked. I love to read a book with mental health representation but this one missed a few notes for me. While I appreciated the inner workings of Teresa’s mental health struggles and the insight reading about a character like Teresa brings, at times it felt repetitive which led me to skimming through some of Teresa’s thoughts and feelings near the middle and end.

Overall, I think this book will work for many people, especially those who are in the streaming and gaming world.

I received this arc in exchange for an honest review.

'Deadstream" is a compelling young adult horror novel that intertwines modern digital culture with supernatural terror. The story centers on Teresa, a seventeen-year-old grappling with severe agoraphobia following a traumatic car accident that claimed her best friend's life. Confined to her bedroom, Teresa finds solace in online streaming, connecting with the world through her digital presence. Her fragile sense of security unravels when she witnesses a shadowy figure appearing in a fellow streamer's live video—a harbinger of mysterious deaths among online personalities. As this malevolent entity begins to infiltrate other streams, including Teresa's own, she must confront her deepest fears and step beyond her self-imposed isolation to halt the spreading horror.

The novel is lauded for its immersive narrative style, incorporating mixed media elements such as livestream transcripts, text messages, and online forums. This approach not only enhances the storytelling but also reflects the pervasive influence of digital interactions in contemporary life. This book has been able to create a claustrophobic atmosphere that mirrors Teresa's escalating anxiety, effectively building tension and suspense. The portrayal of Teresa's mental health struggles, including her agoraphobia and panic attacks, is handled with sensitivity and realism, offering depth to her character and making her journey both relatable and compelling.

3.5 stars

The pacing of this book for YA is fantastic, it successfully builds tension throughout and is enough to keep you hooked.
I liked the formatting of the stream style chats, it allowed for an easy read.

What I found frustrating was the ending. It was suitably fast paced as the mystery was unfolding however the ending that the book had been building up to felt too rushed and over quickly.

The constant repetition of Teresa’s name was also frustrating but it doesn’t stop the flow of the chapters.

As a teacher I would definitely recommend this book to my students who I know love horror/thriller.

60/100 or 3.0 stars

I think this will be a big hit with the younger reading audience, as the language used and the media used within the story works so well! It was an interesting story and I think it will be scary for the target audience! I felt a little old reading this when the main character refers to someone in their thirties as "not old-old." I had a laugh and kept reading.
I would try another book by Romasco-Moore if they write another Teen/YA horror novel!

I really enjoyed this YA horror book. I liked the mixed media aspect, which made it fly by extra fast. Very fun and entertaining book about the perils of too much screen time. Although, the epilogue kind of negates that message just a little bit.

ARC REVIEW, thank you so much to Mar Romasco-Moore, Penguin Young Readers Group, and NetGalley for this ARC. My review is not influenced by receiving an ARC. This is an honest review!

3.75/5 stars

This book was so good I read the entire thing in one day. I stayed up until almost 3 a.m. to finish! The writing vibe reminded me of Natalie D. Richards but paranormal. This feels like it might be for the younger part of the YA genre.

Our protagonist, Teresa, is agoraphobic following a traumatic car accident. I feel like the depictions of anxiety and agoraphobia were done so well. She almost reminds me of Pippa Fitz-Amobi in the second/third book of 'A Good Girl's Guide to Murder' series.

The amount of queer representation was so refreshing, I genuinely loved it.

It is so rare for books to get social media and streaming correctly. Both the Reddit threads and stream chats were so realistic to what you would actually see in those spaces. The bots in the YouTube comments were also realistic and made me release a breath laugh through my nose.

My only complaint is the text messages can be hard to read in some places without context clues of the situation. It almost looks like one character typing and not a conversation between two people.

Rating: 4.25/5 Penguins
Quick Reasons: bound to keep you up at night; puts a whole new twist on live-streaming; creeptastic read; keeps you guessing until the end

Huge thanks to Mar Romasco-Moore, Penguin Teen, and Netgalley for access to this ARC! My review is voluntarily written and in no way altered or impacted by this gesture.

Readers beware-- this book might make your dreams just a little more weird while reading. I know mine were. This book is creeptastic from start to finish, a deep look into social media and what it means to truly "put yourself out there" interspersed with the things that lurk, watching, even when we are alone.

The writing style of this book is a mix of texts/chat snips, third person limited (focused on Teresa), and third person omniscient (told from the universal "we"). These change ups help to set the tone, to push the story forward in moments we might otherwise feel "stuck", and to bring the ending together before the close. The author walked a thin line with these styles-- don't give too little information, so as to keep readers clinging... but don't give TOO much, too soon! In this instance, this was masterfully woven.

I highly recommend to readers who live for the feel of goosebumps, those who wonder late at night who might be watching them, Ave those who just have a flair for curiosity-- the whodunits of the world. The scene is set, the camera is rolling... what will YOU find lurking outside the door?

Received an eARC copy from NetGalley for my honest review. I would read this author again for a nice fun creepy popcorn read.

I am a 30-something year old adult who enjoys YA books. There were times where this felt like a YA and then moments towards the end where the writer got a little deeper. Almost like two different authors. I gave this book a 3 star read as I found it was a fun quick read for me and could see many tweens and teens enjoying it and being scared.

The story focuses on Teresa, AKA Replay, a teen who is agoraphobic due to a car accident. She finds peace in streaming, until her stream, and other's streams, become haunted. The story has mixed media and includes chat room texts and direct message screenshots. Has representation of the LGBTQ+ community, but felt it was forced in at times and not natural to the story. The ending felt a bit rushed. I wish it went a different way or had more explanation, but it could be left open for a sequel.

this is kind of hard to rate because im not the intended age range for the book so i personally think some things could have been done better. however, if i was younger, maybe around middle school or early highschool, i would be eating this up. i think the villians back story could have been a little more fleshed out because i felt lile he was doing it for no reason…

This is a fun and spooky YA horror novel. I loved the focus on haunted live streams and the streamer community. It's like modern The Ring vibes.

This book was crazy from the very beginning, but I enjoyed the way it turned out at the end. Was different from books I normally read. Definitely would recommend to my friends to read.

Did I decide to start this late at night? Yes. Did this send chills up my spine?Also yes. 5/5 stars

Teresa aka Replay is terrified to leave the safety of her room after surviving a traumatic accident that claimed the life of her best friend. Her window through to the outside with is through the streaming community. However this starts to dissolve when a creepy figure appears in a popular streamer and his behavior completely changes with him suddenly dying in front of millions of viewers.

As Replay she begins to unravel the whole/what this figure is, especially as it's impacting other people's stream making them 'open the door'. To save herself an everyone else who is impacted Teresa must open the door to the outside world.

I really enjoyed the multi media take what chat logs, reddit posts and group chats. It definitely made it feel more immersive and related to the YA of today.
Teresa's panic attacks were well written.
The figure was definitely interesting and I felt like I figured it out rather early on. However the big scene did creep me out a fair bit.
The ending definitely felt a bit cheesy but tied it all together nicely.

I received an eARC of this book via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

1.5 stars rounded up

I’m not really sure where to begin with this review. While it did have some elements of suspenseful horror, it was poorly done in the end. Also with the LGBTQIA+ rep, it almost felt like rep just to be rep. Even the names of some of the characters were very cliche in my opinion. I’m all for LGBTQIA+ rep but it needs to be done right. This is not it.

Character development did not happen. Our main character was terrified of stepping foot outside until all of a sudden she wasn’t? Same with her friend Ozma. At no point was there any feeling of romance or anything more than friendship. Until Replay goes to save her and all of a sudden they are making out and then having sex basically? What in the world? It was weird all around.

The narration style was also all over the place. Sometimes we were in third person, sometimes it felt like first person and then others it was a completely different person. It could be very confusing coupled with the chat logs and trying to describe the streams, it was hard to follow at times. I can understand that the author may have been trying to tell us about the dangers of the internet but honestly, it doesn’t go over well in a book. At least not a style like this. A movie would have been much better.

It honestly gave me the same vibes I got from Horror Movie and I Was A Teenage Slasher but Horror Movie done it way better. As I mentioned earlier, there was some decent suspenseful horror to the book but that was early, early in the book. But as the book continued, it was like it lost its steam and the author lost their track of thought too.

This book had a really interesting premise especially as someone interested in the streamer community, and I'd definitely recommend checking it out if you're looking for a fast paced YA thriller that you won't be able to put it down! The mystery surrounding the main character's trauma really impacted how she acted throughout the novel.

Teresa is an online streamer who struggles with leaving the house after her best friend’s life was claimed by a car accident. She finds online streaming to be her escape, until one day a shadowy figure appears in the background of her favorite streamers video. Strange things begin to happen to this streamer and eventually to Teresa herself. She finds herself investigating the strange things that are going on in the streaming community. This book was very suspenseful and kept me guessing. The book was very exciting until the ending, where it lost me a little bit. Overall, this was a very thrilling story that many people who are online could connect to.

I really enjoyed this book! It sticks hard to its premise of livestreaming and an evil entity. I thought the mystery was well done and balances the horror elements, pacing and character development well. Books that are specific to technology can be a little dated after a while, but it is certainly a topical and good read for today.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this early.
Imagine you are watching your favorite live streamer playing a game, doing art, packing orders, or just chatting. Now imagine the door behind them opening just the slightest bit, a shadow in the doorway.
You think “What the heck, it’s not even October. It’s not time for their Halloween stunt yet.” And they turn around to look at the shadow. They turn back to the camera, a confused look on their face.
The chat is going wild:
[10:35]- oooo spooky 0.o
[10:36]- it’s April wtf is that
[10:36]- Tjbnfskha sent a gift
[10:36]- open the door
The streamer leans in closer to their screen, reading the chat as it comes in. You see the shadow move behind them, out of focus but still visible. It’s inching closer to the camera.
“Guys what is happening I literally don’t see that. It’s just on the screen!”
The shadow inches closer.
So close. It reaches a hand out to the person you’ve watched so many times before.
The screen goes dark.

This book has literally taken over my brain ever since I finished it. It combines the narrative of a regular book following a girl who experienced a tragic car accident and now is too afraid to leave her room. Something weird happens during one of her favorite streamers live streams and she tries to figure out what is happening. The book also includes video descriptions, online Reddit threads, and chats between characters. If you watch streamers, you need to read this. Please! It comes out April 1st!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I like to think of myself as young and still read some YA for enjoyment. However, this was definitely YA for the kids of today. I usually like some mixed media inserted into stories as it provides a more realistic side to stories in today's world, and I understand the entire book is based around livestreams, a strange entity, and the online community, but it was a bit much.

The creepy parts of the book were good. Would I really compare it to The Ring? No. It did give a good mix though of showing the downsides of the internet vs. some of the good that can come out of it. This is not something that I would recommend, but I think for the kids of today, it would be right up their alley.

okay, this is DEFINITELY NOT just a YA horror. it's deeply ominous and actually made me at points shudder. in the middle of the afternoon, in a brightly lit room with multiple windows. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.