Name: kelsey's review of The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould
Item: The Dead and the Dark
Rating: 5
Author: kelsey

Courtney Gould

"Imagine Riverdale crossing streams with Stephen King's The Outsider and you'll get a sense of this gripping supernatural mystery...Gould's debut begins as a snappy paranormal yarn and unspools into a profound story about the complex interplay between grief, guilt, and identity." - Oprah Daily Courtney Gould’s thrilling YA debut The Dead and the Dark is about the things that lurk in dark corners, the parts of you that can’t remain hidden, and about finding home in places—and people—you didn’t expect. The Dark has been waiting—and it won't stay hidden any longer. Something is wrong in Snakebite, Oregon. Teenagers are disappearing, some turning up dead, the weather isn’t normal, and all fingers point to TV’s most popular ghost hunters who have just come to town. Logan Ortiz-Woodley, daughter of TV's ParaSpectors, has never been to Snakebite before. But the moment she and her dads arrive, she starts to get the feeling that there's more than ghosts plaguing this small town. Ashley Barton’s boyfriend was the first teen to go missing, and she’s felt his ghost following her ever since. Although everyone shuns the Ortiz-Woodleys, the mysterious Logan may be the only person who can help Ashley get some answers. When Ashley and Logan team up to figure out who—or what—is haunting Snakebite, their investigation reveals truths about the town, their families, and themselves that neither of them are ready for. As the danger intensifies, they realize that their growing feelings for each other could be a light in the darkness

The Dead and the Dark

Parv

Kamila 

kelsey

this book’s ending straight up made me cry. oh to have a family who cares about my happiness. 

and the comphet in this…… i related so much to ashley. my teenage self would have loved to have a book like this. but i’m also happy to have it now. 

and alejo and brandon are such good parents i love them and wish my parents were more like them

This made my heart feel things. I loved the girls and their journey and it was really a story about finding love in a world that hates.

trixie

i was provided an earc via netgalley in exchange for an honest review! //

one of the problems i have with a lot of mysteries and thrillers is that i feel like i’ve just seen too many episodes of psych to be surprised by anything anymore. then, once in a while, a book like this comes along and is something akin to a beam of light that i’m sure shined down on someone in the bible- engrossing and completely unforeseen. 

i picked this one up because i am a simple person: i see the words “sapphic” and “paranormal thriller” and immediately make a reminder in my phone calendar for its release date. and trust me- the “sapphic” and “paranormal thriller” aspects of the book were phenomenal. but the characters? the world building? the way that i totally didn’t see the end coming until it happened? ghost busting gay dads? 100% worth it.

i’m definitely keeping an eye on this author- i’m excited to see what comes next!!

the fathers had a more believable chemistry and backstory than the mc and the girl she likes.. dads had alot of screentime ofc so thats good but i woulld prefer if the story was just focused on them

tamago

Ana Paula

[especial thanks to briar because i wouldn´t have read this rn if it wasn´t for her]

this was SO good, it´s been a loong time since i sat down and read a whole 75% with little to no breaks; 100% worth it
and it was a really good YA mystery/suspense, when Gould revealed the killer i was so shocked; i had a thousand theories and none had even come close to what it was (currently feeling like Spencer Reid & Morgan would be very dissapointed)

tina

3.5

tws: homophobia, homophobic slurs, child death and endangerment, violence (on page strangulation and drowning)

The Dead and the Dark is a YA mystery and supernatural novel with a little bit of romance. The story follows seventeen-year-old Logan Ortiz-Woodley, the daughter of TV's most popular ghost hunters, as she returns to her dads' small hometown Snakebite. However, the moment they arrived, weird things started happening and teenagers started disappearing without a trace left behind. 

This was a very entertaining read. It's very short with a fairly easy writing style to get into. The mystery plot line was done well as it kept me on my toes for the entirety of the book. The plot twists, although were kind of expected, it was still quite a surprise when the big reveal happened. Furthermore, from the beginning of the book I was immediately hooked and invested in the mystery, and it follows through for the whole of it. I also really love the queer representation this book has. I love how the main characters, despite their differences, were very likeable and even the adult characters were written well. I do feel like aside from Ashley, there wasn't really much character development from Logan by the time the story ends, nevertheless I do understand that this is more of a plot-driven book so it's not really a big issue to me. With that being said, this book could've been even better if the paranormal aspect was given more depth and focus. We never really get to fully understand what the entity is and how it manifested in the first place. But overall this was a good debut! I had a fun time reading it and would definitely recommend it to those who love mystery/thriller books. 

e-ARC provided by netgalley and publisher

going to need a loganashley road trip novel immediately 

emily

Jasmine

This book took me awhile to get through, but it wasn’t so much due to a lack of enjoyment. The Dead and the Dark has all the elements of a darker YA mystery and mostly manages to pull it off well. 
The story follows two paranormal investigator dads and their daughter as they work against the clock to solve murders that are plaguing the small town of Snakebite. We are introduced to the idea that maybe not everything is as it seems with the town and it’s inhabitants. Is the weight of the town and its history to blame or is it something else entirely? 

There are so many appealing things about The Dead and the Dark. There are several lovely storylines woven in, but are equally balanced with heartbreak as to keep the reader interested and asking those important questions. I did enjoy reading this book, though I think it would be best suited for middle school/younger high school kids. 

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

alejo brandon logan and ashley let me into your family

marilynn

4.5 stars

i don't even know what to say this was so good

Livia

this book is so fucking camp and i am officially in love with logan ortiz-woodley, she's such a lesbian icon. annoyed at the amount of homophobia and bullying that was being let slide, though

Camila Eduarda Vilela Lobianco

This book is about two girls: one that never had a home, and one that only knew one home. One that fights over the feeling that one of her dads never loved her, so she always felt alone, and one that lost the love of her life and now is alone. Logan is following her parents, that works fighting ghosts, to the city they born and she discover that Ashley's boyfriend suddenly desapeared.

The first thing that I have to say that this book talks a lot of homophobia and has a lot of violence about this topic. A violence that I think that is needed to read, actually (if this is not some kind of trigger for you, of course). I'm from a really small city that homophobia is violent, not just in words, and I never saw this so much portraid in a book. Usually, I'm used to read more of cute/fluffy queer romance, so it was a cold bath that I needed. This books talks about depression and emptiness and how this can affect poeple's behavior.

The characters are really great, I liked them all. Their motives made sense to me, their behavior was totally explained, so is not like one of those books that the villain is just bad because he is. The thriller vibes also were there, is not a scary book with a soft background, what makes the experience much better.

I would say this is one of my favorite debuts of the year, you can't almost say that is the first work of someone. The only thing that not made me give this book 5 stars is a detail of the ending that was too easily resolved, but I don't know if anyone would think like me because was a really small thing.

I have to say that I loved this book. Thriller/terror never was my favorite, but worked so well in this book that I actually bought two books of Stephen King to see if Iike more books like this (I also loved The Diviners, so maybe something is beginning here). 

Thanks for NetGalley and Wednesday Books to give me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

Esra

*a little less than 3 stars

I liked the story, characters not so much. Would’ve loved more character development because i feel like Logans only trait is being a lesbian 💅

Jennifer

I liked The Dead and the Dark and it's definitely a pretty cute story to get through while I was recovering from my 2nd dose of vaccine. It's an atmospheric, haunting, and yet a touch hopeful read. As what I've quickly summarised just now, this book is a ghost story as well as a story of having hope despite the dark times.

This is, by all the means, a solid debut: interesting concept, breathtaking prose, and carefully fleshed out relationship. A common YA pitfall is when the romance is rushed, but thankfully Logan & Ashley's slow burn relationship is particularly impressive that it's slowly built up in a way that feels natural. So it's heartwarming to read about how they navigate out from the dark & haunted place together and how they never forget to see the light ahead of the tunnel!

Even though the overall writing is decent and I enjoyed reading this, I feel like a few things didn't really stick to me: I thought the pacing in the beginning is a bit too sluggish and I initially found the interlude chapters to be a tad distracting (and hence throws me off a bit). 

This is definitely one of those books that should be read at a more leisurely pace so I have the time to let the details in the interlude sink in and understand how they fit with other parts of the story. Again, I just want to way that my minor complaints with The Dead and the Dark mostly stems from the fact I'm jammed in a very intense reading schedule: reading 1 new book everyday so I could get my TBR down to a desirable size in the next few weeks.

Apart from this, The Dead and the Dark is a solid debut. It's an atmospheric ghost story featuring a tender slow-burn romance. If you're looking for a character-driven novel and a diverse read this debut novel is hard to beat!

N.B. The content warnings could be found under author's book page

(3.5 stars out of 5)

Caitlyn DeRouin

cossette

rtc !! 

still laughing at the fact that it's described by the editor as riverdale BUT GOOD 

content warnings: blood, violence, murder, attempted murder, drowning, funeral, grief, death of a main character, homophobia, homophobic language, hate crimes, police

mary

4.5 stars! head empty no thoughts 

what a book

ash (smokedshelves)

so uhh.... i can't really explain why but this book just didn't click with me. this was so so unfortunate as it was so hyped and a lot of my friends with similar reading tastes absolutely adored it. but idk, personally, i lost interest about halfway through, guessed many of the main reveals, and just felt that the last 1/3 of the book dragged on. super unfortunate :(

Taylor

4.5 stars rounded up, 

Courtney Gould really reached into my chest and tore out my poor gay heart with this one.

I don't typically love YA horror, but The Dead and the Dark's perfect balance of supernatural elements and claustrophobic small town vibes really really worked to build a sense of dread that kept the story moving forwards. As a queer person who, for a time, lived in a stiflingly small community, I relate so much to (view spoiler)[the feeling of being so full of sadness and loneliness and rage that Logan's dad felt, and that Logan feels. There's a point where it's too much to bear and it just feels like it is going to explode out of you, and the idea of all of that feeding this malevolent force created by the hatred and anger of the town. I literally want to scream about this forever. (hide spoiler)] 

Courtney Gould perfectly captures what it's like to live in a small, tight knit community, and what it's like to arrive as an outsider. Simultaneously everyone knows everyone else's business and yet the town is so full of secrets. I also found it really interesting that (view spoiler)[it was hard to guess who the host was because The Dark literally came from the people who lived in Snakebite and the hate and anger that had been passed down for generations. The behaviour of the townsfolk was just as sinister as that of The Dark, which made the story that much more compelling. (hide spoiler)]

I definitely see where other reviewers are coming from with the pacing of (view spoiler)[Logan and Ashley's relationship, and it's definitely the piece keeping The Dead and the Dark from being a five star read in my opinion. But, I also get that there's also a relatable aspect of being in a grade with a dozen people and suddenly having one person change everything. Things move differently when something you've never considered suddenly becomes an option. Still though, Ashley's witness statement and her reaction to the lake thing are...... questionable at best. (hide spoiler)] 

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed The Dead and the Dark and I look forward to checking out Echo Sunset and more from Courtney Gould. 

TWs: homophobia, slurs, hate crimes, child death, murder, claustrophobia (buried alive), drowning, attempted murder, funeral, grief, police (as always we love an author who includes content warnings in their books)

This ARC was provided to me from Wednesday Books in exchange for my honest review.

no but she's right. this is exactly "like riverdale but good"

ghost-hunting sapphics... what more can you ask for

danielle bush

I loved everything about this book, and cant wait to read more from this author!

Jelke Lenaerts

I received a galley of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

This book has content warnings for child death, child endangerment, violence including strangulation and drowning, homophobia, and homophobic slurs.

I had heard some mixed reviews of this book and therefore I was a bit hesitant when I went into this book. However, I'm happy to announce that I really liked this book. I was completely sucked into this book from the beginning. The atmophere in this book was just so good. I also really liked the two main characters. I do wish their relationship was a bit more developed but I did still think it was pretty cute (it's a small part of the story though). I absolutely LOVED the setting of this book. I mean, the homophobia from characters in this book made me want to jump into the book and kill them but overall I quite liked the small town setting of this book. I really liked the mystery and paranormal aspects in this book. I loved following our two main characters as they're trying to piece all the pieces together and figure things out. I also loved the reveals and thought it was all just really well done.

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The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould

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