Scan barcode
scatteringashes's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
karleighreads's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you for netgalley for an arc of this story.
Courtney Gould does very well writing Sapphic characters and giving those subtle hints at interest or flirting and I love that about her books. I do find them confusing, this is the second book I've read of hers and the first one I was confused even after the ending. This one panned out with a bit more explanation but I know the twists before they happened. All in all this was a quick, good read and I did enjoy it even with the confusion.
Courtney Gould does very well writing Sapphic characters and giving those subtle hints at interest or flirting and I love that about her books. I do find them confusing, this is the second book I've read of hers and the first one I was confused even after the ending. This one panned out with a bit more explanation but I know the twists before they happened. All in all this was a quick, good read and I did enjoy it even with the confusion.
itputsthebookupontheshelf's review against another edition
3.0
This one was hard to rate for me. I'm thinking 3.5 is where I'm most comfortable, though.
I loved Gould's last book, so I knew I had to read this one as soon as I could. This one was very complex, dark, and mysterious, much like the last. But this one didn't quite drag me in like the other.
It was well written and kept me on my toes, but I think it was missing more of the horror aspect. I saw another reviewer state that it was more sci-fi, and I would have to agree. It isn't quite what you are thinking you'll be reading.
I was definitely feeling an empty Arizona desert town with this one. The atmosphere felt very empty, dry, and sparce. Though maybe it would have been nice to have a little more storyline with a few more townspeople. But I understand what the author was trying to get at with not too many people being brought into the mix.
The MC's were well written, but at times, felt as dry as their surroundings... maybe it was meant to be that way, but I wanted to feel a little more from them. I felt like there was such a separation from the sisters, and sometimes, it felt like the other sister wasn't even there.
I did, however, like they storyline of the mother and the crazy outsider lady. I think the author did a great job on that and I would have maybe loved a little more of that.
It was still a good book, and I will always be open to see what comes from this author.
*Thanks netgalley and Wednesday Books for a gifted copy.
I loved Gould's last book, so I knew I had to read this one as soon as I could. This one was very complex, dark, and mysterious, much like the last. But this one didn't quite drag me in like the other.
It was well written and kept me on my toes, but I think it was missing more of the horror aspect. I saw another reviewer state that it was more sci-fi, and I would have to agree. It isn't quite what you are thinking you'll be reading.
I was definitely feeling an empty Arizona desert town with this one. The atmosphere felt very empty, dry, and sparce. Though maybe it would have been nice to have a little more storyline with a few more townspeople. But I understand what the author was trying to get at with not too many people being brought into the mix.
The MC's were well written, but at times, felt as dry as their surroundings... maybe it was meant to be that way, but I wanted to feel a little more from them. I felt like there was such a separation from the sisters, and sometimes, it felt like the other sister wasn't even there.
I did, however, like they storyline of the mother and the crazy outsider lady. I think the author did a great job on that and I would have maybe loved a little more of that.
It was still a good book, and I will always be open to see what comes from this author.
*Thanks netgalley and Wednesday Books for a gifted copy.
carlylikethetvshow's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This would be a great first entry into horror. If you never tried horror lit because you scare easily, start here. I figured out one of the plot twists but there’s enough mystery there to keep you entertained! If you prefer strong, character driven stories, this might not be for you
mangofloat's review
will restart and pick up another time i promise @ courtney gould
pale_faced_fear's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
friss_zucker's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
theofficialzhang's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest, spoiler-free review!
Themes: Grief, Loss, Family, Moving on
Representation: Lesbian, Mental health
Content Warnings: Abuse, Violence, Death
Premise: There are no cars in Backravel, no churches and no cemeteries. After her mother’s death, Beck decides to visit Backravel, a strange little town in Arizona that her mother was quite drawn to to solve her mother’s mystery. However, she has more questions than answers.
Characters
Since this book is more plot-focused, I found that the characters weren’t as well-developed as I would’ve liked. However, I think the author did a good job portraying how each character struggles with grief differently, how nuanced it is, and how it does not affect everyone the same.
For Beck, she has grief over losing her mother. Not just what she had with her, but what could have been since Beck has a very interesting, to say the least, relationship with her mother and that has affected her life a lot, as well as her relationships with other characters. We can witness Beck’s relationship with her mother in flashbacks. And the author does a good job connecting the present and past.
However, I did wish the author showed more interactions between Beck and her mother. A lot of what we know about her mother is based on Beck’s interactions from before, however, there is only one interaction (from what I can recall) from before the before. Before Beck’s relationship with her mother started to change. I feel like if we were to be shown more of the relationship before the before, it would help the reader better understand why Beck feels the way she does about her mother and why her feelings are so conflicted.
Other than that, I also think the author does a good job portraying Beck’s mental health because mental health isn’t something that is easy to portray. Showing how Beck’s struggles do not necessarily make her a “weak” person and how she can overcome them. However, I wish we were shown a bit more of Beck’s thought process about overcoming her struggles.
As for the other characters, they were also generally well-represented. I loved how Riley showed a different perspective of how she felt after losing her mother was different than how Beck felt. I liked the interactions that the two sisters had with each other and how their relationship was generally positive as well as how they cared for each other. I do wish we got a bit more explanation about why Riley felt compelled to act as she did around Beck from Riley rather than Beck’s internal monologue.
I also enjoyed Avery. I enjoyed how her character showed how living in Backravel could change you. I liked how she also showed a different perspective towards grief and loss since, yes, Avery does have troubles of her own. I also liked how she helped Beck, not only with solving the mystery of the town but becoming a better person. However, even though I liked the Sapphic representation that the author decided to include, I felt that Avery and Beck lacked chemistry and their relationship felt more platonic to me than romantic. Plus, I felt that having a romantic relationship took the focus away from their character development as individuals.
Finally, Ricky. He was an interesting antagonist. He started off seeming perfect, unsettlingly perfect until BOOM… the end when his true nature was revealed. As well as his motives for his actions. Though I loved his reveal in the end, and how what he did wasn’t because he was necessarily an evil person, I wished there was more of a buildup towards his character reveal. I wish the author included small fragments into Rick’s life that foreshadowed and better explained his actions based on his character and his character’s interactions.
Rating: 3.5/5
Plot
The plot was the best part of the book. After all, this book is plot based as the character is striving for a specific action, a “goal” if you will.
Though the exposition of the book started off slow and confusingly and might turn you away from the lack of action… do not fret. Once you sit through it, it is worth it. You are hit with twist after twist, leaving you with more questions than answers, and leaving you wanting more. Wanting to solve the mystery of Backravel with Beck. And wanting to figure out why exactly Backravel is so unsettling.
The ending of the book was unexpected and unpredictable. You’d think something else was the reason why Backravel was the way that it was based on the “clues” you were given throughout the story but it turns on you. Packed with action, the ending of the book does a good job of surprising the reader while tying all the ends of the story together in a fitting way.
Finally, the author does an excellent job of foreshadowing in the book. Leaving the clues in small sprinkles and letting the reader tie the clues together rather than revealing what happens straight away. She does this through things the other characters say, the actions that the other characters do, and making the strange town, Backravel, get stranger and stranger. Though, I can’t give you a specific example without spoiling the story itself.
Finally, the setting and atmosphere play a huge role in the plot. The desert and this strange town, Backravel, just seem to be in the midst of all the mystery!
Rating: 5/5
Style
Speaking of the setting, I loved how the author describes it. She uses a lot of vivid imagery to evoke the essence of Backravel. The imagery of the desolate desert and peculiar town. As you are reading this book, it feels like you have been transported to Backravel, the Arizona sun beating down on your face, along with Beck.
As for the themes, the author does a great job representing Sapphic love in a casual manner, something that is rare in books and rarer in YA thrillers. Which is something I, as a queer person, do find validating. She also does a good job with the mental health rep. She shows how grief can affect each person differently through different characters, their thoughts, their words, and their actions since grief and loss aren’t a “one-size-fits-all” type of thing.
For the general formatting of the book, I didn’t really think too much of it. It was written in third-person present tense which didn’t add nor subtract anything from the book and actually fit the book since it was pretty plot heavy.
Rating: 3.5/5
Final Rating
Characters: 3.5/5
Plot: 5/5
Formatting: 3.5/5
Final Rating: 4/5
Personal Rating: 3.5/5
Date Read: May 30th, 2023
Date Reviewed: May 31st, 2023
Themes: Grief, Loss, Family, Moving on
Representation: Lesbian, Mental health
Content Warnings: Abuse, Violence, Death
Premise: There are no cars in Backravel, no churches and no cemeteries. After her mother’s death, Beck decides to visit Backravel, a strange little town in Arizona that her mother was quite drawn to to solve her mother’s mystery. However, she has more questions than answers.
Characters
Since this book is more plot-focused, I found that the characters weren’t as well-developed as I would’ve liked. However, I think the author did a good job portraying how each character struggles with grief differently, how nuanced it is, and how it does not affect everyone the same.
For Beck, she has grief over losing her mother. Not just what she had with her, but what could have been since Beck has a very interesting, to say the least, relationship with her mother and that has affected her life a lot, as well as her relationships with other characters. We can witness Beck’s relationship with her mother in flashbacks. And the author does a good job connecting the present and past.
However, I did wish the author showed more interactions between Beck and her mother. A lot of what we know about her mother is based on Beck’s interactions from before, however, there is only one interaction (from what I can recall) from before the before. Before Beck’s relationship with her mother started to change. I feel like if we were to be shown more of the relationship before the before, it would help the reader better understand why Beck feels the way she does about her mother and why her feelings are so conflicted.
Other than that, I also think the author does a good job portraying Beck’s mental health because mental health isn’t something that is easy to portray. Showing how Beck’s struggles do not necessarily make her a “weak” person and how she can overcome them. However, I wish we were shown a bit more of Beck’s thought process about overcoming her struggles.
As for the other characters, they were also generally well-represented. I loved how Riley showed a different perspective of how she felt after losing her mother was different than how Beck felt. I liked the interactions that the two sisters had with each other and how their relationship was generally positive as well as how they cared for each other. I do wish we got a bit more explanation about why Riley felt compelled to act as she did around Beck from Riley rather than Beck’s internal monologue.
I also enjoyed Avery. I enjoyed how her character showed how living in Backravel could change you. I liked how she also showed a different perspective towards grief and loss since, yes, Avery does have troubles of her own. I also liked how she helped Beck, not only with solving the mystery of the town but becoming a better person. However, even though I liked the Sapphic representation that the author decided to include, I felt that Avery and Beck lacked chemistry and their relationship felt more platonic to me than romantic. Plus, I felt that having a romantic relationship took the focus away from their character development as individuals.
Finally, Ricky. He was an interesting antagonist. He started off seeming perfect, unsettlingly perfect until BOOM… the end when his true nature was revealed. As well as his motives for his actions. Though I loved his reveal in the end, and how what he did wasn’t because he was necessarily an evil person, I wished there was more of a buildup towards his character reveal. I wish the author included small fragments into Rick’s life that foreshadowed and better explained his actions based on his character and his character’s interactions.
Rating: 3.5/5
Plot
The plot was the best part of the book. After all, this book is plot based as the character is striving for a specific action, a “goal” if you will.
Though the exposition of the book started off slow and confusingly and might turn you away from the lack of action… do not fret. Once you sit through it, it is worth it. You are hit with twist after twist, leaving you with more questions than answers, and leaving you wanting more. Wanting to solve the mystery of Backravel with Beck. And wanting to figure out why exactly Backravel is so unsettling.
The ending of the book was unexpected and unpredictable. You’d think something else was the reason why Backravel was the way that it was based on the “clues” you were given throughout the story but it turns on you. Packed with action, the ending of the book does a good job of surprising the reader while tying all the ends of the story together in a fitting way.
Finally, the author does an excellent job of foreshadowing in the book. Leaving the clues in small sprinkles and letting the reader tie the clues together rather than revealing what happens straight away. She does this through things the other characters say, the actions that the other characters do, and making the strange town, Backravel, get stranger and stranger. Though, I can’t give you a specific example without spoiling the story itself.
Finally, the setting and atmosphere play a huge role in the plot. The desert and this strange town, Backravel, just seem to be in the midst of all the mystery!
Rating: 5/5
Style
Speaking of the setting, I loved how the author describes it. She uses a lot of vivid imagery to evoke the essence of Backravel. The imagery of the desolate desert and peculiar town. As you are reading this book, it feels like you have been transported to Backravel, the Arizona sun beating down on your face, along with Beck.
As for the themes, the author does a great job representing Sapphic love in a casual manner, something that is rare in books and rarer in YA thrillers. Which is something I, as a queer person, do find validating. She also does a good job with the mental health rep. She shows how grief can affect each person differently through different characters, their thoughts, their words, and their actions since grief and loss aren’t a “one-size-fits-all” type of thing.
For the general formatting of the book, I didn’t really think too much of it. It was written in third-person present tense which didn’t add nor subtract anything from the book and actually fit the book since it was pretty plot heavy.
Rating: 3.5/5
Final Rating
Characters: 3.5/5
Plot: 5/5
Formatting: 3.5/5
Final Rating: 4/5
Personal Rating: 3.5/5
Date Read: May 30th, 2023
Date Reviewed: May 31st, 2023
optimisticbooknerd's review against another edition
4.0
4 ⭐️
this was an excellent YA thriller and I was hooked!
I don't wanna give anything away but this book is literally so good. It has a arizona setting, sister bond, mystery, cool twists
Thankyou so much to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me access to read this one early
this was an excellent YA thriller and I was hooked!
I don't wanna give anything away but this book is literally so good. It has a arizona setting, sister bond, mystery, cool twists
Thankyou so much to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me access to read this one early