Reviews

Can your past cause you to see what isn’t there? What about a hotel in the middle of nowhere?
College Tour - Mira and Layla are on a road trip to visit some potential colleges when they get into a car accident in a small town
Creepy room - The only place they can stay is in a small hotel with a room that feels like it’s just a little creepy to Mira
Terror Past - She also sees her brother there, but he has been dead for over a year.

I had heard some really interesting things about this book and I did listen to it over the course of a day. It was thrilling and kept my attention. However there is a third character’s POV here which you sort of find out in the end who it is. But for me it didn’t feel like it was totally a definitive ending, but only one that was supposed to stay with you. And while I loved the rest of the story, due to that ending, it just didn’t have the impact I hoped it would.

thepetitepunk's review against another edition

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3.0

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Guide to the Dark had some clear strengths: I loved the creepy atmosphere, diverse atmosphere, and emotional moments. However, even with the obvious horror elements, the marketing of this novel as horror/thriller disappointed me. There was always a sense of foreboding present which made eager for some sort of twist or reveal, but the ending was weak and unsatisfying. I also wish this was either just one POV or for both POVs to be further developed. Mira's POV and her experiencing with grief were fine, but Layla's struggles with her sexuality felt...underdeveloped, to say the least. I'm all for sapphic yearning, but there was something a bit off-putting about the way Layla's longing was described. It was still a quick and enjoyable read, but I needed more depth to the characters and much stronger plot points.