Reviews with content warning for Grief - My Dearest Darkest

This book was so gross. I loved it. It’s nasty parts were disgusting and I could picture the visuals so clearly. It was awesome.

I was rooting for Finch and Selena from their very first meeting. I loved the supporting characters of Sumera, Simon, Amber, and Risa.

Kyra was the perfect villain and pawn for Nerosi.

The spookiest part for me was when Simon and Selena saw the Echo of Margo. For some reason that really freaked me out. But in the best way.

Overall I liked the writing style and humor of the book. I liked the characters.

I wish Sumera could have been seen as more multi-dimensional rather than always being upset with Finch or Selena. I also wish we had slightly more build up towards the beginning of the story.

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trashboatwinter's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

personally, i couldn’t connect with these characters. i felt like the writing wasn’t the greatest especially in certain dialogue with finch constantly stumbling over words. selena and finch’s dynamic i felt like changed super quickly. selena went from hating her to having a crush on her super quickly. there really wasn’t any building there and it left me disappointed. i was super excited to read a sapphic horror, but it just felt slow and the writing didn’t feel great :(

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asherz08's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

My Dearest Darkest is a dark paranormal/horror story with a queer twist. This was a great and entertaining read. The concept of the story was very intriguing and unique. It definitely kept me on my toes and I'm not going to lie, there were quite a few times where I was a bit creeped out.

For a debut novel, Kayla has everything you could want in a good paranormal read. Her attention to detail and sucking you in to the world of Ulalume Academy is absolutely fantastic. I definitely recommend picking this up if your looking for a good spooky season read this fall.

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julybunny's review against another edition

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dark sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.25

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thetinytrashcan's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

For a debut novel this book is executed extremely well. I loved all the characters in the book and appropriated that all the ensemble characters had important roles to play in the plot. Though most of the characters could have been explored more I never felt that any of them were bland or unnecessary which made me fall in love with this book. I loved the premise presented in the summary and found that the book did a pretty good job executing the lore of the story and presented background information in interesting ways that kept me engaged the whole time. The only reason this is book lost points in my book is because it wasn’t as much of a dark story as the summary presented and I don’t feel that it completely reached the mood it was trying to create.

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meleac07's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was absolutely BRILLIANT!! I fell into this reality with the characters and found myself connected and drawn to each character for all of their quirks and complexities. Each character was unique and so well thought out. I can not put into words the joy I felt from reading this. Coming from a queer person, the representation in this book is such a breath of fresh air. This book put me through a rollercoaster of emotions. From the cheesiest of lines to the most grotesque scenes, I found myself utterly swept away by the beauty and tangibility of Kayla Cottingham’s writing. So excited to read whatever she puts out next.

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alli_the_bookaholic13's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Thank you Raincoast Books for an ARC copy for an honest review.

This was an excellent YA queer mystery thriller. If you’re not already intrigued by that alone, there are potential cult elements, a mysterious band disappearance from almost 20 years ago, a queer girl coming to terms with her sexuality, and a weird thing in the tunnels beneath the school that can grant wishes.
The writing style was really good. It was super easy to follow, and the author developed the creepy and unsettling atmosphere really well. I was completely sucked into this story, and I didn’t want to put it down. It did feel a little slow at times, but I enjoyed the mystery aspect and also the relationship aspect.
Finch has lived a pretty sheltered life, but after her parents death, she starts at Ulalume. She and Selena are drawn towards each other, and I enjoyed seeing Finch come to terms with her crush on Selena. Their relationship was really good, and I liked how it developed over the course of the book. Finch is also drawn down into the tunnels beneath Ulalume where she accidentally pulls something into existence in their world.
Selena was also a good character. I liked her confidence and how she owned her identity, and I really felt for her when we learned how she’d suffered before getting to this place where she could own it. Her toxic friendship/relationship with Kyra was very unsettling, and Kyra only became worse as the book progressed. Selena is drawn not only towards Finch, but she’s also pulled into the mystery of the thing in the tunnels when Kyra discovers it and gets her friends involved.
This got pretty dark at times, and the ending was really intense. I really liked the friendships that developed in the book, the romance, and the creepy mystery.

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