A review by booktribe
A Guide to the Dark by Meriam Metoui

Did not finish book. Stopped at 55%.
When I first started this book, I was incredibly excited for it. It’s one of my most anticipated releases of 2023! And the beginning of the book was great! It started off very creepy and mysterious! The character development was good. The exploration of grief in this story was very impactful. I loved the mixed media format and how photographs were included in the novel. And the chapters from the motel room’s point of view were so creepy, I was excited to find out what was going on! But sadly, I had to DNF at 55%.

After the first few chapters, most of the time this did not feel like a mystery or horror book. There was way too much emphasis on a romantic subplot and it really took me out of the story and bored me. There was more pining than mystery. I don’t usually mind if there’s a little romantic subplot in my spooky books, but the two main characters pining took over the whole story. It was interesting at first but it just got exhausting when the story wasn’t moving forward, it was just all about romantic thoughts. It also seems like these characters don’t really care about their lives! At one point they learn about all the deaths in the room, they know there’s something sinister going on,  and they still choose to stay there! That is very unrealistic to me. At about 49% into the story I decided to put it down for a week or so to focus on books that I was enjoying more. I eventually picked it back up to read more, got to 55%, and I just have no motivation to finish. I kind of care what happens at the end, but not enough to read 45% more pining instead of mystery. Maybe one day I’ll come back and try to finish, but not today.

Someone that knows going into the story that romantic thoughts are a heavy focus of this story and that it’s more character driven than plot driven might have a better time with it. I was just expecting paranormal mystery with little to no romance. But if you enjoy romantic plots in your spooky books, this could be a good read for you!

Thanks you Henry Holt and Co. and NetGalley for this arc. All opinions are my own.

TW: death of a family member, car accident, drowning, parental neglect 
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