In Nightfall

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The writing was good, though the flow dragged towards the end. One reason why I gave this four stars was that by the time Theo figures things out, there's still like 40 percent of the book to go. I just thought it could have been cut down a bit more here and there. I thought Young did a great job with developing Theo and Marco. I got that they were two siblings struggling with their parent's divorce, and their mom moving on without them. I also loved the other characters we get to meet and Theo's mysterious grandmother. I absolutely adored Nonna, especially after she told Theo her history in the town! She was a total badass.

Theo and her brother, Marco, threw the biggest party of the year. And got caught. Their punishment? Leave Arizona to spend the summer with their grandmother in the rainy beachside town of Nightfall, Oregon--population 846 souls. Theo and her brother, Marco, threw the biggest party of the year. And got caught. Their punishment? Leave Arizona to spend the summer with their grandmother in the rainy beachside town of Nightfall, Oregon—population 846 souls. Suzanne Young’s In Nightfall breathes life into the vampire genre. Female villainess vamps reign supreme with the wittiest dialog since Buffy. Move over, Sunnydale: Nightfall is about to become the vampirecapital of the world.”—Diana Rodriguez Wallach, author of Small Town Monsters and Hatchet GirlsThank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for providing me with a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review! Theo and Marco soon make friends with alluring and bizarre local teens and get invited out by them to bonfires and parties. Theo also meets two young men who have a podcast on the history of Nightfall. A history that is dark and dangerous. Lastly, I am chanting for Nonna for being the best badass grandma I wish to have! She’s legendary! You’ll understand me completely when you devour the entire premise! The slow build-up allows readers plenty of time tobecome acquainted with Nightfall…andbecome seduced along with Theo and Marco by the town’s alluring qualities.”— The Bulletin I definitely cringed at the beginning of the book when Theo and Marco were interacting with their dad. They didn’t play the annoyed, bratty teenagers very well, and they came off as close friends and not siblings who were just caught throwing a party the police had to shut down. As the book continued, their interactions got tolerable, so maybe it was me just getting used to the writing.

I hate being THIS PERSON, but this definitely could have used another round of editing. A couple slips are absolutely no problem for me, but constant sentences where you can tell a word was supposed to be deleted stagnate the flow and bring me out of the story altogether. I also enjoyed our main characters. I found Theo to be a fine protagonist. She's snarky, independent, and stands up for herself and her family. She also reads very much like a normal teenage girl, so I imagine she's easy for readers to see themselves in. I also liked Marco and Nonna (their grandmother). Marco's relationship with Theo feels authentic, and I appreciated their conversations, especially at the beginning of the novel. Nonna is quirky and has a hard edge, but you can tell there was something earlier in her life that made her that way. I wanted to learn more about her and her motivations. The only main family member I didn't love was the father-- he's okay, but like most YA parents, he mostly disappears for 80% of the story (as the plot needs him to do).

Thank you to Random House Children’s, Delacorte Press, and Suzanne Young for this free advanced review copy of this book. The thoughts and opinions expressed below are honest and my own.

I was so, so hopeful that Young was going to do something different with it. Killer mermaids or sirens or selkies or something. Do something to make it actually her own story. Those were the vibes I was getting for the first, like, third of the book. NOPE. It’s The Lost Boys, slightly tweaked. Pure escapism reading which was nostalgic and fun. This book made my inner vampire loving teen self very happy. The small town is cute, when it’s not raining, but their grandmother is superstitious and strangely antisocial. Upon their arrival she lays out the one house rule: always be home before dark. But Theo and Marco are determined to make the most of their summer, and on their first day they meet the enigmatic Minnow and her friends. Beautiful and charismatic, the girls have a magnetic pull that Theo and her brother can't resist. The small town is cute, when it’s not raining, but their grandmother is superstitious and strangely antisocial. Upon their arrival she lays out the one house rule: always be home before dark. But Theo and Marco are determined to make the most of their summer, and on their first day they meet the enigmatic Minnow and her friends. Beautiful and charismatic, the girls havea magnetic pull that Theo and her brother can’t resist. I was really rooting for Parrish and Theo. Who among us doesn’t want a good vampire romance?! Alas, it was wishy-washy, and the good guy vampire thing never lasts. Would I have liked some smooching and forbidden love? Yes. But all you get is a couple lingering looks and some sweet gestures. Blah.What I didn’t figure was the book would feel like someone took The Lost Boys and made it into a Mad Lib for the author to fill out. It was especially hard to ignore in the first couple of chapters that this was a gender swapped, shot for shot remake of the film at times. Instead of the references being a “cool! I get that one!” they were very …cringy. Maybe if I hadn’t just watched the movie 2 weeks ago, I wouldn’t have caught as many of the comparisons and my thoughts on this would be a bit different?

PS: Where the hell does Buffy come into this? The fancy dress and vampire-staking at the end? Bit of a stretch. Theo is very into true crime podcasts, and what a coincidence that she meets two of her favourite podcasters on the beach, who help her unveil Nightfall’s secrets. Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s / Delacorte Press for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

In the quaint town of Nightfall, Oregon, it isn’t the dark you should be afraid of—it’s the girls. The Lost Boys meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this propulsive novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Treatment. Dragging your kids across 2 state lines to live with you and the grandmother they never met is a torture all on its on. But knowing the dangers of after-dark activities and allowing them to go out is the most irresponsible thing a fictional father has done in a while. Especially when you don’t even try to help. A+ human being *heavy sarcasm* The small town is cute, when it's not raining, but their grandmother is superstitious and strangely antisocial. Upon their arrival she lays out the one house rule: always be home before dark. But Theo and Marco are determined to make the most of their summer, and on their first day they meet the enigmatic Minnow and her friends. Beautiful and charismatic, the girls have a magnetic pull that Theo and her brother can't resist.