Horror

My Dearest Darkest

My Dearest Darkest

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-04-11 07:19:37
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Kayla Cottingham
  • ISBN：172823641X
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Summary

WILDER GIRLS meets THE CRAFT in this Sapphic horror debut that asks: What price would you be willing to pay to achieve your deepest desires？

Finch Chamberlin is the newest transfer student to the ultra-competitive Ulalume Academy。。。 but she's also not what she seems。 Months before school started， Finch and her parents got into an accident that should have left her dead at the bottom of a river。 But something monstrous， and ancient， and terrifying， wouldn't let her drown。 Finch doesn't know why she woke up after her heart stopped， but since dying she's felt a constant pull from the school and the surrounding town of Rainwater， like something on the island is calling to her。

Selena St。 Clair sees right through Finch， and she knows something is seriously wrong with her。 But despite Selena's suspicion， she feels drawn to Finch and has a sinking feeling that from now on the two will be inexplicably linked to one another。

One night Finch， Selena， and her friends accidentally summon a carnivorous creature of immense power in the depths of the school。 It promises to grant every desire the girls have kept locked away in their insecure hearts―beauty， power， adoration―in exchange for a price: human body parts。 But as the cost of their wanting becomes more deadly， Finch and Selena must learn to work together to stop the horror they unleashed， before it consumes the entire island。

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Reviews

alerleees ，

it was a gay horror。。。 what more can a girl want？

Crystal ，

I upped it to 3 stars （because I felt like being generous）， but my actual rating is 2。5 stars。 The ending went full Lovecraftian horror， and I loved it！ The problem is， the rest of the book doesn't match that energy。 It's more。。。kinda The Craft？。。。Honestly， there were a lot of plot holes and inconsistency that never made sense or really added up。 That's probably because the book was too long and it kept switching back and forth between ideas on what Nerosi was supposed to be/represent。 There's a I upped it to 3 stars （because I felt like being generous）， but my actual rating is 2。5 stars。 The ending went full Lovecraftian horror， and I loved it！ The problem is， the rest of the book doesn't match that energy。 It's more。。。kinda The Craft？。。。Honestly， there were a lot of plot holes and inconsistency that never made sense or really added up。 That's probably because the book was too long and it kept switching back and forth between ideas on what Nerosi was supposed to be/represent。 There's a lot of good ideas here， but the executing was lacking and took it into more cheesy horror territory。 Although I have to give Cottingham props for including some decent body horror and gore。 I loved the sapphic elements in this book。 However， the writer went a little overboard with inclusion。 Almost all the characters ended up being queer which made the narrative less believable and took away from the specialness of Finch and Selena's relationship IMO。 The dialog was also very Gen-Z， but clearly written by someone who isn't Gen-Z。。。I hope that makes sense！ This was a decent story。 It didn't blow me away。 It was clearly a debut effort， but I'd read another book by Kayla Cottingham in the future。 。。。more

Figmentlady ，

This YA horror does two things very well。 It explores the emotions of teens on the brink of adulthood attempting to navigate experiences that will cause them to grow in unexpected ways。 The second thing Cottingham does well in the novel My Dearest Darkest is horror。 We are talking gruesome gods of old literally yanking out fingernails and other body parts。 Bloody human sacrifice and magic are as old a part of horror as the fear humans experience in a pitch-black room。 My Dearest Darkest will bri This YA horror does two things very well。 It explores the emotions of teens on the brink of adulthood attempting to navigate experiences that will cause them to grow in unexpected ways。 The second thing Cottingham does well in the novel My Dearest Darkest is horror。 We are talking gruesome gods of old literally yanking out fingernails and other body parts。 Bloody human sacrifice and magic are as old a part of horror as the fear humans experience in a pitch-black room。 My Dearest Darkest will bring back that fear you may have thought you had outgrown。Finch is a new student at the competitive and expensive New England boarding school。 Her acceptance is branded with sorrow because the same day she is accepted， she loses a part of her world that will change her life。 Her loss and sorrow carry through into what she hopes is a new beginning。 But when she enters the campus， there is something dark and powerful that notices her and decides to keep her。 Finch just wants to start over， find friends， and maybe romance。 She wants to work toward the creative and academic goals that mean so much to her。 However， a black-eyed spirit that has been residing in the caves under the boarding school has its own plans for Finch。 And this spirit has been working on its goals for far， far longer。The tenacity of youth， love， and friendship go to war with the horrors that create nightmares and it really is uncertain who will end up the winner。 。。。more

Elysian Fields ，

So um， yeah cute story。 This is a high school romance with a hint （and I mean a tiny hint） of Mean Girls and maybe It。 I liked the story line and how the characters were both immature （as they should be for high schoolers） but also mature enough to talk out issues （for the most part） rather then just let them fester。 It's about 60% sweet romance， 10% high school drama and 20% mystery/supernatural。 The story flowed nicely and was written in a way that made me feel like it was completely plasuable So um， yeah cute story。 This is a high school romance with a hint （and I mean a tiny hint） of Mean Girls and maybe It。 I liked the story line and how the characters were both immature （as they should be for high schoolers） but also mature enough to talk out issues （for the most part） rather then just let them fester。 It's about 60% sweet romance， 10% high school drama and 20% mystery/supernatural。 The story flowed nicely and was written in a way that made me feel like it was completely plasuable。 I would have liked more mystery/supernatural balanced with the romance。 Just because it was such a unique aspect and I wanted to learn more。 I would totally read a sequel if there ever was one。 I also was left with a few questions but I didn't care enough about them to seek answers and I don't mean that in a negative way， just that I am satisfied enough with the ending that I don'tfeel like those answers would impactmy enjoyment。 The characters were all great andnI loved their personalities。 I will say this is not gothic， nor scary， not frightening to me but it might be fore some younger readers。 Triggers: body horror， blood， violence， human death， animal death， bullying。 。。。more

Megan ，

This was just what I needed to get back on track with reading great books！ Better review to come when I haven’t taped up until almost 4AM reading but this was absolutely a solid book。

Ariel Himboi ，

My Dearest Darkest is a promising debut。 The plot of this novel， following our Good Girl Finch and our other lead Selena The Mean Girl Who Isn't Actually A Mean Girl。 A sci-fi， fantasy horror/thriller takes place at a private school for the rich and pretty in Rainwater Maine。 We follow the drama and action of opposing sides come together to defeat a vengeful god waiting to take control of the current reality。 I mean， it sounds cool doesn't it？ The only thing is。。。。First， the good bits。 The writi My Dearest Darkest is a promising debut。 The plot of this novel， following our Good Girl Finch and our other lead Selena The Mean Girl Who Isn't Actually A Mean Girl。 A sci-fi， fantasy horror/thriller takes place at a private school for the rich and pretty in Rainwater Maine。 We follow the drama and action of opposing sides come together to defeat a vengeful god waiting to take control of the current reality。 I mean， it sounds cool doesn't it？ The only thing is。。。。First， the good bits。 The writing was pretty decent， I found myself interested in finding out more about what this evil， white haired crazy white woman with tentacles was going to do。 I would say that thankfully the plot progressed quickly enough that I didn't have the inclination to put it down， and I'm glad， because I didn't end up disliking it， nor hating it as much as I earlier expected。 I liked Finch as a character， whose aware of her naivety， of her position as the scholarship kid， who unfortunately loses her parents and realizes she's。。。 uh。。。 dead。 Oh， and she's just about to come out of the closet。 She's going through a rough patch。 I thought the romance was cute， maybe a touch too insta-love for me， not because they're infatuated with each other on sight。。。 but because I felt like they needed more time。 Despite the crazy things happening around them， it felt odd at times for there to be screen time of their development， and then to be thrown so quickly back into the horrors of monsters and Scooby Gang stuff。 I was left wanting more of their friendship， their relationship， the burning desire and hopeless yearning。 There wasn't enough for me， which was a little sad。 The book was。。。 almost less than 350 pages？ I would have been delighted to have more。 As a side note， Selena and Finch dressing as Velma and Daphne was beautiful。 Chefs kiss。Onto the stuff that made it less than four stars:- I don't know if there were sensitivity readers， but casting a poc as the motherly type in horror has always been an issue？ I'm white so I can't really comment， but there were weirdly specific tropes， jokes， etc。 in dialogue made by poc that made me question if these things were okay so。。。。 someone of color。。。 please let me know how you felt。 - The writing was okay for the most part， not great， but man？ That epilogue？ I wish the author had written like that from the get-go。 It was really good， even if it was just a few pages to show us how gay and happy everyone is。 - The ending was way more interesting than the first and second parts。 The ending reveal was way more interesting and fast paced， almost as if the book took a complete turn for the better。 I really felt the set up in the beginning could use a little more revision， maybe some more ideas to make the story flow better， because the ending was kick-ass。 - I'm sorry， some of it just was so unbelievable I couldn't help but sigh， shake my head and roll my eyes。 We have Simon， Selena and Finch。 All three of them investigate this monster， this cult， this weird stuff going on。 They're all looking for answers， they're all looking for the same information， and for about 150 pages none of them speak to each other？？？？ At all？？？ I don't even think they address this until the end when Selena finally explains to Simon about what they're doing， and it just skips over his reaction or any conversation after that？ I mean？ What？？？？ AUTHORS。 FIX。 YOUR。 PLOT。 HOLES。 COMMUNICATION。 IS。 KEY。 DON'T。 TREAT。 READERS。 LIKE。 THEY'RE。 STUPID。 READERS。 ARE。 AWARE。 THAT。 YOU'RE。 JUST。 MAKING。 THEM。 DO。 STUPID。 SHIT。 SO。 THAT。 SPECIFIC。 STUPID。 SHIT。 HAPPENS。 LATER。 BE CREATIVE。 PLEASE！！！Seriously。 This is why horror movies got worse。 The same beats。 The same scenes。 Over and over and over with no individuality。 I get some people like that and want that but man。。。 Wow， it really ruins a book for the rest of us who crave new and exciting ideas。 Where is your imagination？This wasn't a bad book， per se。 I think the author has potential。 But I felt like some of it was a bit premature and not executed to it's ability。 I think people who love this book will enjoy their next work。 。。。more

Elwood Wilkins ，

I feel like a few small things had no conclusion or answer which kinda bug me。 But overall， very enthralling！

Jamie （TheRebelliousReader） ，

4 stars。 Cheesy horror fun。 And I mean that with all respect。 This was a very fun read。 I’ll start with the positives。 I thought the plot was really intriguing and I enjoyed how it unfolded。 The atmosphere of the book was great and moody。 There were some well done spooky moments and the way everything wrapped up was satisfying。Now for some of the things I didn’t care for。 The writing。 You can definitely tell that it’s a debut because some of the writing and dialogue felt wooden at times。 Another 4 stars。 Cheesy horror fun。 And I mean that with all respect。 This was a very fun read。 I’ll start with the positives。 I thought the plot was really intriguing and I enjoyed how it unfolded。 The atmosphere of the book was great and moody。 There were some well done spooky moments and the way everything wrapped up was satisfying。Now for some of the things I didn’t care for。 The writing。 You can definitely tell that it’s a debut because some of the writing and dialogue felt wooden at times。 Another thing was that the characters felt so one dimensional and underdeveloped。 Selena is the bad girl and Finch is the good girl。 That’s it。 I wanted more from them。 The romance between the two of them wasn’t bad though so there’s that。Overall， despite some of the issues I had I still was thoroughly entertained while reading this。 This was a solid debut。 It’s fun and has the aura of cheesy teen horror films which I love。 I’d recommend it。 。。。more

Macy Davis ，

I really enjoyed reading this！ Selena's character was my favorite in terms of really adding depth to the classic "mean girl" stereotype in what felt like a new way to me。 Honestly， the horror felt like less than I anticipated but there were certainly some gruesome moments。 This was a really really great read， and even if you're not a huge fan of horror， [like me :）] It's still accessible。 I really enjoyed reading this！ Selena's character was my favorite in terms of really adding depth to the classic "mean girl" stereotype in what felt like a new way to me。 Honestly， the horror felt like less than I anticipated but there were certainly some gruesome moments。 This was a really really great read， and even if you're not a huge fan of horror， [like me :）] It's still accessible。 。。。more

Alex ，

The premise of this book is great but the main characters were really flat and boring in my opinion and there was barely any chemistry between them。 Simon and Sumera though I loved them。

Karen Barber ，

Our story begins with talented musician Finch Chamberlain heading to the prestigious Ulalume Academy for an audition。 The audition goes well， though Finch finds herself making trouble for student Selena St Clair。 She is desperate for acceptance and expresses the view she’d do anything to get in。 Next thing we know， a stag with eight eyes appears on the road in front of them， her father crashes the car and Finch and her parents are plunged into the river。 With our main character dying in the open Our story begins with talented musician Finch Chamberlain heading to the prestigious Ulalume Academy for an audition。 The audition goes well， though Finch finds herself making trouble for student Selena St Clair。 She is desperate for acceptance and expresses the view she’d do anything to get in。 Next thing we know， a stag with eight eyes appears on the road in front of them， her father crashes the car and Finch and her parents are plunged into the river。 With our main character dying in the opening chapter， and then starting at the Academy， it was clear from early on that this was not going to be an ordinary read。 Finch hears a strange voice， her hair has turned white and she quickly finds herself wandering the tunnels below the academy where she seems to conjure a spirit known as Nerosi。Suspend your disbelief。 The girls at this school are ultra competitive， so for them to make their own deal with the devil in exchange for their heart’s desire makes sense。 Initially the demands are fairly straightforward。 The girls get flawless skin and increased popularity。 Of course， it doesn’t take long for the demands to become a little harder to fulfil。Much of the book focuses on the strange entity known as Nerosi， and the links between her appearance and strange events that took place in the town decades earlier。 Finch and her new friends start to grow wary of exactly what is being asked of them and we soon see something evil has been unleashed。Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this in advance of publication。 Some of the background characters felt undeveloped， and Finch’s questioning of her sexuality felt like a means to shift the plot forward。 However， it was an intriguing idea。 。。。more

Victoria S ，

4/3/22HOW have I not heard of this until I went to B&N today and they tried to sell it to me？？？

Sam Maggs ，

I love a book that isn’t afraid to say the word lesbian （and make a U-Haul joke）， but I’d give this book every star just for the Mass Effect reference alone <3333 Excited to see more from this debut author！！

Carrington （ctonreads） ，

"While all towns have their ghosts， Rainwater's were special。 The island had a habit of keeping things long after they were gone。 And when Finch Chamberlin stepped foot into Rainwater， Maine。。。 it decided to keep her。" I have to admit， it took me a while to really get into "My Dearest Darkest。" I didn't find the plot to be as clear it could have been， there seemed to be a lot of directions we were going in that never got elaborated on。 I wasn't hooked until our two main characters， Finch and Se "While all towns have their ghosts， Rainwater's were special。 The island had a habit of keeping things long after they were gone。 And when Finch Chamberlin stepped foot into Rainwater， Maine。。。 it decided to keep her。" I have to admit， it took me a while to really get into "My Dearest Darkest。" I didn't find the plot to be as clear it could have been， there seemed to be a lot of directions we were going in that never got elaborated on。 I wasn't hooked until our two main characters， Finch and Selena， were acquainted with one another。 This is when the plot really began moving and it got a little clearer where this was going。There were several things that I assumed would be brought up at some point， but never were。 I could overlook most of them， but one that seemed a bit glaring to me was the reveal of Finch's。。。 current state？ Trying not to be spoilery here。 On one hand， I found it to be really predictable （didn't mind that though） but also a really huge deal that deserved more explanation and a sound ending。 There are some other plots I thought got left underdeveloped as well， such as Kyra's interactions with Nerosi and Nerosi's past with former Ulalume Academy students。 This didn't make me dislike the book by any means， but I think this book could have been much longer if these （several） loose ends had been tied up， and I would have gladly read all of it。 I'm honestly wishing this had been about as long as "Plain Bad Heroines" （another great sapphic horror）。The strength of this book is definitely found in the characters。 Finch and Selena are very well-written and they have amazing chemistry。 I am also so happy they were not victims of an insta-love plot that I find to be plaguing the YA genre lately。 I wouldn't go as far as calling them a slow-burn， but they had great development that I loved reading。 The side characters are also wonderful， specifically Simon and Sumera。 Sumera in particular is a character I wish we had actually gotten a little more from。 I think that the cover of this book （and some of the marketing） presents "My Dearest Darkest" as more of a mystery/thriller， but this ended up being way more of a horror book。 Horror books don't really ever have an impact on me， but I actually found this to be pretty creepy and unsettling。 Though， I think that the horror of the final act got a little lost by being over-the-top。 It seemed a little too ambitious for what the rest of the book had been。 The horror elements were best when Cottingham took a more subtle approach， letting the eeriness creep up on you。 Overall， I had a lot of fun with this， though it took me a bit to get there。 And with that ending， I can see Cottingham choosing to turn this into a series！ I would be thrilled to read more in this world， especially following these great characters to Boston and maybe finding some spooky stuff there？ I'm feeling a dark academia horror！ I highly recommend this to any mystery/thriller/horror readers， any sapphic lit。 readers， or anyone wanting to dabble in paranormal fiction！ This is a great one to start with。 Also， great for any fans of "The Grimrose Girls。" Kayla Cottingham is an author to watch！Pros:Sapphic yearningCreepyGreat cast of charactersCons:PredictableUnderdeveloped/Loose endsUnderwhelming final act"My Dearest Darkest" - 4/5 Stars 。。。more

Brandi Aga ，

“You’re—worried about me？” Sumera shrugged。 “Well， sure。 Your first night you disappeared from my party and didn’t show up until three a。m。， then you start going down to the tunnels by yourself and acting like something is following you around。” Wow！ This book very much surprised me as I was not expecting that at all！ I bought it on a whim after seeing it on New Book Release’s Facebook page and I’m pretty sure I didn’t even blink while reading it！ I got Danielle Vega vibes time ten。 The Merc “You’re—worried about me？” Sumera shrugged。 “Well， sure。 Your first night you disappeared from my party and didn’t show up until three a。m。， then you start going down to the tunnels by yourself and acting like something is following you around。” Wow！ This book very much surprised me as I was not expecting that at all！ I bought it on a whim after seeing it on New Book Release’s Facebook page and I’m pretty sure I didn’t even blink while reading it！ I got Danielle Vega vibes time ten。 The Merciless and Survive the Night are two of my fav reads and this very much follows in their footsteps。 You’ve got your lush gothic school by the sea。 A group of cliquey girls that are totally a mirror image of The Craft in all the best ways possible。 And then you have the new girl in town who brings a lot of… mystery with her， and then some。 There were parts of this that were so creepy I scared my own self。 I love that in a book because it’s typically underwhelming in the horror department but not here！ I hope the author continues on this path and writes all the creepy books！ 。。。more

Jessica B。 ，

3。5 stars: Super entertaining。 The individual elements—sapphic romance， queer identity， creepy boarding school， extra creepy monster， mystery solving， etc。—were all great but lacked a little cohesiveness for me。 Like each one could have used a little more fleshing out I think， except for Finch and Selena。 They were perfect and their love should be protected at ALL COSTS。

Lisi ，

Super easy to read。 Took me like 4-5hrs。 Would give it 2。5 stars with the understanding that I am NOT the target audience and HS me would have rated like a 4 at least！

Other Rachel ，

Before Finch Chamberlin died， she made a wish。 Now she's somehow alive and a student at the prestigious Ulalume Academy。 The secret to her survival？ It's connected to the urban legends about an eight-eyed deer and a long-gone band。 Something is wrong， something is repeating。。。 Cottingham starts her debut strong by setting the scene and mood。 A rain-drenched boarding school， a car falling into the water， a desperate plea。 While it takes time to build up the suspense with two storylines， Finch's i Before Finch Chamberlin died， she made a wish。 Now she's somehow alive and a student at the prestigious Ulalume Academy。 The secret to her survival？ It's connected to the urban legends about an eight-eyed deer and a long-gone band。 Something is wrong， something is repeating。。。 Cottingham starts her debut strong by setting the scene and mood。 A rain-drenched boarding school， a car falling into the water， a desperate plea。 While it takes time to build up the suspense with two storylines， Finch's investigating her new abilities and former mean girl Selena watching her friends make a deal with a demon， there are plenty of clues in the background to satisfy readers。 Side characters do a great job， especially Simon， of asking critical questions about the horror genre and help advance the plot。 The vague sense of ease is balanced well with the budding queer romance between Finch and Selena， but Cottingham's real strength is establishing the history。 The details of the monster's victims and the resulting investigation by Finch， Serena， and Simon have to be my favorite parts。 This is where the author's knowledge of horror comes into play the most， drawing on familiar tropes from classic cult films like The Craft。 Whereas the horror was present and fun， the storyline dragged with the antagonists' shallow personalities。 I would have loved to see more of their struggle， the narrative asking them why they wanted more power。 With so much of the local history seeped in monsters and demon deals， I was also expecting some of the school's perfect glamor to fade。 There had to be more people in the past making deals with Nerossi。。。 Nonetheless， My Darkest Dearest is a bloody fun debut full of messy teenage girls and dead things。 It is perfect for fans of The Craft and early seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer due to the school setting and excellent use of horror tropes。 。。。more

Elle ，

My Dearest Darkest is a beautifully written YA coming of age horror that was so much fun to read。 The setting is the beautiful Ulalume Academy in Rainwater， Maine， which is a prestigious all girls boarding school full of 300 very talented young prodigies。 The story opens with Finch Chamberlin auditioning for a scholarship to attend her dream school。 Although she played beautifully， she unintentionally makes enemies with the campuses resident mean girl。 On the way back home after the audition， th My Dearest Darkest is a beautifully written YA coming of age horror that was so much fun to read。 The setting is the beautiful Ulalume Academy in Rainwater， Maine， which is a prestigious all girls boarding school full of 300 very talented young prodigies。 The story opens with Finch Chamberlin auditioning for a scholarship to attend her dream school。 Although she played beautifully， she unintentionally makes enemies with the campuses resident mean girl。 On the way back home after the audition， there is a tragic accident which results in the deaths on Finch’s parents。 Finch is accepted to Ulalume and begins a new life， which is very different considering she had been homeschooled up until now。 Finch navigates a new school， friendships， and romance。 She also discovers a mystery about a local band that went missing in the possibly haunted tunnels underneath the academy。 My Dearest Darkest is the debut novel from Kayla Cottingham。 It is a creepy atmospheric horror combined with a sweet coming of age tale。 I do not like romance novels， but I loved the sapphic romance as naive Finch discovers that she is attracted to girls。 I liked the mystery element and loved the Scooby gang vibes that were sprinkled throughout the story， including actually dressing up as Velma and Daphne at one point。 This is a perfect combination of dark academia and eldritch horror。 It was a very fast read and I enjoyed it so much I may have snuck in a couple of chapters while eating lunch at my desk at work。 I look forward to reading more works by Kayla Cottingham in the future。 。。。more

Steph ，

3。5*

Alexis Lake ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Did I finish it in a day？ Yes。 Was it the YA fantasy I was hoping for？ Not quite。 I appreciated the suspense， but felt like there was some character development lacking。 I am also a bit confused on how no one really ever freaks out that there are actual monsters living under their school。 Or that they can see ghosts。 Or that they’re half dead。 It’s all just a folklore turned reality they’re excited to live with。

Lex Kent ，

3。50 Stars。 This was a fun and entertaining read。 It seems like ever since Power’s Wilder Girls， there has been this renaissance of horror/paranormal queer YA stories， and I’m so here for them。 It is such a fun genre to read and this made for a good Marchoween read。 However， this is a debut and it did have some newbie bumps。 I think overall this was about an average or slightly better than average book for this genre。 A lot of people have been comparing this to The Craft， but coming from someone 3。50 Stars。 This was a fun and entertaining read。 It seems like ever since Power’s Wilder Girls， there has been this renaissance of horror/paranormal queer YA stories， and I’m so here for them。 It is such a fun genre to read and this made for a good Marchoween read。 However， this is a debut and it did have some newbie bumps。 I think overall this was about an average or slightly better than average book for this genre。 A lot of people have been comparing this to The Craft， but coming from someone that watched the original movie dozens of times， I don’t really agree with that comparison。 Yes， they are both dark and about young women in high school， but that is almost it。 If anything this had more of a Mean Girls feel as the group is popular and privileged （unlike in The Craft） and some of them take the new girl in， even when her other friends warn her not to get too close。 For me this had much more of a feel of Mean Girls meets the book To Break a Covenant （by Alison Ames）。This book had two main storylines going on， the horror part， and the teenager part。 The creepy horror part is where I think the book really shined。 There were some really gross scenes， and there was one part in particular that was scary enough that I was mad at myself for reading the book at eleven at night instead of during daylight。 It seems like a lot of horror these days is either gross or scary and I was really happy that this had a good mix of both。When it came to the teenager storylines， this was where the book was lacking a bit for me。 I didn’t think these parts were as strong and there seemed to be no adult supervision or even just worry when kids were missing。 It wasn’t like the teenager storyline was bad， but there was nothing new here and I felt like Cottingham concentrated more on the horror instead。 I did think the sapphic relationship was pretty cute， I just wished that it wasn’t wrapped up in another “panic because I realize I’m gay” storyline。TLDR: An entertaining horror/paranormal book。 This was well done for a debut， but there were some obvious bumps like too much “telling” in certain parts， and the teenager storyline not being as strong as the horror one。 I won’t give away what the “evil” being is， but it was well imagined and felt unique and not like a being that is often overdone in horror stories。 I think this is the tale of two books and I would read it if you are looking for horror that was entertaining and done well。 If you are looking for more of a queer teenager tale， than another book would probably be a better choice。 I had fun with this book and I think it would make a good Halloween read too。A copy was given to me for a review。 。。。more

gracie ，

risa please call me

Kim ，

I give it three stars because， while it was a quick and enjoyable read， I don't think I'll remember it in a few months。There was no connection with any of the characters。 The story was interesting， but nothing new。 It was just an ok book。 I give it three stars because， while it was a quick and enjoyable read， I don't think I'll remember it in a few months。There was no connection with any of the characters。 The story was interesting， but nothing new。 It was just an ok book。 。。。more

Shannon ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book was a 4。5 out of 5 for me， it was truly incredible。 It was Jennifer’s body meets the heathers in a sapphic thriller/horror。 Everything about this book charmed me。 The author was masterful in how they crafted the story and brought out these incredible dynamics。 The plot was fantastic and even scared/gave me the chills sometimes。 I feel like it’s definitely appropriate for ages 13-14+ because although it was horror the line was never pushed to a point where a reader might feel traumatize This book was a 4。5 out of 5 for me， it was truly incredible。 It was Jennifer’s body meets the heathers in a sapphic thriller/horror。 Everything about this book charmed me。 The author was masterful in how they crafted the story and brought out these incredible dynamics。 The plot was fantastic and even scared/gave me the chills sometimes。 I feel like it’s definitely appropriate for ages 13-14+ because although it was horror the line was never pushed to a point where a reader might feel traumatized。 I love that this book was a stand-alone and didn’t drag on， every moment in this book seemed international and purposeful and truly concise。 I also wanna just brag about the author really quickly because from one of the first few scenes in the book， the car scene between the main lead and parents， that was beyond one of my favorite things I have ever read ever。 It was simply perfect， the right notes of creepy where you just read the pages over and over trying to see if that was a clue。 If anyone is hesitating to pick up this book I genuinely wouldn’t。 ARC was provided to me on behalf of the publisher though Netgalley All opinions are my own。 。。。more

I'm All Booked Up YA ，

Rating: DNFUnfortunately， we had a lot of trouble getting into this book。 The writing felt distant and too many characters were introduced at once。 This book just wasn't for us。Blog | Twitter | Instagram Rating: DNFUnfortunately， we had a lot of trouble getting into this book。 The writing felt distant and too many characters were introduced at once。 This book just wasn't for us。Blog | Twitter | Instagram 。。。more

Faith Hurst-Bilinski ，

This had so much promise。 I loved the idea but I was not really fond of the execution。 The writing was abrupt and even awkward at times。 I swear it was like reading something from one of my students。 Often the actions of the characters made no sense at all。 The dialogue was no where close to believable。 I hope that the future brings this author a really good editor。 A team could have made this a truly interesting book to read。

El ，

Rep: bi main character， questioning lesbian main character with anxiety depression & PTSD， f/f relationship， sapphic side characters， Black side character with ADHD， Arab hijabi side character， Japanese side characterI liked this a lot！ My ratings are based pretty much entirely on my own personal enjoyment， and I had a really great time reading this。 I liked all the main characters and I liked seeing how their friendships and relationships developed and played out。 It was interesting to see Sele Rep: bi main character， questioning lesbian main character with anxiety depression & PTSD， f/f relationship， sapphic side characters， Black side character with ADHD， Arab hijabi side character， Japanese side characterI liked this a lot！ My ratings are based pretty much entirely on my own personal enjoyment， and I had a really great time reading this。 I liked all the main characters and I liked seeing how their friendships and relationships developed and played out。 It was interesting to see Selena’s ‘mean girl’ persona disappear when she had some distance from the toxic relationship that reinforced that kind of behaviour， and seeing how deeply important her friendships and ambitions are to her。 Also， watching Finch grow in confidence and go from not being sure of her sexuality to proudly calling herself a lesbian was honestly delightful。 Weirdly， this had a UK feel to it。 I can’t put my finger on why this is。 Cottingham is American， the book is set entirely in America， and there’s even a homecoming subplot， and yet I found myself double checking all these things while reading because it didn’t feel American to me at all。 I do not know why this happened。 I’m happy to admit this is probably just a me thing， though， and it’s not like I minded it at all！ If anything， I’m glad that a book set in American highschool wasn’t constantly hitting me in the face with the Americanness of it all。 Something that I liked， that probably not everybody will， was that the spooky horror vibes weren’t constant through the whole book。 The first chapter is very creepily written， and the scenes directly involving the horror elements are done well！ But there are periods of time where the girls are also getting to know each other better， or are going to class， or are doing what every horror movie protagonist should be doing and Not messing with the supernatural thing more than is absolutely necessary。 I liked that the scenes depicting their ordinary lives felt like just that。 The horror elements aren’t few and far between， this is a horror novel so there are a lot of them （see the laundry list of content warnings）， but seeing a scary ghost doesn’t mean you don’t have class the next day。 This felt very true to life to me。 Something awful can happen， but time keeps moving forwards and daily life goes on。 This approach may not be for everyone， but I really liked it！Ultimately， I think this book has a relatively hopeful tone to it。 It’s horror， and it’s also coming of age， and I just think it’s neat。Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with an e-arc in return for an honest reviewCW （provided by author）: abusive relationships， alcohol consumption by minors， anxiety， blood & gore depiction， body horror， burns， coming out themes， cults， dead bodies/body parts， death of a parent， death of a friend， depression， drowning， emesis， emotional abuse， grief & loss depiction， hallucinations， loss of autonomy， mind control， murder， outing （mentioned）， panic attacks （mentioned）， physical injuries & wounds， ptsd， biphobia （mentioned）， racism （mentioned）， recreational drug use （marijuana）You can also find this review on my blog！ 。。。more

Makayla ，

THIS WAS EVERYTHING I WAS HOPING IT WOULD BE。 Do you like The Craft？ Do you like cryptids and eldritch horror beings？ Do you like GIRLS？ THEN THIS IS FOR YOU。 This is the sapphic horror I didn't know I needed。 But wow did I enjoy every minute of it。 THIS WAS EVERYTHING I WAS HOPING IT WOULD BE。 Do you like The Craft？ Do you like cryptids and eldritch horror beings？ Do you like GIRLS？ THEN THIS IS FOR YOU。 This is the sapphic horror I didn't know I needed。 But wow did I enjoy every minute of it。 。。。more

Siofra ，

Hello， new favourite darker read！ This is a must for all spooky， dark lovers to buy and add to the Halloween reads！ Thank you to Sourcefire Books and NetGalley for allowing me early access to this book and allowing me to review it before its release on March 29th， honestly！With the classic cult vibes of the Craft， Jennifer's body and Supernatural （the darker seasons， 1-3）， My Dearest Darkest is a seductively good read when you want a mixture of supernatural and moral horror！ Even worth a small b Hello， new favourite darker read！ This is a must for all spooky， dark lovers to buy and add to the Halloween reads！ Thank you to Sourcefire Books and NetGalley for allowing me early access to this book and allowing me to review it before its release on March 29th， honestly！With the classic cult vibes of the Craft， Jennifer's body and Supernatural （the darker seasons， 1-3）， My Dearest Darkest is a seductively good read when you want a mixture of supernatural and moral horror！ Even worth a small body part or two。。。The beginning of this book was something to get into， but by chapter 6， you are in for the long haul。 The story grips you as these girls spiral into their desires and fall prey to a manipulative wish granter。 I loved how the girls were all suspicious， but you could see how it waved when they were desperate OR when the holds of the creature got to them。The flashbacks and echoes from the last folks to fall prey to the creature added to the urgency and questioned how easy it was to give in。 It was just a well-designed and intertwined story。I loved the effortless LGBTQA+ representation and honest complexation of the characters from their first introductions to their end scene （Finch has a great character arc， and so did Selena）， AND we got an excellent callout about white privilege and assumptions。All in all， a fantastic read， Staff pick for sure！ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=My Dearest Darkest

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=My Dearest Darkest&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,My Dearest Darkest&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0