In Nightfall

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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 did really enjoy the setting of the town of Nightfall. A small, rainy beachside town in Oregon with a weird history, odd traditions, and where it’s not safe to be out after dark. The plot of Theo, her dad, and brother having to come to the town for the summer and getting involved with the locals was definitely interesting in the beginning. But then it started to feel a bit repetitive. I really liked the grandmother character, Nonna. Her personality and her motivations that get introduced later on were some of the more compelling parts of the book. Theo seems like she has a good head on her shoulders and thinks logically. She occasionally ignored good solid advice and cautionary tales, but I probably would have done the same. Honestly, there were times where I was questioning everything, and all the supernatural speculation seemed like it could be easily explained. I did wish Theo had someone she could rely on and protect her, because her dad and grandma did an awful job of it. Where’s Sarah Michelle Gellar when you need her?!

I liked the podcast and mystery ideas within the story, but I didn’t feel they were utilized to their potential. I didn’t really understand what the point was of her even listening to the first episode of the podcast focusing on the town if she had already met the podcasters and formed a relationship with them. I also didn’t understand why they mentioned episode two would drop and then that never went anywhere.

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I was definitely lured by the cover and blurb on this one. Given The Lost Boys and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the Kristy Swanson and Luke Perry version) were two of my favorite movies when I was younger, I figured this would be a slam dunk.

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.Overall this was a fine read. I just went into it with high expectations and ended up not being satisfied with the amount of vampire content in the book. Yes, the vampires are there all along. But I wanted more time with Theo being aware of what was going on. 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. I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. 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?

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. Overall, this book is alright. I don't regret reading it, and it had some fun moments. I just didn't find it to be spectacular. And when you compare it to The Lost Boys, it does seem even less unique. I wish the author had used the film as more of a general inspiration, rather than as an outline of her plot. I do think teens will like this one, though. It's moderately well-written, and there are some interesting aspects of the story. If they haven't seen The Lost Boys, I predict they might even like it more. I'd recommend this to people looking for a gender-swapped retelling of the movie, to teenagers stepping their toes into supernatural books, and to folks who want a light, moody vampire read. Theo and Marco get in trouble after Marco does a huge summer party at their father's house. As punishment, their father has them all go to Oregon for the summer to visit their maternal grandmother they have never met. What follows is the two teens dealing with the mysterious town of Nightfall...where the residents don't stay out after dark. Theodora ‘aka Theo’ and her brother Marco throw the biggest party of the year and get caught. Their punishment is to leave Arizona and go to a mysterious little town that has a population of over 800 souls. Their father grew up in this town, and after the divorce, he needed a change. Theo must endure this summer, her superstitious grandmother Nonna, and the rainy beachside. This book was a lot of fun for me. I flew threw it and enjoyed it very much. Like other reviewers, I wanted things to happen a little faster but at the same time, I enjoyed the build up. The I-know-something-is-going-to-hit-the-fan-I-can't-wait feel that I got with the mounting tension once things in the book got real.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. PS: Where the hell does Buffy come into this? The fancy dress and vampire-staking at the end? Bit of a stretch. 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.