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After Dark with Roxie Clark
From the author of The Hollow Inside comes a twisty, thought-provoking YA thriller about grief, family, and what happens when true crime hits a little too close to home.
Roxie Clark has seen more dead bodies than your average seventeen-year-old. As a member of the supposedly-cursed Clark family, most of her ancestors have met tragic ends, including her own mother. Instead of fearing the curse, however, Roxie has combined her flair for performance and her gruesome family history into a successful ghost tour. But her tour never covers the most recent body she's seen-her sister Skylar's boyfriend, Colin Riley, found murdered in a cornfield.
A year after the murder, Roxie's desperate to help Skylar find closure and start to heal. Instead, Skylar becomes fixated on finding the killer. As the sisters dig into what really happened, they discover that more than one person has been lying about that night. And the closer they get to the truth, the more Roxie starts to wonder if some scary stories might be better left untold. Brooke Lauren Davis offers another thought-provoking and eerily satisfying tale, perfect for fans of Kara Thomas and Cruel Summer.
Roxie Clark has seen more dead bodies than your average seventeen-year-old. As a member of the supposedly-cursed Clark family, most of her ancestors have met tragic ends, including her own mother. Instead of fearing the curse, however, Roxie has combined her flair for performance and her gruesome family history into a successful ghost tour. But her tour never covers the most recent body she's seen-her sister Skylar's boyfriend, Colin Riley, found murdered in a cornfield.
A year after the murder, Roxie's desperate to help Skylar find closure and start to heal. Instead, Skylar becomes fixated on finding the killer. As the sisters dig into what really happened, they discover that more than one person has been lying about that night. And the closer they get to the truth, the more Roxie starts to wonder if some scary stories might be better left untold. Brooke Lauren Davis offers another thought-provoking and eerily satisfying tale, perfect for fans of Kara Thomas and Cruel Summer.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published October 4, 2022
42 people are currently reading
6375 people want to read
About the author
Brooke Lauren Davis
2 books187 followersBrooke Lauren Davis is the author of THE HOLLOW INSIDE (available now!) and AFTER DARK WITH ROXIE CLARK (Bloomsbury YA, October 4th, 2022). She grew up in rural southern Ohio, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and Creative Writing from Franklin College. Now she lives with her husband in the mountains of North Carolina, where she spends her time annoying her pets, haunting bookshops, and dreaming up more stories.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 336 reviews
August 28, 2022
delightfully twisty and fast paced YA mystery centering two cursed siblings attempting to solve the brutal murder of one sister’s boyfriend. THE TWIST WAS FLAME. did not see that coming! definitely an awesome halloween/fall read. it’s set during Halloween in a small, atmospheric town full of ghosts and secrets that resurrect themselves.
thanks to bloomsbury ya for the ARC :)
thanks to bloomsbury ya for the ARC :)
September 10, 2022
I keep telling myself that I should stop reading YA books because I just don’t seem to be into them anymore, but then a gem comes along that convinces me I should keep trying.
This wasn’t that gem. I’m just explaining why I read it. Haha
Listen. This was a decent story. The pacing was great and I was invested in knowing the outcome of the mystery. It certainly isn’t because it was YA that I came to feel “meh” about it. In fact, it felt more like a middle grade read (barring the underage drinking at parties, characters being able to drive, etc.). I have nothing against middle grade. I tend to have great luck with those books. But it’s bothersome when the characters are supposed to be on the cusp of adulthood yet they seem so much younger.
After Dark With Roxie Clark appealed to me because of the ghostly tour and the murder mystery, but what really sold it for me was the fact that it was described as “thought-provoking” in the blurb. That aspect, along with emotional depth, always draws me into a story. Unfortunately, the thoughts I had while reading this were probably not the ones it was meant to provoke. The novel was a disappointment in that area.
And then there was Skylar. Grieving Skylar. Wholly unlikable Skylar. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t have to like someone to experience empathy for them when they’ve endured something awful, but it would have been helpful for her character to have some nicer characteristics to balance her out.
I’ll give the author points for shocking me with the big reveal. I did not see that coming at all. But, like everything else, it did not prove satisfying. I found it to be quite over-the-top to the point of seeming silly.
But, ya know, I am a few decades older than the target audience and maybe that really is all there is to it. No matter what, I wasn’t the right reader for it, and I’m sure there are plenty of right readers out there.
I am immensely grateful to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for my audio review copy. All opinions are my own.
This wasn’t that gem. I’m just explaining why I read it. Haha
Listen. This was a decent story. The pacing was great and I was invested in knowing the outcome of the mystery. It certainly isn’t because it was YA that I came to feel “meh” about it. In fact, it felt more like a middle grade read (barring the underage drinking at parties, characters being able to drive, etc.). I have nothing against middle grade. I tend to have great luck with those books. But it’s bothersome when the characters are supposed to be on the cusp of adulthood yet they seem so much younger.
After Dark With Roxie Clark appealed to me because of the ghostly tour and the murder mystery, but what really sold it for me was the fact that it was described as “thought-provoking” in the blurb. That aspect, along with emotional depth, always draws me into a story. Unfortunately, the thoughts I had while reading this were probably not the ones it was meant to provoke. The novel was a disappointment in that area.
And then there was Skylar. Grieving Skylar. Wholly unlikable Skylar. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t have to like someone to experience empathy for them when they’ve endured something awful, but it would have been helpful for her character to have some nicer characteristics to balance her out.
I’ll give the author points for shocking me with the big reveal. I did not see that coming at all. But, like everything else, it did not prove satisfying. I found it to be quite over-the-top to the point of seeming silly.
But, ya know, I am a few decades older than the target audience and maybe that really is all there is to it. No matter what, I wasn’t the right reader for it, and I’m sure there are plenty of right readers out there.
I am immensely grateful to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for my audio review copy. All opinions are my own.
April 3, 2023
a solid teen sleuth murder mystery, though not as spooky as one might expect. we follow roxie clark, a loner who is obsessed with horror and the macabre, and who runs her own mystery tours around local spooky spots.
something that put me off right away is that roxie is a bit of an outcast, because apparently her peers consider her to be sooo freaky and edgy just because she wears black and enjoys all the creepy doom and gloom. and... what? what year is this? spooky shit is cool and celebrating halloween all year long is becoming mainstream. maybe things are different in indiana? but it seems more like a reason to make roxie ~special~ and ~not like other girls~ in a way that feels unrealistic and distasteful.
roxie is also much less mature than the average amateur detective in other YA mysteries i've read, and oh my god, she makes stupid decisions. MORE THAN ONCE she enters an extremely unsafe situation, momentarily considers texting her sister her location, and decides against it.
i was surprised when she made it out of the book alive, to be quite honest.
so my main gripes are about roxie herself. but i enjoyed the other characters, especially roxie's studious older sister, skylar, who has become a recluse in past years since the murder of her boyfriend, colin. and poor dead colin is the older brother of roxie's love interest, the edgy bad boy tristan. oh, what a tangled web.
but it's a thrill to see skylar jump out of her stagnant grief and begin leading the investigation about colin's death. skylar is a better investigator than roxie, and i often wondered how much more enjoyable the book would be if skylar was its main character.
throughout the book much of roxie's focus is on tristan (and the question of whether he's trustworthy), but in the end, the bond between skylar and roxie is central. their relationship is the true heart of the story, which i really appreciate.
another important element is the clark family legacy, which apparently haunts many of the women in skylar and roxie's family. they live with their lovable, fairly sharp grandmother, but these three are the only people left in the clark family. throughout the book, roxie tells the stories of the tragic early deaths of her mother, her aunt, her great grandmother, and several other ancestors in the family. many of the older stories are told as part of roxie's ghost tour, and the spooky tragedies are fascinating.
i wish the book had gone deeper into some of these ghost stories, and had a stronger emphasis on the clark legacy in general. specifically skylar and roxie's grandma - she is such a key figure in the family, as the only one left in her generation and as the witness to so many of the deaths. maybe grandma clark should have been the protagonist!!
the murder mystery itself is very twisty and often unpredictable, which is fun. the reveals are clever, though they're told in infodumps over the course of two long monologues. it take a long time for the dramatic tension to kick in, but once it does, it's good stuff. certainly not the best mystery i've ever read, but it's worth a read!
something that put me off right away is that roxie is a bit of an outcast, because apparently her peers consider her to be sooo freaky and edgy just because she wears black and enjoys all the creepy doom and gloom. and... what? what year is this? spooky shit is cool and celebrating halloween all year long is becoming mainstream. maybe things are different in indiana? but it seems more like a reason to make roxie ~special~ and ~not like other girls~ in a way that feels unrealistic and distasteful.
roxie is also much less mature than the average amateur detective in other YA mysteries i've read, and oh my god, she makes stupid decisions. MORE THAN ONCE she enters an extremely unsafe situation, momentarily considers texting her sister her location, and decides against it.
i was surprised when she made it out of the book alive, to be quite honest.
so my main gripes are about roxie herself. but i enjoyed the other characters, especially roxie's studious older sister, skylar, who has become a recluse in past years since the murder of her boyfriend, colin. and poor dead colin is the older brother of roxie's love interest, the edgy bad boy tristan. oh, what a tangled web.
but it's a thrill to see skylar jump out of her stagnant grief and begin leading the investigation about colin's death. skylar is a better investigator than roxie, and i often wondered how much more enjoyable the book would be if skylar was its main character.
throughout the book much of roxie's focus is on tristan (and the question of whether he's trustworthy), but in the end, the bond between skylar and roxie is central. their relationship is the true heart of the story, which i really appreciate.
another important element is the clark family legacy, which apparently haunts many of the women in skylar and roxie's family. they live with their lovable, fairly sharp grandmother, but these three are the only people left in the clark family. throughout the book, roxie tells the stories of the tragic early deaths of her mother, her aunt, her great grandmother, and several other ancestors in the family. many of the older stories are told as part of roxie's ghost tour, and the spooky tragedies are fascinating.
i wish the book had gone deeper into some of these ghost stories, and had a stronger emphasis on the clark legacy in general. specifically skylar and roxie's grandma - she is such a key figure in the family, as the only one left in her generation and as the witness to so many of the deaths. maybe grandma clark should have been the protagonist!!
the murder mystery itself is very twisty and often unpredictable, which is fun. the reveals are clever, though they're told in infodumps over the course of two long monologues. it take a long time for the dramatic tension to kick in, but once it does, it's good stuff. certainly not the best mystery i've ever read, but it's worth a read!
May 2, 2022
Okay, listen. It might be because I was up until 3:30 reading this, only to wake up the next morning and finish it, but this book was so good. Atmospheric, and perfect for Halloween with its slight campiness; also full of heart. Roxie Clark feels like Stevie Bell's goth sister, and this book was a wonderfully delightful mixture between Sammy Keyes and Truly Devious. This book surprised me with how much I ended up liking it. I haven't read a mystery I've enjoyed this much in a while. And for that, I give it 4.5 stars.
September 10, 2022
5 stars and a devoted fan for Brooke Lauren Davis. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an AudioARC in exchange for an honest review.
Roxie Clark is a fan of all things spooky. She hosts her own ghost tour telling of the demise of her ancestors at the hands of the dreaded "Clark curse". A year after the unsolved murder of Colin, her sister's boyfriend, Roxie and her sister Skylar begin to investigate the murder. Skylar is convinced that Colin's murderer is his half brother, Tristan....who happens to be Roxie's best friend. What truths will be uncovered? Or will the Clark curse bring more death Roxie and Skylar's way?
Y'all....this book.....is EVERYTHING YOU COULD WANT. The whodunnit is fantastic, but what really shines is the story telling. Not only did the author gift us with a great mystery, but all the stories Roxie shares on her ghost tour are just *chef's kiss*. THIS is true mastery of literature. Characters who pull you in, ghost stories that make your hair stand on end, and a pinch of romance make After Dark with Roxie Clark a top 5 book of the year for me so far!
Heavily recommended, especially with Halloween right around the corner. Five bright stars and anxiously waiting for this author's next project.
Roxie Clark is a fan of all things spooky. She hosts her own ghost tour telling of the demise of her ancestors at the hands of the dreaded "Clark curse". A year after the unsolved murder of Colin, her sister's boyfriend, Roxie and her sister Skylar begin to investigate the murder. Skylar is convinced that Colin's murderer is his half brother, Tristan....who happens to be Roxie's best friend. What truths will be uncovered? Or will the Clark curse bring more death Roxie and Skylar's way?
Y'all....this book.....is EVERYTHING YOU COULD WANT. The whodunnit is fantastic, but what really shines is the story telling. Not only did the author gift us with a great mystery, but all the stories Roxie shares on her ghost tour are just *chef's kiss*. THIS is true mastery of literature. Characters who pull you in, ghost stories that make your hair stand on end, and a pinch of romance make After Dark with Roxie Clark a top 5 book of the year for me so far!
Heavily recommended, especially with Halloween right around the corner. Five bright stars and anxiously waiting for this author's next project.
October 25, 2022
First off let me state that I tried. I tried so hard to enjoy this YA thriller, I really truly did! BUT
***SPOILERS INCOMING***
SPOILER
SPOILER
SPOILER
SPOILER - okay if you read past here you were warned and therefore it will be your own fault it things get
SPOILED
Ok, so premise: For generations, the Clark women have suffer mysterious or violent deaths. This has always fed into the local rumors that the Clark women are cursed. But instead of being careful in the face of her possible demise, Roxie Clark embraces the macabre with gusto, even organizing and running her own ghost tour specifically around the topic of her family’s curse. Skylar, on the other hand, has always been the studious and socially acceptable one of the Clark sisters. These differences have always caused a wedge between the sisters, and they never quite got the hang of being friends.
Years before, two half brothers - Colin and Tristan, moved in down the street and the four of them quickly became inseparable. Tristan and Roxie had there own outcast ways about them to quickly make them best friends, while Skylar and Colin slowly fell deeply in love with one another.
When Colin is gruesomely murdered, Skylar completely shuts down, leaving her dreams of leaving their small town to attend Yale behind in order to stay reclusive in her bedroom. When Roxie locates an unopened letter next to a present she had helped Colin pick out for her acceptance into the Ivy League school, she is excited at the prospect that this may help Skylar move on with her life, and understand that this was not the life he would have ever wanted for her,
Except. The unopened letter was a breakup letter. (Gasp!)
This, logically, makes Skylar snap out of her malaise and jump straight to the most obvious conclusion about Colin’s murderer - it was his brother Tristan! Despite the two being incredibly close, despite there never seeming to be a large enough rift to ever premeditate murder, despite Tristan being Roxie’s only and best friend,,,
So of course, out of loyalty to her sister than she hasn’t truly communicated with in the year since Colin’s death, and never really connected to in the first place, Roxie agrees to help her investigate Tristan on her behalf. Makes sense. Makes total sense.
Ok. This whole clusterf*ck of a plot was introduced fairly early on, and despite the interesting (I guess?) investigation, I just could never get past the utter ludicrousness of this plot. None of it felt right, and honestly I spent 3/4 of the book so irritated that when the mysteries were finally solved I simply could not care less.
Also, Roxie was super annoying in her overly commercialized goth-ness.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury YA for the opportunity to read and review this title.
***SPOILERS INCOMING***
SPOILER
SPOILER
SPOILER
SPOILER - okay if you read past here you were warned and therefore it will be your own fault it things get
SPOILED
Ok, so premise: For generations, the Clark women have suffer mysterious or violent deaths. This has always fed into the local rumors that the Clark women are cursed. But instead of being careful in the face of her possible demise, Roxie Clark embraces the macabre with gusto, even organizing and running her own ghost tour specifically around the topic of her family’s curse. Skylar, on the other hand, has always been the studious and socially acceptable one of the Clark sisters. These differences have always caused a wedge between the sisters, and they never quite got the hang of being friends.
Years before, two half brothers - Colin and Tristan, moved in down the street and the four of them quickly became inseparable. Tristan and Roxie had there own outcast ways about them to quickly make them best friends, while Skylar and Colin slowly fell deeply in love with one another.
When Colin is gruesomely murdered, Skylar completely shuts down, leaving her dreams of leaving their small town to attend Yale behind in order to stay reclusive in her bedroom. When Roxie locates an unopened letter next to a present she had helped Colin pick out for her acceptance into the Ivy League school, she is excited at the prospect that this may help Skylar move on with her life, and understand that this was not the life he would have ever wanted for her,
Except. The unopened letter was a breakup letter. (Gasp!)
This, logically, makes Skylar snap out of her malaise and jump straight to the most obvious conclusion about Colin’s murderer - it was his brother Tristan! Despite the two being incredibly close, despite there never seeming to be a large enough rift to ever premeditate murder, despite Tristan being Roxie’s only and best friend,,,
So of course, out of loyalty to her sister than she hasn’t truly communicated with in the year since Colin’s death, and never really connected to in the first place, Roxie agrees to help her investigate Tristan on her behalf. Makes sense. Makes total sense.
Ok. This whole clusterf*ck of a plot was introduced fairly early on, and despite the interesting (I guess?) investigation, I just could never get past the utter ludicrousness of this plot. None of it felt right, and honestly I spent 3/4 of the book so irritated that when the mysteries were finally solved I simply could not care less.
Also, Roxie was super annoying in her overly commercialized goth-ness.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury YA for the opportunity to read and review this title.
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April 13, 2023
I really really liked the family curse and ghost stories, but the murder mystery plot??? Everyone was an idiot.
October 4, 2022
Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC!
It’s time for spooky books so I decided to start with this one. I mean, look at this cover!
Right from the start, I was invested in this mystery. Main characters that seem to be plagued with death and an ongoing murder mystery? Come on. I wanted to know what happened that night. And, boy, it got really creepy and twisted towards the end. Things I wanted the book to get into more like Roxie’s tour and the Clark Curse were explored more. I’m content.
Roxie was an amazing FMC. I loved her narration and her dynamic with all the characters, especially with Skylar. I like how they had a somewhat distant relationship and still acted very much like siblings while working together, even growing closer. Even Tristan and Colin were another example of a truly complicated sibling relationship ship. (iykyk)
If I had to be nitpicky, I wish this book was written in first person.
It’s time for spooky books so I decided to start with this one. I mean, look at this cover!
Right from the start, I was invested in this mystery. Main characters that seem to be plagued with death and an ongoing murder mystery? Come on. I wanted to know what happened that night. And, boy, it got really creepy and twisted towards the end. Things I wanted the book to get into more like Roxie’s tour and the Clark Curse were explored more. I’m content.
Roxie was an amazing FMC. I loved her narration and her dynamic with all the characters, especially with Skylar. I like how they had a somewhat distant relationship and still acted very much like siblings while working together, even growing closer. Even Tristan and Colin were another example of a truly complicated sibling relationship ship. (iykyk)
If I had to be nitpicky, I wish this book was written in first person.
September 13, 2023
i liked this book enough to finish it, which hasn’t been the case recently. roxie made some dumb choices but what YA main character doesn’t?? the mystery was kinda boring and predictable, but i loved skylars journey through grief!!
September 3, 2023
A year after Roxie’s sister’s boyfriend is found brutally murdered on the outskirts of town, an unexpected discovery sends Skylar on a frenetic search for the killer, heedless of who might get hurt in the process.
This is a fitting read for spooky season – a family curse? A ghost tour? A body left burned in a cornfield? But when you look beyond these trappings, After Dark with Roxie Clark is really a story about the relationship between siblings: Roxie and Skylar, Tristan and Colin.
I really liked the atmosphere of the story, which is properly Gothic. There’s plenty of eerie moments, and I found myself genuinely feeling that Tristan was unsafe at times (though of course being the love interest, I did not ever really believe he was the villain). And of course the mystery was compelling, yet at the same time the alarm bells kept going off that a solution would not be safe, and indeed the last third of the book moved with the heartless momentum of a Greek tragedy.
However, I did feel like there was some surprisingly foolish investigative decisions made for drama’s sake. Why are some characters instinctively trusted and others not when logic dictates it would be the other way round? Skylar’s immediate focus narrowing on Tristan didn’t make much sense considering the history between them and the lack of motive. The whole story would have wrapped up a lot faster with just a little more clear thinking.
I listened to the audiobook version of this book, which is narrated by Jordan Killam. She chose to interpret Roxie in a surprisingly dreamy manner that I really enjoyed, and I thought she did a good job of showing the characters’ emotions without going overboard.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
This is a fitting read for spooky season – a family curse? A ghost tour? A body left burned in a cornfield? But when you look beyond these trappings, After Dark with Roxie Clark is really a story about the relationship between siblings: Roxie and Skylar, Tristan and Colin.
I really liked the atmosphere of the story, which is properly Gothic. There’s plenty of eerie moments, and I found myself genuinely feeling that Tristan was unsafe at times (though of course being the love interest, I did not ever really believe he was the villain). And of course the mystery was compelling, yet at the same time the alarm bells kept going off that a solution would not be safe, and indeed the last third of the book moved with the heartless momentum of a Greek tragedy.
However, I did feel like there was some surprisingly foolish investigative decisions made for drama’s sake. Why are some characters instinctively trusted and others not when logic dictates it would be the other way round? Skylar’s immediate focus narrowing on Tristan didn’t make much sense considering the history between them and the lack of motive. The whole story would have wrapped up a lot faster with just a little more clear thinking.
I listened to the audiobook version of this book, which is narrated by Jordan Killam. She chose to interpret Roxie in a surprisingly dreamy manner that I really enjoyed, and I thought she did a good job of showing the characters’ emotions without going overboard.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
April 12, 2023
I first saw After Dark with Roxie Clark on Libby the day before Christmas. I decided not to read it then since, well, a Halloween-y horror thriller? At Christmas? Yeah, nah. But a few days ago when I was in need of another book to read I stumbled across this one again and decided to give it a go. I was not sure what to expect - horror? A thriller? Ghosts? Lots of gruesome stuff? What I got was a story about two pairs of siblings and the death(s) that influence their lives. It's such a startling, heartfelt, truly unique YA novel that really packs a punch. At points heartrending, devastating, and shocking, I had trouble putting it down, and I suspect it will end up being one I return to in the future. Author Brooke Lauren Davis is a revelation and I am very excited to see what else she writes (or has written).
If you're looking for a book with plenty of twists and turns and an ending you won't see coming, I highly suggest that you give this book a read. Recommended for fans of mysteries; ghost stories; outcasts; and family curses.
If you're looking for a book with plenty of twists and turns and an ending you won't see coming, I highly suggest that you give this book a read. Recommended for fans of mysteries; ghost stories; outcasts; and family curses.
September 25, 2022
4.5 stars
Read
November 22, 2022RTC
September 24, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley for the audio arc!! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is the perfect YA mystery for Halloween! We follow our main character, Roxie Clark, who loves all things spooky and has made a ghost tour based on her town's dark legends (we love an entrepreneur). Her sister Skylar is grieving the gruesome murder of her boyfriend Collin, but when given a note that he supposedly wrote, Skylar suspects it's Tristan, his half-brother. Skylar seems to come alive and drags Roxie into her quest for vengeance. The only problem?? Tristan is Roxie's best friend.
This book was incredible. I was fully immersed while listening and could stop. I loved the glimpses of Roxie's ghost tour and how the stories really set the dark, eerie tone for the whole book. The plot twist totally blew me away. I would not have guessed it at all, and the way it came together was beautiful. You can't help but get invested in the Clark sister's journey and love them both. Skylar's grief felt very raw, and Roxie's confusion and guilt were so real, you couldn't help but sympathize with them both in this story. I hope we get another story with them again.
This is the perfect YA mystery for Halloween! We follow our main character, Roxie Clark, who loves all things spooky and has made a ghost tour based on her town's dark legends (we love an entrepreneur). Her sister Skylar is grieving the gruesome murder of her boyfriend Collin, but when given a note that he supposedly wrote, Skylar suspects it's Tristan, his half-brother. Skylar seems to come alive and drags Roxie into her quest for vengeance. The only problem?? Tristan is Roxie's best friend.
This book was incredible. I was fully immersed while listening and could stop. I loved the glimpses of Roxie's ghost tour and how the stories really set the dark, eerie tone for the whole book. The plot twist totally blew me away. I would not have guessed it at all, and the way it came together was beautiful. You can't help but get invested in the Clark sister's journey and love them both. Skylar's grief felt very raw, and Roxie's confusion and guilt were so real, you couldn't help but sympathize with them both in this story. I hope we get another story with them again.
January 11, 2024
It was quite entertaining. The plot twists did really surprise me, which makes it a fun mystery read.
September 29, 2022
After Dark with Roxie Clark was written by Brooke Lauren Davis. It took me a minute to get into this one. But I ended up loving it. I’m giving it a 5 ⭐️! I chose to listen to this book on audio and it was narrated by Jordan Killam and she was excellent and perfect in this story. I highly suggest listening to this.
It is a great Halloween book. Do you like ghost tours, mystery and murder?? It had it all and the twists and turns were great. I was super happy about the romance and ending. This was a new author to me and she did a great job. Thanks Dreamscape Media via Netgalley for this gem.
It is a great Halloween book. Do you like ghost tours, mystery and murder?? It had it all and the twists and turns were great. I was super happy about the romance and ending. This was a new author to me and she did a great job. Thanks Dreamscape Media via Netgalley for this gem.
August 7, 2022
Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury YA for this eARC, these opinions are my own. I couldn’t put the book down! I read it in two days! It’s so good! Roxie gives ghost tours in her small town, all the stops tell a store of a female in her family, the Clark women are said to be cursed. The story she doesn’t tell is the brutal murder of her sister’s boyfriend Colin. Colin is also the brother of her best friend and crush Tristan. So when her sister comes to her one night saying she believes Tristan killed Colin, Roxie is stuck in a hard place. Who killed Colin? What secrets are people keeping? The added element of stories about how Clark women of the past really added some intrigue to this story! I did think it start off a little on the slow side but it wasn’t long until I couldn’t stop reading! Skyler’s determination slightly annoyed me but also felt very realistic for someone who was grieving and looking for someone to blame! I loved the twists and turns that kept me guessing! The conclusion to this was so heart wrenching to me! Difficult choices/actions for all the characters! I highly recommend this if you mysteries and especially if you like Halloweenish vibes with your mysteries! Can’t wait to read it again!
August 9, 2022
5⭐️
This was so good. I couldn’t put it down.
A YA murder mystery that literally sucks your right in.
If I was a more confident teenager I’d love to be just like Roxie. She embraces her “different” she dresses different, she is into learning about her past (the Clark curse) and hosts ghost tours. Like where do I sign to be like this?!
Her sister- though I found her frustrating I completely understand her reaction to the death of Colin and who she believes was the killer.
I loved their Gram. And Tristian.
The story was well paced, easy to follow, and there was never a dull moment. The twist at the end was a shocker also!
I need more.
This was so good. I couldn’t put it down.
A YA murder mystery that literally sucks your right in.
If I was a more confident teenager I’d love to be just like Roxie. She embraces her “different” she dresses different, she is into learning about her past (the Clark curse) and hosts ghost tours. Like where do I sign to be like this?!
Her sister- though I found her frustrating I completely understand her reaction to the death of Colin and who she believes was the killer.
I loved their Gram. And Tristian.
The story was well paced, easy to follow, and there was never a dull moment. The twist at the end was a shocker also!
I need more.
August 11, 2024
This book was actually soooo good. The whole ghost tour aspect and the towns spookiness was really cool. Roxie is a fun character and I love her and Tristian a lot. I knew Tristian didn’t kill his brother like there was no way.
I do not Skylar I think she’s so annoying and she’s a really bad sister lol, it’s crazy that she was the one that actually killed Colin.
Anyways I loved the ending and this book was def a page turner.
I do not Skylar I think she’s so annoying and she’s a really bad sister lol, it’s crazy that she was the one that actually killed Colin.
Anyways I loved the ending and this book was def a page turner.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2024
I may not be a reliable source because I’m a scaredy cat but I was SHAKING near the end of this. The pacing built up this story perfectly that right before we got the answers I was actually so tense with fear and couldn’t see where the story would go. Safe to say this was one of the best thrillers I’ve ever read 😭 I think YA is really my jam!
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August 28, 2022I FLEW through this. Like I started it and immediately put it at 2.5x speed then basically tried to consume it as quickly as humanely possible because it is good. Like really good. It's a small town spooky mystery where two sisters try and figure out the murder of one sisters boyfriend all while trying to navigate this seemingly deadly curse on their family.
So the two sisters are complete opposites, one is straight A's and pastel sweaters and was going to Yale. Then there's Roxie who dresses all in black, with the occasional pop of blood read, wears dark makeup, is obsessed with all this horror, and runs a spooky tour after dark for their town.
Told with interspersed tales of folklore and old murder mysteries, this one kept me engaged and interested all the way through and the twist is TWISTY. I didn't see it coming and that's the best part.
This comes out in October and will make a great addition to anyone's spooky line up.
My one critique is that there is bound to be a queer person in a small town, hell Roxie gave big bisexual vibes, but alas, everyone is cishet and that's sad.
So the two sisters are complete opposites, one is straight A's and pastel sweaters and was going to Yale. Then there's Roxie who dresses all in black, with the occasional pop of blood read, wears dark makeup, is obsessed with all this horror, and runs a spooky tour after dark for their town.
Told with interspersed tales of folklore and old murder mysteries, this one kept me engaged and interested all the way through and the twist is TWISTY. I didn't see it coming and that's the best part.
This comes out in October and will make a great addition to anyone's spooky line up.
My one critique is that there is bound to be a queer person in a small town, hell Roxie gave big bisexual vibes, but alas, everyone is cishet and that's sad.
October 21, 2022
Davis really knows how to draw the reader in, I was hooked from the beginning! I liked Roxie's ghost tours and obsession with her family's so-called 'curse.' The murder was so close to home for her and it was interesting having the main character have a lot of access to information about what happened.
On the other side we have Roxie's sister Skylar and I was not a fan. I can understand being in a bad state after your boyfriend is murdered, but she went off the rails and took everything too far. Someone needed to step in and stop her before another person died.
The pacing was quick and I just wanted to fly through this to see who the killer was. I did think the ending didn't resolve a couple of things and could have been a bit tighter, but I enjoyed this a lot overall!
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the copy.
On the other side we have Roxie's sister Skylar and I was not a fan. I can understand being in a bad state after your boyfriend is murdered, but she went off the rails and took everything too far. Someone needed to step in and stop her before another person died.
The pacing was quick and I just wanted to fly through this to see who the killer was. I did think the ending didn't resolve a couple of things and could have been a bit tighter, but I enjoyed this a lot overall!
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the copy.
November 10, 2022
A great sophomore novel from teen author, Brooke Lauren Davis. Roxie Clark is obsessed with the macabre, she's the weird outcast of her high school because of her gothic witchy style, but that doesn't stop he from being her weird little self. She runs a ghost tour in the evenings and gets to share all the weird stories she's uncovered at the library about the untimely deaths of her ancestors. Roxie has seen three dead bodies - but it's only the third one that haunts her - her sister's boyfriend and her best friend's brother, Colin. She doesn't include that tale on her tours - it's still too new and too fresh. But at least he's coping. Her sister hasn't hardly gotten out of bed in a year - what finally gets her moving is a surprise to them both and the chain of events it starts will answer some long buried questions and turn everything they thought they knew upside down. Slow build up - but the end was a surprise. Love this author!
January 27, 2024
Trigger warnings: death of a loved one (in the past), murder, blood, violence, incarceration of a parent (in the past), suicide, car accident, gun violence, vomit
3.5 stars
I don't quite know what I expected going into this, but I don't think I'd anticipated the level of antagonism between the sisters. Like, yes, they're working on solving Colin's murder. But they're not really working together. They're working on the same case but from very different directions.
There's a lot of grief and a lot of messiness and a lot of family history involved in the story, and while I enjoyed it, the way the ending played out didn't QUITE hit the mark for me. Don't get me wrong, it was a pretty surprising ending. But it wasn't at all how I thought the book would play out, and I don't think it stuck the landing the way it thinks it did. You know?
3.5 stars
I don't quite know what I expected going into this, but I don't think I'd anticipated the level of antagonism between the sisters. Like, yes, they're working on solving Colin's murder. But they're not really working together. They're working on the same case but from very different directions.
There's a lot of grief and a lot of messiness and a lot of family history involved in the story, and while I enjoyed it, the way the ending played out didn't QUITE hit the mark for me. Don't get me wrong, it was a pretty surprising ending. But it wasn't at all how I thought the book would play out, and I don't think it stuck the landing the way it thinks it did. You know?
April 1, 2024
Ok. Is it wicked to say that I was routing for the Grandma to be the murderer?
Nice wee YA novel, but pretty average writing. The concept of 'show, done tell" has bypassed this author and it is downright 'eye-rolly' at times.
Also, they were all idiots. I had to yell on more than one occasion ... "get there faster!" when they were putting the pieces together! Oi.
Liked the twist and was engaged, but the fact that it took me more than a day to read shows that I was just not that inclined to pick it up and devour it like I would some other books.
Solid 3.5. I think my students will like it, especially the ones who need a LOT of signposting.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
CW: suicide mentioned (off page), gun violence, alcohol and drugs mentioned.
Y9, Y10
Nice wee YA novel, but pretty average writing. The concept of 'show, done tell" has bypassed this author and it is downright 'eye-rolly' at times.
Also, they were all idiots. I had to yell on more than one occasion ... "get there faster!" when they were putting the pieces together! Oi.
Liked the twist and was engaged, but the fact that it took me more than a day to read shows that I was just not that inclined to pick it up and devour it like I would some other books.
Solid 3.5. I think my students will like it, especially the ones who need a LOT of signposting.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
CW: suicide mentioned (off page), gun violence, alcohol and drugs mentioned.
Y9, Y10
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September 22, 20224.5 After Dark with Roxie Clark is the perfect book for spooky season, Roxie is a highschooler who's family is cursed, the woman have either died, or had very tragic deaths in their lives. Roxie is a gothic angsty girl who gives ghosts tours and is in love with Tristan her next-door neighbor. Roxies sister, Skylar is dating Tristans brother and then one day Collin, Tristans brother is found dead in the cornfield.
I had the pleasure to listen to this book and the narrator was fantasitc!
The ending was a good twist and I felt this book is more about grief and loss and less about the creepy vibes it portrays. I would consider this a mystery mixed with a thriller.
I had the pleasure to listen to this book and the narrator was fantasitc!
The ending was a good twist and I felt this book is more about grief and loss and less about the creepy vibes it portrays. I would consider this a mystery mixed with a thriller.
September 4, 2022
This was a really quick and entertaining YA thriller. Skyler was annoying at times, but I guess it made sense how obsessive and had a one-track mind, considering her grief. There were some repetitive phrases and it got ridiculous over half-way though. But I still liked it and I would recommend it for anyone looking for a good YA thriller.
October 3, 2022
This is a perfect fall read!! Ghost tours and ghost stories, a murder mystery with a full investigation, twists and turns that take you by surprise. Very much enjoyed this book!
Thank you, Bloomsbury, for an ARC of this book, all opinions are my own.
Thank you, Bloomsbury, for an ARC of this book, all opinions are my own.
December 4, 2022
This book was incredible. I really loved the main character’s voice and the book just flowed really well that I finished it in 2 days. There were no really boring parts that I skimmed, I loved the little twist at the end.
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