Where Echoes Die is an intoxicating journey through grief & loss, family bonds, and the ferocity of missing someone so much you’d lose yourself to find peace.

 (It’s like an awesome episode of Supernatural.)

Sisters Beck and Riley have been struggling since their mother’s sudden death, not sure how to move forward. When Beck finds a mysterious letter in her mother’s handwriting pointing towards a small Arizona town, the girls take off on a road trip hoping to find answers.

Backravel is … strange. The community members all seem a bit confused, the town is a baffling mix of fancy properties and military ruins, and the local leaders know more than they’re letting on. Beck can’t stop herself from investigating (just like her mom), but the more she uncovers, the deeper she entwines herself with this mystical, dangerous place. 

It’s a story of grief, and the pain is ever-present. Beck and Riley mourn in different ways - not all of them healthy - and struggle to recalibrate to a world that has shifted and moved on without them. 

Beck’s past is a punch in the gut. She’s done everything to keep her little family afloat, sacrificing her own potential hopes and needs. She’s only a teenager, but has balanced her family’s budget and watched out for both her mom and her little sister for years. Her journey of letting go of control and allowing herself to be cared for and protected is touching. 

A major thread of the story is Beck’s growing relationship with town local Avery. It’s sweet and earnest and both of them break through cycles and fight to find each other.

The haunting vibrancy of the town came through right away. Gould is gifted at crafting characters and moments that feel ‘off’ and sinking pits in your stomach and off-kilter environments. It’s not a shocking story (in fact, I’d even call it predictable), but I felt as though that benefited the story. As a reader, I wanted to leap into the pages & rescue Beck & fill her in on everything she was too immersed in to truly see. 

While there was a bit of clunkiness around the ending - and some of the supporting characters just felt like filler - I was so touched by this story. This one will definitely stick with me.

CW: death of a parent, grief, anxiety/panic attacks, vomit, gaslighting, emotional abuse, mental illness, memory loss/dementia, cancer, animal death, terminal illness, chronic illness, gun violence

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