Your Lonely Nights Are Over

June 15, 2023
Fifty years after terrorizing the lonely and recently single, a serial killer has returned--and he's targeting queer students at an Arizona high school. White, femme Dearie and Latine jock hottie Cole are gay besties and seniors at Stone Grove High, where everyone is talking about Mr. Sandman, the subject of America's No. 1 streaming show. When the school's Queer Club members start receiving text messages from the Sandman saying they're next, and they and others wind up murdered all over town, Cole and Dearie are framed for the killings. They're already controversial among their peers, accused by some of "destroying the queer community" with their sexually free behavior as well as confusing people with their best-friendship that includes overt physical affection and occasional hookups. The book is told from the alternating perspectives of Cole and Dearie as they navigate emotional manipulation from an abuser while trying to figure out who is behind a new round of gruesome murders. They fight to clear their names while still looking smart, finding love, and grappling with the built-up traumas of racism, bullying, and more. To catch this killer, the club members will have to stick together to stay safe through the power of queer solidarity. This suspenseful slasher with a diverse, well-developed LGBTQ+ ensemble cast is also a catty, comedic celebration of queer community and identity. A campy and entertaining page-turner. (author's note) (Slasher. 14-18)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 10, 2023
Two gay besties are framed for the murders of fellow queer students in this audacious thriller by Sass (The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers). Arizona Stone Grove High School senior Frankie Dearie, who cues as white, feels as if he’s the only student at school not obsessed with his classmates’ latest true crime docuseries binge-watch about Mr. Sandman, a still-on-the-lam serial killer from the 1970s. The obsession has even ensnared his jock best friend Cole Cardoso, who is Latine. But discussion surrounding the show stops feeling lighthearted when Dearie and Cole are accused of sending Queer Club members texts that mimic Mr. Sandman’s calling card. The pair are determined to prove that the messages are a joke from someone who’s trying to set them up, but their pursuit is derailed when they stumble upon two Queer Club students garroted in the killer’s style. And as the body count grows, so too does evidence pointing to the friends as the culprits. Dearie and Cole’s steadfast devotion to each other provides a grounding backbone to the hair-raising chills. In this enthusiastic homage to queer youth and friendship, Sass embraces quintessential campy slasher tropes and persuasively blends snarky humor with suspenseful horror. Ages 14–up. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich, & Bourret.

August 1, 2023
Grades 9-12 Enmeshed and amorous besties Cole Cardoso and Frankie Dearie are ready to leave behind the "small-town gayness" of Stone Grove High School. When a popular docudrama about an unsolved 1970s serial killer lands the teens at the center of resurrected Mr. Sandman's sights, a disturbing pattern emerges: "The killer from TV has found our Queer Club." In this mildly campy homage melding classic slasher-flick tropes (think self-aware house parties designed to lure the killer) with a dash of Mean Girls brashness, Sass (Surrender Your Sons, 2020) crafts another twisty thriller that celebrates queer solidarity and the quiet pain of navigating queer loneliness. Alternating perspectives between Dearie and Cole, along with a series of successful misdirects, keep readers guessing as the body count (and pheromone level) rises. An introductory author's note names thoughtfully handled content warnings of on- and off-page struggles not often confronted in horror. Carve out some time to make this a one-sitting read, because you'll quickly understand why everyone is obsessed with these "beautiful, bitchy besties."

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2023

Gr 9 Up-Cole and Dearie are best friends. When they get a summons to the school's Queer Club, they are intrigued enough to stop by and see what's what. Nothing could have prepared them for what happens: two of the club members are brutally attacked in a hallway outside of the meeting, one of them murdered outright and the other wounded critically. Who could have done this? The attacks are very similar to the latest streaming sensation, a docuseries covering infamous lonely hearts killer Mr. Sandman, who decades ago targeted lonely, single people, but those victims were not queer, and the original murders happened halfway across the country. Could this be the work of the same killer, or is someone more local following in the original's footsteps? Sass weaves an intricate thriller that will keep readers guessing until the last few chapters. A sense of urgency follows the story as Cole and Dearie are initial suspects in the first attack, then much of the evidence points towards Cole specifically as the story progresses. Chapters alternate between the two boys' perspectives as they navigate the evidence and interview their classmates and teachers in an effort to try and clear their names. Sass's language is colorful and risqu�, which is how the pair of main characters are perceived by those around them. Some of the explicit language and sexual references may not be for younger readers, but many teenagers will appreciate the frank and honest depiction of queer sexuality from the admittedly entertaining protagonists. VERDICT A highly recommended first purchase for teen collections looking to expand their thriller/fiction and LGBTQIA+ titles.-Ryan P. Donovan

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.