The Dark Place

Seventeen-year-old Hylee is able to jump backward in time to an event where she witnesses the murder of her cousin. During that time her older brother goes missing. Hylee doesn't remember much more about that day only that it freaked out both her parents and best friend big time. She's sent to live with her grandmother. When she meets Eliam at a party, she has this overwhelming sensation she knows him. After she ends up disappearing in front of him and reappears later, instead of avoiding her? Eliam insists they meet up again. He has his own secret. A secret that might help her make sense of what's going on and maybe help her find her lost brother.

What worked: YA meets Jordan Peele. This novel has a little bit of everything: time travel, romance, and subtle horror elements. It kind of reminded me of a more subtle US only in this case the protagonist's horrific traumatic event and her ability to time travel causes more than a few ripples in her timeline.

The instant connection between Hylee and Eliam is believable and you can't hope that they are able to kindle the chemistry between them. The whole time travel aspect with surreal horror elements paints a creepy, haunting backdrop. Plus, the consequences of using time travel are shown.

Good pacing, and engaging characters that question the whole idea of not only being able to travel to alternative timelines but also to show firsthand the results. I believed Hylee's fears and also her determination to demand from her family to know the truth of what was going on with her.

Finally, I really loved the premise of how a traumatic event in the past can have haunting results for a time traveler. In this case, each time Hylee revisits her childhood home, not only does she revisit the same day but the house takes on more creepy aspects.

Surrealist horror elements entwined with romance and a protagonist who has the ability to time travel. Add a bubbling romance for a captivating tale.