And Then We Screamed - Holly Bourne

AND THEN WE SCREAMED

HOLLY BOURNE

*****

Everything was perfect in the small town of Maple Lakes...until the cheerleaders started screaming.

Clover wishes something would happen in her boring high school - so she can spend more time with her crush Brody, covering it for the school newspaper. But she never wished for this...

When cheerleader Abigail starts screaming in the middle of an exam, people laugh. But as more girls start breaking into uncontrollable screaming fits, it's clear something is seriously wrong. The authorities don't have a clue what's happening - so it's up to Clover and Brody to investigate. What they discover is a darkness beneath the perfect veneer of Maple Lakes - and it is spreading fast.

MY REVIEW

*****

I recently enjoyed listening to the podcast ‘Hysterical’, which focuses on the true story of a medical outbreak in New York where young women developed tics, spasms and vocal outbursts overnight. When I saw the premise for ‘And Then We Screamed’, it reminded me of this case, and I was intrigued to read more.

Clover and Brody live in Maple Lakes, a town where nothing much happens apart from the annual leaf drop. However, when a cheerleader drops to the floor and starts to scream, it starts a chain reaction that begins to spread throughout the school and beyond…

And Then We Screamed begins as snippet interviews with the key characters for a documentary in a date in the far future, and then splits into two perspectives in flashback – school paper journalist Brody and his friend and photographer Clover. The narrative mainly continues with these two perspectives but occasionally intercuts with the documentary interviews, which kept tension high and ramped up the pace, particularly when they pointed out that what Brody or Clover were planning on doing was actually a big mistake in hindsight. I was hooked throughout and finished it in just a few sittings.

I don’t want to give any spoilers for this book, and I do think it’s better to just go in blind to it. I really enjoyed Clover’s perspective in particular, as she battles with an illness that may be contagious and is scared to catch it but also wants to help what is happening in any way she can. I spent a lot of the book trying to guess if it was going to go down the paranormal route or not. The outcome of the book was perfect – it’s a powerful commentary on society in general and I really felt for all of characters involved – it genuinely becomes quite moving.

Overall, And Then We Screamed is a gripping thriller with a powerful message at its heart. Thank you to NetGalley & Usborne Publishing for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

LINKS TO BUY

Amazon UK

Waterstones