Title: Until the Last Light Goes Out by Courtney Gould
Genre: YA Horror
Available: November 10, 2026
Rating: 4.0 ⭐
Blurb:
Flickering neon lights and hot Miami nights turn deadly in this gothic horror about a daughter investigating her best friend’s disappearance at an abandoned island resort.
You may not escape, but the truth will.
Twenty-five years ago, the Ripley Memorial High School senior class entered the luxurious Kaleidoscope Key resort deep in the remote Florida Keys. Despite international intrigue and years of investigation, no one truly knows how the 183 students died. And they never will, since the five survivors of the massacre have never spoken a word about what happened to them that night.
Paige Keller, daughter of one of the Kaleidoscope Key Massacre’s infamous survivors, has grown up determined to steer her life away from the resort and the unsolved mysteries her ex-best friend, KJ, can’t leave alone. Paige has moved to a fancy new college and it seems that, finally, she’s banished the shadows of Kaleidoscope Key completely. But when she’s called home on the 25th anniversary of the massacre, she finds that KJ has gone missing.
Paige knows there’s only one place KJ could be: her obsession, the now-abandoned resort. When Paige and the remaining Survivors’ Kids go in after her, they’re forced to confront their―and their parents―pasts once and for all.
Kaleidoscope Key is waiting, and it's starving. Once they find their way inside, there may not be a way out. And one way or another, the truth of the massacre will come to light.
Captivating and chilling, Courtney Gould’s Until The Last Light Goes Out is a horror story, a love story, and an ode to the pain passed between generations that you won’t soon forget.
Thank you to Wednesday Books and Colored Pages Book Tours for allowing me to be part of this book tour.
The cover was actually what caught my attention first. It gave me beach resort vibes, and I thought, how cool would it be to read a horror story set in a resort? Well, turns out I wasn't far off! The story takes place in a resort in the Florida Keys. The blurb was also the next thing that got me interested, so I thought, why not?
The beginning of the story was great. It had that creepy, atmospheric vibe that felt perfect for spooky season, and I was really looking forward to seeing where the story would go. Unfortunately, things started to lose momentum as I got further into the book.
Somewhere in the middle, the story began to drag. It felt a little repetitive, and I found myself losing interest. I also think the book could have been a bit shorter. There was a lot going on, and at times the pacing felt rather too slow.
One thing I did appreciate was the alternating timelines. We get to learn about what happened all those years ago while following the characters in the present day. It was an interesting way to piece everything together. The gore was another thing worth mentioning because some scenes got pretty intense.
Thankfully, the ending pulled things together nicely and gave the story a satisfying conclusion. It made the slower middle section feel more worthwhile.
Overall, this wasn't quite what I expected, but I still enjoyed it. If you're into a horror story with an abandoned place setting and YA voice, this might be worth picking up. I'm definitely curious to see what another Courtney Gould book is like!
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