Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (Between #1) by April Genevieve Tucholke

Summary:

You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town… until River West comes along. River rents the guest house behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. 

Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more?

Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery... who makes you want to kiss back. 

Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.

Blending faded decadence and the thrilling dread of gothic horror, April Genevieve Tucholke weaves a dreamy, twisting contemporary romance, as gorgeously told as it is terrifying—a debut to watch.

My review:

“Lots of people have bad stories, and if they wail and sob and tell their story to anyone who’ll listen, it’s crap. Or half crap, at least.The stuff that really hurts people, the stuff that almost breaks them . . . that they won’t talk about. Ever.”

I honestly adore books with a creepy vibe and a gothic feel to it and Between the devil and the deep blue sea is definetly that book. Set in a small town named Echo, in present day , sometimes it made me feel like everything was happening in the past. It just had that kind of feel to it, oldfashioned and aged. The descriptions were amazing, so much detail to the portrayal of the town, the citizens, Citizen Kane (Violets home) and to the events that happen, sometimes so scary I got goosebumps. The main characters, Violet and River, were very layered. Violet was a very smart girl, who loves to read, and she misses her grandma Freddie so she wears her clothes. She is also very stubborn and determined. Freddie suffered a tragedy and turned to religion and before she passed she always talked to Violet about the Devil. Violet never took her words to heart but that all changes when she meets River, a handsome and lying boy who rents her guesthouse. Strange and terrifying things start happening and soon Violet realizes who is to blame. But even though River has done some evil things, I dont think he is an evil person. After all that happens, all the scary deaths and dreadful mishaps, and the way it all ended, I hope River can find a way to help himself and to be the person he can be. And I am eagerly awaiting the sequel, to see how it all ends and will this dark story maybe have a happier ending.

“Sunshine, if I ever disappear, please tell people that I ran after the Devil, trying to get my soul back.”