What are we waiting for? Let’s see Kauai, baby! Colby climbed into the passenger seat, as two older men standing on the curb shot him unamused looks. Colby tended to have this effect on people. Impressive, Alex said, and for one quiet moment, they all stood there, soaking in the welcoming energy of the place.

The man held a small video camera aimed at them. I’m watching your every move. You better behave. We don’t like hooligans around here. You shouldn’t be here if you want to act that way. The Airbnb was quaint and cozy yellow with bright green shutters that matched the lush vegetation. Flowers in every color of the rainbow surrounded them, and palm trees stretched into blue skies beginning to clear from the rain. When YouTube ghost hunters Sam and Colby head to Kauai for an annual bro trip with two childhood buddies, they’re dying for a break from paranormal investigations—instead, they find themselves at the center of their most horrifying mystery yet. It was a lot for a twenty-two-year-old to soak in, but Sam loved a good existential crisis. He couldn’t help but wonder what it all meant, now that he dealt with paranormal stuff all the time. In addition to the popular Sam and Colby channel, Colby has his own YouTube account. Colby’s own channel, which he created in 2016, features a wide range of prank videos, exploration videos, vlogs, and other content. On the platform, he also features a number of other content creators.

They bustled through the airport with their bags, heading to the rental car facility, a charged excitement buzzing through Sam’s veins.

The pacing of the book is expertly done, with the tension steadily rising as the friends are forced to stay overnight in the mansion due to unforeseen circumstances. The atmospheric descriptions transport readers to the hauntingly beautiful setting of Kauai, while the vivid portrayal of the Belle Estate heightens the sense of dread and suspense. As the plane made its final approach into Lihue Airport, Sam Golbach stared out the window. Azure waves hugged the towering emerald peaks and sandy white beaches of Hawaii’s fourth-largest island. Like a crystal blue embrace, he thought. He couldn’t wait to get this vacation started. Even though they loved being ghost hunters and entertaining millions on YouTube, they’d been abandoned, stranded, cursed, haunted, and yes, even arrested for trespassing (thanks, Florida!).Does this guy have a personal vendetta against us? Sam lowered his window. Hey there, sir, have we done something to upset you? Visiting the North Shore had been a bizarre and unsettling experience, to say the least, but when they got home after vacation was over, he was going to suggest to Colby that they make a video about it. Overall, I enjoyed this book. I generally enjoy stories like this, but there were a few moments throughout the novel where things just fell a bit flat. To the unscrutinizing eye watching their videos, he and Sam looked like two clowns doing anything for a laugh. What few people realized was how hard they worked their asses off. They’d learned business tips that couldn’t be taught in college, could only be experienced firsthand, and look at them now—affording this trip for their friends, winning Teen Choice Awards, going international.

Speaking of being arrested, there was a moment where SNC were contemplating escaping to the beach and they had a conversation if it was worth being arrested again. I really loved that, especially with how much fans joke about them inevitably being arrested again. The ending was also very strange when they're in the basement and about to be sacrificed. I honestly highly doubt that something like that happened to them, along with Trey being possessed to think there really was a Dark Man that would have given them gifts if he and Georgia had killed the five of them. Just how meta the book was. Like, the quote I included at the top? I laughed for way too long when I read that. I don’t care how many bars I have. Sam stared at the little picturesque house in the jungle. This. This was why he worked hard. I didn’t come to Kauai for the internet. Wooden beams supported tall ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows welcomed in plenty of light, a bed frame looked like it’d been carved out of mahogany, and a fluffy blue-and-white rug reminiscent of an ocean wave spread across the hardwood floor. Plants sprouted from every corner, except one, where a small bar sat with four shot glasses and a bottle of whiskey on the counter.The characterization of all four of the boys is a bit 2D. Sam’s logical and wants to keep the peace, Colby’s emotional and more of a wildcard, Nate’s focused on his schoolwork and flexing his vocabulary, and Alex? Well, I couldn’t get a good read on Alex until he sells out SNC at the end of the novel and even then, he didn’t feel so much like his own character, more like someone just present to further the plot. Just then, the driver’s high beams flashed. Seriously? What is this guy’s problem? Sam clenched his fists on the steering wheel.