When Vine was discontinued, the founders shifted their focus to their YouTube channel, which was launched in 2014. Their YouTube channel began with a much broader focus: they released vlogs, comedy videos, adventure videos, and other content. However, the duo now focuses nearly entirely on their Overnight and Exploration films. Alex betraying the boys? So interesting! This was one of the few things that made sense in terms of them being drugged. But then when he was betrayed when Pauahi (who’s name was misspelled a few different times in the book) escaped? Ugh, amazing. We love instant karma like that. Sam gave her a thumbs-up. He’d heard about the flood she mentioned but didn’t know about the damaged roads to the north. Good thing they’d be staying on the eastern side of the island. In Kauai, Colby felt like he was a part of something exponentially bigger. Connected to nature. A tiny part of this infinite universe. This was why he’d insisted they spend their next day hiking different trails, searching for the perfect waterfall, because it wasn’t until they were on those vine-laced paths, underneath a canopy of trees, discovering hidden coves and jumping into green lagoons that he felt like he truly belonged somewhere. If he could, he would move to Kauai in a heartbeat. Gaby Triana writes some pretty scary stuff but took it up a million notches in this book. "Make the benign and beautiful terrifying" is done masterfully in this book. Had never heard of Sam & Colby (not really big on YT) but they have me hooked after this!

After radically altering their own lives, Sam and Colby wished to educate others on the same life lessons they had learned via their friendship by creating content centered on comedy, authenticity, and exploration. Exploration, particularly in eerie and often mysterious locations, has taken off like wildfire with its audience. They’ve taken millions of fans on adventures into our planet’s lesser-known, seen, and understood regions. While their videos cover a wide spectrum of their experiences, there are many unknown stories, both scary and hilarious, surrounding their stranger encounters. I enjoyed and would definitely recommend giving it a chance. Just give it a chance, open your mind to it. 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!). Since Nate had to leave early in a few days for his sister’s graduation, Sam knew his FOMO was starting to bubble up. Confirmed. Don’t worry, we won’t have any fun without you.

Table of Contents

I’m not sharing no pull-out couch. Fight to the death for the master bed! Colby hopped up the stairs, slamming into Sam, when they stopped short outside the master bedroom and stared inside. 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. 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. Unfortunately, people saw what they wanted to see, and Sam knew this better than anybody. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder if maybe they should’ve gone to Vegas instead where rowdiness wasn’t just acceptable, it was expected. Too late—here they were, and here they’d remain for the next six days.

Hawaiian breezes sifted through the house, providing all the air they needed. With natural sunlight in every room, there was something energetically light about the cabana. The roads looked normal, as far as Sam could tell. He wondered if there just hadn’t been any good cars left and the rental car lady didn’t want to admit it. Two hours later, they arrived in the southern town of Koloa, turning into a side street under light rain. Heading down the narrow trail, they finally arrived at a two-story cottage nestled deep in the trees.More like all play and zero work this time, brother," Sam said, shaking his head. At LAX airport and throughout the flight, Nate had plugged away on his iPad, writing short stories for his college writing class. Sure, Sam was all about hard work, but he hoped Nate would disconnect long enough to enjoy the trip, too. The other big thing I made note of was that there was a lot of “tell, not show” throughout. There’s a heavy focus on dialogue to progress the story rather than seeing into the boys’ inner thoughts and using other means to find out information. (I’m not one to talk, though, since I also focus more on dialogue than description.) It sometimes made it difficult to fully get into the story. I struggled with developing a picture of what the Belle Estate looked like, or what the other characters (beside SNC, Nate, and Alex) looked like. In terms of the boys, it seemed very reliant on us knowing who Sam and Colby are and what they’re all about (which is fair, since probably 99.9% of people who bought the book are fans of them but, if they want success outside of their audience, it could’ve been more descriptive in that regard). Just then, the driver’s high beams flashed. Seriously? What is this guy’s problem? Sam clenched his fists on the steering wheel.