And Then We Screamed

by Holly Bourne

The mind-blowing new novel full of mystery, conspiracy and dark secrets from bestselling Holly Bourne, for fans of Kathleen Glasgow and e. lockhart

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.

Genres: Young Adult

384 pages, Unknown Binding

Expected publication September 10, 2026

About the author

Holly started her writing career as a news journalist, where she was nominated for Best Print Journalist of the Year. She then spent six years working as an editor, a relationship advisor, and general ‘agony aunt’ for a youth charity – helping young people with their relationships and mental health.

Inspired by what she saw, she started writing teen fiction, including the best-selling, award-winning ‘Spinster Club’ series which helps educate teenagers about feminism. When she turned thirty, Holly wrote her first adult novel, 'How Do You Like Me Now?', examining the intensified pressures on women once they hit that landmark.

Alongside her writing, Holly has a keen interest in women’s rights and is an advocate for reducing the stigma of mental health problems. She’s helped create online apps that teach young people about sexual consent, works with Women’s Aid to spread awareness of abusive relationships, and runs Rethink’s mental health book club.

Reviews

[Jasmine Nicholson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holly just does female rage in teen girls so well

[Abby May · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC review

4⭐️

“They would never believe it. Because what would it coaster them if they do?”

The story follows Clover, a high school student who dreams of something exciting happening in her sleepy town so she and her crush, Brody, can investigate it for the school newspaper. When cheerleaders begin suffering from terrifying, uncontrollable screaming fits, Clover and Brody set out to uncover the truth, only to discover a much darker secret lurking beneath Maple Lakes' perfect image.

I found the premise really intriguing, and while I wasn't completely gripped from the start, I was definitely interested to see where the story was heading. There were so many possible explanations for the mysterious screaming that I found myself constantly trying to guess what was really going on.

—————- mild spoilers—————————-
Once the truth was revealed, though, I was completely hooked. The explanation was both fascinating and genuinely upsetting, and it's one of those reveals that stays with you long after you've finished reading. I had to sit with it for a while afterwards, and I think I'm still processing it.

I’m not sure I liked the romance subplot and how that was written but I do think the story needed a subplot with low stakes so the overall book probably benefitted from having those “lighter” breaks from the main story.

The middle section felt a little slow at times, but the final 30% more than made up for it with everything that follows after the reveal and I ended up really enjoying the book.



Big thank you to NetGalley and Usborne Publishing for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

[Insert Name Here · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holly Bourne has built a reputation for writing about girls who are angry for very good reasons. In And Then We Screamed, she takes the unexplained outbreaks that have historically affected groups of women and asks a terrifying question: what happens when nobody understands what's happening - but everyone still wants someone to blame?
📚 Pre-Reading Thoughts
Holly Bourne's books often explore the ways society responds to teenage girls, especially when those girls refuse to quietly accept what's happening around them. I was intrigued to see how she would approach a story built around such a strange and unsettling phenomenon.

📖 Post-Reading
As I thought...

This is a difficult book to discuss without giving too much away, because the reason behind the screaming is central to the story. What I can say is that Bourne uses the mystery to explore much bigger questions about fear, belief and power.
The historical inspiration is fascinating, particularly the strange "plagues" and unexplained events that have appeared throughout history. Bourne captures the terror of living through something you cannot understand.
The reactions around the girls are just as important as the screaming itself. The novel explores how quickly communities can move from concern to suspicion when faced with something they cannot explain.
It surprised me by...

How much space it gives the uncertainty. This is not a fast-paced thriller where every chapter brings a new revelation; it is a slower, more unsettling examination of what it feels like when the world stops making sense.
How much anger sits beneath the story. Holly Bourne is clearly furious about the ways women's experiences have historically been dismissed, and that frustration gives the book its power.
This is a challenging read, but a worthwhile one. In a perfect world, this would be the kind of novel discussed in classrooms - not just because of the story itself, but because of the conversations it encourages about history, society and whose voices we choose to believe.

🌈 Vibe Check
Colour Palette: storm clouds, silver grey, frost white
Soundtrack: footsteps in an empty corridor, the hum of fluorescent lights, silence before a storm
Season: winter
Mood: unsettling, thoughtful, quietly furious
Scent: cold air, old books, rain on pavement
🃏 Tarot Pull
The Moon

The Moon represents uncertainty, hidden truths and the fear of what we cannot yet understand. It asks us to trust intuition when the world around us is offering incomplete answers - and reminds us that things hidden in darkness still exist.

[Farah G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clover is a bright, sparky young girl who feels bored to death living in the idyllic small town of Maple Lakes. With her role in the high school newspaper and her secret crush on her attractive classmate Brody - who is planning an ambitious career in journalism, and is equally keen to find a story worth writing about in his college essay - being the only interesting things in her life, Clover constantly wishes that something exciting would happen in their lives.

But what neither Clover nor Brody bargain for is the mayhem that is unleashed in their picturesque town when one of the cheerleaders at the school (who also happens to be the local pastor's picture-perfect daughter) suddenly begins to scream for no apparent reason. As more and more girls in the high school begin to display similar symptoms, the authorities become as desperate to identify a cure as they are determined to make light of the phenomenon, because they are afraid of scaring away tourists. Not that they need to worry about the latter, since the screamer scare actually brings any number of media professionals, podcasters, conspiracy theorists and sensation seekers to the locality, generating more revenue than the regular tourists...

But what really lies behind the screaming epidemic? While I was reading the book, I had a sudden moment of dismay that I had accidentally picked up a horror story rather than a mystery. But as it turned out, the author explained the mysterious situation of the "screamers" in a way that resolved the questions raised in a very believable way. In the process, she also made some very important points about the world we live in...

This is one of those rare books that you know that you will be thinking about for a while. Highly recommended - it gets 4.5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC!

This one's a tough one. It was pretty easy to read, but I felt like it went on for so long, even though it wasn't.

I also got the wrong idea about what this book is about. I thought it was a horror and kept expecting some horror reason for why the girls were screaming. Instead, it's rooted in some very real, horrible circumstances.

I felt the final reveal was fine, but, as with real life, it felt a little... lacking. I can't explain much because it would spoil it, but anyone who reads it will hopefully understand when I say the ending was: sad, but not surprising.

Clover was fine as an FMC, though it felt like she was mostly just 'I love Brody' and let a lot of things happen around her. Brody (ironically) had more personality; he had a clear drive as to what he wanted to do, and it kind of felt like Clover was just being dragged along for the right.

This is one of those hard books to review, because you can't do it without spoiling the plot, and I don't want to do that.

Overall, though, I found it to be enjoyable and a bit thought-provoking, if sad in parts.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holly Bourne is a true legend of our time and we must protect her at all costs. An ultimate auto-buy author for me, ‘And Then We Screamed’ is just further proof of why.

What would you do if someone just started screaming? And that person was the most popular for you knew? Oh, and you were in the middle of school? What about if more and more girls started screaming? Well, that’s what’s happened to Clover and Brody. And with the school and town trying to shut things down, it’s up to them to understand why these girls are screaming, and how to make the stop.

‘And Then We Screamed’ is another poignant and perfectly crafted novel that hooks you in from the start and frankly leaves you wanting to scream. Bourne has such a talent for highlighting just how messed up the world is in such a way that you don’t fully realise what’s about to hit you until it’s too late.

I’m in my thirties and adore both Bourne’s adult and YA novels, and I really wish I had her to read when I was younger.

This is a must read for all (ok, maybe teen and above) ages.

Thank you NetGalley and Usborne Publishing for the ARC.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

Another brilliant book by Holly Bourne who manages to get across the reality of sexual violence against women and girls through a story which combines great plot, humour and entertaining dialogue. She has the ability to make you want to read the story but gets her point across amazingly well. It's amusing and has a lot of fun within it but once it gets to the serious point it just takes off and I couldn't put it down. A 'must read' for teens.

My thanks to NetGalley and Usborne Publishing for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

[antisocialread3r · Rating 5 out of 5]

6⭐️

I feel sick.

I always have and I always will love Holly Bourne but I love her even more. A full review to come

28/07/2026

Some incredibly difficult subject matter covered, and absolutely no beating around the bush when it comes to said subject matter, which for me, I loved and actually admire holly bourne for doing such a thing because I think in a world like the one we live in, so many people use euphemisms and avoid calling a spade a spade. However, if you struggle with that kind of thing I would definitely check trigger warnings. PLEASE look after yourselves, if you have any triggers, please read tw.

So real that its scary. But so so so well researched.

A pandemic of screams, needed investigating and so many are refusing to. A sense of community, the fact that as a human race, were more connected than some may think.

Happy moments of course, but I spent the majority of my time feeling sick and anxious, and relating far too deeply with some of these characters.

I've said it before about a Holly Bourne book (you could be so pretty) and ill say it again, 'and then we Screamed' is, 100% without a doubt required reading but definitely not for the faint of heart.

[Dannii Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abigail is the quintessential all American sweetheart and head cheerleader of Maple Lakes high school. When she starts to scream, suddenly and with seemingly no cause, girls across the school begin to follow suit. Is this a deadly outbreak, is this a school prank, is this the power plays of teen girls, or is something more sinister taking place?

This synopsis was too intriguing to pass up on reading but I found the contents a little repetitive, until just over the half way point. Our central protagonist, Clover, is bent on discovering what is harassing her peers and so much of this book involves a scream and then an attempt to learn why until another scream is heard and another girl inflicted.

Once the truth was discovered this book took a huge turn for me and I found this to be a very powerful and important story but that does not detract that I contemplated not continuing on with the story during early sections of it.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Holly Bourne, and the publisher, Usborne, for this opportunity.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨4 stars✨

After over a decade of reading Holly Bourne’s books, I am so glad they deliver especially in terms of feminine rage. I thought this was such an interesting premise and the execution didn’t let it down. I went through all of the emotions with this characters particularly when things started to get revealed.

Like all of this author’s previous works, I was hooked really early on and after that I couldn’t put it down as I found the concept continuously gripping. I also liked the snippets of interviews we got throughout as that added further depth.

Overall, this is such an easy book to recommend because I think it’d work for many types of readers.

I received an ARC from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

[Zo_crow · Rating 4 out of 5]

And then we screamed was probably my most anticipated book of 2026, and I’m so grateful for this chance to read it. Holly Bourne truly doesn’t disappoint. There were so many themes covered in this book with excellent care, and also so many tiny details that made the story feel realistic and human. I think the pacing of the story was a tiny bit off- the conclusion came a bit too late and some key scenes were a bit rushed. Regardless, I loved the creativity with which the story was told, the chilling reality underscoring it, and the brilliant voices of the characters who told it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Eden Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Throughout history, girls have found another language to let out what they need to let out.”

Wow, this book is one that will stay with me for a long time. A blend of mystery x thriller with a devastatingly real outcome (please do check the trigger warnings of this one before reading) - Holly Bourne has created something so special here that will stay with me for a long time.

I loved the documentary breaks throughout the book, they kept me thoroughly engaged and reminded of Penance by Eliza Clark in the best possible way.

A huge thank you to Usborne and NetGalley for this eARC!

[Abi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and Holly Bourne for the ARC.

I really enjoyed how this was written in the interview style, and the story as a whole was decent. I did really struggle with the pacing though unfortunately.

I found it took a long time to really go anywhere, and even when it did it just felt way too slow. The ending was good, but It felt like it took a long time to get there.

[Sakura_ lostinbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

The concept of this book sounded so unhinged that I couldn’t resist. Like a pandemic but with girls screaming and no one had a clue why. It was really clever and dealt with some serious issues behind the screaming. New and unique notion for a YA thriller, with an edge of horror as definitely unnerving and unsettling whilst being really thought provoking. Fantastic read!

[Jasmine Queen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dam! Definitely a 5 star book!
Holly Bourne is such an incredible writer, all her books are so touching, this one was no different.
I loved that it highlighted that teenage girls carry so much built up rage that it will find a way to come out one way or another.

[Katy Wedderburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give this more than five stars, then I would. Holly Bourne is incredible again.

[Kirsty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Kept me hooked throughout