Dreamland

by Olivie Blake

An intimate, contemporary, and visceral Gothic novel about family secrets, unsolved murders, and ill-fated summer love, by multiple- New York Times bestselling sensation Olivie Blake.

The headlines are calling it the "summer of exsanguination" in LA—girls are being murdered, the Santa Ana winds are blowing a strange energy into the city, and all signs point to fire season. But Anya Morris has other things to worry about, like whatever it takes to get a foot in the door of an unfeeling, ever-changing industry after losing the TV pilot that should have been her big break.

Enter William de Witt, a movie star of generational acclaim who poses an his son, Jude, has a rare condition that forces him into a reclusive lifestyle. In exchange for spending time with him, Anya will gain entry to Hollywood’s most powerful circles.

Just like that, a world of money, access, and industry clout sprawls at Anya's feet, like the city below the mysterious de Witt villa in the hills. But behind the gilded veneer of fame lies decades of bloodstained secrets, and it just may be that an occult family curse lives within the villa’s walls—or within Jude himself.

But there’s a dark magnetism to Jude that Anya can’t resist, despite warning signs that scream like sirens in the night. And as the murders across the city continue to ratchet up with the summer heat, something has to give. There’s smoke in the air, but who will be the one to strike the match?

Genres: Horror, Adult, Fantasy, Gothic, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Contemporary

368 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication August 20, 2026

About the author

Olivie Blake is the pseudonym of Alexene Farol Follmuth, a lover and writer of stories, many of which involve the fantastic, the paranormal, or the supernatural, but not always. More often, her works revolve around what it means to be human (or not), and the endlessly interesting complexities of life and love.
​
Olivie has penned several indie SFF projects, including the webtoon Clara and the Devil with illustrator Little Chmura and the viral Atlas series. As Follmuth, her young adult rom-com My Mechanical Romance releases May 2022.

Olivie lives in Los Angeles with her husband and new baby, where she is generally tolerated by her rescue pit bull.

Reviews

[Mia · Rating 2 out of 5]

For me, Olivie Blake books hit, or they dont. This, unfortunately, didn't. It's way overwritten. This is for someone who isn't me.

[hamna · Rating 2 out of 5]

breathed a sigh of relief that it's finally over. this book is so painfully uninspired, it actually sucked to read for a good majority. i feel like i know /what/ she's trying to accomplish here, what threads the author is trying to pull, what narrative she's trying to create. it just falls apart so abysmally. there's at least three different ways this book veers off into that lead to nowhere.. which is like, okay maybe it was supposed to play a background role, but the constant emphasis...all for a plot that's simultaneously predictable but also very?? messy??...and kinda awful. if i am being honest. the writing feels overwritten too, or maybe it's just that this book doesn't call to be written in the way that it. is. written. there's no drive to the story, the miscontrued and hastily reconstructed narrative doesn't hold any weight to it, and i did not care about the romance. at all. it felt like a chore to read and was too par the course (derogatory) while also, kinda, coming out of nowhere. anyway, yeah. i mean sure what the hell. it's definitely a book. it's just kind of bland..and ultimately, pointless.
thank you to tor for the advance copy. (if you think this review is confusing, just wait until you read the book.)

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't even read it yet, and I already know in my bones that this is going to be pretentious, fucked up, unlikeable as hell and so deeply relatable. I'm going to copy Juliette and count down the days until this release because I needed it on my doorstep yesterday, no, actually years ago. Olivie Blake is unstoppable, and I will read EVERYTHING she writes until I die.

[heba]

another olivie blake to add to my collection, thank you queen💥💳

[larissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

i usually love olivie but this book was a mess, i wish i knew what was going on for the most part!! there were some good moments of writing, but overall it was way too confusing, and i didn’t really care about the characters either

[Lama]

Another one, thank you ♥️

[clicktojointhemafia]

ready for another banger by ms blake

[Michaela · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a testament to Olivie Blake that I will happily read anything she writes even when it’s as not-for-me as this book is. Even after reading this book, which is probably one of my least favorites of hers, I think that sentiment only got stronger. I appreciate the experimental writing and genre exploration. However, I was just so lost for so long, and the drive of the story wasn’t really there for me. The “romance” was not convincing, and overall the plot and commentary were just too murky for me to really get invested or get anything out of it. There’s a lot of good atmospheric elements and details, but ultimately the larger threads of the story were not woven together tightly enough for me.
As far as genre categorization goes, I almost want to say it should be put under science fiction? I know one part of Olivie Blake’s books that is so appealing is the unclassifiableness, but so far I’ve seen this under “fantasy” which I don’t think is accurate. It’s also not thrilling enough to be a thriller, for me.

[Happy Booker]

My mother worked in the Hollywood police department-Hobart division. She was the only woman working the Black Dahlia case. I've read many, many books on the Dahlia however not one got the secrets held back by police to this day. My mother finally told me what was held back when she knew her time was close to the end of her life. I've yet read it it any fiction or nonfiction but still look so I can share it before my time is up! Looking very forward to this one!

[louise ʚଓ]

mrs. blake you are on fire

[read with kath ✿]

the first time i'm excited to read an olivie blake book!!!

[eerika (taylor's version)]

if this is bad, i will cry. it sounds so good PLEASE DONT LET ME DOWNN OLIVIE BLAKE!!!!!

[Catherine Mathes]

I'd like to thank god (Olivie) for continuously feeding us.