Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing an advance read of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, this is the BEST book that I have read this summer and I have read a few.
It may be because it reminds me of high school in Houston and old people just love to go back and relive their younger days.
It makes me remember how I viewed some of my friends and was afraid to go to their houses because of the fear my parents instilled in me.

But mostly, it is because this book opened my eyes. Really opened my eyes to what we do as adults that completely messes kids up...perpetuates the fear...

GIlly Segal and Kimberly Jones, please keep writing. Our students need this kind of book.
If you have extras, send them my way!

This book addresses some really important topics in regards to race. But I had a hard time with the plot and the characters, which made it difficult to really absorb the points the authors were trying to make. It was all just way too much. The plot felt forced, like the only way the authors could bring up points about police brutality, rioting, and looting was to have the main characters make nonsensical choices that put them in the center of the violence. Because the fight at the school and the protests-turned-riots were so large and destructive, I found myself wondering what, exactly, had caused it all. It seemed like anger and frustration had been simmering in McPherson for quite a while, but why did everything explode on this particular night? Was there a specific event within the town that occurred? It's mentioned that the rival students at the football game had posted pictures of blackface, which kind of explains the fights there, but why were tons of people also protesting elsewhere in the town? The oppression and mistreatment of minorities is an obvious cause for protest, but usually there is a catalyst that spawns these protests and riots, like Freddie Gray's death in Baltimore or Michael Brown's death in Ferguson. I just had a hard time grasping it all, which I think was due to a lack of world-building.

There are lots of other books that address these topics in a much more thought-provoking and affecting way - The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and All American Boys by Jason Reynolds are two that immediately come to mind.

Even though I have some mixed feelings about the book, I'm still glad I read it. I do think it's a book worth reading if you enjoy YA fiction. It's one of those reads in which even though I had problems with it, I feel this compelling need to talk about the story. I think it would make a good book club selection as there's lots of interesting things to discuss here.

When a massive fight breaks up at a high school football game, two teenagers are thrust into a situation in which it's probably best if they work together in order to survive. Lena is cool and confident and is obsessed with her boyfriend, Black. (yup, that's his name). Campbell has just moved to town to live with her father after her mother takes a job in a different country. The story alternates between the two girls over the course of a night in which danger is around every corner and they better figure out how to get to safety.

So there's definitely a lot of action in this one which I guess you could say was both a positive and negative thing. The fast pace made this a quick read but I think that also led to underdeveloped characters, especially Lena, and moments that could have been expanded upon instead of glossed over. I don't think the story reached its' potential is probably the best way of putting it. I'm also conflicted about the ending. I'm okay with leaving some things up to the reader's imagination but in this case it feels so abrupt and not an entirely satisfying way to end a book.

To sum it up, a decent YA read but I wanted more from the story. A good effort but it doesn't quite hit the mark as well some other fiction books dealing with the same themes and topics.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

I'm Not Dying with You Tonight is told in dual POVs as two high school girls experience a riot at a school function and try to navigate their way safely out of the chaos and find their friends and families.

The writing style of this book is very straight forward and easy to read along with, especially for young adults. The premise is captivating and following along with these women as they are forced to work together and overcome very tough situations is super engaging and feels timely.

I will be recommending this book to those looking for a contemporary young adult work with themes of race, violence, and what divides us and ultimately brings us together.

3.5/5 Stars

I'm Not Dying with You Tonight is the contemporary young adult tale of Lena and Campbell, two girls who are thrust together when a massive, racially-fueled fight breaks out at their high school football game. The novel covers the course of this one night, where Lena and Campbell try to flea to safety as riots eventually break out around the city.

I really enjoyed the dual perspective chapters; both Campbell and Lena are strong, dynamic characters just trying to make it out together. The alternating perspectives served well to highlight the differences between the two girls, as well as their preconceived notions about each other because of their race. Many of the riot scenes were impressively intense and fast-paced, making this novel a pretty quick read. I also enjoyed wondering how I would handle a similar situation as I was reading about the girls' journey through the riot zone.

The one thing this novel really didn't do was completely drive home the idea of these two girls from different backgrounds coming together in the face of danger and as a result, gain a better understanding of each other. I wish the novel had really gone into this last part... the novel ends that night. There is no afterward that follows up on how their experience that night changed their future selves, or if there was any lasting change at all. Even during the events of the story, I was hoping the characters would dive a bit deeper into their biases and address them more fully.

That being said, I'm an adult reader and probably expect a deeper emotional analysis than the target audience for this novel, so I definitely do still recommend it for teen readers.

While I wanted to really like this novel, I thought it was just ok. For readers who can't get enough of racial stories, this is not a bad addition to the oeuvre, but I'd recommend The Hate You Give, How It Went Down, and a few other titles before this novel. I appreciate the alternating narrators so that readers see the events unfold through two different characters. And walking through the streets of a riot was a new experience for me. It's not a bad read, I just don't think it is the most compelling novel out there that tackles some of these same themes.

3.5/5 Stars

This book tells the story of Campbell and Lena and how they became allies in a time of need. The two girls don’t really know each other but when a big fight suddenly breaks out at the concession stand where Campbell was working they decide to stick together and try to escape. After someone gets shot the fight escalates to the close-by neighborhoods and it becomes an actual riot, leaving the girls to fend for themselves and try to make it home.
The story is very fast-paced and it all happens in a few hours of the night in question.

Lena is an African-American girl who can definitely speak her mind and I admired the fact that she put Lena in her place when she said something racist. Lena is a white girl and a newcomer at school. I think this experience definitely made her realize some important things and brought her closer to Lena.
In order to have a clear difference on the page the authors thought to give the girls two different voices. I’m all for that, I like understanding who I’m reading about because of a unique characteristic but I think that in this case it was all done in poor taste. Lena speaks with bad grammar and to me it truly felt like an unnecessary stereotype that should totally have been avoided.

The aspect I appreciated the most in this novel was the realistic description of racial tension and how it was then developed. I think the authors did a good job in explaining what was going on and why we got to that point.

Something that annoyed me throughout the whole book was the fact that Lena necessarily wanted to get to her boyfriend Black. It just felt very out of character for her. She was presented to us as this badass girl who can be independent and then they have her running around the whole town just to get to a boyfriend that doesn’t even bother to answer her calls.

The ending left a lot to the imagination and was resolved too quickly. We’re just told that Marcus is in the hospital and that Lena got home safe, and that’s it. We don’t know anything about what happens next in the riot, in the town in general and especially between the two main characters. I would have liked to know more, maybe with an epilogue or something.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the advanced Kindle copy of I’m Not Dying With You Tonight by Gilly Segal and Kimberly Jones.

Unlikely friends Lena and Campbell are unexpectedly thrown together for a night of chaos and terror. Through mobs, gunshots, and riots, these two lean on each other to survive. This #ownvoices novel is raw and captivating. I couldn’t put it down! Look for it October 1st.

3 for neutral, while I found that it definitely has some very important aspects, I just could not get into this book. I am a very moody reader and books with heavier topics tend to be harder for me to get into, so I will update it I’m able to get into it at a later date.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcefire Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* This book is told from the perspectives of two teenage girls, Lena and Campbell. One black and one white; one a local to the area and another a transplant following her mother's move to Venezuela. They are thrown together one night when a fight at their high school turns into riots and looting across the city of Atlanta, Georgia. Only together can they make it safely across the city to meet Lena's boyfriend Black and secure a ride home. This was a powerful novel that touched on important issues such as poverty, race and police violence. The action of the novel all takes place in just one night as the two girls struggle to get across town and in the process, forge a friendship. As an Australian, I found this book provided important insight into issues experienced in some cities in the US. I think some of my students would enjoy reading it as much as I did.

Race is a very hot button topic right now. After being tormented for centuries black people are speaking out and making people aware that this madness has to end. Racism needs to be called out in open discussion. The book's use of both black and white narrators add different perspectives to the event. Fans of THUG will enjoy this.

**Disclaimer: I received an advance reader copy of I'm Not Dying With You Tonight by Gilly Segal and Kimberly Jones from SOURCEBOOKS Fire and NetGalley for review purposes. Thank you to them for this opportunity.

I'm Not Dying With You Tonight by Gilly Segal and Kimberly Jones is a hard hitting YA Contemporary novel that hits the shelves on August 6th, 2019. I gave it 4/5 stars on GoodReads, but my actual rating is probably a 4.5/5.

Here is the summary from NetGalley:

From #OwnVoices debut author duo Gilly Segal and Kimberly Jones comes a page-turning and timely story about two teenage girls—one black, one white—who only have each other to get through the violent race riots enveloping their city over the course of one night.

Lena and Campbell aren’t friends.

Lena has her killer style, her awesome boyfriend, and a plan. She knows she’s going to make it big.

Campbell, on the other hand, is just trying to keep her head down and get through the year at her new school.

When both girls attend the Friday-night football game, what neither expects is for everything to descend into sudden mass chaos. Chaos born from violence and hate. Chaos that unexpectedly throws them together.

They aren’t friends. They hardly understand the other’s point of view. But none of that matters when the city is up in flames, and they only have each other to rely on if they’re going to survive the night.

I'm Not Dying With You Tonight is one of those books that really makes you think. It doesn't make you think because the writing is particularly complicated but because of the subject matter. What this book was actually about it so relevant in our present day society that I really feel like this is a book that everyone should read. I was really impressed with how the authors got their point across without making it feel like they were hammering a lesson into your brain.

One of the things I loved about this book was the pacing of it. The whole story takes place over the course of one afternoon and evening and I was worried it would drag and get boring. However, the authors are quick to introduce you to our protagonists Lena and Campbell, tell you about them, explain why they are where they are, throw them together and then get the story going. Once the action starts the novel is fast paced and hard to put down because you need to know that Lena and Campbell are going to be safe.

Another thing I really liked was the voices of the two characters. The novel is told in dual point of view, with Lena and Campbell having alternating chapters. Each girl has a very distinct voice which makes it easy to tell who is speaking on the off chance you forgot whose chapter you were reading. Each girl also read really realistically and I really felt like I was in the head of two unique teenage girls. They let out their worries and fears in their thoughts and you were really able to get to know them. Both girls were round and dynamic, with strengths and flaws that made them feel like people you might encounter in real life.

I also really appreciated the way the characters interacted. Lena and Campbell are not friends at the start of the story and they spend much of it clashing with one another. They argue over stupid things but later they get into deeper conflicts that deal with racism and prejudice and how to understand that bias. As the story progresses, the girls grow and learn from each other and come to a better understanding of the other and it ends in a way that gave me hope for the future.

The story dealt with some mature themes as I previously mentioned as it starts with a smallish conflict over a racist remark and then blows up into a massive conflict that spreads across the city. This story dealt with those mature themes in a way that is accessible and also well handled. I felt that they addressed the problems, and while obviously one novel can't fix racism in the whole world, it seemed to me that they dealt with Campbell's internalized racism in a way that taught the reader something.

I know this is somewhat vague, but I really think that this is a novel better enjoyed and read without it being spoiled because it's a very good book. I highly recommend it, and if the summary and/or what I've mentioned interests you at all, I recommend checking out I'm Not Dying With You Tonight when it comes out in early August.

Thank you for reading and thanks again to NetGalley and the publishers for this opportunity!

Didn't love this book; but the topic is important and I think we will still purchase. It didn't grab my attention at the beginning, so it'd be hard to convince most of my teens to read it.

This is the type of dramatic story that urban teens love: race issues, sports and dance teams, teen relationships...and in the end, a new and unlikely friendship develops.

I was so excited when I learned about this book. I loved other books with this general topic, but they largely focus on boys – this one had female MC’s! But, sadly, I just didn’t enjoy this title much. Even though it was short (only 160 pages), it seemed interminable.

My biggest problem with this book was that it was all plot, but the plot had no arc. On the plus side, this book had action from the get-go, which can really hook some students – esp. reluctant readers. But the action just went and went and went. We started with a giant-sized, seemingly unending brawl at the school, then straight into a riot downtown, and then an almost point-blank shooting. The plot started at 10 and stayed there until the very abrupt ending. But, strangely, I didn’t feel like there was a realistic conflict the MC’s were trying to solve. Yes, they were trying to get to safety, I guess, but the conflict at school and the riot aren’t ever really resolved, we just leave them behind and move on. And the conflicts didn’t really directly involve the main characters – the fight and riot/looting were happening around them, but the characters were just moving through the action, not really engaging. At least that’s how it felt to me. Also, because the tension is so high from the beginning and the ending just ends, there is no arc to the plot. And, on a related note, the fight and the riot just didn’t feel believable to me, which I think is a result of not enough world-building. BRIEF mentions are made to rivalry between the two schools, racism, and a racist governor, but those backstory issues aren’t ever fleshed out enough to make what is happening in the story feel real.

I was very disappointed that there wasn’t more character development. I think both Lena and Campbell could have been very interesting characters, but we never really know enough about them to “get” them or care about them. Then, just as they are starting to develop, starting to see beyond each other’s skin color and stereotypes, the story suddenly ends. This story would have a much greater emotional impact if these characters had been given as much attention as the plot.

The greatest upside to this book was the themes. This book speaks to the importance of putting aside preconceived ideas of people and groups, the double-standards related to race that are so prevalent in our society, the way experience colors our perceptions, and police mistreatment of people of color. These are all topics/themes that are current and relevant to teens and which will resonate with many.

There were other minor inconsistencies within the text that annoyed me (like at one point Campbell said Lena had given her back her phone, then two pages later, Lena was tapping away on the screen of her phone?!? Or that the sandwich shop where Campbell’s dad wanted her to get a job had never materialized, but then it was suddenly open and in business and sheltering teens during the riot). But, those were minor issues for me; the unrealistic, “high-octane,” arc-less plot is really what killed this book for me. Add to that the lack of three-dimensional characters, and I just can’t really get behind this book at all.

This book clocks in at 272 of some of the fastest pages I have ever read. It alternates between two voices. Campbell is new to McPherson High School, doesn't know anyone, and still isn't sure what she's doing here or how she got roped into helping run the concession stand at this weekend's football game. Lena, stylish and assertive, grew up here and knows how to handle herself when sh*t goes down...or at least, she thinks she does. Neither are expecting to find themselves in the middle of the fight that breaks out at halftime, but the riot that ensues forces them to band together to escape the school unscathed, and escaping the school is only the beginning. Their night is about to take a turn from bad to much, much worse. These two young women may live in the same city, but it's clear from their first interaction that they come from different worlds. With only each other to rely on, will they be able to work together and keep the silent promise they've made each other?

The pace of this book pulls the reader in from the first chapter, taking you along as Lena and Campbell escape the concession stand, trying to find their way home, and it will have you on the edge of your seat until the last pages. The characters all felt like people I could have gone to school with in high school, and the emotions Lena and Campbell experience leap off the page. The differences in Lena and Campbell's experiences also provide a frank look at racism in the United States. This book is a conversation starter, and it's a conversation that needs to be had.

I was intrigued by the synopsis of this book. However, the emotional flow as well as the flow of events felt choppy, I didn't come to like or click with either of the main characters, and I could have done without some of the crude language. (Not language in relation to something serious happening, but when it seems crude for the sake of crudeness.) The story has an interesting basis, but the style/delivery didn't "pop" for me.

The bold and virtually reversible book cover is great, though.
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I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for an honest review.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Campbell doesn’t want to be in Atlanta. Forced to move in with her dad after her mom gets a new job in Venezuela, she’s had to leave her old school in Haverford (New England) to come to the south. Right now, she’s mostly just existing, not really belonging anywhere. But her English teacher convinces her to work concessions one night at the foootball game, a decision that’ll change a lot.

Lena has grown up in Atlanta, and she has a boyfriend Black who she wishes would pay more attention to her. She has plans to meet up with after the football game, after she sees her friends perform at half-time.

But during half-time, after the marching band finishes performing, a fight breaks out that quickly turns into a brawl. Lena finds herself taking shelter in the concession stand with Campbell, and the two unwillingly form a bond to survive this brawl after shots ring out.

I’m Not Dying With You Tonight adds a conversation to the race discussions that are occurring everywhere but also in YA literature. To some extent, this reminds me of All-American Boys in that this important book uses a white author and black author which adds a certain type of nuance. Throughout the book, Campbell becomes more aware of her white privilege while Lena also realizes that while Campbell may have white privilege, she is lacking privilege in other areas such as socioeconomic status.

As a final note, some readers will want to criticize the actions of Lena and Campbell throughout the book. It’s important to remember that these two have been put into the middle of a crisis situation, and while Lena has experienced gun shots before at an event, this is the first time that she’s been really trapped in that situation. People in crisis situations do all sorts of things that may not make sense to someone outside of that situation or even to someone who has been in a crisis situation but responded differently. I found their actions completely believable.

This is definite must-read.

I’m Not Dying with You Tonight releases August 6.

I really enjoyed this book! I think this is a very important book considering our social climate right now. There are more books nowadays addressing issues such as police brutality and race relations, but this one addresses those issues in a unique way by having POVs of two girls with different backgrounds and mentalities.

The whole movement of #BlackLivesMatter has touched thousands of lives, and the authors of this book are not strangers to that. The story of Lena and Campbell, albeit sometimes focused solely on the tragedy happening in the background, developed into a scne where I wanted to help them run away from danger. The football game, the riot, the danger they face, and the understanding of each other in the most dire of circumstances made me realize, that the real message behind this novel was to make the reader aware of the real privileges between races. The sad but truthful reality of the society we live in nowadays. Tho I enjoyed each character's developent, I was still left with questions about some issues presented:

The store break in?
Venezuela?
What does Campbell's mom actually do for a living?

The one night they save each others lives is supposed to mark them, but i didnt feel at the end there was a chance of stretchibf the bond further.

Could it be me? I loved the overall story and situations. They have helped me figure out a lot of things in my own life, but i have a little bit of doubt with others. Nothing bad, and I still give this 4 stars cause I couldnt put this down. At all.