Amidst all the drama and racial tension of I'm Not Dying with You Tonight, is the story of two young women, who come from different worlds despite only living a few blocks apart. Lena and Campbell personify everything that we need: two people who push through their differences to do the right thing for each other.

But, very little of their physical journey made sense to me. It seemed out of character for Lena-portrayed as a tough, no nonsense girl-to risk her life (and Campbell's) to get to a man who wouldn't even answer her calls. Even as the girls made their way toward Lena's boyfriend, the narrative didn't seem to vary much. And, I thought that the racial issues were unbalanced. I expected to see understanding of their situations from both girls, but that's not what happens. While Campbell recognizes what Lena goes through every day, we never see Lena walk back from her accusations that Campbell is just a "rich white girl", which was far from the truth. The story would have had more impact if their had been that mutual understanding between the girls, enhancing what they'd done for each other during their journey.

I adored the writing style of I'm Not Dying With You Tonight. It was very straightforward at times and I loved the raw honesty it put forth.

A very poignant look at today's society that could be hard for some to swallow, but brilliantly told with characters that you can really see yourself in.

This book was meh. There have definitely been some that I liked more than this, this year for sure. will try the author again though.

This book was presented to me as a "Read Now" on NetGalley, and the premise seemed interesting so I snatched it up. I was imagining an end of the word apocalypse/Purge type scenario mixed with a race relations drama. However, the first half of my prediction was very diluted while the second was very surface level.

The book describes the night as "sudden mass chaos", but I don't really agree with that phrasing. The riot at the football game and the town center do happen quickly, but I wouldn't define it as chaos. Perhaps I just expected too much.

As other reviewers have said, the book is very plot driven (ie "We need to get from here to there!") versus character driven. The main characters both make various decisions that don't make a lot of sense when considering the information given to us.

Furthermore, I feel like the discussion of race relations was not given true justice others than a few passing, topical lines. Many of the race related events are based in real events that have occurred in 2018/2019, but they're not fleshed out enough for us to really understand the impact. It would have been nice for the action to slow down at some points to allow for real conversation between Lena and Campbell (who is randomly called Becky throughout the book - something I didn't quite understand).

While it was a fast read, I think it would have benefitted from a few more chapters that examined what happened next, both on a friendship level of the girls and within the town.

I don't regret reading this book, as it was enjoyable, but I wish it were just more. It's hard to give a recommendation on it one way or another.

The Quick Cut: Two teen girls from different racial backgrounds find their bias exposed when they work together to get home.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

We all have our own bias that guides how we look at the world. Whether you want to admit it or not, it pushes you to look at people, places, and even hobbies a specific way. However, what happens when you're placed face first in front of those discriminations that guide you? This is the story we see play out between Campbell and Lena.

These two girls live on opposite side of the social spectrum and do NOT understand one another. While Lena has her style and boyfriend she is devoted to, Campbell is just doing whatever it takes to get through high school. Unfortunately, when chaos breaks out at a school game and a riot ensues, these girls find their world's colliding when they work together to escape the chaos and get home.

This story finds a very clever way to expose the bias of each girl in many different ways. Not only do the chapters go back and forth in the narration between the girls, but the running creates a scenario to seeing the way they think. This is a very short book at around 150 pages, but it suits the story and any longer would feel like page filling.

The great part about this story is that each girl is flawed with a difficult situation they're trying to deal with. No one has the upper hand and each one needs the other to bring to light the problem they ignore. Both are likeable and you empathize with what's happening in their lives.

The only downside to this story is the unbelievability of the scenario. I don't see these 2 in real life going together like this, so you do have to dispel your sense of realism to fully enjoy it.

With an important story to tell, this book tugs at essential realisms of life between 2 girls.

My rating: 4 out of 5

Two girls one Black one White, struggle to stay out of harm's way when a racial incident escalates into police violence during a high school football game. Lena and Campbell don't know each other but are thrown together trying to outrun the riots which have spread city wide. They are both dealing with family and relationship issues which make their situation even dicier. Despite having very different perceptions about what is going on, they must somehow learn to trust each other and work together to find safety.

Lena and Campbell are well fleshed out characters, making their decisions and reactions feel honest. The compelling narrative ratchets up the tension as things get harder and harder for them as they traverse the city. The story will no doubt inspire conversations about trust, how interactions with law enforcement are not the same for all communities, and how important it is to step outside of your own experience to understand someone else's.

Fluid, fast-paced, tense, stimulating, genuine.

In one night, two teenage girls who were merely classmates have to escape a racially charged high school fight that escalates to shots fired, looting, fires, and police descending with riot gear. One girl's keenness for how "these scenes play out" and the other's wherewithal trigger their survival modes and, refreshingly, their human kindness keeps them together to escape through citywide chaos.

Each chapter is written from genuine, authentic voices that reveal how distinctly presumptuous Lena and Campbell are. Sometimes the presumptions are stereotypical; other times, they are honest thoughts. They all are quick and stark; some are funny, all are self-reflecting. Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal weave in and out the fanatical nuances of racial ignorance (characters in the same space and time but clueless of the others cultural being), nuances of allegiance and egos in Black love, friendships, and loyalties (heated exchanges between Black males on territory and survival), nuances of white privilege and communal protection (acknowledging where Campbell can move or not), and the nuances of female teenagers whose innocence are transparent and uncompromised (girls instinctively catching hands or jumping before an attacked to protect each other).

Awesome elements in I'M NOT DYING WITH YOU TONIGHT are the multiple climaxes as the girls run through fighting crowds, busted buildings, smoke/fire, and away from police---only to get closest to death at home! This reader shouted at characters and yelled when they proclaimed the title. In all that is conflicted with society--as Segal and Jones present in this book--it is reassuring that this YA novel delivers soundly the truth that humanity can still rise.

(Maybe a sequel can guide humanity to healing.)

Amazing 5-star read. We should anticipate a great audiobook!

#JozefBookandBrew #bookstagrammers #sendARC #NetGalley

This book picks up quick with very little back story, throwing the two girls together under the worst kind of circumstances. The entire story occurs during one night, with continued action and suspense through to the end. It touches on many issues of today without being preachy or tying anything up in neat little packages, but leaves the reader with lots of open-ended questions to think about after the story is through.

I loved this book. I loved both Lena and Campbell and how during the course of the book, they began to see life from another point of view. Campbell is clueless at to how racial tensions can start wars and Lena thinks that all white people are soft and rich, both seem much more enlightened by the end of the book. This entire book takes place during just a few hours as Lena and Campbell are trying to make their way home from a high school football game after a major fight breaks out turning into a riot. Streets are blocked and they are forced to walk through a rough neighborhood to try to reach Lena's boyfriend to get a ride home. They find themselves in the midst of another riot and have to run again to avoid injury. The girls start to find strength in each other as they face a multitude of difficulties on their way home.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

First just let me say, Wow! Just wow!

Now, I'll get to the review.

I'm Not Dying With You Tonight starts out as just a normal Friday for Campbell and Lena. They are just two ordinary girls who run in different social circles. They are not friends nor have they ever spoken to each other. Campbell attends a football game to help with the concession stand, Lena is there to watch her friends dance at halftime. When all hell breaks loose, the girls are thrown together in a terrifying situation where there seems to be nowhere safe. What starts as a fight at a football games turns into a city wide riot, the two must work together if they hope to figure out how to survive the night.

I'm Not Dying With You Tonight was told from both Campbell's and Lena's point of views. The characters of Campbell and Lena themselves were done beautifully. Lena is beautiful and popular, Campbell is the shy new girl with no friends. I loved how their individual sections were told so differently, from the way they spoke to the way their fears and values were addressed. The way they are shown as similar beings and completely different at the same time is just wonderful.

This is a book I'm going to be feeling for awhile. With both main characters being likeable and vulnerable in their individual ways I found myself in constant fear of what was going to happen next. I felt this book did an incredible job of spotlighting the gaps between race and class in a way that shines light on the problems many still struggle with today. The authors did an amazing job of portraying racial tension. I felt the ending was well done, as it left off with the girls arriving to their respective homes after escaping the riot leaving the focus more on the trauma of that night.

This was just an amazing book and I loved it. Once I started reading I only put it down when it was absolutely necessary. I'd recommend this book to anyone over age 13.

This is a timely tale of race relations and cultural differences, as seen through the eyes of two teenage girls from very different worlds. Coming from Campbell's experiences, myself, it allowed me a glimpse into what it might be like for Lena growing up black in a city...and made me realize my own naivete as Campbell discovered hers. Told over the course of one night and alternating between the two girls, it's an engaging read sure to be popular with fans of Angie Thomas and Jason Reynolds...and hopefully finds a whole new readership, as well.

A very suspenseful read with many twists and turns. The author has you loving the main character, loathing her and then loving her again.

Another great upcoming read! This book had me white knuckled gripping the edges of it flipping pages quickly to race to the end. The racial tension in this book is high and really makes you take a step back and look at both sides. These two girls trying to hold it together amongst the chaos and figure out exactly who they are and what roles they play for, against, all while trying to find themselves. The voices are distinct and the narrative beautifully done. This book is needed in this time, especially with all the headlines we keep seeing and how so little is done about it. I think this is a great eye opening book for youth and needs to be spotlighted!

This book was a quick read. I liked what the authors did here. Two different perspectives. It was different but a great story. I hope they write more together.

The balance of perspectives from two girls -- one white, one black -- provides an entry point into the narrative and an interpreter for each other's experiences, making this a uniquely accessible book about racial injustice. It doesn't shy away from any hardships either girl goes through, and does a good job of showing how our system as it stands now harms all types of marginalized people, or at least does not protect them. The fact that the authors also could keep up a heightened state of fear and genuine concern for these girls was an impressive feat. Highly recommended for anyone, but especially fans of Angie Thomas or Jason Reynolds.

I’m not dying with you tonight is a book with a strong message. One ungrateful night forces two girls to help each other survive while overcoming their own differences. Its about race, about friendship, about surviving during the hardest hours.

The whole book describes the happenings of one particular night and honestly, that was amazing. Just a few hours described so well in a 200 paged book is simply brilliant! The whole story was easy to read through, flowing smoothly from one scene to the other. It’s a fast paced book too, and that is an added bonus.

Now, coming to the characters, I think the authors did a fantastic job in showcasing the viewpoints of two different girls, two different sides of life – Lena is black while Campbell is white. There were certain scenes that were so deep; it spoke of truth in an honest way. The race tension was built up really well.

However, I did have a few disappointments. One, the whole reason for such a big riot to break out – it seemed a little stretched to me. Now, I don’t really know how these police stuff works and the depth of injustice towards the blacks, but in my opinion, the whole riot seemed to be dragged. Like, it started out with great intensity but towards the end, lost reason. At one point I had to ask myself why was all of it happening in the book; the riot and such. It is just my opinion though.

The ending wasn't my favorite either since it was so abrupt and rushed. It was beautiful though, and we can see a promise of a new friendship between the girls. I just wish Lena would've shown some morality and given her boyfriend a good show. That guy stood her up in such a harrowing situation and was definitely not a good one - and I wish Lena would've have worked on these red flags.

Overall, I think this a brilliant and original book with a unique plotline and voice of the characters. It has depth and strong characters, and the dual POV made the whole read much more enjoyable.

Thanks to netgalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book. All views expressed are solely mine.

I was eager to read this book because the two authors have done something that my friend Kym and I have talked about at great length, and that is co-authoring a book from two different character perspectives. It worked well for this story, and I thought it was appropriate that the two characters were written with very distinct voices.

This book isn’t very long, so it was a quick read. In fact, the whole story takes place over the course of a single night. The conflict is established quickly, and the “action” is pretty consistent throughout the story. I was never bored and I would say this is a pretty timely novel considering our current political climate.

My biggest criticism is that I had hoped for a stronger character arc with both characters, so when the end came, my first thought was, that’s it? After undergoing such a traumatic experience, I had expected there to be more discussion of the aftermath and what it meant for each of the characters. I really think this story would have a greater impact on readers if this aspect was more thoroughly explored.

*Thabk you Netgalley and the Publisher for an advance copy for my honest review.*

I’m Not Dying With You Tonight follows Campbell and Lena from the concession stand at their HS Football game. This book is a quick read and takes place over one night. Many escalating events happen this night and Canpbell and Lena who are completely different from one another and in two very different social circles bond and come together and have each other’s backs. I loved hearing both of their distinctive voices in this story. Truly thought provoking. I highly recommend this one!! It’s a great collaboration from two authors who came together to tell such an impactful story.

I LOVED this book. It was short but it packed a punch. I loved reading Lena and Campbell's story of how they were forced together and had to help each other survive.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I'm Not Dying with You Tonight is a book about racial tension and similiar theme you can find in The Hate you Give but with a different story.

The events though in this book almost borderlined on hard to believe for me. They just seemed so random. There's a fight, but why? Why is it almost overlooked and forgotten about. The events just didn't add up.

But the voices these characters have are something else. Lena used the typical slang you sometimes hear, but she did it in context and it wasn't forced or written in the book to prove a point. Wasn't a fan of her boyfriend though.
I don't have much to say about Campbell, because she didn't really leave too much of an impression on me. She could have pretty much been anyone.
All in all though a thought provking book