Lena and Campbell's worlds are turned upside down when a huge fight breaks out at a high school football game. Though they know each other, they aren't friends and they find that their worlds suddenly collide. What follows is them trying to work together to survive an increasingly difficult night filled with racial injustices. I enjoyed the alternating voices of this book and how it tackled some very difficult subjects. It had a lot of heart but it probably wouldn't be the first book I would recommend in the category of social justice/realistic fiction. That being said, I enjoyed it.

There are times when the POV feels a little shallow, but the subject matter is timely enough for this book to make it on anyone's TBR list.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Campbell (white) is new to her high school and volunteers to work the concession stand at her high school's Friday night football game. When someone starts shooting, Trying to get away from the chaos, Lena (black) jumps into the concession stand and hides with Campbell. Soon the girls are trying to make it home and they forge a bond on their way. With looting, crowd mentality, racism and more, this book is fast paced and message filled. Recommend.

What a gut-wrenching, heart-breaking, yet uplifting book I'm Not Dying With You Tonight is. While I do not read much from the young adult genre, I had heard such good things about this book that I just had to read it. And i am so glad that I did!! What an incredible story that made me contemplate so many things, including the way I live my life and the choices I make.

Fast read. Perfect book to show two different sides of the devastation that can happen during riots. A book that everyone should read.

Set in one evening during race riots in Atlanta and told in alternating points of view, this was an intense read that I could not put down. Very timely and, although I had some issues overall (some fat shaming and reliance on stereotypes that took away from the story), it would make a great book for discussion.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am ashamed to admit that I put off reading it for much too long, but now that I have I will be raving about it to everyone. Campbell, a white girl, and Lena, a black girl, get thrown together in circumstances leading to rioting in what is supposed to be a peaceful protest for the Black Lives Matter movement. During their time together, they learn a lot about each other and race relations. After the events of this past summer and fall, this book should be required reading for everyone trying to see where each other is coming from. I don't know if there will be a sequel, but I would love to see a friendship develop between Lena and Campbell.

A timely and page turning read about two high school girls - one Black and one white - living through the night of a fight-turned-riot in their town. Strong voices presenting myriad opinions on one event; an event that represents so much of what we're all experiencing internationally. A great conversation starter. I'll certainly recommend this to high school students, and would love to see it on more reading lists.

A story written by two women from very different ethnic backgrounds that rang true. I have some mixed feelings about the story, but I see why people would enjoy it and why it is important to read about this subject.

Rating: 3/5 Penguins
Quick Reasons: there's a lot to unpack with this read; this is such a tiny window of time, I don't feel like everything was accomplished the authors hoped would be; strong narratives, compelling journey, but the characters fell a bit flat for me

There is an awful lot to unpack from this read, Penguins. So let's start with the biggest one. This entire narrative takes place over the course of just a few slim HOURS. Not years, months, weeks, days.... HOURS. And in those slim hours, a HELL of a lot happened to our two leading ladies. But given such a short window of time, there was very little opportunity for actual GROWTH. We see glimmers of it, sure--the way these two start out annoyed and frustrated with each other, and wind up protecting and having the other's back. The changes, though subtle, in their internal monologues. When this story ended, I left off knowing that the night had brought about a change in each of them--small as those changes may have been in the long run. But I feel like a lot of people might go into this story expecting MORE than what they're given. As much as happens here...the truth is, these two are only two high school girls, facing a world of hatred and violence. The truth is, in just a slim number of hours, I'm honestly not sure ANYONE could find an answer, let alone figure out where to even begin looking.

The fact of the matter is, this was not meant to make some wide-sweeping statement about HOW to change things. In my opinion...this was written just as the authors meant it to be: as a glimpse, a tiny snapshot, into two polar opposite ends of a spectrum -- their reactions, their interactions, and the ways that maybe small steps might go a long way. I'm not trying to downplay the story, don't get me wrong. This was impactful. Powerful. Haunting. These authors took a daunting idea, and turned it into something that CAN make a statement--just a more subtle one than maybe you were hoping for. The conversation MUST start somewhere, and I think books such as this one? Are just such a starting point. I devoured this within a matter of hours--just as quick as the story itself went, is how fast I read it. The prose is PERFECTION. Each character has her own unique, very distinct voice--after the first couple of chapters, I didn't even need to read the heading to see which girl's POV we were following. And with their clear voices, came their sides of this journey. I do wish, a little, that we had gotten a bit MORE from them both--there was so much drama and tension happening, I don't feel like they were really given room to BREATHE or be wholly themselves, which was disappointing for me.

With everything that's happened in the world the last year or two, this book is timely and makes a statement--just a quieter, more subtle one. It does not offer answers, because I don't honestly think it COULD...but from two very different points of view, it goes a long way to making you stop and think about what's going on. For a few very slim hours, there was a lot of tension in this read.

The best thing about this book was the way the racial tension was described, the realism is brought off the page. I think this book is a great way to learn that people can have different points of view based on someone's experiences. Those experiences can shape our reality but you can still be ignorant to their real personality.

There were a few issues with the book. I didn't see a real plot and of course there were some questionable decision the characters made. I also didn't like that they automatically had the black character have a slang to differentiate the voices. While I did grow up in a low income area and went to a diverse school and saw this type of speech there were plenty of other black teens that didn't speak this way. I felt it spoke to stereotypes and cliche's.

The whole story and situation just seemed a little far-fetched for my liking.

What can I say about this book other than I really enjoyed it? I live in California and was alive during the LA Riots (I was too young to remember much). I do remember my mom not wanting to go anywhere near LA during the time. I loved how Kimberly Jones put together this novel for young adults readers to learn about an important time in our history. I thought that the story was really well put together.

This book tackles topics that have always been important but hard to talk about, for some. I think that Segal and Jones did a great job of addressing these issues and creating characters that many readers could relate to.

This story is a wild ride which flips through the perspectives of two girls that are brought together in a crisis situation. Two schools with prior drama surrounding racial issues have a fight break out at a football game. The fight quickly escalated and gun shots are fired. The two girls in this story would likely have not connected outside of this event. M

The story follows these girls as they band together through a night of fights, protests and looting. I really enjoyed this story. It was very timely with everything going on the world.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This was such a good book. And even though I got to it late, still (sadly) so relevant thanks to current events.

An absolutely stunning book! I adored our two leads and how their stories played off each other.

I cried a lot for Campbell and raged for Lena.

This covers race, riots, and shitty boyfriends in an easily digestible and understandable way for teens.

Lots to discuss with your kids and bookclub.

I'm Not Dying With You Tonight switches back and forth between two narrators; their accounts are covered in alternating chapters, and the entire story takes place over the course of one night.This book feels relevant and I imagine it could lead to beneficial conversations in a classroom setting.

While the premise of this book originally drew me in, the delivery left something to be desired. The characters were not developed well enough to keep me interested. The entire setting felt over-dramatic in order to prove a point, rather than organically developed. I was disappointed by the follow through on this one, and I feel like there are better titles in this genre, with this message.

After reading this novel, all I could think was, “Wow, this novel is so relevant to the current situation.”

I’ve never been in a riot. My only knowledge of it is from the news and from others’ experiences. This novel does a superb job of exploring the events that can incite a riot, as well as how quickly things can become dangerous. It also shows how fear runs rampant in everyone, regardless of their race, in the face of violence.

The novel has a fast pace, showing how quickly a school rally can turn into a full-on riot that spills out into the community. Campbell and Lena, our two protagonists, are such polar opposites, but they are in a shared predicament. It is through their conversation that we uncover their racial prejudices, and see how they are forced to reflect and change their opinions.

While this fast pace quickens the plot, it also hindered the chances for true character development.

And here lies my biggest issue with the novel. I wanted to immerse myself in the story, to gain a deeper connection with the characters, especially Lena. However, the pacing and lack of details just wouldn’t allow me to do so.

Lena had so much sass and was always putting up a strong front. But I wanted to get to know her better, and truly connect with her character. Campbell was a very naive girl, and I wanted to see more growth and change in her. There were so many other characters that were introduced, but they disappeared as quickly as they left.

I also wanted the two protagonists to have more of a conversation with each other. They had some particularly deep moments that could have been explored more, could have had a greater impact. And yet, the pacing and plot stopped this from happening.

Regardless, I still think this is an important book to read. With the current political climate in America, it is important for books that explore all elements of a Black person’s experience to be promoted and read. This novel brings a lot to the table and allows readers to engage in meaningful discussions on racial prejudices and tension that currently exist in America, both in the adult community and with the youth. I would still strongly recommend this to people so that they get to read from a unique perspective. For those reasons, I’m giving it 3/5 stars.

This book needs to be on the top of everyone’s tbr list. I’m Not Dying With You Tonight is heartbreaking and so culturally relevant. When two students are faced with escaping their school and navigating home amidst escalating race riots they’re forced to deal with more than just the physical effects of racism.

What started as two girls with vastly different backgrounds attending a high school football game quickly turns into an all out brawl after a racist comment is made near the concession stand. The rival school the Jonesville Panthers football team have a known habit of being openly racist after dressing up in blackface at a Halloween party. An incident that should have resulted in the team being forced to not participate in any games for the rest of the year at a minimum instead instigates a night of complete destruction.

Lena is struggling to get her older boyfriend to show up and get her out of the area during the initial riot; Campbell a recent transfer student must rely on Lena to get her home after she’s left by her teacher/ride home at the school. From one riot to a sketchy neighborhood, to another riot despite their unfamiliarity with with other the girls refuse to leave each other. Not without bumps in their travels both girls are confronted with biases and prejudices they have and those around them. The penultimate event being the looting of Campbell’s dad’s small hardware store and fallout.