Have you ever read a book and thought “this is important, everyone should read this”? This book could be classified as one of those books. The storyline itself if basic. The setting and timeline seems to be the important part of this book, otherwise it would be a book about a girl trying to get to her boyfriend and another girl just wanting to go home. This book is ALL about the atmosphere (and we’re not taking ozone here).



I thuroughly enjoyed this book. When I sought out a copy I had been hearing good things about it and the social issues it broached. It is a bit different than many of the books I’ve been reading lately and I found it refreshing. At first it was hard to grasp what was being said because of the dialect. The book is set from the point of view of two very different teenage girls, Lena and Campbell. Lena leads the first chapter and her point of view is written so authentically it was hard to over look the grammar discrepancies at first.

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Let me tell you as a character, Lena is bad ass. I seriously wish I could be half as awesome as that chick is.

For the majority of the book I felt Campbell’s character to be mopey, whiney and a little annoying, but also very authentic because I believe any teenage girl who just had to move to a new town and school for their senior year would be full of self pity. But close to the end she redeems herself and rocks an amount of courage I’m pretty sure I don’t have.

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So basically this is a story about these two very different girls tate get thrown together in a very real and scary situation. A huge fight breaks out at the Friday night football game that turns into a riot situation. From there they try to make their way to safety only to encounter one danger after another as the city errupts into chaos.

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So, yeah, very good book. I highly recommend it. This book highlights that perspective is very important. There are issues that we can’t control but we can control how we feel about them. I used to say that I am not racist, I certainly don’t want to be, but it is difficult to see people who look and act differently than you and not think of them as different. It’s also hard when we gravitate naturally to what we know because it’s comfortable and inadvertently end up segregating ourselves. I feel that when we censor what we say or think for fear of offending that that in its self is a type of racism. To be free of lables and that type of thinking all together would be the moment we are truely not racist. It’s sad to me that here in almost 2020 we are still faced with so much hate.



I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. Go read it then give it to a friend to read.

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Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in turn for a fair and honest review

I had heard this hyped as the new THUG or All American Boys, so maybe my expectations were too high from that. I thought the fight/riot was just way too long and draining. It was important to show, but was literally like 80% of the book- whereas in the other aforementioned books it was a piece of the story but not the entire story. Good debut and observations of race and how we all see each other, just pacing was off for me. Slow start and then never ending riot.

I'm Not Dying with You Tonight is quick read that's raw, unflinching, and anxiety inducing. We follow Lena and Campbell as they're thrown together after a dangerous fight breaks out at a football game and the girls have to stick together if they want to stay safe.

I could not put this down once I started it - it was just compulsively readable and filled with genuine character moments showcasing all the fear, anxiety, and hope that comes with not only being a teenager, but being in an unknown situation. Even with the deeper discussions of race, gentrification, community, and prejudices, there were many moments that I couldn't help but laugh out loud at Lena's wonderful narration and gloriously fresh personality. Both girls felt real and honest, but I think I loved Lena a little more.

And while this was so easy to read, it had my heart racing. I don't think a book has ever made me feel so anxious before. But it felt like I was with Lena and Campbell as they moved across the city searching for a safe space. I'm not sure if I could classify this as a new favorite read, but I definitely think it be one of the most unique and impactful books that stay with me that I've read so far this year.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of I’M NOT DYING WITH YOU TONIGHT by Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal in exchange for my honest review.***

Two very different young women are thrown together on a night where chaos and violence breakout. They barely know each other and need to help one another to make it home safely.

This book has some really great discussions on race, being young, being different, and how when disaster strikes people can come together an work as a team. The girls have to work through their initial feelings and judgement of one another, which has a really realistic feel to the novel. Switching perspective can be jarring for some readers but the fast pace really kept me attention.

While I am not the target demographic for this YA novel, I would definitely suggest it for anyone who enjoyed The Hate you Give. This book really highlights the same talking points and makes the reader hope for a better world. The ending was left open, I feel, so the reader would feel the same hope for the characters as well. I wanted an epilogue, but life doesn't have one so it seems not every book should. Well done work from these two great authors.

Lena is black and has lived in her neighborhood of Atlanta forever. She knows people; she knows where to shop to pull together stylish looks without spending much. She’s confident and has plans for the future. Campbell is white and has just moved to town, attending the same school as Lena. She’s missing her old school and friends up North and is mostly keeping to herself. They likely would never get to know each other.

But they spend one harrowing night together when they both attend their high school’s football game. Campbell is working the concession stand, and Lena is just getting a snack, when a fight breaks out. Tensions are high between the two schools and fans, and race plays a primary role. Then the fight at the game devolves into riots and looting that radiates outward from the school.

These two young women from very different backgrounds find themselves having to figure out together how to get away from the danger that spreads like wildfire (and sometimes literally is fire) everywhere they go. They’re terrified; they’re confused; they’re alone even while surrounded by people.

I’m Not Dying with You Tonight drops readers into the chaos of a race riot and shares the thoughts and points of view of a few blacks and whites in that scary setting. It’s instructive and insightful. As a YA novel, it doesn’t go deep into race relations or history or sociology. It does place two girls in a situation that still is happening too often, the ingredients of which are still too plentiful and percolating, and allow them to speak their truths and observations that flow naturally from their experiences. I’m glad I got the opportunity to get this look into where they’re coming from.

Rated: Moderate. There are three instances of strong language, right in one sentence. There are some other uses of moderate language here and there throughout, but the authors really don’t put a lot in at all, considering what they could have to be “authentic” to what is happening. There’s no sexual content. Violence is also fairly minimally detailed, considering all that’s going on. There is looting and references to fighting happening, but there are only a couple of instances of somewhat more detailed injuries that stem from the overall rioting. I appreciate that the authors likely kept the details fairly muted for the audience.

I got an ARC of this book.

I got this book off a high from reading another book with a some similar themes. The issue is this book just doesn't hold up as well. 

The characters are flat and stereotypes. What is a stereotypical white girl? What about a black girl? You got these characters. Stereotypes can be fun to play with, but these characters stayed flat the whole book. Not only was there no character growth at all, there really was no character. Outside of maybe a handful of details, they would have been interchangeable. At one point near the end a character talked and I wasn't sure who it was since I couldn't tell without being explicitly told. 

Instead this book relied on constant tension and action. The issue was the action was interesting and all, but it just felt voyeuristic and flat as well. There was no emotional investment built for the characters so the scenes really popped. They were clearly intense and would be no matter who was involved, but when I am reading I like for the plot to matter with the characters, yet all they did was survive. 

I was involved in some stuff when I was in California. I've been around violence and been attacked. It is scary and it is intense, but there was nothing in this book that built that up. Instead it was the constant action that built that tension and suspense, instead of the actual actions. 

So this book just sort of fell flat. I wanted to love it. It was a quick read and I can see if being an ok introduction for a younger group. If this had been my first YA book that tackled racism and police violence, then it would probably be rated a bit higher for it going to a place that needs to be discussed. Instead it just pales to what I have already seen. 

The book was written from alternating perspectives and this is one of the few times I can say that the characters were different enough I could tell them apart. I think the authors each took a character and went from there which worked well. I just wish there was some more time spent on characterization and world building. I get that would make the book longer, but without it the book is just eh.

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.

Campbell is a white girl who is living with her dad for the first time because her mother moved to Venezuela for work. She is starting her senior year at a new school, struggling to fit in when friendships around her are already solidified.

Lena is a popular black girl, reveling in her status from dating a 20-year old black man trying to break out in the rap scene, even as she fails to recognize that she is the only one that seems invested in the relationship.

Their paths cross at a high school football game when violence breaks out. They have a front row seat to the origins of the fight, then learn it is spreading into riots in town. What might have been a simple tussle erupts due to recent incidents that have left tensions raw. Lena and Campbell are thrown together as they try to reach safely.

I found the story reminiscent of The Hate U Give, while not being derivative. The authors choose to focus on two primary individuals instead of addressing race on a large scale. Because of their focus, empathy emerges.

Themes of privilege and seeing things from another perspective are prevalent. Held assumptions are challenged. And at the close of the story, there is a feeling that this is how actual change comes about: through progress made on a small scale. It might seem inconsequential, until we recognize that is so often where change needs to begin -- with individuals.

This book feels relevant and I imagine it could lead to beneficial conversations in a classroom setting.

(I received a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.)

I received a complimentary copy of I'm Not Dying with You Tonight from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Two completely different perspectives created a very interesting reading experience. Lena's passionate attitude clashing with the naivete of Campbell kept their adventures relevant. Great book of compassion.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I posted a review on my blog. https://fangirlbookgram.wordpress.com/
Please comment or like. I really enjoyed this book and I’m glad netgalley sent me a early reviewing copy

Let me start with I loved the premise of the story! Two people who are completely different come together to survive a night neither are prepared for. So what I liked about the story, the girls really came together to get through everything and formed a bond that felt organic and natural. They had their differences but managed to find common ground. I like that everything was not tied up in a bow at the end, it felt more realistic.

My issues they both had multiple options to get home in this chaos and I just don’t feel like it’s realistic that you are so hung up on a boy you keep making dumb choices to put your life in danger. The whole I can’t call my pops doesn’t stand because half way through their night it was obvious her pops was going to find out.

So all in all it was a good fast read I smashed it in about two hours. I think it’s an important read but could have flushed our characters a little more and also put a different obstacle that made finding this boy so important they would do that instead of calling the adult they both knew would come. I still recommend the read though it never slowed or got boring.

ARC kindly provided by Sourcebooks Fire via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A stunning own voices debut novel from author duo Kimberley Jones and Gilly Segal.

This story follows two teenage girls - one black and one white - who attend their high school football game and it turns into a pit of violence started between races. Lena and Campbell have only met each other briefly before since they have a class together, but when this sudden dangerous turn of events start to occur they are forced to stick together if they want to survive the night.

A novel taking across just one night has its ups and downs. The positive side is that you get to really be invested with the events of the story and are taken along through every moment of that night, that will change their lives forever. A negative side is that the characters don’t get to develop as much as they would in a novel that takes place over a few months or even a year. Although, our main characters did change their mindsets and start to evolve as better humans by being together and seeing the other side of things, so that little growth helped the story a lot.

I’m Not Dying With You Tonight is a book that you just want to keep reading to see how it ends, these characters go through so much in the few hours that its a definite page turner. I devoured this story in about a day. An amazing debut from these authors and I will continue to read more books they publish.

I ultimately gave this book a 4 star because there was a little problem I had regarding one of our characters Lena who has a boyfriend. It is revealed that Black is 20 years old but it is never said how old our main characters are. They are high school students but that could still mean Lena is underage and that doesn’t sit well with me. Lena also states that she doesn’t want to reveal her botfriends true age to her parents because they wouldn’t be happy, which leads me to believe she is not yet of age. Other than that issue, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who would like to read about friendship, hardships & not being afraid to be who you want to be.

RELEASE DATE: August 6, 2019

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-ARC if this title in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this book packs all the feels! Following Lena and Campbell over one night in Atlanta the reader is placed in the middle of an intense situation that is often shown on the news -- events that lead to riots and police violence. I would liken this book to Angie Thomas' and Nic Stone's work and would be great for expanding contemporary collections with a book that is situated in current events and is unlike anything else I've read - a definite must read.

Lena and Campbell are from opposite worlds but a tumultuous night full of violence and chaos brings them together in order for them to survive through the night. Although I wished the characters could have been developed more, this is an interesting and necessary YA book that discusses race relations without being preachy and condescending. The dual perspectives gives the reader an in-depth look at what the characters are thinking and the false assumptions they make of each other. I loved that at towards the end their eyes were wide opened due to the incident and due to their so-called adventure together. If this book was used in the classrooms, it would definitely ignite the important conversations kids and teens need to have. This perfect for fans of The Hate U Give and All American Boys.

This book was a quick read, but lacked some depth. I feel like the characters weren’t as important as the plot. Maybe that’s ok, but it made it hard to connect at times. I liked it and will probably get a copy for my classroom library. Probably a 3.5.

3.5 stars. A good, fast-moving, action-packed story. I wanted more depth, though - depth to the individual characters and also to the racial issues presented. If you haven't read a lot of YA books dealing with race relations and racial issues in contemporary America, this could be a good starting place. If you want to go deeper, I would recommend The Hate U Give or Dear Martin. (Violence, language)

This book is very different from most of the books I read. While I do and have read Contemporary, this book is different from those. This is the first book I've read that talks about racial tension.

This book is fast-paced and had me on the edge of my seat the whole way through (once I actually had time to sit and read it). Both Lena and Campbell are smart characters who held it together far better than I ever could have if I were in their position.

This book does a good job talking about racial tension, but there are other things in this book that kind of don't fully add up.

There is no sensible reason for Lena to try to get to her boyfriend, especially when he was giving her the runaround the whole night. Lena seems to be a very self-assured person and her boyfriend... who knows. He seems to have goals, and even though he's older than her, he acts very self-centered and uncaring that she was stuck in the middle of a riot. I also didn't really care for having her use poor grammar, I guess they were trying to give the two girls different voices, but it seems like a gross stereotype to have the black girl speak with bad grammar.

Campbell seemed to be overly distraught over her father's store being broken into with no explanation for why she was that upset. Nothing to indicate whether her father had insurance, or if he had faulted on a payment for or not. It's possible that it was just the straw that broke the camels back for her, and she was overreacting. But it's unlikely that she just didn't know how business insurance works. Nothing was said about what happened between her father and the kid who was hired to work at the store, who just left when things started getting heated, who is basically at fault for it getting broken into in the first place. And the end of it all, there isn't even a discussion between Campbell and her father, how he basically abandons her every weekend, and if he had been there for her, she wouldn't have almost died, the store might not have gotten broken into. None of that was covered, it just ends with her getting a text from Lena.

I don't know when exactly this book is supposed to be set. Clearly during a time when Cellphones and Uber exist. But Campbell's mother is transferred to work in Venezuela, and considering what is going on in that area right now, that seems odd. We are also never told what her mother does for a living that would require her to be transferred overseas, especially to a country that is going through political upheaval.

There was also the ending to consider. It just kind of... ends. A one-off sentence to cover what happened to Lena's cousin, and even less with Campbell. There is nothing that covers the aftermath of the night they went through. I would have liked more wrapup. Lena and Campbell are supposed to be kind of friends now, and after everything they went through, I would expect they had a pretty strong bond. They survived a very violent night together and saved each other's lives more than once. That's not something that is ever forgotten.

It was an enjoyable read. Fast-paced and pretty action-packed, but there are these things that once you think about them, kind of take away from things and poke tiny holes in the believability of some things.

This is one of those powerful reads that should become required reading for young people seeing as stories like this are no longer considered fiction in our current climate. This book was a fast-paced page turner that was also hectic, which is exactly what was needed to convey the intense fear that both Campbell and Lena were feeling the night they stuck together to survive the racially fueled riot/violence.

I found this to be a beautifully, although tragic, well told story. Being the mother of a 13 year old daughter, it's tough to imagine that she would have to endure similar situations when in an environment she should feel safe in. A true testament to what our society currently looks like.

This would be a great choice for a Young Adult book club. A black girl and a white girl decide to work together to survive a night of chaos and violence. Also I do think it would be great if teachers would recommend this book to students to read and then lead a discussion on it.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A beautiful and heartbreaking story that dives deep into so many important topics. It was so hard to put down because it was extremely fast paced without feeling rushed. I loved absolutely everything about this book and definitely will be recommending this title.