How to Survive Your Murder was a first for me! I don’t usually read the horror genre which I thought it was (the horror part is more of the homage to horror films the characters love) but more of a thriller story with a time travel twist. Alice is the only witness to her sisters murder and after that night everything has fallen apart. Now it’s a year later and she needs to face the murderer at the trial but she ends up reliving that day after she’s knocked out in the courthouse bathroom. Can she save her sister?
I love time travel books and with the 90s slasher vibe made it a nice twist. The actual twists I. The bill were pretty predictable but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

Thank you Penguin Random House International for my e-ARC in exchange for the honest review.

When Alice sister’s Claire died, her life has completely fallen apart not only to herself but also to her parents. Alice’s mom and dad has been divorced, her dad started drinking and they sold the house where she grew up. Now she moved into an apartment alone. Then she goes to her sister’s murder trial and she is being forced to face her sister’s killer at the courtroom. It was so traumatizing when Alice saw her sister got killed in front of her by the chainsaw.

She was at the bathroom unconscious because of the reporters. But then someone is calling her name to wake up and when she open her eyes she saw Claire. She can’t believe that her sister is alive and she thinks that this was all a dream. After that, everything that happened at the cornfield, is starting all over again and now she has until midnight to save her sister and find the real killer before he claims another victim.

If you watched and loved Scream and Happy Death Day, this book is for you. And wow that was a big twist.

" But this was real life. No matter how well you know the rules, no matter how smart you think you are, you’re never prepared for your life to turn into a horror movie." 

A YA slasher and thriller book with a supernatural twist! Alice is the only witness to her sister’s murder trial. Alice’s life fell apart after one year after her mother's death. On the first day of the murder trial, she is knocked out by a Sidney Prescott lookalike in the courtroom bathroom, only to wake up on Halloween a year earlier; the same day her sister was murdered. Will she be able to save her sister and find out who the real killer is ?

Fans of Happy Death Day and Scream will find this very intriguing. It was good! I was on the edge of my seat, my heart racing, and yelling at the characters to run!! Reading this book was so much fun that I want it to be made into a movie. The characters are interesting and relatable. I love "Final Girl" horror movies because, girl power, duh! One of my favorites is the Scream franchise, so it was fun seeing the characters make references to the movies.

There are many twists and turns, and if you pay very close attention, you will figure out who the killer is right away. I’m known for figuring out the big twists in books and movies, so this was very easy for me to figure out. It boosted my ego.
However, I have a bone to pick. Everything was great but the last two sentences of the book ruined it for me. I needed more closure. You will probably be very pissed off and throw your book against the wall.

If you like slasher and Halloween movies, this is right up your alley ! You must read it.

Thank you, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am always immediately in whenever I hear that Danielle has a new book coming out. I know that no matter what the subject or plot is, I’m going to be entertained. She is well known for writing really fun to read YA horror and thriller books, her characters are always snarky teens with lots of fun banter, and there’s plenty of twists. So as soon as How to Survive Your Murder hit my radar, I was on board without even knowing what it was about. (I’m so serious, I added it to my TBR without even reading the description. She’s an auto-author for me!)

But for those of you who do want to know what it’s about before reading, How to Surive Your Murder follows high schooler Alice Lawrence, and Alice is a girl after my own heart. She loves horror movies, even the cheesy ones, and especially the 90s ones. (And even has a classic Final Girl name, which I don’t know if that was intentional, but I hope it was, and I like it.) She’s happier staying home watching a scary movie with her friends than going out to a loud party (same). Her sister, Claire, is quite the opposite. Claire is the quintessential All-American girl, outgoing, major extrovert energy, much more of a party girl, and wants to be a famous actress.

One fateful night, Claire convinces Alice to stop by a Halloween party complete with a haunted corn maze, which leads to Alice being the only witness to Claire’s murder at the hands of an outcast young man. A year later, Alice is meant to testify in the trial against this young man, but things don’t end up going how she expected. After running into a Sidney Prescott look-alike, she wakes up back on Halloween night a year ago. Claire is still alive, nothing bad has happened yet, and she has a chance to save her sister. But she only has until midnight, and it might not be as easy as she thinks.

As Alice renavigates that Halloween night, doing everything differently and trying to save as many people as she can, she starts to realize that things might not have unfolded how she thought they did, and this whole story is much more convoluted than she expected. Now she’s in a race against time, she doesn’t know who she can trust, and people around her are dropping like flies.

So was this a super fun read like all of Danielle’s other books? Yeah, of course it was!

Let me tell you, if you’re a fellow fan of horror movies, especially slashers, you’re going to love this one and have a lot of fun with it because the main character loves classic slashers and is constantly referencing them, right down to wearing outfits inspired by some of her favorite movies (AKA a super cute look paying homage to Katie Holmes in Disturbing Behavior, which, yes, obviously.)

Once she finds herself in the process of trying to catch the killer, she uses her knowledge of rules to survive horror movies that she has learned from watching so many horror movies in an attempt to help herself along the way.

This is one of those books where you are guessing what is going on along with the characters and trying to figure things out as you go, and yelling at the characters trying to help them along the way when you see something that they don’t. And trust me when I tell you, there were moments when I was yellinggggg at Alice! I wanted to go through the screen into the book and help her so much.

Like most of Danielle’s books, there’s no shortage of twists and, true to her form, she will keep throwing them at you right up until the very end of the book.

This really was a super fun read, you’ll go through it really quickly because you will want to know what’s going on, and again, I think it’s perfect for fellow horror fans who will enjoy all the references—both overt and subtle—to their favorite movies and franchises. This is a great read for any time, but with it releasing on August 30th, it’s hitting shelves just in time for spooky season and the atmosphere of this one will be perfect to get you in the mood for Halloween. If you love YA, slashers, and scary movies, definitely pick this one up from Penguin Teen this August.

How to survive your murder was a YA slasher, horror and thriller book with supernatural elements. It paid homage to all the 90's slasher films with the so called "Final girls". It is definitely for fans of Happy Death Day, Scream and all the creepy Halloween movies. It started off with a classic horror setting of being chased by a killer in a corn maze on Halloween.

The book was so thrilling and I had my heart racing as I read it. It was also super creepy and dark which I enjoyed. The characters in the book were quirky but relatable. The whole traveling back in time to the night of the murder to save your sister thing was really fun to read. I always liked the trope of the final girl killing and unmasking the murderer in horror flicks, so this was right up my alley.

Alice was the nerdy sister into slasher films and Claire was the popular sister who was beloved by all. On the night of Halloween, Alice witnesses the murder of Claire. But your eyes can deceive you sometimes, so she gets a second chance to really find out what happened. But as soon as she goes back, the whole thing unravels and goes bonkers. I really enjoyed the whole book except the ending, that's why I knocked off a star for it.

If you like slasher horror and Halloween movies, this is a must read for you.

I am loving these YA horror books that are giving nostalgia to 90s horror movies. And this one definitely delivers.

I am unsure about the time traveling but overall I think this was good and I hope there is more.

How to Survive Your Murder had one of the best plot twists I've read.

When I first started this book, I was struggling. However, I am pleasantly surprised by how the book ended and how much I enjoyed it.

When I began the book I deeply struggled with the fact that two of the main characters (Chloe and Claire) had such similar names. It made them hard to differentiate so early into the novel. After I moved past that, I was enjoying the book, but not necessarily amazed by it.

However, that all changed around 70-80% into the book. Towards the ending the story really gripped me and I had to keep reading until I finished. Then, there was the ending. I admittedly did guess a few of the plot twists. But, the ending didn't go as I expected. And...I loved it. The ending is masterfully crafted and not at all what I expected. My jaw was on the floor after finishing. Even a couple days after I finished reading it, that ending is still on my mind. It was incredible.

TWs: murder, gore, blood, inappropriate relationships between adults and minors (non-graphic), & attempted suicide.

This title is another example of how thrillers and light horror are sweeping YA right now. I could easily recommend this title to any of the patrons looking for more after Karen McManus or Holly Jackson.

From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.

I enjoyed this book and will admit that this was one of the most stressful third acts I can remember reading. Normally I’m pretty good at guessing who the murderer is, but oh boy did I not see this one coming. This book is ripe for a movie adaptation.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for the advanced copy of How to Survive your Murder by Danielle Valentine.

Alice and her friends are obsessed with horror movies. This entire book is an ode to 90s horror and slasher movie and references. Alice considers herself to be the expert on the “Final Girl” but when she is the sole witness to a murder she finds out that things aren’t just like the movies and everyone questions her story and believes the wrong person is on trial.

On the first day of the murder trial, she hits her head and is transported back to the day of the murder. This is her chance to try to solve the murder - but as she tries to figure out how to change the outcome and confirm the identity of the murderer things start spiraling out of control and you feel like you are in the middle of a slasher film.

Although you definitely had to suspend some disbelief and there were a few plot holes, I found this to be an enjoyable, twisty, thriller and I was so excited to see how it played out. But…..THAT ENDING…was not what I was expecting. Is there going to be a sequel? Definitely kept me on the edge of my seat.

This was a creative thought for a book - very different from other thrillers. It kept me reading to see what the mystery was and who was responsible for all the crazy killings... but I was NOT a fan of the ending. At all.

I haven't read a good slasher in awhile and this really scratched that itch. But more than that, you get a fun flash sideways trope! I guessed the killer correctly, though I'd be a liar if I said I didn't waver a few times. But having 12 hours to solve a murder on Halloween night - which quickly turns into a spree - is inherently tense. Adding in the pressure to save your sister from her untimely death and it is just NERVE-RACKING! It reads so quickly and left me wanting some of those jack-o-lantern donuts and a cozy peacoat. It's a perfect fall slasher best read in the dark.

*Thank you to Razorbill and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

What a fantastically fun book! Happy Death Day is one of my absolute favorite movies, so when I saw the comparison, I was immediately in. With all the elements of your favorite slasher films, this is a must-read for any horror fan. Time travel, suspense, murder, and some biting commentary on the current world and hot takes on 80s movies, all told in the classic creepy style of the Merciless series, I will absolutely be re-reading this during Halloween!

Scream meets happy death day meets back to the future. If you love murder mystery this book is for you. What would you do if you were at the trail for your sister's murder only to knocked out and you wake up on the day of your diets murder one year ago. Can you save her this time?

If you like 90s slasher horror and happy death day you will really love this book. Alice is the sole witness to her sister’s murder and in the year since her life has fallen apart. Her parents have divorced, she is estranged from most of her friend group and she has to testify at the trial of the man who killed her sister. Her sister Claire was a bubbly, outgoing theater star while Alice fades into the background around her beautiful sister and is obsessed with horror movies and being a forensic pathologist. On the first day of the murder trial this Sidney Prescott look-alike knocks her out and she wakes up in the maze the day that Claire is murdered and she has until midnight to save her sister and find the real killer. Oh man this was a roller coaster of a book and way gorier than I thought it was going to be as well. I definitely was completely blindsided by who the murderer and the ending was definitely very abrupt which is how most horror movies end. I didn’t like the ending and how many people end up dead in the end really sucked. So while I did like some of the horror aspects a lot of them just were a little too much for me. But if you like horror and gorier the better than you will really love this book.

Thanks Razorbill and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

This book follows our main character Alice, who is a horror movie fanatic. She has the Halloween theme as her ringtone and makes many, many references to different slasher movies throughout the book. A great weekend is staying at home with her two best friends, watching slasher movies and looking at what mistakes were made by the victims in each one, What Alice mainly focuses on though are the Final Girls in the movies. You know, the one girl per movie who makes it to the end alive.

At a classmate's big Halloween party, Alice's older and perfect sister Claire is killed in a corn maze and Alice sees it happen. She is wrought with guilt and her life just isn't the same afterwards. One year later, Alice is about to testify at the killer's trial when she is knocked unconscious. In true movie fashion, Aiice is sent back to the night when Claire died and (Cinderella reference) has until the stroke of midnight to figure out what happened. Did she really see what she thought she saw on Halloween night last year? Or has she accused the wrong person of murder?

There were a lot of twists and turns, but readers who pay attention to oontext clues should figure out who the killer is right away. I did. A good story until the ending--and the ending is bad, folks. You might throw this one at somebody after the last two paragraphs.

I didn't think the majority of the book was particularly original - Alice felt more like an updated version of Randy Meeks than an homage - but I greatly enjoyed it. The author really excels at tension-building scenes, and Alice's voice is strong and well-defined, but none of the other characters feel particularly developed (was this originally supposed to be a screenplay?). The plots twists for the most part were excellent, but I did think the reveal of the Final Girl as an Angel of Death was a little out of nowhere/not set up well. Overall, a good read, and if some of the issues get fixed, I'd strongly recommend the final version to my friends.

This book is a mind trip in the best way possible! The timeline jumps around a lot and it takes a bit to find the rhythm but the story is so engaging it is worth sticking with it. Alice saw her sister be killed on Halloween in the corn maze and now she has to testify at the trial of the man who killed her. However, when she is given a chance to literally do that night over and save her sister she has no way of knowing the outcome. I read this book in a day and it had me at the edge of my seat. I thought I had it all figured out SEVERAL times but the end had me flabbergasted. A great read!

This book was a wild lil trip, wasn't it?

A slasher practically from the very first chapter all the way to the end, not really for the faint of heart.

Once I sort of turned my brain off a bit and just followed the story along, the twists and turns and reveals really started getting me. It doesn't really reinvent the wheel or anything, but it takes the standard horror movie/thriller/final girl tropes and executes (lol) them with a bit of humor and some real flair.

I will say, the final FINAL reveal sort of irked me. I loved the initial reveals and each new level uncovered, but the final one sort of threw me and I wished there was either more explanation or at least more lead-up to it. The ending is pretty solid, so I did waffle between 4 stars and 3 stars. Settled on 3/3.5.

Def worth picking up if the slasher genre is your deal.