This book was honestly incredible. All the horror movie pull and drama of a natural disaster. I loved it and can't wait to see what this author comes up with next!

A great little thriller. I enjoyed the horror movie story line and the flow of the book. R.J Jacobs writes a good thriller and I will continue to read what is put out

I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced, and kept me guessing. I genuinely had no idea what to expect next, so that was a nice change of pace compared to most in the thriller/suspense genre. The ending was good too, it felt wrapped up and with full closure.

🌬Book Review🎬
Always The First To Die
By: R.J. Jacobs
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/4 stars

This one grabbed me very quickly and only took a few days to finish! I think it was because of the mother/daughter relationship that was introduced in the very beginning.

When Lexi's daughter, Quinn, lies about going on a trip to Disney, and actually sneaks to Pinecrest, her grandfather's house, the problems just keep building up. Pinecrest is the location of a upcoming movie, the sequel to Breathless, that grandfather, Rick, is directing. But, a category four hurricane is about to ravage the Florida Keys and Quinn is right in the line of it.

Lexi rushes to get her, going to the place she swore she'd never return to. As a teenager, Lexi, was chosen to act in Rick's notorious slasher movie, Breathless. Many things happened during this time in her life that she doesn't have answers to but sometimes that's for the best. That place haunts her.

Will she get the answers to the past that she questioned and get out alive? Very suspenseful, lots of crazy stuff going on! You'd almost think she was back on the set of a horror movie. 😱

Published September 14, 2022

Thank you @netgalley and @bookmarked @sourcebookslandmark for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Just amazing like truly amazing. For any fans of Scream or slasher movies this is one you wont want to miss. Also reviewed and featured on. my Insta and Tiktok. Thank you Sourcebooks.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

I really liked this book. As a horror/thriller/suspense fan, I was drawn in by the book description. It wasn't exactly what I expected, but that was a good thing. It was just different enough to draw you in, and the horror movie theme was fun. Good character development and enough mystery and twists to keep your interest. 4 Stars.

This was such a fun meta exploration of horror movies while being a horror story itself. I was so fascinated by the flashbacks and the way they intertwined with the pacing of the present. I had no clue what would happen in the end, and it was a great ending!

This book is described as “for fans of Riley Sager” but what it should have said was Riley Sager’s works retold in the authors words because thats basically all this book is. I know nowadays writing an original thriller/horror novel may be difficult as it has become such a popular genre and many ideas have already been put on pages, but this seemed too closer to Riley Sager for me to enjoy. It was not original by any means so it made it difficult to be entertained. I feel like the author has promise but really needs to take the time to think outside the box in the future.

⭐⭐⭐.5

𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙍𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙎𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙘 𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙚 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙢... 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙤𝙣 𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙚.

As soon as I saw this book recommended to fans of Riley Sager I knew I had to pick it up immediately. Although it didn't hit the expectations I had, I still really enjoyed the overall story and there were some plot twists toward the end that were super clever.

I listened to the audiobook and the e-book at the same time, and I really enjoyed the narrator. I found the story to be easily understandable and felt entertained for the most part.

I loved the idea of this horror movie actress returning to the set of her most famous film after something happened in the present. I found there to be some suspense in the story and action throughout the book. As much as I enjoyed the shift between the past and present, I found myself more intrigued by the present and wanted to keep reading that timeline.

The little horror movie aspects were brilliant. I respect it when an author gives us little references. I also found the route the author took to be super understanding and more believable, especially with a hurricane involved.

Overall, this was a quick and enjoyable read - perfect for a spooky read. I enjoyed the way it was structured and the twists toward the end. It was intriguing and worth the read.

This book had all the makings for a great horror story, and it definitely delivered. The dual timeline was interesting and kept the story moving at a good pace.

Unfortunately, I have been locked out of my netgalley account for a few months and was not able to see which books I had on my list or even know to check if they downloaded properly, in order to properly read and review. I do apologize and am doing a 3 for neutral. Will update once I’m able to obtain a copy and read!

A very middle of the road read for me. If I read less, I think this one would have been a home run for me. However, nothing really makes this stand out in an overcrowded genre.

This book was not for me. The plot summary made it sound very interesting, but I found it to be so slow. It was not a slasher like I was expecting. It was well written, however.

Thank you Netgalley & SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for an eARC of Always the First To Die by R.J. Jacobs. I absolutely loved this book and it would be a great one to read during spooky season as it takes place at halloween-time!

What’s it about?
A former horror movie actress returns to the set of her most iconic film…and strangely, the circumstances begin to resemble the plot of the movie. Lexi refuses to return to the Florida Keys after her husband’s death, but when her daughter sneaks away to visit her grandfather, she’s forced to face her past when a category 4 hurricane changes course - Right for her daughter.

As a thriller and spooky season junkie, I really loved this book. Go into it blindly a bit and you won’t be disappointed (especially if you love a slasher movie!) Fast paced, engaging from the get-go, dual-timelines, twisty and atmospherically creepy. I’m looking forward to seeing what this author comes up with next!

This was a pretty fast, and enjoyable read, but I feel that it was a bit lacking. I honestly had real difficulty getting through the prologue. It was intended to intrigue and get the reader invested in what could possibly be happening, but I personally found it off putting. Once past that part however, it was much easier to get caught up in the story. The dueling timelines was a nice way to let readers see what happened before, compared to what was occurring in the same location now. More thriller than horror this was fun read, but not as pulse racing or intriguing as one would expect.

What a fun read for spooky season! I am a thriller junkie and this was a fun one. I could go further into the synopsis. But I think this is a fun one to go into a little blindly!

What I did enjoy:
- fast paced. The first chapter had me hooked immediately. This was an easy one day read.
- I am a horror movie fan! So I loved the horror movie elements. The dual time lines kept the pages turning for me
- The gothic and creepy vibes from the manor
- The twists! I didn’t see them coming and it kept me guessing

This book is perfect for any horror, thriller or spooky loving reader. This book was such a great read leading up to spooky season! 4 stars out of 5. Thank you to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A fun if somewhat forgettable story about family bonds set inside and around the set of a horror movie. This is a quick and easy read that will have you holding your breath throughout. This one is the perfect fall escape into the dark and twisted.

I loved the gothic feel of this one, but the story line went on way too long and became farfetched. I would have enjoyed it more if it had been shorter.

A former actress who died in her own horror movie and refused to deal with her past found herself back in the curse/haunted estate where her old movie was shot, plus there are deaths and thrilling events that resemble the scene from her old movie then cue in the category four hurricane that left the whole place with no power and service. This book got me all creeped out! The story is mind-bending, with tons of twists, and the main character Lexi is fantastic! RJ knows how to get his reader hooked from the very first chapter! A must-read! Highly recommended!

I may not be a fan of horror movies, but I loved being in the world of Always the First to Die by R.J. Jacobs. The idea to switch between Lexi on a horror movie set in 1998, and the present-day during a hurricane was utterly genius, but the movie set chapters were my favorite part of this book. I cannot watch horror movies now, but I do remember watching some of the older ones such as A Nightmare On Elm Street, and now I feel like I see them in a new light thanks to this book. Jacobs's writing was full of imagery, and I felt like I was right in the story with Lexi while all of these crazy things were happening. I also loved the way he pulled the past and present together, although there were a couple of characters that I lost track of, so if I do a reread (which I'm planning on) I am definitely going to write them all down in the notepad on my phone.

To me, this was a medium-paced thriller, but the audiobook helped it along even further with Petrea Burchard as its narrator. She was just so GOOD as Lexi, and I loved every minute of her narration. There were some parts that dragged just a tiny bit for me, but Burchard made it all worthwhile. Short story short, I highly recommend listening to the audio BUT you should also get a copy of the book itself. Why? Because there is an interview with the author at the end of course! I'm actually a little surprised the audiobook didn't include it, so I am really happy I had the physical book as well. I really enjoyed the end of Always the First to Die and I would gladly take another story with these characters any day. There is just a touch of romance to the story as well although I don't know if I should call it that. Lexi has a lot going on, but Luke was the perfect addition to her life and this story. I am an immediate fan of Jacobs, and I can't wait to read his next book!

Thank you to the publishers and Libro.fm for my complimentary listening and reader copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.