This is a fun premise, if not perfectly executed or written. I'm definitely interested in checking out more of RJ Jacobs' work in the future, even if this one didn't quite fully click for me.

Always the First to Die follows Lexi who was in the horror movie Breathless which was filmed on the Pinecrest Estate in the Florida Keys. Lexi met her husband on the set of the film. Lexi refuses to go back to the Florida Keys because while filming the movie one of the cast members died. and her husband went missing. However, Lexi is forced to go back because her daughter tricked her and is now caught in a hurricane. However, when Lexi arrives on the island it seems like the plot of her movie is playing out in real life, and people are starting to die. So now Lexi must save her daughter before she too dies.

Overall, I thought this was a really good thriller. I really liked the setting of this book. Usually I don't like when books switch between the past and the present. But I thought this book did a really good job with that. I didn't see the plot twist coming at the end of this book so I really liked that. This book kept my attention the whole time. I think this is more of a summer time thriller. But overall good book, and I do think I would suggest it. Thank you NetGalley, R.J. Jacbos, and Sourcebooks for the ARC of this book.

3.5 stars

Short and sweet review time…
 
What I Enjoyed
 
✨The Halloween setting
✨The hurricane-related isolation (I’ve been there. It’s creepy!)
✨The horror movie set location
✨The spooky, horror lite vibe
 
Where I Struggled
 
✨I was loving it until about the 90% mark when it got very convoluted, in my opinion, and lost me.  
✨I was not a fan of the epilogue.  At all. 
 
All in all, I would say I liked – but did not love – this book.  It had all the makings of a hit for me, but sadly just fell a bit flat in the end.
 
My thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark @bookmarked and @netgalley for the opportunity to read this book before its publication date.

DNF at 50%. Just couldn’t get into the story. I wish I could pinpoint what exactly wasn’t working, but I can’t. I just wasn’t invested in learning what happened.

Lexi is grieving. She lost her husband Cam while he was staying at his father's house in the Florida Keys. She has a very complicated relationship with Rick, her father-in-law. When she was a teenager, she landed a role as an extra in his horror movie, Breathless, filmed at Pinecrest Estate. The place is rumored to be cursed and a last-minute cast opening means Lexi will play a much larger role in the movie. When a murder occurs on set it seems that the mystery surrounding Pinecrest might be true.
Twenty years have passed, and Lexi is headed back to Pinecrest for all the wrong reasons. Her teenage daughter Quinn lied to her and is spending the weekend there with her grandfather, Rick. A devastating hurricane hits the Keys and Lexi races to get Quinn and get them back home. When she arrives the current events mirror those that happened while Breathless was being filmed. Lexi cannot figure out why or how the past seems to be repeating, but she will have to live through this horror movie again if she wants to get them out alive.
Did I figure out what was going on before the author reveal? I did not. There were a lot of twists and the POV from Lexi in the past and the present kept me turning the pages and staying up way too late. Sorry, not sorry.

I requested a digital copy in order to sample the prose on my phone (since I don't have a eReader) before requesting a physical copy for review. My review will be based on the physical ARC I read.

Always the First to Die by R.J. Jacobs was one of my favorite books of the year so far! That cover and title drew me in and I wasn’t disappointed!
Riley Sager happens to be one of my favorite authors and Mr. Jacobs’ work reminds me of a Sager book for sure!
The story is split between twenty years ago when Lexi was a teenage who was cast as an extra on the set of a horror film at the infamous Pinecrest Estate in the Florida Keys, and the present when Lexi is forced to return to Keys and the Pinecrest. Her teenage daughter has snuck away there to visit her grandfather, a famous horror movie director, and a hurricane is about to hit. Lexi has to return to the place she met her husband and lost her husband, and get herself and her daughter off the island before their lives turn into a real life horror movie.
The story starts off a little slowly, but definitely picks up and the payoff is worth it in the end!
Thanks to NetGalley, SOURCEBOOKS Landmark, and R.J.Jacobs for providing me with a digital review copy. I can’t wait to read your next one. #rjjacobs #alwaysthefirsttodie
#netgalley

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.

I appreciate the dimensionality that the author brought to his characters. He gave all of them real world complex emotions and psyches.

Being a horror movie fan, I also really enjoyed all of the movie mentions and comparisons - I thought that was fun.

I would recommend this book.

Big 👍 to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review, because I really liked this one!

Always the First to Die was an addictive read that kept me guessing right up until the end.

I loved the dynamic between Lexi and her daughter, as they navigate life after Cam's passing (husband and father).

There was a lot going on, but it never felt overwhelming, the right balance of chaos and plot.

I recommend you read it as soon as it releases on September 14th.

From the beginning, this book had me hooked. The setting being a “haunted” horror film set made my horror junkie heart sing. And the main character being a former horror movie star was the icing on the cake. The atmosphere was wonderfully spooky, the timing throughout the book was perfect and so engaging, and the way everything wrapped up was slightly unexpected and not outlandish, as some books I have read recently have been.

For the people who sit and regularly thing of Ghostface and Freddy and Jason, this one is for you 🖤

✨BOOK REVIEW✨
Always The First To Die
By R.J. Jacobs

This was the perfect book for transitioning into Fall weather and Spooky reads 👻
Definite classic “Slasher Movie” vibes in this one, which I was down for! (Huge Scream fan here)😱
This book kept a great speed throughout the story, and had me turning pages and wanting to see how it all would play out.

QOTD: Have you ever acted in a play?
I used to be in some productions when I was younger 🎬🎭

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

If you’re into Thrillers, you’ll want to pick up a copy of this one for sure! It’s out September 14th!!

#bookinfluencer #bookreview #bookreviews #bookreviewersofinstagram #alwaysthefirsttodie #rjjacobs #netgalley #netgalleyreads #sourcebooks #sourcebookslandmark #bookrecs #4stars #thriller #thrillerbooks #mysteryandsuspense #addtotbr #readthisbook #canadianbookstagrammer #canadianreader #followｍe #allthingsbooks

When she was a teenager, Lexi landed a part in what was to be a blockbuster hit, a horror movie called Breathless. During that time she met her future husband, who also happened to be the director's son. Together they witnessed unexplained occurrences, leading to a real life tragedy on the last day of filming. Now, two decades later, Lexie is forced to return to the location of the film, Pinecrest Estate. Her daughter Quinn snuck out there to be a part of the sequel, not knowing that a massive hurricane was about to come through. Lexie races there to rescue her daughter from not only the hurricane, but her father in law, Rick Plummer, fearing there may be more tragedy to come.


This was a fun read, better than what I expected, but not the best. I liked the isolated setting but would of liked a little more added to the feeling of being trapped on an island after a hurricane. I just wasn't getting the full effect of it. The dual timelines were what kept this going for me and I loved the movie setting described in the past but again, I needed more feeling from the atmosphere of it all. I don't know if it was the way it was written or what, but I wasn't fully drawn into it as I usually am with books. The story line was great, the characters could use a little more development but overall this was a fun, okay read for me. Three Stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC.

Originally the idea sounded really intriguing to me but I couldn’t keep on reading, I’m DNFin @38%.
It’s too slow and not interesting enough to keep me reading and I can’t even connect to the characters.

Thank you Netgalley & Sourcebooks Landmark for the digital arc.

When Lexi was a teenager, she had a small role in what came to be as a slasher horror movie.
That movie took place in Pinecrest Estate: where celebrities like Capote, Hemingway, Tennessee Williams gallivanted. The estate was sold to Rick Plummer at a cheapest price for the accumulating rumors around islanders called the place “cursed”
Fast forward, Lexi ended up marrying the son Rick Plummer and having a daughter with him. Present day, Lexi is racing to the Keys during a intense hurricane because her 17 year old daughter Quinn has gone there without permission to meet with her grandfather, Rick.
Rick, being the maker of horror movies he is, is in the process of making a sequel in the same movie Lexi stared in in the 90s- but Lexi doesn't want her daughter around him.
If you enjoy slow burning, popcorn reads then this book may be for you. The characters were not very well developed so they were hard to really care about. If you’re looking for an easy read without much depth you would love it.
This book promised quite a bit of horror but unfortunately for me did not deliver. Just okay at best. As a really deep thriller lover, I just feel O read so many good books and this was not top of the list.
There’s mention of a horrible happening in the past that just fell flat, the father-in-law was made out to be a “bad guy” but didn’t come off that way, the main character was scared by past events from her life.
Thank you to Sorcebooks Landmark and Netgalley for my review copy

I had fun with this one! ALWAYS THE FIRST TO DIE is going to be a hit for readers who love classic horror films. I think the dual timeline worked well here and was fun to see the characters as movie actors in the past and navigating the real life scary movie they find themselves in. The twist wasn’t as shocking as I would have liked, and there was potential for a big one! I don’t think readers will see it coming, though! Definitely a fun read for spooky season and I look forward to reading more from this author.

This is an enjoyable read for fans of classic horror films. It’s clever with interesting characters. I appreciated the opportunity to read this advance copy!

I enjoyed all of the horror movie talk in this book. From referencing horror films to discussing different horror tropes - it was a fun inclusion. The setting of a post hurricane Florida Keys was really atmospheric and I could feel the humidity as I read it. I enjoyed going between the past and present too. I loved the flashbacks to the horror film set in the 90s. This was such a quick read and kept me entertained. I wish there was something a bit more shocking or surprising, but the book was still enjoyable as is.

Stuck in a real life horror movie? Revisiting the past becomes dangerous for Lexi. Experiencing tragedy her daughter goes out to find answers but a hurricane is about to put that all on hold. Lexi needs to find her daughter before someone else does. High paced thriller that will have you turning the pages so fast!

Always The First To Die is a fun, thriller/slasher that stays with you but never has the punch that Scream or other slashers do.

R.J. Jacobs knows his horror history and blending filmmaking techniques and horror tropes/Easter eggs gives the story some flavor but the tropes also show just what is lacking in the story. I felt some parts of the story were fantastic and paced great and others felt out of another genre or slasher movie.

I feel the weakest parts of the book are the ending and the characters. The characters are all different with some being really well written (Quinn) and some feeling out of place (Marla)

Overall this is a fun read that you may like but won’t haunt you for long.

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book. I loved the horror movie vibes, reminded me of the horror movies I used to watch as a teen. 3/4 of the was through and I still had absolutely no clue who the bad guy was. Every time I thought I had it figured out the story would spin again and a new twist would appear. It definitely kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing what was to come next. I didn’t figure it out until it was spelled out to me which was cool and doesn’t usually happen for me with thrillers!

Overall I really enjoyed this book and if you’re a fan of a twisty book then I highly recommend it.