This book was very enjoyable and definitely kept me on my toes.
It was my first by this author, but will definitely not be my last. I have a few more from her, that have moved up on my TBR.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy of Win Lose Kill Die by Cynthia Murphy in exchange for my honest review and feedback. Holy cow, buckle up as this is one wild ride of a book! I thought I figured it out but the ending totally took me by surprise and made me gasp! :) So many crazy twists and turns that keep you guessing all the way to the finish. Great suspenseful book!

Win Lose Kill Die by Cynthia Murphy is an intense and gripping thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The story centers around a high-stakes, dangerous game where the stakes are life or death, and the twists and turns are unexpected. Murphy does a great job of building tension and creating complex characters, making it hard to put down. If you enjoy fast-paced suspense with a dark edge, this book is definitely worth checking out. It's not for the faint of heart, but if you're in the mood for a thrilling ride, you won’t be disappointed.

"Win Lose Kill Die" by Cynthia Murphy is a gripping young adult thriller that blends elements of dark academia, secret societies, and classic whodunit mysteries. Released in 2022, this novel has garnered attention for its fast-paced plot and atmospheric setting.
The story unfolds at Morton Academy, an elite school where students are selected based on academic excellence. When a series of murders targets the school's brightest, the pressure mounts as the characters try to uncover the killer's identity. Murphy skillfully weaves together multiple perspectives, creating a tense atmosphere of suspicion and uncertainty.
The novel's strengths lie in its brisk pacing and ability to keep readers guessing. Short chapters and alternating viewpoints maintain high tension throughout, making it a true page-turner. Murphy's background in horror shines through in her creation of creepy and inventive murder scenes, adding to the overall sense of unease.
While some readers found the character development lacking due to the focus on action, others appreciated the diverse cast and the exploration of themes such as ambition and the pressures faced by high-achieving students. The twist ending has divided opinions, with some finding it surprising and others feeling it required too drastic a character shift to be believable.
"Win Lose Kill Die" is particularly recommended for fans of YA thrillers and those who enjoy stories set in academic environments. However, readers sensitive to depictions of violence should approach with caution, as the novel doesn't shy away from darker themes.
In conclusion, Cynthia Murphy's "Win Lose Kill Die" offers an engaging and suspenseful read for those seeking a YA thriller with a twist. While it may not break new ground in the genre, it delivers a solid mystery that will keep readers entertained until the final page.

The book was fantastic up until the ending. But I did read this in the span of 36 hours, so I was captivated.

So many dead girls at one school! What the heck? And as a parent, why is the school not shut down to investigate? Everything just carries on as normal.

An easy read with not a whole lot of depth, but a lot of murder and some cult activity. It kept my interest but was a little strange and unrealistic for my liking.

This was a wild ride. I loved the mystery behind everything and the story that unfolded. I was NOT expecting that ending but thinking about it now, it makes a lot of sense. I will definitely be reading more by this author. She has a way of telling a story that sucks you in and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Thank you to Cynthia Murphy, Random House Children's/Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for an eARC of Win Lose Kill Die.

I thought this book had a very interesting premise, but felt like some of it was a bit too unrealistic to make it truly enjoyable.

Things I did enjoy...

The plot: At the risk of sounding morbid, kids who are part of a secret society start dying at an elite prep school and our main character and her friends are trying to suss out who the killer is. I love myself a murder mystery.

The setting: An elite prep school. There's something about setting a murder mystery at old buildings with lots of history that just hooks me from the get go.

The characters: The kids were relatable. High schoolers who love their friends but are also secretly envious of those performing better than them or those who are getting more accolades. It created enough suspicion that the reader can't quite be sure who the culprit is.

Things I did not enjoy...

The twist: Ok - I get the whole premise of an unreliable narrator, but we're really going to put the reader in the main character's head for the whole book and then turn everything around on us in the end? The reader experienced the panic and shock with the main character as her friends were murdered around her... then the author turns around and tells us she was the one committing the crimes all along. Nope. No stinkin' way.

Murders... plural: Ok - The body count at the end of this book was HIGH... I think 5 kids ended up dead. And it was just too unbelievable to think that these kids wouldn't find a way to tell their parents (especially with their secret phones!) and get the authorities involved.

Despite the things I didn't enjoy about the book, I did think it was fun, fast moving, and attention grabbing. Despite all the murder, it was a YA novel. I'd rate it a 3/5.

I really loved and enjoyed this book! I finished it in about a day or so because I absolutely needed to get to the end! Thrilling for sure and definitely recommend.

This was an interesting read with some fun plot twists. It felt like the plot drug a bit in some areas, but overall a fun book.

This was definitely interesting! I didn't see most of the plot twists coming, and it definitely kept me hooked. I probably wouldn't read it again, but it was really engaging and I did enjoy it!

Win, lose, kill, die…. Which one is going to happen to you? I liked the book but wasn’t completely intrigued with it, I felt like they was too much going on and just kept it busy and drug out.

This is a fast paced YA thriller and I enjoyed it, but it is definitely geared toward a younger audience than myself. The ending definitely wasn’t expected and did not really make sense, but overall a quick engaging read for the young adult audience.

I went into this keeping in mind that the book is strictly young adult and to not let that swap my opinion. However, upon reaching the end of the book and reflecting on the plot twist, I was not very happy about the main character we were presented with and her big reveal.

To start, the biggest red flag to me was the relationship and how much in the forefront of the story it was, but it provided nothing. We'd have random scenes of them spending time together but it was mostly unnecessary to keep the plot moving. I was hoping that the love interest was the killer by the end to at least have some payoff to it, but alas I was disappointed.

The school setting was a fun one, but again felt lacking when it came to how it was chosen. This may have been due to the category of book, but for how much the book stressed that these characters were the best of the best and was incredibly exclusive to only the smartest kids, we instead got a lot of characters running around doing shenanigans instead of academia. The constant description of the school also felt awkward and out of place; Dark Academia is popular but the over description of the places the main character visits to emphasize the "Hogwarts-ness" of it all felt like it was trying to hit a search engine optimization.

To be blunt about it, I really did not like the plot twist/killer reveal. Having your audience go along for the journey and being in the main character's head and then revealing that she was the killer all along felt like a slap in the face. Neither the characterization (and personality post-reveal), nor the logistics of what happened made sense. (For instance, she went with her friend to the gym. Her friend tells her to go shower, but she doubles back to kill her friend, go back to the shower to be found by her boyfriend after the murder is discovered?) This also felt like a strange dig at people with head injuries: if you're poor and get hurt, you will turn into a murderer.

As an adult reading this, I didn't have fun, but possibly for the targeted audience, they would be able to overlook the inconsistencies I pointed out.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

WHOA! This murder mystery was mind blowing and kept me (and the characters) on my toes the entire time! And I DID NOT see anything coming. This will not be the last Murphy book I read because I was quite impressed.

Morton Academy attracts the best. It gets the best students and helps them move on to more elite educational opportunities they would otherwise not have due to not being in "those" family trees. Everything has a price, though, and though most coveted spots Head Boy and Head Girl has the higher price since they have the most opportunity at meeting the best benefactors to finance their futures.

Liz figured out the answers to the scavenger hunt quickly enough, but her quiet and passive personality caused her to pause and in doing so, lost her the head girl position. She didn't mind, though - it's always better to look before you leap. Especially since all the Head Girls are dying off faster than one can be appointed. Also, she is glad to not have Head Girl responsibilities since new boy Cole seems to be as interested in her as she is in him.

Standard boarding school thriller with some truly messed up characters. This one was okay for me, but a little too messed up.

2 stars!

I love myself a YA thriller, but unfortunately this one didn't do much for me. There was really absolutely no surprise element and I figured it out pretty quickly even though it was potentially the most ludicrous ending possible. I just really dislike this trope and and was disappointed that my expectations for this book did not match any form of reality.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

So many fun concepts here: cults and secret societies and murder! The writing and pacing were pretty solid and easy to follow, though some of the twists/secrets were a bit predictable. A quick and easy read, especially for younger teens getting into the murder mystery / slasher genre!

I appreciate the chance to read this as an ARC. I just couldn’t get into this unfortunately. I DNF’d it at around 17%.