At an elite private school, being head girl is the ultimate girl, but when every head girl starts turning up dead, maybe the covered spot isn’t all it seems to be. In this YA thriller, the members of the elite top tier take it upon themselves to figure out what is happening at their beloved school.

I enjoyed the beginning half of this book so much that it was so hard to put down, but about half way through my opinion started to change. It was still an easy read and hard to put down, but the direction the story started going wasn’t the directions I was hoping for. I was totally blindsided by the ending, but I found it to be totally unbelievable and unsupported by anything else I saw in the book. Bravo to the author for keeping me guessing whodunnit and shocking me with the reveal, but the ending doesn’t sit well with me. Anyway, I did enjoy most of this book, but the ending ruined it for me. If you are into thrillers with one death after the other, this may be worth the read, just be warned that the ending may come as a surprise, or you may do better than me and guess it from the very beginning!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book!

YA suspense that kept me guessing. I thought I had figured out who the killer was early in the book but convinced myself I was wrong! Only to be wrong in the end! A very enjoyable read for sure

Morton academy is a school where intelligent students from a variety of background matriculate. This means that in order to be invited to attend the school you MUST be incredibly gifted. One of the largest perks to attending the school is to obtain the position of Head Girl. The title opens up a world of possibilities for that student including attending any University they with to attend.
Liz and her group of friends seem tight and when one head girl after another starts to die everyone becomes suspect. This book is an easy read a bit predictable but fun nonetheless.

The book starts off with a bang, as the perpetrator confesses to a drowning. From there, the pace keeps up as more students start dying and our core group of characters start investigating. In between chapters, the reader gets a glimpse into the bad guy’s mind, which I love because I always want to know what they’re thinking and feeling.

The setting was dark with an interesting history, which added to the mysteriousness, I liked all the characters, and nothing was too obvious, although, when the ending was revealed, it was something I kinda suspected, and I was happy that I was correct.

I have always enjoyed YA thrillers because I find them so easy to read. Cynthia Murphy DID NOT DISAPPOINT! This was my first book by this author and now I need to read her other works. The students at Morton Academy are high-achievers, selected based on academic excellence. So when a series of murders target the school's brightest and best, the pressure is on. Someone is determined to stop at nothing to clear their path to the top. But who is it? Everyone wants to be at the top, but there's only one minor problem, someone keeps killing everyone that gets in their way and fills that position. Win Lose Kill Die is a fast past thriller with all the 90's slasher vibes mixed with secret societies, scandal, and juicy murders! I couldn't put it down and I highly recommend picking this one up. You're in for a wild ride with a plot twist that will make your head spin, but then having you realize that the clues were there the ENTIRE TIME! Loved every minute of this story. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book has all the elements of a really great YA thriller murder mystery but it just didn't quite work for me.

There were a lot of twists and turns throughout the book that did keep you guessing and the ending was unexpected but it really just didn't sit right with me so I couldn't fully enjoy the book because of that.

If you are at all a fan of YA murder mysteries and thrillers I recommend this book especially if you like the TV show Riverdale. It definitely gives off vibes similar to that show.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my e-ARC of Win Lose Kill Die!

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
🔪 are a fan of slashers
👀 want to be kept guessing
🌪️ enjoy a lot of twists
🤔 have ever second guessed yourself

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

An explosive new YA thriller, from the author of Last One To Die. The students at Morton Academy are high-achievers, selected based on academic excellence. So when a series of murders target the school's brightest and best, the pressure is on. Someone is determined to stop at nothing to clear their path to the top. But who is it? And can they be stopped? A high-school slasher with a lethal twist. Perfect for fans of Karen McManus, Holly Jackson and Gossip Girl.

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

Wow, that ending was something else! I honestly guessed the killer near the beginning but kept second guessing myself because, no way, right? Of course my original assumption was correct, but I definitely kept thinking it was others for a while there, which is always fun! I really enjoyed Liz’s character and POV, since she (and the killer) are the only two we ever get to see. I think this would make for a really fun movie. Definitely grab this one if you’re looking for a fun, short, slasher read!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for accepting my request to read and review Win Lose Kill Die.

Just okay. I am drawn in by some covers, synopses and genre YA. I've gotten better passing on YA, but occasionally I still ask how far from adult could the YA be? WLKD is really far.

The prologue had me hunkered down and I was good for a couple chapters before dread set in. I didn't have to check, I knew I was reading a NetGalley book and chances were low that I would DNF. I did ask to read and review the book after all. Stars 2.5.

This slasher was too long and predictable. There was one storyline and I liked the premise. However, without spoiling this went from a story to a book to grr will this ever end.

Note: Trope is antiquated, please retire it.

4⭐️

Morton Academy is a prestigious school open to the brightest students. Being a graduate of this school could open many doors in the future, especially for the students that are selected to participate in the secret society of Jewel and Bone. It’s from the society members that head girl and head boy are selected; a position that guarantees the board will pay for their further education.

The deaths, all thought to be tragic accidents, had started the previous spring; a drowning, an asthma attack, a fall in the dark woods. But each death has something in common: they were either a head student or deputy head student. And it’s possible the deaths can be tied to a cult that had been active on campus almost 25 years prior.

This was a lot of fun in a macabre sort of way. It wasn’t necessarily ha-ha fun, but fun like a season of Riverdale. I feel like that gave it the perfect amount of drama that a book featuring a secret society needs. Each of the characters felt well thought out and didn’t just fall on the teen drama stereotype. I also did not see the twist coming until almost the clear end which is a refreshing change.

There were a few aspects that felt a bit on the nose or just flat out made me feel old. Like the groundskeeper that was referred to as “Creepy Billy” was actually named Billy Loomis. And I don’t know if there’s just a whole generation that has never seen Scream, but that kind of took me out of things. Also that none of them had heard of Charles Manson before except the one true crime obsessed person seemed wild to me. But other than that I really enjoyed this!

Thanks Netgalley and Scholastic for providing this ARC to me!

📚: Win Lose Kill Die by Cynthia Murphy
⭐️: 3/5

Head Girl - a position at Morton Academy that is coveted by all and a tradition for decades. It sets someone up for lifelong success, far after boarding school. And this year, it also appears to set someone up for their death. Who is targeting the chosen ones this year? And who's next, and who's left as the bodies continue to pile?

A YA read that's maybe geared toward a YA-aged reader. I found a few plot holes so big that I could live in them. While predictable, the ending was done so incredibly well, that it bumped up what I thought would be a rating in the 2s up to a solid 3. 

Big thanks to Random House and Delacorte Press via @netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Win Lose Kill Die is out by this publisher on 11/28.

WIN LOSE KILL DIE by Cynthia Murphy

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc. This book is out January 6.

If you like low budget horror movies, you'll probably like this book. What sounds like a great idea - dark academia, super smart hand selected students, secret societies, creepy cults- just fell flat for me. It is labeled as young adult- but it just felt immature. Everything felt written like it "should" seem- as in someone who has no idea what life as a teenager is really like. What teenagers use the word "honey" towards each other or kiss friends cheeks when they meet them?! Plus there were so many cringey moments... like "I've never heard a naughty word from your mouth before. You've changed." with no evidence of such change. Also, everyone dies. It was like a slasher movie without the gore. Threats written on steamy bathroom mirrors... One body after another- always dying immediately and never checked by EMTs... only people shaking their heads slowly... nobody asked questions and the police just accepted the reasons. It was way unbelievable.

I've read some YA books... but this is the first one I read that felt like the writing itself was YA.

This was such a fun, fast-paced young adult mystery/thriller. I few through this book pretty quick and I really enjoyed the storyline as well as the boarding school setting. I did find this book to be fairly predictable and I knew early on who the killer was and never doubted my guess. That being said, I still found this to be an incredibly fun read that lovers of ya thrillers are sure to enjoy.

Unfortunately, I did DNF this book. I liked the premise and I had seen a lot of hype surrounding it. The book just ended up not being for me.

I read about a quarter way through the book and I just wasn’t feeling connected to any of the characters or to the story. I also found myself not loving the style of writing.

I’m sure this would be a great book for someone just beginning to read YA thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I'm a little torn over this book. On one hand I thought it was good for a YA thriller, I think I had just seen it hyped up on booktok too much so I was expecting more. It was a super quick and easy read and kind of read like a horror movie. I think the twist was just too anticlimatic for me and happened to far towards the end of the book where I feel like I didn't get enough closure on what had happened. If you're into YA books through I would check this one out, I'm just not the biggest YA reader.

High school can be murder… but this school takes it even more seriously than most. This was a quick read that had an interesting storyline.

ARC from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for the copy of this book.

The plot was very interesting and laid out in a way that i knew who this nameless killer was the whole time but kept second guessing myself because it was too obvious to be true.

The story kept my attention the whole time which is more then i can say about most book i can predict so early on.

Would probably recommend this to readers who dont read mystery thrillers and their normal genre.

I received an advanced review copy of this murder mystery/horror set in a posh boarding school from #NetGalley. Lots of dark academia vibes. Nothing groundbreaking but an easy read if you are into this as an alternate form of watching Law and Order reruns.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

If you're looking for a quick book that is a thriller but more thriller light, if that makes sense, this fits the bill. It's easy to read quickly and it isn't all that deep. I did find it lacks some substance, but sometimes that is what you're looking for in a book. I actually enjoyed reading it.

The first half of the book really worked for me. Loved the character, Liz, and the friendships of the students at Morton school. Unique characters and a compelling mystery. Toward the end, the story started falling apart for me. Some things needed for the resolution felt forced. Didn't find the last third of the story that believable or engaging. But that may just be how the story was for me. Other readers might follow it through to the end and find it a satisfying read.

I was so intrigued by the premise that I requested an ARC of this. I was granted in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this one fell flat for me. For me, it was predictable and I found myself wanting more. I just don't think it was meant for me!