This had my nerve-wracking, head hurting, heart beating and nails gnawed to the rim. This book has everything and anything you would want from a mystery / thriller. It is actually one of the best I have read in a while! There's no way I'd die first is an entertaining read with cliffhangers thrown at you every two seconds and you just simply, CANNOT, stop reading.
You won't be disappointed if you read this!

Scream meets Gossip Girl. This book is a good way to jump into the Halloween season. After reading the summary I was very excited to be able to read this book. I will say this book had great potential but the execution fell flat at some parts to me, which could be because I’m older than the target audience. As a horror movie fan, I loved all the horror movie references and quotes. I enjoyed the main character Noelle and thought she made an awesome final girl, but the other characters fell a little flat for me, and had a Bodies, Bodie, Bodies vibe to it. Thanks NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion

I really enjoyed this book and thought it fell perfectly in line with what I love about a good YA slasher. It definitely gives off the Scream movie vibes that I absolutely love in movies and books! I am a huge fan of any book that uses the horror genre as a trope, and I loved the horror movie club and having a character who knows all of the horror movie tropes. You had a crazy clown in there and it makes for the perfect spooky season read. The only thing that I took off from is that this book is pretty predictable, but it's honestly hard not to be when you have a reading that has read and watched as many slashers as I have.

I love a good multi-murder killer in a book, especially on that takes place over one night. 'There's No Way I'd Die First" certainly brings a gusty, well-liked Final Girl in the form of Noelle for the stories protagonist. Once the murderous clown started his killing spree, I was hooked. The book is pretty timely for a lot of young adults, in my opinion too. Who doesn't get irritated over the way institutional racism plays at preventing talented students from internships? Or when those privilege enough in money and skin tone are able to get away with horrid acts of harm? There were moments I was taken out of the story during the murderer's rant about capitalism and the like, but that is more likely a me thing than something wrong with the book. The pace of the murders was excellent, and the stress and fear of being chased and discovered over and over had a pretty good impact on the enjoyment of reading. There were also a lot of horror references, which isn't bad (as I love horror) and I liked that they weren't shoehorned into the story. Noelle is a horror buff, which a podcast specifically for sharing the love of horror and scares. The book did feel longer than its 309 pages, so it took me some time to really get through the book. But I'm glad I was able to read it!

Alright so... It's the rich kids again. I just really can't care about the majority of rich people problems and that probably makes me sound heartless but that's not me saying that gives a murderous clown reason to go after them. It just makes it harder to care when their problems, overall, feel pretty superficial and self inflicted.
🤡
I love that even though this takes place in a fairly small setting, in this house, everything still felt very exciting. I think the close proximity helped this story move along at a good pace and added a level of tension to the atmosphere that I really enjoyed. I also appreciate all the references to horror movies and the general premise itself is pretty different and interesting.
🤡
The characters were ok for the most part. Some of them felt very bland and were hard to differentiate so I was left not really feeling anything for them which is unfortunate. There were some pretty gruesome scenes though that, unless you're completely heartless, will, at the very least, make you wince.
🤡
The ending felt stereotypical and easy to figure out. I was really hoping for a big wow moment but was kinda let down. As whole I enjoyed this book and think it is a great debut! I am sure some people will absolutely love it so I don't discourage you from reading this one if it sounds like something you would be into.
🤡
*Side note: I have beef with the porcupine in this book. First of all I assume the author meant hedgehog not porcupine but that's just speculation. Second, whether they meant porcupine or hedgehog, neither one can throw its quills. Just felt I needed to share that.* 😂

This is a slasher movie turned book that I could not put down. Twelve social media-famous rich kids from an elite high school have a horror movie watch party together that goes horribly wrong. The hostess is hoping to use this party to gain followers and launch a podcast, so she goes over-the-top, including hiring a clown to play a scary game of hide and seek. Only the clown is actually a murderer.

Many of the murders are sick and inventive and the stress and determination of the surviving characters comes across well. I did not love that there was also a romance, but perhaps that was included to break some of the tension and keep the book lighter for teen audiences.

I really wanted to love this, I was so excited for a book to get me in a spooky fall mood, but sadly this wasn’t it. The writing was terrible, and even for a slasher book the level of improbability (like, there’s a school with literally a dozen huge teen influencers in every possible field? And they’re crypto experts or platinum album singers or their show is going to Broadway?! SMH) BUT even worse, it was surprisingly dull. And there were a bunch of too stupid to be believed plot twists. If it was a physical book I would’ve thrown it against the wall numerous times. Hard pass,

This was such a wild ride and I hung on for dear life and enjoyed every minute. I could definitely see that Springer is a fan of the horror genre. I could see a lot of influences from the different movies in the book – which I really liked to see.

The plot was good, obviously very fast paced as this is a slasher book – I think the slasher genre is always faster than other horror subgenres. You can have slower horror, especially if it’s more cerebral. But generally I prefer a fast-paced horror film. Slashers work well then!

Not to brag or anything (she says while preparing to brag) but I predicted something correctly! Obviously, I can’t tell you (unless you’ve read this too then we can talk about it) and also this isn’t to say “oh the author isn’t good if the reader can predict something correctly” – my predictions are like 50/50 and it’s all good fun. But also that’s something I love about the horror genre – there’s always a lot of places for you to predict. Especially in slashers because there is always the mystery of who the killer is and why they’re after the main characters. And I love that! I love solving the mysteries, learning any secrets about the characters and trying to figure it out (the mystery/killer).

Springer wrote the death scenes so well! Gruesome, even for a YA, and I loved it! How do I say I love death scenes… without saying I love reading people die? 😂 Anyway! As I keep saying I can see that Springer loves the horror genre and it’s extremely visible in the death scenes.

She created characters that weren’t just the standard main characters in horror. They were well-fleshed out and I started to care for them even though, unfortunately, some/most of them were going to die. Good characters in a horror book is important because you want them to survive, you want them to solve the mystery.

Noelle was a great main character to follow because she’s such a big horror fan and I think I liked her almost immediately. She’s a strong character who takes charge – not because she has to but because she needs to, because she knows the best way to get out of this alive. She leaned on her horror movie knowledge to help her – I would do the same, after screaming, I think.

It was a fast read (might’ve said that already) and I really liked that. That was definitely due to Springer’s writing – the easy way of it and how that transferred to easy reading. And I enjoyed it all so much! I can’t see what else Springer has up her sleeve!

Really enjoyed this book. Very entertaining. A great slasher addition that feels similar to watching a slasher movie. It was really action packed. I would have liked the killing to start earlier. Thanks for the ARC copy.

I really liked this book! It reminded me of the movie, "Bodies Bodies Bodies", with a cast of very rich kids, all with hidden problems. I felt at times the writing was a little disconnected with the main character, switching out of her body and into the 3rd person space, but it didn't stop me from reading it all in one go!

Thank you so much to TBR Tours and Lisa Springer for the ARC copy!

This book follows Noelle. She is confident that if she was dropped into a horror film, she’d make it to the end. But when her party guests and herself are thrown into a deadly party game, will she have what it takes to be the Final Girl?

Wow. I just started reading this book last night and woah. I was looking over my shoulder. My empty house became ten times eerier with each chapter of this book. Lisa, where have you been? Your writing skills are insane!

At about 25% in, I knew that I. WAS. HOOKED. If you have ever trusted my reviews and opinions, believe me when I say you need this book in your hands, Right. Now. This is a must have to your shelf!

I picked this one up because the premise sounded very similar to My Heart is a Chainsaw (but YA and black!!) which is totally my vibe.

Noelle is obsessed with horror movies and runs a popular movie club. She throws a halloween party and invites all the popular (and extremely rich) kids in her senior class, but it quickly turns into a real life slasher.

I'm 26, so I always try to mention that in YA reviews since I am not the target audience. However, I was not impressed with the characters in this one. The main character is rich and she just so happens to go to school with all of these other rich kids who are all celebrities/business owners/etc. (at 17/18?!) I can see the author was probably trying to go for a Gossip Girl type crowd, but instead of seeming like an elite group of teens it felt inauthentic and surface level. The characters didn't have much depth at all other than their accomplishments and money. They all felt like Beverly Hills stereotypes and unfortunately didn't add much to the story.

The book was a quick read and definitely thrilling, though! I was not bored at any point and definitely had a good time while reading it.

This was not a standout book for me by any means, but I also didn't hate it -- it was very much a 3 star read.

*Thank you for the publisher and Netgalley for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review*

This was a good YA Horror, I will give you that, but probably not for all the reasons that most people would think. I thought the story was great and the horror was fun. Fun? What a strange way to talk about a book where a serial killer dressed like Pennywise from Wish picked off teenagers one by one.
It was honestly the characters. I found most of them minimally likeable. Even the main character at times, but it was because she barely seemed to actually care about the people she called friends, and honestly, it seemed like it was mutual. It was kind of hard to root for a bunch of shallow, morally gray people with little character dealing with their rich kid struggles. It was just difficult to really understand them. There were definitely moments when I was like “oh good, the killer is there. I have no feelings either way, let’s see how this plays out.”

Again, the MC I could understand at times. There are absolutely societal expectations that her family reached above and racism is absolutely a horrible thing that completely in all echilons of society. However, there were times when it seemed less like she was in a fight for her life and more like she was in a fight she had always wanted to be in just so she could prove that she was able to do something, even though all her supposed friends are dying in truly horrific ways around her.

Trust me when I say, the author truly had some twisted visions for how one would end the lives of some somewhat insufferable people. The writing was great and maybe the above was kind of the point? If so, I give the author major props for this well written book that felt like I was hate watching a reality TV show. I’m not sure if that was goal here, but if it was I can’t help but give some shiny stars for the effort. It was a weird thing for me to enjoy but God help me, I did.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Children's for the advanced copy in exchange for this review.

A new slasher novel with a killer 🤡 being the lead sign me up. I was really hyped to read this one and i finished it super fast because it was a page turner i really loved taylor who was one of the characters who was a great non binary rep! I liked that this novel had alot of interesting death scenes/action packed moments my favorite one was definitely 🎾 🎾 🩸🩸The lead of this novel was iconic i loved her. I will say some of the moments in this novel was really far fetched and not believable at times which kind of was a buzzkill. 🤡 🤡 I will say tho this was a good little cat and mouse game of hide and seek between a killer clown and friends definitely a good read for the halloween season coming up. I also loved that each chapter had a quote from scary movies. I enjoyed it! Anyone have this on your TBR?

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

My Review:

I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via TBR and Beyond Tours in exchange for an honest review and place on this blog tour – thanks!

This book was such a fun ride, or I guess as fun as a book filled with murderous clowns can be. I love horror movies (and I’m trying to get into watching more of them), so it was fun to get all sorts of recs from every chapter of this book. Noelle definitely had final girl energy, even if it was extremely exaggerated most of the time.

The fast pace of this novel seems as though it would not be the best place for character development, especially of the side characters, but it wasn’t the case here. I felt like I got to know all the side characters well enough to sympathize (or not) with them as needed throughout the story. I do wish we had gotten more intimate character development of Noelle, even with some sort of flashback, but I can see that it would have likely not fit into the pacing that Springer developed for this book.

Like with most horror related things, sometimes you’ve got to let go of what might be your regular expectations. It makes it less fun to take it too seriously, you can’t question the logic of the story or it takes away the magic and fun. There’s No Way I’d Die First is extremely campy, which I thoroughly enjoyed, but some parts can come off as a bit too convenient or out of the ordinary. I feel like to immerse yourself in this book, you need to just let loose and have fun with it.

There also was a really great little romance buried in all the gore of this book, which was very sweet. Archer and Noelle were just the cutest, and I loved how they grew closer throughout the story.

The reason this book doesn’t get the full four stars for me lies in the ending, which I won’t get too much into because, spoilers. I just wish there had been a more of a full circle feeling to the ending. It wasn’t satisfying, at least to me. I wanted more from the ending, and it fell flat for me when we finally got there.

If you’re looking for a book to get you into spooky season, look no further than There’s No Way I’d Die First to find a very fun to read horror novel to get you into the mood of the season. Filled with the usual suspects, and some you’d have never thought deserved their fate, this book is sure to be a favourite of die hard or casual horror fans.

There’s No Way I’d Die First releases September 5th, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐

CW
🟣 Blood and Gore
🟣 Torture and Death

There’s no better way to start my seasonal spooky reading than with a book that feels like I’m watching a classic horror movie like Scream. And that’s exactly what There’s No Way I’d Die First is.

The book follows Noelle, the host of a horror movie club that is hosting an exclusive Halloween party for 12 club members. What starts as a fun evening of games, dancing, and watching the modern classic Get Out becomes a fight to live when the clown she hired for a spooky game of hide and seek turns out to have something different in mind.

The way this was written really felt like I was in one of my favorite horror movies. Watching the characters fight for their lives as they try to understand why the clown is after them and what it has to do with the podcast snippets he keeps playing over the intercom was a fun puzzle. It’s clearly someone who has intimate knowledge of the guests, whether from stalking them or because they know them personally. It was fun to try and guess who it was, and I definitely considered everyone a suspect.

What made this story work for me was the constant attempt to undermind typical horror tropes by the characters, only to realize that they aren’t as in control as they thought. It truly felt like how people with a deep love for horror movies could react in a similar situation. And, the clown does have some nifty tricks up his sleeve, so you can never guess what he will do next.

5 Reasons to Read

Classic Horror Movie References!

I loved the classic horror movie references at the beginning of every chapter. Some of them really took me back!

Creepy Clowns & Carnival Games

Clowns are probably the creepiest of the creepy in my opinion. I can 100% understand why Springer chose to utilize the clown in the way that she did. I mean, even if you’ve never seen IT before, you know what movie is being referenced when you hear the name Pennywise or see that iconic photograph.

Spooky Vibes

We don’t just get the horror movie quotes in this one but all the spooky Halloween vibes. I thought the use of the game of Tag was a great twist and added to the overall creep factor. You never knew where the clown was going to pop up and who he was going to “tag” next. I would watch this one again!

Friendships

Who knew going through a traumatic situation like being chased by a crazed clown would really help you know who your true friends really are.

Secrets

Who knew being stuck in a mansion while a clown forces you to play a deadly game of tag would also reveal all the secrets everyone was keeping from each other. I thought Springer’s use of social media influencers really added to the secrets people were keeping. Anyone can be anyone in the virtual world.

Absolutely loved this book. Great characters and many twists and turns. This author does it every time. Looking forward to the next one. Great place and setting too! Everything a reader could ask for!

Let’s be for real. As soon as I saw the title, nothing else mattered. THEN I went and looked more into it and saw the main character is Black and so is the author. And I was immediately sold. I really didn’t need anything more than that. This book was going to be a win for me and I knew it immediately.

So any time I hear about a horror book I immediately add it to my TBR because I may not get to it right away, but I WILL get to it. It’s my favorite genre. No for real, I’m one of those people who will watch the original Halloween EVERY SINGLE TIME IT’S ON. And yes this includes multiple times throughout the day. I usually watch it like 10 times AT LEAST every October. (This is not including the times I watch it during August/September when I start my spooky season lol So it should be no surprise that I immediately read this as soon as I could. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint.

I also just did a like genre talk at work for the YA librarians. I looked up the horror genre, some of the tropes, and some of the different sub-tropes. One thing I learned was the actual definition of horror. It said, “A genre of literature that’s meant to scare, startle, shock, and even repulse audiences.” and let me tell you, this book did EXACTLY THIS! There were times I was like WTFFFF and other times I was like EWWWWW! And other times I was like reading while also trying to basically cover my face. This book was unhinged. I think this was the first actually scary horror book I’ve read this year. The Kate Alice Marshall was good, but it was more ghosty. This one was actually real horror and I loved it.

So basically this is about a group of teens who are all in this horror movie club. They get together over live chats and in person and watch horror movies. So Noelle wanted to throw a party on Halloween and invite all these influentuial other teens to help her gain more followers and get more engagemets so that she could grow her social media followers. One of the activities for this party was Noelle renting a clown to play hide and seek with her. But what happens when they start this game is something none of them saw coming.

Besides the fact that she used every horror trope ever, I really fell in love with her writing. I could not put this down. I was sucked into this book and loved how it made my heart race and made me want to not read it at night but also wanting to hurry up and read it. I really want to talk to her and figure out where she came up with this and what made her decide she wanted to write horror. I hope she has another one up her sleeve. I need more of her spooky writing style!

I wasn’t completely sold on the romance tho. I get that it was there for those romance girlies, but I didn’t think it needed to be. The story was solid on it’s own. And let’s be honest. They got each other into a lot of trouble. Trying to flirt and stay alive at the same time seems like it might be difficult lmao I’m sorry ain’t no way I’m worried about getting the first kiss when we might die in the next chapter lol

This was actually scary and I was so here for it. The way I was so into this also had to do with the narrator. I hadn’t heard them before, so this was a fun listen. Like that clown?! The way she was able to make him sound creepy like that was amazing. I don’t know if she actually did that or if it was done in post-editing, but man ir was good.

I don’t want to say anymore because I don’t want to give spoilers, but man this book was good. not only was it actually scary, but it also had some romantic times and some social justice themes as well. I haven’t read a YA horror book as good as this all season. I’m already planning another read for Halloween! (At least then when I read it I might be able to see glimpses of who the clown is because I didn’t guess in my original read lol)

I loved the concept of this book! The premise of a horror movie party going horribly wrong felt like a nod to classic slashers, while the narrative point of view from a wealthy Black teenage girl felt like a fresh perspective in the genre. There were especially interesting moments when it came to the antagonist's motivations, commentary about privilege, and who is allowed to have dark secrets.

I felt that some of the friendships, especially between Noelle and Elise, were not as developed as they could have been. I wanted more about how much Noelle's friends meant to her, so we'd feel it more deeply when they were in danger. There was a line towards the climax about not being able to make it without her friends, but I didn't feel that sentiment coming through throughout the story.