There's No Way I'd Die First is easily one of the best YA horrors I have read this year.

This is a slasher narrative unlike any other. It is gory, violent and so imaginative in its kills. Springer has created some truly nightmarish scenarios, which will stay with me for quite some time. I love how much the narrative is immersed in the horror genre itself, from Noelle’s knowledge of the genre, her podcast and her regular quipping in various films. At the same time, it is careful to critique the consideration of horror within the media and particularly how horror has traditionally treated Black characters. Through Noelle, Springer has ignited such an important conversation. I absolutely loved her as a protagonist as well. She had such strong Final Girl energy, determined, driven and wanting to survive at all costs. It was interesting to see how her knowledge both helped and hindered her within an actual horror narrative unfolding around her.

The way this plot unfolds is nothing short of spectacular. This is a tight, incredibly atmospheric and claustrophobic book. Every second is like being on a knife edge. The tension is kept at a high at all times. Like any good slasher, there are plenty of surprises up its sleeve. There were a couple of moments that made my stomach curl up in dread. As a key part of this, the eventual motivations that are laid out are perfectly chaotic and yet terrifyingly rational at the same time. You can exactly recognise the kind of person that is laying these out. They recontextualise the deaths and frame the entire narrative in a completely new light. It is just so real and cuts to the bone in a terrifying manner.

There’s No Way I’d Die First is a book mired in blood, guts and gore. Do not read with the lights out.

Love when a horror party becomes an actual horror story.

The was a perfect start to spooky season read that I binged in a day. Quick read but not lacking on content, style, or representation.

YA horror with a slasher lean? It's quite the campy spooky time!

We are following horror movie fanatic Noelle, who proudly claims she would definitely be a Final Girl. Noelle is having a Halloween party celebrating the first anniversary of her horror movie club, Jump Scare, with the richest and most popular kids in her school. It's quite a cast, but we're provided a Guest List at the front of the book to keep track of everyone. (And personally I needed to refer to it a few times!) Once the party begins, a game of tag becomes a nightmarish test to see who could be the survivor against a killer clown.

This was a super quick read, with plenty of intrigue to keep the pages turning. While I did find plenty of eye roll moments--maybe we don't flirt over a friend's dead body and clues left behind by a killer clown?--the actual plot kept it pushing.

I think this is definitely more of a YA read. Not just in terms of writing, but I genuinely think a young adult (high school age) would get the most enjoyment out of this. 4 stars!

This sprawling horror slasher takes us on a chilling journey with Noelle, the head of her school's horror movie club and an upcoming podcast host with an encyclopedic knowledge of horror tropes and films. Her ambitious mission? To host the ultimate Halloween bash, attended by the most influential students in her high school, in a bid to skyrocket her popularity and make a name for herself. However, chaos ensues when the eerie clown entertainer she hires turns her into an unwitting pariah, all in the most unexpected and unsettling ways.

My excitement for this book knows no bounds! As a die-hard fan of slasher movies, I've been fervently seeking a novel that captures the electrifying essence of those films—minus the extreme horror elements—and this book delivered brilliantly. It expertly found the perfect balance of well-placed gore and ingeniously imaginative kill scenes. While the plot may have brushed against some clichés and predictable moments, it's precisely these elements that contribute to the exhilarating appeal of slashers, and I found immense enjoyment in every bit of it.

A page-turner through and through, I found myself utterly engrossed and unable to set the book aside. The subtle romance woven into the narrative brought back fond memories of the Jenna Ortega Scream movies, and it added an extra layer of enthralling nostalgia. This is the exact kind of riveting experience I had been yearning for, a sensation that, in my opinion, wasn't fully achieved by "You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight."

First of all I am in love with this cover and the premise. Second, this is my opinion, adore the cover and the overall story but you'll see what I wrote below is my issues overall.

Noelle is a huge horror/movie buff that lives in a SUPER, like above GOSSIP GIRL level rich lifestyle and school. She is determined to one up all of her school mates in throwing a party to set off her career to be a bigger influencer/podcaster right before college. Then everything turns to shit with a incoming hired clown and a huge tropical storm.

Now I love the premise, but the pacing and believability was something else. Absolutely would have been a great film. The story shouldn't have started with the party in 30 minutes because you form ZERO bonds with the 10 ? plus people in this story. Which made it hard to believe in this love story as well. He straight up was described as the guy Archie from Riverdale in my head which is ironic since the LI is named Archer. Every character in this book except Noelle's best 'friends' are mega rich and influential beyond what any 17 year old ever could, which made it hard to immerse yourself in this story.


Now back to the pacing, this story starts within a hour of the story, the book ends at midnight. I guess they had a very early party because the writing made it seem that they were hiding and fighting for their lives until dawn but apparently only a few hours. They even watched a movie before Gage the clown came. There was so many issues of the windows but there was continuously a scene where a open window was in play but never acted on. This story could have been so much deeper than a name because there was no feeling behind any of these characters and subsequential deaths because the writing for the story started way too late. Like you cannot make me believe this love interest that Noelle doesn't even have his number or hung out with has written one of his best known (he's a teenage superstar BTW) to her, his MUSE. If there was more buildup before this party started, like 2 maybe 3 chapters of her life before it went to shit I could probably add another star but it didn't :(


Clown time! Boy this was the hardest part to read, yes the sickness was very detailed but in no way would this be believable for how detailed Noelle is trying to outmaneuver her villain with her plethora of horror story background and 'GO BAGS" nothing would stop this clown. Literally even superman couldn't keep this man knocked out longer than 1 minute. He was smashed on the head, burnt to shit, hands smashed and sliced multiple times, no dice. This man has super powers to be everywhere and anywhere to keep 10 people corralled at all times the whole story. He even had a bungee cord to kill someone with, side eye. The kick was the author going out of their way to write the LI and the FMC in the closet witnessing Gage shit in her rich purse. it was so unnecessary. Also how huge is this house?? like how are we playing this game for what felt like all night. When he pops up next to a unsuspecting kid it is always hilariously written, like a zombie rising from the grave to slash at a kid when they jump into a boat and drown the next that tries to save them. Do not get me started on his 'REASON' to kill kids, its literally unbelievable after this story builds up to it. It made me drop my rating as well.


The pacing, the setting rules to not jump this man immediately (like 10>1 ratio here, he had no gun), the everywhere at once invincible Villain with a OUTRAGEOUS reason to viciously kill everyone, and lack of character dialogue (unless you count on her and her crush talking since that was half of the book than her talking and sticking with her best friends) really disappointed me in the end.

2023 has been the year for black girl horror and There’s No Way I’d Die First by Lisa Springer is the latest one i ate up in one night. two words: killer. clowns. Noelle Layne is a horror-fanatic, having branded herself as such by creating an online horror movie club that’s gained her tens of thousands of followers. to unveil her upcoming horror podcast and celebrate her internet success she throws an exclusive, all-out halloween party strategically inviting 12 of the most popular influencers from her school. this party seems to be going off without a hitch until the clown she’s hired for a round of hide and go seek tag starts slaughtering partygoers one by one. now they’re all literally fighting to make it through the night, with Noelle having something to prove: that she has what it takes to be a Final Girl.

this is such a fun but thoughtful read, i was highly entertained. aside from the actual terror of these teenagers being hunted by a killer clown, there’s some interesting commentary about the rich and powerful escaping fault for their wrongdoings simply because of privilege and money alone. but even more fascinating is where our girlie pop noelle falls in this spectrum because her parents didn’t come from money, they built their empire from the ground up and noelle having a cushy lifestyle may provide a level of privilege others don’t have but her blackness may hinder this. it opens the door for conversations of how black people of wealth may be of a different caliber but due to our country’s history they are not capable of possessing the level of untouchable that combined privilege, whiteness and generational wealth may afford you. there’s also a very genius way of commenting on yt people who consider themselves far-left but aren’t nearly as progressive as they think they are and don’t have a true understanding of intersectionality in our world. more often than not these rich teenagers say or do some shit that only the wealthy who don’t have a real perception of empathy would do or say which made it that much more believable. also I loved how each chapter header had a quote from a different horror film that lowkey coincided with the vibes of the chapter, just such a cool detail to me. It was also so refreshing to see a character like Noelle, who is multi-faceted, she wasn’t put in a box as just a “horror girlie” and that’s it but also a fem fashionista who talked her shit and knew how to back it up, I was rooting for her the entire time. overall this was an insane heart-pounding page-turner which is why y’all need to read There’s No Way I’d Die First by Lisa Springer.

I really like the idea of this book, a little like Scream...where the horror fan ends up in an actual horror situation. I did see before reading that this book is YA and knowing that I took a chance (I do not typically like YA books). However I still found this book to be overwhelmingly focus on things like money, brand names, etc. in a very juvenile way. In the end I didn't like this book but I am willing to say that it might be because I am not the target audience, wrong generation for this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this in advance of publication.

Horror movie buff and self-proclaimed final girl, Noelle Layne, is throwing the hottest, most exclusive Halloween bash at her sprawling home on Long Island (while her parents are out of town of course).

She figures that by inviting the most popular kids from her high school with the highest social followings, she'll not only gain popularity, but also make a successful splash in the world of podcasting. Little does she know, her perfectly planned evening of fun is about to turn into her own real-life horror story.

I always tell people that just because a book is labeled YA Horror, does not mean it'll be less scary and this book is no exception! WOW. I just finished it, so I'm still reeling as I type.

There's No Way I'd Die First features a bunch of insanely rich high school seniors, each of which are well known for something that they either participate in or believe in. I appreciated that the story doesn't spend too much time in the beginning introducing each character at length. We get to know them as the story progresses. And on that same line of thought, the story gets into the action rather quickly, what was great.

I was invested early on and didn't want to put it down. I was dying to know what made the clown tick. I was shocked (in a good way) by some of the scenes in the story. Let's just say the author did not hold back!

I wouldn't say that I was overly attached to any of the characters per se, but I was rooting for a select few of them.

I definitely recommend this book as we approach spooky season, especially if you're a fan of horror movies like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer.

This was a great young adult slasher horror book! I read this book in one sitting. It took a little bit for the story to build, but the moment the killer clown was on the loose I was hooked! If you are looking for a quick ya horror read this spooky season, you will definitely want to pick this one up. This book was very well written and was an excellent debut novel.

Read this if you like:

🤡 Final Girl Vibes
🤡 Locked Rooms
🤡 Creepy Clowns
🤡 Slasher Horror
🤡 Horror Movie References

I got an ARC of this book.

It was not for me. There was such a heavy focus on being an influencer and how famous all the classmates were that I was bored. I had just started getting to the horror when I gave up.

So why two stars if I couldn't even finish it? It was a cool concept. Very classic slasher. I enjoyed the idea of it, but I just don't care about celebrities or influencers. So I know that the largest reason I didn't like the book was on me and not the book.

unfortunately i wasn't the biggest fan of this one, but i think that's because it just wasn't for me! others will be sure to love this YA horror with a huge cast and creative, violent deaths, but it was a little too much for me to handle at times and i often found myself confused about where noelle and her friends were in the house while the clown was chasing them. would have loved a map at the beginning of the house along with the guest list and podcast episode to be honest. however, i'm excited for whatever lisa springer writes next!

Thank you to Lisa Springer, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book sounded so promising, but I wasn't the biggest fan of it. I found Noelle annoying at times. Especially with her name-dropping all the designer items she and her friends had. We get it, you all have money.

The disturbing scene of the clown pooping in the Birkin bag did not have to be included in this book. What did it do for the book? Nothing. It wasn't important, it was just gross and unnecessary in my opinion. Also, what was with the clown's superhuman strength?

He didn't want them to escape, locked all the doors and sealed the windows, but left the front door open more than once. Please make it make sense. The pace of the book was fast but often repetitive.

Just wasn't the biggest fan of this one.

There's No Way I'd Die First. Is a fun horror slasher. I had a great time reading this. I would have rated it higher if that's all this way. I do understand what the author was going with. I get it, there's things in the story I can't relate to. Just somethings took away from the story. It was very action packed and there was so much going on. Is it cheesy, yes, but so are a lot of horror movies out there today. Certain things just happen and you accept it cause of the genre.

I do have to say there was one scene that was super uncalled for. I hated it. It gave me flashbacks to season one White Lotus. I'm like please cut this out of the book please. Then it gets brought up again and I was just not having it. Not one bit. I hate to say it but when thinking of this book that scene sticks out. (Sorry it's gross and just icky)

Overall though I thought this book was action pack. It held my attention. The party sounded sick as hell besides the killing. I would have loved to go. If you're a fan of horror and enjoy slashers you'll like this. The whole time I was thinking about how a movie version would be cool. I think you'll guys enjoy this one.

*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.*

This book is a creepy rollercoaster, with some sly humor and a dash of high school romance. The villain is SO perfectly awful, the twists are classic and exciting, and the characters are flawed and yet you root for them. The pacing was so tense and the scares just kept on coming! Enjoyed this one.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this debut early! Opinions are my own.

There's No Way I'd Die First is a classic teen slasher with diverse cast of characters and non-stop action that will ensure you keep turning the page. Put this book into the hands of any YA reader who loves horror, thrills and podcasts.

I didn’t want to finish this one but it was an easier read and I pushed myself to just get it over with. It was very graphic and violent.

I'm a huge horror fan so had to get in on this book and the majority of it didn't disappoint. I loved how set on being a final girl Noelle is and how she uses her expertise in horror films to survive. The kills were creative and I loved the quotes from horror films at the start of the chapters. I think this could have been a little longer of a book because the reveal was slightly disappointing. The ending didn't really do it for me, which was a shame because the rest of the book was great! I would recommend this book, especially for people who eat up horror for breakfast and are always looking for more. I'm not even a fan of gore but this book kept me reading.

This is so weird and so bad. 12 students at one high school are all famous and are being picked off one by one at a horror movie night. Some poops in a designer bag, I couldn't empathize with any of the teens being killed, and it was weirdly anti-left leaning politics.

It does read fast, and it kept me engaged enough to keep reading it, some teens will like it, but there have been far better YA horror in the last few years that do the same thing that this was trying to accomplish.

While I love a Scream-style young adult slasher, I found the main character’s point of view to contradict the situation at hand. In the middle of being hunted by the killer, she worries out loud about whether people will think she had committed the murders as if she has no sense that she, along with the others, probably won’t make it out alive. Which, okay, Maybe I can understand a little. But then after the murders started, she sees her camera and thinks to herself they it “can’t hurt” to film and take pictures?? She says it’s for evidence but maybe let’s focus on the surviving part. Because she’s a horror film buff, she also says she can “handle” seeing the real life mutilated, dead bodies of her friends. Her character felt weirdly disconnected and very flippant related to the actual plot.

This was such a fun book!! If you love slasher movies, this one’s for you! Think Scream. I would recommend this book to anyone who lives a good scary movie.