This is a fast-paced YA horror that doesn't shy away from the violence of a good slasher film. This book was entertaining and had me on the edge of my seat waiting to see which members of our group would survive this gruesome game of cat and mouse. Noelle was definitely the star, even when running for her life she was smart and came up with ideas to save herself, and her friends, and stop the maniacal clown from killing them all.

This book was highly entertaining, and I think would make a great slasher film. I would absolutely read more by this author in the future

This was definitely a quick read and one I didn’t want to put down. I think my mistake was in waiting for some sort of plot twist or surprise ending, and it just didn’t come. I read a lot of horror and thrillers, and I expected something to make me gasp. But instead it was definitely set up more like a slasher film, which was still fun to read. I did feel like the romance plot felt cringe at times given what was happening around them. Well written, just not a huge hit for me personally.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

A lot of things like to call themselves love letters to horror and then just kind of… scratch the surface. They do the bare minimum. They don’t really scratch the itch the way an actual horror movie does most of the time.

This did and it was SO much fun! This was funny, it made some interesting commentary, and it paid homage to more than just the most well-known horror classics. I really enjoyed Noelle as our narrator and heroine and even her chemistry with Archer was pretty good, even though I typically prefer for there not to be a romance plot in my horror (especially in YA), because it tends to skew it more towards the dramatic than the horrific.

The author here did really well avoiding that—it was gruesome and it was tense, and there was clearly no hesitation or fear of going too far with the violence or the scares. Not enough YA horror goes far enough, in my opinion; I get that we don’t want to go full splatterpunk in a book meant for 15-17 year olds, but if they’re picking up books with plots like this they can probably handle it!

I also loved the variety of movie quotes at the beginning of every chapter. It was a really fun touch! I thought this was a blast and a great debut. I’d love to read more horror from this author!

THERE'S NO WAY I'D DIE FIRST is a debut YA slasher novel for anyone who likes horror movies where someone with a knife is after you--think Scream! This was a really fast paced read about a group of rich teens at a movie party when the clown entertainment gets really sinister really fast. Noelle runs a horror movie club and invites the who's-who of her private school to the party--but they all have secrets, and someone is out to get them. But she knows all the horror movie rules, and she's not going down without a fight.

This book was really fun! I am not a supernatural-horror person, but I like slashers a lot. The horror of person in a mask is after you, but Who Is It is a fun trope. If you are cool with movies like Scream where the cast is whittled down one by one as the protagonists race to find the murderer, you'll like this! Just in time for spooky season too.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC copy. This is my honest review. There's No Way I'd Die First comes out Sept 1, 2023.

Sidney Prescott, but make her a black, female, horror buff. The cover is beautiful and the story is fun and eerie. Noelle is such a strong character. Wracked with guilt over bringing this killer clown into her house and dooming her friends, she tries to save her friends while still coming out on top as the final girl in their very own horror film. I love the film and literature references sprinkled in.

You're Next meets Scream and Saw in this twisted slasher, where the main character has a talent for coming out on top, with the slashing stacked against her. Noelle is the final girl you'd die to be, with a passion and incredible knowledge of all things horror, she is the girl that'll make it to the end credits.

Jump Scares is the name of Noelle's horror film club and she's decided to throw a killer party for the wealthiest and most popular members of the club, complete with horror-themed food and drinks, music, films, trivia, and games. She's most excited about the hide-and-seek tag with the knock-off It clown she hired, but things take a turn when it seems the clown reveals he's out for the blood of everyone in attendance. This is the moment Noelle has been waiting for to prove that she is final girl material.

This was such a great horror book. This was everything I needed and more. I couldn't put this book down even when I wanted or needed too.

If you’re looking for a clever and creepy horror book that’s a homage to horror movies, look no further than There is No Way I’d Die First. Following movie enthusiast Noelle as she hosts the scariest party of scary parties, honoring the horror movie classics. Unfortunately her plans for horror fun turns into a nightmare as she and her friends find themselves at the center of their very own horror story. As a black girl, Noelle is determined to put all her movie knowledge to use and be the final girl, but the cost might be too high.
This YA book is filled with mind games, trust issues, dark secrets and quite the amount of gore. It’s a very eerie horror book, one that will be a perfect read for October. So if you like horror stories and are looking for a fast-paced and engaging new book - then this is for you.

If you're looking for the perfect new addition to your spooky season TBR then look no further! This YA horror novel packed the best nostalgic punch, and honestly at one point of reading it in the middle of the night I had to switch books because I got a little freaked out. Which is compliment to the writing!⁠
Our main character Noelle leads an exclusive movie club called Jump Scares that analyzes horror films. She's convinced that she's final girl material, and all her knowledge and training is put to the test during a private Halloween party when a clown she hires for a spooky game of hide and seek turns into a real life slasher film. ⁠
The book is full of diverse characters and conversations, nods to your classic and modern day horror movies, and all of the traditional tropes and traps that you expect during spooky season. ⁠
The pacing was spot on, the chapters short, and the descriptions vivid enough that as I said earlier, this reader had to switch books in the middle of the night. I highly recommend this one for your fall reading list!

I was really excited to read this book because I love slasher flicks, especially when they involve a group of people stuck in a certain area while the slasher (a killer clown in this case) goes to town. So, I really wanted to like this book, and while there were parts I did like, overall I failed to really connect with it. The kids were all ultrarich teen social media influencers, and our protagonist, Noelle, invites them to her horror film theme Halloween party because she wants them to promote her channel. I'm cool with that, because that's what influencers want, to have a huge following to influence. Her channel happens to be about horror movies, so this party idea was right up her alley. When the clown she invites to play a game of hide and seek with the guests turns out to be a killer, Noelle likes to say, repeatedly, that she has trained for this moment for years, has a go bag packed and ready in her room, and will be The Final Girl, come hell or high water. Solid idea, and who can fault her - Black girls aren't usually the lead in horror movies, let alone The Final Girl, but you can't keep saying you're going to The Final Girl, and then also keep saying you're going to get everybody out alive! You can't be The Final Girl if you're not the only person left alive at the end of the night. That's rather contradictory. There were also a lot of very confusing moments during the action scenes, of which there were many. For example, the clown seems to be 5 steps ahead of the kids at every turn, unbelievably so at times, but when Noelle and Archer, who she's been crushing on for years, are hiding in her closet behind some clothes, the clown comes in the closet, and instead of looking behind the clothes, picks up her very expensive Birkin bag, takes a crap in it, and then just leaves, taking the bag with him. That doesn't make any sense at all. Then there's the romance between Noelle and Archer. I didn't feel it at all. Archer just starts looking longingly at Noelle, and then boom, they're together, and we're just supposed to become invested in their romance. It was something else that didn't seem to fit. Some of their best friends had just been murdered, and they would start making eyes at each other and go off holding hands, like this was a romance movie. I wish I could have been more invested in them as a couple, but I wasn't. One of the things the author did really well, though, was the action scenes. As I mentioned above, there was a lot of action, and that moved the plot along at a fast pace.

All in all, I loved the premise and thought the action scenes were well written, but in the end, I just didn't connect with the story.

2.5/5 stars, rounded up to 3/5 stars.

*** I would like to thank NetGalley, Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, and Lisa Springer for the opportunity to read and review There's No Way I'd Die First.

WHAT A WILD RIDE!

There's No Way I'd Die First was my first - but definitely not my last - black final girl thriller that Springer expertly weaves with the fun of 80's and 90's slasher movies. Long Islander Noelle runs popular horror movie club No Jump Scares and, in a ploy to boost her profile as she introduces a podcast pairing to her club, plans an exclusive and elaborate Halloween party with her high school's popular influencers. Designer costumes, expensive catering, classic movies, and tag (inside her Castle Hill compound) with a for-hire clown: sounds like the perfect party, right? Or dead wrong?

What was so fun about TNWIDF was Spring's inclusion of all the horror/thriller tropes and the non-stop action once the true horror starts. That being said, while most thrillers toe the line of believability, I think this story quickly crossed the line into impossibility. There are times when the plot/scene/action is outright ridiculous (especially as the bodies start piling up), and while I applaud the author for attempting a romance in the middle of a slasher, it feels a bit forced and clunk.y

Overall, this was a fun slasher that I can't wait to recommend to my students around the Halloween holiday, and I'm looking forward to more reads about black girls in scream queen roles.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is frightfully delicious.

I'm not usually one for horror, though I like to give it a try from time to time, which is why YA horror is usually perfect for me. I'm definitely one of those people who read movie plot summaries on Wikipedia because I'm too scared to actually watch it. So I wasn't sure what to expect going into this novel.

Noelle as a main character was a breath of fresh air. A lot of novels about rich kids can fall into being stereotypical; they're rich and mean and they don't care about anyone. And it's a trope for a reason. But I loved that Noelle and her friends had actual depth and substance beyond that. Sure, they did bad things. That doesn't mean all of them were bad people. (*cough* though maybe just a few *cough*)

I loved Noelle and her friends. And the romance that starts budding between her and Archer was fun to read, too. If you want to count their experiences as being fun, that is. The antics of the killer himself made for an interesting read. It was fun trying to guess who he was. I had an idea of what the ending would be, and I was partially right.

There were a couple things that, in the end, didn't make much sense to me. But I binged this whole novel in about four hours, so yeah, it was well worth the read. Fans of slasher movies, both new and classic, will get a kick out of this book.

I am going to give a very honest review of this title. I think there were a lot of things that just didn’t quite make sense. This killer was able to do way too much in such a short period of time. Noelle notices the windows are open, next thing you know they are all seal shut. Every imaginable exit has been turned into a trap or is blocked in such a way that the kids have zero chance of getting through. The clown poops into a handbag, this is something that is not necessary to know. Yes the handbag ends up in the car later, but I feel the two dead bodies were more than enough of a smell. I just had to keep going back to reread certain parts to make sure I didn’t miss something, and I hadn’t. This book just didn’t read smoothly for me. I appreciate that you are turning the horror standard on its head and making it so that normally genders and races that normally are the first to be picked off in a typical horror movie, get a chance to survive. I think this is something that just should happen in general. But it was one of the only true saving graces for me in this book. I honestly hate to leave such a review, but this book just left a bad taste in my mouth once I was finished with it.
Thank you to Random House Children’s, Delacorte Press, and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

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.

Sorry, this one just didn’t do it for me. Shallow characters are typical of horror movies, but for me are unsustainable over a whole book. The story was silly to the point of being ridiculous and I really didn’t care what happened to any of the characters. I can’t recommend this one.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book, provided by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a fun book. A fantastic debut thriller! I enjoyed the characters so much! The plot was great, but it kinda felt a little long, maybe? I dunno. It kind dragged on a few occasions, but once you got thru those it was great. There was a bit of trope overload, but I think that was kind of the point of the whole book. The reveal of the killer and the motive was kind of a step down for me, but maybe I overthought the whole thing haha!

This book read like a slightly cheesy yet gpry 90s horror movie slasher and fans of the genre are going to absolutely eat this one up! It was gory and creative and sometimes downright brutal and disgusting. Also features a creepy as hell clown. I loved the main character Noelle and her determination to be a final girl. Overall this was a great spooky season read for slasher movie fans!

For a debut novel, this is a pretty solid thriller! As a major horror fan, I enjoyed all the quotes and allusions to classic movies throughout the book! However, the story fell a bit flat for me. Not only was it very predictable and redundant, but there were also little things that kept taking me out of the story, such as a plethora of grammar errors, practically on every page, and undetailed "gory" scenes. If you are just looking for a fun page-turner, this is a great pick though! The "Eat the Rich" themes were very entertaining, as well as all the pop culture references. I couldn't quite put together if you're supposed to hate the characters passed on why the clown is killing this particular group of friends, but I HATED them! The main character, while funny, I just could not connect with on any level. In conclusion, I give this book a 3/5 because I was never bored, and the writing has so much potential!

Prepare to be gripped by terror as Lisa Springer unleashes a spine-tingling horror tale that will haunt your dreams in "There's No Way I'd Die First." Seventeen-year-old horror movie aficionado, Noelle Layne, is about to host the Halloween bash of a lifetime. As a master of survival tactics gleaned from her love of scary films, she believes she's ready for anything. But what awaits her and her guests is far beyond anything she could have imagined.

With the top influencers of her school on the guest list, including the captivating singer-songwriter, Archer Mitchell, Noelle anticipates a night of fame and social acclaim. Little does she know that her Halloween party is about to take a deadly turn. The low-budget It clown she hired for a playful round of tag reveals a sinister grin and a bag full of murderous tricks, leaving one of her classmates as his first victim.

As the night descends into a nightmare, Noelle's horror movie knowledge is put to the ultimate test. Her survival instincts are pitted against a malevolent force that seems to embody the darkest fears from the silver screen. The boundaries between fiction and reality blur as she finds herself trapped in a deadly game with no escape.

Springer's storytelling builds a sense of dread that gnaws at readers' nerves, making each page turn a heart-stopping experience. The tension mounts with each twist and turn, as Noelle and her friends struggle to outwit the malevolent clown and survive the night of terror.

"There's No Way I'd Die First" is a blend of contemporary horror and survival thriller, leaving readers on the edge of their seats, gasping for breath. Springer navigates the psychology of fear, exploring the mind of a Final Girl-in-the-making, who must confront her deepest fears and past trauma to emerge victorious in this harrowing battle for survival.

The imagery is vivid and terrifying, creating a haunting atmosphere that lingers long after the last page. With pulse-pounding suspense and a relentless pursuit of terror, the novel appeals to horror enthusiasts seeking an adrenaline-fueled experience.

"There's No Way I'd Die First" is a hair-raising and heart-pounding nightmare of a read. Lisa Springer's debut horror novel delivers a chilling portrayal of survival instincts pushed to their limits. For fans of horror and survival thrillers, this book is a must-read, but be warned: once you enter Noelle's world, there's no way out but to face the deadly horrors that await. This gripping tale will make you question every creak in the night and have you sleeping with the lights on.

"Lisa Springer delivers an adrenaline-pumping horror ride in 'There's No Way I'd Die First.' A gripping and terrifying tale that will leave you questioning every shadow and clutching your seat until the final page."

"Prepare to be scared senseless by Lisa Springer's chilling debut. 'There's No Way I'd Die First' is a heart-pounding journey into the darkest corners of fear, guaranteed to keep you up at night."

"Noelle Layne is the Final Girl we've been waiting for. 'There's No Way I'd Die First' is a masterful blend of horror movie nostalgia and psychological terror that will leave you breathless."

"In 'There's No Way I'd Die First,' Lisa Springer redefines the horror genre with her powerful storytelling and haunting imagery. A must-read for anyone who craves spine-tingling scares and thrilling twists."

"Lisa Springer's debut novel is a terrifying rollercoaster of fear and suspense. 'There's No Way I'd Die First' will make you question everything you thought you knew about horror and leave you craving more."

"A chilling and atmospheric Halloween nightmare that lingers long after the lights go out. Lisa Springer's 'There's No Way I'd Die First' is a hauntingly addictive read for horror fans of all ages."

"Noelle's journey from horror buff to real-life survivor is riveting. 'There's No Way I'd Die First' is an electrifying and pulse-pounding horror novel that will have you at the edge of your seat."

"Lisa Springer has crafted a modern horror classic. 'There's No Way I'd Die First' is an unputdownable thrill ride that will terrify and thrill even the most seasoned horror fans."

"A mesmerizing fusion of horror movie tropes and real-life terror. 'There's No Way I'd Die First' is an adrenaline rush of a novel that will make you rethink every scary movie cliché."

"Lisa Springer proves herself as a force to be reckoned with in the horror genre with 'There's No Way I'd Die First.' A gripping and intense nightmare that will leave you gasping for breath."

the cover is what really drew me to this!!! but the writing style? plot? the freakin ACTION? perfect. i loved thus so much. it was a serious wild ride.

There’s No Way I’d Die First is an ode to the teenage slayer films of yesteryear. Noelle Layne is a horror movie expert and the founder of a Horror Movie Club. Noelle dreams of a successful podcast about all things horror. This Halloween party she has planned will seal the deal for her dreams to come true. The party is going splendidly until the killer clown she hired really turns into a killer clown. Now Noelle needs all her horror expertise to become a final girl and escape the nightmare she created. The story follows in the vein of “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and “Scream” and ends just as predictably with an impressive amount of gore and a fairly high body count. My only complaint is Noelle is shallow and somewhat unlikable main character. She thinks she is in love but is willing to sacrifice the love of her life and her friends to be a final girl and survive the horror story. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.