Well this is a game of tag that gets wayyyyy out of hand as a ghost hunts for revenge, her killer is cleaning house and AI ghosts are hunting everyone! No one in this story is as innocent as they seem: the social media star, the millionaires brother, the ex boyfriend or the star struck fan fiction writer. All are carrying secrets that will come out before this wild game of tag is over!!

This was so bad, but it was also the kind of bad where I had a blast reading it, so do with that what you will.

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for the copy of Tag, You’re Dead, by Kathyrn Foxfield.
I liked the premise and the general plot. I love Mystery/Thrillers and this is just that. My main issue is with the characters, they were so irritating and really didn't add anything to the experience.

What a shame finding an enough nice story with a bad narration.

In this business ideas are everything, but being able to tell a story is still a big part of the job. Now, I can't tell you if Kathryn Foxfield doesn't have this ability or if she was badly advised, but in a few words “Tag, You’re Dead” is not worth your time, and I'm gonna explain why.

The story is mid - which is not necessarily a bad thing - and could use some improvement, but the idea is valid and modern enough to gather a decent amount of readers.
On the other hand, unfortunately, it also seems the parody of a bad crime movie, with the teenagers - because this is what they are - pretending to be grown-ups and moving across London to win a stupid game when people are being hurt and killed near them. Also, I deduce the police is a fucking joke in Britain.
Last but not least, the characters are all more or less unlikeable (not you, Erin) and reading their POVs made me want to stab my own eyes. And no, there's no redemption at the end; they’re a bunch of teenagers with their issues, trying to win a shady game made by a millionaire teenager - which reminds me, the parents are also horrible.

It's not all bad, tho. For example, Charlotte’s constant daydreams are a good representation of maladaptive daydreaming, the first one I've ever found in books.
Furthermore, the flashbacks are not bad at all, and fill in what is necessary to the development of the story.
And the plot twist at the end is also quite impressive, but that's it.

Moral of the story: girls, always trust you're gut.

Thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Fire and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Thank you SourceBooks Fire and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. Another thrilling mystery! Anton Fraser was an up and comer in social media world, but then someone died at a house party he had. So it’s a surprise to everyone when he announces a city wide game of tag. The winner will get to join his live in crew. The different characters decided to play the game. Of course they all have their own secrets and reasons for wanting to win. Not all of them with good intentions. Will they win the game? Can they find out what happened to the dead girl? Are they about to play the last game of their lives? Each character hits that morally gray area that you’ll still find yourself rooting for! Full of twists, suspense, and shocking reveals! I didn’t see the end coming! Can’t wait to read it again!

I did not like this one at all, it was boring in my honest opinion. It definitely was high action but it just did not do it for me at all.

I didn't love this one. Every character was unlikeable, and the mystery wasn't great. Plus easy to figure out who did it really early on in the book. It started strong and I thought the premise had promise, but the storylines just got too convoluted and not in a way that made me want to keep reading.

When teen social media influencer Anton Frazer stages a live-streamed, city wide game of Tag... things get unhinged when a girl who worked for him who died years ago is back and taking over the game accusing one of the contestants as being her murderer... and the only way out of the game is to expose the killer. Four contestants, all with their own motives for wanting to win, and one killer amongst them who will start killing to keep their secret... as the night goes on more secrets will be revealed and soon the killer will be exposed. Anton Frazer is a teen social media influencer who's reputation was exposed when a girl who worked for him died at one of his parties, the police said it was a drug overdose.... but something about the story doesn't add up. Now he's back with a new game and the truth of the events that happened that night will be exposed. This was a who dun it mystery with a ticking clock, everyone was unlikable and had motive, and the mystery was meh at bets. You can absolutely figure out who did it early on. Honestly all the characters were terrible and I wasn't really rooting for anyone.

*Thanks Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire, Sourcebooks Fire for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

4.8 ⭐
I liked the friendly competition of tag in TAG YOU'RE DEAD and some of the reasons the competitors had for playing---especially revenge. But then that moment the game changed, it one hundred percent made the book better even though there was nothing wrong with it. There's just something about a "ghost" suggesting their death was an murder and not an accident. And then of course the murderer murdering other people to keep their secret. Let's not forget the surprise at finding out who killed Rose, though it wasn't much of a surprise. However, I was utterly shocked to learn who was trying to figure out who the "ghost" was. I never saw that coming, and it never crossed my mind that they would be a suspect. TAG YOU'RE DEAD is worth the read if you love murder mysteries that'll keep you guessing until the end.

What I Liked About It:
*the overall concept
*the game of tag
*the uncovering of the murderer

3,5 Stars rounded up to 4! This book really surprised me, the beginning was a little slow to get into but once it picked up it was non stop action within the plot and it kept me entertained the entire way through! I really enjoyed the multiple POV's, although it was a bit difficult at the beginning to separate all the characters and remember who was who. I really enjoyed the overall concept of the book, some of it felt just a little too unrealistic however I can see why those bits were included for the sake of pure entertainment within the plot. I wish we would have gotten to dive just a little deeper into each of the characters, at the end of the book I felt like we were beginning to get to know them all more but it was such a fast paced plot that it was hard to show much growth within the characters. Overall this was a quick, entertaining thriller read with some fun twists in the plot!

Thank you, Kathryn Foxfield and NetGalley, for the ARC. I leave this review voluntarily and happily. Also, thank you publishers for your hard work!

As much as I wanted to enjoy this, it wasn't my cup of tea. It was a murder mystery/ game thriller. Contestants are chosen to play in this terrific game of cat and mouse while a ghost of a dead girl brings out facts from her death and about the contestants that lead to her killer. I read all the way through to the end, but I just couldn't get into it like i usually enjoy murder mysteries.

This was definitely a different kind of thriller, and I know there will be many that will enjoy the hunt and find out who the killer is.

I was immersed in this book as I always am when I read anything by Kathryn Foxfield. The themes always feel current and exciting!

Teen millionaire Anton Frazer is a social media influencer and the creator of Shadow City. Since the main thing that usually drives the content on social media is the desperate desire to always stay "relevant", Frazer comes up with the gimmick of a city-wide live game of tag featuring Chasers and Runners to relaunch his brand.

Taking place in the city of London, participants are equipped with a variety of tech innovations to help them participate in the game. But what's really driving the high tech chase is a very low tech set of age-old human motives that include revenge, admiration, and greed...

The story is told from 3 POVs, including Grayson, whose girlfriend Rose died at a party organised by Anton Frazer, for which he is seeking both payback and in a way, closure. Then there is Erin, who just wants the fat cash prize. And of course, Charlotte, who probably qualifies for the title of Frazer's biggest fan. There is also an unexpected hacker, who ups the ante early on in the book.

This is a story that starts well, but loses momentum halfway through, and doesn't quite regain it satisfactorily for the rest of the novel. I have no doubt that this novel will find its readership, and it is certainly a really interesting concept - which also successfully sheds light on the darker side of our online media preoccupations - but overall, it was a mixed bag for me.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Tag, You’re Dead releases December 5, 2023

Anton Frazer, teenage millionaire and creator of Shadow City, is making his comeback with a live-streamed citywide game of tag with 100 competitors and a prize of £100,000.
One of the contestants, Grayson, has entered with the motive to avenge his ex-girlfriend’s death as he believes Anton is the one responsible after she drowned at one of his parties.

Shortly after the high tech game of tag gets underway, the broadcast gets hacked by the ghost of Rose (the dead ex-girlfriend) and the game turns into a murder investigation with 6 of the competitors being prime suspects.

Told from 3 pov’s:
Grayson: seeking revenge and wants Anton dead
Charlotte: Anton’s fangirl and fanfic writer
Erin: in it for the monetary prize and to get out of her current lifestyle

The premise is unique! I had an enjoyable time trying to figure out everyone's true motives as the ending didn’t lead in a direction I initially thought it would.
The cast of characters was pretty isolated to a small group already familiar with each other considering there were 100 competitors total.
I think overall I would have liked more of an interactive experience with the public given the fact that it was apparently so widespread and streaming for “everyone” to see.

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for the copy of Tag, You’re Dead, by Kathyrn Foxfield. I loved the description of this book and I know it will find its audience. Unfortunately, the book wasn’t for me. I found the different POVs hard to tell apart, so most of the book I was confused about the characters’ stories, so I never really got involved with or cared about any of them.I thought the story was really clever and inventive and I could see it as a movie because the imagery was so vivid, but the lack of attachment to the characters made it a hard book to read.

"Tag, You're Dead" by Kathryn Foxfield is a thriller that explores the dark side of social media and influencer culture. Anton Frazer, a teen social media influencer, organizes a live-streamed citywide game of Tag, where the prize is the opportunity to become one of his live-in personal assistants. The game involves contestants outfitted with body cams, GPS trackers, and pressure sensors to keep track of who's disqualified. The Chasers hunt the Runners, all while being watched by a global audience.

The contestants, however, have hidden motives for joining the game, including money, obsession, fame, and revenge. As the night unfolds, the tension rises, and the contestants become entangled in a dangerous and deadly game where only one person can emerge as the victor.

"Tag, You're Dead" promises twists, knife-edged tension, and a thrilling narrative that delves into the extremes people are willing to go for the allure of social media fame and the consequences of such pursuits. The book explores themes of competition, obsession, and the impact of social media on individuals' lives.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this ebook. I had my hesitations because I don't normally read science fiction type storylines but wanted to give this one a try with the thriller style that was suggested as well.

The story started off strong in my opinion and hooked me right in, but then started to loose me towards the middle. I feel like it had potential but the storylines mixed a bit too much for me to follow.

I do appreciate the copy and enjoyed reading something I normally would not have picked up!

After reading a lot of heavy books, it’s sometimes nice to pick something quick and easy up. Young adult fiction is often like this for me, but I’ve also found that it’s sometimes better than its adult-targeting peers. There’s a lot of good YA fiction out there, but it’s often dismissed because it’s written for a younger audience.

That, unfortunately, isn’t the case with Tag, You’re Dead by Kathryn Foxfield. It’s a book that caught my attention with its title and its premise, but failed to hook me and left me glad to be finished it.

Tag, You’re Dead is set in London, England, where a young millionaire decides to create a large scale game of tag. One in which the winner will be given 100,000 pounds, and all contestants will have to wear both chip-driven bracelets and AR glasses. Anton has designed his real life game of tag using tools from his augmented reality games, including ghosts that only appear when the glasses are on, and videos that play through the lenses. He just hasn’t been careful enough to protect it all.

Shortly after the game begins, someone hacks into it and changes it. They appear as a young woman named Rose, who died while attending one of Anton’s parties. It was deemed an accident, but was it? According to the hacker, it was murder, and she’s not afraid to unveil several suspects and bring them to all players’ attention. Then, people start to die during the game, and nobody knows why, or who’s at fault for these new killings.

This book is told from three different perspectives, including that of Rose’s ex-boyfriend, Grayson, who wants nothing more than to have her back. His first-person perspective is joined by those of an Anton-loving fangirl named Charlotte, and a beautiful video blogger named Erin, whose mother controls her life as if it’s nothing but a brand. They’re all entrants in the tag competition, and all have ties to Rose. For instance, Charlotte wrote fanfiction stories in which she dated Anton, as well as comments about how Rose was an awful person and how she wished her poor luck.

Some of Charlotte’s fantasies appear in the book, and they just randomly do so. You’ll be reading something, and then it’ll go on an odd tangent without notice, making you wonder if it’s real or not. This is one issue with this book and its writing, which leaves something to be desired but is serviceable overall. The other is that all three viewpoints are so similar, that I sometimes had to go back and check to see whose chapter I was reading at the time. There’s nothing wrong with having multiple points of view, but they need to be different. Unless the characters were opining about their individual problems, they all read the same way.

I was hoping that Kathryn Foxfield’s Tag, You’re Dead would be a good, intense YA read. However, it failed to hook me and was something I read quickly because I wanted to get it done. I took the book with me to a concert, and read on the train there and back, as well as at the concert while I was waiting for it to start.

In all honesty, this is one of the worst books I’ve read this year. That’s not to say it’s shockingly awful, or pure garbage. There’s just nothing about it that I really liked. It was hard to follow at times, due to the similar language across all three viewpoints, and was sometimes all over the place. I don’t think it’s a good book, and found it lacking.

I feel bad giving the book a negative review, because the author obviously put a lot of work into writing it, but it just wasn’t something I particularly enjoyed.

This review is based on a copy of the book that we were provided. An advanced reader’s copy.