Anthologies are usually a hit or miss, but "The White Guy Dies First" really hooked me from start to finish. Horror is one of my favorite genres, and often I find myself disappointed by what I've read. Still, nothing was disappointing from any of the authors in this piece of literary genius. I have to applaud Terry J. Benton-Walker for pulling together a star-studded group of authors to pull off one of my favorite novels in some time. I enjoyed every moment of horror, gore, and suspense that these authors took me through.

Of course, some stories I enjoyed more than others, but I made a list to rank how I enjoyed the short stories. That said, each one of these is worth reading, and you should because very rarely does a POC get centered in a work of horror without being the first to die, and this novel in itself turns that ridiculous stereotype right on its head.

So gather a cup of tea or hot chocolate, a blanket, and settle into your AC (because it's a July release!) to enjoy this book!

Rankings:

1. Best Served Cold
2. Break Through Our Skin
3. Docile Girls
4. The Protege
5. Hedge
6. Golden Dragon
7. wasps
8. Heaven
9. The Road to Hell
10. Everything’s Coming Up Roses
11. Hell is Other Demons
12. Gray Grove
13. Ghoulfriends
14. All Eyes on Me

This is a really incredible book - 13 short stories of horror. Some of these stories I wish could be made into full novels - they are deliciously creepy and fun, but also deal with some really important and heavy topics. Racism, mico aggressions, bigotry, and outright hate are handled in a lot of these narratives. We have everything from fun house mirrors showing the future to a sentient house who's rather pissed off. Each and every story is fast paced and immediately hooks you in for the entire read. I really do enjoy short stories in the sense that they have to get to the point quickly.

I would like to thank Tor Teen [Tor Publishing Group] for sending me an advanced copy in exchange for my review. The White Guy Dies first will be available in your local library or for purchase on July 16 2024.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this anthology. I was really scared reading some of the stories and mildly scared by others. It is geared towards teens, but the stories were still accessible to me (early twenties). As the title might suggest, the stories in the collection are written with knowledge of horror traditions and to break with them, but it is not done in such a way that the story is lost. Each story is a story that happens to shift traditional horror expectations in terms of who dies first. Who the “villain” or attacker is certainly not pre-determined and I was surprised by the answer a few times. Some of the stories deal intimately with tragedies and struggles of marginalized communities in America now, such as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls/People or the racism African-Americans face. As a white reader, I thought the representation of different groups and specific issues was handled very well. I expected that sort of tone for the anthology from the name. Not all of the stories are quite so focused on these and similar topics, but all were intriguing, especially as a first encounter with many of the authors for me. I did think that the epilogue was unnecessary and distracting. It seemed as if it was meant to tie all the stories back together and complete a mystery introduced in the opening, but neither a tie or revealed mystery felt needed or helpful.
I read this more slowly than I anticipated because many of the stories were actually scary for me. None of the stories were too long or randomly connected. Each was easy to pick up and read in one sitting as a self-contained unit. I enjoyed this and it has definitely introduced me to some new authors I will check out.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2024, but sadly it fell completely flat for me. I couldn’t finish this collection.

Firstly, I do want to mention something that I did enjoy. I absolutely loved the intro to the collection. It gave the collection as a whole purpose and an even deeper story! The intro really had me excited for the stories! However, this book is not what I thought it would be…

I was expecting this collection to be horror stories that empowered people of color, but these stories just center whiteness & racial trauma. I probably should have known from the title that the collection would center whiteness, but I genuinely thought this collection would flip the common trope of Black people & people of color dying first in horror on its head, but it didn’t.

Every story is about racism or wanting to be white/fit in with white people. Why do all of these characters of color have such racist friends? I will mention that I had the privilege of growing up as a Black person in almost exclusively predominantly Black experiences. All of my schools were predominantly Black, I was hardly ever a minority surrounded by white people. So, maybe that’s why I don’t understand choosing to be friends with or date racists. But, that just felt unbelievable to me.

Another thing that bothered me is this: why does the white guy have to be racist to die first in EVERY story??? In all the movies and books where the Black person or person of color dies first, they didn’t have to deserve it. They were killed first whether they were good people or not. So, what bothers me is that it seems like this book feels the need to justify the white guy’s death with him always being racist. If we, Black people & POC, in these circumstances never have to deserve our death to be murdered, what makes the white guy any different? The white guy can just die without being racist, with no justification, just like us for all these years. THAT is how you turn the trope on its head.

Those things just made this collection disappointing for me as a Black reader CRAVING more BIPOC horror where WE are centered. I usually don’t read racism horror, I see enough of racism in real life, so I couldn’t enjoy this collection with so much blatant racism & micro aggressions in every single story without being prepared for that. Maybe one day I’ll come back to this knowing that it is racism horror and enjoy it more because I’ll be prepared for the anger and annoyance that comes with it, but for now, I won’t be continuing.

side note: out of all the stories I read, I can say that I did enjoy H. E. Edgmon’s story Best Served Cold!

Thank you Tor Teen and NetGalley for this arc. All opinions are my own.

I love horror anthology and I love reading from all the different authors! This story was so good and I love reading it!

The White Guy Dies First was such a fun ride to adventure, as a horror fan I was giggling all the way through. Although the stories also do portray important topics such as racism, prejudice, rape, so please be careful while reading this book and check it for triggers.
This is a collection of great stories that will keep you entertained through it's entirety, there's definitely something for every kind of person whether you are super into horror or not!

♡ Short reviews of each story ♡
[INTRO] Ghoulfriends Online Blog by Terry J. Benton-Walker ★★★★☆
such a great way to introduce the book, so self aware almost like breaking the fourth wall, i love it already I hope we get to find out the mystery!


All eyes on me By Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé ★★★★☆
Brought such an ambiguous vibe, killer clowns and i are not a dynamic duo but Faridah made it once again giving me horror and an amazing cast of characters i deeply cared about in those pages.


Hedge By Kalynn Bayron ★★☆☆☆.5
So mysterious but not much happened, kind of an unresolved case kinda vibes that doesn't get solved, that's not to say it wasn't a good ending, just not for me. I didn’t care much about the characters so i just felt empty when i was done.


The Golden Dragon By Kendare Blake ★★★★☆
SO GOOD, so perfectly written, as an asian brazilian i loved this, i can't explain how connected i felt.


Best Served Cold By H.E. Edgmon ★★★★☆
Such a great commentary on whiteness, so obviously, so messed up. Left me wanting to read a whole book on this. The beginning kinda reminded me of killers of the flower moon a little bit.


The Protégé By Lamar Giles ★★★★☆
Had me hooked since the beginning, such a good one. I love the magician aspect and every part of it! Again, I wish it was even longer cause the ending felt like the beginning of something bigger.


Docile Girls By Chloe Gong ★★★★☆
SO FUN! Reminded me of teen slashers like bodies bodies bodies or jennifer’s body! I saw the plot twist coming but it was still great.



Gray Grove By Alexis Henderson ★★★★☆
It felt like watching a fucked up version of ghost files (watcher); i really loved the elements the author chose to add and i think i speak for all of us when i say fuck kaitlin


Everything’s Coming Up Roses By Tiffany D. Jackson ★★★★☆
This is one i got lost in, in the best way possible. So unhinged, but also so beautifully told. It made me want to read everything the author has wrote before.


Heaven By Adiba Jaigirdar ★★★☆☆
Apocalyptic story set in the coolest way possible. My problem was that it was so hard to connect with the characters but it had a good plot twist.


Break through Our Skin By Naseem Jamnia ★★★★☆
Such an interesting premise, the beginning was kind of slow which made me think i wasn't gonna like it as much as i did, boy was i wrong! Super gore, found family with a spirit? with an amazing ending!


wasps By Mark Oshiro ★★★★☆
THIS ONE IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES, the house elements, the characters, the villain, everything was just incredible, such a great one with a satisfying ending. It built tension perfectly.


Hell Is Other Demons By Karen Strong ★★☆☆☆
When i saw wlw i thought i was gonna dance around to "Good Luck, Babe" but this was so messy. The main character is unlikeable to me, i don't know if that was the purpose i might be missing a point i'd like to point out though that just because someone can’t come out doesn’t mean they are not a fighter.


The Road to Hell By Terry J. Benton-Walker ★★★★☆
Such an interesting narrative and pov, found the build up so intense and i loved the ending. So so cool, i've never read anything like this. Felt like i couldn't breathe and was trapped inside the house but also as a breath of fresh air.



[Epilogue] By Terry J. Benton-Walker ★★★★☆
Short n sweet, made me slightly emo not gonna lie.

Overall, 3.4 but i rounded up to 4 since most of the short stories were 4 stars to me!
Thank you netgalley for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is an enjoyable collection of short stories. There were many authors that I had read from before, and I loved their works in this collection as well! I love horror that touches on social issues, and if that is something you enjoy, this collection is definitely worth checking out!

A few of my stand out favorites were "The Golden Dragon", "Docile Girls", "Gray Grove", "Everything's Coming Up Roses", and "Heaven".

Alrighty folks, I thought the YA genre would be easier for me to handle, nope, I was wrong, sooo if you’re not a horror fan, I’d say no. However, my husband the horror fan, much enjoyed it. Said it was cool, creepy, and entertaining read! Thank you for giving me the chance to try this anthology!

(Full disclosure: This review might be most helpful for people who, like me, are not horror readers but thought it might be worth reading YA versions.)

I’m not normally a horror fan in large part because I have a visceral reaction to many of the descriptions in horror stories. But I thought perhaps a YA version would be better. Boy was I wrong! But that doesn’t mean I didn’t like the book! I did! I just maybe should have skipped a story or two (especially “Best Served Cold” as I was actively trying not to vomit while reading it.)

As a whole, this is an intriguing collection of YA horror short stories. They each tackle larger issues like colonization, racism, cultural connections, gender identity, sexual assault, and more and do so by centering the voices of people of color. These stories are a wonderful way to flip so many common tropes in horror stories and they all work really well. The writing across the board was vivid and evocative (which, again, warning if you have an overactive imagination). My personal favorites were “Hedge,” “Docile Girls,” and “Hell is Other Deamons.”

Horror fans will love this collection. And even those of us with a bit more squeamish stomachs will find something we enjoy.

This book has lots of really fun short horror stories. I really enjoyed sitting down and reading a few every night. Each had it's own feel and some of them were very very disturbing! I liked Hedge, Best Served Cold, and Everything's coming up Roses the most of the 13 stories. People will want to grab this book because of some of the popular authors involved, but trust me some of the lesser known put some really good work in this collection!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Teen for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

There were too many incredible authors in this book for it not be a hit. I was honestly shocked at how spooky and gory some of the stories were, but I loved them. There were some stories that didn’t stick out to me as much, but I truly enjoyed myself the entire time I was reading the book.

My favorites from the short story collection are:
-“All Eyes on Me” by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
-“Best Served Cold” by H. E. Edgmon
-“Docile Girls” by Chloe Gong
-“Everything’s Coming Up Roses” by Tiffany D. Jackson
-“Hell Is Other Demons” by Karen Strong

This YA short horror story collection would be the perfect read if you’re interested in disturbing and a bit scary content.

CW: racism, body horror, violence, gore, blood, death, bullying, deadnaming, mental illness, sexual assault, cannibalism, stalking

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book!

Short stories are tough (in my opinion), but I enjoyed this collection! The horror vibes were strong and I liked all the different takes on the theme. Some of my favorites were "Best Served Cold," "Everything Coming Up Roses," "Wasps," and "The Road to Hell." This will be perfect for my students who enjoy horror but lack the stamina and focus to get through an entire book.

Thank you to TorTeen for the advanced review copy, my opinions are my own. I've also added this to my pre-order list.

Phenomenal short story collection featuring some of my absolute favorite authors.

I do not normally love horror, curse of an overactive imagination, but these stories were amazing. I loved every single one of them, from killer clowns to killer houses. Dipping into everything from psychological horror to actual death and demons, the stories touch on the disgusting sides of humanity in the form of cannibalism (TW: there is a single story where one of the characters is a cannibal), sexism, queer erasement, misgendering/dead naming, racism, and the general messing with forces beyond understanding to very messy ends, truly FAFO.

Despite the one short story that had me trying to not throw up, all of these are incredibly well written and I believe are important for people to read.

If horror is your genre, I highly recommend this collection. Or if you are looking to dip your toes into the horror genre but are looking for something a little more queer and diverse, try this one out. And once you do that, you have a ready list of authors to read next.

I lived everything about this book - the cover, the title, the stories- everything. I had never read anything by the majority of these authors but I’m really glad I had the chance to read every story in this book.

We all know the cliche of “the black/minority guy always dies first” in any horror/thriller movie/story/show. That was not the case with these stories and I was here for it. All of these stories were written very well. It takes talent to write a short story that not only grabs your attention but also freaks you out a little and all of these authors hit the mark.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who lives horror/suspense stories!

Thank you, NetGalley and Tor Teen for this arc in return for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publilsher and the authors for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I knew it was going to be amazing when I saw some of my favorite YA thriller writers all listed on this project. IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT! This was a great collection of stories. I hope to see more stories like this or at least a second edition of this book!

Soooo good!!! I wasn’t expecting a YA book to be so gory and so spooky but some of these short stories spooked me way more than I expected! Maybe since they’re short stories they manage to really pack a punch. Absolutely loved this collection and would highly recommend

The concept of this book immediately hooked me and the lineup of authors completely reeled me in, and honestly I think it lived up to the hype. I’m a huge fan of horror anthologies and this is honestly my new favourite. While there were some stories I enjoyed more than others (Docile Girls by Chloe Gong, The Golden Dragon by Kendare Blake, and Everything’s Coming up Roses by Tiffany D. Jackson to name a few) I felt like the anthology was solid all the way through. Even the stories that honestly made me uncomfortable (Best Served Cold by H.E. Edgmon) were still really good, just maybe a little bit past the kind of horror I prefer. I also love the concept that Terry J. Benton-Walker used to unify all of the stories through a collection of short horror films, and of course that unlike traditional horror, the white guy dies first.

While this is YA, it’s not exactly all beginner horror and while I wasn’t exactly scared, there were definitely some stories that I was happy to read with the lights on. It was also really cool to read a mixture of authors, some who primarily write horror and others who mostly do other genres. And while this book doesn’t focus on queer stories, there were still a good amount of them that added an extra dose of enjoyment for me!

I think if you’re a horror fan or someone who likes the subversion of unnecessary genre conventions, this is a great anthology to pick up, with lots of great stories that are hard to stop thinking about even after you finish reading them. There’s a lot of different types of horror, from body horror, to clowns, to horrors of society, and well, the horrors of white men (seriously some of these are absolutely vile, but some are perhaps a little sympathetic). I really enjoyed reading it (well maybe not all the body horror but that’s personal preference), and I definitely would enjoy seeing something like this from these authors or others again!

Excellent premise and a great, cohesive, well-edited collection of scary stories! I liked some more than others, of course, but I can honestly say that I didn’t dislike any. My favorites were “Break Through Our Skin” by Naseem Jamnia, “Best Served Cold” by H. E. Edgmon, “the Protégé” by Lamar Giles, “The Golden Dragon” by Kendare Blake, and “The Road to Hell” by Terry J. Benton-Walker.
I read this on my Kindle and NetGalley app and there were some typos and formatting errors, but I’m assuming they’ll be fixed by the time the book comes out! I truly hope this is a smashing success and that we get a TV adaptation of it!

I found this incredibly entertaining. EVERY SINGLE STORY HIT. That's rare. I read this after reading The Black Girl Survives in This One and let me tell ya'll they are perfect companions.

This book features 13 scary stories staring BIPOC main characters. Each story explored adversity, stereotypes, or tradition but in a way where it was not the main theme. The horror was bloody, creepy, funny, and panic inducing.

I have no complaints and need Jordan Peele to adapt this!

I don't read horror hardly ever but wanted to read this specifically because I love Chloe Gong lol! I do love reading short stories, and think it is a wonderful format for this type of story. Though this still isn't my genre of preference, I am in fact a baby about scary stuff, I thought this was good collection!