I loved seeing all the representations of black girls in these scary stories. Braids, TWAs, and locs floating in space... we don't always get to see ourselves like this and surviving in these horror stories! You get a wide variety of horror from ghosts, aliens, mythical creatures, curses, shapeshifters, zombies, folklore, racism, and more. It's a collection so obviously I loved certain stories more and I felt a few fell flat. I love that Tananarive Due did the forward! The first story, The Harvesters, was one of my favorites. We started off with a bang! I was genuinely creeped out. I think the narrator's performance contributed greatly because I don't think I would feel the way with every story simply with just reading. The Skittering Thing's performance gave me goosebumps and I'm not sure it would in print. (Her pronunciation of Biloxi and Dominica threw me off a little though. LOL) The Screamers, The Brides of Devil's Bayou, and Black Girl Nature Group also were standouts. The pharmacist in me was screaming at those MLM scammers in Queeniums for Greenium! Overall, a great anthology to see the black girl indeed surviving in each one! Thanks to Flatiron Books for providing me with this advanced listening copy through NetGalley!

3.5 stars rounded up

This is a really solid collection of short stories. Of course some are better than others, but overall it's a YA horror collection where authors play with classic tropes in new ways, centering young Black women who do in fact survive. (as the title should clue you in) Some stories are funny, some are creepy, some are both but I had a good time reading these and none of them were really bad.

I'll share a couple of my favorites. Queeniums for Greenium by Brittney Morris had me cackling at the sendup of MLM culture, but make it horror. My other favorite is the final story in the collection- Foxhunt by Charlotte Nicole Davis features a queer Black girl and offers a take on the creepy game, but in high school. Those two really stood out and made excellent use of the short story framework. And it tracks, because I've loved other books from both authors. The audio narration is great and delivers the creepy vibes when needed fairly well. I received an audio review copy of this book via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Thank you To Netgalley for giving me an Arc of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

Whenever I read anthologies, I try to talk about the book as a whole and also touch on each individual story. Overall I enjoyed most of these stories. I think with a lot of anthologies I've read there are some that get me and some that don't. Since I anticipated this being more of a horror story, I expected many of these to frighten me. I think there was only one or two that actually scared me though unfortunately. Most just fell a bit flat or didn't have any scare factor for me at all. Other people might feel different about this stories though. Here's my thoughts on all of them!

1.Harvesters: This one was genuinely really creepy. It reminded me of In the Tall Grass a little bit (except it was corn in this story). I think it mainly scared me because while the Black girl does survive in the end (as the title implies) her actual fate after the story ends was... iffy. She didn't actually escape the creature chasing her like she thought and I think that itself was horrifying to me that she realized this too late.

2.Welcome Back to The Cosmos: Any story about space is going to fucking terrify me and just like in the first story (Harvesters) the idea that someone can shapeshift into someone you know and take their place... is horrifying. As with the first one, she didn't realize something was wrong UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE. It's very creepy and stressful TBH.

3.Ghost Light: I love a good ghost story but... this wasn't that good. As a fellow theatre kid who performed shows in a "haunted theatre" (does every theatre group try to scare the new freshman with a story like this?) I thought I'd really enjoy this. It felt a little rushed though (understandable since it's meant to be a short story) but I felt like this could have been a good idea for a full length novel and not something short like this.

4.The Brides of Devil's Bayou: This was an interesting story with the generational abductions that kept happening in her family but it wasn't really scary to me. The dreams she was having were scary though but overall I wasn't very moved by this.

5.TMI: This story was just... confusing ??? I say confusing because I didn't understand what I was supposed to be scared about. I'm sure there were downsides to this flip phone that would help you read peoples minds but since the characters were so vague about particulars I didn't feel the sense of urgency that other characters were having in previous stories. The ending was also very abrupt.

6. Black Pride: Another story that wasn't scary but I really, really enjoyed it. Iv'e always been a fan of were-shifts. The twist for this story was really fun! I didn't expect it to be ALL of her friends but that made it better. I also liked how it took place in a different era than the other stories. The visuals were really on point for this one.

7. The Screamers: This one was kind of... cheesy. It was another ghost possession story but instead of being scared for the characters I just thought it was a little funny how the haunting was being presented. I did like the characterization though of Amani's relationship with her brother and her guilt over what happened. The portrayal of grief in this story was the best aspect of it.

8. Queeniums for Geranium: Honestly.... I did not like this one. The way the story played out felt very farfetched. When she went from "This is weird" to immediately climbing into the air vents to find a way out all I could think was "That would not be my first thought if I was trapped". Most air vents I see aren't big enough for someone to crawl into either so that didn't feel real to me. I also just didn't understand how she could care so much for her sister after what she did to her! Then again I'm a little petty.

9. Inheritance: I think it might be my fault that I didn't understand this story. I don't think I was paying as good attention as I should have. The creature that was described in it sounded cool, especially since I'd never heard of it before but the events between Delaney and Miles in the attic confused me since it kept hopping back and forth between the past and the present.

10. Black Girl Nature Group: While I obviously loved that the girls got their revenge and escaped, this story also felt a bit cheesy. I was confused how the girls were trapped in an invisible dome? What was keeping them there? How? This invisible dome concept is also used in Local Color and I was surprised to see it brought up twice.

11. Cemetery Dance Party: Another cheesy story but with zombies this time!! The fate of these characters was... confusing. I wasn't sure how many kids actually escaped the cemetery other than the three? four? I think that had stuck together. Did the rest of that senior class die? Did the zombies escape the cemetery or were they confined to the grounds because that was how the curse worked? It was very unclear. I did enjoy the zombies though despite the cheesiness in the beginning of the story.

12. The Skittering Thing: This one was also a little confusing? I don't understand why the girls would play this weird hide-n-seek game with this girl they barely knew and their parents. The parents playign was the real surprising part of it. The parents weren't bad people, they seemed genuinely nice but it was just weird. The ending though was terrifying. I think I'm really just afraid of things or creatures that can shape shift into people you know and trick you.

13. The Black Strings: This reminded me of a movie or another book I read but I'm not sure what exactly. I kept trying to guess the ending and found that I was wrong every time. I kept expecting the killer to be certain people and then those people would DIE and I was like "whelp it's this person then". I also don't understand Nora's reasoning at the end of the story for why she did what she did? In the end their band didn't win anyways so what was the point of all of it.

14. Local Color: Did not expect the grandpa to ALSO be a shapeshifter. It was pretty gross too that she gave the shapeshifting creature (?) her first kiss on accident. I'd be horrified if I was her. I also don't understand how a book about old myths would have a map of her hometown park? I had thought the map was for somewhere else at first when she talked about it but I must have not been paying attention again when she talked about it.

15. Fox Hunt: This felt like a movie Jordan Peele would write. I was glad this anthology ended with a really good story. I had kind of guessed what was going to happen before it did but the way that it was written was incredible. I loved that she was able to fight back against the people attacking her. I was rooting for her hardcore and was glad she gained her autonomy!

As always with compilations, some are better than others but all were definitely interesting. Some of them I still think about and definitely warranted me turning off the audiobook and calm my racing heart a bit. Overall, a solid 4 stars.

- Harvesters by LL McKinney: Missy and Jo are at a party and are offered a ride home but have to walk through a cornfield first.

This one. This one creeped me out more than I anticipated. The last line just … chills.

- Welcome Back to the Cosmos by Kortney Nash: A crew explores an abandoned space building in space

Another one that just hit with the last line. I usually have zero interest in anything space related but this one was good.

- Ghost Light by Erin E. Adams: After her play went awry, Justine learns the ghost legend might actually be true.

I liked this one, didn’t love it.

- The Brides of Devil's Bayou by Desiree S. Evans: Aja and her friend celebrate her birthday in Louisiana against her fathers wishes

Generational curses + Louisiana horror = excellence

- TMI by Zakiya Dalila Harris: Sam meets her favorite writer, Etta Vee, and “accidentally” takes her phone

This one was really short. Felt Twilight Zone-y. Not my favorite.

- Black Pride by Justina Ireland: A summer trip to the lake has Sheryl seeing her friends and social justice differently

I really enjoyed this one. I will think about it for a while.

- The Screamers by Daka Hermon: A grieving family moves into a new house with a sinister past

This wasn’t bad, fast paced, but just felt very … overdone theme wise

- Queeniums for Greenium! by Brittney Morris: Synthia’s sister invites her on a smoothie retreat

Very Stepford Wives meets MLM. Felt very predictable.

- Inheritance by Camara Aaron: Instead of your usual seven minutes in heaven, Delany tells of her summer in Dominica

This was really interesting. Loved the folklore.

- Black Girl Nature Group by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite: A girl goes on a nature hike with a group at the same place her aunt went missing

I liked it, even as predictable as it was.

- Cemetery Dance Party by Saraciea J. Fennell: A high school senior throws a party at a cemetery

I didn’t love this one either, felt a little disrespectful.

- The Skittering Thing by Monia Brashears: Charlotte and Sunny befriend the mysterious new girl and play a weird sleepover game

I had no idea where this one was going. It was creepy and I loved every second of it.

- The Black Strings by Vincent Tirado: Mal, at a band competition, can see others deaths

Another one I didn’t love, idea was cool but it didn’t give me the creep factor

- Local Color by Eden Royce: Veronne finds a map that she thinks will help her find her parents

This one felt more heartwarming in the end instead of creepy.

- Foxhunt by Charlotte Nicole Davis: New girl Flex is chosen to be the “Fox” at her new schools senior game

A great ending to the compilation. This was a good story that had me rooting for Flex the whole time.

I read my first Tananarive Due book in 2018 and I was hooked! She wrote the foreword for The Black Girl Survives in This One and I trust her opinion fully!

This book is full of amazing girls that fight off horrible monsters and evil people in society. The collection of stories is extremely unique and empowering. I love reading anthologies like this because I have a whole new bunch of authors to check out now! The narrators did a great job of telling each story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Flatiron Books, MacMillan Audio, Desiree S. Evans and Saracen J. Fennell. I have written this review voluntarily.

I'm really impressed!! I liked every single story in this! They were all really strong, I do have some favorites and some that I would ADORE to have full length novels of. Every story had the elements of horror that I loved, there's every type of horror you could wish for in here! Overall a really fantastic collection from a bunch of really talented authors who I can't wait to read more from!

I was initially intrigued by this book for its title and cover art. The dedication and foreword got me hooked. This book has such a broad range of horror stories. From ghosts, to aliens to zombies to religious horror even! It also deals with a lot of heavy subjects like obvious racism within the black horror community, anxiety, fatphobia. There’s a lot of great representation throughout each story. But, like any book of short stories there are some weaker ones that didn’t hold my attention as much. They were still entertaining just didn’t make a lasting impact on me.

My favorites would have to be the brides of the devils bayou by Desiree S. Evans, black pride by Justina Ireland, black girl nature group by Maritza & Maika Mouliteand black strings by Vincent Tirado.

I would recommend this to any horror reader especially young black and brown horror readers.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan audio for an advanced audio copy.

The black girl survives in this one is our April 1!

This anthology was amazing!
I enjoyed every single story in this collection and was addicted to hearing more.
Why did I give it 4 stars then?
I wanted more of nearly every short.
They were all so well crafted that I wanted to continue listening to these creepy bedtime stories.
I am excited to check out more work from the authors I had not heard of prior to this.
Much love to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my ALC!

Be warned, dear reader: The Black girls survive in this one.

Celebrating a new generation of bestselling and acclaimed Black writers, The Black Girl Survives in This One makes space for Black girls in horror. Fifteen chilling and thought-provoking stories place Black girls front and center as heroes and survivors who slay monsters, battle spirits, and face down death. Prepare to be terrified and left breathless by the pieces in this anthology.

The bestselling and acclaimed authors include Erin E. Adams, Monica Brashears, Charlotte Nicole Davis, Desiree S. Evans, Saraciea J. Fennell, Zakiya Dalila Harris, Daka Hermon, Justina Ireland, L. L. McKinney, Brittney Morris, Maritza & Maika Moulite, Eden Royce, and Vincent Tirado, with a foreword by Tananarive Due.

A great anthology of middle grade horror stories. Think a more modernized version of Goosebumps for a bit of an older audience. I had a ton of fun with this one and flew through it in one day. Horror fans should love this like I did:)

5 stars

This is a fantastic collection of short stories by very well-known authors and by some who are new to the scene. All of the stories are creepy, intriguing, and creative, and while many collections tend to come with obvious low points, for me, this one did not. I was engaged from start to finish.

I was fortunate to listen to the audio version and will recommend that to any interested readers when and where accessible. The excellent narration makes these tales even more sinister in just the right ways!

Happy haunting and *surviving*!

Fantastic anthology of diverse horror. I appreciated the differences within both the stories and the types of horror. Science fiction, comical to general eeriness. It was a pleasure and several of the stories I would adore if they are expanded upon in the future to full length novels.

Thank you NetGalley for the audio book. From cornfields to spaceships, this horror anthology was so good! All the authors did an amazing job. It has all the horror tropes and I love how they made it their own way. It was creepy and thrilling! If you’re a big horror fan or love the suspense, I would definitely recommend getting this in audio/ physical or both!

Read the description, don’t just fall in love with the cover.

I almost DNF this book because I got hella confused. I was trying to figured out how they were at a house party in the woods and space the second. Then I went back to look at the title and description and realized that this was multiple stories in one book.

Although I liked the stories I would have preferred each story be its own book.

Anthologies are so fun. I love finding new authors through short stories. Sometimes they can be a real mixed bag as well with a few good ones and a few not so great but this anthology was STRONG. I loved the premise as the title tells us that the Black girl survives. Which sometimes lessened the tension a little bit but each story brought a lot to the table. All of the main final girls were strong, smart and easy to root for.

My favorite stories were The Harvesters, Ghost Light and TMI But honestly I enjoyed all of them.

The audiobook was enjoyable and the narrators were great.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced listening copy

A great horror anthology where the black girl is the final girl. This was a fun read. It usually takes me longer to read a short story collection but I crushed this one. I recommend the audiobook. The narrator did an excellent job.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher.

This was a unique book and fun to listen to. The narrator did a great job of keeping me interested and in the world. I loved the story and the characters.

This audiobook was made available to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

One of the narrators of this audiobook is Tananarive Due, who read the forward, which was a treat. Shayna Small narrated the other stories beautifully. I liked that this anthology primarily had a single narrator. It felt similar to telling spooky stories at a sleepover.
What I love about anthologies is the introduction to new authors whose other books I might enjoy. This anthology had several authors that I hadn't read before but will be seeking out their published work in the future.

Harvesters by L.L. McKinney~A high school party with drinking and friends that ends with lost keys and a walk home that will never be forgotten.

Welcome Back to the Cosmos by Courtney Nash~A spooky space story about an abandoned factory. Danica is a teenager with a team in space who searches abandoned ships & colonies.

Ghostlight by Erin E. Adams~Is set at a high school on the stage mostly during the play Macbeth by Shakespeare. Jeanine is the production stage manager on opening night. This was really creepy but in a fun way.

The Brides of Devil's Bayou by Desiree S. Evans~Asa is the descendant of an enslaved woman who made a pact with a demon to escape slavery. This needs to be a novel🤷🏾‍♀️ This is tied with Black Pride as my 1st favorite story in this anthology.

TMI by Zakiya Dalila Harris~A Black girl with a scholarship to the exclusive Beacon Prep is in the auditorium to hear a speech by Etta Vee. Etta Vee was, once upon a time, also a Black girl with a scholarship to Beacon Prep before her career as an award winning author.

Black Pride by Justina Ireland~It's 1973, and Cheryl is headed to the lake for the weekend with friends. Tied with The Brides of Devil's Bayou for my 1st favorite story in this collection.

The Screamers by Daka Hermon~After the death of her little brother, Corey, Imani, and her family move into a new house.

Queeniums for Greenium by Brittney Morris~ Cynthia attends a weekend retreat with her older sister, Diana's smoothie club. The MLM horror story I've been waiting for. It's easily my 3rd favorite story in this collection.

Inheritance by Camara Aaron~Delaney learns about the Soucouyant while visiting her Aunt Margo in Dominica. I loved the Caribbean flavor of this story. I'd rate this my 2nd favorite story in this collection.

Black Girl Nature Group by Maika & Maritza Moulite~Lucky plans to view a once in a decade meteor shower in the forest on the same night as a blood moon. This has a nice dose of superstitions with a Get Out vibe. Love it!

Cemetery Dance Party by Saraciea J. Fennell~A full-blown silent graduation party held at the Cemetery. Surely nothing will go wrong🙃.

The Skittering Thing by Monica Brashears~The Birthday Girl, her BFF Charlotte, and the new pastor's family play a game.

The Black Strings by Vincent Tirado~Nell walks into a hotel for a chance to participate in the Akron Heights Records Contest, but her possible big break isn't her only concern.

Local Color by Eden Royce~Is a story steeped in Black folklore featuring a treasure map and supernatural creatures.

Fox Hunt by Charlotte Nicole Davis~Flex is starting a new school her senior. A chance to start over only this town isn't an ideal place for a new start.

This is the kinda audiobook to savor. I needed to read and review this quickly so I could get my review posted. However, if you aren't in that position, may I suggest a story or 2 a night. Ideally relaxing on the couch with a glass of wine, the fireplace going and listening to this on a bluetooth or other speaker instead of headphones. I was able to do that with the first story in this anthology, and I LOVED it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read/listen to and review this anthology. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

I loved this anthology or story collection. The narration was wonderful! The stories were appropriately spooky and unnerving but it wasn't gore filled for simply "shock".

I loved this collection of short horror stories. None were over the top scary. I think it’s a perfect collection for those wanting to dip their toe into the horror genre.

A nice bunch of short stories. Some of them were a bit fantastical and unbelievable. But they were fun and thrilling for sure.