A slow start for me, but once the action started I lived how it felt like watching a teen slasher and poked fun at itself. I loved how they figured out the formula of the genre and played into it. The characters were diverse and played their parts well as the plot played out.

I absolutely fell in love with Joelle Wellington's debut and couldn't wait to get my hands on this next novel from her. While I didn't love this one quite as much as that last book, this was still a damn good time.

It's a campy, twisted, nostalgic take on classic horror. If you love classic horror and a tongue in cheek play on those tropes, this is definitely one worth checking out. Plus as always, Joelle Wellington tops it off with a sapphic romance.

Just like in her last book, I love how far she pushed the horror elements. She definitely doesn't hold back on the darkness or themes - which I love. But with the campy backdrop of classic horror, it's perfectly accessible for teens or scaredy cats like myself.

I personally love Joelle Wellington's take on YA horror. I think it's fun, timely, and just twisted enough to keep me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. I can't wait pick up her 2025 release!

read this bc I loved their vicious games so much that I needed to read all of joelle wellington’s stuff and it exceeded my expectations!!!! literally can’t even process anything right now this was SOOOOO good. The twists! The turns! The scream references!!!!!! I was sold from the synopsis and am SO glad to have read this. What a phenomenal addition to the final girl club

What a fun read! I would suggest this for YA readers looking for a fun and light horror read. It’s a pretty quick one as well.

I was intrigued by the idea of this book and unfortunately the execution was just meh for me. The characterization was solid and I love a good slasher, but struggled with the demon, both in picturing it and believing it.

Wow, I liked this so much!!! I'm a big horror movie fan and Joelle Wellington is definitely one too. Come for the Scream references and stay for all the other horror film trivia, tropes, and nods.

This is a fast-paced slasher that takes place in Brooklyn and follows a group of friends who end up being hunted by an entity. Told with wit, this found family is trying to have a great summer together while dealing with growing up, change, crushes -- y'know, all the normal things teens go through, but oh! also!!! something seems to be going after each of them in the order of normal horror tropes starting with the blond and ending with the final girl.

There's some repetitiveness with the main character's fixation with "The Best Summer Ever" but this isn't new for a young adult novel. These are kids dealing with big feelings which does come with circular, intrusive thoughts... that don't really go away with adulthood. If you can stick with the naivete of the cast of characters, you'll be rewarded with a fun YA horror story!

Devon and her brilliant twin sister, Drew, have drifted apart ever since Drew started attending a prestigious private school, as opposed to the public school Devon goes to. Devon has made her peace with the fact that Drew is going to leave her behind. That's why when Drew announces she's graduating high school a year early, Devon's not too surprised, but she still doesn't feel great about it.

In an effort to spend some more time with Drew prior to her departure, Devon comes up with a plan: The Best Summer Ever. This includes a list of activities to do with their entire neighborhood friend group before summer ends. One of the first items on the list is to attend a party thrown by one of the kids from Drew's private school, Avery. Devon doesn't really know anything about Drew's school life, so she's never met Avery before and she's curious.

Thus, Devon, Drew and their other close friends, including Devon's long-time crush, Yaya, head to Avery's house for a night of fun. Truth be told, it's a little uncomfortable at first, but they try to make the best of it. Once the Ouija board comes out though, they realize it isn't going to be quite the type of party they anticipated. Avery seems to be showing off. Drew calls it his typical party trick, but it makes Devon and the rest of the crew uncomfortable.

It's after that night that The Best Summer Ever quickly devolves into the most Demonic Summer Ever. With a demon stalking them, seemingly following the rules of Horror, Devon and her friends must figure out how to defeat the beast before it kills them all.

The Blonde Dies First was an wildly-entertaining ride that kept me guessing throughout. It wasn't perfect, but there is so much I appreciate about Wellington's work. While I feel that the Contemporary elements were the shining stars, it is still a very solid YA Horror story that I would recommend to YA Horror Readers.

As with Wellington's previous novel, Their Vicious Games], I did really like the mix of the heavier contemporary topics with the dark horror action and intrigue. There were so many jaw-dropping events in this book that I didn't see coming and it absolutely had me guessing the whole way. I loved the friend group and how they banded together to try to figure out what was happening to them. I also loved the way Wellington incorporated the classic rules of Horror that all Horror fans have embedded in their memories. I thought that was just such a fun little nod to the overall genre. It made me ridiculously happy to see it here.

The Contemporary elements were highly successful. The relationship between Drew and Devon was fantastic. Their friend group was lovable and believable. I also appreciated the discussion on the gentrification that was happening within their NYC neighborhood. With this being said, I did think a lot of the scenes involving the demon, like one set at a hospital, were written very well and had great descriptions too. Also, I loved the various Horror elements incorporated like the Ouija board session, the demon itself, and the talk of horror cinema.

Overall, I had a lot of fun with this. Wellington's style definitely fits my tastes and I'm looking forward to whatever she releases next. I'll be the first one in line. Thank you to the publisher, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This is a good one!

One of my favorite books from 2024, The Blonde Dies First feels like it fell under the radar, so let's rectify that. This is a pulse-quickening thriller that's winking and silly and serious in equal measure. It explores friendship and city life and growing up and queerness and sisterhood/family and never sacrifices one thematic string for another—all the levers lift the same rising tide of the book's genuinely compelling narrative. I loved this, and if you're a fan of horror, thrillers, YA coming of age, etc, this will be For You!

Why did she die her eyebrows? And then they brought them up multiple times.
Kids summon a demon that is passed from a movie storyline?
Lgbtq

I really liked this authors debut, so I was definitely on board to read this second book. I will say I enjoyed her first book ‘The Vicious Games’ more than this one, but for fans of YA Horror/Thriller this will be an enjoyable read.
Devon and her group of friends are a tight knit group. With Devon’s twin sister Drew graduating early from high school, Devon is determined to give her the “Best Summer Ever”. One of the first steps to this BSE is attending a party being thrown by Drews’s friends from school. Drew attends a more prestigious high school since she’s basically a genius, and her friends from school have never met her twin or her neighborhood friends, so this party will make it a big first for the group. As the kids attend the party, Drew’s “boyfriend” pulls outs an Ouiji board to see if they can summon someone or something. Devon wants to make Drew feel as if she accepts her friends so she plays along to “get along”. Little do the kids know this isn’t just a kids board game and once Devon is almost killed at work, the kids soon realize they got more than they bargained for at that party.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC

A bit slow and not much that really kept me intrigued. I wanted to love this but it fell flat for me:

actual rating: 4 stars

the blonde dies first by joelle wellington is such a fun and thrilling horror read, blending suspense with humor and offering a fresh twist on classic horror tropes. once the story picks up, it doesn’t slow down, keeping you on your toes with a demon that follows slasher movie rules. the best part? the friendship at the center of it all. the dynamics between the main characters, particularly the twins devon and drew, really bring the emotional depth to the story, even when chaos and danger are lurking around every corner.

devon is such a relatable protagonist—she’s the blonde in the slasher scenario, but she doesn’t just accept her fate. i loved how the book plays with horror movie conventions, especially the meta horror aspect, which made it so much more enjoyable for me. there’s a great balance between the high stakes and lighthearted moments, which prevents the book from taking itself too seriously. it’s got just the right amount of humor and tension to keep things engaging.

the relationship between the twins is one of the highlights. their dynamic is strained but realistic, and watching their bond unfold amidst the chaos added so much to the overall emotional depth. i really enjoyed diving into their complicated relationship, and it made the story feel more personal as devon navigated not only survival but also the fear of losing the person she’s always been closest to.

overall, the blonde dies first is a great mix of horror, comedy, and friendship, and i had an amazing time reading it. it felt like being pulled into a horror-comedy movie where the rules are constantly being flipped, and i didn’t want it to end. a highly enjoyable and unique take on the genre.

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

This book was creepy! This book had me jumping out of my skin. That twist in the end was so well done and I did not see it coming. I really did enjoy how creepy this book was and this would be a very good spooky season read.

thank you netgalley & the publisher for gifting me this advanced reader copy!

this book totally sounded like something that I would love, the comparison to scream is what sold me on it and unfortunately it didn’t live up to my expectations.

The story follows a group teens trying to live out the best summer ever when they decide to use an ouija board and are suddenly being stalked my an evil entity.

I think the little bits of horror movies and final girl trope was very fun to see in a book but not done in a way that I really loved! I had a really hard time staying interested in the plot, it didn’t feel like a lot was happening.

I think some people are going to love this book, but unfortunately for me after trying many times to get into this book I decided to give up. I might try this one again in the future but for right now it’s just not for me!

Thank You to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the ARC.

I really wanted to love this book due to the fact that I read Their Vicious Games and ate it up. While her second novel was entertaining and thrilling, it fell a little flat on my end. I was shocked at the plot twist and I love her writing style. I wasn't in love with the characters as much and I did enjoy the horror aspects of the book. Joelle Wellington is a great writer and I look forward to reading more of her work. Overall, a solid 3 starts.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC of The Blonde Dies First in exchange for my honest review!

This had a pretty slow start, almost DNFing level so, but I worked through it and ended up having a fun time! It wasn’t majorly spooky but had a few standout moments. I think this will be a major hit with teens (which is its intended audience!), especially with the general vibes.

This book is a treasure. A beautiful, crazy homage to the slasher/horror genre that has its own unique twists and turns, and I loved every minute of it!

When a tight-knit group of friends find themselves at a party and a Ouji board is brought out to summon a spirit, it seems like it’s all fun and games. That is, until an actual demon begins stalking the group, seeming to follow the traditional “rules” of a horror movie. Can Devon and her friends outsmart the evil spirit (and figure out their own personal lives) before it’s too late?

This book read like a Gen Z version of Scream or I Know What You Did Last Summer, which made it fun for and fresh, even for a crusty ol’ millennial like me. It was scary, funny, and full of heart. The descriptions were vivid and I was pulled in to the story of these characters- both the horror storyline and story of their characters’ personal lives, like Devon’s crush on Yaya and her angst about her relationship with her twin, Drew.

Plus, there’s some nice twists in there. Trust me, as one of the characters says, there’s always an act three twist in a movie, and boy is there ever! I loved it- it was stunning and cheesy, just like a good slasher twist should be.

This book was a great read and I loved the escape it gave me while reading it. Joelle Wellington is quickly becoming a favorite YA thriller author!

I realllllllllllllly enjoyed this book... LIKE A LOT.

It had so many fun concepts of horror that I love and turned them all on their head. The characters are well developed and all extremely lovable in their own ways. They all added their own important voice to horror as a whole and towards the plot itself.

I also LOVED the entity. It was intriguing and truly terrifying...

Also... the twist at the end... HYSTERICAL!

Loved this book and can't wait for more from the author!

A slow start for sure but worth pushing through to get to the cool demonnic stuff! Devon is a likeable character and I pushed through to see her development annd where the book was headed. I also loved the queer aspects as they did a great job of represennting the teenage coming of age aspects which are important to get right in a YA book. That being said the Teen agnst definately makes it a YA book- not one that adult readers (not reading with the intest for their classroom like me) might find a bit annoying.

Devon is a twin and is planning the best summer ever before her sister goes off to college. One night she and her friends decide to play with an Ouija board and start being pursued by a demon. I got Scream vibes from this and it was a funny slasher novel without the gore.