After reading Their Vicious Games, The Blonde Dies First has been at the top of my most anticipated reads for almost a year. Getting an ARC copy from NetGalley made it even more exciting!

All that to say, I was a bit underwhelmed by this book. Their Vicious Games had a unique, compelling plot and never failed to keep the action moving, which I expected after reading the premise for its follow-up. A group of teenagers in Brooklyn taking on an actual demon that seems to be following horror movie stereotypes? You'd think that would be hard to put down, but I often found myself losing focus and wondering when the action would start. The first half was slow, but it picked up enough to make it a pretty good read towards the end. Even then, I never got the bone-chilling, adrenaline-pumping moments I was hoping for.

I'll still keep Joelle Worthington at the top of my authors list for upcoming books. Her plot lines are super unique in a world of repetitive, overdone tropes, and I hope her next one comes through!

DNF (at like 50% done). I couldn’t and it was only like 244 pages. It was so slow paced. I was bored out of my mind. I liked zero of the characters. It felt like it was written by a high schooler and I’m just not that and haven’t been for over 20 years. The premise sounded like one that would be right up my alley. But no. Maybe this book would be great for a teen? Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced read for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me engaged and it only took a few days to read. I think this is going to be a good book club option for several clubs. I plan recommending to my book friends and I look forward to reading more by this author.

It reads as if you’re reading directly from a very unserious horror storyboard.

Imagine if you took the characters from Grown-ish, put them in Scooby Doo, add the quirkiness of the friend group in the movie, Red, and then have the demon creature as Hades from Hercules.


Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing a copy for an honest review.

Better late than never……

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, and Joelle Wellington for the eARC.

The Blond Dies First is a YA thriller about a group of friends set out to have the Best Summer Ever but instead ends up running around Brooklyn being chased by a demonic figure. Initially a slow start for me but then it became a page turner. Some humor with a few twists but based on the “rules” of a horror film. A big twist was that they thought they summoned the demon but little did they know the demon was around before the party and Ouija board. Loved the dynamics of the friend group and evolvements of the some of the characters.

The Blonde Dies First is a gripping tale about twin sisters, Devon and Drew. Devon has always felt like she's been left behind by Drew, and when Drew decides to graduate early without telling her, that feeling only deepens. Determined to make their final summer together unforgettable, Devon creates a to-do list to ensure it’s THE BEST SUMMER EVER. However, things take a wild turn when the first item on the list leads to them being tracked by a demon, threatening to take them and their friends out one by one.

Joelle Wellington excels at imagery—I could vividly picture the scenes unfolding in my mind. The plot was solid, with a good balance of humor and tension. The characters had depth and wit, making the story enjoyable. I found myself constantly guessing how it would end, though after a certain point, it became clear where things were headed. I especially appreciated the dynamics between the teens—Wellington perfectly captures the chaos of adolescence, the desire for independence, and the need for love.

Overall, The Blonde Dies First delivers an entertaining and suspenseful read. Using the CAWPILE system, I rated it as follows:

Characters: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Writing: 8
Plot: 7
Intrigue: 9
Logic: 7
Enjoyment: 8

A fun, thrilling read with plenty of twists!

The Blonde Dies First is a YA thriller centered around six friends being hunted by a demon. It’s a quick read that touches on various topics from the horror genre to gentrification to societal expectations of young Black women. The friendship dynamic within the group is one of the best elements of the novel and despite the novel having numerous characters, it never gets too confusing to keep up. While this book wasn’t a personal favorite, I’d recommend it to those who enjoy YA and horror.

I wanted to like this more than I did. The premise has me.very intrigued, but it was a slow start, and I had trouble getting into it. I wasn't very fond of some of the main characters, which isn't a deal breaker for me, but I just didn't connect with them. I also didn't quite buy the reason for the demon at the end. It didn't seem well thought out. I did really like the nod to classic horror films and their "rules."

Don’t get to read it- it disappeared from my library and couldn’t get it on my kindle! But it looks good and I will purchase

“……..a demonic force that acts according to horror movie rules in the spirit of the Scream movies.” I mean SOLD on the blurb!

In this YA thriller, horror comedy as a group of teenagers gear up for the best summer ever they find themselves in a life or death battle with a supernatural demon. A demon operating on movie troupes and rules. Yes! There were some laugh out loud moments. A group of teenage friends trying to figure out their character type in this very real-life slasher. There was even a which horror movie character are you quiz. Which is very important information for figuring out which order you’re supposed to die in. These teens solve a problem and create a few more. And who doesn’t love a budding romance in the midst of being hunted by a demon?! A bit gory, a bit silly and a whole lot of ridiculousness but fun. I definitely enjoyed the diversity of the characters in the friend group. There are queer characters and characters of differing racial backgrounds. Plus, throw in a complicated twin sister relationship within the friend group. I liked the personalities of the friends in the friend group and their relationships among themselves. Nicely inserted social commentary throughout the novel: race, classicism, racism, micro-aggressions, gentrification, adult minor interactions. As a fan of Scream and Scream adjacent slashers I enjoyed this book. Quite the interesting third act twist. If you enjoy the same this is the fun satirical teenage slasher for you.

This one was such a fun twist on the horror movie trope!! It’s YA and gave me immediate stranger things vibes (which I loved)! Wellington is able to create this situations that you leave you on the edge. It’s funny horror movies terrify me but books like this have me wanting more

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for an ARC of The Blonde Dies First, going by just the title I expected a slasher type of book. Yes, it did involve the Horror tropes like the first to die and the Final Girl. Wellington does such an incredible job of describing all the original parts of Brooklyn being overthrown by the evilness of Gentrification, I have never been to Brooklyn, but I can picture all the old housing and buildings overshadowed with the grittiness and sorrow from the people who made it what it is with its history. I loved that Devin and Drew are twins because I am one and she does such a good job with showing how different twins can be but at the end of the day there is no one closer with a connection than with them. Devon wanting to have the greatest summer ever starts off with a bang not over a mortal killer but that of a paranormal kind. I didn't know if I was going to click with it in the beginning because I felt it didn't take off soon enough, but I definitely appreciated a set up with the characters because usually in a slasher type setting you don't get to know the characters, so you don't have that sympathy or willingness to cheer them on against the killer. No, it is not a human set out to get them but instead a demon. Wellington knows her horror rules and set ups so perfectly. The big reveal/motive like in the horror movies for this book is simple yet effective. The Higher-class will always look down their noses at the underclass and they do it to their own people. I loved the cover its a homage to every horror movie VHS cover that existed back in the day. Overall, I had a blast with this book. I absolutely cannot wait to read more from Wellington, and I hope it's every bit horror.

I think I went into this book with really high expectations because I absolutely loved Their Vicious Games. I wanted to love it so bad but I just couldn’t. It was really slow in the beginning and I was hoping it was going to pick up or at least have some type of plot twist that would make it more interesting. There was nothing that really made me want to keep reading besides the fact that I was already halfway through. I think it had a really good plot, but it just dragged way too much for me.


Thank you to Net Galley for this ARC copy!

Love this book! The story follows the horror movie trope of killing off characters, but there are unexpected twists that draw the reader in. Highly recommend this book for anyone who loves horror.

3/5 stars

Though I appreciated the homages to 90s/00s slasher films, the group dynamic, and the underlying theme of gentrification (which I do wish we went more in-depth on), this did not work for me.

Going into this, I was expecting more of a high-stakes, campy slasher horror. Instead, the story veered more into the paranormal horror sub-genre with low stakes for the characters.

I also struggled with the uneven pacing. It started off very slow and didn’t pick up for me until about 30%, However, when it did, the action scenes were great, but were few and far between and didn’t last very long.

Additionally, Devon and Drew’s relationship rift isn’t addressed until the book is almost over, and by that point I had honestly forgotten about it.

I also accurately guessed the ending very early into the book, which was a bummer, so the end fell completely flat for me.

This may be best enjoyed by someone dipping their toes into thriller/horror, but may disappoint more experienced horror readers.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this title. As someone who grew up watching Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, I had high hopes this book would be of similar vibes and personally, I didn't get that at all. 2 stars. Felt like the author was trying a bit too hard and over playing things.

The Blonde Dies First is a queer YA thriller/horror that follows a group of teens accidentally summons a demon using an Ouija board at a summer party.
I enjoyed the horror tropes and the final plot twist was really interesting. Overall, really fun and enjoyable read. Highly recommend it!
Thank you Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for this arc!

Okay, that was idk 😂. It was funny, that’s for sure. It gave me “Scary Movie” vibes. Not once, was I truly creeped out, but it was exciting! The character development was A1! I got to know the entire friend group and I enjoyed them all. I love how they all contributed to the groups thoughts and actions in their own way. It’s a healthy friend group and who doesn’t want/need that?

The author was very creative in the way this all played out. I absolutely thought it was going to turn out differently than it did. The end had me like 🤨🤨.

Also, even though I don’t have a twin sister or a sister that’s close in age I completely understand the misunderstanding that Devon and Drew had. Sometimes it’s hard living up to everyone else’s expectations that you become this expectation, Drew’s being “Andrea”.

I feel like Drew firmly telling her friends to only call her Drew was her drawing a line between her expectations and who she truly was. She was trying to keep them separate but even her family and true friend group made that hard for her. I’m glad they were able to rediscover themselves and realize that even though they are twins they are constantly growing and changing and sometimes that’s together or apart.

I’m a bit late to the party, but thank you Net Galley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC of this book.

It took me a long time to get through this book. Almost a month. I enjoyed it in the end but I’m not sure if the book was the problem or if I was.

Overall it was pretty fun, I devoured the first half (55%) in one day!! Then I completely lost interest and would periodically pick it up only to read a page or two before giving up. I can’t point to anything specific in the middle that made me lose interest but I’m glad I stuck with it and finished it.

This was a really good thriller/horror book. I enjoyed all of the call backs to classic thriller/horror culture. The characters were diverse and compelling. Fast pace and fun to reach. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book in exchange for my honest opinion.