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.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing and NetGalley for my ARC copy! This review contains my personal thoughts and opinions.

After falling in love with Joelle Wellington’s Their Vicious Games, I went into The Blonde Dies First with high hopes. Unfortunately, this sophomore novel didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

The story had an intriguing concept with its sci-fi elements and a final twist that added a spark of excitement. However, the journey to get there felt lackluster. The beginning dragged on, making it hard to stay engaged, and I struggled to connect with any of the characters. While I understand that YA books often reflect the complexities (and sometimes the insufferability) of teenage personalities, this felt a bit over the top.

There was so much potential for this book to embrace its horror-movie inspiration, but it never fully leaned into the thrills and chills I was hoping for. That said, there’s a foundation here that could have been spectacular with more character depth and a quicker pace. Fans of Wellington might still find moments to enjoy, but for me, this one fell flat.

Rating: 3/5

A good YA slasher book. It was not predictable but it did lead us to some interesting paths and to learn a bit about ouiji boards. It was a quick read and a good friends to the end kind of vibe.

This was different from any other “slasher” type book I have read. Was quite entertaining and kept me on my toes! Wasn’t super scary, but was quite messy. 4.5 stars!!

Maaaan I was so excited for this one!

I was only able to get through about 20% of this book before I decided to DNF it. I found the main character a bit annoying and I didn’t like the dialogue between the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and to the publishers for giving me this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This. Book. AH!

I loved the use of slasher film tropes to tell this story and develop the characters.
I was a little suspicious of a few different people throughout because I just didn't know what to expect.
Overall this book was fantastic and absolutely met the expectations I had for a Joelle Wellington book that were set by reading Their Vicious Games.

Huge thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book.
All opinions are my own.

This book offers an intriguing twist on the classic teen slasher storyline. Much like Scream, it breaks the fourth wall, challenging the reader’s expectations about the typical order in which teens are picked off based on their roles within the storyline. It draws readers in, making them part of both the horror and the reading experience.
The storyline felt somewhat disjointed to me. I was intrigued by the dynamics between the friends and how they’d have to come together to face the entity targeting them. And the mystery of uncovering the demonic force and discovering the identity of the one picking them off one by one pulled me in. However, I felt there was a lack of connection between these elements, which left me feeling lost at times. Overall it was a compelling story and I enjoyed the author's take on the teen slasher with a fantasy aspect.


*Thank you to Joelle Wellington, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing | Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers and Netgalley for the copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

A fast fun little read. It reminded me a lot of the Scream movies. Some of the descriptions of the characters did take me out just a little bit however.

After reading @jowellington other book 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘝𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴, I couldn’t wait to read 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵.
At first, I didn’t know where this book was going because it had monsters but it also felt like someone was playing with this particular group of kids.
Devon, her twin sister Drew & their friends live in the ever changing neighborhood of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Drew is graduating (early!) & Devon is determined to make it the BEST SUMMER EVER!
But, after attending a party of one of Drew’s friends house, weird things happen to the group of friends; as they see they are being targeted one by one like a horror movie (the blonde, the jock, the nerd, the asshole, & the final girl who happens to be Devon’s crush). But when Devon narrowly escapes, the group uses their knowledge of horror movies to try & survive the summer.
So like I said, it was giving supernatural vibes but also in my head, I was thinking could it be special effects?
If you read between the lines, you can kind of guess who was behind everything but it took me until like thee very end to really get a theory.
I really liked that this book took place in Brooklyn, so it was super easy for me to picture the setting. Overall, I really enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘝𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 & I can’t wait to read more of Joelle Wellington books!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for providing me with an eARC of The Blonde Dies First in exchange for my honest review!

As a fan of slasher horror, I'm glad that this was quite the fun and thrilling tale. It's intriguing to see how this takes its Scream-esque foundation and blends in a paranormal layer to create something fresh, even while it's relying on fairly familiar tropes. The likability of Devon and her friend group further amplifies the entertainment and gets me more invested in the suspense that they're doing their best to survive through. Sure, the first act can move along a little slowly, but it doesn't deter me much. And when we reach the third act, it ends up satisfying me as to how we wrap up the mystery and where we leave off the characters.

Overall, I'm officially rating The Blonde Dies First four out of five stars. I'll be keeping more of Joelle Washington's work in mind down the line.

I loved The Blonde Dies First! It felt like I was reading a horror movie script at times and had a great number of twists and turns. Some of it was a bit predictable but I didn't mind that because there was still enough that I didn't see as predictable. Joelle Wellington has been solidified as an auto-buy author for me going forward. Some authors have their "sophomore slump" but Joelle definitely skipped that!

The Blonde Dies First was incredibly innovative and enthralling. I would highly recommend this title for teens who want a horror-savy, queer, and Black female led book full of creeps and chills. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens next, especially between Devon and her crush Yaya.

The Blonde Dies First has been anticipated reads, getting an ARC copy from NetGalley made it even more exciting!
I would recommend it to young horror fans, It is worth picking up for a spooky season. This story has slasher film stereotypes we all know of and brings it into book form. Once the action starts you will not want to put this book down.

Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC!!

I thoroughly relished this literary work, as it captivated my attention and required only a brief period to peruse. I am convinced that this would make an excellent selection for various book clubs. I intend to endorse it to my acquaintances who share a love for literature, and eagerly anticipate delving into the author's other works.

A wonderful YA Slasher!

A fun low stakes slasher style paranormal horror with a dynamic friend group, messy sibling bonds, coping with change/growing up, pining, and more! It’s not very scary which isn’t shocking since almost no YA horror books are, I enjoyed it as a horror movie lover. The stakes aren’t very high and you’re never worried for the characters as it’s a lot of them trying to survive but hardly getting hurt.

This plot is still a good time and their friend group is the main selling point. It feels real and authentic, like I’m with my own family or friends. I thoroughly enjoyed their banter and overall dynamic. The slang is accurate and their parents are around to foil plans making it even more accurate for real life as a teen, unlike other YA books where parents conveniently don’t exist/care/get involved. I never found that realistic when I was that age and I by no means had strict parents, so that’s saying something.

Overall I liked this book and had a good time. I yet again enjoyed Joelle Wellington’s work so I’ll definitely keep reading more from her. I want to note that this shouldn’t be compared to Their Vicious Games because they’re two separate stories. I see many comparing them when they’re simply not comparable and if you do this you’re setting yourself up to fail with this one. I adored Their Vicious Games, five stars across the board for that one but you gotta remember this isn’t that.

Overall a fun YA horror book, but I was never convinced that the stakes were high enough. The tone of the book never lets you believe that any of the main characters could actually die, despite this being a supernatural slasher of sorts. I would recommend it to young horror fans, but not to young horror nerds, who I don’t think would be satisfied with the execution. Still, it is worth picking up for spooky season.

I loved that this was such a fun read with diverse characters! The plot get a little campy and even telegraphed at times, but I don’t expect many truly shocking plot twists from a YA novel.