3.5 stars.
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Sometimes a book doesn’t hit like you thought it would. And that’s okay.
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I can’t help but compare this to the author’s debut and I think the difference between the two, for me, is that this book has much more emotion and less conflict and scares than TVG.
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Thank you to S&S for the early copy!

How do I even start with this review. I was completely thrilled when I was accepted to read this advanced copy because I’m a fan of Wellington. A demon who follows the rules of a horror film. Attacking the blonde first. With likeable main characters that help each other survive instead of separating and getting knocked out one by one. It’s absolutely a blast of a story and highly recommend for a YA horror for the summer!

I have never been so disappointed. I absolutely loved Their Vicious Games and so I had super high expectations for this one, but wow. Devon is going to be added to my "list of main character's I want to slap." Devon is one of those characters that hates things just to hate them and questions why everyone else isn't as miserable as she is. She's unnecessarily mean to pretty much everyone (there were a few people who deserved it) and she's an incredibly bad friend. I probably feel more uptight about this character than I normally would, but I was set off especially when she was late to meet everyone and still went and got food while being late. It triggered me after being that friend who had to wait alone for hours when friends decided not to show up when they were supposed to. That little thing combined with her "better than everyone" attitude just wasn't doing it for me. I love the idea of this book, but I just couldn't make it past her attitude and depressing outlook on everything.

Also don't smoke weed in public places. That shit stinks. Take an edible instead.

One of my favorite genres is kids on a bike. You know, where the kids ride around on their bikes and solve some giant mystery without the help of adults. The Blond Dies First is this, but taking the kids from the suburbs and into the city. We can call it kids on a subway.

Devon is determined to have the best summer ever when she finds out her twin sister is graduating high school early, leaving her and their group of friends behind. This leads Devon to a party she would never really go to where the kids break out a Ouija board, releasing a horror that none of them ever knew was possible.

Joelle Wellington adds a brilliant twist on the well known teen slasher trope and spins it on its head. The characters know what's happening, very similar to Scream, but all of it is coupled with real world horrors, like elitism, classism, and gentrification. The characters in this story are also very diverse, brining representation to a genre that hasn't always been diverse.

What makes this book stand out is that the kids deal with actual, real world kid issues while dealing with a demon who wants to kill everything. The kids deal with messy family dynamics, the pain of growing up and growing apart, queer love, and pressures from friends. The characters do talk about drugs and sex, but none of it is too graphic, so the book stays firmly in the YA genre. The pressures the characters face will seem very familiar to kids, so the book is highly relatable in that sense.

Overall, this book was fun. I think it was a little slow to get started, but now I realize it was us getting to be a part of the friend group and knowing each character. Without that beginning, the end of the book would not have been as satisfying.

So fun! Definitely a YA book that's happy to be a YA book. Its meta-ness brings a love of horror to YA in a way that writing straight-up horror never does.

Don't forget to stay for the post-credits scene!

THE YA THRILLER OF THE SUMMER!!

I absolutely devoured The Blonde Dies First! Wellington crafted the most lush blend of horror, meta, fantastic characters, and an enthralling plot. I could NOT put this one down! The meta of it all was so perfect and exciting to read, I love seeing authors get creative with tired tropes and not only poke fun, but breathe such new life into them.

For fans of Fear Street, do not hesitate to pick up The Blonde Dies First!

I thought this story was PHENOMENAL! I always enjoy a "meta" twist to a story, so when Devon, her twin sister Drew, and their friends find themselves being stalked by a demon, I thought that it was very clever that they recognized they were being targeted according to "horror movie rules". Devon's plans to have the Best Summer Ever with her twin sister Drew is derailed after a Ouija board at Drew's friend's party unleashes a demon. Self-proclaimed horror nerd Gael explains that the demon is hunting them according to horror movie rules - the blonde dies first, then the queer, minority kid, then the asshole, the nerd, and the "independent girl." They attempt to use this knowledge to defeat the demon. It's a rather heartwarming story, where family and friend relationships are stressed, and the kids find out that just because you think that you're, for example, the blonde, doesn't mean that you can't also be the Final Girl. It's a reminder that you never have to fall into just one box, and you CAN change the ending of your story. I think that this a wonderfully suspenseful novel with a unique meta twist, and I would fully recommend to fans of YA novels.

Thank you to Net Galley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC. I really liked the characters in this but the plot itself was just alright.

2.75 rounded up

The Blonde Dies First, to me, is like the equivalent of Stephen Graham Jones and the Indian Lake Trilogy. Both of these stories have these characters who are going through horrors and thrills with a meta lens on horror and thriller conventions, tropes, and patterns. It's like they know the script of what is supposed to happen. Yet both of these books don't feel formulaic and there's plenty of surprises within the conventions. The Blonde Dies First is about who we are going to be and who will be there with us.

In The Blonde Dies First by Joelle Wellington, a thrilling blend of horror and dark humor propels readers through a suspenseful summer adventure with a twist. The novel follows Devon, who is always overshadowed by her brilliant twin sister, Drew, but dreams of one last perfect summer together before Drew leaves for college early. However, their plans for a carefree break are shattered when a Ouija board summons a demonic presence that turns their summer into a nightmare straight out of a slasher film. With a demonic killer picking them off in classic horror movie fashion, it’s up to Devon and her friends to outwit the monster and rewrite the rules of their gruesome game. Wellington's sharp, engaging narrative and inventive plot make The Blonde Dies First a captivating read for fans of horror-comedy and suspenseful thrillers, offering a fresh and entertaining take on the slasher genre.

I am a massive fan of Joelle Wellington - Their Vicious Games is one of my favorite books from 2023. The Blonde Dies First is a very different book compared to TVG - I enjoyed this book however I was expecting a little bit more. I love a good slasher book but didn't love that it involved a demon who did most of the killings.

The Blonde Dies First is a story about a group of childhood friends who while at a party are involved in summoning a demon who is focused on taking them out one by one following the rules of a horror film in their world. Each of our main characters in the core group of friends is assigned a trope - the blonde, the queer-coded character, etc including a final girl.

It was a very fast-moving book and I loved how the characters worked together to help protect themselves and fight back against the demon however the twists and the ending were kind of a letdown - there were only a handful of antagonists in this book which made it very easy to narrow down the suspects.

It was a fun read though which I would recommend saving for the fall season

A group of friends accidentally summon a demon while using an ouija board and they come together to get rid of it. Devon and Drew are twins but Drew has graduated and gone on to college earlier so Devon is trying to make it the best summer ever while they’re still together which is kind of difficult with terrifying encounters happening left and right!! The characters were diverse and I love the relationships. I am not the target audience which I took into consideration but I really think 15 year olds and up would love this. I personally struggled with the pacing. I was really into the attacks and action scenes and then struggling in between. I became less and less invested in the characters as the book went on which is not what I thought would happen after such a strong start. Overall, it was a good read and probably better for a younger crowd!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Joelle Wellington, and Simon & Schuster for providing this free ARC. This is my honest review! This will publish on July 30th.

I have posted my review on Goodreads, my Facebook book club, and will make a TikTok to post before the pub date!

The Blonde Dies First by Joelle Wellington is a teen slasher about a core group of six friends that all surround twins Drew in Devon Harrison. The twin Drew a.k.a. Andrea is super smart and so her parents paid for her to go to school where she would be better educated without telling her twin Devon, she now is graduating a year earlier than the rest of their gang. This is how Drew, Devon, Yaya, Lila Gail and Malcolm find their self at a graduation party with Andrea and her friends from private school in there playing with a Ouija board. Yaya‘s rosary that she always wears brakes, a candle blows out, but the only one who notices is Devin and everyone else is just annoyed and creeped out that their smart discerning friend Andrea would go along with this. Devon just wanted to get closer to her twin sister and give her the best summer ever before she leaves but the next day at work Devon knows they will be lucky if they even survive till the end of summer.
I love a good hard-core campy team slasher and that is definitely what the story is an aid it up I could read books like this all day every day and be a happy person I think the author did a wonderful job making very likable characters in at a time where most lead characters are truly unlikable the author has written six very likable and even lovable people to route four. I do want to say however no time in the book do I remember the author saying what ethnicity or race the core group was but I noticed whenever a “white“ person entered the story she made certain to announce that as if there were some underlying message she was trying to convey. Because when telling a story and the only race you mention is one and not everyone else’s that really says more about the author than it does about the person reading the book… I don’t know what it says but nothing good having said that I still enjoyed the story and not the micro aggression racism but that is an issue for people smarter than myself. So what I am saying is despite the fact the author seems to have something against white people I still recommend this book as I enjoyed it and would definitely read more from them in the future. Because my mother may she rest in peace always said happy people don’t hate anyone and so now when I see someone who has a dislike for a certain race religion ET see it just makes me feel bad for them so let’s everyone be nice to each other and promote good relations between everyone.#Simon&SchusterForYoungReaders, #NetGalley, #JoelleWellington, #TheBlondeDiesFirst,

*Thank you to Simon Teen and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review and to Simon Audio for the gifted ALC*

Joelle Wellington is an amazing horror author. And even more than that, she wrote a fabulous queer horror novel in The Blonde Dies First. We've got creepy Ouija seances, a terrifying demonic entity, and a B-movie whose plot formula keeps playing out in real life. I liked how Devon came into herself as a character - from "the blonde" to something way more powerful. I also enjoyed how they metagamed the horror tropes and turned the genre on its head a bit.

I do think I missed some nuance to the whole demon thing, so the ending got a little confusing. But honestly? Sounds like I need a reread!

When I tell you I have never pre-ordered a book faster! I am in love with this! I love that we're getting more black horror books and we aren't just a sacrifice in the first page! I could not put this down the story was amazing and I'm definitely reccomending it to everyone I know!

I absolutely loved Their Vicious Games and was thrilled to get approved for this ARC. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint! Fans of campy horror, subverted tropes, and diversity rep in horror (where they dont all immediately die first!) - you want this on your list! Wellington is an auto-buy author for me for sure.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC of this book!
This book had everything I was looking for. Fast paced, great character development and the plot was well executed. The books plot was original and engaging and had great dialogue.
This book blew any expectation I had out of the water. I will be following the author for future books.

The Blonde Dies First is a teen horror that follows a group of childhood friends into absolute supernatural chaos featuring a diverse group from different backgrounds —Black, white, and Latino, and also queer representation.

Nothing good comes from messing with a Ouija board at a party and now there's a demon after them. I love how meta this book is and fans of YA horror will enjoy the twists and scares this book has to offer. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher.

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for providing me with this arc.

The Blonde Dies First is nothing like Wellington’s debut Their Viscious Games. However, her writing doesn’t miss!!

This YA thriller/slasher is the perfect mashup of Stranger Things with its’ supernatural elements & Scream. Joelle takes us on a wild ride through the streets of Brooklyn with a friend group who is determined to have the best summer ever at the hands of Devon Harris. Those plans are ruined after the group comes in contact with an Ouija board that has unleashed a demonic force. The crew spends their summer days and nights following the horror movie formula trying to kill the demon that is targeting them.

What I enjoyed most was the homage this story gave to the original Scream franchise. Also, I loved the inclusion of a diverse friend group made up black, Latino and white characters with queer representation. I personally didn’t relate to any of the characters but I did enjoy the sisterly dynamic between the main characters and watching their relationship blossom.

The author does a great job at highlighting gentrification and classism, while reminding us that these things can exist in our own neighborhoods from those who look like us.

I rated this a 4 star only because it took a minute to get into the plot in the beginning and I found the ending predictable. However, I think others would absolutely enjoy it and potentially be a 5-star read.

Joelle Wellington has done it again! I absolutely loved her last book and this one didn’t disappoint! This was the perfect campy horror book that takes you on a ride. I loved the characters and I can’t wait to read more from
This author!