Someone recommended this book to me "for fans of Bottoms", and while it's not an exact match, I can totally see where the comparison comes from. This was dark and funny, and delightfully queer, and delightfully gen Z... That being said, it didn't quite land for me.

I adored the author's debut, and was incredibly excited about this one, because I love trope-y, teen horror media. Unfortunately this one felt a bit lacklustre for me. Something about the balance between the lighthearted relationships and dialogue, paired with the tension and horror elements just didn't work for me. The pacing also didn't work great - it felt rushed in some of the earlier horror scenes, then the middle felt like it dragged on. The conclusion didn't feel particularly suprising or clever, so it also ended in a slightly unsatisfying way.

The things I did like though: I liked the sense of humour of the characters, and I loved their complex and messy relationships.

I didn't love this, but I did tear through it in one day, so it is quite readable, especially if you like horror stories.

A perfect horror novel for the modern reader. This book was funny as well as scary and tackled many topics well. I loved the friendship dynamics and character growth throughout the novel. All the main characters had to improve not just those around the POV character and that was so fulfilling. The twists and turns were unexpected at first read but the crumbs were laid perfectly so it didn’t feel out of left field. Overall greatly enjoyed and would recommend to fans of The Taking of Jake Livingston and You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight.

*4.5 Stars*

I really liked this book. The main character drew me in from the very first page. I could not stop reading. She was far from perfect but that made her so interesting. I really enjoyed seeing her evolve throughout the book and see the relationship with her friends and her twin evolve too.
I also loved the plot. I had not read a book like it before and I was completely enthralled.
I really loved the friend group in this, they all had their own distinct personalities and it also really drew me into the story.
So, basically, this sophomore book by Joelle Wellington was even better than the first and I cannot wait for more.

I loved this wild read! As a horror fan, I really enjoyed all of references to different horror tropes. The relationship between the characters was very entertaining. Such a cool concept!

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. These opinion are completely my own.

I'm honestly still not sure I liked the book or not. I adored the characters and how wonderfully they described. You knew exactly who you were dealing with in the Slasher movie genre. I did find the book rather slow and though to get through at times.

This one had me absolutely reeling. As a fan of scary movies especially scream and all the other 90s flicks I was so excited for this one. And turns out I can handle scary stuff in movies way more than books. I could not stop reading and also could not sleep at night while reading this!

Highly enjoyed even though I guessed the bad guy reveal and some of the twists pretty early on. Overall a really enjoyable YA thriller with some paranormal aspects as well.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada & Netgalley for the opportunity to read this one early in exchange for an honest review.

Reviews will be posted to Instagram & Amazon closer to/on pub day

I REALLY wanted to like this.

The premise of this book was great. Choatic Friend Group goes to Rich Kid party. Host pulls out the Ouija board. Friend Group actively protests but goes along with it anyway. Demon is unleashed. All hell breaks loose

I think it was supposed to be a fun campy "slahser" type book, but it missed the mark. The way events were described always made me feel like I was missing something, but like, not on purpose.

I did like the use of retro horror movie knowledge to try and explain and solve what was going on, but it felt rushed.

It felt like there were too many storylines that didn't lead anywhere, and too many characters that I just did not care .

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for this ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟.5/5

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC of The Blonde Dies First by Joelle Wellington!

As a horror fan, I can be a bit tougher to judge horror books, but Joelle Wellington absolutely killed this (pun intended). With Scream being my favourite movie, I can greatly appreciate the homage paid to it and to all other meta horror movies. You can tell just by reading that the author is clearly a fan of the genre and that their heart and soul were really put into writing these complex and diverse characters who you truly just want to protect yourself, even though it’s proven that they are all very badass all on their own. It was funny, scary, and real, everything I love in a horror novel. Would’ve like to see some more diversity with the style of kills but honestly that’s just me being particular more than anything else.

Check out The Blonde Dies First by Joelle Wellington on July 30th! 🔪🩸

Thanks so much to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for an ARC of The Blonde Dies First by Joelle Wellington in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

I just finished reading this incredible book. It's not just a thriller; it has layers and stories within the story that cover LGBTQIA2S+ topics, race, and more. The author, Joelle, writes in such an engaging way, with jokes mixed in throughout, keeping you laughing along the way. Just when you think you've figured out the ending, another piece of information is revealed. If you enjoy movies like Scream, Final Destination, or other slasher films, then this book is for you. I can't wait for everyone to have the chance to read this.

3.5 stars

this was so fun! I love slasher films & now I realize that I might love slasher books as well. the beginning dragged a bit for me personally, BUT once the action started, i found myself pretty invested in the book. also, i think it was the perfect length and not too long. unfortunately, i didn't care much for the characters but it didn't affect my reading experience. i can't wait to read more from joelle!

and the cover??? i need it on my bookshelf!!

Did you have a little sister who rented the Scream movies repeatedly and watched them with you over and over? If so, this book is meant for you.

This is a delightful YA horror that doesn't take itself too seriously and has all of the tropes you know that you're dying to read. (hehe)

Devon and Drew are twins but could not be more different. Drew is a genius and goes to a private school where Devon couldn't care less about her sisters fancy school and rich friends. They have had the same close friend group since childhood and decide before Drew graduates early, that they will hang out with her private school friends. Then all hell breaks loose.

Rushing to fight a supernatural being and follow all the rules of a horror movie, our group grows up a little bit more, finding their bravery and finally being honest with each other.

I loved this book. It was such a fun time. I highly recommend it if you have a soft spot for silly slasher horror movies that make you spill the popcorn as your screams dissolve into giggles, but also love a good coming of age story where our characters grow and develop and learn together.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster CA for providing me with an ARC copy to review. The Blonde Dies First will be available to purchase or at your local library on July 30 2024.

The Blonde Dies First by Joelle Wellington is a fun slasher that follows a diverse group of six teenagers as Devon, the blonde, lesbian MC, tries to create the Best Summer Ever for her sister, Drew, who has graduated early from high school.

One of the biggest strengths of The Blonde Dies First, is its relationships between all of the main cast, from Devon and Drew’s messy sibling relationship to Devon’s quiet (but not so subtle) pining after Yaya, and many other relationships in the main cast that I won’t mention so I don’t get too spoiler-y but feature queer solidarity, and tough love. Another aspect of this novel that I really loved was seeing the subversion of tropes throughout the novel, especially as the novel follows three confirmed queer kids, one of which is named the Final Girl. I admittedly haven’t read or watched many slashers (or any horror) that features a sapphic relationship (Yaya’s sexuality isn’t ever address or named so I am going to stick with sapphic as a descriptor here instead of lesbian), but it was super refreshing to see a slasher that follows queer people but isn’t tokenized.

To touch on the tokenization a bit more, I believe five out of the six characters in the main cast are Black, and the one white character is Jewish, but the book never makes them into stereotypes (except maybe that white characters in horror movies are stupid for running towards the scary noise) and the tropes used are never ‘the black kid dies first’. I also won’t get into the finer details of the trop subversion, but the ‘types’ of characters in horror movies, like the blonde, the virgin, the Final Girl, etc., as they apply to the cast of this novel are never what they seem. And I think seeing each person fulfill a different role than assumed is super refreshing in a slasher novel.

I do think the novel was missing higher stakes, but that could also just be a personal preference. One reason I loved Joelle Wellington’s first novel, Their Vicious Games, is not just because of the feminist rage drenching every page of the book, but also the high stakes. We never knew who was going to come out unscathed at the end of the book.

Overall, The Blonde Dies First is an intriguing take on an inclusive, trope-y slasher that I never knew I needed. I really can’t wait to see what Joelle Wellington comes up with next.

RATING NOTES: For inveterate horror readers, 3 stars. For teen readers, this could possibly be a 4,

It was by Chance's conducting baton that a friend and I had come upon this title for a buddy read - I would not normally pick it up myself. We had recently finished two other books (Horror Movie and How to Survive a Horror Movie) that had meta undertones about the Horror Genre, and we thought it would be fun to make this a thematic trilogy.

The Blonde Dies First is pegged as The Breakfast Club meets Scream. I think the comparison to the Breakfast Club is a reductive one and used only because the teenage characters are forced into tropey archetypes similar to the movie (jerk, virgin, lush, nerd) - but more accurately, this technically more true of horror movies in general. If anything, I would say this is Scream x Final Destination.

The supernatural aspect of the story is very thin and basic, there are 'third act twists' that one could see from a mile away - but I once again state this as an inveterate horror reader that wants more from the genre. This title would be perfectly fine for younger readers, especially given its diverse cast (in terms of colour and sexual orientation).

I do wish to provide accolades for Joelle Wellington on the relationship between Devon and Drew - she does a great job of controlling how the reader is meant to feel about them at the beginning, and then evolves that opinion when more is revealed about Drew. Great job!

Thank you to the author and Simon Schuster for providing this advanced copy for review.

In her second book, Joelle Wellington crafts a twisty, supernatural horror with a strong cast of characters. After finding out her twin sister Drew plans on graduating early, the main character Devon is determined to make this summer the last summer ever. Nothing goes according to Devon’s plans because the relationship between the two sisters is strained, Devon is struggling with a not-so-secret crush on Yaya, and there might be a demon after them. And it looks like this demon is following horror movie tropes?
There’s a big cast of characters and Wellington writes excellent banter between them all. Their interactions really portray a close-knit friend group with interactions to show they all care for each other.
The romance between Devon and Yaya was really sweet. I wondered if Wellington would be able to carve out enough relationship development time between the two between the attacks by the demon, but they were there!
Also let’s talk quickly about the demon. I felt worried that things would be predictable with the demon following a trope-y horror movie killing order, but Wellington switched things up!
I have an issue with the pacing but that’s my opinion. It took a while to Drew to believe her own sister! Their thorny relationship stalled the investigation for quite a while. I didn’t feel gripped until the last ~30% of the book.
I want all the success for Wellington. I’m always happy to read books about BIPOC main characters, by BIPOC writers! The diversity in this book was wonderful too. We have 3 queer characters and an ethnically diverse friend group.
If you’re curious about the premise, give it a read!

Joelle Wellington does it again! A group of teens band together to kill a demon with tons of plot twists and teen angst. Read this if you love stranger things and the scream movies!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for this ARC of The Blonde Dies First by Joelle Wellington. Wellington's Their Vicious Games from last year absolutely blew me away so I knew I had to jump at the chance to read The Blonde Dies First. Unfortunately, the wit and charm with which Wellington commanded my attention in her debut was present here. I found the pacing to be odd and overall, the story itself just was not as captivating and the characters were rather lackluster. I could not keep myself interested, although I desperately tried. I am sure there are others who may feel differently than me, but for me personally, this was unfortunately something that missed its mark.

This was a decent YA horror/thriller. I LOVED Joelle Wellington's first book, but it was set at a boarding school, which is really my thing. This one is more of a slasher, which is NOT my thing. I think it was well done, but it just didn't grab me in the same way.

This was such an entertaining book. To me it was the craziest combination of Grand Army, Fear Street and Venom and I absolutely loved it.

That cover made me request it so quickly, but the writing was not for me. It truly felt way too young for me. I could not get into it and unfortunately I had to DNF.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🎧Song Pairing: Demons - Doja Cat

💭What I thought would happen:

I loved Their Vicious Games so hard in 2023! So when I got the approval for this one I dropped everything. I thought racist cult NOT SUPERNATURAL HORROR 😂

And this title rocks hard. Like who is the damn blonde? They always die first right. I’d be a goner🫶🏼

📖What actually happens:

Devon is determined to have the best summer ever with her best friends and twin sister who graduated a year early. Only one small tiny problem…there’s a demon trying to kill them off one cliche horror film character at a time. Devon being the blonde was supposed to die first…

🗯Thoughts/sassy musings:

Holy black magic….ouija, demons, horror film stereotyped kill order….this book has endless thrills 😂

I in no way disliked this book buuuuuut horror is not my genre (books looove movies - I like to see the blood kidding!) If YA horror is your cup of tea definitely give this a try or in the least please check out Their Vicious Games!

This👏🏼book👏🏼should👏🏼be👏🏼a👏🏼movie👏🏼

Read if you like:
💁🏼‍♀️Blondes
💵Patagonia vests
👻Oooooouija
🏳️‍🌈LGBTQ crushes
3️⃣Third act twists