Amy Christine Parker delivers an intriguing blend of mystery, suspense, and high school drama in You're Dead to Me. With its fast-paced plot and a protagonist who refuses to back down, this novel keeps readers engaged from start to finish.

Ruby is a bold and complex main character—flawed, sharp-tongued, and unapologetically determined. Her transformation from the notorious ReputationKiller to a girl fighting for her life adds a compelling layer to the story. The small-town setting of Oleander Bay is filled with secrets, scandals, and plenty of suspects, making the mystery element thoroughly entertaining.

The pacing is strong, with enough twists and red herrings to keep readers guessing. The supernatural twist—Ruby’s terrifying vision of her own ghost—adds an eerie touch that enhances the tension. However, some plot points feel rushed, and certain character motivations could have been explored more deeply.

Despite a few predictable moments, You're Dead to Me is an enjoyable thriller with plenty of drama, suspense, and high-stakes tension. Fans of YA mysteries like A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder or Pretty Little Liars will find this a fun, if not groundbreaking, addition to the genre.

I liked the mystery and humor throughout the book. I liked the relationship between Ruby and her two friends. I didn't love the paranormal aspect of the book.
I would read another book by this author for sure!

Amy Christine Parker’s You’re Dead to Me is a captivating and suspenseful story that tackles themes highly relevant to high school students today, including identity, family conflict, grief, and the complexities of friendship. Ruby, the novel’s teenage protagonist, is thrust into a tangled web of secrets and lies after the death of her estranged father. Parker’s writing is rich and atmospheric, perfectly capturing Ruby’s emotional journey while keeping readers on edge with twists and turns.

This book is particularly relatable for teens because it doesn’t shy away from the messy and sometimes uncomfortable realities of growing up. Ruby’s struggle to uncover the truth about her father and her family’s past reflects a broader theme of self-discovery and learning to reconcile with life’s uncertainties—an experience many high school students can identify with. Fans of television shows like 13 Reasons Why or Outer Banks will likely be drawn to this novel, as it combines mystery, family drama, and deeply emotional moments.

Parents, however, should be aware that You’re Dead to Me delves into heavier topics such as grief, estrangement, betrayal, and some risky behavior by the characters. While these elements are handled thoughtfully and enhance the story’s authenticity, they could raise concerns depending on the age and maturity of the reader. The novel also explores the impact of family secrets and dishonesty, which could be an excellent springboard for discussions about trust and communication.

In sum, You’re Dead to Me by Amy Christine Parker is a masterful mix of mystery and emotional storytelling, making it a compelling read for today’s teens. Whether read for entertainment or as part of a discussion on identity and relationships, this book offers powerful insights and an unforgettable story.

this young adult novel gives you the vibes of gossip girl with a twist of violence and mystery now that the women Ruby has starts seeing herself as a ghost, maimed and murdered. One week before prom will she be able to figure out who killed her, why is she in a prom dress? My thoughts on this read is that it is very high on the suspense side, it will keep you guessing and I also was left with so many other questions.

I loved the characters and the premise so much! Also making me mourn for a bear was diabolical, but the author did it so well.

My one thing is the pacing at the end was so fast but, considering it was life or death situations for a good several chapters I think it makes sense.

Thank you NetGalley and Delacorte Press for granting me an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for my honest and personal opinion!!!

ARC Review- 4.5 ⭐ (Rounded down)
Publication Date- 12/10/2024

WOW--I could not put this book down. This was such a fun and campy read I loved it. This is a YA novel, but as a woman in my 30s I still loved it.

I got very much Gossip Girl vibes from this book as it follows Ruby who is known as the #reputationkiller among her high school and the fallouts that her posts cause. There is however a serial killer, the Mannequin Man running around town too. Ruby is also haunted by her ghost so there are supernatural elements to the story as well. I really enjoyed the guessing game of who the killer is and all of the sleuthing down to figure it out. Very twisty and good.

I was a little skeptical about this one, but I ended up enjoying it! I felt the beginning was a little slow but it began to pick up and I could not put it down!

I thought this was really good book. I liked the characters and the story. But some parts fall flat for me.

❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️

Ruby Toller, a high school Senior, lives in Florida with her single-Mom and her Mom's annoying boyfriend, Hunter. They reside at and run at a small Nature Park, that was passed down to Ruby's Mom from her parents. Ruby loves working at the Park, taking care of the animals. It's her home and she plans to always be there. Unfortunately, demand for these types of attractions isn't what it once was, and they struggle to stay afloat.

Thanks to a generous scholarship, Ruby is able to attend the very prestigious Oleander High School, a private school full of richy-rich teens. Just because she attends though, doesn't mean she fits in, or is accepted and Ruby has grown a bit of a chip on her shoulder. One thing she has been successful at though is her thriving anonymous-local gossip blog, ReputationKiller.

Ruby digs up dirt on the most elite families and community members and blasts them on her blog. Thus, aptly doing just as the blog title states, killing reputations. When Ruby is outed as the force behind ReputationKiller, the whole town turns against her, except for her best friends, Anton and Xavier, and shockingly, an attractive rich boy named Alexander.

More of an outcast now than ever, Ruby feels isolated and like her life is out of control, but at least she has a life. Even that comes into question however, when Ruby starts being haunted by her own ghost. That's right, she's being visited by her dead self, in a horrible state of decay, clad in a tattered prom dress. It's clear from the ghost's appearance, she didn't get that way due to natural causes. With the prom just days away, Ruby and her friends must figure out who is going to murder Ruby, and stop them, before it's too late.

You're Dead to Me was a super fun reading experience for me. I haven't read a YA Horror-Thriller with such successful Supernatural aspects in a long time. I found the story to be fast-paced and engaging, with some great Horror imagery. It kept me wanting more and guessing. There were some truly intense moments.

I also loved the way the Florida setting was used and the stark contrast between the 'Haves' and 'Have-Nots' within this community. It felt realistic. It is super-dramatic, as you would expect from a Teen Scream, but all that drama was really well-executed in my opinion. It had me reaching for my popcorn, versus rolling my eyes, which is always a good sign. I appreciated the way the author steadily built the intensity throughout. The stakes keep getting higher and higher as the days tick down until the prom.

I also liked the relationships between Ruby and her best friends, as well as her budding relationship with cute boy, Alexander. The friends supported each other very well, even through all the crazy things they go through in this book. Ruby's relationship with her Mom was rather complicated and I did like the exploration of that as well. Families are messy, you know?

Overall, I thought this was a super solid YA Horror-Thriller. If you love a Teen Scream, full of drama and danger, you should absolutely check this one out. Thank you to the publisher, Delacorte Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author in the future!

I didn’t love this book. It had an interesting premise, and I was surprised by who all was involved in the end, but the writing fell a little flat for me.

Gossip Girl plus Tiger King?? This book was really fun and creative and a wild suspenseful ride. Being a kid on financial aid makes it hard to fit in with her wealthy Florida classmates. Ruby is the child of a single mother who owns a tourist trap animal park that her mom's skeevy boyfriend hopes to sell.

Ruby also has a huge secret: a Gossip Girl-style TikTok where she exposes her classmates' secrets. Right before prom, Ruby's secret identity gets revealed AND she starts seeing a ghost.

This book was super creative and fun.

3.5 stars
 
This is a YA thriller marketed as "Gossip Girl" meets "Happy Death Day". I can get the vibes of both of those, but with there being no time loop, I think that comparison sets readers up for disappointment. I still had a lot of fun reading it, but the whole time I kept waiting for time travel to no avail. We're following Ruby, a scholarship student at a fancy prep school in Florida, who runs a gossip TikTok she uses to "kill" the reputations of her rich classmates and their uppity parents. Ruby works at her family's business, the Wonder Park, which is basically a backwater zoo that I could never decide how I felt about. There's also a masked killer on the loose in town that has everyone on edge. Suddenly, Ruby is discovered as the person behind the gossip page at the same time that she sees her own ghost dressed in her prom dress. Either she's cracked, or she's going to die at the prom, which is a week away. 

I liked Ruby, and the investigation and resolution to the mystery aspect was fun and engaging, but I didn't feel like I got to know any of the side characters enough to care about them really. I did gasp a few times reading this, and the setting and motivations of the murders made it unique, so I'd definitely recommend to other YA thriller lovers. I could see this being a fun TV show, too, with lots of room to expand the individual storylines. I did think the supernatural aspect was a bit weird and unexplained, but overall I had a fun time and read it in a few hours. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

What an exciting read! I absolutely couldn’t resist when I read “Gossip Girl meets Happy Death Day” and it didn’t disappoint. This is such a great read for fans of YA horror or someone looking for a book for spooky season.

Gossip Girl but make it Horror/supernatural. Overall I enjoyed this book. I found some plot points hard to believe but overall a twisty young adult horror. Ruby is a likeable protagonist who narrates the book well, I was rooting for me to unmask the killer without getting killed herself. Read it for good horror fun with ghosts and good writing!

Ruby is a senior at the prestigious Oleander High School. She uses her skills to blog as ReputationKiller and always takes down the rich, popular wrong doers. When a series of events leads to her unmasking, she starts to see visions of her ghost-Carrie style. Meanwhile, her town has a serial killer. Someone wants her dead and she is going to find out who. The only problem-there are so many possibilities. Who is the killer? Can Ruby figure out who it is before it’s too late?

The plot is engaging, well developed, and suspenseful. The characters are richly constructed and realistic. The stakeouts and undercover missions help to draw the world building and draw readers into the story. Readers who like mystery, thriller, and supernatural elements, and high school set horror will want to pick this one up. Recommended for most library collections. 5 stars, Gr 7 and up.

In order to fairly review this one I have to set aside my "old" adult eyes and view it through a young adult lens. I have to ignore that the main character inexplicably calls her mother by her first name AND that teenagers are allowed to run amuck while a serial killer is on the loose. Alright, now that I got that out of the way I can see the appeal for teen readers. It's popcorn, it's juicy, it's totally bananas. Bonus points for the chapter titles making an excellent playlist!

This book was interesting. I enjoyed it, but I wasn’t expecting it to have some scary parts, and I’m not someone who enjoys horror. It didn’t take away too much from my enjoyment of the book, but at some points I did have to stop reading for a while because I got scared.

This book pulled me in from the very beginning! I was hooked. It was like Gossip Girl but with murder. I enjoyed it and the characters were a bit chaotic but it made for a good storyline.

A fast-paced mystery with Gossip Girl and Happy Death Day vibes, minus the reoccurring day (groundhog style). Ruby Toller is a scholarship student trying to find her place among the elites. Her mother, who single-handedly raised her daughter, owns a “Wonderpark” but is heavily struggling with that on her own as well. Her whole life changes though when she starts a social media account under the alias “Reputation Killer,” exposing the gossip around campus. Seven days before Prom, her hidden identity is exposed and her victims starts to seek revenge on what she did to them. At the same time, a serial killer known as the Mannequin Killer is on the loose.

A chaotic, intriguing storyline that will have you page flipping through the book to find out what happens next! I loved it and will recommend yearlong for all my YA horror readers.