*This review will be published on my blog, Goodreads, and various other platforms on December 23, 2024.

The LGBTQ+ club at Hillview High is in danger after a cheerleader is assaulted during a pep rally, and they're the only ones that were close enough to her to blame.

The school and the police seem happy to let the club members go down for the crime. Nobody is trying very hard to find out who is really behind the assault, so with nobody to help them clear their names, they have to take matters into their own hands if they want a shot at saving their club and their futures.

Thoughts

I don't have too much to say about this one. It's a quick and funny teenage sleuthing story and I enjoyed it. The relationships between all the club members was sweet and really gave the story some heart. I did predict who the culprit was pretty early on in the story, but predicting the assailant didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story at all. All in all a good debut, and I'll be looking forward to more from this author.

What a fun read, this was! Part murder, mystery, part commentary on homophobia in school, environments, and part romance there was no parts not to love! When the LGBTQIA+ club, which has all of four members, finds a student after an attempted murder, they quickly become the primary suspects of the crime. They all know that they couldn’t have done it, but they decide that in order to save their club, and all of their futures, they need to investigate what really happened. There are lines in this book that will make you laugh out loud and things that, especially as an educator, made me so angry about how the adults in this book were treating things like bullying and harassment. I’m so blessed to work in a state that allows students to express themselves, and for books not to be banned in schools, but this book reminds us of the terror and horror that students who do not live in a state like New York have to deal with every day in schools This book will definitely have a home in my classroom and definitely gave me the chuckle I needed.

This is a perfect young adult, queer thriller. I thoroughly enjoyed it and found myself so absorbed in the plot that I lost track of time. I do recommend it to queer youth looking for a novel to keep them on the edge of their seats!

However, reading it from an adult perspective, it felt underdeveloped and a bit unrealistic at times. I would have liked to see more character development on Eleanora, to really understand why she put so much pressure on herself to be the fixer of everyone's problems. I also would have liked for there to be a more realistic plot-line of the whole novel, really. For one, I think it was a bit too many things happening at once (attempted "murder," coming to terms with sexuality, homophobia, creepy old man, dead dad, corrupt administration, etc.). I would have enjoyed it more if maybe just a few of those things were included and further developed.

This was a nice quick and fast read. It is a good palate cleanser. It is a typical basic YA queer slasher, it definitely was fun, but it was just missing that extra spark to make it amazing for me.

AHHHH! Eleanora is the cutest, queerest amateur sleuth of her high school. The story sneaks in a variety of teen "relationships" as Eleanor and her besties try to extricate themselves from bring accused of attempted murder of a cheerleader at their school, with the police and principal breathing down their throats. Eleanor makes many comic missteps during her investigation making the book hilarious, full of crimes and romance too.

Definitely recommending for acquisition by high school library collection!

This was a fun little mystery—being YA, it was expected that it wouldn’t be too dark which worked. The short chapters and quick prose was nice and I think it would work really well for younger readers (which is totally what it’s meant for). As an adult reading this, it didn’t jump into the adult realm for me which works. The story was good and kept me interested. I liked the representation and plot of this book!

Thanks to Wednesday books for an eARC of this book.

Pride or Die was a nice quick read that can be done in one session! The pacing is just right although I would have liked more tension.

This is a fun new addition to the YA mystery genre!

This book was so much fun! It starts off with the action right off the bat. I really enjoyed the group trying to solve the murder attempt and clear their names. There was so many people that seemed like they could have been guilty. This was a quick and easy read filled with humorous moments.

The highlight of this book in my eyes is the drama. I love the pacing of the story which had me hooked and the chapters end on perfect cliffhangers. If you're in a book slump or need a serious distraction from life, this book will do the trick.

The characters felt somehow one-dimensional and had personalities at the same time. The best way I can explain it is if you took a stick figure and stuck a bunch of really cool backstories and character traits to them. At times it truly felt like the characters dissociated from themselves if that makes sense. Irrespective of what I think of the characters, they made for some interesting interpersonal dynamics that were really fun to read. Side characters fall into some archetypes but I loved their depiction in an effort to resemble reality.

I don't read much of mystery so I wasn't really trying to solve anything and I'll just say that the ending was interesting.

This is unrelated, but I read "I Kissed Shara Wheeler" by Casey McQuinston a while back. It was an LGBTQ romance/ mystery+thriller which I was excited for but disappointed by. I love that Pride or Die takes the same genres and does them so well. Also the name of the book is really clever and I love that.

Having read a similar premise as this one with Your Lonely Nights Are Over and other queer high school slashers, I tried to go in here with an open mind. But what I found was a very standard queer slasher, albeit one with flat characters that couldn't keep me engaged. I found myself unmoved by the things happening in the plot due to the cartoonish nature of the violence against them– the LGBTQ+ club being constantly referred to as The BLTs got really grating–and I found myself more often than not pulled out of the story by things that felt less camp and more someone trying to replicate teenage life and failing.

I do think that people who do like queer teen slashers will enjoy this, but more in the way that it's more cake, but not the best cake in the bunch. I'd love to see this author really make their cast of characters feel real. If you want the rest of the book to feel out there and camp, you need to have well-established characters who we feel for and are rooted in as we read.

Knowing they have a past in film, this book reads, in many ways, like a screenplay, and as such, it doesn't use the medium of long-form fiction to build out it's characters, and relies more on quippy dialogue or memorable images to try to continue the story. I almost want to see this as a film– I think I would enjoy it more.

*thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book to review.*

When high school senior Eleanora Finkel gets caught up in a murder mystery, she has to clear her name—and protect her LGBTQ+ club—while juggling anxiety, friendship drama, and a whole lot of chaos.

This book was just a good time. Be gay, solve crime indeed!! The premise is great, and it’s giving mystery/slasher vibes. I loved our queer little friend group. Such great representation. Salim and Tyler were standouts. I also cracked up constantly at Noah 😅.

But honestly, kept my attention the whole time and while I did suspect the person it was, the ending was SO satisfying. Loved the HoCo dance scenes!!

Enjoy!

Filled with laugh out loud prose and breathtaking twists and turns throughout the plot. Super compelling mystery read that really kept me hooked. Great debut for gay people solving crimes.

What a delightful read that can be such a must needed book
For teens that need a book to see themselves in.

There was so many things that I loved about this! First I loved that the senior year time line in school was actually realistic as it’s not in so many books. Also they didn’t relegate the guidance counselor to some quirky or inept employee that is so common.

It reminded me a bit about an LGBTQ Scooby do gang without the dog. The teens embroil themselves in investigating a crime which they also fear they have been implicated in. It’s not perfect and it shows how messy close friendships can get when stressors abound.

While some things are common tropes in the genre, they have a lighthearted way of tackling some very real issues that youth can experience in school. It is a very quick read and o can’t wait to read the final version as I’m sure some of the problem areas with be fixed in some way

If you’re a YA reader or you have one in your life, be sure to get this on your TBR for April 2025


I am thankful to have gotten an eARC for free from Netgalley and Wednesday Books to enjoy which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

I had so much fun with this one. Eleanora and her friend group were so wacky but fun to follow. Plus Kinley's whole character was a nice bonus. Tone-wise I didn't mind this one being more on the lighter side because it added to the absurdity of the book. The social commentary was done well, and I liked the conclusion of people having sides to them that don't make them necessarily good or bad (but the bad does outweigh the good a lot of the time).

A fast-paced, exciting mystery/thriller about a Texas high school's LGBTQ+ club who are accused of attempting to murder the school's head cheerleader.

This is the type of book I love - good mystery, queer characters galore, and a lesbian MC to boot. I thought the pacing was good. I got through this pretty quickly (despite an abnormally busy weekend!) and it captured my attention from the start. I adored all of the side characters: Tyler, Noah, and Salim all had my heart. Oftentimes when you have several side characters it's easy for them to not get fleshed out individually and sort of become a conjoined blob of "friend" characters but I'm happy to report this was not the case here! I grew attached to all of them and was really rooting for each and every one of them. For a debut novel, "Pride or Die" is impressive - an interesting plot, several really strong characters, and it *mainly* hits all the marks of what I'm looking for in my books.

However, where I struggled personally was with Eleanora, Kenley, Principal Ballard, and the ending (sort of!).

To start with Eleanora, our main character, what didn't work for me was simply the fact that I couldn't picture her in my mind. This is somewhat just a me thing, but if I don't have at least some mental image of what a (main) character looks like within the first chapter or two, I'm more focused on the fact that I can't picture them than what's actually happening. I'm a "visual" reader and need to be able to "see" it in my head! Even by the end of the book, I still don't know what she looked like, other than (and I had to go back and check this) brown hair. I'm not saying it needs to be a laundry list of appearance traits just dumped in a paragraph, but a little more detail would've helped me.

Other than that, however, I loved Eleanora's character and thought she was well fleshed-out, with clear motivations and actions that matched that.

On to Kenley - where I'll be brief, I swear! - I really, really enjoyed her character. I'm a sucker for the popular-cheerleader-is-actually-gay trope. I wish we'd gotten more from her, though, because I think her character took the back burner to everything else that was happening, despite being the catalyst. I also wish we got more of her and Eleanora's relationship because I really liked them together a lot!

Principal Ballard, to me, also read very flat. He was a villain, through and through, with no redeeming characteristics until about 2/3 of the way through (and even then it's mentioned maybe twice then never again). I think even "bad" characters need to have motivations to make it more believable!

Then, finally, the ending. I don't think the actual reveal was built up enough. Reflecting on the rest of the book, I don't think you could ever even guess the ending, and I think it would work better if there were more hints throughout so it felt earned. It's hard because I *like* the ending, actually, but I think it's a little out of nowhere.

Despite all of that, however, I still fully enjoyed this book. It was fun and accomplished what it set out to do. I was impressed by a lot of the characterization and the building of suspense throughout. It had me rooting for the characters and guessing about what was going to come next -- two of the things I most look for when reading. I would recommend this to anyone looking for more YA mysteries/thrillers!

Pride or Die is cute, but didn’t grab me. It’s easy reading, the characters are fun, but the story didn’t move. I also, while never offended by profanity, didn’t understand the use of it in this novel. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 2.5 stars rounded down.

****SPOILER ALERT****
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I am giving this book a solid 4/5. I liked the premise and also enjoyed the fact that the victim doesn’t die because for this story I feel like that would have actually been too heavy.

Hated Ballard from the beginning and was really excited that he got his just desserts in the end. I was also glad that creepy old man Herb also got removed from the school and just in general away from those kids.

I feel like I really like a lot of characters in this book, especially Noah. Also even though some of the side characters I liked weren’t focused on more, because it wouldn’t have made sense to the story, they still had their shining moments and you really got to be happy for them… Mr. Shaw and Ms. Wintson

I called Kenley being closeted and ending up with Elenora as a couple by chapter 3 but that was okay because they each didn’t know for a long time and I was curious to see how it played out .

Overall it was a good read and definitely a book I would read again

PRIDE OR DIE is, and I'm not exaggerating, one of the funniest books I've read in a long time. When Eleanora Finkel and her friends in the LGBTQ+ club are framed for attempted murder of a (very very cute) cheerleader, they must find the culprit before they are thrown in the clink--or before the murderer strikes again.

Author CL Montblanc's writing is incredibly sharp, fresh, silly, and electrifying, and they write with such and compassion for their characters--a rag tag group of queer teenagers deep in Texas fighting for their right to exist, their right to love, and their right to not go to jail for a crime they didn't commit. And also to graduate! You will fall head over heels for Eleanora Finkel and the BLT club. You will root them harder than the head cheerleader, and you will be begging to join their found family by the time you close the back cover. Full of plot twists, hilarious hijinks, and truly touching moments of finding community when the world isn't always safe, PRIDE OR DIE is a wild and enjoyable ride from start to finish. I couldn't recommend it enough.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

In “Pride or Die,” C.L. Montblanc delivers a story centered on the struggles of queer teens as members of the LBGTQ+ club attempt to solve a mystery behind an attack. Eleanora, the dedicated president of her school’s LGBTQ+ club, finds herself in a race against time to save the club and secure its future after an attack on a head cheerleader, Kenley, casts suspicion on her and her friends. With a homophobic principal and an indifferent police force seemingly stacked against them, Eleanora, Noah, Tyler, and Salim take it upon themselves to clear their names and find the real culprit. Their investigation uncovers layers of hidden truths and unspoken secrets that complicate their path and expose real-world issues surrounding LGBTQ+ discrimination. Before going into the review, please note that there is some homophobia within this book, especially by authority figures; if this kind of content is triggering for you, you may not want to read this book, though the overall message is about acceptance and hope.

Montblanc handles the main character dynamics with depth, especially in depicting Eleanora’s strong leadership and the fierce loyalty within her friendship circle. Noah’s humorous antics, Salim’s struggle with coming out, and the unexpected alliance with Kenley all add layers to the story. The unique personalities of each club member shine, making it easy to root for them even when they’re in over their heads.

I did find the mystery aspect of Pride or Die to be a bit hit-or-miss. The plot was bit slow and I found the suspense lacking compared to the expectations set by the thriller-style title and cover. I was expecting more thriller elements, but the book was mainly focused on the investigation aspect as Eleanora continued to track down different leads and faced red herrings. The focus leans more toward character development and LGBTQ+ representation than delivering a gripping, high-stakes mystery. Although there’s an intriguing twist regarding the assailant’s identity, the journey there can feel predictable, and some plot points, like the principal’s over-the-top animosity, may come across as heavy-handed. I couldn’t believe there would be a principal who is so openly hostile to the LGBTQ+ club, and the police were particularly useless in this book. I did enjoy the reasoning behind the attempted attack, however, as it felt unique, and the ending was satisfying.

Ultimately, “Pride or Die” succeeds in highlighting the importance of creating safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth and addressing discrimination with nuance. For those looking for a character-driven story with heart and an authentic portrayal of LGBTQ+ experiences, this book is an engaging read.

be gay, solve crime. love the vibes on this one. 4 stars. would recommend, awesome thriller fun stuff. great mystery too.