Pride or die review
This book was just okay. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t really good either.

I found that I couldn’t really connect with the characters, and that’s what usually makes me love a book. They just didn’t do much for me in this book unfortunately. None of them really stood out as interesting or even annoying to really make me care about them in any way. I just felt so ambivalent about all of them.

I also found that the mystery didn’t really hold up for me. The reveal of who the perpetrator was felt disingenuous to the character and felt to me like it came out of nowhere. I felt like there weren’t any clues about it to make it feel believable, so finding out about it felt not like a nice plot twist but more like a slap to the face. It just didn’t seem realistic and I couldn’t predict it at all, which seems to me like poor writing.

My biggest gripe with this book, though, was the focus on the name of the LGBTQ club. The fact that it was called the LGBTQ club so that the homophobic principal could refer to it as “the BLT club” and another character could call the main character “sandwich girl” in response really irked me. This was such a big part of the story, but I wish it hadn’t been. Had the club been referred to as a GSA instead, which allows for closeted kids and allies to feel welcome to join, this wouldn’t have needed to be a focus. I get what the author was trying to do, but it bothered me that it was such a huge part of the story. There was even a character who decided not to join the club after the initial “BLT club” fiasco because she was closeted and didn’t want to be associated with a club that was being targeted for harassment (and I can’t say I blame her). It just felt really unnecessary for homophobia to be such a big focus of the book, especially in a way that seemed so avoidable.

Overall, this book just didn’t do much for me. I wish I had liked it more because it had a lot of promise, but it just didn’t live up to its potential for me.

It’s not like Eleanora didn’t have enough problems to deal with already. As the founder of her Texas high school’s LGBTQ club, she was hoping to pass the torch on to the next generation when she and her friends graduate this year. But the club is WILDLY unpopular, and no underclassmen are interested in joining the club, let alone taking the reins. Enter an even bigger problem to deal with: while the rest of the school attends a pep rally, a popular cheerleader is attacked and left for dead in the hallway. The only people who skipped the pep rally are the members of the LGBTQ club, and they become the prime suspects. Eleanora and her friends need to solve the mystery in order to clear their names…but in doing so, they may become the assailant’s next targets.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s a fun YA thriller with a narrative voice that sounds like an actual teenager. There’s a big cast of characters who have distinct personalities without feeling like cliche archetypes. And I enjoyed the sweet little love story that serves as a subplot. If you’re an adult looking for a book for the teen in your life, this is a great choice. And while you’re at it, get yourself a copy too! It’s perfect beach read material.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Growing up I always loved a good mystery, so of course I was intrigued about this book. Well, I am no longer a teenager but a full dang adult.

Maybe it is because I am now older that this book wasn't it for me. It wasn't bad, the mystery was in itself interesting but I felt like it took somewhat too long. The little romance that was thrown in here was... meh.

All in all it was alright.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. I came to this as I started reading in June and it felt perfect for Pride Month. I had no clues where this was going and loved it for that. There is no way I can think of that someone could pin point early who the guilty party truly was but more power to those who were able to figure it out before the big reveal. It definitely felt like it was a teenager doing the investigations with silly mistakes and mistrust of the authorities although it was very much warranted in this case. I won't go back for a re-read but did enjoyed this as it happened. 3.5 stars.

I saved this book to read in June, for pride month. The cute mystery was enjoyable but I did find the depiction of bullying and teenage slang to be a bit too stereotypical so it lessened my enjoyment of the book.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC

This was really mid and there was no real thrill or mystery with this one. I felt like we got a lot of backstory but nothing to really say why the LGBTQ club was the target for murder aside from where they were at the time it occurred. Trying to protect the club and her friends from danger Eleanora was willing to risk everything to clear their names but again WHHHHY is still my question the blame never made sense. But if you’re a fan of One of Us Is Lying you might enjoy this book!

Pride or die is a ya thriller book where a girl is attacked in school while there is a school event which the Lgbt club skipped so they are accused of being the prime suspects and to save themselves and the club they try to solve the mystery while also becoming friends with the girl that was attacked. The characters live in a homophobic town and it affects the story and them in many many ways.
First of all I loveddd this book, It was exactly what I needed when I read it for taking me out of a killer reading slump. The motive of the attacker did feel a little silly to me tho and it didn’t feel as satisfying as I would have liked it to be but it gave me Scooby doo vibes and I love Scooby doo with my whole heart. I think this is a very good story for younger audiences to read and for a younger ya demographic so it felt a bit young to me at some points but I did really really enjoy it. The characters are lovable even with all their mistakes and I really liked the little sapphic romance that happens. The friendships were very cute and I loved the characters and their relationships with each other. It is an overall very good book that I really recommend. Cant help but be mad at the authority figures in this book ( police, principal…) for being absolutely incompetent and trying to blame an almost murder on a group of kids simply cause they are queer and at the wrong place in the wrong time.

"Pride or Die" is a perfect dark comedy murder mystery. Well, minus the actual murder. The characters are divine and beyond engaging. Truly, this prose is so entertaining and lush, filled with absolutely breathtaking roasts on nearly every page. Our core queer friend group (Eleanora, Tyler, Salim, and Noah) are all so unique yet lean into the same naturally bouncy group dynamics. I could read an entire book with their conversations on even the most mundane topics, because their super power (besides their stellar skills at applying glitter, of course) is making the most simple scenes into a buoyant pinball machine of back and forths. They're chaotic and messy, but always the brightest spot in your day. Apart from Eleanora's passion for the LGBTQ+ club's success and safety, anxiety is the driving force in her life and the way it's depicted here is startlingly accurate, which is very much appreciated. I dare you to read the first captivating chapter and resist chapter two. I'd advise you don't take me up on this dare, however, because it's an opener for the ages that lures you right in.

This was such a fun read. I loved all of the characters, I laughed so many times and honestly I just flew through this. I really really enjoyed this and didn’t want to put it down. I will absolutely be reading more from Montblanc!

This was a great YA mystery with twists and turns—perfect for a light summer read. That doesn’t mean there aren’t triggering topics, like bigotry, racism, and bullying. I loved the extensive representation within the book, including gender, sexuality, and race. Montblanc did a great job of interweaving these darker themes with the lightheartedness of the friend group.

The main character was fun but was also determined to stand up for her friends and what’s right. Even she has flaws that Montblanc addresses, which I appreciated. At no point did I feel anyone’s life was truly threatened; however, that doesn’t mean there weren’t stakes involved. Everything wrapped up nicely with a HEA, which was exactly what I was looking for in a YA mystery.
If you’re looking for a light mystery full of LGBT representation for June, this would be a perfect pick.

This was a fun read but I feel like it would have made more sense to set it in the past, even ten years. There were some parts where it would have felt more modern if social media had played a role in the story.

This would be the perfect book for younger teens who are just starting to get into thrillers.

I was hoping this would not end up being as cliché as the premise sounded, unfortunately...I was proven extremely wrong especially with the lack of real ability to tell what time frame this is in.

I guess I was expecting a bit more dark horror, a bit less junior detectives. But it was a overall entertaining read. Eleanora and the rest of the queer club were likable and flawed in equal measure. There was definitely some Scooby-esque hijinks at play. Good for fans of mysteries that don't take themselves too seriously.

It's been a while since I've read a YA book, so my expectations weren't super high, but I loved this one! I picked it up simply because the premise sounded fun, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much more depth was there once I actually dove into it.

There was a lot to like about this book I loved the dynamic of the friend group and I found their banter fun. I also greatly appreciated how intentional the representation was. When I picked the book up, I wasn't expecting any romance, but I actually really liked that element. I found the budding pairing endearing and I was rooting for them! I'd definitely say that this book leaned more dark comedy than it does mystery/thriller, but I didn't mind that in the slightest as the book kept up enough suspence to carry through to the reveal.

In a time when we're seeing attempts at queer erasure in schools, I think this book is both very relevant and encouraging. I wish there were more books like this when I was a teen!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

A SUPER FUN change from the norm in terms of what we've seen pub'd from contemporary YA as of late. A touch of thriller, a lot of comedy, and the kind of ending that makes you wonder when we're going to get a Netflix show.

When the books opens, we're introduced to a high school LGBTQ+ club that is in danger of extinction if it can't attract members from the underclassmen. Unfortunately, the situation only goes downhill after a popular cheerleader is attacked in the hall outside of the classroom and when Eleanora, Noah, Tyler and Salim are first on the scene, they quickly become the #1 suspects.

I thought this was a fun read, but in some ways it read like the author had a checklist. Each member of the club was a different "type": lesbian, trans, non-binary, and a non-obvious gay man. The adults were all cartoonish in how they were over-the-top, from the evilness of the principal (you could just see the spittle flying from his mouth) to the extreme purple cheeriness of Eleanora's mother to the kindly old janitor and creepy old security guard. Cheerleaders were universally mean, jocks were universally dumb, and everyone else was invisible. Everyone keeps talking about a murderer, but no one actually dies, and the book itself is very light on violence.

But despite the flaws and the maybe not the strongest mystery, I did enjoy the read and I'd be interested to see what the author comes out with next.

This is the story of a group of queer teens who are attempting to clear their names in this comedic mystery. Elements that worked well was the writing style. However the story felt undeveloped which pulled me out of the story at times. It does make a statement about how queer teens can be villainized/marginalized which did make me invested as a reader.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A quick, diverse mystery that was easy to read and fun to get through. It wasn't my favorite but I'm glad I read it.

It’s hard to graduate high school when you’re the prime suspect in an attempted murder. Seventeen-year-old Eleanora Finkel just wants to finish her senior year and get the hell out of Texas. But when her club meeting coincides with an attack on the school’s head cheerleader, she and her friends find themselves in the hot seat.In order to clear their names and ensure the survival of their club for future queer teens, they’ll have to track down the real culprit themselves. But Eleanora is far from a professional detective; she’s riddled with anxiety, annoyingly attracted to the case’s cute victim, and her trusty crochet hook feels insufficient for fighting off a murderer. Can this ragtag group of unlikely sleuths find their way out of an entire freaking murder mystery before one of them is next?

Most of the adults display a staggering inability that’s frequently used as a convenient plot device. These elements may at times take readers out of the story, but the fast-paced plot and delicious mystery more than carry the narrative. A delicate queer romance that blossoms throughout the story is the icing on the cake. A solid and overall engaging queer not-so-murder mystery with a touch of humor and a splash of romance.

This book had its high points and low points. I enjoyed the premise, and the storytelling was fantastic. There were moments that I felt the writing was so strong, and other moments when it was lacking, but overall, it was a fun and entertaining read. The group of teenagers were all likeable and easy to follow. The love triangles and 'murder mystery investigation' were fun aspects that added to the depth of the story as well. All in all, I'll definitely be reading this one again!