Quick read that is engaging and fun.
Positives
Description of setting. The reader is taken right to the amusement park, riding the rides, smelling the foods, and hearing the noises.
Plot: Emotional to read about young people dying but the author does a great job hinting, describing, and revealing the circumstances.
Characters: Excellent mean girls and wonderful friend group who died.
Love the 90's references!

Could have used a little more explanation regarding Brie's need to join the Ems. Seemed rushed.

A scary but thrilling middle grade read. Loved the themes of courage and friendship. Put an unique twist in amusement park horror novels. Loved it a lot. Will check out more from this author.

⭐⭐⭐

RIDE OR DIE by Delilah S..Dawson
Thank you Delacorte and Netgalley for the Earc (Aug5)

Tonight is Brie's chance to get in with the popular crowd at her new school. When a game of truth or dare goes to far, Brie finds herself locked in an abandoned part of the amusement park where she meets a group of older teens. Before she knows it, she roped into something scary. Something sinister.
This book is a children's/middle grade horror book.
This book was relatively short and fast-paced. Though this isn't a mystery per se, I knew what was happening, and what would happen by the end, just after it started. RIDE OR DIE offers a layer of predictability in that sense, which is why I wanted it to be over. I got a little bored. It seemed like everything that was happening across the chapters was the same thing just a different font---If you know what I mean---and I found myself flipping through, checking how many pages were left, etc.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Delilah S. Dawson for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Ride or Die coming out August 5, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really love this author’s writing, so I was excited to check out this book. This was a really quick read. I thought it was a really interesting plot. I’ve seen a TV show that seemed really similar to this book. So I enjoyed the characters and supernatural elements of the book. The writing was awesome. I would definitely read more books by this author!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys supernatural books!

"Ride or Die" is a middle grade horror novel by Delilah S. Dawson. Brie is a middle schooler who has recently switched schools due to an issue caused by her sister (we don't find out what it is until later). She wants to be accepted by the most popular group of girls at school: The Ems. She manages to score an invite to their birthday party at an amusement park, but when a game of truth or dare goes awry (with Brie locked in the old abandoned part of the park), things start getting weird. The setting and story are appropriately dark and creepy and there are moments when Brie's life is threatened. Themes of true friendship and finding yourself will appeal to readers. A recommended purchase for middle grade horror collections.

Delilah S. Dawson wrote this perfectly and enjoyed the use of the amusement park in this horror novel. I was hooked from the first page and enjoyed the feel of this. The characters had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed the way they worked in this universe. It was everything that I wanted from this type of book and was glad I read this.