This book is most deff wrth your time. I had a good time reading it and ill be buying this book when it comes out.

(2.5/5) When horror author Mortimer Queen dies, a group of writers are invited to the reading of the will, expecting to inherit part of his vast fortune. All the guests had ties to Mortimer while he was alive, except Melanie Brown–an awkward wallflower, a nobody who's found herself in an incredibly unexpected situation (so we know she's special, clearly).

However, when they get there, things quickly escalate as they find themselves locked within the house. As the doors close on our motley crew, the house is hungry, and they're ripe for the picking. They have to solve a riddle in each room within the allocated time, otherwise one of their group is devoured.

This is a fast-paced, chaotic read. Something's happening in every paragraph. A dead body falls through the ceiling. Flames jump from a candle, nearly burning a man to a crisp. And that's before we even get to the first room. Strange occurrences are happening at breakneck speed, yet it somehow still feels like nothing is happening–this reads more like a series of interconnected vignettes rather than a cohesive plot. The ending was also quite predictable, with our protagonist already singled out from the beginning.

Ultimately, an intriguing premise with plenty of action, but the overall execution and ending fell flat for me.

Okay Mallory Arnold. I see you. (in the best way possible)

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this book ahead of its publication date.

Not going to lie, I went into this book thinking it was going to be more of a thriller but it ended up being more of a horror novel with some thriller thrown in and I loved it.

We follow seven people as they gather for a will reading at a late author's estate and nothing is what it seems. These seven people end up locked in and have to solve a series of riddles to escape. Think an escape room meets The Haunting and ta-da.

At first I was confused as to why we needed specific chapters for each of the seven people (seems like overkill to have that many POVs) but they were definitely needed and served such a purpose.

Overall, this was a great, spooky ride that was hard to put down and the ending was great. Just when you thought it was all over, here comes one more twist.

Can't wait to see what else Mallory Arnold has in store for me.

How to Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold is a witty and fast-paced love letter to classic horror tropes, packed with humor and heart. The book cleverly flips the script on genre clichés, offering a fresh take on what it means to be the "final girl." Arnold’s writing is sharp and self-aware, making it a delight for both horror fans and those who prefer to watch from behind a pillow. If you love a story that blends scares with snark, this one is a must-read.

Such a great book. Wish it would have went on longer. I couldn't put it down. Couldn't get it out of my head.

This was a fun one. I enjoy horror, but I don't enjoy gratuitous violence and gore. Obviously some blood and scary bits are part of the genre, but I appreciate when it isn't overdone. I thought that the author had a great balancreviewe throughout this book with some frighteningly savage scenarios and humor. I find this really enjoyable, and I don't feel like it was formulaic. I questioned throughout which characters were telling the truth. Some were more sympathetic than others (Melanie, especially). I'd definitely read another book from this author, and I recommend this book to any horror fans.

Thanks to Net Galley for the book to review.

I really enjoyed the writing style of this book! It was so campy and fun and I was invested from the start.

Thank you to @NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me the E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.
How to Survive a Horror Story was a wild ride! Strangers are invited to a recently deceased horror author's mansion with no understanding as to why they are there. Weird things begin to happen and they quickly start to realize that they need to try to survive the night.
The story was fast paced and always kept you on your toes!

Look here...I love horror. I love campy. I love campy horror. This is a perfect campy horror novel and I can only hope one day this will be made into a campy horror movie.
I wasn't sure on the characters and who I loved or even trusted. I wasn't sure if Queen was a twisted lying jerk or a twisted hero.
I think the only thing Missy here was so background om the house. How did it come to be? Who discovered it? I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE a backstory on Mortmiers family history and the house. I just didn't get enough in this. Which is fine because I'm sitting on the story of the characters and their survival. Or lack of.
Really enjoyable read. Something I'll definitely do a reread of in the future.

The writing in this one was so gripping. The build up was great and moved the plot well. I wasn’t super attatched to the characters but enjoyed it nonetheless.

Unfortunately I just could not get on with the writing style. I think this is meant to be a little bit of a send up or satirical version of a locked room Saw-esque story line, but it really did not work for me. It's way too much tell and not show. The dialogue is so stilted and the characters going beyond being stock tropes, to just being empty stereotypes. Other people seem to have not had an issue with it so it's probably just me.

What does it take to write a horror story? For some, the ideas appear naturally, for others, the scares must come from personal experience. Mortimer Queen is a legendary horror writer. When he passes, his will invites seven authors to his estate. The rules are simple, solve the riddle, move to the next room, survive until morning. This locked room tale recalls The Fall of the House of Usher and The Haunting of Hill house.

This book was everything that would happen if Knives Out had a baby with Stephen Kings Rose Red.

When infamous writer Mortimer Queen dies a group of those with a personal history with him are summoned to the manor to see what they were left in his will only to discover there is far more to this evening than they bargained for.

As mentioned above the plot here is similar to that of Knives Out where the death of a mysterious, and somewhat problematic in his own right man, brings people to an isolated location where their faults are on full display. Each with their own embodiment of a deadly sin have to face the music so to speak when they find themselves trapped in a house that wants to eat them. I was unsure if it would truly be a supernatural element behind the whole thing and it is interesting that there’s a bit a both where some deaths are clearly at the hands of the house but others may have a more mundane perpetrator.

I wish the characters were a little more fleshed out as it was easy to spot who would survive and who wouldn’t with nothing but first impressions but it didn’t really hurt my read too much. Every single character is awful in their own way but I did wish we were given more so you had a connection to any of them but perhaps the fact that they were so shallow anyway was the point.

I would love more lore on the house itself and how it came to be apart from the brief history we were given at the beginning it seems like such a strong force to be kept in the dark but with the point of the novel being to punish I guess it’s fair the book has the last laugh there.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review**

How To Survive a Horror Story is a mix between a murder mystery and a bloody horror. I really enjoyed this one. The set up was very interesting and kept me turning the page. Parts of this story had my jaw on the floor from shock and gore. I also loved getting to know each character. I will say this book felt like it was dragging on at the end. I understand what the author was trying to do but it felt like a lot to get there. I wish she would have just cut Bucks death scene in the attic all together. It didn’t feel necessary. Overall I had a fun time reading this one. I will definitely be checking out more from this author in the future.
3/5 Stars

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an arc in exchange for my honest review.

"How to Survive a Horror Story" is an enjoyable blend of horror and mystery, offering readers a fun and engaging experience. The story is filled with a variety of interesting characters that keep the plot moving, and the twists and turns add a layer of intrigue. However, while the book is entertaining, I didn’t find it particularly scary or haunting. Some of the deaths felt a bit cartoonish, which took away from the horror element for me. Nonetheless, it's still a great pick for those looking for a light, spooky read with a hint of mystery.

3.5 rounded down.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC!

This was a little silly, a little creepy and a lot of fun to read! I was captivated by the characters and wanted to know what would happen next from the get go. There are some things I wish we got more of an explanation around (e.g., What is the house? Is Gia actually part of the house? Why Melanie?). I also wish that we had a chapter from Mortimer's perspective on all of the goings on, but I enjoyed the trajectory that this took. Looking forward to what comes next from Mallory Arnold!

I loved this book!!! I believe this is the authors first book, and she knocked it out of the park! I will absolutely positively be looking out for more from her! I was second guessing things, I was on the edge of my seat, and I was fully invested!

This is one that I was very excited about, the premise sounds very intriguing. There was a large cast of characters introduced and that kind of took me a minute to get acquainted with them all but once I got in the grove the story progressed nicely.

This is the author's first book and she did a solid job. This tale is a cross between a locked room mystery and a revenge story. It's described as horror but I would categorize it more as gore than a traditional horror story. It moved slowly in the beginning as the large cast of characters was introduced but then it picked up and never really stumbled. I look forward to reading more from this author.

‘How to Survive a Horror Story’ is so well written and feels really innovative in terms of plot. Although for me it just felt like there was just too much going on. The blend of fantasy and horror and the spin on a series of escape rooms as the setting just felt too chaotic for me to really feel connected to the cast of characters and invest in the storyline.
I did like the dynamic between Buck and Melanie and the ending felt very suited to the horror genre in a satisfying way but I just wanted more cohesion or more focus on the character’s individual stories rather than the fantastical elements. Although it wasn’t one of my favourites I did appreciate the way in which Arnold interweaved the cast of characters with their back stories to the tasks they had to complete gore and all. Definitely felt like a fresh take on the genre and the pacing of tension was taut throughout.