I had a really hard time deciding what to rate this one.

We follow our nameless, genderqueer protagonist and their goth best friend that they met two weeks ago as they road trip from Illinois to Arkansas to search for their missing father. On the way they steal, run from cops, and avoid a mysterious cowboy in a tan Sedan. Meanwhile, our protagonist is dealing with a death that they may or may not be responsible for and their complicated relationship with their parents.

On paper, this book has everything I could ever want, and it was indeed absolutely crazy. However, I didn't love the writing style and the end left me feeling like there wasn't a point to the story. I loved the parts that leaned into politics and the divide between conservative parents and liberal kids and I wish there was more focus on that piece of the novel. I did really enjoy that narrator and thought the voice very much suited the story. Overall, I had a fun time but it wasn't exactly what I was looking for.

Oh man, I love an unhinged story. Give me all the crazines please! This one is definitely not for everyone, since it dives into some pretty heavy political opinions throughout. Personally, I wasn’t offended by any of it. I actually really enjoyed this wild ride with the MC as he tries to piece together everything in his life that’s shaped who he is. I couldn’t stand some of his choices, and we don’t exactly see a full-on transformation by the end. But there’s definitely the beginning of one. It was a quick, eccentric read, and I’m glad I picked it up for something a little out of the ordinary.

TRIGGER WARNING: Alcohol, Drugs, Sex, Toxic relationships, Family drama, weapons

By Zee Carlstrom
Narrated by Major Curda
Publishes April 8,2025

This is Zee Carlstrom’s debut novel and it was jam packed with rage and a wild road trip. Told in the protagonists POV, they are known as the nameless main character that was dealing with alot that life threw at them. A death of a friend, loss of a job, a toxic relationship.
It was a good listen, but there was alot going on and I was confused with all the different characters.


Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC audiobook. All opinions are my own.

*Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC! All opinions are my own.*

2.5/5

I was very excited to dig into this one and I’m less than thrilled with what I received for a few reasons, which I’ll get into shortly.

First, the positives:

The narrator was wonderful! This was the well-narrated, fully executed audiobook that I’m always looking for.

The last-third or maybe half-ish? of the book or so was really very good and I wish the remainder of the book had the heart that it had. There’s a tonal shift there that feels like the author really got to the meat of the story they wanted to tell and just went all-in. It left me wanting more of it and that energy could have been better distributed on the front half. (This one is kind of a half-positive, I guess, my bad. :/)

The negatives, unfortunately, starting with the most egregious:

The blurb for this book lists Chain Gang All-Stars as a readalike. That’s not something you just SAY. You can’t just throw that around. Folks, I’m here to tell you that no, this book is not a Chain Gang readalike. Not in themes, nor tone, nor vibe. So just know this going in.

SMH, throwing around accolades like that.

Anyway, some other things I wasn’t too keen on. Especially in the first half (it does chill out some eventually), the language in this feels so trendy and almost tryhard? Who am I to say if that was intentional or not, idk. It doesn’t read that way to me. It feels quite forced and like “oh I know this slang term, here’s another!” It made it very hard to get into the book when every other sentence was another buzzword-filled cringefest. Very disappointing imo.

I’m sure this book will speak to a lot of people and for good reason - there are themes of found family and reckoning with generational trauma that are extremely important. I just wish it was a more fully cohesive story and that it spoke to me like we’re all adults here.

I don't even know how to characterize this book because it was gloriously unhinged! Two young people go on a road trip drinking and doing god-knows-what. Their emotions are all over the place as the trip from Chicago to Arkansas progresses to find Holden's father because his mother says he is missing. I absolutely enjoyed this crazy ride of a book, and the narrator was excellent giving Holden a Deadpool-esque demeanor. I felt this absolutely worked and honestly laughed out loud (legitimately) multiple times. As the end of the trip draws near, the truth emerges about so many events which makes this more of a realistic experience. But not completely. I loved this book and can see it being an amazing movie!!!

Make Sure You Die Screaming is a wild, deeply emotional ride through personal chaos, self-discovery, and America’s fractured cultural landscape. The debut novel introduces a complex, nonbinary narrator who’s on a mission to find their missing, conspiracy-obsessed father. Along the way, they embark on a chaotic road trip from Chicago to Arkansas, fueled by personal loss, substance abuse, rage, and an airplane hangar worth of emotional baggage.

The writing is sharp, raw, and darkly humorous; the nameless narrator is a deeply complex and compelling character. Their messy journey through grief, identity, and confronting the painful realities of class and capitalism ticked a lot of boxes for me. While the book is sometimes hard to follow due to its fragmented narrative and overwhelming intensity, it ultimately delivers a thought-provoking exploration of gender, family, and the messiness of life.

A unique debut that tackles heavy themes with humor and grit—this one is definitely worth reading. Just be prepared for a challenging, in-your-face experience.

In this book, we get an unnamed protagonist who is at rock bottom and yet somehow sinking lower and lower with each passing chapter. It's complete "be gay, do crime" meets "please please read Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents" 🙏🏽.

They're a former hotshot at a marketing firm who just got fired from their job after their best friend just died. They've recently come out as nonbinary and haven't chosen a new name for themselves. After getting into a blowout physical fight with their boyfriend and stealing his car, they're now drunk driving across the Midwest with recent-bestie and self-proclaimed "garbage goth" Yivi. The two of them are on their way to Arkansas after our narrator finds out that their conspiracy theorist MAGA dad is missing. Despite the fact that they have a broken relationship at best, they feel an obligation to go home.

In sum: complete chaos and self-destruction. But at least they're self-aware about it!

Our narrator clearly has a lot of trauma: growing up poor with vaguely working-class liberal parents who now reject their most important facets, losing their best friend in a way that they feel responsible for, being a formerly gifted child with the weight of their small town on their shoulders, being a functioning alcoholic in denial, and so much more. While this book is mostly a wild romp, especially in the first and last acts, the second act is quite emotional, reflective, and deep. The primary emotion in these pages is rage, but there's also a lot of grief, self-flagellation, remorse, and maybe even a teensy bit of hope.

if you like a gonzo roadtrip story in the weird vein of melissa broder's writing, you may love this one. our main character is on the run after a violent interaction with an ex. specifically, they're running back TO their old home in arkansas because on top of everything, their father has gone missing. our roadtrip includes their best friend, as well, who it turns out is an underaged kid our protagonist has taken across state lines in a stolen vehicle. madness.

there's a lot of commentary in this about the current political climate and the ways that people are manipulated into voting against their own interests. personally, i wish the book had skewed more into those themes as i think those were some of the most memorable parts of the book but could have been fleshed out so much more.

nearing the end, i could tell you that i had a good time reading this but there's no really cogent way to describe the plot. this one is for the just vibes kind of reader -- most of this felt like a drunken fever dream, probably because our main character spends their time grappling with an untreated head injury and drinking away reality. relatable.

I loved the narration for this audiobook.

This is a bizarre whirlwind of a book. The MC’s commentary is very cut and dry but modern for the weird ass times we are living in... I think it’s a fresh a new read. It’s reminds me alot of Invisible Monsters (one of my favorite books) and I love a good road trippin’ (doubles for their substance abuse) story. I do think only a certain kind of reader will really love this book but definitely an interesting read!

Thank you to Net Galley, Flatiron books, and MacMillan Audio for the arc. Make Sure You Die Screaming had some heavy themes throughout but was a fun ride from beginning to end. Our narrator and Yivi's trip was bonkers and hilarious. I was rooting for these characters and found the strained familial relationships unexpectedly relatable. Doesn't every family have at least one? I appreciated the timely social and political commentary this book provides. The audio was excellent. The narrator did a great job with different characters. This was an excellent debut and I will be watching for what Zee Carlstrom does next.

Zee Carlstrom has created a fast paced, high intensity road trip story following two characters that you cannot help but love to hate. I thought the pacing was good and the characters were both compelling enough to keep me engaged while also being so angry about their choices. While high and drunk throughout the story, our characters make every bad decision they could on their road trip to Arkansas. I thought the commentary about our political system, MAGA, LGBTQIA+, and the hustle of American culture was very timely and insightful.

This book truly reminded me of Catcher in the Rye but queer. The main character can be annoying at times but it’s completely offset by their lovable sidekick. The book was well written and surprisingly funny.

Ok this is a pretty generous 3 stars cause I get what this book was trying to do. However, this was very difficult to get through even with how short it is simply because the MC is soooo in need of help and unwilling to accept it. Also, there is A LOT of the characters just yelling at each other. Very hard to listen to going the audio route.

Anyway, this book also made me laugh out loud several times so I guess there's that. Not likely to recommend though...

I'm not quite sure how to feel about this book. I saw another review that said "be gay, do crime", and I do think that's a fairly accurate depiction of the plot of this book.

I don't think you were meant to like the unnamed narrator, but I'm not sure if I liked them enough to enjoy not liking them, if that makes any sense at all. I thought the pacing was also a bit off, especially towards the end. I wish the last bit with his dad wasn't a part of the book at all.

However, I did like a lot of the messaging in the book. This was the first covid book that I read and didn't immediately shy away from. It was real, and honest, and tackled a lot of important messages. In some ways the narrator felt like a caricature but also maybe that was the point.

Again, I'm conflicted, this is disjointed, but I think I would recommend overall.

A “Be gay, do crime” insane roadtrip extravaganza.

I really enjoyed my time with Make Sure You Die Screaming. A short, frantic, roadtrip from start to finish featuring an unnamed genderfluid and nonbinary narrator after they have stolen their abusive ex boyfriend’s car. Traveling to their home to help find their missing father, they’re accompanied by a “trash goth” runaway trying to escape her past.

The thing that brought this story together for me was the characters. I LOVED the characters. Each one was so unique and unforgettable with a unique personality and story. I never found any of them to unlikable and enjoyed my time getting to read and know them. I would honestly read several more chapters of just the narrator set after the ending of the book. I loved the deep introspection of identity and gender that the narrator goes down in a journey of self-discovery in, quite literally, the worst of times.

My only real complaint is how easily certain plot points fall into place. There’s so real, legitimate stakes here but it feels like certain things turn out to just be a coincidence or a complete misunderstanding at times. There were points where I was genuinely nervous, but then later it gets explained away with a quick one liner or paragraph.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator embodied each character quite well. Their voice was pleasant to listen to and they added a depth and recognizable quality to each character—no matter how small of a role they played in the story. Very interested to listen to more audiobooks narrated by them.

Make Sure You Die Screaming is a madcap odd couple romp through the past as a nonbinary person tries to find their father while on the run from issues with a coworker. It's a bit over the top but a fun ride as they go cross country with mishaps from chases, finding places to stay, keeping vital information from each other that makes the trip make no sense, and forming their new identities while navigating a world seeing them other ways.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun and wild ride. I appreciate a book with an AMAB (assigned male at birth) nonbinary MC where their gender identity is not "the main topic" of the book. It felt like the first few times reading a book with LGB characters when including an LGB character finally did not have to mean the entire book was about coming out and all the awful things that go along with that.

This is not an apolitical book. There was definitely commentary on the state of the world, the rampant spread of mis/disinformation, conspiracy theories, and hints about diabolical administrations and their policies, all with which I whole-heartily agree. I don't agree with driving drunk, which happens in this book (a lot).

I enjoyed the audio version very much. I believe this was my first time listening to Major Curda and he/they were great! Because the book is fast-paced- it was nice to have the audio version so I could listen straight through and not have to keep starting/stopping the action while getting chores completed.

Highly recommend. Definitely suitable for fans of Kevin Wilson.

Nameless (AKA Holden) is on a cross conuntry road trip from Illinois to Arkansas in a stolen car. Along with Evie, his AirBNB roommate who is being chased by a drug dealer they are on a drunken trip of their lives. Nameless has been informed by his mother that his father Henry, is missing and needs help finding him. Nameless is also strugling with his sexual identity and the MAGA movement along with his dad's conspirancy theories during this adventure. Make Sure You Die Screaming is a laugh out loud book that anyone who likes a good book will love. I would like to thank both NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for letting me listen to this audiobook. I can't wait to read Zee Carlstrom next novel!

I was unsure about this book at many points, but it really grew on me. I appreciate an unreliable narrator and enjoy messy stories from time to time. I loved the direction this book ended up taking, even if I did find myself frustrated with the narrator at times.

An unflinching, upsetting, and chaotic look at addiction and emotional pain. Our narrator departs for a substance fueled road trip where many poor decisions and paranoia rule.

Our narrator is a highly successful corporate employee who has been a mostly functioning alcoholic for what seems like quite some time. After their best friend dies and their boyfriend beats them to the point of what we assume is a brain injury the facade of success falls apart.

I think this book is powerful and a piece of literary art but it fell flat for me individually. We all have our own tastes, and for me this was so extreme it was unrelatable. There just wasn't enough levity to make it more enjoyable.

Genre: Contemporary fiction
Representation: non-binary character, estranged parents, addiction

Read as a part of the @transrightsreadathon

Thanks to Netgalley, McMillan Audio, and flatiron books for the ARC of this audiobook