Yes for one heck of a collection of trope subversions! I love THE BLACK GIRL SURVIVES IN THIS ONE anthology and am so excited to finally be able to share it with my creative writing students. They are going to love it as much as I do. The stories in this collection are very strong and offer so much to readers. There's something for everyone here in terms of style and types of horrors. Highly recommend!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This collection of horror stories in which Black Girls make it the end was something I didn’t know I needed to read. The dedication and foreword spoke to me followed by the strong first story the Harvesters had me completely enamored with this book. With each authors unique style of storytelling there is definitely something to satisfy all of your horror needs. Overall I truly enjoyed this one. Each story had me excited to turn the page to see what happened.

Here are a few of my favorites:
•Harvesters by LL McKinney
•The Skittering Thing by Monica Brashears
•Black Girl Nature Group by Maika Moulite & Maritza Moulite
•Welcome Back to the Cosmos by Kourtney Nash

Let me start by saying that going into an anthology, there are some stories you’ll enjoy and some you won’t. With that being said, this collection featured such a mixed bag of different types of horrors and stories everyone will find something to enjoy. The Black Girl Survives in This One ensnared me almost immediately so I wanted to give love to some of my favorites.

I’d be remiss to not give a shoutout to both Desiree and Saraciea’s stories as they were so much fun. Desiree’s was focused on breaking a family curse while Saraceia’s was a unique and fun take on the classic graveyard zombie trope. Both catered to different audiences but showed just how vastly different yet fun the collection is.

Another I really enjoyed was Harvesters by L.L. McKinney which focused on two friends at a house party that are just trying to make it home. This one doesn’t know how you might expect and it ended up being incredibly spooky. Then there was Ghost Light by Erin E. Adams which follows a young theater production manager as she’s dealing with some unexpected ghostly happenings.

Some more unique ones I couldn’t stop reading were Queeniums for Greeniums by Brittney Morris which felt like the MLM horror story I’ve been dying for. Then there was The Black Strings by Vincent Tirado which was a unique type of horror that had an interesting ending, to say the least. Of the entire collection, I’m most intrigued to read more from Monica Brashears.

If you’re interested in this one at all, I think you should give it a try. You might end up finding a new author to try. Plus all of these stories play into different types of horror but in the end, we all know the Black girl survives.

In The Black Girl Survives In This One by multiple authors I want to say the Harvesters and welcome back to the Cosmus which are the first and second story or worth buying this book for I loved these two stories they were entertaining and although the others were as well some of them sadly fell back on the same old white people are racist trope which doesn’t make me angry and makes me feel bad that in this day and age we’re still pointing out the obvious and not exploring the talent God gave us. They had some really good stories in here and although the ones I named before are my favorite some others I want to mention or Cemetery dance party, local color, and before I forget and I can’t believe it took me this long to mention it black strings is the most clever story in the book there was another story about the shape shifter well there was more than one about the shape shifter but it was the one towards the end and I feel so bad I can’t remember the name because I absolutely thought that was a brilliant story as well there were some that just confuse me and some I just didn’t like but most of the stories were so good and a few more really really good so I definitely recommend this book for those like me who love short story collections because I know sometimes when getting a short story collection a couple of stories will be great or passable in the rest are just… Well stories but in this book I don’t believe anyone will be disappointed it’s really a great great group of stories for the most part. I want to thank the publisher and Net Gally for my free Ark copies please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review

What a fantastic anthology of horror stories. I think I enjoyed every single one of them, which doesn't always happen in anthologies. I hope to see any of these authors do full horror books again/for the first time.

This is a solid YA horror anthology. I had fun reading this collection of short stories.. each one unque and few creepier than others. Every story had underlining messages and themes and that's whst I love best in most well written horror. Expically horror written in the short story format sometimes is the strongest. Few of them came through and I will stick with me for a while.
I mostly enjoyed these stories :
▪︎ Welcome Back To The Cosmos [I'd love to see this written little longer]
▪︎ The Brides of Devils Bayou
▪︎ Queeniums for Greenium
▪︎ Black Strings
▪︎ Foxhunt
But one thing I felt was that something felt lacking something felt missing perhaps go slightly further ? Little bit more darker?
I can't put my finger on it and stories fell flat and one I think I miss the whole point.
Overall it was one hell of a ride.

I'm always heartened to see more diverse perspectives and voices being elevated in horror, so when I saw that there was a new YA horror anthology that showcased Black women authors, appropriately titled "The Black Girl Survives in This One", I knew that I wanted to read it. And overall I was pretty happy with this anthology. My favorite stories included "Ghost Light", "The Brides of Devil's Bayou", and "The Skittering Thing", which really worked for me for different reasons. I will say that at the end of the day the usual (for me) pitfalls of YA horror did peek through on a few of the stories (telling rahter than showing, hamfisted commentary, the need to spell things out for a teenage audience), but as a whole I enjoyed the stories here, and I really liked how they centered Black girls, as that just isn't seen as much as it should be in the horror genre.

THE BLACK GIRL SUVIVES IN THIS ONE is a fun horror collection! If you have horror fans in your life who are teens and patrons at your library, get this in their hands.

Wow! This book was one of my top 2 most anticipated books of 2024 and it DELIVERED!

I was hooked from just the dedication and foreword and I stayed hooked the entire time! I sped through this book! It was so fast paced, both the individual stories and the collection as a whole. I loved that the stories were on the longer side (20+ pages) because it really gave them time to develop. There were stories that were creepy, some that were fun, and some that were straight up horrifying! There were also mentions of Black history throughout the stories and I feel like they did a great job of saying enough about them to teach teens some history, but they still kept overall fun horror feel of the collection! But, I can see those mentions making teens interested enough to do their own research on those topics.

Some of my favorite stories were The Skittering Thing by Monica Brashears, The Brides of Devil’s Bayou by Desiree S. Evans, Black Girl Nature Group by Maika Moulite & Maritza Moulite, and Harvesters by L. L. McKinney! But I enjoyed every single story except for one. Queeniums for Greenium! by Brittney Morris was the only story I didn’t enjoy. I found both the main character and the story as a whole to be very condescending and judgmental to people who live a different lifestyle than them. The story made it seem as if natural & spiritual healing (herbalism, crystals, reiki, etc.) is inherently stupid & the people who believe in it are not only stupid, but evil. That path is obviously not for everyone, especially disabled people, but it’s not stupid. I did not appreciate the condescension from that story. But, other than that, every other story was great!

This collection is amazing for both teenage and adult horror lovers! I’d love to see it get adapted one day as a series with each story having its own episode! I have so many thoughts about the collection as a whole and the individual stories, so I will definitely be talking about this book on my YouTube channel (Book Tribe) soon!

Individual story ratings:

📚 Harvesters by L. L. McKinney: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

📚 Welcome Back to the Cosmos by Kortney Nash: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚 Ghost Light by Erin E. Adams: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚 The Brides of Devil’s Bayou by Desiree S. Evans: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚 TMI by Zakiya Dalilah Harris: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (TW: racism)

📚 Black Pride by Justina Ireland: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (TW: racism)

📚 The Screamers by Daka Hermon: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (TW: grief, death of a family member)

📚 Queeniums for Greenium! By Brittney Morris: ⭐️⭐️ (TW: fat phobia)

📚 Inheritance by Camara Aaron: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

📚 Black Girl Nature Group by Maika Moulite & Maritza Moulite: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (TW: death of a family member, racism)

📚 Cemetery Dance Party by Saraciea J. Fennell: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚 The Skittering Thing by Monica Brashears: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚 The Black Strings by Vincent Tirado: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (TW: death of parents)

📚 Local Color by Eden Royce: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚 Foxhunt by Charlotte Nicole Davis: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thank you so much to Flatiron Books for this arc! All opinions are my own.

The Black Girl Survives In This One is a YA horror anthology co -edited by Desiree S. Evans and Saraciea J. Fennell. I was interested in this one from the title alone. As we know the joke goes that Black people never survive in horror movies. So when picking this up I was excited because I knew that the Black girl would survive!

I am usually not a fan of short story collections but I am very into this one. The tropes that are presented within each story are great because the authors make them original because you never know what you will get.

My favorite story has been Ghost Light by Erin E. Adams. It is a poltergeist story and the main character finds out what happens when you disrespect theatre traditions.

I would say that these stories are not necessarily scary but they are extremely creepy and eerie. So, if you are a fan of horror and creepy vibes I would recommend you to add this to your TBR

Thank you so much to @flatiron books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. TBGSTO is out 4/2

Anthologies are so fun. I love finding new authors through short stories. Sometimes they can be a real mixed bag as well with a few good ones and a few not so great but this anthology was STRONG. I loved the premise as the title tells us that the Black girl survives. Which sometimes lessened the tension a little bit but each story brought a lot to the table. All of the main final girls were strong, smart and easy to root for.

My favorite stories were The Harvesters, Ghost Light and TMI But honestly I enjoyed all of them.

Thanks to Netgalley and Flat Iron Books for an eARC.

3.5/5 ✨
BIPOC Authors. Anthology.

The Black Girl Survives in This One is an anthology of 15 YA horror short stories about black female MC’s by black female/nonbinary authors.

Harvesters (7.5/10✨) is about a girl who when a house party gets out of hand finds herself lost in a haunted field. I enjoyed the dialogue and concept in this one as well as the ending.

Welcome Back to the Cosmos (7/10 ✨) follows a girl who works in deep space as a surveyor; except, people in space have been going missing. I loved the ending of this one. Vibes-wise, the story definitely reminded me of Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes.

Ghost Light (7/10 ✨) is about a high school theater production stage manager who finds herself haunted by a ghost when the play goes wrong. I enjoyed the main character and liked the anxious, eerie vibes of this one.

The Brides of Devils Bayou (6/10 ✨) follows a girl who has feared a multigenerational curse on her family her entire life and returns home to confront it. I loved the premise of this one, but wanted a little more out it.

TMI (9.5/10 ✨) is about a scholarship girl at an elite school who when a famous scholarship alumni visits, finds herself plagued with thoughts that aren’t her own. The concept for this one was so creative and fun, and I loved the order in which this story was told.

Black Pride (9/10 ✨) follows a girl who visits a cabin in the woods with her friends near a lake where some kids have been disappearing. This one felt reminiscent of summer with some fun woodsy vibes, interesting characters, and a nice, twisty ending.

The Screamers (6/10 ✨) is about a girl who has recently lost her brother and moves with her family to a new house with a sordid past. The premise of this one was fun, though not original, and it was nice and atmospheric.

Queeniums for Greenium! (6.5/10 ✨) follows a girl who goes with her sister to a wellness retreat and gets more than she bargained for. The ending of this one was very satisfying, and the story as a whole was reminiscent of Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang.

Inheritance (9/10 ✨) is follows a girl at her first high school party who’s trying to forget an awful summer that can’t seem to let her go. Inheritance was super nostalgic with a creative premise and a gratifying ending.

Black Girl Nature Group (7.5/10 ✨) is about a girl who’s unsurprisingly a part of a black girl nature group that when she attends an overnight group trip in the woods, finds herself at the mercy of people who feed off black suffering. I thought this one had a lot of important themes and a relatable MC.

Cemetery Dance Party (8/10 ✨) follows a horror connoisseur who throws her year’s senior party in a graveyard with a few skeleton’s in the closet. The premise of this one was gold! I enjoyed the nonstop tension and the eerie vibes.

The Skittering Thing (4.5/10 ✨) is follows a girl who decides to celebrate her birthday with the new girl in town and quickly realizes what might be a game to her could be lethal. I had mixed feelings about this one. I think I was mostly left feeling unsure what message I was supposed to take away from it.

Black Strings (4.5/10 ✨) is about a girl who can see imminent death, who at a music competition she and her sister’s band are entered in, senses the imminent death of nearly everyone around her. The premise was so promising, but the end of this one definitely left me confused and disappointed.

Local Color (4/10 ✨) follows a girl who finds a treasure map that she thinks can help her find her missing parents. This story missed on plot, horror, and character for me. I didn’t hate it, but this story just didn’t resonate for me.

Foxhunt (7.5/10 ✨) is about a girl at a new, predominantly white high school who gets pulled into a tradition involving a game in the woods. The MC of Foxhunt was extremely relatable, and the story had great anxiety rep.

Overall, this was an engaging and cohesive horror anthology. My favorite stories were TMI, Black Pride, and Inheritance because of their engaging themes, immersive stories, and impactful endings. The stories I struggled the most with were the ones that left me feeling like I’d missed something pivotal. I’d recommend The Black Girl Survives in This One to anyone who loves horror with tons of rep, impactful and ambiguous endings, creative twists, and immaculate creepy vibes.

Much thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book for my honest review.

I loved EVERY SINGLE STORY in this anthology with Black final girls! As a horror fan, you can’t help but notice the deeply embedded racism in both films and books, especially in the 80s, 90s & early 00s. However, this collection of short horror stories flips those tired racist takes on its head and I could not get enough. My favorite story was Harvesters by: L.L. McKinney, and I actually got to listen to this on audio too, thanks to Libro FM ALCs, and it was a cool experience reading via both formats. I highly recommend this to all horror fans!

I really liked this anthology. It's not often you read one that you enjoy all the stories. Each story I forgot I was reading a short, I could have read a full novel on each of these. Well done.

Great compliation of short horror stories. I loved them all and great for spooky season or whenever you need a good scare.

All I have to say about this anthology is…✨BLACK🖤FINAL🖤GIRLS✨

I had a whole host of emotions while reading these short stories, which all culminated to the ultimate emotion of pride! Pride that young black horror girlies can see themselves as main characters, heroes, survivors etc. BECAUSE REPRESENTATION MATTERS🤎🔥👩🏾‍🤝‍👩🏽💪🏾🖤💃🏽

[Some of my personal favorite short stories were Harvesters by: L.L. McKinney, Ghost Light by: Erin E. Adams, and Tmi by: Zakiya Dalila Harris]

⭐️THE BLACK GIRL SURVIVES IN THIS ONE, comes out APRIL 2ND⭐️

5.0⭐️ (wish I could have given 100000⭐️)

Special thanks to @flatiron_books for the ARC💜

This is such a great collection. There is a great variety of subgenres of horror included. Everything from space horror to slasher to creature feature to body snatchers. Seeing the variety in main characters, settings and endings was great. Many of them have a triumphant ending and some are a bit more dreary or open-ended, even with the survival. There haven't been any stories that I didn't enjoy in some parts.

Although this is a YA horror, there is a good number of stories that are more New Adult (not explicit) but entering into early adulthood, leaving home and being on their own. I enjoyed that some are more serious stories but some are a bit on the fun and playful side.

I definitely plan on grabbing a hardcover of this when it's released.

Disclaimer: I received a free eARC and physical ARC from the publisher.

Thank you, NetGalley, for access to an advanced copy of this book.

I love horror. Halloween is my favorite holiday and my Netflix algorithm is virtually all scary movies and creepy TV shows. "The Black Girl Survives This One" made my spooky little heart so happy.
Even "knowing" the ending, I was still engaged and surprised by each of these stories. The authors each brought to life a main character who I rooted for and held my breath waiting to see how they would make it to the end of the story.
I had a few favorites - The Skittering Thing, The Brides of Devil's Bayou, Foxhunt and The Black Strings. I like that each story felt fresh, even when bringing up traditional horror tropes like zombies or cults.
Reading this made me want to circle up with my friends around a campfire and share each story with them.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. Finally, a whole book full of black final girls, and we LOVE to see it. I loved this horror anthology so much, it was exactly what I was looking for. It was witty, dark, and incredibly well constructed. I loved every single story. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

Thank you to Net Galley and Flat Iron Press for the advanced copy of this book.

How refreshing it is to see a book for us by us and we’re not the side-chick or the sacrificial best friend (which is described in the forward) because I can appreciate that.

This book has been on my radar because the story and synopsis piqued my interest. It’s our mannerisms, how we talk, what we think, and it’s not someone else writing our stories trying to portray our tone and what we “should” sound or trying to dictate a narrative.

I can appreciate that while it’s a YA novel, it's still creepy, not gory, and mildly graphic.

I love how in the story “Ghost Light,” our young protagonist is describing how she is the stage manager and setting the scene by describing everything within her environment but not in so much detail that when you’re reading, you're thinking, “ok, move on already.” We do get down to it with the “the parts between her box braids got cold” description.


All of the female characters throughout these stories are smart and sharp. They are forward-thinking; they have their head on straight. They understand the perils of what’s happening within their existing environment, and they don’t enter these situations blindly. There is danger; some of these things aren’t possible in the natural sense, but still, they press on.

There doesn’t always have to be one female standing. Why can’t several survive? Yes, I know the trope of the final girl, which has been done since horror movies began, but I’m ok with everyone walking away.

There’s also an underlying issue of race but not in a militant sense. There’s a “woke’ awareness because, as black people, we deal with race on a daily basis. And even in today’s environment, it's something that we feel, whether it’s on the surface or just beneath it.

I also enjoyed how each story ties a young female to their ancestors and their strengths, ideals, and beliefs. The people who came before matter, and to understand this is to understand they're struggling through their stories.

We're taught to listen to our elders, no matter how ridiculous it might sound at the time. There is a word of truth and wisdom to what they are saying because these people came before you and have experienced things that are not that different from where we are now.

There is also a wide variety in the subgenre of horror. The paranormal, haunted houses, witches, zombies monsters, hoo-doo voodoo, and your strange brand of monster, and beyond.

I would also like to point out that while this is a YA novel, it goes beyond that. I would give it an age range from 16 to 25. I mean, heck, I’m older, and I’m reading it because a lot of the stories resonate, and they embody some experiences that you might have gone through.

So if you’re looking for Ready or Not, Mystery, Horror, Thriller, or The Menu vibes, then I would give The Black Girls Survives This One a go. I'm all for having our Black Girls come through a story smarter, braver, wiser, and more spiritual with a warrior spirit, then I’m all for it.

What a fantastic collection of horror stories. The first story was fantastic and really set the tone for how creative and varied these stories would be. This book delivered on its promise to give the readers black girls they are rooting for. Recommending this to all YA horror readers