A very valuable collection! There were a few stories I really enjoyed, others were mostly solid or okay. Young adult readers should really appreciate this.

Despite my reservations below, this turned out to be a pretty good anthology of black femme YA horror stories! I loved how most of the authors took well-known tropes and made them their own.

Of course, like with any anthology, there were some duds, but I'll have to say, this is one of the rare ones where I didn't give any story a 1 star. And I'm saying this as someone who's very critical when it comes to what I read and like.

I'd definitely recommend this as a companion piece to Out There Screaming, a black horror anthology edited by Jordan Peele.

But I'll admit though, my initial excitement for this was slightly marred by the fact that the "New Voices" that were chosen in an open call were two people who are already familiar with the publishing industry. (One is an assistant editor for this anthology's parent publishing company.)

Anyway, take that as you will.

Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for this arc.

Reviews of individual stories below:


Harvesters by LL McKinney
4/5 stars

Jo and Missy go to a house party located in a rural area with cornfields.

Okay, I actually liked this. The premise was so normal and unassuming. Maybe the word count for this anthology was generous because there was enough time to build relationships with the characters and care for them when the horror part rolled around.


Welcome Back to the Cosmos by Kortney Nash
3/5 stars

A salvage crew is tasked to explore an abandoned space factory.

The creepy sci-fi abandoned space complex vibes were definitely creepy and vibing in this one. But since this is a YA anthology, it's more tame than I'm used to. It's a good start for YA readers to dip into the cosmic horror sci-fi subgenre.


Ghost Light by Erin E. Adams
5/5 stars

Justine, a high school theatre production manager, finds out what happens when theatre superstitions aren't respected.

This was such a fun take on a poltergeist story! I loved the theater production setting (the details made it so immersive!) and how the tension grew slowly.

I was about to dismiss this as a typical evil ghost haunting story, but I loved how it became high stakes at the end. This is definitely a must read.


The Brides of Devil's Bayou by Desiree S. Evans
4/5 stars

Aja and her bestie, Letricia, go to Aja's family home in the Louisiana bayou to celebrate her 19th birthday.

Similar to the previous short story, I really liked this take on the classic generational curse/deal with a demon horror trope. I loved the Louisiana bayou setting. It's a taste of black Southern Gothic.

Stories like these make me happy that BIPOC voices are now in the spotlight.


TMI by Zakiya Dalila Harris
3/5 stars

Sam, a black scholarship student at a predominantly white prep school meets her favorite celebrity writer, Etta Vee.

I'm not sure how I feel about this... I liked how the story flowed pretty easily and was a quick read.

But other than that, it just didn't really make sense? There was no lore behind the phone at all, so it was hard to actually care or connect with the story and characters.


Black Pride by Justina Ireland
3/5 stars

Sheryl decides to go to her friends' cabin by the lake for the summer, but there's something mysterious attacking people vacationing there.

This story makes me feel the same way as the previous story. Liked the flow and the overall vibes, but there definitely needs to be more hints dropped about the reveal. It just ends with a big explanation that had no lead up at all.


The Screamers by Daka Hermon
2.5/5 stars

Amaani and her family move to a new house with a very sinister past.

I was wondering when I'd reach a very meh/average story in this anthology and here we are.

Everything happened too quickly imo. There was no time to connect with the FMC and her family before the evil ghost haunting. The story was also very predictable and tropey. I wanted to love the connection between the FMC and her deceased brother, but I felt very meh about it all.


Queeniums for Greenium! by Brittney Morris
5/5 stars

Synthia's sister, Diana, invites her to a "smoothie club."

Damn, like a few other stories in this anthology, I loved how the author used a spooky trope (Stepford Wives in this case) and made it their own.

The very fleshed out FMC (plus size girl with severe allergies), the inclusion of an MLM cult, and the high stakes writing style made this a great read in what would otherwise be a typical tropey story.


Inheritance by Camara Aaron
4/5 stars

Delany recollects her summer in Dominica with her Auntie Margot, a suspected soukouyan.

I quite liked this one! I wasn't too keen on the flashback storytelling method at first, but I'm a sucker for stories that explore a community I'm not familiar with. I know nothing about Caribbean folklore, so this was a fun and creepy learning experience.


Black Girl Nature Group by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite
3/5 stars

Lucky goes on a nature hike with the local Black Girl Nature Group chapter, which turns out to be a lot more than she bargained for.

I really liked the Get Out vibes in this one, along with the female empowerment story and the power of black female friendship.

In the end though, it feels very generic and forgettable. But that might just be me.


Cemetery Dance Party by Saraciea J. Fennell
2/5 stars

Alle, a horror enthusiast, throws a high school senior party at the local cemetery.

Damn, this story was just cliched and tacky. I wish it would've expanded more on the enslaved witch cursing a white slave owner, but that was just a throwaway one-liner.


The Skittering Thing by Monia Brashears
3.5/5 stars

Sunny and Charlotte are invited to a sleepover at the new girl's house.

I liked the creepy monster vibes in this one, but logically it made no sense. I wish there were more actual hints leading up to the monster situation, even though Sunny's fear and obsession with Biblical end of days situations should've clued me in to the ending.

Anyway, I think I would've liked this more if the second half was expanded instead of the set-up taking so much time.


The Black Strings by Vincent Tirado
3/5 stars

Mal's band is invited to a competition, but Mal can see each competitor's imminent death, including her own.

Really cool concept with Mal being able to see black strings that predict that someone's death is coming. (Oddly, the black strings kind of reminds me of that video game with Norman Reedus, Death Stranding.) But the ending was very over the top and kind of ruined it for me. Like the vibes went from The Ring to Final Destination.


Local Color by Eden Royce
3.5/5 stars

Veronne finds a supposed treasure map leading to a location in one of her hometown's parks.

This gave me Junji Ito's Uzumaki vibes like no other. But I wish there were more hints about Gramps because that ending felt like it didn't quite connect with the rest of the story.


Foxhunt by Charlotte Nicole Davis
4.5/5 stars

Flex, the new girl at Arbor Hill High, participates in the yearly Foxhunt game.

Wow! What a great end to the anthology! The origins to the foxhunt game was mostly obvious, but I did like how Flex survived by taking advantage of a really fucked up situation. Straight up main character energy.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron books for this ARC.

I will have to say that this is the first anthology that I have read in a very long time. When I applied for this book, the premise is what really sold me - YA horror stories with Black female main characters who all survive. Every single story is written by a Black author with the sole focus of making space for Black girls in horror.

There are 15 different stories in this collection and the entirety of it encompasses a TON of representation. YES - there are queer characters! The intro to the anthology alone was such a well written piece of work and really spoke to the motivation and inspiration for the project..

As with all anthologies, there are some stories that are going to be great, and some that don't quite hit their mark. I felt that way about some, and I definitely have my favorites. Overall, though - I enjoyed this as a whole collection.

I love horror, and I love that these authors came together to create a wonderful collection of Final Girls.

I don't usually do scary but I love that black women are the final girls. i would give it a chance. I like it a lot. I feel like black women and girls are the final girls in life in general.

In 2023, I’ve loved all the YA horrors where the Black girls survive. This just added to the roster and I enjoyed it.

I absolutely loved loved loved it. I personally would’ve liked less stories with expanded versions of some of the more thrilling stories. Overall I think it’s a great body of work.

I haven't enjoyed a horror anthology series so much in a long time. I plan to add to my personal collection. It's creepy, atmospheric, funny, and breaks the mold of traditional horror in a variety of ways depending on the author. Which means I have so many new authors to look out for now! A few of my favorites from this anthology were Black Pride, by Justina Ireland, which features a group of friends on their way to stay at a cabin in the woods, despite a white girl dying there not long before. It got a twist I loved and I would read an entire series about these characters. I also really enjoyed both Local Color and Welcome to the Cosmos, by Eden Royce and Kortney Nash respectively which also fit into that box of "Why isn't this it's own series?" The writing here is strong, the stories are all good, something that can rarely be said about anthologies, and I found the representation refreshing. And I don't mean that there are black characters. That's a given. This book has autism rep in The Black Strings by Vincent Tirado, neurodivergent rep in Foxhunt by Charlotte Nicole Davis, and plus-size rep in Queeniums for Greenium! by Brittney Morris (which had me laughing nearly the whole time btw). Horror fans will find this an amazing change of pace from the standard plot, and overall its a fantastic addition to any library and a can't-miss-it read this Halloween.

I enjoyed this one! Tons of great short stories in this! Some had me shook or on the edge of my seat. I loved how the authors each took things we may have known or read before and put their own twists to it. Some weren't 5 star for me. Overall, the entirety of the short stories was a solid 4 star read! Good gripping tales that will make you want to not read these alone at night.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publishers to read/review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.

First and foremost thank you Netgalley & Flatiron Books for allowing me to be one of the lucky ones to read this beauty. Give it up for the cover. I mean just freaking beautiful.

Overall I really enjoyed these collection of short stories. I believe i will pick up a copy when it comes out to add to my shelf. Of course there were few stories that didn’t quite keep my attention but they might do it for you.

I love how every story was different. As well as some endings leaving us to our own imagination. And yes these stories also let you know that not all black/bipoc people think the same. Honey the way I wouldn’t have been playing with some of these characters LOL. I would have been one way right at home.

My favorites:
-Harvesters
-Ghost Light
-Queeniums for Greenium
-Black Girl Nature Group
-Cemetery Dance Party
-Foxhunt

Y'all....Y'ALL! I Absolutely adore this book.
I need to start with the dedication. It feels personal and to a degree it is. It's for all the black girls who love scary stories but never really truly saw or grew up seeing themselves be the lead of the story. Often, we're regulated to the "are you okay?" supporting character (if we're there at all.

I'm a woman who grew up loving the crypt keeper, Freddy Kruger, watching "are you scared of the dark?, Christopher Pike, R L Stine, Steven King, heck Halloween is my favorite holiday.

In short, I throughly enjoyed the book. The first story started off strong. The ending....poor Brandon😅.
Thank you Desiree S. Evans, Saraciea J. Fennell and NetGalley. I've already reserved my physical copy for my bookself. My daughter will see herself represented in these amazing stories.

I didn't realize it was YA! My fault of course, but I ended up enjoying this anthology quite a bit. I love horror, even YA horror.

This book was truly a celebration of Black writers and I recommend it to any horror reader. I am not always an anthology fan or short story fan, but this book kept the pace with evenly great stories throughout. I especially enjoyed Harvester and Ghost Lights and The Skittering Thing.

I love that Black Girls are the heroes and because of the title there is no double-triple twist trope where they will fail. Grab this anthology!

Authors included in the Anthology are
Erin E. Adams, Monica Brashears, Charlotte Nicole Davis, Desiree S. Evans, Saraciea J. Fennell, Zakiya Dalila Harris, Daka Hermon, Justina Ireland, L.L. McKinney, Brittney Morris, Maika & Maritza Moulite, Eden Royce, and Vincent Tirado.

#Flatironbooks #theblackgirlsurvivesinthisone #desireesevans #saracieajfennell

I love short stories and "The Black Girl Survives in This One" anthology reminds me of reading R.L. Stine's books as a young girl. Each story written is a page-turner and will intrigue the reader for the next story. I look forward to reading future books on all these authors.

Thanks Flatiron Books and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. Exciting and thrilling stories! They end and will leave readers wanting to know so much more! Desiree Evans and Saraciea Fennell compiled a wonderful list of horror stories featuring strong black girls as the protagonists and final girls! From cults, zombies, monsters, ghosts, to weres there is something for all horror lovers! Each story as intriguing as the next, readers will consume it! Highly recommend if you like horror, especially if you like horror in which black girls thrive!

The theme for this collection of horror stories is..."Well, that escalated quickly." And it's a good thing! These are short stories, so we don't have a lot of time. They all pick up pretty quickly and wrap up nicely (obviously, we need the final girl!). I really enjoyed the diversity of the characters across stories - we get it all, from theater kids to introverts to scientists to popular girls and more. The first two stories were very similar in theme, but they were both good and had a different vibe.

Themes of racism, magic, paranormal, privilege, family, and friendship are also strong across the stories, but they all shine on their own. To call out a some of the stories, The Brides of Devil's Bayou and Black Pride would make awesome movies - they both left me wanting the story more fleshed out with character development, I was instantly hooked in! Tmi and Queeniums for Greenium had a witty spin on them that I liked. The commentary on toxic positivity and the wellness industry in Queeniums had me giggling, especially.

Now, this is YA, so I'd say that none of the stories are particularly super scary, but more creepy, eerie, or infuriating (Black Girl Nature Group and Foxhunt might make you mad!). Overall, a solid and engaging read - and I loved seeing us as the final girl AGAIN and AGAIN!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I’m obsessed with black final girl horror stories. A whole book about it? Take my money. I loved the representation and different versions of horror this book had. I will give a short thought of every story!

Harvesters ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I felt a sense of dread reading this one. It was a good pick for the first story.

Welcome Back to the Cosmos ⭐️⭐️⭐️
the only sci-fi story in the bunch, you can’t go wrong with space horror.

Ghost Light ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I liked the premise of this one. It felt a little cliche in some parts.

The Brides of Devil’s Bayou ⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️
A longer and more detailed story. Interesting even though I questioned the MC’s motives.

TMI ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really liked this one. I haven’t seen a plot quite like this and I really liked the MC. I was rooting for her.

Black Pride⭐️⭐️
I got confused a little bit on this one. Not sure how I felt about it.

The Screamers ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Grief used as a tool done very well. I teared up at the end.

Queeniums for Greenium! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This one was so funny to me for some reason. I just thought about how crazy MLMs are and how they could really be scary cults.

Inheritence ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This one spoke to me for some reason. I saw the twist at the end coming but the MC is still badass.

Black Girl Nature Group ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I liked the best friends to lovers (?) side plot.

Cemetery Dance Party ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Another one that made me laugh. This one was gory and funny.

The Skittering Thing ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The only one I thought was actually scary. There were plot holes (?) that I was wondering about. Why did Charlotte say she knew the house? I was confused about Ray throughout too. Was she evil or just weird?

The Black Strings ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I like Vincent’s writing. I was genuinely interested to see how it ended. The idea of someone being able to see death coming is always a cool power.

Local Color ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is a story I would like to have seen adapted into a a longer novel. Like what happens next?! Why did all that creepy stuff happen?! Where are her parents?!

Foxhunt ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A super strong ending. I figured what was going to happen, but Flex was so cool. I would have loved to actually be her friend. Did I feel bad for Kirsten? Maybe. She did seem like a true friend in the end.

These stories range from supernatural to real life terror, so it has everything for different cups of tea. I hope more anthologies like this come out in the future so I can read them all!!

As a woman who grew up reading and watching all things horror , the black girl always died. It was frustrating to watch horror movie after horror movie and find that the black characters always died. This book gives us 15 horror stories by 15 different authors where the black girl is the last girl standing .*excuse me while I ugly cry*. The dedication and forward before you even begin the stories really had me cheering with tears in my eyes . For these authors to come together to create stories where the black girl is not going to die, but survive and grow in their strength really empowered me. I really think any black and brown girl who loves horror will love this book . It’s one to keep and hold near and dear. I think this is a great book for teen girls to read. You have werewolves, generational curses, haunted houses, zombies, and so much more all within the pages of one book. If you ever wondered what it would be like for a black girl to be the last one standing in a horror story this is the book for you . To the authors of this book : I thank you from the very bottom of my soul . This book was such a pleasure to read. My younger self and my inner child are jumping for joy.I hope there is more like it to come. Job well done .

All opinions are honest and my own . I received this book as a ARC from Netgalley.

I always enjoy a collection of short stories because it gives the reader a look into an authors reading. This was a good collection of short YA horror stories. It took me back to my Goosebumps days. I, thought the stories were sold but like always there were some good standouts. I, enjoyed this collection!

This is truly a top-tier horror anthology, one of the best I've read in years. The centering of Black girls in YA horror is so awesome and necessary, and the vast majority of the authors featured here do a stunning job at playing with traditional horror tropes, channeling Black American traditions, and/or constructing new things entirely. There were a small handful of stories that didn't fully work for me, but even those had interesting resonances.