Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lena and Campbell are two very different girls thrust together by circumstances beyond their control. I thought their discussions were interesting, but some of their choices made this story a little too outside of the realm of plausibility for me to give it higher than 3 stars.

After surviving a massive fight and shooting at their high school as well as an incident with a homeless man, the girls run into Lena’s cousin Marcus. Marcus is willing to walk with them and get them safely home, but they inexplicably still decide to head further into danger to find Lena’s non-responsive boyfriend Black. They are warned about trouble happening where they are headed, but they still go. This is where the wheels fell off of the story for me. After a traumatic incident like they went through at the school, why would they intentionally head towards more trouble? Once they are in the middle of the riot, they make even more bizarre choices. Leaving Mr. Wells’ shop to go to the tattoo parlor and the hardware store makes no sense. I’m not sure what Campbell thinks she can do to stop rioters from getting into her dad’s store. Then when Marcus gets injured, they just leave him in the street? That seems very out of character for Lena.

I enjoyed the evolution of the relationship between Lena and Campbell, but I think it would have been far more interesting to see how their relationship developed after their horrible night together was over, rather than simply ending with a two word text. What happens when they go to school on Monday? The ending was abrupt and I feel like one more chapter would have been a valuable addition.

Although there were some situations that could lead to valuable discussions on race relations for young readers (and older readers, too), I feel like this ground was covered better with a book like Angie Thomas’ “The Hate U Give”.

This is the story of one night in Atlanta. One night that feels like a lifetime. Two high school girls, one white and one African American, are thrown together and forced to survive rioting throughout the city.

Rotating perspectives, each chapter is told from one girl's point of view. Allowing this back and forth insight into the characters forces the reader to look at each situation from an entirely different set of experiences. They both feel fear and anxiety, but in different ways. The forced relationship between the two girls opens their eyes to prejudices and assumptions they didn't even realize they were making. These girls are just trying to survive the night and get home safely, but along the way they learn some valuable lessons about judging a book by its cover.

This book is incredible and I highly recommend!!!

There wasn't anything about this book that I didn't like. We alternate between two POVs, Campbell's and Lena's. One being a white girl, new to the school and town. The other being a black girl who has style and popularity. Their lives begin to intertwine when they're both attending a school football game. When a fight breaks out and leads to shots being fired, they both work together to figure out how to escape the danger. On their way to meeting up with Lena's boyfriend, Black, to get a ride home, they get mixed up in a protest turned riot downtown.
The whole story is fast paced and action packed. I also became invested in the characters and was curious to see how their stories progressed. This story does a great job holding it's own amongst other great YA books addressing race relations.
I enjoyed that they had two different POVs from two different girls experiencing the same thing. I liked how their friendship blossomed under the circumstances. I was also satisfied with the conclusion of the book. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed or is planning to read Dear Martin or The Hate U Give.

Yawn. For a book about riots where the characters are frequently in peril, this was SO BORING. And it didn't make much sense, either. My internal monologue while reading this book was entirely, "WHY ARE YOU DUMB?!"

Questions I had:
1. Why would you go into the riot zone?! YOU HAD OTHER OPTIONS. YOU COULD HAVE JUST WALKED HOME. WHY ARE YOU DUMB.
2. Why would you KEEP going into the riot zone? I get that Lena's boyfriend was supposedly there, but like... GIRL. He ignores you pretty frequently. He doesn't even care enough to text you that he left the place he told you to meet him. WHY ARE YOU SO SET ON MEETING UP WITH HIM. WHY ARE YOU DUMB.
3. Why would you STOP in the MIDDLE OF A RIOT to have a philosophical conversation about racism? YOU WOULDN'T. THAT WOULD NOT HAPPEN. EXCEPT CAMPBELL AND LENA DO THIS, MULTIPLE TIMES. WHY. ARE. YOU. DUMB.
4. Why would you not call your grownup?? I know Lena didn't want to get in trouble, but she got in trouble anyway at the end and I just DO NOT understand why she would put herself in danger so Pops wouldn't call the church ladies. Also, like, I cannot think of ANYONE in a parental role who isn't abusive or neglectful (and it doesn't seem like Pops is either of those things) who would be mad after being called to pick you up after you've left a riot zone. Especially if your plan is to go INTO ANOTHER RIOT ZONE (WHY ARE YOU DUMB) like NO GROWNUP WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR A CHILD WOULD BE ANGRY THAT YOU CALLED THEM TO COME GET YOU. Angry for lying, sure, but that pales in comparison to how angry I would be that they decided to WALK. THROUGH. A. RIOT. instead of calling me. WHY ARE YOU DUMB?!
5. Why does Lena's voice change so much halfway through? She drops the AAVE almost entirely. This isn't a WHY ARE YOU DUMB question, but I did genuinely have trouble telling the girls' chapters apart after the beginning.

This book has been done before, and done better. Read Lies We Tell Ourselves if you're interested in a book with two perspectives and a historical view on race relations. Read The Hate U Give if you want a modern YA about race. Read The Stars Beneath Our Feet or Ghost Boys if you want something that's appropriate for a younger audience. Don't read this book unless you want to be screaming WHY ARE YOU DUMB!??!?! after every page.

Yet another example of why the gap between races, classes, gender, gender identification needs to be closed. Multi-fauceted characters, centered around today's hot topics, with just a few plot holds that somehow still allows the story ti work. Not my favorite story but still one that needs to be told.

If you like Nic Stone, Jason Reynolds and Angie Thomas you will like I'm Not Dying With You Tonight! I loved this book! Two girls; Campbell who is new to the school, an introvert and missing everything from her old life....and Lena; the pretty, popular outgoing 'princess" of the school (or at least Campbell thinks so). Then one Friday night at the school football game Lena and Campbell's worlds collide. Soon they have to learn to depend on each other to get through the night and safely home. Can these two opposites in every way actually find common ground and make it home safely? Read I'm Not Dying With You Tonight and find out! I really loved this book and the dynamic between Lena and Campbell. It's really great to see how these two totally different girls in every way learn to work together and respect each other along the way too!

When a riot breaks out near a high school concessions stand, two girls of different race and with different perspectives, join up to save each other from the ensuing chaos. Through the adventures of the evening and mutually shared, often scary experiences, they bond and learn about each other. The reader grows with them.

This dual-authored novel is dual-narrated by Lena and Campbell, a Black and a white girl who get caught up in a riot. They begin the night strangers, but in having to rely on one another become close. New in town Campbell is ignorantly, but actively racist. Lena has a boyfriend who may not be that into her.

Lena is a compelling character--strong and surprising. Campbell--not so much. I appreciate the premise of the story, but the telling didn't do much for me.

I'm Not Dying with You Tonight by Gilly Segal; Kimberly Jones is a great story! I loved the characters and the story, very interesting and thought provoking.

What could be so dangerous about a Friday night high school football game? Not much until a fight breaks about and all hell breaks looks. Simmering racial tensions are unleashed. Lena and Campbell, two girls with nothing in common except for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Lena is an African American girl and Campbell is white. Even though they really don't know or understand each other, they must rely on each other to get home as the chaos takes over the town.

I'm Not Dying With You Tonight by Gilly Segal and Kimberly Jones is a compelling novel of two high school girls who are swept up in a scary situation by accident. After a fight breaks out at a high school football game, Lena and Campbell are thrown together by chance and placed in a very dangerous situation. They learn a lot about racism and each other as they struggle to to make their way to safety. Don't miss this YA novel! Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire, NetGalley and the authors for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This is a tough one to rate. The voice and narration in this are absolutely stellar, and characters like Lena are so very uncommon and valuable in the YA cannon right now. But other than that, I found myself unable to suspend disbelief and get absorbed in the story. Ultimately, is it worth the read though? I think so.

A few minimal spoilers ahead.

My biggest problem here was that all the events felt so random and I wanted more context and explanation instead of the constant moving away. This revolves mainly around riots that come out of protests, but starts off with a big fight at the girls' high school. I wanted more details on how this fight went down. I didn't buy that the teacher just forgot about them. I wanted more information on where everyone went--there was a whole football field of students that just...disappeared? Surely other kids were leaving in vehicles. Surely they could have at least asked for a ride.
And then these riots. Yes, yes yes yes. I have a lot of thoughts about rioting as a form of protest, and I really appreciated how they acknowledged in the book that it's one of very, very few ways to get attention and that though it might not seem fair, breaking and vandalizing is arguably necessary in order to get any attention to a cause while a peaceful protest is very easy to ignore. However, I found it hard to believe that all of the events of the night strung from a protest and weren't more preplanned. Generally, protests take place during the day because government officials aren't really in their offices on Friday nights. I could have believed this, but I needed a lot more context--maybe through these news reporters or through texts, or maybe Campbell might have checked Twitter or something--in order to suspend my disbelief.
So if one or the other had happened, I'd believe it more, or if there had been a clear connection drawn (a single line! to ackowledge it!) I might have believed it more but it just seems so very unlikely that these would both happen in one night. And I don't think that's my privilege talking.
And then the blurb--"chaos born from violence and hate"--completely dismisses the idea that protesters had anything to do with this. I just really wish that the authors had delved that little bit deeper in and really explored what the roots of all these horrors were.
And Lena and Campbell were both reasonably intelligent, it seemed. So I really struggled to believe that they would just keep moving into this warzone and not be like "well, guess I'm walking a couple of miles tonight!" Campbell had a phone--surely Lena knew other people she could have used social media to contact? I just don't buy it. Surely they would have walked in a different direction. Black had a car, yes, but there are other cars in Atlanta, and since it took them hours to walk to him, why not just walk home?

And setting! Campbell mentions once that they're in Atlanta but I actually had to go back and find that line. I've never been to Atlanta (two weeks until Shaky Knees!) so maybe if I were familiar with the area I'd get it more, but it felt so very insert-generic-city-here. (Also, Campbell's mom moves to Venezuela--what? for a job? what year was this written? why? if you're going to move someone to Venezuela for a job, you need a line about what her job is.)

But on the other hand, this book exCELS in capturing voice. Campbell was a character that could have been plucked from any generic YA book, but Lena felt like a real live black girl and I'm so glad that she used real slang in actual context and it felt very natural. They did an excellent job of observing inherent racism and prejudices that we all have whether we like it or not which is super important, especially to those of us who might not often think about it. The blurb and cover are a bit misleading as they pit the girls against each other when in reality they just didn't know each other outside of having a class together--neither was actively against the other despite their prejudices.

<spoiler>I'm glad Black turned out to be less of a radishweed, but I also wish Lena had stood up to him and put him in his place because wow did she deserve better.

BUT WHAT ABOUT MARCUS????????? DO WE JUST LEAVE HIM TO DIE???????? I was SO upset when I hit acknowledgements without hearing how he was after just being taken to hospital! (Which was also weird. That Lena would just trust that the police would take him to hospital? And not lock him up? After all of her understandable mistrust?<spoiler>

I guess I have a lot to say about this book because it had such potential and did some parts so well, but I feel like it almost got caught up in patting itself on the back about what it did right. I was wavering between 3 and 4 stars when I started writing this, but I think I'm actually at 2.5 now. There were just so many times where I thought "but why not just do this?" and couldn't suspend my disbelief.

Could not put this book down. The two main characters draw you in very quickly. This book makes you see a terrible situation from multiple perspectives.
Two teenage girls with very different backgrounds are thrown into a a quickly escalating situation. Neither girl has someone they can count on when things turn bad. They rely on each other to make it through the night. Highly recommend for anyone who enjoyed the hate you give.
The only negative I would say about the book is that I was disappointed by the role the boyfriend plays in the book. I feel like he was an additional character that took away from the 2 main characters.
Overall I highly recommend this book!

I enjoyed this book. The main characters, Lena and Campbell, were both well-developed and believable. I also liked the idea of them being from two different backgrounds and having to come together to survive that night. The one thing I was not crazy about was how quickly all of the drama started. I would have liked a little more background information and character development in the first few chapters before the action got so intense.

The writing is distinctive and each main character’s voice is individual. The story was not that interesting to me.

Thank you NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of I'm Not Dying with You Tonight. Wow. Lena and Campbell alternate telling us the story. There was a lot of great in this story. Several times I found myself holding my breath or leaning forward as if I was running or hiding. The pace of the sentences caused me to feel like winded. Several characters were really developed well. The ending sort of gave me pause like WHAT??? But the more I mulled it, I thought yes, that works.

This was an exciting, fast paced run through a night of rioting, self discover and finding friendship where you least expect it.

Campbell and Lena both feel like incredibly real and down to earth people giving the book an anchor to pull you in. They both make mistakes and play the hero and remain pretty much even in both throughout the book leaving you quite attached to both.

My only critique is that Campbell is constantly being called out about her assumptions but Lena was making just as many and never got called out the way Campbell did. I was kind of hoping she would maybe have a self-actualization moment at the end and realize that Campbell wasn't the spoiled white girl she kept assuming she was. Also, Campbell's dad should have given Lena and Black a ride home. I don't know any dad that would let two kids walk home when that kind of mess is going on in town.

Two very different protagonists are thrown into an unlikely alliance when their home town erupts into a war zone in this intelligent and fast paced novel. This is a quick, character driven read that looks at many aspects of being a young adult as well as its main premise. Recommended.

I was excited to read I’m Not Dying With You Tonight by Kim Jones and Gilly Segal. It tells the story of Lena and Campbell, two girls from different backgrounds, as they survive a night of rioting and chaos in their town. Lena, a popular Black girl with an outgoing personality and a renowned sense of style, and Campbell, a shy, out of place white girl who has just moved to town, meet at a football concession stand and become unlikely allies as their small town erupts into a war zone.

I read the book in one sitting; it’s engaging, fast-paced, and easy to read. I’m not sure about the Lexile/reading level, but feel like this book would be accessible to middle grades and up, even those who are slightly below grade level.

I loved the varying perspectives. The authors really used the format to their advantage, creating characters who see the exact same events in very different ways. I think it gives many readers a way to access the story and learn from it. They say books can be “windows or mirrors,” showing the reader a new point of view and world or reflecting their own lives and experiences. This book manages to be both for a wide range of kids. It really highlights the difference in Lena and Campbell’s perspectives on the police, and shows how Campbell’s unerring faith in them has begun to shift towards the end when she realizes she would be allowed to walk to her car and leave, but Lena and Black would not. It also begins to touch on how protests can dissolve into chaos and looting, with Lena explaining about how powerless people feel and how the news won’t pay attention to peaceful protests, but all arrive when it gets violent. I wish they had discussed more specifics about why the people were protesting in the first place. There are some references to a racist Governor getting elected, and an incident with Blackface, but it is not really fleshed out. I know this has to do with the first person narration, both Lena and Campbell might not actually know those specifics, but I wish there had been a way to convey how deeply that affects people and why they would protest.


One plot line that I really liked was Lena and Black’s relationship. I felt like Lena’s willingness to put up with horrible treatment to keep her older boyfriend happy really shines a light on many toxic, manipulative relationships that young women fall into. As an outsider reading it, it feels sad and uncomfortable to watch strong, amazing Lena be treated like garbage. Reading it through Campbell’s eyes, we see how absolutely insane it looks by someone witnessing it. I hope that teen girls reading this who may see parts of their own relationships in it will see how unhealthy and unacceptable it is. In the end, after a long and dangerous night, when Black swoops in to save the girls, I was actually a little annoyed. His standing up for Campbell and Lena was great, but still, he has played a major role in the problems occurring- it almost seemed too little, too late. I worried that it would reinforce the idea that a man can treat you however, as long as he eventually does something right. That could be a dangerous message for girls to internalize. Therefore, I loved Lena’s realization at the end of the book, and how she turns her head from his kiss goodnight. He could have treated her right from the get-go, and she would have been safe. He has a lot more to apologize for, and it is clear Lena sees it now. It doesn’t say how their relationship moves from there, but I like to think that she realizes he isn’t worth her time.

I’m Not Dying With You Tonight follows Lena and Campbell from the concession stand at their high school football game through a series of escalating events as they learn about each other and have each other’s backs. The two could not be more different, which is what makes this book so great. Their journey both physically and emotionally is captivating and thoroughly thought provoking.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review