This was a fast paced read where two girls who don't really know each other banned together to make it out of a riot. I think that both girls had distinct voices however the author uses stereotypical bad grammar for the black girl, which I think made the character seem cheap and uneducated. It was not an aspect that was needed. Although this book was good it did have its issues. Such as when Campbell's fathers store gets broken into and she almost dies, that part of the story just didn't seem very well tied up. The other issue was the ending. It just kinds of ends, I am not one of those readers that enjoys open endings. I don't need everything tied up in a bow but I expect plot points to be fully ended and a solid round up to be done and this title just doesn't have that.

Overall, I did enjoy this title but I would have liked to see things a little more fleshed out, less holes, and more of a wrap up at the end. I mean these two girls almost died and spent a night where they were scared etc. That just isn't something you forget about.

I'm Not Dying with You Tonight by Gilly Segal and Kimberly Jones is no doubt a pager turner.

This story centers on two girls that grew up on different sides of the track. Lena (black) and Campbell (white) are at their high school football game. New girl Campbell is working the concession while head strong Lena is watching a friend perform during halftime. As the story unfolds a massive fight breaks out near the concession and Campbell and Lena (an unlikely pair) must join forces to seek safety.

As the girls escape the cautious of the field they end up on the main street, where a peaceful protest on racial inequality turns into a full-blown riot!

This novel provides two interesting POV filled with biases and stereotypes from both sides. Much of the book I felt was underdeveloped and with all the cautious right in your face you would think it was Armageddon. I love the concept, but something was missing or too much, I’m not sure yet. My daughter is in the age group that would enjoy this.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, it was a quick & easy read and you get a few laugh out loud moments. Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the copy in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 round up to 4 of 5.

One of the best YAs I've read in years! I'M NOT DYING WITH YOU TONIGHT is the story of two strong women who are polar opposites joining together to survive a night of racially-fueled chaos. It's so well written and perfectly-rounded. It sucks you in from the first page and leaves you wondering what's next when you finish. This was a joy to read.

This was a quick, but gripping read. I really liked the dual first person narratives! They were both extremely well-written and didn't take me out of the moment the way first person sometimes can. This book also made me realize how much I really enjoy stories that encompass one moment in the characters' lives. In this case, it was one long night for the two main characters, who like the summary says didn't really know one another before the night started. I'm almost sorry it ended before we could really see where they go from there! And I'm really pleased I was able to get my hands on this!

It’s hard to believe school actually starts back in less than a month. If you’re heading on vacation or just looking to get some reading done before then, use my affiliate links to check out these new and upcoming releases:


Madam, May I by Niobia Bryant

In the business of high-end, no-limits desire, Desdemona Dean is the best there is. This gorgeous madam can provide any sensual fantasy, ignite any insatiable hunger. She fiercely protects the women who work for her and helps them attain the lives they deserve—especially when it comes to her beautiful, troubled new protégé, Portia. But for Desi, having it all is no longer enough. She wants everything her shattered childhood denied her. And as she pursues an education and a normal life, she’s falling hard for her handsome tutor—and can’t resist schooling him in ways that are turning into more than just passion…

But as Portia spirals out of control, she’s exposing any number of dangerous secrets. And as Desi desperately tries to save her and manage the damage, she’s putting everything she’s worked to build at risk. Now with her empire in peril, Desi must discover if she can survive . . . and truly be free.



What the Heart Wants and Sealed with a Kiss by Donna Hill and Nicki Night

What The Heart Wants
Genius surgeon Franklin Grant needs only three things—work, work and more work. But when a family anniversary party leads to a date with Dr. Dina Hamilton, Franklin knows he’s in trouble. Dina is gorgeous, brilliant…and Franklin is her supervisor at the hospital. An affair could damage his reputation. But when their relationship is exposed, could Dina be the one behind the sabotage?

Sealed With A Kiss
Actress Kendall Chandler is determined to succeed on her own terms. But sexy producer Tyson Blackwell sends her “no on-set romance” rule up in flames. An affair with the CEO of Blackwell Communications Group could destroy her career. Experience has taught Tyson to protect his heart, even as Kendall breaks down his walls. Can these lovers find their own Hollywood ending?



The Safe House by Kiki Swinson

It was supposed to be easy money. A few exchanges for cash, one big payoff, and then life would be better than ever with bills all paid and money in her pocket. But the plan fell apart and now she’s made an enemy. He’s a drug cartel leader out to destroy any competition—and get payback by any means necessary…

Play for time
Under federal protection, she’s only steps ahead as the cartel leader starts killing off her family and friends. When he kidnaps a relative and demands her in exchange, she and a desperate DEA agent work a bold switch to nail him. But the fallout is disastrous—and
deadly…

Do anything to survive
Now the local police are closing in on her as the prime suspect in her abusive boyfriend’s disappearance. She’s got no choice but to ditch the feds and take down her merciless pursuer on her own. But with no options, no help, and the clock running down, this not-so-innocent victim’s only shot may be the one risk that takes her out for good…

I’m Not Dying with you Tonight by Gilly Segal and Kimberly Jones
Lena and Campbell aren’t friends.

Lena has her killer style, her awesome boyfriend, and a plan. She knows she’s going to make it big. Campbell, on the other hand, is just trying to keep her head down and get through the year at her new school.

When both girls attend the Friday-night football game, what neither expects is for everything to descend into sudden mass chaos. Chaos born from violence and hate. Chaos that unexpectedly throws them together.

They aren’t friends. They hardly understand the other’s point of view. But none of that matters when the city is up in flames, and they only have each other to rely on if they’re going to survive the night.

Thank you to netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is phenomenal. I don’t know that I can put into words how powerful it was to read. It was a quick read and impossible to put down.

This story has been told many a times from the perspective of the news and to hear it from the perspective of two young girls made it seem more real. And horrifying. Great work to the authors for getting this story out there.

I live in Atlanta and was happy to see some friendly places in the acknowledgments such as Little Shop of Stories where I have frequented with my young family many a time. Also, of note, there is no Stein Mart at Northlake so to other ATL Readers- don’t get your hopes up.

I hope everyone reads this book!

There are just no words for this book. It reminds me of books like Speak and 13 Reasons Why. Important books. Books that everyone should read. Books that make a difference in opinions and really teach people to see things from a different perspective. That's what this book did for me. I cannot even begin to explain how Lena's words and feelings and explanations of things changes my own. Frankly, I'm Campbell. White girl who has lived a pretty sheltered life, at least in this one regard. I have never been able to understand what the big deal about race is. I still don't see a difference between me, my Native American daughter in law, my black sister in law, my mixed race niece. But this book has made me see that maybe things aren't quite as simple as that in the wide world. No matter that they should be. Maybe we really do still have a long way to go.

This was a fast read and better than I originally anticipated. Like, I read it in a couple of hours and definitely wanted to see how it ended. I enjoyed the development of the relationship between the girls and between each of them with secondary characters, even though most of that happened through the telling of the story rather than through interactions between them. It was an interesting method. I also really liked the fact that the entire story took place in one night. That was cool.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing an advance read of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, this is the BEST book that I have read this summer and I have read a few.
It may be because it reminds me of high school in Houston and old people just love to go back and relive their younger days.
It makes me remember how I viewed some of my friends and was afraid to go to their houses because of the fear my parents instilled in me.

But mostly, it is because this book opened my eyes. Really opened my eyes to what we do as adults that completely messes kids up...perpetuates the fear...

GIlly Segal and Kimberly Jones, please keep writing. Our students need this kind of book.
If you have extras, send them my way!

This book addresses some really important topics in regards to race. But I had a hard time with the plot and the characters, which made it difficult to really absorb the points the authors were trying to make. It was all just way too much. The plot felt forced, like the only way the authors could bring up points about police brutality, rioting, and looting was to have the main characters make nonsensical choices that put them in the center of the violence. Because the fight at the school and the protests-turned-riots were so large and destructive, I found myself wondering what, exactly, had caused it all. It seemed like anger and frustration had been simmering in McPherson for quite a while, but why did everything explode on this particular night? Was there a specific event within the town that occurred? It's mentioned that the rival students at the football game had posted pictures of blackface, which kind of explains the fights there, but why were tons of people also protesting elsewhere in the town? The oppression and mistreatment of minorities is an obvious cause for protest, but usually there is a catalyst that spawns these protests and riots, like Freddie Gray's death in Baltimore or Michael Brown's death in Ferguson. I just had a hard time grasping it all, which I think was due to a lack of world-building.

There are lots of other books that address these topics in a much more thought-provoking and affecting way - The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and All American Boys by Jason Reynolds are two that immediately come to mind.

Even though I have some mixed feelings about the book, I'm still glad I read it. I do think it's a book worth reading if you enjoy YA fiction. It's one of those reads in which even though I had problems with it, I feel this compelling need to talk about the story. I think it would make a good book club selection as there's lots of interesting things to discuss here.

When a massive fight breaks up at a high school football game, two teenagers are thrust into a situation in which it's probably best if they work together in order to survive. Lena is cool and confident and is obsessed with her boyfriend, Black. (yup, that's his name). Campbell has just moved to town to live with her father after her mother takes a job in a different country. The story alternates between the two girls over the course of a night in which danger is around every corner and they better figure out how to get to safety.

So there's definitely a lot of action in this one which I guess you could say was both a positive and negative thing. The fast pace made this a quick read but I think that also led to underdeveloped characters, especially Lena, and moments that could have been expanded upon instead of glossed over. I don't think the story reached its' potential is probably the best way of putting it. I'm also conflicted about the ending. I'm okay with leaving some things up to the reader's imagination but in this case it feels so abrupt and not an entirely satisfying way to end a book.

To sum it up, a decent YA read but I wanted more from the story. A good effort but it doesn't quite hit the mark as well some other fiction books dealing with the same themes and topics.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

I'm Not Dying with You Tonight is told in dual POVs as two high school girls experience a riot at a school function and try to navigate their way safely out of the chaos and find their friends and families.

The writing style of this book is very straight forward and easy to read along with, especially for young adults. The premise is captivating and following along with these women as they are forced to work together and overcome very tough situations is super engaging and feels timely.

I will be recommending this book to those looking for a contemporary young adult work with themes of race, violence, and what divides us and ultimately brings us together.

3.5/5 Stars

I'm Not Dying with You Tonight is the contemporary young adult tale of Lena and Campbell, two girls who are thrust together when a massive, racially-fueled fight breaks out at their high school football game. The novel covers the course of this one night, where Lena and Campbell try to flea to safety as riots eventually break out around the city.

I really enjoyed the dual perspective chapters; both Campbell and Lena are strong, dynamic characters just trying to make it out together. The alternating perspectives served well to highlight the differences between the two girls, as well as their preconceived notions about each other because of their race. Many of the riot scenes were impressively intense and fast-paced, making this novel a pretty quick read. I also enjoyed wondering how I would handle a similar situation as I was reading about the girls' journey through the riot zone.

The one thing this novel really didn't do was completely drive home the idea of these two girls from different backgrounds coming together in the face of danger and as a result, gain a better understanding of each other. I wish the novel had really gone into this last part... the novel ends that night. There is no afterward that follows up on how their experience that night changed their future selves, or if there was any lasting change at all. Even during the events of the story, I was hoping the characters would dive a bit deeper into their biases and address them more fully.

That being said, I'm an adult reader and probably expect a deeper emotional analysis than the target audience for this novel, so I definitely do still recommend it for teen readers.

While I wanted to really like this novel, I thought it was just ok. For readers who can't get enough of racial stories, this is not a bad addition to the oeuvre, but I'd recommend The Hate You Give, How It Went Down, and a few other titles before this novel. I appreciate the alternating narrators so that readers see the events unfold through two different characters. And walking through the streets of a riot was a new experience for me. It's not a bad read, I just don't think it is the most compelling novel out there that tackles some of these same themes.

3.5/5 Stars

This book tells the story of Campbell and Lena and how they became allies in a time of need. The two girls don’t really know each other but when a big fight suddenly breaks out at the concession stand where Campbell was working they decide to stick together and try to escape. After someone gets shot the fight escalates to the close-by neighborhoods and it becomes an actual riot, leaving the girls to fend for themselves and try to make it home.
The story is very fast-paced and it all happens in a few hours of the night in question.

Lena is an African-American girl who can definitely speak her mind and I admired the fact that she put Lena in her place when she said something racist. Lena is a white girl and a newcomer at school. I think this experience definitely made her realize some important things and brought her closer to Lena.
In order to have a clear difference on the page the authors thought to give the girls two different voices. I’m all for that, I like understanding who I’m reading about because of a unique characteristic but I think that in this case it was all done in poor taste. Lena speaks with bad grammar and to me it truly felt like an unnecessary stereotype that should totally have been avoided.

The aspect I appreciated the most in this novel was the realistic description of racial tension and how it was then developed. I think the authors did a good job in explaining what was going on and why we got to that point.

Something that annoyed me throughout the whole book was the fact that Lena necessarily wanted to get to her boyfriend Black. It just felt very out of character for her. She was presented to us as this badass girl who can be independent and then they have her running around the whole town just to get to a boyfriend that doesn’t even bother to answer her calls.

The ending left a lot to the imagination and was resolved too quickly. We’re just told that Marcus is in the hospital and that Lena got home safe, and that’s it. We don’t know anything about what happens next in the riot, in the town in general and especially between the two main characters. I would have liked to know more, maybe with an epilogue or something.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the advanced Kindle copy of I’m Not Dying With You Tonight by Gilly Segal and Kimberly Jones.

Unlikely friends Lena and Campbell are unexpectedly thrown together for a night of chaos and terror. Through mobs, gunshots, and riots, these two lean on each other to survive. This #ownvoices novel is raw and captivating. I couldn’t put it down! Look for it October 1st.

3 for neutral, while I found that it definitely has some very important aspects, I just could not get into this book. I am a very moody reader and books with heavier topics tend to be harder for me to get into, so I will update it I’m able to get into it at a later date.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcefire Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* This book is told from the perspectives of two teenage girls, Lena and Campbell. One black and one white; one a local to the area and another a transplant following her mother's move to Venezuela. They are thrown together one night when a fight at their high school turns into riots and looting across the city of Atlanta, Georgia. Only together can they make it safely across the city to meet Lena's boyfriend Black and secure a ride home. This was a powerful novel that touched on important issues such as poverty, race and police violence. The action of the novel all takes place in just one night as the two girls struggle to get across town and in the process, forge a friendship. As an Australian, I found this book provided important insight into issues experienced in some cities in the US. I think some of my students would enjoy reading it as much as I did.

Race is a very hot button topic right now. After being tormented for centuries black people are speaking out and making people aware that this madness has to end. Racism needs to be called out in open discussion. The book's use of both black and white narrators add different perspectives to the event. Fans of THUG will enjoy this.

**Disclaimer: I received an advance reader copy of I'm Not Dying With You Tonight by Gilly Segal and Kimberly Jones from SOURCEBOOKS Fire and NetGalley for review purposes. Thank you to them for this opportunity.

I'm Not Dying With You Tonight by Gilly Segal and Kimberly Jones is a hard hitting YA Contemporary novel that hits the shelves on August 6th, 2019. I gave it 4/5 stars on GoodReads, but my actual rating is probably a 4.5/5.

Here is the summary from NetGalley:

From #OwnVoices debut author duo Gilly Segal and Kimberly Jones comes a page-turning and timely story about two teenage girls—one black, one white—who only have each other to get through the violent race riots enveloping their city over the course of one night.

Lena and Campbell aren’t friends.

Lena has her killer style, her awesome boyfriend, and a plan. She knows she’s going to make it big.

Campbell, on the other hand, is just trying to keep her head down and get through the year at her new school.

When both girls attend the Friday-night football game, what neither expects is for everything to descend into sudden mass chaos. Chaos born from violence and hate. Chaos that unexpectedly throws them together.

They aren’t friends. They hardly understand the other’s point of view. But none of that matters when the city is up in flames, and they only have each other to rely on if they’re going to survive the night.

I'm Not Dying With You Tonight is one of those books that really makes you think. It doesn't make you think because the writing is particularly complicated but because of the subject matter. What this book was actually about it so relevant in our present day society that I really feel like this is a book that everyone should read. I was really impressed with how the authors got their point across without making it feel like they were hammering a lesson into your brain.

One of the things I loved about this book was the pacing of it. The whole story takes place over the course of one afternoon and evening and I was worried it would drag and get boring. However, the authors are quick to introduce you to our protagonists Lena and Campbell, tell you about them, explain why they are where they are, throw them together and then get the story going. Once the action starts the novel is fast paced and hard to put down because you need to know that Lena and Campbell are going to be safe.

Another thing I really liked was the voices of the two characters. The novel is told in dual point of view, with Lena and Campbell having alternating chapters. Each girl has a very distinct voice which makes it easy to tell who is speaking on the off chance you forgot whose chapter you were reading. Each girl also read really realistically and I really felt like I was in the head of two unique teenage girls. They let out their worries and fears in their thoughts and you were really able to get to know them. Both girls were round and dynamic, with strengths and flaws that made them feel like people you might encounter in real life.

I also really appreciated the way the characters interacted. Lena and Campbell are not friends at the start of the story and they spend much of it clashing with one another. They argue over stupid things but later they get into deeper conflicts that deal with racism and prejudice and how to understand that bias. As the story progresses, the girls grow and learn from each other and come to a better understanding of the other and it ends in a way that gave me hope for the future.

The story dealt with some mature themes as I previously mentioned as it starts with a smallish conflict over a racist remark and then blows up into a massive conflict that spreads across the city. This story dealt with those mature themes in a way that is accessible and also well handled. I felt that they addressed the problems, and while obviously one novel can't fix racism in the whole world, it seemed to me that they dealt with Campbell's internalized racism in a way that taught the reader something.

I know this is somewhat vague, but I really think that this is a novel better enjoyed and read without it being spoiled because it's a very good book. I highly recommend it, and if the summary and/or what I've mentioned interests you at all, I recommend checking out I'm Not Dying With You Tonight when it comes out in early August.

Thank you for reading and thanks again to NetGalley and the publishers for this opportunity!