This book shows the journey of two girls, one is white, Campbell and one is black, Lena. It is based in Atlanta and being that Lena, was born and raised in the streets of Atlanta and Campbell just moved into the hood. The pair of them get swept up into the same kind of chaos we all have to deal with in our everyday lives now. The world we live in now is mostly about choosing a side; white or black, republican or democratic, conservative or liberal. I found that this beautifully written stories explores the complexities of "choosing a side". We as people are far more complex than being one or the other.

I’m Not Dying with You Tonight by Gilly Segal and Kimberly Jones follows the incredible story of two very different girls as they traverse an intense night starting with a fight at a school basketball game and culminating in a protest turned riot, as they try to make their way home and to the people and places they care about. I was provided a copy of I’m Not Dying with You Tonight by Sourcebooks in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I’m Not Dying with You Tonight is another incredible installment from Sourcebooks in the YA genre in addressing bigger than the usual topics, covering from the big to the small, Segal and Jones look from race relations in the south to the sheltered understanding that people in more predominantly white areas have versus people in more urban settings, as well as the basics of being a teenager and finding your way in life, all within the span of a single night.
Lena and Campbell are very different people, so very different that they don’t think or speak in remotely the same styles, instead matching as they would their sociological sphere. Even more so, and this garners my respect, Segal and Jones didn’t bother to make Lena code switch, instead she stays continuously, and with great personal strength, herself. Segal and Jones did an excellent job of capturing the duality of following Lena and Campbell and their differences, while still capturing the things that make two teenage girls the same. While their goals and needs are different, they work together to support each other and meet those goals. Both girls learn and grow throughout the night and become better people for it.
Specifically, I have to say that I appreciate that Segal and Jones found a good way to explain the conceptual understanding of moving from an area like Haverford (a place that is very very white) to Atlanta without making excuses for Campbell. Campbell isn’t a racist, she’s just as disgusted by the confederate flag and the anti-protestors as she is by the looters, however, Segal and Jones don’t shy away from the privilege of being a white girl in situations like the ones Lena and Campbell face. There’s no hiding that Campbell has her internal prejudices that society as a whole creates. The concept of ghetto and hood and fear of an unknown black man are concepts that Campbell must learn to overcome and see for what they truly are.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed I’m Not Dying with You Tonight. It was a very quick read, but the social intelligence with which Segal and Jones approached Lena and Campbell opened up a world. While we were only given one night in their lives, we can see the potential, the splinters of the kinds of people they could become someday. I look forward to seeing more from both writers, and would be extra excited to see another collaboration.

This review will be posted to Commute Reads and GoodReads on August 27th. NetGalley will be updated with those links once they are available.

Campbell isn't having a great senior year. Her mom took a job in Venezuela, leaving her to live with the dad she barely knows in a new city. She's at a new high school where she doesn't know anyone, and she can't even run her beloved track anymore. One of her teachers convinces her to work the concession stand at the football game, so she's spending her Friday night handing out hot dogs and counting change. Lena, on the other hand, is a popular fashionista with an older musician boyfriend. She's confident and tough, and she doesn't take crap from anyone. She's at the football game cheering on a friend on the dance team and goes to get a drink from the concession stand. But then fighting breaks out and someone starts shooting. Lena and Campbell, two girls with seemingly nothing in common, are thrown together as the world around them goes crazy. Can they get over their obvious differences to help each other survive the night?

There's a lot to like about this book. It's told in alternative POVs, with a different author voicing each of the two main characters. Their voices are very distinctive but also manage to complement each other and show just how much these girls have in common, despite seeming so different at first glance. I love how well the girls, virtual strangers, take care of each other and help each other through such a traumatic experience. They're able to put aside their differences when it really matters, though they learn from those differences all night long. I'm glad books like this are being written to highlight racial tensions and white privilege and the dramatically varied experiences of white and black teenagers in our country.

Having said that, I wanted more here. It was very choppy and lacked flow. The end is so sudden and abrupt, and there's no look at tomorrow for these girls and where they go from here. It's not like I was expecting them to suddenly be best friends forever, but it would have been nice to get a look at their lives after that night. Also, there are a lot of holes that are never addressed, and I was left with a lot of questions. Maybe these are issues that will be resolved before the final copy of the book is published, but as it is, the book felt incomplete with a tacked on ending.

I loved the approach here, though, and I think it's an important addition to YA literature.

**Thank you to NetGalley and SourceBooks Fire for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.**

I enjoyed what the book was trying to do but I thought the characters were more caricatures of real people. They were so stereotypical that at times it was comical. I will read more from these authors but I didn't love this book.

Two: Race and Police sparked Violence

While this isn’t my new favorite book on this subject. I do think it has merit and takes a new look at this subject. Having two different authors and two different narrators made living through this experience interesting. Having the two girls come from different backgrounds and being two different races made it very interesting and gave great commentary on how people experience the same event in very different ways.

</i>**I was sent an e-arc copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This in no way affects my rating or review. </i>

Have you ever read a book and thought “this is important, everyone should read this”? This book could be classified as one of those books. The storyline itself if basic. The setting and timeline seems to be the important part of this book, otherwise it would be a book about a girl trying to get to her boyfriend and another girl just wanting to go home. This book is ALL about the atmosphere (and we’re not taking ozone here).



I thuroughly enjoyed this book. When I sought out a copy I had been hearing good things about it and the social issues it broached. It is a bit different than many of the books I’ve been reading lately and I found it refreshing. At first it was hard to grasp what was being said because of the dialect. The book is set from the point of view of two very different teenage girls, Lena and Campbell. Lena leads the first chapter and her point of view is written so authentically it was hard to over look the grammar discrepancies at first.

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Let me tell you as a character, Lena is bad ass. I seriously wish I could be half as awesome as that chick is.

For the majority of the book I felt Campbell’s character to be mopey, whiney and a little annoying, but also very authentic because I believe any teenage girl who just had to move to a new town and school for their senior year would be full of self pity. But close to the end she redeems herself and rocks an amount of courage I’m pretty sure I don’t have.

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So basically this is a story about these two very different girls tate get thrown together in a very real and scary situation. A huge fight breaks out at the Friday night football game that turns into a riot situation. From there they try to make their way to safety only to encounter one danger after another as the city errupts into chaos.

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So, yeah, very good book. I highly recommend it. This book highlights that perspective is very important. There are issues that we can’t control but we can control how we feel about them. I used to say that I am not racist, I certainly don’t want to be, but it is difficult to see people who look and act differently than you and not think of them as different. It’s also hard when we gravitate naturally to what we know because it’s comfortable and inadvertently end up segregating ourselves. I feel that when we censor what we say or think for fear of offending that that in its self is a type of racism. To be free of lables and that type of thinking all together would be the moment we are truely not racist. It’s sad to me that here in almost 2020 we are still faced with so much hate.



I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. Go read it then give it to a friend to read.

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Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in turn for a fair and honest review

I had heard this hyped as the new THUG or All American Boys, so maybe my expectations were too high from that. I thought the fight/riot was just way too long and draining. It was important to show, but was literally like 80% of the book- whereas in the other aforementioned books it was a piece of the story but not the entire story. Good debut and observations of race and how we all see each other, just pacing was off for me. Slow start and then never ending riot.

I'm Not Dying with You Tonight is quick read that's raw, unflinching, and anxiety inducing. We follow Lena and Campbell as they're thrown together after a dangerous fight breaks out at a football game and the girls have to stick together if they want to stay safe.

I could not put this down once I started it - it was just compulsively readable and filled with genuine character moments showcasing all the fear, anxiety, and hope that comes with not only being a teenager, but being in an unknown situation. Even with the deeper discussions of race, gentrification, community, and prejudices, there were many moments that I couldn't help but laugh out loud at Lena's wonderful narration and gloriously fresh personality. Both girls felt real and honest, but I think I loved Lena a little more.

And while this was so easy to read, it had my heart racing. I don't think a book has ever made me feel so anxious before. But it felt like I was with Lena and Campbell as they moved across the city searching for a safe space. I'm not sure if I could classify this as a new favorite read, but I definitely think it be one of the most unique and impactful books that stay with me that I've read so far this year.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of I’M NOT DYING WITH YOU TONIGHT by Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal in exchange for my honest review.***

Two very different young women are thrown together on a night where chaos and violence breakout. They barely know each other and need to help one another to make it home safely.

This book has some really great discussions on race, being young, being different, and how when disaster strikes people can come together an work as a team. The girls have to work through their initial feelings and judgement of one another, which has a really realistic feel to the novel. Switching perspective can be jarring for some readers but the fast pace really kept me attention.

While I am not the target demographic for this YA novel, I would definitely suggest it for anyone who enjoyed The Hate you Give. This book really highlights the same talking points and makes the reader hope for a better world. The ending was left open, I feel, so the reader would feel the same hope for the characters as well. I wanted an epilogue, but life doesn't have one so it seems not every book should. Well done work from these two great authors.

Lena is black and has lived in her neighborhood of Atlanta forever. She knows people; she knows where to shop to pull together stylish looks without spending much. She’s confident and has plans for the future. Campbell is white and has just moved to town, attending the same school as Lena. She’s missing her old school and friends up North and is mostly keeping to herself. They likely would never get to know each other.

But they spend one harrowing night together when they both attend their high school’s football game. Campbell is working the concession stand, and Lena is just getting a snack, when a fight breaks out. Tensions are high between the two schools and fans, and race plays a primary role. Then the fight at the game devolves into riots and looting that radiates outward from the school.

These two young women from very different backgrounds find themselves having to figure out together how to get away from the danger that spreads like wildfire (and sometimes literally is fire) everywhere they go. They’re terrified; they’re confused; they’re alone even while surrounded by people.

I’m Not Dying with You Tonight drops readers into the chaos of a race riot and shares the thoughts and points of view of a few blacks and whites in that scary setting. It’s instructive and insightful. As a YA novel, it doesn’t go deep into race relations or history or sociology. It does place two girls in a situation that still is happening too often, the ingredients of which are still too plentiful and percolating, and allow them to speak their truths and observations that flow naturally from their experiences. I’m glad I got the opportunity to get this look into where they’re coming from.

Rated: Moderate. There are three instances of strong language, right in one sentence. There are some other uses of moderate language here and there throughout, but the authors really don’t put a lot in at all, considering what they could have to be “authentic” to what is happening. There’s no sexual content. Violence is also fairly minimally detailed, considering all that’s going on. There is looting and references to fighting happening, but there are only a couple of instances of somewhat more detailed injuries that stem from the overall rioting. I appreciate that the authors likely kept the details fairly muted for the audience.

I got an ARC of this book.

I got this book off a high from reading another book with a some similar themes. The issue is this book just doesn't hold up as well. 

The characters are flat and stereotypes. What is a stereotypical white girl? What about a black girl? You got these characters. Stereotypes can be fun to play with, but these characters stayed flat the whole book. Not only was there no character growth at all, there really was no character. Outside of maybe a handful of details, they would have been interchangeable. At one point near the end a character talked and I wasn't sure who it was since I couldn't tell without being explicitly told. 

Instead this book relied on constant tension and action. The issue was the action was interesting and all, but it just felt voyeuristic and flat as well. There was no emotional investment built for the characters so the scenes really popped. They were clearly intense and would be no matter who was involved, but when I am reading I like for the plot to matter with the characters, yet all they did was survive. 

I was involved in some stuff when I was in California. I've been around violence and been attacked. It is scary and it is intense, but there was nothing in this book that built that up. Instead it was the constant action that built that tension and suspense, instead of the actual actions. 

So this book just sort of fell flat. I wanted to love it. It was a quick read and I can see if being an ok introduction for a younger group. If this had been my first YA book that tackled racism and police violence, then it would probably be rated a bit higher for it going to a place that needs to be discussed. Instead it just pales to what I have already seen. 

The book was written from alternating perspectives and this is one of the few times I can say that the characters were different enough I could tell them apart. I think the authors each took a character and went from there which worked well. I just wish there was some more time spent on characterization and world building. I get that would make the book longer, but without it the book is just eh.

I'm Not Dying With You Tonight switches back and forth between two narrators; their accounts are covered in alternating chapters, and the entire story takes place over the course of one night.

Campbell is a white girl who is living with her dad for the first time because her mother moved to Venezuela for work. She is starting her senior year at a new school, struggling to fit in when friendships around her are already solidified.

Lena is a popular black girl, reveling in her status from dating a 20-year old black man trying to break out in the rap scene, even as she fails to recognize that she is the only one that seems invested in the relationship.

Their paths cross at a high school football game when violence breaks out. They have a front row seat to the origins of the fight, then learn it is spreading into riots in town. What might have been a simple tussle erupts due to recent incidents that have left tensions raw. Lena and Campbell are thrown together as they try to reach safely.

I found the story reminiscent of The Hate U Give, while not being derivative. The authors choose to focus on two primary individuals instead of addressing race on a large scale. Because of their focus, empathy emerges.

Themes of privilege and seeing things from another perspective are prevalent. Held assumptions are challenged. And at the close of the story, there is a feeling that this is how actual change comes about: through progress made on a small scale. It might seem inconsequential, until we recognize that is so often where change needs to begin -- with individuals.

This book feels relevant and I imagine it could lead to beneficial conversations in a classroom setting.

(I received a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.)

I really really REALLY wanted to love this book but I just had too many problems with it.

1. The book was way too short. This felt more like a plot-driven book (I am more of a character-driven reader) and we never really get to learn anything about Lena or Campbell. We know they are two different types of people having to work together but that's about it. The authors throw these characters into a war zone and we are expected to care but honestly, I didn't.

2. I hated the way homeless people are depicted in this book. Both characters encounter a homeless guy and they automatically call him a "crackhead" and scary. The homeless guy is also very stereotypical and it just left a distaste in my mouth. The homeless character was written in an inhumane way and I get annoyed with people stigmatizing the homeless population IRL so, in book form, it irritated me.

3. I have no idea what this book was trying to accomplish. I would assume it would be about the nuances of social issues or about racial tensions in America but these ideas weren't developed all the way. Again, this was fast-paced and the book was driven by plot so it was hard to pinpoint any themes or lessens the character learned. The only thing I can think of is that the characters shouldn't judge one another based on how they look but even that is pretty simplistic and surface level. The book didn't really convey anything new nor insightful.

4. Lena and Black's relationship makes no sense and was useless. Again, the book is super short and fast-paced so it was difficult to see why Lena trust Black with her life more than anybody.

5. Nothing was really challenged in the book. The closest we got was Lena telling Campbell about the word ghetto and how she misuses it but Lena didn't really dive into the reasoning why it's problematic for her to use the word. Other than that, this book didn't really challenge any ideas nor show anything.

6. We really didn't see any of the characters grow nor did their friendship. Both characters have the same views and the same outlook (again, not a lot of challenging and both also have a lot of problematic thoughts) and their friendship wasn't really anything special or worthwhile. Also, the ending confused me a little bit and I just didn't think their character development was done well.

I don't know, I've read a lot of books when it comes to race relations and this one just didn't do it for me. If you want a super fast-paced book then maybe give this a go?

I received a complimentary copy of I'm Not Dying with You Tonight from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Two completely different perspectives created a very interesting reading experience. Lena's passionate attitude clashing with the naivete of Campbell kept their adventures relevant. Great book of compassion.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I posted a review on my blog. https://fangirlbookgram.wordpress.com/
Please comment or like. I really enjoyed this book and I’m glad netgalley sent me a early reviewing copy

Let me start with I loved the premise of the story! Two people who are completely different come together to survive a night neither are prepared for. So what I liked about the story, the girls really came together to get through everything and formed a bond that felt organic and natural. They had their differences but managed to find common ground. I like that everything was not tied up in a bow at the end, it felt more realistic.

My issues they both had multiple options to get home in this chaos and I just don’t feel like it’s realistic that you are so hung up on a boy you keep making dumb choices to put your life in danger. The whole I can’t call my pops doesn’t stand because half way through their night it was obvious her pops was going to find out.

So all in all it was a good fast read I smashed it in about two hours. I think it’s an important read but could have flushed our characters a little more and also put a different obstacle that made finding this boy so important they would do that instead of calling the adult they both knew would come. I still recommend the read though it never slowed or got boring.

ARC kindly provided by Sourcebooks Fire via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A stunning own voices debut novel from author duo Kimberley Jones and Gilly Segal.

This story follows two teenage girls - one black and one white - who attend their high school football game and it turns into a pit of violence started between races. Lena and Campbell have only met each other briefly before since they have a class together, but when this sudden dangerous turn of events start to occur they are forced to stick together if they want to survive the night.

A novel taking across just one night has its ups and downs. The positive side is that you get to really be invested with the events of the story and are taken along through every moment of that night, that will change their lives forever. A negative side is that the characters don’t get to develop as much as they would in a novel that takes place over a few months or even a year. Although, our main characters did change their mindsets and start to evolve as better humans by being together and seeing the other side of things, so that little growth helped the story a lot.

I’m Not Dying With You Tonight is a book that you just want to keep reading to see how it ends, these characters go through so much in the few hours that its a definite page turner. I devoured this story in about a day. An amazing debut from these authors and I will continue to read more books they publish.

I ultimately gave this book a 4 star because there was a little problem I had regarding one of our characters Lena who has a boyfriend. It is revealed that Black is 20 years old but it is never said how old our main characters are. They are high school students but that could still mean Lena is underage and that doesn’t sit well with me. Lena also states that she doesn’t want to reveal her botfriends true age to her parents because they wouldn’t be happy, which leads me to believe she is not yet of age. Other than that issue, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who would like to read about friendship, hardships & not being afraid to be who you want to be.

RELEASE DATE: August 6, 2019

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-ARC if this title in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this book packs all the feels! Following Lena and Campbell over one night in Atlanta the reader is placed in the middle of an intense situation that is often shown on the news -- events that lead to riots and police violence. I would liken this book to Angie Thomas' and Nic Stone's work and would be great for expanding contemporary collections with a book that is situated in current events and is unlike anything else I've read - a definite must read.

Lena and Campbell are from opposite worlds but a tumultuous night full of violence and chaos brings them together in order for them to survive through the night. Although I wished the characters could have been developed more, this is an interesting and necessary YA book that discusses race relations without being preachy and condescending. The dual perspectives gives the reader an in-depth look at what the characters are thinking and the false assumptions they make of each other. I loved that at towards the end their eyes were wide opened due to the incident and due to their so-called adventure together. If this book was used in the classrooms, it would definitely ignite the important conversations kids and teens need to have. This perfect for fans of The Hate U Give and All American Boys.

This book was a quick read, but lacked some depth. I feel like the characters weren’t as important as the plot. Maybe that’s ok, but it made it hard to connect at times. I liked it and will probably get a copy for my classroom library. Probably a 3.5.