Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the advance copy of this audiobook!

I loved this book. The atmosphere was everything I wanted it to be. It had spook factors and a few chills and I loved it. The plot and storyline in the book were great. I loved the characters in this story. It gave me all the feels I was looking for when I started reading this. I highly recommend this author. I loved the writing. I will be looking for other works in the future from this author.

I saw this on Netgalley and having never read an interactive audiobook before decided to give it a go. It’s essentially a choose your own adventure book, although it did feel a lot more limited as instead of branching story paths you had to find the correct path or die!

I liked the basic premise but found the execution to be a bit lacking as I didn’t really care for the characters (and thus their fates), the story was a bit dull and there were numerous plot holes. 

To be honest I found this to be mediocre, I only finished it as I was interested in the concept however with a bit more work this could’ve been fun.

I enjoyed the uniqueness of this audiobook as it brought me back to my childhood and one of my favourite types of books as a kid - choose your own adventure books. I was hooked on those books as a kid and was thrilled to have the opportunity to listen along to Try Not to Die: In Brightside. 

I loved following along this audiobook and making the many difficult decisions that you must make at the end of each chapter. Sometimes you are tasked with choosing one of two options, and sometimes it was on in three options, which makes it that much more difficult, because if you choose the wrong answer you die, then have to select a different choice. Each choice you make is unique in the sense that the story changes with each choice that you make. I love that about this book!

A definite must-add that I recommend you add to you TBR.

This is a fast paced, suspense filled adventure where Becky, her brother and other residents are trying to escape a horrific town called Brightside.

The book is an interactive book with lots of twists and it is loaded with the right amount of sarcasm 👌🏽. Loved it and want more.

Narration👌🏽

This is a very exciting story and it is in two versions,  starting at chapter one is the interactive version where the listener makes decisions at the end of each chapter, as to how the story should proceed - I died several times! Starting at chapter fifty five is the complete story. Brightside is run by the Boots, police who seek to control the thought thieves. The story is plot driven and you are the main character, Becky, a sixteen year old thought thief, and the only way not to die in Brightside if you are a thought thief, is to escape!

Mark Tullius and Dawna Gonzales have done a great job with the story and Maxine Denise does an excellent job of narrating. Aimed at teenagers and young  adults, this puts the excitement of game playing into reading or listening  to the book. A great idea, recommended.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Used to really love these kinds of books as a kid (though this one has "right" choices and i dont recall the books i read being like that but its been a while), its just really hard for me to do the pick your adventure thing with audiobooks :/ and the netgalley app is especially bad at skipping things but luckily they numbered the chapters for once. nor horrible but not my cup of tea either.

I received this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

I'm not a big fan of audiobooks so I think that's why I didn't enjoy it as much as I think I would've as a book. The plot was good and the characters were as well. 3 stars purely for the reason that I didn't enjoy it as a audiobook. I would definitely rate it higher if I had read it as a book

I love the choose your own adventure books and was super excited to see how entertaining it would be as an audiobook. This was a lot of fun and well narrated. You can choose your own version and/or choose the straight through version.

More than two dozen ways to die.
Just one correct path.
Do you have what it takes to survive?

Try Not To Die: In Brightside had a horror\supernatural feel to it.

Y'all this was quite amazing.
I had a awesome time with the decisions even though I did die a lot.
Still fun to be able to make your own decision.

I really enjoyed! It was great!

Thank you NetGalley, Publisher & Author for this gifted copy.

Ok, let me first say that this is a YA novel. That said, I tried to go back to when I was the age of Becky who is the protagonist in this book. The really cool aspect is that YOU, the reader can choose the outcome of each chapter. I will say that the audiobook version is probably not as good as the actual book due the the fact it seemed to rush you in making your decisions. Overall though I would definitely give 4/5 stars and recommend this book to any YA who likes scary stories. Becky is new to Brightside and she needs to be very observant. The people there are not like other people. There is one big difference, they tend to disappear at night. You mustn’t say a word about it either. The nurse, Jenny, carries a gun. The story line is great and it kept me interested the entire way through. I do not want to give away too much because it is worth the read.

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author/publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Becky is planning on escaping Brightside by Mark Tullius and Dawna Gonzalez. Then, her neighbor is murdered. In this create your own adventure, you get to try to help her escape. Becky tries to investigate to find out who killed her neighbor and is still trying to escape.

This was my first choose your own adventure story. It was so fun except I kept picking the wrong choice. When you pick the wrong choice, it tells you which chapter to go back to to retry. I started randomly picking numbers instead of choosing what I thought was the best choice and did way better.

I did the choose your own adventure story and think I liked it more than I would've liked just listening to the story.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Maxine Denis. Denis did a great job narrating and her voice worked well 

Thank you NetGalley and Vincere Press for this audiobook.

<em>Time to make a decision...</em>

This is my first experience reading a choose your own adventure novel in audiobook format. And I have to admit that the idea is pretty fantastic. It's one thing to read them yourself, but as an audibook it's an entirely different experience. It's one that I think has a <em>lot</em> of potential. That said, <em>Try Not to Die: In Brightside</em> by Mark Tullius and Dawna Gonzales wasn't really all that great. 

<b>Turn to Chapter 2</b>

As I said, I <em>love</em> the concept of a choose your own adventure in audiobook format. This was probably the single best thing about the whole story. Having the ability to listen to the story and have the main character make decisions based on my choices has always been something I've been intrigued by. It was truly wonderful to be able to do so simply by moving from chapter to chapter. 

In its own way, the audiobook made it even easier to follow the process of jumping from chapter to chapter. As far as I'm concerned, this book could have been one of the most amazing I'd read this year if only the story was up to par. 

<b>Try Again</b>

There are a lot of things that didn't really work well with this story. Perhaps part of it is that I did not read the original book by Tullius that built the world in which this book is set. That said, I do think this only plays a small role in my disappointment. Ultimately, the actual plot as well as the characters were not written very well. Everything is very matter of fact. The characters all have a goal and are working toward it, but there are a lot of weird things involved in order to make the events you have to choose between more dangerous.

The world-building is...okay. It's nothing mind-blowing, really. You've kind of just got some template for a dangerous escape novel in which the author kind of plugs in a bunch of mildly developed filler points and...voila. There's the book. 

The characters, though, are probably the worst. I never once felt connected to any of them. There didn't seem to be any depth to a single character, or at least we never get enough time with anyone to unveil any of the potential depth they may have had. In the end all, even the main character, are very forgettable. 

<b>Choosing Your Adventure</b>

Speaking of the main character, why were all the choices that furthered you along in the story awful? It almost felt as though the author were trying to discourage kind acts, since all the options to be kind and helpful resulted in her basically dying. Honestly, what the hell? I was <em>so</em> disappointed with this.

What's worse is that this really never felt like a choose your own adventure story. It was really more of a guess the option that won't get you killed kind of tale. This, admittedly, made me like the story a lot less than I might have if it actually had different endings that you could potentially reach. 

In general, there was nothing <em>terrible </em>about the writing, but it was definitely subpar in a lot of ways. I think the only thing that the author could do a decent job at was action...but even that was very meh.

<b>Speaking of Meh</b>

I'm not sure if it was the characters, the writing, or just the narrator but I never once felt scared while reading this. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this supposed to be the kind of story that you feel scared while reading or listening to? Despite stakes being supposedly high, nothing ever felt that way. Not once. Which is <em>hilarious</em> because there are literally so many instances in which the main character dies if you make a bad choice. 

The audio just needed <em>something</em> more to make me really feel like I was in the moment, to actually scare me. Maybe the voice should have been different. Maybe there should have been sound effects. Perhaps it would have been best to put in some creepy music. I'm not sure. But what they did do just didn't work for me. 

So, at the end of the day this book wasn't terrible. But it's definitely not anything to get excited about, either. 

<em>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</em>

This review will be live on the Reader Fox blog on October 2, 2020.

This was fun! 
I loved choose your own adventure books as a child so an adult version was fab! 
I love the authors writing style so even though I haven’t read brightside before listening I still thoroughly enjoyed and understood what was going on through the chapters.
My only gripe was I listen to audiobooks whilst at work and I had to keep changing chapters to follow my choices. Fine if I was home but at work it was a pain. My fault for choosing to listen whilst at work but I felt it was worth mentioning.
I’ve already picked up try not to die at grandmas house 😁

did you ever read and choose your own adventure book? 
Example: you are trapped in bedroom with the killer coming down the hallway. Turn to pg 3 if you hide in the closet. Turn to pg 15 if you climb out the window.

I'm not going to lie... I died many many times reading this book. I'm bad at impulse decisions 🤣 That being said, I still really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced and kept me on my toes.

Rating: 2.5 rounded up to 3 /5 stars.

Opinions: In my opinion, Try Not to Die: In Brightside was precisely average. The plot was engaging, but not electrifying. The characters were consistent, but not relatable. The themes were existent, but not resonating. Although I had a blast flicking through the book to choose my own adventure, I did not gain anything from reading this nor am I counting down the days until the next book releases. There's not much else to say; Try Not to Die: In Brightside fell just short of my expectations.

My Favourite Thing: I appreciate Tullius' dedication and passion for his "Try Not to Die" series. As a writer myself, I understand how difficult writing choose-your-own-adventure stories can be. Despite this, he never confused paths, misplaced information, or forgot a character's mission! I definitely appreciate that, however uninterested in the book I was, he did an excellent job creating a credible and flowing story.

My Least Favourite Thing: That said, Tullius cheated in writing a choose-your-own-adventure book. Readers are supposed to choose a new path at every crossroad the author provides and end up at one of the multiple conclusions. Rather, Tullius provided two choices: the right one, which allowed you to continue the story, and the wrong one, which forced you to reread a chapter and choose the correct choice. There were no paths, only obstacles. This was irritating and very restricting, which is the opposite of the book's intent! 

Total Rating: PG-12
Language: PG-13
Adult Content: PG
Violence: PG-13

Recommended For and Similar Reads: Try Not to Die: In Brightside is an intense and complex read for fans of choose-your-own adventure stories looking for a bit more structure in their books. If you've watched "Bandersnatch" or played Dungeons and Dragons, you should try Tullius' "Try Not to Die" series!

Brightside is a beautiful mountain town. It is also a prison. Special people are sent here and held. They are treated just fine if they work and proceed as they are supposed to. But those that don't are sent to the lodge and come back with their spirit broken. Becky has only been here for 10 days and already hates it. But she hears there might be an escape attempt and she must join in.

I haven't read a choose your adventure story like this in forever. I wasn't sure how it would work with the audiobook, but it was super easy. At the end of the chapter, the narrator tells you that you must make a decision. You then skip to whichever chapter you choose to learn your fate. I died way more times than I shall admit, but it was fun. The audiobook also gives the option to skip ahead if you just wanted to listen to the story, which I appreciated.

I will say that while I did not read the previous book, I had no problem following along. Probably would've been better if I had, but the action started so fast, you just learned to go with the flow. Overall, I thought this was fun.

I received a copy of this audio book from net galley in exchange for an honest review.  

Let me be clear...I think I would have enjoyed this a lot more if I had read the first book in the series before listening to this audio book.  I was a little confused during the story as I couldn't follow who certain characters were that I am assuming had been mentioned in the first book.  That being said, I did enjoy this audio book and the choose your own adventure style of it.  I think that is what made it enjoyable for me, being able to choose what happens next even if I made a mistake and chose the wrong path.  

I really do think that the authors have great promise with this series and will be picking up the first book in the series just because I actually want to know what happened prior to the start of this audio book.

I listened to the audiobook version of this novel and all I can say is what a mess. I loved choose your own adventure type books as a kid, but this doesn’t work as an audio. The decisions are thrown at you too quickly with little explanation and the book moves on to the next chapter before you have time to make the selection. I like to put my phone down and listen to and audiobook without having to click every few minutes. This story kept me attached to my phone and unable to relax into the story. 

The story itself was hard to understand. It seemed to leap straight into something I was meant to understand but wasn’t explained clearly enough. I didn’t get chance to engage with the protagonist and I didn’t know what was happening.  

There were also some technical issues where phrases were repeated that appeared to be editing issues rather than intentional. It doesn’t take much effort to check your audiobook before releasing it for review and it’s disappointing that this hadn’t been done. 

Choose your own adventure is a great idea, but this book simply doesn’t work.

I enjoyed the story and found the "choose your adventure" part to be an interactive twist on the audiobook experience. My biggest qualm with this story is that it was evidently second in the series and depended too much on the reader/listener knowing the background to make sense. Because I have not read the first book, I feel very disconnected from the protagonist,. I was blindsided and confused when she started telepathically communicated with other characters and the narration did nothing to help clarify these plot points. The protagonist's relationships also felt jarring and like the author focused too much on telling and not enough on showing. Still, the story and world were interesting and perhaps with the experience of the first book, my experience with this one would have been radically different.

An Interactive Book? Cool!

The idea is great. I remember reading these kinds of books when I was a teen. And being able to click a link or skip to another chapter instead of flipping pages is an awesome updated version.

The story follows Becky as she tries to escape a town that's riddled with "Boots" aka the bad guys. Her brother's in the town as well. The story and concept are great.

This is book two of a series and I am not sure if I needed to read book one before giving this a try. My only issue is that I would have like more story in the story. More back story but that could be my fault because that back story is probably in book one.

I like the fact that you get two versions, the interactive one and the regular version if picking your own adventure isn't your thing. This still gives you the opportunity to read the story and enjoy the Authors work.