I was surprised by this one!

So, I'm a fan of thrillers and have read this authors next book as well (actually first, on accident) so I was looking forward to this one and it didn't disappoint. It's bloody, it's dramatic, and it's...unexpected.

I won't get into what makes it that way so as not to spoil anything, but I found myself surprised by the turn of events and yet totally on board with it.

And the end...well, as many have said, WOW. I kind of saw it coming, but still...

Note: Language, under age drinking, and lots of deceptions of gore (it felt very "horror" ish in a mild kind of way?).

My rating: 4*

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Thanks to NetGalley for this gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

This was one of the worst books I read in 2023. I hated everything so much, from the main character to the actual plot, this was *bad* bad.
I don't even know how to explain how much I disliked my whole experience with this book. It was just poorly written and not at all engaging.
By the time I reached the half way point, I couldn't stand it anymore and I had to push through to force myself into finishing this, just because I had to review it and I never review dnfs.
Needless to say, I won't be reading anything more from this author, she just isn't the right author for me.

Classic slasher movie meets time travel loop, this book is very cool. It’s kind of beyond description — you just have to read it.

Fans of Riley Sager, Karen M McManus, and Holly Jackson will devour this! Alice feels very true to the teen experience and teenagers will see themselves in her.

If you've been looking for a book that is YA, that gives off the energy and feel of the "Scream" movies - this book is perfect for you. It has that old school slasher energy, that is creepy but not straight nightmare horror inducing scariness.

SYNOPSIS: Alice goes to a Halloween party with her sister, not knowing this will be the last night she sees her sister alive. Her sister goes in a scary corn maze, only to never make it out alive. And now, Alice is the only witness in the case. Now she is forced to testify in court, face the killer and all of those people who were in the corn maze that night... until she is hit over the head and wakes up on Halloween night one year prior, aka the night of the murder. Can she save her sister? Find out who the killer is?

4/5 Stars, highly enjoyed this one - especially to read during spooky season! It scratched that itch of a 90's thriller/slasher movie, in book form.

*Gifted by Penguin Teen / Razorbill and Netgalley - thank you! All opinions are my own.

How to Survive Your Murder written by Danielle Valentine

RULE #1 NEVER GO INTO THE CORN MAZE ALONE

RULE #2 Nothing good happens on Halloween

RULE #3 Never be distracted by a Hot bad boy

This is such a delightful, twisted YA horror! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I absolutely love reading horror and I loved how the main character is a horror fanatic.

Alice’s world turns upside down when her charismatic older sister, Claire gets murdered in a corn maze on Halloween. 1 year later she is about to testify as the only witness. Claire was the glue to their lives and now she’s gone. On the first day of the trial – she gets knocked out and wakes up on Halloween one year earlier…on the night her sister dies. Everything restarts and she has a chance to change the past. I absolutely love altered realities.

This really reminds of the slasher films like Scream! Great pacing, creepy, every person is a suspect. My heart was beating so fast in some scenes. I definitely could not put this down and read it all in one day.

I have read a lot of books within the past 2 years, but none of them have made me as speechless as How To Survive Your Murder. This book has everything you would want in a horror book: exciting characters, the epitome of right and wrong (more wrong than right in this case), an enticing plot, most definitely multiple plot twists, and maybe even a Sydney Prescott look-alike. I became hooked on this book within the first 4 pages and I don't think I ever put it down from there. 

How To Survive Your Murder is built on the ground that is mid to late 90's horror movies. Most references throughout the book play a significant part in moving the story along.........like being a Final Girl. 

Overall this book left me speechless and I absolutely loved every moment of it. I really recommend this for anyone who loves 90's horror movies, some very crazy plot twists, and if you just want a read that will make you go "I really think this person is the killer" or "NO WHY DID YOU GO IN THERE!" Then this book is for you. You'll be dying to read it.

Common sense: it's like the main rule of being a Final Girl........
P.S. being a Final Girl isn't easy

I loved this book. I think it had an interesting premise and I had no idea how it was going to end. I would definitely recommend to friends

Have always loved Danielle's suspenseful writing, and How to Survive Your Murder was spectacular!
A must read YA Fiction Horror story that will take its toll on your spooky radar. Nothing short of haunting.
Will definitely reread in the spooky month of October, year in and year out!
Absolutely recommend!

Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me an ARC!
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Unfortunately I DNFed this, it just didn’t catch my attention and maybe I’ll get into it again when I’m in the perfect headspace to give this another try! But I would buy and recommend this to others definitely!

Thank you to Netgalley and Razorbill for sending me a copy of this book. All opinions are my own!

I'm not sure where to start with my feelings about this book. For at least half of it, I was really enjoying it, and I especially enjoyed the combination of a typical thriller with some fantasy aspects to it. But the further I got into it, the crazier it became, and some of the aspects just kind of left a bad taste in my mouth.

I really liked Alice, our MC, and felt that she was someone who was really relatable. Especially for those young girls out there who are typical readers and usually outsiders, she's such a good representation of what it feels like to constantly be on the outside.

A lot of the actions in the book I just found to be slightly ridiculous. What kind of teen rents a whole cornfield? Why would these teens continually run from cops or crash their car? How can they all continually think it's a prank when there's a lot of evidence to the contrary? And Alice's refusal to believe anything other than what she wants to believe went on for far too long. Even toward the end she was still thinking things like "because he did it" instead of trying to find as many suspects as possible and really investigate the issue. The storyline with her dad also felt randomly added for dramatic effect and there could have been better ways to achieve the same end without his actions.

And then at the end, the fantasy aspects really put me off for some reason as well. All in all, I was just underwhelmed.

This book was beautifully written. It's terrifying yet informing and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Highly recommend.

I was looking forward to read a fast paced and tension filled thriller, but sadly I couldn't finish this book. I found the writing and the pacing of the story quite slow. The description of the book initially seemed super interesting, but it wasn't for me.

This one has a promising idea at the outset but it was quite predictable in its lead up to the final scenes. I didn’t quite grow attached to the characters as the book tended to rely on standard horror tropes that really did not introduce new concepts but just seemed to want to name drop and reference movies in the genre. With the body count rising, it was fairly unsatisfying because the book did not attempt to build the relationships between any of the characters except for Wes and Alice and Alice and Claire. The abrupt ending lacked resolution and didn’t have the jarring twist it could have as it seemed pretty clear early on with what was happening. Despite some of the misgivings, it does provide some interesting action sequences in the writing that help to propel the book to its finale in a quick, if unsatisfying, manner.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝙎𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙃𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝘿𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝘿𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙-𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙧 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡.

📍 Read if you like:
• Horror Movies
• Spooky Season
• Halloween Parties
• Corn Mazes

I was so excited to read this book. It was being compared to Scream and Happy Death Day - both unique and amazing plots. Unfortunately, I didn’t love this book as much as I wanted to.

I did love that it took place on Halloween Night and that a haunted corn maze was involved. It had an eerie atmosphere which I was hoping would make the story better.

I also liked the horror movie references and gore. Also, I loved that it mentioned Asian horror. It did take time for me to feel interested in the book, especially since I did not care for the characters.

Usually, I find myself struggling with YA thrillers, in a way that was the case with this one. However, it had an interesting plot that I wish I would’ve loved more.

The ending also felt so predictable IMO. I predicted the killer very early on. It is a bit far-fetched with the traveling back to try and save someone.

This wasn’t a terrible book. I still enjoyed some moments with the horror references, but the story itself was a bit meh. Some moments were great, some were disappointing. Overall, this was a three-star read.

3.5
If you love films like Scream, you will for sure enjoy this. I am having a fallout with YA; however, I was always interested in how this would wrap up. I loved the character Sydney Prescott look alike. The ending was definitely surprising.

This book seemed so similar to The Good Girl's Guide to Murder at first, but then it took a hard left turn. The paranormal aspect of it was kind of interesting. I like the stories where people have to experience a situation from a different vantage point and learn from it. This one had quite a few twists and turns along the way. I did have it figured out from just about the very beginning, but for a YA novel that isn't too surprising. I still enjoyed the journey to the end and was adequately surprised by the ending!

Snippet Review:
This is a solid YA thriller and it comes with less angst and more lean into of love of thriller films. I appreciate the characters are developed without huge age cliches and the plot is quick paced and exciting throughout. The twist and turns are unexpected and fresh while giving the final girl vibes of classic thriller movies. Well done. The ending? Blown away. Definitely worth a read.

Fuller review below:
If you’re in a reading slump one of the best ways to get out of it is to find a book just captivates your attention and you inhale it in one sitting! Follow me for more tips. They may be profound or obvious to anyone. It’s a roller coaster over here! 🙃🎢 🙂

But seriously, How to Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine is just such a book! Thank you @penguinteen for my hard copy - I absolutely loved this book!

How to Survive Your Murder is such a unique thriller and approach to the genre that I haven’t seen before and because of that it elevates this fun YA novel to a different place. Alice Lawrence is the sole witness to her sister Claire’s murder trial one year after a fateful night in the corn field. In a dizzying turn of events Alice is knocked out in the courtroom bathroom and is transported to the night Claire was murdered. Alice has until midnight to find the real killer before they claim other victims.

I went into this story blind and I think it made it even more adventureful. I loved the obsessed fixation Alice had for Final Girls, thriller movies, and true crime in many ways and how that wove into the storyline as the plot progress. If you’re someone that enjoys that sleuthing this will be a fun read for you. True crime lover? I think you’ll also really enjoy it. Like a book with good twists? Pick this one up!

How to Survive Your Murder is perfect for fans of teen slasher movies. The book follows Alice Lawrence as she is about to testify in her sister’s murder trial. Alice is ready to tell everyone that she saw Owen Maddox Jill her sister last Halloween in a corn maze. However when she gets knocked out by a girl who looks just like Sidney Prescott from Scream, she then wakes up to find herself back in the cornfield on the same night as her sister’s murder. Alice will use this second chance to do whatever it takes to keep her sister alive this time.

This book is a perfect balance of creepy thriller with just the right amount of humor thrown in. You really feel for the characters, especially Alice as she has to uncover mystery after mystery in this one. With everything she learns, she becomes less sure of who the killer really is.

I enjoyed the book. It’s kind of a twisted version of It’s a Wonderful Life. I love books that give characters second chances to right wrongs in their past. The only problem I had was the ending. In true horror fashion, you don’t always get a happy ending and I’m ok with that. It just didn’t feel like a true resolution. I wanted more closure.

Absolutely devoured this book, I could not put it down. The twist...The ending...*chef's kiss* I do feel like there were some things that weren't resolved, but that didn't take away from the story in my opinion.