DNF

I was really excited to read this one. It had a good premise and was full of 90’s horror nostalgia. It started off really well, but then it quickly went downhill for me after the first chapter. 😬

Such a shame. I enjoy teen slashers and loved the cover for this one.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

It took a long time for me to get into this book. I just didn’t enjoy it. I couldn’t connect with the characters and the plot and the way the story was told, felt jumpy and disjointed.

I just wasn’t a fan. I was close to DNFing a few times, but I pushed through.

What a fun read perfect for any fans of the slasher movie, especially Scream. I really enjoyed all the throwbacks to horror films and tropes but with a unique plot twist like Groundhog’s Day/Happy Death Day. And I definitely didn’t see that ending coming. Will be recommending to other thriller lovers!

I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT.

Really glad the killer wasn’t the obvious choice. I absolutely love the twist and how Allie going back in time feels like a totally different story (because she learns that no everyone is who you think they are). But I’m really hoping for a sequel because damn. That ending hurt.

What a great slasher story! I need more like this (especially with all the 90s nostalgia)

Well this one was intense! Parts of it read like a movie, which is definitely a vibe you were supposed to get. It was scary and haunting and potentially could give me nightmares.

Danielle captured my pitch black little heart after I read the Merciless. It was so dark and disturbing that I became obsessed with her books. She is now one of my auto-read authors and she never disappoints.

If you had a chance to go back a year, solve a murder in only twenty-four hours, and deal with those consequences afterward, would you? I'm not sure what I would do because altering the past could bring hellfire to the future.

This book was wow. I kept repeating, "Are you f**king kidding me!!?", after completing this book and I'm still thinking that now. I thought I had it all figured out but I was wrong. I was close though. Close enough that you feel the hot breath on your neck. I enjoyed every damn second of this book and I'm ready to read it again. That ending gave me goosebumps (goosebumps up and down my arms and a shiver shooting down my spine) My mouth is still hanging open in shock.

The mystery was a great one because you never see any of this coming. Things were thrown in to lead you astray and that's exactly what happens. You get pulled in one direction and you follow. The nineties references were tubular *wink* The more Danielle talked about Scream, the more I knew it wasn't going to end like that. The characters were messy in the best kind of way. Alice played a hell of a role and she can help me solve murders any day.

How to Survive Your Murder was absolutely amazing. Nothing gave away who was behind the Halloween murders and that made this even more exciting. I loved all the horror movie references and that the main characters talked about the 'Final Girl' and all the cliches that come with those movies. It was a perfect read and one I highly suggest reading.

Thank you to PenguinTeen for the earc in exchange for an honest review.

I totally didn't see the end coming it was such a big twist. The last half of the book made the book more interesting and intriguing to me. It took awhile for me to actually jump into the story. I will definitely give the audiobook a try and hope it changes my rating.

Loved the main character in this story. It was a little slow in several parts of this book and it lost my attention a few times.

Looooved the Scream + Happy Death Day vibes! It reminded me a lot of The Mary Shelley Club! I loved that it was set in 24 hours. The ending was a bit underwhelming for me.

Delightfully terrifying, and yet, also funny! Lovers of mystery, old school horror , 90's slasher flicks, and just movies in general are going to love this one.

1 year ago Alice watched her sister's murder. Now, her life is in shambles as she enters the courthouse to testify against her sister's killer. But right before the trial begins, Alice meets a mysterious character and is suddenly transported back to Halloween a year ago. She has one day to save her sister.

This book pays homage to so many beloved movie tropes (and Adam Sandler, want to know what I am talking about here? Read the book).

Danielle (Vega) Valentine gets better and better with each book. I, for one, can't wait to see what she comes out with next!

Put this in the hands of readers of Stephanie Perkins and Karen McManus.

This was a very quick read as you follow Alice on her journey after her sister is murdered. I don’t want to say too much and give it away but the book took a turn I was not expecting and made it very intriguing. Alice believes she knows who killed her sister, after all she witnessed it. Or did she? Is she sure? It was fun trying to guess what was going to eventually happen, which I was able to do eventually! Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC.

The concept of this story? Absolutely beautiful. I loved the execution and the plot twist, everything about it was just amazing!

This book absolutely rules. Maybe I'm just on a YA thriller kick, maybe I have a needlessly soft spot for time loop books, maybe I'm easily swayed by books where I share a name with a character. Whatever it was, I had a great time. I'm so glad we're in an era of fun new YA slasher/thrillers, and I'm grateful I had the chance to read this one. Thank you so much for the opportunity!

I found this one to be average. I think I just had my expectations too high because I was expecting a super scary horror novel but it didn’t really deliver. I liked the aspect of Alice going back in time though and reliving the day over to try and stop the killer but I wasn’t super invested in the entirety of the story. I also didn’t really enjoy the references to all the slashers as I haven’t really seen that many older horror movies so it didn’t really add anything to my reading experience. The twists were good, but again didn’t do much to salvage my enjoyment. Overall, I think if you’re a slasher/horror movie lover this will be a book for you but for me it just wasn’t what I was expecting.

What the freak did I just read?! This book was an emotional roller coaster that ended with the best slasher/horror book ending that a slasher junkie could ask for.

There were a few things that I really liked about this book: the chapter titles, the horror movie references, and how everything played out. The chapter titles were funny and just self-deprecating enough for a gen z audience to love. The horror movie references were frequent and spot on. Even though there were many that I haven't seen, the ones I have were well represented. And the way things played out....well, I'll just have to say it was awesome.

The Groundhog day aspect of this story definitely allowed the plot to be shaped in a way it wouldn't have been able to otherwise. And I appreciate the fact that the author allowed us a glimpse into Alice's life (our main character) a year after her sister's murder before catapulting us back to the night it all went down. That way, we got a really good sense of everything Alice had lost that night and where she'd end up if she didn't find the killer.

I have to admit, there were a few moments where I was just bored with this book. I pushed through because I felt like the ending was going to be worth it (and it so was), but I can't deny that I wasn't completely interested in this book at times. Also, for me (a slasher movie/murder-mystery fanatic), the killer was pretty obvious about halfway through. It was satisfying to see I was right in the end so I wasn't too peeved about it being so obvious. I think maybe for the normal slasher/murder-mystery lover, it won't be so obvious and will be a fun ride.

Overall, I enjoyed this book! And I'd recommend it for its amazing ending alone.

I requested a digital copy in order to sample the prose on my phone (since I don't have a eReader) before requesting a physical copy for review. I will update Netgalley once I read & review a physical copy.

My review will be based on the physical ARC I read.

How to Survive Your Murder is full of 90's nostalgia and slasher film references...and I ate it up.

This book pays homage to all the classic horror movies that I watched as a teen. We have a Sidney Prescott look-alike, a few Skeet Ulrich/Billy from Scream comparisons, and the main character, Alice, even has the creepy Halloween theme song as her text tone. (every time she got a text, I could hear this song in my mind, adding an extra creepy touch to my reading experience.)

Reading How to Survive Your Murder felt like watching a 90's slasher film, too. Whether it was the creepy corn maze at night, the sound of footsteps coming from somewhere in the shadows, or the "OMG the killer is right behind you...run, girl, run!" moments, I always felt like I was experiencing the story the way I would watching a scary movie. My heart raced. I held my breath. I looked over my shoulder.

Oh, it was fun.

It's no secret this book has a time-traveling aspect. Alice travels back in time to last year's Halloween and watches her sister's murder play out again, but this time, she can intervene. I think this will work for some people, but not others. While I think it elevated an otherwise been there, done that story, I know true slasher film fans love them for their simplicity. There's something truly scary about regular people being hunted by a regular person. Throw in a twist where the character has the chance to change things, and I think you lose some of that edge. (don't get me wrong, I personally loved the whole Scream meets Cinderella plot...just want to be transparent for those who may not.)

Did I figure out certain twists early on? Yes.
Was I pleasantly shocked by the ending? Yes.
Do I hope and pray there's a sequel? Absolutely.

Thank you Penguin Teen for the advanced copy!