Unfortunately I had to DNF this story. The writing style was not for me. I appreciate the opportunity and apologize for not being able to complete the story. I wish the author the best of luck!

With a strong premise and a somewhat disappointing delivery, “You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight” was a quick, chilling read that ultimately wasn’t my favorite, but also wasn’t my least. It stars Charity, the “final girl” in a summer camp turned full contact slasher LARP where people can pay to experience all the terror of a horror film. In a place that thrives on jump scares, blood, and instigating genuine fear in the participants, when some of the employees go missing, the camp takes on a whole new level of danger. Real.

While the first section of the book follows this plotline, hazy pieces of the paranormal begin to appear not too far in. It added some confusion to the story and created an ending that was a little disappointing. I generally love supernatural and fantasy but in this case it felt like those aspects were there to fill any potential plot holes.

Though this book wasn’t my favorite, I did still enjoy the action and the writing style that Bayron brought to the table. That and the queer representation kept me reading.

I’ve liked Bayron’s works in the past and I would certainly pick up any future publications she puts out. If you like horror with some paranormal elements thrown in, I would certainly recommend giving this book a try.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

I think I can't read ya thriller books anymore. I just find them a bit more annoying than I should be. Like I would get really annoyed with the characters when they do something really dumb, which I did with this one. And It's not a good. I should have stopped myself while I read this book, but I wanted to keep going because I love the authors previously books. Unfortunately, this book wasn't it for me.

This was a pretty good thriller. It has such a sad and bittersweet ending (though morbid) but overall I liked the story.

More YA thrillers, please! Especially queer ones!

Charity Curtis has the very cool summer job of being the “final girl” at Camp Mirror Lake, an immersive full-contact experience that treats guests to live in a horror film. But what happens when the murders start becoming real during the last booking of the season?

I sped through this one, my pulse racing through most of it. Everything that was your classic slasher? I was all in on. It was wonderful watching Charity work through everything and be logical and reasonable! All the things you yell at the screen during a scary movie!

The ending fell apart a little for me as did all of the… lore. I wish it had been more straight forward.

Overall, a good time!

"You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight" is mediocre at best. The writing is mediocre, the story is not great, and the characters are forgettable. I wanted to love this book, or at least for it to be a fun read even if it wasn't a masterpiece, but it wasn't even really that fun. It felt more like a hodge-podge of Scream, Jason, and a few other campy horror stories and franchises. I appreciate what it was trying to do, but I did not find it to pull much of anything off successfully. It's not horrible, but it's just not very good either. The Owl Society in particular was disappointing as I felt there was a lot of wasted potential there that could have been developed into something great. It's fine, and I'm sure some teens will love it, but I did not.

This one wasn't really for me, I felt that it had too much unnecessary details or exposition -- which is not really what I look for when I'm reading a book, especially a thriller. However, I see my teens really enjoying it so I'd still recommend it to them regardless.

*3.5
For a book that’s so short (the audiobook is only around 6 hours) it took a surprising portion to set up the killings and get to any deaths. The twists were fun but not overly surprising, and I’m not really sure how I feel about the ending. It’s an okay YA horror with a lesbian main character that I will likely recommend to teens.

Bayron has created an homage to all lovers of the final girl horror film trope, while creating a memorable story of her own. Reminiscent of Fear Street, some readers will find the suspense just right, while others may find it moves a little slow. I would add this to the library, but I would recommend to those looking for quick horror or love Bayron's writing style.

I was impressed by this books pacing and plot. A lot happened in this story but it unfolded organically and kept the reader's interest until the very last page. I do wish that some of the folklore had been explored more but it was an engrossing read.

You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight was an absolute blast! It captured the classic Friday the 13th-style vibes perfectly, while bringing a unique touch to the genre with the haunted house-esque setting. I loved the characters so much (I'm such a sucker for a horror character who's a fan of horror movies), and the queer representation was amazing! I also really enjoyed the crazy plot twist at the end!

This was such a fun slasher! I read this in one sitting. It's about a group of teens that live and work on an immersive haunted summer camp where a popular movie was filmed. Things go awry one night and they slowly begin to go missing. Our main character realizes her friends are being attacked and sets out to save them, making all the dumb choices you expect teens to make in these situations.

Charity, the main character, was easy to root for. She cared about her job and her friends and had a backstory that made you empathize with her. Her co-workers and friends aren't as likable, but she does have a sweet girlfriend, and the other characters are interesting enough to make you feel for them when s*** goes down. The setting was perfect, and hearing how the camp was run was interesting. It's especially eery to see the horror go from staged to real in real-time, just like the characters.

The only big issue here is with pacing. This book is short and things don't pick up until halfway through. There's an elaborate backstory relating to the killings, and it takes up too much page time. Also, it doesn't allow the reader to develop any theories. That being said, an actual teen reader probably won't care, and a lot of them will just like a quick, spooky read.

If you're a horror enthusiast, you'll definitely find this book to be a treat. Even if you're not typically drawn to the horror genre,

You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight serves as an excellent entry point, particularly if you've been avoiding horror due to concerns related to certain individuals identified as heterosexuals.

Kalynn's narrative had me chuckling and snickering like a fool, with its lighthearted and exuberant humor. In the world of horror, a little laughter often accompanies the fright.

Charity's witty remarks were a highlight, and I appreciated her self-awareness, skillfully sidestepping behaviors that could lead to her demise. The overall tone of the book exuded a refreshing and distinctly queer sensibility.

I loved this book.

It took me completely by surprise. I read the synopsis, I figured I knew what was going to happen, but somewhere along the way magic happened and I just fell in love.

An incredible addition on the genre; a great homage to the slasher flicks that came before YNSTDT. Quickly paced with a great cast of characters, I devoured YNSTDT over a 48 hour window - you could watch the movie as the book played out in your head.

This book has solidified I will read anything Kalynn Bayron writes.

I am a huge fan of Kaylnn Bayron's books, so it wasn't a surprise, I would be excited to read this book. This her first YA horror/mystery novel, and I must say- it really got me hook. I read this book in one day, between two sittings because of the fact that I had to go back to work, so I couldn't finish it- but I finished it later that night. I must say this novel was really good.

I really love the mystery/thriller/horror elements. A camp by the lake that no one knows, only that you can get scared by the workers at Camp Mirror Lake! I felt that it had a perfect pace to this story, because I was reading it quickly because it was everything up my alley and it was. I don't think I can look at owls the very same way again.

I do wish some things were different like the twist at the end, better characterization and some other things, but otherwise- this was a good book, and recommend to others if they enjoy reading this type of stuff!

You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron is a horror/thriller about Camp Mirror Lake. The camp guests pay to be scared in the same way the victims were murdered in the movie by the same name. But now, people are actually disappearing. And trust me, what is actually going on is weirder than you might think. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Nice tribute to 80s horror movies - specifically slashers with a camp setting. A lot of fun. I will definitely it recommend to my teens.

This was a solid slasher book. I really liked the lore behind everything. The book spends about 50% on the characters and how the camp functions so by the time the horror begins, we are actually invested in the characters and what happens to them. Definitely will be recommending it for fall and Halloween reads.