Is this a bad book? No. Is this a great book? Also no. It's suffering from some pace issues - as well as mismarketing (not Bayron's fault). The action doesn't really kick in until almost the 70% mar - which is pretty far into the story. There are a few things that happen before the 70% point, but most of it is just alluded to or the reader has drawn their own conclusions.

SPOILER
And it takes a hard supernatural turn. For a book that's being marketed as an homage to slashers, I think this runs the risk of alienating readers.

Personally, I liked it enough, but it's not Bayron's best work. Bonus points for having a character named Sheriff Lillard though.

The last book I'm reading for a panel discussion with authors and it couldn't have ended better with Bayron's thriller set at a camp on a lake. The "final girl" Charity essentially runs a horror camp experience on the previous set of a horror movie-- will those be able to get to the end of the night alive? But it's when the actors end up on the receiving end of seriously spooky vibes and Charity realizes that her other employees haven't abandoned their jobs as they get toward the end of the season but might be missing and/or *gulp* dead that stuff gets serious.

Cue a crazy gun wielding old lady, owls and secret societies, bodies near the lake, and a whole bunch of corn syrup AND real blood and you've got me hooked. For as nutty as the book was toward the end, it all worked out for a next level night-time thrill fest that moved entirely fast (in a good way) because the book was too short for me, I needed more of Charity, her girlfriend, the rest of the employees and all the red herrings and plot twists in the middle of the woods.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. Ms. Bayron knows exactly what she's doing when writing her books, and she delivers flawlessly every time. I was hooked to this story, and I really enjoyed her version of a final girl, and the summer-time slasher flick vibes. Perfect for those that enjoy summer-time horror, camp-style! A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

A beautiful love letter to the slashers of yore. Sometimes campy, sometimes cliche, but always fun - it's a good read if you're willing to suspend some disbelief.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight was my most anticipated YA book of the year. This Poison Heart is one of my all-time favorite YA books, but unfortunately YNSTDT didn’t live up to my expectations. I think it’s because while I love teen screams, this is a medium best portrayed on film instead of in print. This would make an incredible movie. As a book, it was too short and too underdeveloped, and the final twists didn’t work for me.

Thank you Bloomsbury for the arc!
Fans of horror, thrillers, and a good final girl story will LOVE this! This was fast paced, gripping, full of twists, and overall a really fun read.

I absolutely loved everything about this book. It was a perfect homage to teen slashers (especially of the summer camp variety) from the 1980s-90s and you can tell a lot of love went into this one. The slasher movie tropes and their subversions were just *chef's kiss of perfection*. I also loved that the main character (and several of the other characters) was gay. Just everything about this was A+. Also that cover is absolutely gorgeous.

UNF SO FREAKING GOOD. I love a slasher and a CAMP SLASHER and Charity is an amazing heroine. AND THAT ENDING. Highly recommend!

Charity Curtis is always the "final girl" - a role of much pride. Working at Camp Mirror Lake where guests pay to be scared in recreated scenes from the horror movie Curse of Camp Mirror Lake.
In the last weekend of the season, Charity's co-workers stop showing up to work, forcing her to call in reinforcements. Fortunately, her friend and girlfriend have her back and are ready to jump in to make the finale a smashing success. Before that can happen though, things begin to go awry in all the worst ways. Will Charity still be the final girl? Or will the curse of Camp Mirror Lake take everything from her, including her life?

This was a fun read and I think it will go over well with teens. I felt like the ending rushed a little after a lot of build-up.

I’m a sucker for a fun, thrilling, clever slasher and Kalynn Bayron delivers! I read this in less than a day and loved every second. A group of kids led by Charity, work at Camp Mirror Lake, an Interactive horror summer camp attraction based on a horror film that was made there called Curse of Camp Mirror Lake. As they are approaching their final performance for the summer a few fellow cast members go missing, strange noises can be heard during the night, and mysterious stranger shows up at the camp. Blood will be spilled and dark secrets will be revealed! This book is non stop from beginning to end. And it’s so wonderfully realized with awesome characters and thrilling action. My only complaint is that it felt too short! I wanted more! Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC!

We begin with the obligatory "thank you, thank you, thank you," to NetGalley and our publisher Bloomsbury YA. (Also, huge shout-out to Bloomsbury YA for auto-approving me! I don't know if y'all read ARCs through NetGalley, but if you do, I gotta tell you, there is a super weird rush that comes with a publisher auto-approving you to read their upcoming books rather than needing to wait to be approved. I've never done drugs, but if this is what drugs feel like, I totally get it now.) Now--onto the good stuff! The book!

If you have ever watched a horror movie and gone, "I wonder what it would be like to read this," wonder no longer! You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight is exactly what I imagine it would be like if someone took a horror movie and converted it into a book. From the pacing to the plot points to the dialogue to the twists to the way the characters interact--this felt like a horror movie. That is to say, in terms of "bookishness," it was lacking a little because it moved past a lot of those lulling moments we get in books--sweeping descriptions of people and places, long pauses in action to get into the thoughts of the characters, steady pacing that leads into a rush and ends again in a steady trod. But in this case, that is not a downfall. There are books that need to read like books, and there are books that become something special when they don't read like books. You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight is in large part not just another YA horror book because of the fact that Kalynn Bayron has so perfectly encapsulated the feeling of watching a horror movie into the act of reading this book. You begin with the calm, tranquil setting that has just enough of an "uh oh" factor that you know something is coming, and then when that something comes, you just keep going, and when it ends, it just ends. Horror movies rarely have that idyllic, "ah, everything is resolved" ending, and when they do, it often detracts from the whole move that came before. That is the exact same thing that Bayron has done. She has refrained from giving us that "ah, a picture perfect ending" moment because if she did, all the horror that came before would just have been...bleh. The fact that the book just slams on its brakes and ends, leaving you feeling like you should still be hurtling down the track--that's what takes this to another level as well.

Fans of horror movies, rejoice! Here is finally a book that not only makes use of horror movie tropes, but it does so in a way that makes you feel like you're watching a movie, even as you're most assuredly reading a book. The library I work at has a significant population of horror fans, and I can just see this being popular with them. We will definitely be adding it to our collection come June, but until then, I suggest you fellow horror fans add it to your TBR. This book is a wild ride.

Charity is in charge of running a recreation of a classic horror movie set in an idyllic summer camp setting. Her goal is to thoroughly terrify each group of guests who pay for the privilege. The experience hits some snags-first some of her staff quit unexpectedly and then a neighbor causes a scene at the property-which cause the season to shut down early. Comments by the neighbor combined with the knowledge of one of the other employees leads the remaining employees to dig deeper into the camp's history. The events from there roll out in classic slasher movie style. Although framed as a slasher style horror, this will appeal to atmospheric horror fans as well as Bayron does an excellent job pacing the book and adding in supernatural elements. Even feeling like the story followed the typical plotline for a scary movie, the last two chapters definitely had elements that I was not expecting.

Thank you to Bloomsbury for sending me this arc in exchange for a review!


Holy smokes this was wild. A fast paced horror novel set at a film set/summer camp. I loved all of the characters. Typically in YA the side characters are flat compared to the main character but this was definitely not the case with this story. Everyone is so well rounded and the ending suprised me. I actually gasped out loud as I finished the book. Highly reccomend!

Kalynn does it again with creating characters that I must care about. A group of teens are hired for the summer to run a horror camp simulation and Charity has been assigned the role of final girl. Secrets about the place quickly makes things feel a little too real. The story kept me guessing and the atmosphere was deliciously tense. A perfect read for teens looking for something diverse and creepy!

Thrilling, terrifying, and tantalizing, this book will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finished. Like with most thriller/horror books, it was pretty fast paced, to the point where I didn't realize that I was almost done. The characters were well written and I easily found myself rooting for Charity and her friends to succeed. There was a bit of a supernatural element, which I wasn't expecting but enjoyed regardless.

Oh wow, this book was great! You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight is the story about Charity, who spends the summer playing the part of the “final girl” for a horror experience where guests pay to be part of recreations of scenes from a famous horror movie, Camp Mirror Lake. On the last weekend of the season, some of the workers go missing and everything begins to get a little too real.

This book has a very well-crafted story that kept my interest from beginning to end. I would never have guessed what was going on and I loved how it kept me on my toes throughout. The story is an original, the pacing was great, and the book sucks the reader in from the very beginning. The characters were very well fleshed out, easy to get attached to, and each had a distinct personality, which is rare in a horror book like this. Charity is a wonderful protagonist – she is strong, smart, and has all the makings of a final girl. I also loved all the references to standard horror movie rules. There were many shocking twists and turns, especially that ending!

It is a perfect book for YA readers who are trying to get into horror or any horror lover who wants something fun and not too gruesome. It had a good amount of gore and there were a few times where the final sentence of a chapter sent a chill down my spine.

This is my first time reading a book by Kalynn Bayron and it has made me immediately want to go check out her other work! I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fun, fast-paced horror book.

Charity loves her job at Camp Merrill Lake simulating the murders that happened so famously at the camp but when coworkers go missing in some turnup dead she isn’t having as much fun as she wants thought. Since the owner never shows up except to collect his money it’s up to charity and her friends to find out who’s killing all the kids at Camp Mirror Lake. Can she find out or will she wind up another victim? I love teen horror stories and this one was so good I couldn’t stop reading it I found it so much fun and for a teen slasher story they had a lot of OMG moments you don’t usually see and yeah horror stories. If you love these types of books then you’ll be doing yourself a favor by reading this book I have read the author before and will definitely read her books in the future that was truly an entertaining read. I received this book from NetGalley and a publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Fun and scary horror story based on 80's slashers!

Charity Curtis works at a special event park that is based on a gruesome murder that took place years ago. She is the manager and final girl that helps put on horror nights similar to escape games or the scary houses on Halloween.

But Something is up at Camp Mirror Lake as some of the employees are missing for the final week. Charity calls in some friends and favors and is committed to having the show go on. No one realizes at first that there might be a reason employees are missing until is suddenly becomes clear that no one may be able to survive the final night. If you love 80's slasher films, excellent POC female heroines or just want a fun book to give you a chill at night, You're Not Supposed To Die Tonight is for you!
#BloomsburyChildrenspress #bloomsburybooks #"Yourenotsupposedtodietonight #KaylnnBayron

Kaylynn Bayron is a fantastic writer, and when I saw she had written a book in my favorite sub-genre, I was stoked. Unfortunately, I got kicked in the face with a heapin' helpin' of disappointment. The characters are shallow, the plot holes a mile wide, and the story is contrived and nonsensical.
I normally give a book three stars if I at least finish it, but I'm actually angry about finishing it, so I'm breaking my own rule.
2 stars.