I really liked this book! It reminded me of the movie, "Bodies Bodies Bodies", with a cast of very rich kids, all with hidden problems. I felt at times the writing was a little disconnected with the main character, switching out of her body and into the 3rd person space, but it didn't stop me from reading it all in one go!

Thank you so much to TBR Tours and Lisa Springer for the ARC copy!

This book follows Noelle. She is confident that if she was dropped into a horror film, she’d make it to the end. But when her party guests and herself are thrown into a deadly party game, will she have what it takes to be the Final Girl?

Wow. I just started reading this book last night and woah. I was looking over my shoulder. My empty house became ten times eerier with each chapter of this book. Lisa, where have you been? Your writing skills are insane!

At about 25% in, I knew that I. WAS. HOOKED. If you have ever trusted my reviews and opinions, believe me when I say you need this book in your hands, Right. Now. This is a must have to your shelf!

I picked this one up because the premise sounded very similar to My Heart is a Chainsaw (but YA and black!!) which is totally my vibe.

Noelle is obsessed with horror movies and runs a popular movie club. She throws a halloween party and invites all the popular (and extremely rich) kids in her senior class, but it quickly turns into a real life slasher.

I'm 26, so I always try to mention that in YA reviews since I am not the target audience. However, I was not impressed with the characters in this one. The main character is rich and she just so happens to go to school with all of these other rich kids who are all celebrities/business owners/etc. (at 17/18?!) I can see the author was probably trying to go for a Gossip Girl type crowd, but instead of seeming like an elite group of teens it felt inauthentic and surface level. The characters didn't have much depth at all other than their accomplishments and money. They all felt like Beverly Hills stereotypes and unfortunately didn't add much to the story.

The book was a quick read and definitely thrilling, though! I was not bored at any point and definitely had a good time while reading it.

This was not a standout book for me by any means, but I also didn't hate it -- it was very much a 3 star read.

*Thank you for the publisher and Netgalley for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review*

This was a good YA Horror, I will give you that, but probably not for all the reasons that most people would think. I thought the story was great and the horror was fun. Fun? What a strange way to talk about a book where a serial killer dressed like Pennywise from Wish picked off teenagers one by one.
It was honestly the characters. I found most of them minimally likeable. Even the main character at times, but it was because she barely seemed to actually care about the people she called friends, and honestly, it seemed like it was mutual. It was kind of hard to root for a bunch of shallow, morally gray people with little character dealing with their rich kid struggles. It was just difficult to really understand them. There were definitely moments when I was like “oh good, the killer is there. I have no feelings either way, let’s see how this plays out.”

Again, the MC I could understand at times. There are absolutely societal expectations that her family reached above and racism is absolutely a horrible thing that completely in all echilons of society. However, there were times when it seemed less like she was in a fight for her life and more like she was in a fight she had always wanted to be in just so she could prove that she was able to do something, even though all her supposed friends are dying in truly horrific ways around her.

Trust me when I say, the author truly had some twisted visions for how one would end the lives of some somewhat insufferable people. The writing was great and maybe the above was kind of the point? If so, I give the author major props for this well written book that felt like I was hate watching a reality TV show. I’m not sure if that was goal here, but if it was I can’t help but give some shiny stars for the effort. It was a weird thing for me to enjoy but God help me, I did.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Children's for the advanced copy in exchange for this review.

A new slasher novel with a killer 🤡 being the lead sign me up. I was really hyped to read this one and i finished it super fast because it was a page turner i really loved taylor who was one of the characters who was a great non binary rep! I liked that this novel had alot of interesting death scenes/action packed moments my favorite one was definitely 🎾 🎾 🩸🩸The lead of this novel was iconic i loved her. I will say some of the moments in this novel was really far fetched and not believable at times which kind of was a buzzkill. 🤡 🤡 I will say tho this was a good little cat and mouse game of hide and seek between a killer clown and friends definitely a good read for the halloween season coming up. I also loved that each chapter had a quote from scary movies. I enjoyed it! Anyone have this on your TBR?

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

My Review:

I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via TBR and Beyond Tours in exchange for an honest review and place on this blog tour – thanks!

This book was such a fun ride, or I guess as fun as a book filled with murderous clowns can be. I love horror movies (and I’m trying to get into watching more of them), so it was fun to get all sorts of recs from every chapter of this book. Noelle definitely had final girl energy, even if it was extremely exaggerated most of the time.

The fast pace of this novel seems as though it would not be the best place for character development, especially of the side characters, but it wasn’t the case here. I felt like I got to know all the side characters well enough to sympathize (or not) with them as needed throughout the story. I do wish we had gotten more intimate character development of Noelle, even with some sort of flashback, but I can see that it would have likely not fit into the pacing that Springer developed for this book.

Like with most horror related things, sometimes you’ve got to let go of what might be your regular expectations. It makes it less fun to take it too seriously, you can’t question the logic of the story or it takes away the magic and fun. There’s No Way I’d Die First is extremely campy, which I thoroughly enjoyed, but some parts can come off as a bit too convenient or out of the ordinary. I feel like to immerse yourself in this book, you need to just let loose and have fun with it.

There also was a really great little romance buried in all the gore of this book, which was very sweet. Archer and Noelle were just the cutest, and I loved how they grew closer throughout the story.

The reason this book doesn’t get the full four stars for me lies in the ending, which I won’t get too much into because, spoilers. I just wish there had been a more of a full circle feeling to the ending. It wasn’t satisfying, at least to me. I wanted more from the ending, and it fell flat for me when we finally got there.

If you’re looking for a book to get you into spooky season, look no further than There’s No Way I’d Die First to find a very fun to read horror novel to get you into the mood of the season. Filled with the usual suspects, and some you’d have never thought deserved their fate, this book is sure to be a favourite of die hard or casual horror fans.

There’s No Way I’d Die First releases September 5th, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐

CW
🟣 Blood and Gore
🟣 Torture and Death

There’s no better way to start my seasonal spooky reading than with a book that feels like I’m watching a classic horror movie like Scream. And that’s exactly what There’s No Way I’d Die First is.

The book follows Noelle, the host of a horror movie club that is hosting an exclusive Halloween party for 12 club members. What starts as a fun evening of games, dancing, and watching the modern classic Get Out becomes a fight to live when the clown she hired for a spooky game of hide and seek turns out to have something different in mind.

The way this was written really felt like I was in one of my favorite horror movies. Watching the characters fight for their lives as they try to understand why the clown is after them and what it has to do with the podcast snippets he keeps playing over the intercom was a fun puzzle. It’s clearly someone who has intimate knowledge of the guests, whether from stalking them or because they know them personally. It was fun to try and guess who it was, and I definitely considered everyone a suspect.

What made this story work for me was the constant attempt to undermind typical horror tropes by the characters, only to realize that they aren’t as in control as they thought. It truly felt like how people with a deep love for horror movies could react in a similar situation. And, the clown does have some nifty tricks up his sleeve, so you can never guess what he will do next.

5 Reasons to Read

Classic Horror Movie References!

I loved the classic horror movie references at the beginning of every chapter. Some of them really took me back!

Creepy Clowns & Carnival Games

Clowns are probably the creepiest of the creepy in my opinion. I can 100% understand why Springer chose to utilize the clown in the way that she did. I mean, even if you’ve never seen IT before, you know what movie is being referenced when you hear the name Pennywise or see that iconic photograph.

Spooky Vibes

We don’t just get the horror movie quotes in this one but all the spooky Halloween vibes. I thought the use of the game of Tag was a great twist and added to the overall creep factor. You never knew where the clown was going to pop up and who he was going to “tag” next. I would watch this one again!

Friendships

Who knew going through a traumatic situation like being chased by a crazed clown would really help you know who your true friends really are.

Secrets

Who knew being stuck in a mansion while a clown forces you to play a deadly game of tag would also reveal all the secrets everyone was keeping from each other. I thought Springer’s use of social media influencers really added to the secrets people were keeping. Anyone can be anyone in the virtual world.

Absolutely loved this book. Great characters and many twists and turns. This author does it every time. Looking forward to the next one. Great place and setting too! Everything a reader could ask for!

Let’s be for real. As soon as I saw the title, nothing else mattered. THEN I went and looked more into it and saw the main character is Black and so is the author. And I was immediately sold. I really didn’t need anything more than that. This book was going to be a win for me and I knew it immediately.

So any time I hear about a horror book I immediately add it to my TBR because I may not get to it right away, but I WILL get to it. It’s my favorite genre. No for real, I’m one of those people who will watch the original Halloween EVERY SINGLE TIME IT’S ON. And yes this includes multiple times throughout the day. I usually watch it like 10 times AT LEAST every October. (This is not including the times I watch it during August/September when I start my spooky season lol So it should be no surprise that I immediately read this as soon as I could. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint.

I also just did a like genre talk at work for the YA librarians. I looked up the horror genre, some of the tropes, and some of the different sub-tropes. One thing I learned was the actual definition of horror. It said, “A genre of literature that’s meant to scare, startle, shock, and even repulse audiences.” and let me tell you, this book did EXACTLY THIS! There were times I was like WTFFFF and other times I was like EWWWWW! And other times I was like reading while also trying to basically cover my face. This book was unhinged. I think this was the first actually scary horror book I’ve read this year. The Kate Alice Marshall was good, but it was more ghosty. This one was actually real horror and I loved it.

So basically this is about a group of teens who are all in this horror movie club. They get together over live chats and in person and watch horror movies. So Noelle wanted to throw a party on Halloween and invite all these influentuial other teens to help her gain more followers and get more engagemets so that she could grow her social media followers. One of the activities for this party was Noelle renting a clown to play hide and seek with her. But what happens when they start this game is something none of them saw coming.

Besides the fact that she used every horror trope ever, I really fell in love with her writing. I could not put this down. I was sucked into this book and loved how it made my heart race and made me want to not read it at night but also wanting to hurry up and read it. I really want to talk to her and figure out where she came up with this and what made her decide she wanted to write horror. I hope she has another one up her sleeve. I need more of her spooky writing style!

I wasn’t completely sold on the romance tho. I get that it was there for those romance girlies, but I didn’t think it needed to be. The story was solid on it’s own. And let’s be honest. They got each other into a lot of trouble. Trying to flirt and stay alive at the same time seems like it might be difficult lmao I’m sorry ain’t no way I’m worried about getting the first kiss when we might die in the next chapter lol

This was actually scary and I was so here for it. The way I was so into this also had to do with the narrator. I hadn’t heard them before, so this was a fun listen. Like that clown?! The way she was able to make him sound creepy like that was amazing. I don’t know if she actually did that or if it was done in post-editing, but man ir was good.

I don’t want to say anymore because I don’t want to give spoilers, but man this book was good. not only was it actually scary, but it also had some romantic times and some social justice themes as well. I haven’t read a YA horror book as good as this all season. I’m already planning another read for Halloween! (At least then when I read it I might be able to see glimpses of who the clown is because I didn’t guess in my original read lol)

I loved the concept of this book! The premise of a horror movie party going horribly wrong felt like a nod to classic slashers, while the narrative point of view from a wealthy Black teenage girl felt like a fresh perspective in the genre. There were especially interesting moments when it came to the antagonist's motivations, commentary about privilege, and who is allowed to have dark secrets.

I felt that some of the friendships, especially between Noelle and Elise, were not as developed as they could have been. I wanted more about how much Noelle's friends meant to her, so we'd feel it more deeply when they were in danger. There was a line towards the climax about not being able to make it without her friends, but I didn't feel that sentiment coming through throughout the story.

I hate talking bad about books I thought I was going to love but I'm sorry, this book left me with no other option.

When I picked this book up I thought I'd be getting a young and modern feeling slasher story reminiscent of Scream and other "makes you jump" horror novels. Instead what I got was way too wacky for me to feel any sort of anxiety, and characters that were too shallow and spoilt for me to care if they lived or died. Despite all the crazy stuff that's happening there didn't feel like there was any urgency or suspense.

I thought the author did a good job at depicting this creepy clown character through descriptions of his movements and manuerisms but all of that was undermined by the lack of mystery. It's revealed very early on that he's just a guy wearing protective gear which kind of took me out of the story and led to me then asking questions like "how is he orchestrating all of this?" "how did he get that in the house without anyone noticing beforehand". Those sort of questions that I don't think I'd have been asking myself if

Noelle was so focused on being a Final Girl that it kinda felt like she didn't care whether her friends died. Like it was just a forgone conclusion that she'd survive and sure logically I know that the main character survived 99% of the time but at least plant some seeds of doubt in my mind.

Overall this book wasn't for me. I'm really sad.

When I was reading this book I had NO idea that it was Lisa Springer’s debut novel! I didn’t realize that until I was reading the author bio at the end of the book. I think that speaks volumes about the quality of the writing and how great this book is!

The author did a great job of developing a main character that readers can enjoy and grow to care about. The horror movie quotes at the beginning of each chapter and references throughout will appeal to horror fans and make the story extra fun. I loved that this book has a unique story and theme that go deeper than typical horror novels. This is one I’ll definitely be recommending to my horror groups and to readers of YA books.

The final girl trope is always a good read for me, but this was a different spin and I enjoyed it. I love how the main character is not willing to give up even when murder & mayhem is going on all around her. She is determined to be the final girl. It was a quick, easy read that keep me engaged throughout the whole time. The characters were complex and flawed and there lives are not as perfect as they pretend to be.

Picture a chilling combination of Scream and Saw, with a psychopathic killer clown to top it off, and you've got Lisa Springer's tension-packed YA horror debut. Springer excellently sets the stage for a nightmarish party that will have you hooked from start to finish. Noelle is a fierce and resilient heroine, and with her love for horror films, I found myself wishing I could be friends with her. The cast of supporting characters is rounded out by the top influencers at Noelle's school, all of whom have something to hide. Noelle's burgeoning relationship with Archer was a subplot that I really appreciated; the pair's connection felt genuine, and it brought some comfort during the non-stop action and scares (and of course I am also just a sucker for a romantic subplot). Overall, this story was absolutely chilling, and it's a perfect addition to your fall TBR if you are a fan of slasher stories with true and terrifying stakes.

What to say about this book? I think I should break it down several ways since it's possible this book just wasn't for me. HOWEVER, the writing as also not fantastic and there were inconsistencies in the book.

I think I'll make marks of what I liked and didn't like because some of the things that DIDN'T work for me, may be pros for others.

WHAT I LIKED

* The cover

* The premise

* The title

* Talk of horror movies, final girls, Stephen King, and over all classic horror

* The locked room mystery setting

* Lines from different horror movies at the beginning of each chapter


WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

* The whiny rich kids who (with the exception of two characters) are all uber rich. Think rich as in the one percenters. They're also all influencers. Oh, and did I mention they're all not just rich, but also entitled and whiny? Blech. I know it's YA so there will always be some teen angst, but these kids are so unrelatable and need to see the real world. The killer clown wasn't wrong in some things he said about them.

* The killer clown seems to have super human strength and speed. At one point it's mentioned he was wearing protective gear on his chest. Okay, that part is covered. That doesn't explain how nothing, ever, slows him down. Or, how nothing else hurts or phases him.

* Even after finishing the book, I'm still confused how the clown knew the entire layout of the house. To prep the house as he did without Noelle and her friends noticing while they were partying and watching a movie before playing hide-and-seek would have taken a crazy amount of time to prep. Yes, we know he was there previously to break some things since Noelle notices these as soon as she gets home from school. But so much other stuff needed prep work. When did he do it? How did none of them notice?

* Where did she hire this clown? I assumed he hacked her computer and saw she hired a clown, but no. It seems she hired this guy. How the heck would he know she would want to hire a clown for a Fright Night and pick him? I suppose it could have been mentioned in a Jump Scares chat since that's where a lot of info was gleaned, but that's my best explanation.

* The twist wasn't really a twist. There was the obvious red herring. Then there were two logical guesses from there, but unless the writing of this book were to drop off a bunch, one of them would make no sense after a certain point since there would have been no time fame for the person to do what they were doing.

* I know it's horror and this is a classic horror trope, but really? Once the first victim died, the remaining eleven people didn't decide to gang up on this clown? That scattered to play hide and seek?! Not even you, our main character who KNOWS she would be a Final Girl and legit has a "go bag" packed in her bedroom in case a scenario like this plays out in real life? You play into the trope of being stupid and not rushing this guy who tells you he will kill you all?! There is also all this downtime where the group of teens are just talking to the clown. They could be hiding, trying to escape, or rushing him, but nope. Just standing in front of him.

* The reason for the killing spree. I saw it coming from the beginning and never saw any other motive along the way, but really? Especially when one killer vocalizes the reasoning? Get out of here.

* The frequent mentioning of needing an alibi so the police don't put the killing spree on you. For real? This is your number one concern when there are still 10 people left living? You have 9 people to give you an alibi! If you're worried about corrupt police, you're all so upper crust elite, I'm sure one of your friends has parents friends with the Chief of Police or Mayor and they'll make sure you're vouched for.

* I mentioned the stupidity of the teens, but also, the clown. There is so much talking and nothing happening. When they're all just standing there why doesn't he take them down? Is that too bland?

* There would be drafts like windows are open, but then the windows are sealed shut. The windows won't break because of a special coating the main character knows is on the windows. Later, the windows can be broken?

* The name of the clown: Gage Derry. The name itself is fine. It's the end of the book when they say knowing the Stephen King reference makes someone a Stephen King one percenter. Are you for real?! Almost anyone who has read more than one Stephen King novel knows about infamous Derry. I'll admit I didn't pick up on Gage right away, but as soon as I heard his name I liked the nod to Stephen King with Derry. It wasn't until later I was wondering where Gage came into play since I assumed it was also a nod to some work of horror. I later did think of Pet Semetary, but I also figured it could have been a nod to a character in a horror film I haven't seen. Even if your mind doesn't go to Pet Semetary, I don't think this would be *shocking* to a Stephen King fan. That little bit just really added to the uppity attitude of these kids and it wasn't for me.

* The setting. The house was so confusing and needed a bit more world building. I never had any clue where any part of the house was. At one point our main character is hiding in a nook under the stairs. She seems to be able to see what the clown is doing so I assume it's a nook and doesn't have a door. But then it says she opens the door. Is the door glass? If so, why didn't the killer clown see you? If it's not, how were you seeing what was going on?

Overall, this book just wasn't for me, but I could see others enjoying it. By no means let me review deter you if you read this and think to yourself, "But this sounds fun! Why didn't you like that?!" That's just not what I like, but I can see the appeal for others.

I think, for me, this would work better as a movie as it would move a lot faster. The entitled teens may still annoy me, but overall, I think I would appreciate it better as a movie.

OMG talk about a heart pounding thriller! this book was amazing and I need to see it in the tv screen immediately. the main character wasn't annoying and I liked that she was always keeping it real with us. I wanted to badly for her to have her big romantic moment with her crush but when a killer clown is on the loose it is not much time for all of that. I couldn't put this book down and I am grateful to have thi sin my life. much more details on my ig to come.

Noelle Layne knows horror. She even leads a successful movie club dedicated to the genre. Thus, who better to throw the ultimate, most exclusive Halloween party? She is inviting twelve popular kids in her senior class. She thinks that will contribute more members for her horror club. She wants it to be a perfect party. Noelle is holding the party at her parents estate. After all the invitees have arrived, they go into the movie room and watch a horror movie. Afterwards, the party moves to the living room to eat and talk. Noelle tells her guests that she has hired an “it clown” to play the game of hide and seek. Of course there will be prizes. When the clown arrives, he seems strange. Regardless, she tells the guests to go and hide. When the clown finds someone, he will honk his horn. The first person he does find, he kills and then honks his horn. This isn’t what Noelle had planned. The clown continues to search. Will the clown keep killing? Will Noelle be able to find the clown and stop him or?

The characters in the novel show the horror and comedy. I could hear the giggles and later the screams. The clown was definitely a mysterious character. The author has written a novel that includes secrets, mystery, romance and spine-tingling horror. It’s the perfect novel to read whenever one wants some horror to read. It’s also perfect to read during the October month!

Book Review

Title: There’s No Way I’d Die First by Lisa Springer

Genre: Young Adult, Horror

Rating: 4 Stars

One thing I have to say before getting into my review properly is that young adult horror has really been stepping up its game lately. I’ve recently read entries like Five Survive, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and Flight 171 which were all amazing reads for me and really took everything I loved about the horror genre and expanded on them. Compared to those There’s No Way I’d Die First is a wild ride and succeeded in doing for me what My Heart is a Chainsaw didn’t. At its heart this book was an homage to 80s and 90s horror which contain some of my all time favourites like Friday the 13th, A Nightmare of Elm Street and Sleepaway Camp and really dived deep into the roles of scream queen and final girl. This book definitely plays on its classic slasher vibes and that made it a fast paced read for me.

While maintaining the heart of the horror genre, There’s No Way I’d Die first also doesn’t skimp on the thriller elements as it focuses on the characters and there lives much like I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream, where the horror hides in the background until it jumps out at you. Lisa Springer writes both amazing action sequences and compelling characters, while the main character is a person of colour this has nothing to do with the motivations for the killings which was quite refreshing. Springer really started hard out of the gates bringing the action in very early in the book and didn’t let up until the very end.

Spinger also isn’t afraid to get more graphic in places which I really appreciated as an older reader, since most young adult horror tends to utilize the fade to black method which can be good in some cases but often destroyed the tension that has been built up in previous scenes. The main antagonist really goes all out in their mission and while some of these kills are graphic, some are funny in a Scary Movie kind of way and the killer is very reminiscent of Ghostface, so they’re pretty funny sometimes and truly despicable other times.

While there are a lot of elements that I really enjoyed in the book, there are some that I didn’t like. The biggest issue I had was that the romance felt very unnecessary for me, in some books like There’s Someone Inside Your House, the romance was tied in with the fact that the main character thought her potential love interest might actually be the killer, but here it was distracting. Springer also could have gone harder with the final twist as it felt a bit lacking considering the amount of buildup and tension we had prior.

I wasn’t all that surprised when we found out who the killer was and their motivations and, while it did make sense, I just wanted more of that shock. There were also a lot of moments where I was confused where we were exactly in the mansion and I felt that a better understanding of the setting or a map would’ve been nice. Overall, I love horror and thrillers so much, but this one wasn’t entirely for me. However, I think this is just a matter of personal taste. I think it’s great for spooky season reading, so a lot of people should pick it up especially if you love slashers.

Well it's 5:00 a.m and I just about read this in one go. I don't often read horror books but I think I will now!

So Noelle the main character is an ambitious horror movie influencer, she's well versed and passionate about watching them, sharing them and has pretty much thought of every scenario if she would ever end up in a horror movie scenario.

Her club "Jump Scares" is picking up more and more followers, her plan is to launch a podcast and go to film school.

Halloween gives her the opportunity to throw an extravagant Halloween party- she lives on Long Island on a huge luxurious estate. With her parents( as they are traveling ) support she throws a party and invites other influencers from her prep school. These kids are all wealthy as well and have massive followings.

The party livens up in the scariest ways possible and Noelle is determined to be the FINAL GIRL

4.25 Thank you Netgalley
I reallllllly loved this story, there was one part with rodents that made me very sad- for the record I absolutely won't tolerate animal cruelty or animals dying in any form of media or real life.

With that aside this book kept me up till 5:00 am , it was so fast paced and I could easily picture the scenes as if I was watching it happen( thankfully I wasn't bc bc heart was pounding

I look forward to reading more from Ms.Lisa Springer.

The cover is art as well!!!!!!