I read this book in one sitting. No wonder she won an Edgar Award for it.

Milan Mayhew has been through three boarding schools in six months. Her father, a senator, was killed in a car accident and her mother ran for his senate seat and won. And now she's dead too... The killer thinks they also took care of Milan with the plane crash but Milan proves far more resourceful than anyone gave her credit for. There is a reason the senators had to die and the assassin won't stop until that reason has been destroyed. However, they didn't plan on contending with Milan and her rage at the loss of her parents.

I have read many of April Henry's books and she never fails at executing knuckling suspense plots that will leave you turning the pages until the end. I like that she is a local author (Oregon) and many of her books take place around the state.

This was an excellent book but one that should not be started before bed or you won't stop until you're done.

My thanks to Christy Ottaviano Books and Netgalley for this ARC.

Henry gives us a fast-paced, well-written thriller. From the first few pages readers will be hooked, and only become more invested in the characters as the story progresses. Milan is a resourceful, quick-thinking character who develops well throughout, and is offset by other dynamic characters. There are a few places where the plot slows down a bit, but overall this is a good story that is quick to read and definitely gives us things to think about.

Milan has just been kicked out of her third boarding school, this time for accidentally setting fire to some required reading. She has been reeling since her father’s death, and since her mother recently became a senator. When her mom charters a plane to pick her up, she is resigned to spend some time in Portland with her old friends. But when a bomb explodes and sends the plane into the Cascade Mountains, Milan has to figure out how to survive…even when someone is out to kill her.

✈️🏔️🔐

This was SUCH a great survival/adventure thriller! It was reminiscent of Hatchet and Not if I Save You First, but it also had such a compelling mystery surrounding Milan’s environmentally conscious family and the impact of fracking on drinking water. I stayed up past my bedtime to finish this one because I just HAD TO KNOW what happened!!! I think this will be a big hit with April Henry fans—a great addition to school and classroom libraries!

Thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown Books for Young Readers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sixteen year old, Milan, is on a path of destruction. She's reeling from the year-long guilt over the fatal car accident that killed her dad and nearly her. She just got kicked out of her third boarding school, forcing her mother, Senator Heather Mayhew, to pick her up while enroute to an important meeting.

But, then their plane blows up. And Milan is the only survivor entrusted with a secret revealed to her by her dying mother. As Milan figures out how to survive in the mountains, she quickly realizes someone is after her and this person will not stop until she's dead.

Good premise, right? It took me awhile to get into this one because I do not like harsh environmental survivalist stories, which makes up the first 50% of this book. It's like, it's so convenient how much Milan knows about surviving except has never taken any classes. She makes it look easy; should it really be that easy?

The book does alternate between Milan, Lenny (the killer), and a mysterious woman named Janie (her tie to the story eventually becomes quite clear).

I gave it 4 stars because things felt too slow for the first half but I couldn't stop reading after the 50% mark, once Milan reached civilization.

I’ve been a huge fan of April Henry for years, and after reading nearly all of her books, I’ve been highly anticipating her next book. And it didn’t disappoint!

Stay Dead follows sixteen year old Milan who has just been expelled from boarding school. Her senator mother arrives to pick her up via private plane. However, on their way home, a bomb explodes causing the plane to crash in the mountains. Milan’s mother entrusts her with important evidence and urges her to survive, not to trust anyone, and to let everyone think she died in the plane crash with everyone else.

I love how much research April Henry puts into every single one of her books whether it's survival tactics or private planes. This leads to a heart-pounding survival story. Extremely fast paced and action packed, this book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Also, Milan is such a great main character. She's strong and smart. I cared about her so much and was so invested in her story that I felt like I was trying to survive right along side her. Such a great YA mystery/thriller that I would highly recommend, especially if you like survival stories.

Milan’s mom is a senator. Her dad was too, before he was killed in a car accident. When Milan gets kicked out of her boarding school, her mom comes to pick her up in the family plane. But on the way home, the plane crashes. Stranded in the snow, Milan must fight to survive while keeping one step ahead of a dangerous killer. This young adult thriller with a touch of romance is a fast-paced gem told from multiple viewpoints (Milan, a hit-woman, and a victim of a man-made environmental disaster). I loved the tie-in to the Wizard of Oz and have to admit that I didn’t guess where the data critical to unraveling this mystery was hiding. The villains in this story are multi-faceted and at times surprising. Be prepared to stay up late reading just one more chapter!

Thank you to NetGalley & Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for the ARC!

The author did great with this book! Our main character Milan clearly has a knack for survival. In my opinion, the tale was dragged a bit and it made me lose interest at times. The twists were not surprising in this one because in the beginning you are told who and not to trust. I was intrigued to see how it all played out though!

Perfect teacher book! Totally could be used with cross curriculum ties to both science and politics. Also, great action scenes and descriptions I’m going to highlight as mentor texts in writing class.
The best thing about Henry’s books is that she takes her research seriously—she experiences the things she wants to write about. That level of authenticity is present, even when the plots are pure escapist adventure. I mean a teen girl surviving the rugged Cascades like some kind of alternative Bear Grylls? But, who doesn’t want to read that? And there’s still a chance for our hero and Chance. This book is exactly what YA literature should be. Did I mention, it is classroom usable? April Henry proves herself again!

Gggaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! Sooooooooooooo goooooooooooooood!

Okay. I'll try and reign it in now. But, I am genuinely blown away again by how great Henry's books are! The level of detail and accuracy is staggering. The surprises are truly delightful, even when they are creep-inducing. I hate all the awful people and I adore all the people I'm supposed to love. And, most importantly, I learn a ridiculous amount. I love love love that. So stinkin' much. And it's always good to revisit stuff I learned in a different April Henry book! Hee hee. Love Her.💟💟💟📚

Rating: 4.5 stars!

I ate this book up. April Henry always puts so much research into her books that I always walk away with some kind of fire/hiking/general safety fact that I can whip out in future conversations.

The main character, Milan is a firecracker! Shes a teenager with a lot of built up angst towards her life. Shipped off to boarding school, she feels like her mother is pushing her aside. Picked up by her mom for getting kicked out of her third boarding school, the plot starts to explode with action!

A plane crash, a fire, an animal attack, a pregnant housekeeper?!, and a battle of friend vs. foe. The multiple POVs helped fill in any potential plot gaps without giving away the reveal at the end.

This felt like one of the more "graphic" books that I've read from April in terms of the descriptions of the violence, but it wasnt over the top!

Thank you Netgalley and Little Brown Books for Young Readers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! Im honored!

Stay Dead by April Henry has a great main character. She has so much baggage and students will be able to relate to that aspect of her. Great plot with surprises!!

Milan's life has not been the same since her father, a senator, died in a car accident, and she blames herself. Since then, her mom took over his senate seat, and she has been sent to multiple boarding schools. After her latest school kicks her out, she boards a jet home to Portland, OR. Tragedy strikes yet again when the plane loses an engine and plummets into the Cascade Range. Milan is the sole survivor, and her mother's dying words make it clear that this was no accident and Milan is not safe. Milan must survive the wilderness and a killer...

In true April Henry fashion, you can learn a thing or two in this exciting novel. Subjects include fracking and wilderness survival. I really enjoyed this book, and I think my teen readers will too. The first two-thirds were excellent and engaging, but the final third felt a bit rushed.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of Stay Dead. Though my library owns nearly every April Henry book, this was the first I have personally read. Let me just say, I now totally understand why her other books barely stay on our shelves! This was a fast-paced ride that mostly kept me on the edge of my seat. I enjoyed the different perspectives, though I wish the story of the dairy rancher were a little more tied to the rest of the story. I look forward to sharing Stay Dead with not only my fans of April Henry and my fans of mystery & suspense novels, but also my survival fans because I feel the survival/outdoor elements were also very well done.

i had such a great time reading this book!! it was so fun. the characters were amazing and sweet and wonderful. it was just such a pure joy and i'm so very thankful to netgalley for letting me read this one early!!!

I wasn't able to finish this one, but it seemed pretty procedural and flat to me. I talked with a colleague who had read it and they said that there was nothing stand-out about it so I stopped reading about 50 pages in.

What I took away from this book is that if I was ever in a plane crash or any kind of disaster that I was out in nature, I would have absolutely 0% of survival. Or maybe actually after reading this book, I’ll have a bit more of a chance because this character certainly showed us how to survive. After being kicked out of yet another boarding school, and still reeling from the death of her father, Milan finds herself stranded in the woods after a plane crash in the woods. Our journey to safety is both harrowing and inspiring and had me turning pages very quickly. I thought this was a great read.

April Henry is SO talented when it comes to YA thrillers with a unique component. I truly appreciate just HOW MUCH RESEARCH she puts into her stories to add believability (and credibility) to these crazy situations.

Milan has a clear gift when it comes to surviving. It seems a bit far-fetched for a teenager who learned along the way from her dad, but I think that her history coupled with utilizing fear as a motivator make it more plausible. The pacing, for me, is what drug the story down. There were several clear moments when I wanted things to move along and I just felt like the drag of getting the story right made it feel like I was slogging through a situation where Milan was clearly going to come out on top, so let's just go already.

I don't think the twists were really twists in this one (uh, hello, you were told who to/not to trust), and while I felt like the how the dual storylines of Milan and Lenny (the assassin) weren't that interesting, I was intrigued to see how the Janie (the farmer) was going to intertwine with one or both of the other women.

Overall: 3 stars (I liked it)

I'll tell my students about: parental death, language, violence/gore/murder

**Thank you to NetGalley & Little, Brown Books for Young Readers | Christy Ottaviano Books for the free ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

Rating 3.75


This one started out really strong, I was hooked from the beginning. The story progressed at a constant speed and the short chapters helped feel as though you were accomplishing a lot. I won’t say too much due to spoilers. While I did enjoy this one, it seemed like it would never end. The ending became too convoluted with twists and turns that were predictable and took away from the overall story. The pacing started to slow down at around 70% and from there the story started to drag and I found myself wanting to skim. What kept me reading was the main character. I felt like we went on an adventure together and I had to see how it ended. I wasn’t pleased with the ending but I also wasn’t mad at it. It was just whatever. Overall, I do believe teens will enjoy this one even if some parts will bore them.
Thank you so much to the author and publisher for my gifted copy on #netgalley All thoughts and opinions are my own.

April Henry did it again. Myself and my students love April Henry's books. I can't keep them on the shelves. This survival , mysterious thriller will definitely be added to my circulation. Honestly, I can see this book being made it a movie. It is fast paced and attention getting. I personally stayed up late to get as much as this page-turning adventure as I could.

Milan's senaor dad died in accident that leaves Milan wounded. Her mom became her father's successor as a senator. As Milan was expelled from her THIRD school, she boards the plane with her senator Mom and part of her mom's staff. They were heading home and the unexpected happens. This event leaves Milan racing to get help. Yet, who can she trust? Her story is intertwined with the story of her pursuer and the back story. This keeps the twists and turns coming. The grit that first got Milan in trouble ended up making her a heroine.

I'm so excited that NetGalley allowed me to read this advanced copy of this book.

This was an un-put-down able book for me! I really enjoyed the dual storyline of Lenny and Milan. Fast paced, smart and clever, this kept me captivated and I read it in two days. Despite working full-time and having a toddler!

Thank you Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Christy Ottaviano Books for the very enjoyable read!