I was very excited to read this because it features so many remarkable YA authors (Tiffany D Jackson? Faridah Abike Iyimide? Yes please). Unfortunately, a few of the stories in this really didn't have that scare factor that I feel when I read these authors' full length works. I missed the heart racing, anxious feeling while reading these.

This cover, title, and concept are all just pure genius. I love that it is authors of color banded together to make some scary stories. I love the play on the "white guy dies first", as it is usually the other way around. Not this time! So you already know I was cheering when the protagonists were kicking butt! There are 13 short stories, plus a prologue and epilogue. There is something for every horror-fiend! Clowns, cannibals, & stalkers--oh my! The best stories are in the middle bit. I would say some stories dragged on for me. One of them I found so dull I did not read in its entirety. I still find that impressive that 12 of the 13 are pretty fan-freakin-tastic. Great editing skills I must say as well. This was cohesive. I recommend to any horror fan. 3.5 stars!

This collection of YA horror short stories is deliciously macabre.

Individual story reviews below:
___
# "All Eyes on Me"—★★★★
Pennywise could never be this charming tbh.

# "Hedge"—★★★★★
When I finished this story I realized just how *good* this collection could be.

# "The Golden Dragon"—★★★★
Sometimes it's nice to sit back and watch awful people get what's coming for them.

# "Best Served Cold"—★★★★★
YA horror at its finest. Thrilling!

# "The Protégé"—★★★★★
I need this to be expanded into a larger series ASAP. The premise is so compelling and the execution was exceptional.

# "Docile Girls"—★★★★
Good for her!

# "Gray Grove"—★★★
This is an interesting contemporary gothic piece of fiction that has a lot of good ideas for incorporating modern culture and technology into the haunted house ghost story format!

# "Everything's Coming Up Roses"—★★★
While this story feels like the least refined of the whole collection, it is still an engaging and enjoyable epistolary thriller.

# "Heaven"—★★★★
I'm always here for post-apocalyptic religious trauma

# "Breaking Through Our Skin"—★★★★

# "wasps"—★★★★
Get his ass.

# "Hell Is Other Demons"—★★★★
This is a story I want to see serialized. It feels like the pilot for a really interesting monster (demon?) of the week type show.

# "The Road to Hell"—★★★★
A haunted house story told from the perspective of the haunted house? Sign me up!

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I LOVED THIS SO MUCH. I'm a bigggg anthology girlie, especially when it comes to horror. When I saw that so many of my favorite authors were featured, I HAD to request. I am so thankful to have gotten a copy to review early, I absolutely DEVOURED this one. Granted some stories I liked better than others, but that's to be expected with something like this. I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

Thank you Net galley and publishers for allowing me to read this arc for an honest review.

Horror isn't my usual genre as I get spooked easily. I only ever read it once in a blue moon during the day, but I really enjoyed these short stories. They weren't too spooky which is great, cause then I wouldn't sleep at night. These were like campfire stories, enough to get you thinking and kinda creeped out. I also enjoyed, as the title said, that the white guy always died first. In most stories and movies the bipoc character is usually the first to go so it was nice to have more representation for people. All 13 stories were very entertaining.

Great read! Most of the stories were phenomenal. Some had me shocked while others had me wanting to shed a tear. One thing for sure, you never knew what direction any of the stories were going. I also love the subtleness of the title of the book and how it reflects in each story. Great read! Btw, im kinda scared to go to sleep now 😅

Omg. Some stories I did admittedly like more than others, but they were all good. I especially liked “The Golden Dragon,” “Best Served Cold”, and “Docile Girls.” But all of these are worth the read, and they all had good prose and were fun.

3.5 rounded up - overall a strong and diverse collection of horror short stories. The variety of representation is incredible, and I appreciate that these stories do not pull their punches with the terror and gore. As with any short story collection, there is a wide range of success in execution, and I did struggle with the stories that felt the most YA. I liked the premise of the framing device but it needed to be better fleshed out to make the collection feel more cohesive.

My favorites: Best Served Cold, The Protégé, Everything's Coming Up Roses, Heaven

This book had it ups and downs. I didn't like it but I also didn't love it. I would have to say my faves were Faridah, Kalynn, and Tiffany. I would for sure get a physical copy for my shelf to re read it for sure tho!

A mixed bag of good and very good stories as many anthologies are.
Some of the stories felt more emotional drama than horror but all of them approached the theme in unique ways.
This is a great intro book for those new to horror, especially teens or those coming into the genre from movies like Scream or The Midnight Club.

I will literally read ✨anything✨ Chloe Gong writes. So when I saw that she wrote a short story for a horror anthology, I IMMEDIATELY requested an ARC from NetGalley. Horror is not my typical genre, but I 👏🏻 ate 👏🏻 this 👏🏻 up. The authors included in this book are to die for, pun intended. And the stories! They range from slashers, psychopaths who don’t know they’re psychopaths, ancient myths and legends, creepy clowns, haunted houses, and a good old fashioned demon summoning. Some stories were scarier than others, but a couple of them really creeped me out. Maybe read with the lights on?

This was a collection of 13 short stories all by different authors all centred around horror/thriller style plot lines. The biggest difference was that the main character(s) were a different race, gender identity, sexual orientation, or some combination of those representations. The one thing all the stories had in common was the white character(s) were the first to go or the only ones to perish. It was flipping stereotypical horror movie norms and twisting them to build a new kind of narrative. Some of the stories I found to be very compelling and I would read a full length novel or watch a movie based off of a few of these stories. I loved the concept of this book!

This year I am really excited to do a horror/mystery short story unit with my students so when I saw this book, I knew I had to read it. What could be wrong with some of my favorite WA, authors, writing horror stories, that not only deal with traditional horror, but also the horror that power allows people to inflict on others. I loved all of the stories, my top three were “Hedge”, “Everything Coming up Roses” and “All Eyes on Me”. They were all so unique in their horror and the way the pulled the reader into to their scary worlds!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I received an eARC of this YA anthology.

To say I loved this with all my heart is an understatement. Especially as a white cis-woman I learned so so much from these brilliant stories.
If I could recommend only one book to my readers this year, it would be this one.
The concept is smart: 13 of the greatest writers in the YA genre partner up to bring together 13 short stories about BIPOC characters that stand up to their white and mostly male bullies. The authors challenge our society’s norms and ways and open the readers eyes about everyday racism experiences real people have to endure in our world.
The characters in these stories often reconnect with their culture and call out white characters for cultural appropriation and fetishisation. Also misogyny and sexual abuse is a topic.
Gender identity and sexuality is also a very important part of these books.
The stories rangers from classic splatter horror to dystopian science fiction and I was immensely entertained while reading.
Every single author crushed this assignment and I kept thinking about which story is my favourite but in the end I can’t tell. All of them were unique and beautiful in their own way and I don’t think they were written to be compared. Since all of them were so different it’s even hard to compare.
In the end I think this book will say with me for a very long time, understanding the experiences of BIPOC and queer people is extremely important to fight the real system that oppresses them everyday.
As for the message I felt like this was the gory, bloody and horror version of Babel so I’m all here for it!

Thanks so much again for giving me an early copy of this book, it was truly wonderful.

Great collection of short stories. Most of the authors were those I have lead before or are already autobuy author of mine. So i thoroughly enjoyed the book.

A spine-tingling anthology of horror stories that challenges stereotypes and upends expectations. Featuring an impressive lineup of bestselling and award-winning authors, "The White Guy Dies First" is an anthology that reinvents the horror genre with thought-provoking stories that shatter conventional narratives. From killer clowns and hungry hedge mazes to rich kids gone rogue and ancient horrors, this collection explores the dark recesses of the human psyche and the complexities of race and identity. Each tale is a unique tapestry woven with literary prowess, leaving readers with lingering chills and a newfound appreciation for the diverse voices in horror literature. Prepare to be immersed in worlds where the unexpected unfolds, where the marginalized rise, and where fear takes on countless forms. "The White Guy Dies First" is a must-read for fans of contemporary horror, those seeking to broaden their literary horizons, and anyone who dares to venture into the realm of the unknown.

I thought this was a really good an insightful book! I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for something freaky and insightful!

The White Guy Dies First is a stand out collection of horror stories. Great addition to the cannon of BIPOC horror stories. Highly recommend.

This was a fun collection of stories from different authors. There were some definite standouts, and of course, A few fell flat for me. But overall I enjoyed most. I especially loved the anthology's theme, and that's what initially drew me in.

My reviews averaged 4.5 and I’m rounding up to 5 because overall I thought the theme tied well through the anthology and while horror is not my usual genre, I enjoyed almost every single story and am excited to read more from these authors.

All Eyes On Me- 4⭐️
Less horror, more finding yourself, coming out and starting over. Liked it though!

Hedge- 4⭐️
Creepy, scary, gory, body horror! Loved how deeply we got to know the brothers in such a short story. Teen boys can be nasty and I liked the climax of the story and the ending made me sad - but in a good way?

Golden Dragon- 5⭐️
Racism, sexism, trying to fit in, attempted assault leading to violent revenge? I’m here for it!

“This is a Japanese revenge ghost, and I’m Korean you shits! and I was born in Boulder!”

Best Served Cold- 5⭐️
Wow. So twisted and messed up, like a fever dream but with commentary and queer gender rep and… it will take me a long time to process that one. This was a really good horror story.

Protege- 5⭐️
Wowow! This was surprising! So much lore, world building, intrigue and suspense! Pretty gory but well deserved and now I want to read a whole series about Darius. Not my usual genre at all but I thought it was well done.

Docile Girls- 3.5⭐️
A LOT of gore and violence in this one. A bit of thrill and a bit of suspense but mostly just gore. I did appreciate the commentary behind the murders but it did feel a little heavy handed compared to the other stories.

Gray Grove- 4⭐️
I really appreciated the commentary in this one. The setting of an old plantation house, now used for weddings (disgusting, this happens in VA a lot and I hate it) was full of history and darkness and I loved the contrast with the wannabe blogger white girl. The climax was really fast and it felt shorter than the others because we didn’t really get to know the characters - but I still enjoyed it.

“This was one of Kaitlin’s most common refrains. As long as the racist in question was older than them, their racism could be excused, if not forgiven entirely.”

Everything’s Coming Up Roses- 5⭐️
I liked the journal entry format! The MFC is, uh, pretty messed up but I LOVED the way things were revealed. Love an unhinged flower girl, this might be my favorite story of the bunch.

Heaven- 4⭐️
More dystopian than horror but the story building was great. Loved the hints at the beginning, as well as some of the more detailed explanations later in the story. I loved the twist at the end and overall really enjoyed this.

Break Through Our Skin- 4⭐️
Loved the genderqueer discussion and archeological vibe. The body horror was very intense but was surprised and pleased with the happy ending.

Wasps- 5⭐️
Yes yes yes. Feed the colonizer to the wasps. Absolutely loved this.

Hell is Other Demons- 5⭐️
Loved the context and lore of this. Wasn’t really horror more thriller and adventure. I would read an entire series of this!

The road to hell- 5⭐️
A sentient haunted house who just wants friends and love, at any costs? Absolutely love it! Loved that the main human character is pissed he can’t publish his AO3 fanfic.