This is a memorable and thought-provoking read that pushes the boundaries of the horror genre. This compelling anthology redefines horror by centering marginalized voices.

I usually don't love short stories, but this was a great compilation. It was a blockbuster cast of writers, so I took a shot, and am so glad I did! This will be such a great read for spooky season. I'm not a big fan of creepy/horror stories, and I still really enjoyed this. I highly recommend to give this a shot!

This was a fun anthology of short, spooky stories, spinning a common horror trope on its head. Some stories were stronger than others, and several swayed away from horror, venturing more into thriller, or science fiction territory. I picked up this book mainly because I love anything Tiffany D. Jackson writes, and she is still excellent. The story Heaven, by Adiba Jaigirdar also stood out to me; I could have read an entire book about this one short story, I couldn't put it down. I think everyone will resonate with something different from this book, which is part of the fun of reading short stories. It also introduced me to a lot of authors I haven't read before - win!

A horror anthology by writers of colour where the white guy does indeed die first. There is a mix of all kinds of horror, from slashers to cannibals and paranormal activities, with central themes of racism and white supremacy.

I really enjoyed the concept of each short story, although some definitely were executed better than others. There were a couple of stories that were too convoluted or disorganized for my liking, particularly The Protégé by Lamar Giles (even though the concept was extremely fascinating).

My personal favourites were Best Served Cold by H.E. Edgmon and Everything’s Coming Up Roses by Tiffany D. Jackson (with Break Through Our Skin by Naseem Jamnia as a close second!). These particular writing styles were the most suited to my tastes, and I enjoy body horror out of everything the most. These stories kept me on my toes and filled me with a sense of dread I didn't get from the other stories.

Thank you to Tor/Forge and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Each story brings you to a different place, each terrifying in its own unique way. A Korean girl wrestles with a Japanese ghost, mysterious cabals reign free, you never know where a story will take you and wherever it is, it will be scary!

The moment I saw this collection even talked about, I ran to NetGalley to request! All of these authors are amazing and some were already my favorites, like Lamar Giles, Chloe Gong, Tiffany Jackson, and Mark Oshiro. To have all their voices in one book is perfect! And I took my time with this, reading a story and then letting it sit with me for a bit before jumping into the next one. The title tells you there is going to be diversity, but each story is so culturally unique. And yes, the white guy dies first, but it’s not about the white folks! They just happen to be the ones who die. I would definitely recommend this to my YA readers, in whole or the individual stories.

This anthology is inclusive, fun, and downright addictive. Fans of Jordan Peele and "elevated" horror will absolutely love this combination of stories. Each story had it's own little unique twist and was definitely so much fun to pick up and read. If you're looking for a YA horror anthology to kick off this year's spooky season, look no further.

Bone chilling haunts written by some of the BEST YA authors of today’s horror stories. I loved how this story allows BIPOC characters to take back their power. I felt like I was a part of their retribution. Each story was symbolically different and left me spooked.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The White Guy Dies First releases July 16, 2024

2.5

This anthology is comprised of 13 horror short stories, all written by bipoc authors.
The concept (and title) is brazenly bold, and while I enjoyed the first four stories, the rest that followed fell flat in terms of sticking to a more widespread theme that was cohesive. I found that the depictions of racism and microaggressions were pretty stereotypical, which ended up being underwhelming as a bipoc reader.

All Eyes on Me: queer awakening, circus clowns, mirror fun house.
Hedge: grief, loss of a parent, sibling dynamic, hedge maze.
The Golden Dragon: family restaurant, sibling dynamic, attempted SA, multi-pov, revenge ghost.
Best Served Cold: ancestral trauma, cannibalism.
The Protégé: magic, next door neighbour.
Docile Girls: school dance committee, slasher.
Gray Cove: podcast episode.
Everything’s Coming up Roses: journal entries, restraining order, serial killer.
Heaven: gated community, dystopian, did not feel YA or on theme with any of the other stories.
Break Through Our Skin: transgender/nonbinary, academic, archaeology.
Wasps: residential dispute.
Hell Is Other Demons: demon summoning.
The Road to Hell: ghosts, sentient haunted house.

This was the first short story collection I’ve read in years. I’ve read novellas in the past and enjoyed them but I was not a fan of this collection

Wow wow wow was this book a journey! This collection of stories has some of my all time favorite authors with some new to me authors. Every story just got better and better. I loved the intro to the book that set up that these stories are interconnected. Some of these stories were so gruesome it had me reading it while peeking through my hands. These authors have such a vivid imagery, unique storytelling abilities and a great blend of genres into the horror/thriller category. I loved how each story had a unique ending where you didn't know who if anyone were going to make it out alive. I am typically not a horror girl staying on the side of light thriller/mystery, however this book had me unable to put it down. This is the perfect read for the upcoming spooky season.

3 stars. ☆

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc <3

horror is not necessarily my genre so this is definitely out of my comfort zone. i loved that the one theme that i saw was present in all of the short stories was the protagonists' struggles with being perceived as outsiders. they had to deal with generational trauma accumulating, desperation to fit into a more "glamorous (white) lifestyle," and microaggressions. i adored how every story touched on concerns and struggles that are really genuine for BIPOC people. it is what molded and enhanced the characters' nuances.

love, mitra.

Thanks to Tor Publishing Group/Tor Teen and NetGalley for supplying the ARC.

The concept of the book is super interesting and I enjoyed the anthology more than I thought I would as someone who doesn’t read a lot of anthologies/short stories. It's awesome to have a collection of tales written by BIPOC and diverse authors in a genre where we usually get the short end of the stick often. Will definitely look into the other works by these writers. And when October comes around, I plan to reread this collection.

The White Guy Dies First is an incredible collection of short YA horror stories by people of color where, you guessed it, the white guy dies first. I was lucky enough to get the ARC and I loved every page. The stories were TERRIFYING, brutal, agonizing, heart-wrenching, brave, and overall ✨ stunning ✨. I will recommend this collection to the ends of the earth. There are so many different cultures to explore, so many identifies and sexualities. It’s REAL, and raw, and gory as hell. If you’re a fan of horror, you won’t be disappointed. I will remember each and every story from this collection - and I hope you will too.
THANK YOU, @netgalley and @torbooks for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
THE WHITE GUY DIES FIRST is out now, and I highly recommend you pick it up!

Short story anthologies are always hard to rate and this one wasn't an exception. There were some stories that I really liked, some that were just okay, and a couple that didn't really work for me.

It is a fun, creepy, often gory collection all in all. I liked the way the beginning/ending tied the stories together. The diversity was great in this one. I'm usually a really squeamish reader who enjoys being mildly-to-moderately creeped out. There were a few parts here that seriously grossed me out (cannibalism always makes me squirm), but I still found this collection really entertaining.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

This collection of short stories takes the old Hollywood horror trope of ‘the black guy dies first’ and flips it on it’s head. And while I’ve never been a fan of forced diversity just for diversity sake, I don’t feel that is what this collection is about. Yes, the stories do showcase diversity in their cast of characters, but first and foremost this is a collection of good stories. Now as with almost every story collection not every one of them can be a homerun (though All Eyes on Me definitely was…because you know…clowns!), but the majority are good to excellent. In fact there were only two that I would say really missed the mark for me, but I’m not going to identify them by name, as opinions vary and I’d hate to prejudice anyone’s opinion before they have a chance to make up their own mind. Regardless, for horror fans this is definitely a collection worth checking out. Thanks so much to Tor and NetGalley for allowing me access to an advanced copy of The White Guy Dies First.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-white-guy-dies-first-faridah-b-k-y-m-d/1144054706?ean=9781250861269&bvnotificationId=b31c14e6-43b8-11ef-856f-0affc7246703&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=gmail.com#review/314466013

This was a nice collection of scary stories. Short stories usually leave me lacking but these didn't disappoint. They are nice enough for one sitting but still contain enough to feel satisfied. My favorite one was The Road To Hell by Terry J Benton-Walker. I felt like I was in the house and it was alive. Don't read before bed!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher and authors

A great diverse set of horror stories.
Ranging from morbid, satrical, gorey, trippy, a little bit of everything.

Although I had favorites I think what I liked the most of it all was the sampling of writing styles from all the the new-to-me authors.

I would enjoy watching this as a mini series, it would play out on screen so well!

This book is packed full of amazing authors of color writing frightening short stories. Some of my favorite authors are included and they do not disappoint. Haunted houses, mysterious magic, creepy clowns, and cannibals!?! Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this book. Just use caution when reading it before bed… Thank you Tor/Forge for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I received an ARC from the publisher and am voluntarily posting a review.
I love how this anthology subverts a common trope within horror of fridging women and/or people of color by having each story start with the death of a white guy. I especially liked the blog intro and outro by Terry Benton-Walker, which has a lot of jabs for the horror fan community. Few of the stories themselves were memorable, but I enjoyed seeing how each author played with similar overarching themes.