Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌖
Genre: 😵 Horror Thriller
Sub-Genre: YA
Violence: 🔪🔪
Spice: 🔥(age appropriate)

Synopsis: I read Wellington’s Their Vicious Games, a teen thriller, earlier this year and became an instant fan. This new novel blends thriller with horror as a group of teens battle a demonic force that seems determined to murder its way through their friend group in accordance with horror movie cannon. But would a demon really follow the horror movie kill list shot for shot?

Thoughts: I loved Scream when it came out my senior year of high school, so I adored the meta elements of this story as it laid out the relevant horror movie tropes and then subverted them. I will admit that horror is not generally my genre, but I’m glad I stepped into this one. While this is a horror novel, it is also a story about relationships. Wellington evocatively captures the love, loyalty, and friction of a group of childhood friends and neighbors. She also illustrates that while family isn’t perfect, there’s always a chance to mend fences, even if one is fighting off a murderous demon. This novel is a love letter to Brooklyn and the importance of community. The hows and whys of the story’s inciting event felt a little vague once explained and the resolution was perhaps a bit more revenge-fantasy-made-real than I would have liked. That being said, I’m not sure the origin story allowed for any other denouement. And I certainly didn’t see the final twists coming. To write a book that is at once a self-referential horror romp and an engaging character study proves Wellington’s writing chops. I look forward to seeing what she offers next.

Thank you to @simonandschuster for the #gifted copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the gifted copy. This was a good read. The book has my attention from start to finish. Will this be your next read?

if this book has zero fans i am dead honestly because i absolutely loved reading this. the way the author finds a way to encapsulate her fans and keeping them hooked with plot twist after plot twist. these kids were so funny and shared the same exact thoughts i did. another thing i loved was the thrill the demon brought like coming out of nowhere had me so hooked

Devon has my whole heart.

She's alt, loves to crochet, and is queer. But she also struggles with self-doubt in a way a lot of us can relate to.

This was such a fun book and I flew through it. It takes the classic meta-horror of Scream and brings it full circle to the modern day.

The demon in this book was effective and unnerving. It would never make the same mistakes as Ghostface. The lore surrounding it was honestly one of my favorite parts of this book.

There was no religion needed no possession, it was so refreshing.

Even though this book was themed around horror movie tropes it breaks away from the tropes that plague demonic entities in popular media.
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I want to thank Netgalley, Joelle Wellington, and Simon & Schuster for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review

This is the perfect book for horror nerds everywhere!🥰 I loved this sooo much! Definitely one of my fave reads of the year! My horror-loving heart is so happy!🖤🫶🏽 This is horror-comedy done perfectly!

The characters were so amazing! I loved them so much. They all had such distinct personalities. The character development was great & organic. We got to know the characters naturally through their actions & dialogue rather than just being told who they’re supposed to be.

This is the funniest book I’ve read in a long time. I laughed out loud several times. But, the horror element was incredibly distinct as well. I even enjoyed the romantic subplot, which is rare for me because I usually prefer romance-free horror. But, every piece of the story had its place and there was a perfect balance of everything. It definitely felt like a fun, trope-y horror movie in the best way!

Even though the story follows the horror movie formula, the book wasn’t predictable in any way. This would make a great movie! It gave Scream vibes in several ways! (the original movie, not the awful sequels) I do feel like the explanation of everything at the end was slightly confusing, but not enough to dampen my enjoyment! I’m a poly-reader, I’m always reading multiple books at a time, but when I was reading this I didn’t pick up anything else! I was ADDICTED! Lemme hurry up and read Their Vicious Games by this author because after reading this, I want to read all her books!

Thank you Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for this arc! All opinion are my own.

CW: gentrification, classicism, adult/minor interactions, micro-aggressions, drug use

(full review will go up on my socials closer to publication day per the publisher’s request)

I really enjoyed this one!! An action packed supernatural horror/thriller set in NY?? Say no more, I’m in!!

If you love shitty predictable horror movies, you will love this book (said with so much love and not as an insult). Our main cast of characters finds themselves in situation mirroring a shitty horror movie and following all the tropes we know and love (or sometimes hate).

Some people might think that the book would be boring, since it’s established from the beginning how the plot is going to unfold since we’re following specific tropes, but the author found ways to add in her own twists and turns to keep readers on their toes and I was definitely surprised at the end!

I loved our main cast of characters (with the exception of Drew) and although this is a horror novel, this is also a love letter to friend groups and how friends are really like families. With the book being on the shorter side, it would’ve been easy for the characters to feel two dimensional and very shallow, but I think the author did a great job with showing the dynamics between all of the group members and giving us enough information about them as individuals that they all felt like fully fleshed out characters. I also appreciated that they were able to grow and change throughout the novel.

I do think the pacing was a little off and there were times where my attention would drift, and Drew pissed me off for 90% of the book which is why I’m giving this a 4 instead of a 5 but overall, I really enjoyed this and if you read Joelle’s first book and enjoyed it I highly recommend this one as well.

Thank you to Simon & Schuester for providing me with this eARC!

Thank you net galley for this ARC of “The Blonde Dies First!!!!!! Joelle Wellington blew this book out the water!!!!! This was such a FUN read! I literally could not put it down! This was also my first slasher/ thriller!!!!! When the ouiji board entered the chat, I already knew this book was about to go crazy!!!!! Taking place in NYC, a group of teenage friends were being hunted by a demon and the kill order was based on an old horror movies plot! These friends worked together to try to outsmart this demon and keep everyone alive. The blonde definitely died first!!!!! As you can imagine, friendships were on the line, lots of blame was placed, and hospital visits were involved! I loved the elements of friendship, community, diversity, and comedy. Joelle was really in her bag with this one. I’m excited for all that’s to come from her!!!!!

AHHHHHHHH!!!! This book was SO good! And that’s a true compliment coming from me because I normally do not like YA or thriller/ mystery books. But when I tell you this book had me skipping outings just to get back to the characters I cannot make this up. Joelle wrote not only a fantasy story but she also created these five characters who are so loyal and unwavering in their loyalty to each other that you can’t help but root for them.
If you are like me in that books play out like movies in your head definitely pick this up ASAP. The descriptive writing style of Ms. Wellington painted such a vivid picture in my head of every interaction throughout this book that I couldn’t help being sucked into this universe Joelle has created for her readers.
If you take nothing else from this review please note that this book was so good I went and bought Joelle’s Their Vicious Games before even finishing The Blonde Dies First because I enjoyed her writing style so much. I found myself refreshing my kindle, hoping for something (anything) more but all in all this book was a fantastic read with a super satisfying ending that will have you enraptured until the very last word.

Short and Sweet Review
Devon is determined to have the best summer ever, she even has a list of requirements. Devon’s twin sister Drew is graduating a year early, so this summer is the time they have to spend together. When The twins and their group of friends go to a party at one of Drews friends house things go downhill. At the party an Ouija board is brought out and then Devon and her friend are chased by a demon and this demon kills in the kind of order you would see in a horror movie. If the group is correct the last one the demon is coming after is the final girl and they either have to kill the demon or be killed.
The Blonde Dies First, not only deals with a group of friends trying to avoid a demon but it’s also a story about sisterhood. Devon and Drew don’t always get along, Devon usually feels like she’s inadequate when compared to Drew but Drew doesn’t like the pedestal people put her on and we see this relationship evolve during the book. Okay back to the action, after Drew’s goofy friend plays with an Ouija board Devon is attacked by the demon but ends up surviving. Devon and Drew have a group of four other friends, and their friend Gael realizes that the demon is following a kill order from a horror movie. They also realize that Devons crush Yaya is the final girl. Now that they know what to expect from the demon they form a plan. I enjoyed reading this book, it did feel like a horror movie and you can just picture everything playing out. I loved this group of friends and they understood the assignment, they had each others backs and they knew not to split up! When we get to the end of the book we learn who summoned the demon and when we hear their reasoning it’s a bit ridiculous. I usually don’t like when culprits have bad reasonings but I feel like the author knew what she was doing here because the characters even said, “this is so unserious.” The ending was good and I loved the different relationships that are portrayed in this book from the family, friend, or even romantic.
This was a fun action packed thriller/horror novel. The book may seem predictable, but it doesn’t take away from the story. If you enjoy horror movies you’ll definitely have a good time reading this book!

This is another great YA horror from Joelle Wellington, perfect for a summer read. The characters have depth and are differentiated from the beginning, and the story itself is a great mix of self-aware satire and very earnest supernatural-slasher horror. The way Wellington deals with white privilege--and dumbassery--is great, as the main characters have to deal with the fallout of their white peers' Ouija shenanigans. It definitely lives up to the cover!

Imagine it's summertime. You are in your late teens, hanging out with a small group of your closest friends & twin sister. You decide that this summer is going to be the best summer ever, so you plan it out accordingly. It has to be the best since your sister is leaving you (again) to attend college early. All seems to be going well until a demon comes after YOU first & then decides to haunt each of your friends for the next few days. Straight out of a horror movie, it seems! Or is it!?

The Blonde Dies First definitely gave me all of the fuzzy summertime vibes of staying out late, hanging with friends. We follow Devon & her crew as they piece together who summoned the demon after them & how to kill it off. The idea is based off of past horror movies & their cliche 'kill order'. Anyone who has watched any horror/paranormal movies made within the last 20 years will recognize a few references & nods.

The beginning of the book was a tad overwhelming with details about every little thing, but tampered off after a while. I liked how each character is open about their sexuality & has a love interest, which is intertwined well with the horror/thriller elements of the book. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would!

Thank you to NetGalley & Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the eARC of this book for my honest review!

This book was amazing from start to finish. This is the second book I've read by Joelle Wellington and it feels like she has mastered the art of balancing humor, heart and horror. Although I did guess the villain pretty early on I still enjoyed the ride leading up to the big reveal. But I have to say my absolute favorite part of the book was the characters. I fell in love with Drew, Devon and thier friend group and found myself wishing I had a group of friends like them ( minus the being hunted by a demon). The characters were so well written and each had so much personality that it was easy to get lost in the story and imagine them as real people that you were rooting for. They were smart, funny, strong but also flawed and vulnerable. I also loved the final confrontation and the fact that we got closure as the reader. Definitely loved this book and looking forward to more from this author.

BOOK:
THE BLONDE DIES FIRST by Joelle Wellington
Thank you Simon Teen and Netgalley (July 30)

Review:
4.5⭐
After read THEIR VICIOUS GAMES last year, which was one of my favorite reads of 2023, I had über high expectations for THE BLONDE DIES FIRST. I'm glad to say that my expectations were met...mostly. I could have used a smidge more drama besides killer demon and [Redacted and Redacted].
THE BLONDE DIES FIRST follows Devon, Drew, Malachi, Leila, Yaya, and Gael as they band together to combat a demon. They must do whatever it takes to survive.
This book pulled me in from the first page. There's just something about Joelle's writing that makes it seem like the reader isn't reading. THE BLONDE DIES FIRST is encapsulating, and it's a page-turner. I had to know if survival was possible for the group. I had to know if they'd be able to stop the demon.
This book was a quick read. I literally read it in less than a day. It pulled me in that much. Also, I totally saw the twist coming from a mile away.

What I Liked About It:
*the twist at the end
*how it pulled me in and kept me there

The real-life horror movie has begun. The blonde is up first, then the asshole—right up to the Final Girl. Unless the murderous cycle can be broken, they’re all going to be next.

The Blonde Dies First is magnificent in its murderous mayhem. It is pure slasher gold and should definitely be gracing your shelves.

Joelle Wellington burst onto the scene and straight into my heart with the phenomenal Their Vicious Games—a cutting satirical mystery with bite and darkness at its core. Wellington continues this winning streak here, proving that great characterisation and delectably dark tales are a hallmark of her work. The horror tones of Their Vicious Games take centre stage in this incredibly insidious original horror thriller, that also pays homage to classic slashers. It is just such a gorily good time.

I’m quickly learning that Wellington is deft at weaving in exploration of wider social topics into her writing—The Blonde Dies First delves into race and class particularly. The social commentary is nuanced and true to life, especially examining the clash of cultural expectations and the mindsets that accompany this. It is an intersection of class and race that just is not seen depicted in the media. Class is such a key presence in society and it is so intrinsically intertwined with ideas around race. In particular focus here is the way that your upbringing can lead you to have an entirely different live—Wellington explores the switching and adapting that is often forced upon marginalised people of colour. It also comes in comedically via the horror aspects, which I’ll expand on later in this review.

At its heart, we have two sisters: Devon and Drew. Their relationship forms the crux of the book as their lives seem to be splitting off, after being inseparable before. I liked how messy and authentic they were—they do not fit neatly into any preconceived ideas or boxes. Instead, they make mistakes, they fight and they are stubborn at times. Devon acts as our protagonist and you can keenly feel that hurt and sense of isolation as she feels like everything is coming apart for her. This is channelled into an obsessive control of wanting to make their final summer together perfect, with dire consequences. The supporting cast was also fantastic, with dialogue that crackled with humour and heart. They also all get moments to develop and reflect—feeling like they all grow in one way or another. I also have to shoutout the subtler relationship dynamic that develops over the course of the book. It is a really heart-warming contrast to the horror around them but never feels forced or like it’s overshadowing.

In particular, it pays respect to classics and newcomers of the slasher genre – showing an immersion in and appreciation for these types of stories. The author’s note at the back of the book also paid tribute to the iconic Wes Craven and I definitely felt that respect to his style comes through in terms of the humour and wit infused into the book. It is a very meta take on horror, with characters acknowledging unwritten rules of the genre. Even the title plays into that meta narrative blending and awareness of tropes. There’s also an acknowledgment of the long running understanding in horror narratives that BIPOC characters may immediately nope out at any sort of messing around with the supernatural. It stems from a cultural awareness that this is the kind of stupidity reserved for white privilege that also fails to learn from the mistakes of their predecessors and a lack of knowledge about the consequences of their actions. Wellington consistently tackles this throughout, from the hilarious initial scenes to the meta running commentary and internal monologues.

This book flips the script on typical slasher narratives, in part because of its focus on a group of BIPOC characters dealing with this mess created by stupid, privileged people. Wellington plays into these tropes and character archetypes to unpick them and instead present us with complex, compelling characters. It is also excellent to see a cast of BIPOC characters in this space which has been historically dominated by white voices and narratives, with marginalised characters as a punchline or early kill. Without giving everything away, let us just say that Wellington plays by different rules here.

It’s also such a great book in terms of terrifying atmosphere. The summoning scene is perfectly pitched in the way the party scene immediately sours when the supernatural comes into play. Instantly, there is a sense of foreboding and darkness that is acknowledged by our central characters but ignored by others. This is also the point where things start to get gnarly. There are some stomach-churning scenes in here. It is brutal and bloody. Wellington does not mess around when it comes to the slash in slasher. This has some brilliant and gruesome original kills—constantly ramping up the tension and increasing the stakes. Nothing feels certain or safe until the final page. As before, Wellington weaves a web that you cannot help but get entangled in. This is a layered plot with plenty to say about misogyny, gentrification and carving out your own path in life.

The Blonde Dies First cements Wellington as a tour de force. Whatever she decides to turn her pen towards next, you can bet it’ll be brilliant.

I saw the plot twist coming from the start, the characters didn't seem as freaked out by the situation as they probably should have been and there were some obvious references to the Scream movies, but I love that franchise so I was ok with it. Overall, this was an entertaining book and I look forward to reading other books by this author.

THIS IS HOW YOU WRITE YA THRILLER.

i quickly fell in love with Joelle’s writing style maybe three chapters into Their Vicious Games (another 5⭐️ read) and i knew it would be just the same with Blonde!! the books cuts right to chase — we all know why we’re here, so let’s not beat around the bush. the sudden start of drama was so refreshing bc things don’t always build up in life, they just happen. thrillers thrill. there was just enough background set to get a connection with each character before shit hit the fan. as a thriller/horror FAN since birth, i absolutely LOVED the idea of a plot line following all those stereotypes. it made it so interesting to see what came next— you think you knew, but you’re always wrong.

on a deeper level, this book focused a lot on sisterhood. the FMCs are twins, who couldn’t be more different as they are identical. the story not only follows the friend group, but the relationship between the twins, and how this affects the group as a whole. although i’m not a twin, my sister is 16mo younger than me and we were pretty much raised as such. i resonated heavily with Devon & Drew’s relationship. watching the two of them thrive as individuals but resent each other for words unsaid was a like looking in a mirror of me & my sister at their age. in the end, all they wanted was to be heard and once me & my sister realized that, we became inseparable (will Devon & Drew? idk no spoilers here hehehe).

needless to say, if Joelle wrote it, ima read it. we’re 2 for 2, and i cannot wait to get my hands on a copy of this one! 😍

I’m so happy I got my hands on this book!!! Thank you Netgalley & Simon and Shuster Publishing for the advance reading copy 🫶🏾

This YA book centers on a group of friends who are being chased by a demon slasher serial killer thing. Think Scream mixed with Scary Movie lol. This book plays into a lot of horror movie stereotypes/thriller tropes that we see play out within the group of friends. I was sat y’all. I really didn’t want to put this one down!!

Things I loved
-overall the book was really fun to read and had a nice balance between suspense, horror, comedy, and drama
-the group of friends were so easy to root for. They were young and complex ofc, but constantly showed up for/protected each other as a group
-the coming of age + character development wrapped into the story
-cliché horror
-the queer romance story within was really cute. I just wish they both said something sooner!!!! 🥹 iykyk
-I was pleased with the ending lol

I loved Their Vicious Games so Joelle Wellington will always have a fan in me!

This book is such a tropey fun time!

The story plays on a lot of horror movie stereotypes/rules/tropes and also thriller tropes and I had such a fun time reading it. This is entirely centered around a group of friends who are just so lovable and easy to root for. They are so determined to make sure that they don't fall into any of the horror pitfalls while they are being stalked by an evil entity. All of the female characters, in particular, were incredibly well rounded and badass.

One of my favorite elements of this story was the humor. It added such a needed levity to the story and worked well in reminding you that what you were reading was happening to teenagers without falling into that typical whiny and annoying teenager trope. I also really loved how quick everyone in the group was to believe one another. Listen, if your friend comes to you and says that they are being stalked and attacked by an evil monster... you might have your doubts initially. However, all these friends were so quick in listening to the other characters, hearing them out, and plunging head first into navigating this situation with full loyalty and belief.

This was a quick read and would make for an excellent adaptation. I will say, in terms of the ending, I was certainly glad to see some characters get what they deserved.

THE BLONDE DIES FIRST is a great read for horror movie lovers. It plays heavily into the tropes so horror fans will especially enjoy it, but even those unfamiliar with the genre, will enjoy the universal concepts of dealing with sibling relationships, crushes, changing friendships and the anxiety of what comes next in life. This book is perfect for fans of the movie VAMPIRES VS THE BRONX!

While I like the premise of this book, it didn't work for me. I struggled to connect with the characters or to understand the protagonist's desire to reconnect with a sister who was being so unpleasant to her. It also seemed weird to me that the supernatural elements were so quickly accepted when the book is otherwise set in a super realistic world, and that everyone so quickly jumped to accepting the horror movie tropes as the "rules."

I also review books for teachers to recommend to students, and there was more profanity and references to teen partying than I would feel comfortable recommending to students from the front of the classroom.