A huge thank you to Joelle Wellington and NetGalley for granting me access to the tantalizing world of "The Blonde Dies First" with their electrifying eARC! 📚⚡️

Imagine a summer filled with secrets, a tight-knit group of friends, and a sprinkle of supernatural intrigue. That's the captivating journey you'll embark on with this gripping tale.

As Devon and her crew set out to make the most of their summer, little do they know that a simple Ouija board session will unleash a nightmare beyond their wildest imaginations. Suddenly, they're thrust into a deadly game of cat and mouse with a demonic force hell-bent on following horror movie rules. 😱

But what truly shines in this chilling narrative? The characters, without a doubt. From the fiercely independent twin sisters to the enigmatic Final Girl, each member of the ensemble brings a distinct flavor to the story, keeping readers hooked from start to finish. 🌟

And let's not forget the spine-tingling twists and turns! While some may see them coming, Joelle Wellington expertly navigates the murky waters of suspense, leaving readers gasping for breath with each unexpected revelation. 🔍

In summary, "The Blonde Dies First" is a pulse-pounding read that delivers thrills and chills in equal measure. So grab your favorite beach towel, settle in, and prepare for a ride you won't soon forget. Joelle Wellington, you've crafted a tale that's as captivating as it is haunting – consider me a fan! 👏

I wanted to love this so so much after inhaling "Their Vicious Games" but this was underwhelming for me. I feel like the pacing was off and the "demon" just didn't translate well *to me* on paper. The friend group dynamic was strong but the twins' dynamic could've been showcased more as opposed to the crush backstory. I'm loving the genre of black teen horror taking off so I'm sure YA readers may enjoy this.

Perfect for horror movie fans, with a lot more to it than your typical slasher. I loved that the heart of the book was a sibling story—this felt super unique, and I was rooting for the girls the entire time. The New York setting, representation, and sapphic romance were also great.

Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC!  

I’ve wanted to read this book for so long. The cover, the title, the plot, they just draw you in. After reading this book, I certainly wasn’t expecting to love it this much.

The blonde dies first follows Devon, a 17 year old girl, and her best friends. She has a lot of things going on, she wants this summer to be perfect for her twin sister, she has been helplessly in love with one of her best friends, Yaya, and by movie logics, she’s destined to die first. The story only escalates, with lovable characters and sudden plot twists, which only engage you more.

Personally, what I enjoyed most about this book were the characters. Their strong personalities, their developments, the ability to distinguish one from another, all played a major role in this book. I quite enjoyed the storyline and the tropes blending together. Devon and Drew’s relationship was beautifully written, their differences, their resentment, one moving on and the other watching from afar not willing to take the same steps. I loved Yaya’s and Devon’s relationship, the way they complete each other while also being their own person. The writing style was admirable, engaging and most importantly easy to read.

In conclusion, The blonde dies first is an enjoyable book, full of memorable moments. Funny, emotional and compelling, I read it in a day. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read.

I loved this! I love Joelle's work and this lived up to her last one. Plenty of laughs, lots of spooky vibes and nods to horror films. I'm lowkey a scaredy cat so definitely wasn't reading this in the dark lol.

When I tell you this book had me hooked from the first chapter!! Loved it so much, every character was so different and I can understand why they were all friends/family. I couldn’t put the book down and had to find out how the demon came to be, so basically I read it within 24 hours. Haha. This was my second book by this author and I was not disappointed.

As far as I'm concerned, Joelle Wellington can do no wrong and this is another five star read. This book is hilarious, just the right amount of spooky, and delightfully queer. If you enjoy horror movies, there are so many Easter eggs to many beloved classic films. I was able to put together some of what was happening - but the journey of how the characters got there was so wonderful that I didn't even care (and honestly I think that was Wellington's intention because in a horror movie you often know more than the characters do.)

Definitely maintaining her autobuy status.

This is the second book of Joelle Wellington that I've had the pleasure of reading and might I add she doesn't disappoint. First off Black author, black characters checklist checking IMO.
Second what we're here for the review
This book had a bit of horror inflections and I've not read a book like this before. With that said some parts made me nervous, and look behind myself, as I was reading in the dark 😂🤣. I enjoyed it thoroughly, I don't want to give anything away but 2 themes that it covered that are important. Self doubt and communication with others. Both are important to work on for a relationship with yourself as well as others. I like that they were interwoven in the book we're these themes. I like peeking into the lives of the friends group and high schoolers have the time to get into some shit. So the timing and ages worked well. All and all I'm ready for a block party.

I really enjoyed The Blode Dies First, more than Their Vicious Games, so I read it in only a matter of days! This has everything I look for in a supernatural horror. I loved most three things:
- the diverse cast of characters. Despite being a horror/slashed novel, there were some comic and dramatic moments.
- The metaliterary references to a fictional movie called Read Your Rites. It created a nice build up.
- The final revelation. Even though the most supernatural thing for me, paradoxically, is that all of the characters remain alive and unscathed, by the end.

Thank you for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much for my early copy of "The Blonde Dies First" by Joelle Wellington. I am enjoying this book, and Joelle is now my favorite author.

I am a HUGE Scream fan and this definitely rang true/home for me. Funny, heart stopping and on theme the whole time. I guessed who it was about halfway through but it was still a cool twist.

From one Wes Craven fan to another - amazing job!!

This book started off fun and then just lost steam for me. The book starts out with Devon, her twin sister, Drew, and her friends Malachi, Leila, Gael and Yaya heading to a party at Drew's friend's Avery's house. He decides to break out an Ouija board and use an athame instead of a planchette to call forth a demon. Not a good idea.

One of my issues with the book was that before they use the Ouija board Gael talks about the movie Read Your Rites and the order the people die in. That part was honestly fine, but then everyone in the book's universe references it or is somehow attached to it. It's as if we, the reader, should know what the movie is about and/or have seen it.

I liked the dynamic between the friend group, but I felt like the demon appearances were dragged out sometimes and filled in with sister drama. I guess I went into this expecting it to be scarier than it really was. I also figured out what was going on before the characters and had to wait for them to catch up. This one just wasn't a good match for me.

thank you to netgalley for the opportunity to read the eARC.
**4.5 stars on storygraph**

i’ve heard about this book from so many people and was excited to read it when it was published so i was quick to want to read it when i got approved for the eARC, but made myself wait a few weeks to give my review closer to its publication date.

i loved it as i expected. the main cast consists of six people and they were all introduced at the same time with a few others so it took me a little bit to remember who everyone was and how to tell them apart. it worried me a little, but i kept reading.

there were a few comedic moments here and there, but it didn’t take away from the horror aspect of the book.

the reveal wasn’t a surprise at all. i don’t try to guess the plot twist of books and instead focus on the story, but when the reveal came, i wasn’t surprised at all. it almost felt like unnecessary information since the answer felt so obvious. that might just be me though.

this was so close to being a five star read, but i wished that the author touched on how it all came to be. a few of the characters were very close to asking but didn’t. there was a storyline that was introduced towards the beginning that didn’t get attention again to tie it off, but i’m not too upset by it. i’m thinking the lack of it is the answer.

i really enjoyed this read and this author’s writing style. i purchased her debut while i was halfway through this book so i’m excited to start that and read any future books she might write.

Just phenomenal! I'm not much into horror/slasher movies or stories so I didn't expect to really love this story but boy, was I wrong! This story was great from beginning to end. Well-written, the character development was amazing, and the twist at the end was done well. I could totally see this as a Netflix original movie *hint hint* lol. So glad I already have the physical book pre-ordered cause I need it for my personal library!

I got this book for free, in exchange for my honest opinion via NetGalley.

"The Blonde Dies First" is an engaging and suspenseful thriller/horror that captivated me from beginning to end. The storyline is filled with unexpected twists and turns, keeping me guessing throughout. The characters are well-crafted, each adding a unique dimension to the plot. Being the horror nerd that I am, I appreciated the nods to the horror community and of course the mentioning of "Friday the 13th," one of my favourite summer horror films. My only minor complaint is that a few of the scenes felt slightly predictable; Despite this, the book is a fantastic read for thriller and horror fans alike.

Thank you, NetGalley and Joelle Wellington for allowing me to review! As always, my review is my own opinion and thoughts. This review will be shared to my Instagram @fictionluxblog shortly.

THIS WAS SO GOOD! I can't wait to see what other readers think of it! Devon & Yaya were so good together and Devon was such a good protagonist to follow. I was worried the tropes would make this book lackluster but it worked well.

This was a fun read. It was a fun action pack thriller that follows this group of teens who comes together to kill this demon. I will say this was pretty predictable, but I don't think that takes away from the story as it is kind of hard not to be with this kind of plot. The plot twist at the end shocked me though! I didn't see that coming. I think I would have had an even better experience with this book had I did the audio so I honestly might revisit once this officially releases.

This book was so good I devoured it in one sitting. The characters all felt like actual teenagers and were each really unique, with palpable chemistry. The premise was so cool and I love the way it played with classic horror tropes - self-referentially too - and subverted them in interesting ways. The writing too was so good with such a strong sense of Devon’s voice in the first person narrative.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of this book.

I would say the best way to describe this is Scream with a demon as the serial killer. Lots of teen angst, weird, rude neighbors, likable characters.

"The Blonde Dies First" has all the makings of a good thriller; its fun, its campy, the characters are reckless and brash...but unfortunately, as with most thrillers, it also falls into the trap of being entirely predictable.

The story starts off with a bang: a group of teenagers ready to start their carefree summer, a house party with people to please and drinks to imbibe, and a Ouija board full of menacing promise and forbidden boundaries. As the plot progresses, Joelle Wellington's writing style caters to the level of creeping suspense that builds as the characters uncover more about the dark presence stalking their every living moments.

There's a level of predictability in a plot of this caliber, one that follows the horror movie framework to a T, darting from blonde girl to queer boy to asshole, picking off its victims one by one. But for me, this is not where the predictability of the plot lies. No, the predictability inevitably falls when Wellingtons tries to subvert these tropes. The attempts to set clues and lay preamble to the supposedly shocking plot twists are weak at best, with overtly obvious overtones masked as undertones and formulaic character realizations.

All the characters were entertaining, even if bit cliched, though I do wish there had been a more concerted effort to flesh out Malachi, Gael, and Leila as much as the other 3. However, the character development, and subsequently relationship development, between Devon and Drew felt overly drawn-out, to the point that the peak argument from their months of resentment felt empty. Yes, their conflict persisted, as high emotions don't dissipate after the course of a single argument, but the rationality behind their continued animosity felt redundant and overly repetitive, to the point where I left the book empathizing far more with Drew than with Devon.

For all my negativity, I do think "The Blonde Dies First" is a really great beachy/summer read, I just wish there had been more effort to make both the story and its characters multi-dimensional. That being said, I would still be interested in Joelle Wellington's next book PURELY based on how well the atmosphere of this book is written.