The Blonde Dies First by Joelle Wellington tells the story of a group of friends who summoned a demon and are now fighting for their lives while trying to outsmart the demon. The demon is going after them following slasher movies kill order lists. The book follows Devon who's twin sister, Drew, will be going to college the following months and this summer is Devon's attempt to give Drew "The Best Summer Ever" in order to make sure Drew will want to come back home the following summer.

What I liked about this book was the kill order list, I am not a big fan of horror but I love slasher movies like Scream and the book gave me a bit of a Scream vibes with the group of friends following the horror movie rules and trying to see which stereotypical character would fit with each one of them so they could find out who would be the next target.

I thought some scenes were action packed and made it a fast read for me, however I did not connect with the characters as much and to be honest kept waiting for a bigger kill to make me connect better. Overall, this was a good ya horror read and I loved that there was representation of queer characters, but I did think we were missing a twist to turn it more into final girl slasher movie.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for this ARC the above review is of my own thoughts.

I went into this book blind and was immediately drawn into the characters and the easy banter, the familiar dynamics. This book is unapologetically queer and black by an own-voice author, which is so refreshing to see. I’ve read some of Joelle’s other books but this one takes the cake for sure.
I loved the scream references and the demonic elements of it, and the killer twists were definitely enjoyable (the predictably varies depending on how well you know horror movie tropes but nevertheless still great.)

I always enjoy Wellington and how this is the second time that I get to! I really enjoyed her first book a lot and she doesn’t disappoint with this one. I love her takes on the final girl and scream queen within horror and I feel like she adds a fresh new twist.

Calling all horror nerds. You're going to love this YA slasher-esque story with nods to the horror movie formula. It's funny, scary, and a romantic subplot that was actually super sweet (I don't care for romance usually). It's trop-y yet unpredictable and a group of characters you definitely want to root for, so if you love a combo of demonic forces and slasher behavior you're going to enjoy this one. The ending is one you won't see coming.

I really enjoyed this book! It definitely took a good 30% in to get good but once I was in,. I couldn’t put it down.

Shoutout to blockbuster!

I’ve been on a bit of a slasher kick lately so I was pretty excited for this one, unfortunately I don’t think this book is for me.

I was intrigued by the premise but struggled to get invested into the story. The twins relationship didn’t feel like normal twins especially considering Devon wanted this “Best Summer Ever” for her sister. I really didn’t care for either of them, I don’t mind YA and was fully aware of that in this book before going in but I wasn’t a huge fan of the dialogue in this one. It all felt a bit forced to me.

It’s trope-y and I did enjoy the groups friends and LGBTQ rep. I think it would be enjoyable for teen readers or those who enjoy a YA thriller.

This was such a fun and good action pack thriller I definitely enjoyed it. The ending definitely took me by surprise and let’s not forget how the cover of this beauty EATS!!!! Thank you so much NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for this ARC!!!

I wanted to like this book. I did. I thought it would be like the book Indian Lake or Heads Will Roll, Queer horror with a twist. It's not. The first chapters drag on, the horror is unrealistic, and all over it is just meh. I don't think this book is bad per se, but it didn't scare me. I think it tried to hard to be a critic of horror that it ended up cringe.

Sending as feedback to the publisher.

I read 45% of this book and had to dnf it. The story was not engaging to me and I felt like a lot of the story was just unbelievable. I could also not really connect with the characters.

Since I did not finish the book I do not want to give an unfair or incomplete review.

The Blonde Dies First is a queer YA thriller/horror that reads like a slasher film. I have loved a book by Joelle in the past so knew I had to give this one a try. I wound up really enjoying it!

Our leading lady, Devon has decided this is going to be the best summer ever because her twin sister, Drew is going off to college early. When someone pulled out a Ouija board during Drew’s graduation party, Devon and her friend group were antsy but went along with it to appease her. Now a demon is unleashed and going after Devon and her friends. They must figure out how to kill the demon or they will wind up dead in the process.

This story has slasher film stereotypes we all know of and brings it into book form. Once the action starts you will not want to put this book down. It was such a quick read because the story just kept moving and I had to see what would happen next. There are some twists and turns I did not see coming which I always appreciate. Some parts were a tad predictable, but this is marketed towards YA so keep that in mind. I recommend this if you are a fan of YA horror or slasher movies.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. I really enjoyed Wellington's debut novel last year, so I was thrilled to receive this ARC. Unfortunately, this one was not for me. I loved the friend group, but the demon was too outlandish/ridiculous for me. I also guessed who was behind it almost immediately, which is always a bit of a letdown. The weird dynamic between the twins wasn't all that well-developed until close to the end, so it felt like they were annoying for no reason. I will likely still check out what Wellington writes in the future in the hope it is more like These Vicious Games than this book.

I requested this book based on its hilarious title. Reading horror isn’t my thing, but saying my mind wasn’t changed is an understatement. This was, hands down, a fantastic read!! When I tell you, it’s so darn funny! I had to leave my living room at certain scenes to read in my bathroom to avoid waking my toddler. Great characters and development. I enjoyed the dialogue and thought the plot was great. I HIGHLY recommend this book!


Thank you, Author, Simon and Schuster Books and NetGalley, for this ARC!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this arc in exchange for a review.

This is the author's second book, and after reading Their Vicious Games, I knew I had to get this. And just as I predicted, it didn't disappoint. This is for people who like Wes Craven movies, but make it Gen Z.

I loved Devon, I never tired of her. Some of the supporting characters were pretty one dimensional, but that's honestly to be expected in this genre so I am not holding that against the book at all. The only real complaint I have is that I think there were a couple of characters that were underutilized and it felt like they weren't really a part of the story at times. Other than that- home run!

This was a super quick read for me, it's accessible and easy to read, and the plot twist was fun. I'm a huge horror fan and I really didn't expect that ending, so it was a nice surprise. Joelle Wellington is two for two now for the enjoyment factor of her books, both books were super fun reads, I definitely enjoyed this ending more than the last.

here was sadly no real scares in this book and the way that the characters dealt with the situation was comically UNCANNY. The pacing was inconsistent and I just kept waiting for the horror and the gore and I literally never got it. I’m a huge fan of the Scream franchise so I know what it means to appreciate a true cheesy slasher story and that was the vibe that I was expecting. That doesn’t mean that some won’t love this book; it just wasn’t for me.

3.5 stars.
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Sometimes a book doesn’t hit like you thought it would. And that’s okay.
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I can’t help but compare this to the author’s debut and I think the difference between the two, for me, is that this book has much more emotion and less conflict and scares than TVG.
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Thank you to S&S for the early copy!

How do I even start with this review. I was completely thrilled when I was accepted to read this advanced copy because I’m a fan of Wellington. A demon who follows the rules of a horror film. Attacking the blonde first. With likeable main characters that help each other survive instead of separating and getting knocked out one by one. It’s absolutely a blast of a story and highly recommend for a YA horror for the summer!

I have never been so disappointed. I absolutely loved Their Vicious Games and so I had super high expectations for this one, but wow. Devon is going to be added to my "list of main character's I want to slap." Devon is one of those characters that hates things just to hate them and questions why everyone else isn't as miserable as she is. She's unnecessarily mean to pretty much everyone (there were a few people who deserved it) and she's an incredibly bad friend. I probably feel more uptight about this character than I normally would, but I was set off especially when she was late to meet everyone and still went and got food while being late. It triggered me after being that friend who had to wait alone for hours when friends decided not to show up when they were supposed to. That little thing combined with her "better than everyone" attitude just wasn't doing it for me. I love the idea of this book, but I just couldn't make it past her attitude and depressing outlook on everything.

Also don't smoke weed in public places. That shit stinks. Take an edible instead.

One of my favorite genres is kids on a bike. You know, where the kids ride around on their bikes and solve some giant mystery without the help of adults. The Blond Dies First is this, but taking the kids from the suburbs and into the city. We can call it kids on a subway.

Devon is determined to have the best summer ever when she finds out her twin sister is graduating high school early, leaving her and their group of friends behind. This leads Devon to a party she would never really go to where the kids break out a Ouija board, releasing a horror that none of them ever knew was possible.

Joelle Wellington adds a brilliant twist on the well known teen slasher trope and spins it on its head. The characters know what's happening, very similar to Scream, but all of it is coupled with real world horrors, like elitism, classism, and gentrification. The characters in this story are also very diverse, brining representation to a genre that hasn't always been diverse.

What makes this book stand out is that the kids deal with actual, real world kid issues while dealing with a demon who wants to kill everything. The kids deal with messy family dynamics, the pain of growing up and growing apart, queer love, and pressures from friends. The characters do talk about drugs and sex, but none of it is too graphic, so the book stays firmly in the YA genre. The pressures the characters face will seem very familiar to kids, so the book is highly relatable in that sense.

Overall, this book was fun. I think it was a little slow to get started, but now I realize it was us getting to be a part of the friend group and knowing each character. Without that beginning, the end of the book would not have been as satisfying.

So fun! Definitely a YA book that's happy to be a YA book. Its meta-ness brings a love of horror to YA in a way that writing straight-up horror never does.

Don't forget to stay for the post-credits scene!

THE YA THRILLER OF THE SUMMER!!

I absolutely devoured The Blonde Dies First! Wellington crafted the most lush blend of horror, meta, fantastic characters, and an enthralling plot. I could NOT put this one down! The meta of it all was so perfect and exciting to read, I love seeing authors get creative with tired tropes and not only poke fun, but breathe such new life into them.

For fans of Fear Street, do not hesitate to pick up The Blonde Dies First!