Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Growing up I always loved a good mystery, so of course I was intrigued about this book. Well, I am no longer a teenager but a full dang adult.

Maybe it is because I am now older that this book wasn't it for me. It wasn't bad, the mystery was in itself interesting but I felt like it took somewhat too long. The little romance that was thrown in here was... meh.

All in all it was alright.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. I came to this as I started reading in June and it felt perfect for Pride Month. I had no clues where this was going and loved it for that. There is no way I can think of that someone could pin point early who the guilty party truly was but more power to those who were able to figure it out before the big reveal. It definitely felt like it was a teenager doing the investigations with silly mistakes and mistrust of the authorities although it was very much warranted in this case. I won't go back for a re-read but did enjoyed this as it happened. 3.5 stars.

I saved this book to read in June, for pride month. The cute mystery was enjoyable but I did find the depiction of bullying and teenage slang to be a bit too stereotypical so it lessened my enjoyment of the book.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC

This was really mid and there was no real thrill or mystery with this one. I felt like we got a lot of backstory but nothing to really say why the LGBTQ club was the target for murder aside from where they were at the time it occurred. Trying to protect the club and her friends from danger Eleanora was willing to risk everything to clear their names but again WHHHHY is still my question the blame never made sense. But if you’re a fan of One of Us Is Lying you might enjoy this book!

Pride or die is a ya thriller book where a girl is attacked in school while there is a school event which the Lgbt club skipped so they are accused of being the prime suspects and to save themselves and the club they try to solve the mystery while also becoming friends with the girl that was attacked. The characters live in a homophobic town and it affects the story and them in many many ways.
First of all I loveddd this book, It was exactly what I needed when I read it for taking me out of a killer reading slump. The motive of the attacker did feel a little silly to me tho and it didn’t feel as satisfying as I would have liked it to be but it gave me Scooby doo vibes and I love Scooby doo with my whole heart. I think this is a very good story for younger audiences to read and for a younger ya demographic so it felt a bit young to me at some points but I did really really enjoy it. The characters are lovable even with all their mistakes and I really liked the little sapphic romance that happens. The friendships were very cute and I loved the characters and their relationships with each other. It is an overall very good book that I really recommend. Cant help but be mad at the authority figures in this book ( police, principal…) for being absolutely incompetent and trying to blame an almost murder on a group of kids simply cause they are queer and at the wrong place in the wrong time.

"Pride or Die" is a perfect dark comedy murder mystery. Well, minus the actual murder. The characters are divine and beyond engaging. Truly, this prose is so entertaining and lush, filled with absolutely breathtaking roasts on nearly every page. Our core queer friend group (Eleanora, Tyler, Salim, and Noah) are all so unique yet lean into the same naturally bouncy group dynamics. I could read an entire book with their conversations on even the most mundane topics, because their super power (besides their stellar skills at applying glitter, of course) is making the most simple scenes into a buoyant pinball machine of back and forths. They're chaotic and messy, but always the brightest spot in your day. Apart from Eleanora's passion for the LGBTQ+ club's success and safety, anxiety is the driving force in her life and the way it's depicted here is startlingly accurate, which is very much appreciated. I dare you to read the first captivating chapter and resist chapter two. I'd advise you don't take me up on this dare, however, because it's an opener for the ages that lures you right in.

This was such a fun read. I loved all of the characters, I laughed so many times and honestly I just flew through this. I really really enjoyed this and didn’t want to put it down. I will absolutely be reading more from Montblanc!

This was a great YA mystery with twists and turns—perfect for a light summer read. That doesn’t mean there aren’t triggering topics, like bigotry, racism, and bullying. I loved the extensive representation within the book, including gender, sexuality, and race. Montblanc did a great job of interweaving these darker themes with the lightheartedness of the friend group.

The main character was fun but was also determined to stand up for her friends and what’s right. Even she has flaws that Montblanc addresses, which I appreciated. At no point did I feel anyone’s life was truly threatened; however, that doesn’t mean there weren’t stakes involved. Everything wrapped up nicely with a HEA, which was exactly what I was looking for in a YA mystery.
If you’re looking for a light mystery full of LGBT representation for June, this would be a perfect pick.

This was a fun read but I feel like it would have made more sense to set it in the past, even ten years. There were some parts where it would have felt more modern if social media had played a role in the story.

This would be the perfect book for younger teens who are just starting to get into thrillers.

I was hoping this would not end up being as cliché as the premise sounded, unfortunately...I was proven extremely wrong especially with the lack of real ability to tell what time frame this is in.

I guess I was expecting a bit more dark horror, a bit less junior detectives. But it was a overall entertaining read. Eleanora and the rest of the queer club were likable and flawed in equal measure. There was definitely some Scooby-esque hijinks at play. Good for fans of mysteries that don't take themselves too seriously.

It's been a while since I've read a YA book, so my expectations weren't super high, but I loved this one! I picked it up simply because the premise sounded fun, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much more depth was there once I actually dove into it.

There was a lot to like about this book I loved the dynamic of the friend group and I found their banter fun. I also greatly appreciated how intentional the representation was. When I picked the book up, I wasn't expecting any romance, but I actually really liked that element. I found the budding pairing endearing and I was rooting for them! I'd definitely say that this book leaned more dark comedy than it does mystery/thriller, but I didn't mind that in the slightest as the book kept up enough suspence to carry through to the reveal.

In a time when we're seeing attempts at queer erasure in schools, I think this book is both very relevant and encouraging. I wish there were more books like this when I was a teen!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

A SUPER FUN change from the norm in terms of what we've seen pub'd from contemporary YA as of late. A touch of thriller, a lot of comedy, and the kind of ending that makes you wonder when we're going to get a Netflix show.

When the books opens, we're introduced to a high school LGBTQ+ club that is in danger of extinction if it can't attract members from the underclassmen. Unfortunately, the situation only goes downhill after a popular cheerleader is attacked in the hall outside of the classroom and when Eleanora, Noah, Tyler and Salim are first on the scene, they quickly become the #1 suspects.

I thought this was a fun read, but in some ways it read like the author had a checklist. Each member of the club was a different "type": lesbian, trans, non-binary, and a non-obvious gay man. The adults were all cartoonish in how they were over-the-top, from the evilness of the principal (you could just see the spittle flying from his mouth) to the extreme purple cheeriness of Eleanora's mother to the kindly old janitor and creepy old security guard. Cheerleaders were universally mean, jocks were universally dumb, and everyone else was invisible. Everyone keeps talking about a murderer, but no one actually dies, and the book itself is very light on violence.

But despite the flaws and the maybe not the strongest mystery, I did enjoy the read and I'd be interested to see what the author comes out with next.

This is the story of a group of queer teens who are attempting to clear their names in this comedic mystery. Elements that worked well was the writing style. However the story felt undeveloped which pulled me out of the story at times. It does make a statement about how queer teens can be villainized/marginalized which did make me invested as a reader.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A quick, diverse mystery that was easy to read and fun to get through. It wasn't my favorite but I'm glad I read it.

It’s hard to graduate high school when you’re the prime suspect in an attempted murder. Seventeen-year-old Eleanora Finkel just wants to finish her senior year and get the hell out of Texas. But when her club meeting coincides with an attack on the school’s head cheerleader, she and her friends find themselves in the hot seat.In order to clear their names and ensure the survival of their club for future queer teens, they’ll have to track down the real culprit themselves. But Eleanora is far from a professional detective; she’s riddled with anxiety, annoyingly attracted to the case’s cute victim, and her trusty crochet hook feels insufficient for fighting off a murderer. Can this ragtag group of unlikely sleuths find their way out of an entire freaking murder mystery before one of them is next?

Most of the adults display a staggering inability that’s frequently used as a convenient plot device. These elements may at times take readers out of the story, but the fast-paced plot and delicious mystery more than carry the narrative. A delicate queer romance that blossoms throughout the story is the icing on the cake. A solid and overall engaging queer not-so-murder mystery with a touch of humor and a splash of romance.

This book had its high points and low points. I enjoyed the premise, and the storytelling was fantastic. There were moments that I felt the writing was so strong, and other moments when it was lacking, but overall, it was a fun and entertaining read. The group of teenagers were all likeable and easy to follow. The love triangles and 'murder mystery investigation' were fun aspects that added to the depth of the story as well. All in all, I'll definitely be reading this one again!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Pride or Die centers around the LGBTQIA+ club that is being investigated for attempted murder. During a school pep assembly, the head cheerleader is attacked, and unfortunately the club members are in the line of questioning as the members are in close proximity when it went down.

The group decides to take it upon themselves to investigate as they are being framed.

This book is quirky and fun! I really enjoyed it!

This was meh for me. I found it highly obvious who the perp was, and I lot of the discussion in this felt really hamfisted and a bit over the top.

I find it weird how uninvolved the adults in this book were with everything going on.

It felt very campy, which I guess can appeal to a certain reader but it didn't work for me.

I did enjoy the friend group in this and how they stuck together.

Not a fan of a certain relationship that develops at the end for reasons that I can't mention because it would spoil the book.

I can see this being a hit for the teen audience.