The energy in this novel is absolutely fabulous. Eleanor and her upbeat crew chase down leads with breaks for brainstorming sessions and pancakes at a local diner, determined to discover who hurt Kenley before they have a chance to strike again. The banter is nonstop, and the tentative connection between Kenley and Eleanora is super sweet.

The principal’s character might be a little flat, as he mainly exists to remind Eleanora and her friends what’s at stake if they fail to identify the real culprit before the end of the homecoming dance. There are a few moments when we see things about him that humanize him a little bit. They show there’s more to him than his commitment to shut down the LGBT Club, which he continually refers to as the BLT club.

Reading this one was a lot of fun. If you like upbeat mysteries with a lot of goofy banter, you’ll want to put this one at the top of your reading list.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the gifted copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this one. I was really excited to read it when it was described as “Scooby Doo meets the Heathers vibes”, and it didn’t leave me disappointed.

I liked the mystery. Someone had attacked Kenley, and the LGBTQ+ Club is trying to solve the mystery and clear their names. I did find that this one started a bit slow, but once it got going it didn’t stop. The ending was fun and intense, and I liked the resolution to the mystery. I had fun trying to put together the clues, and I ended up being right in my hunch of who was behind the attack.

There were a few secrets revealed during this one, and I liked how it helped to make the characters more realistic. The narrator, Eleanora, was good and I liked her sense of humour. I also really liked the our main characters were well developed and actually played a role in solving the mystery. Even the secondary characters felt well developed, and I really liked how almost all of the characters had qualities about them that made them human and realistic. The characters who weren’t very nice also had parts to them that were recognizable as not being terrible. I liked that Eleanora also recognized the shades of grey.

An attack on a student, an LGBTQ+ club must band together to solve who done it or be the ones blamed for it.

I love a good YA thriller and I was ready to dig into this one. I loved that it involved an LGBTQ+ group and a band of friends but it was pretty early when I realized this one might not be my cup of tea. The main character and even the friends all felt like caricatures of high school students. No real social media, barely texting and messaging each other - it felt really unrealistic and silly. And the adults were over-the -top awful. Everyone felt very black and white - good or bad - and each adult felt bumbling. Even the ultimate reveal felt like a bit of a letdown. I wish I'd liked this one but I just never seemed to connect with it.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I was doing SOOO good at not requesting too many ARCs and getting overwhelmed and reading them at the very last minute..and here we are. Here's CL Montblanc's "Pride or Die."
["It’s kind of 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 inconveniently 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?"]

This book got off to a fast start. Victim in chapter one fast. And each of the following chapters left on a (minor) cliffhanger, leaving you wanting more and more. Not to mention the likable as hell characters and their fight for space in a world who wants them shut away. There are so many stakes and so many iconic moments.

Trigger Warnings: homophobia, transphobia, bullying, violence, creepy white men, and more.

#netgalley #arcs #arcteammember
#prideordie #clmontblanc #thriller #yathriller #murdermystery #yamurdermystery #books #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

I’m so enjoying my self-imposed task of reading all the YA books I bring into the library.

This one was a super-fun, murder-ish mystery with a touch of romance, a vast and varied cast of characters, and lots of LGBTQ+ rep.

It gave Save Ferris vibes, if Rooney was even more hateful and felonious.

Can’t wait to get this one out to our patrons.

This was a great read for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the friendship between our MC, Eleanora, and the other members of the LGBTQ club Eleanora had started so no other queer student would have to feel alone, to give them a safe place to be themselves and accepted for who they were, in essence. Unfortunately, when a student (Eleanor's biggest tormenter at school) is attacked in the hallway outside their meeting room, and they are found over the body, they "find themselves in the hot seat." When they are blamed for the attack and get no help from the school or the police, they decide they are going to have to solve the mystery themselves, or they can throw their futures away.

As I mentioned, I loved the friendships among the main group of characters. I thought the characters were well-written and we got a real sense of who they were. They were all relatable for different reasons, which is a tough feat to accomplish. I thought the mystery was enjoyable and the pace was spot on.

All in all, I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it.

5/5 stars

*** I would like to thank NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and CL Montblanc for the opportunity to read and review Pride or Die.

I was not the right audience for this book. I think it was well written and interesting, but not for me.

This book would be excellent for a teen reader who loves a good mystery with a great ensemble of diverse queer characters. Big kudos to the author for the intersectional identities of the characters and the fun dialog and banter. I think this is a writer to watch. I look forward to hearing more from them!

These teens take Be Gay Do Crime and instead decide to Be Gay Solve Crime and I was so here for it! This book was so optimistic and exactly what queer teenage me needed. And honestly what adult queer me needs too. The world is rough but watching these teens push back against the system brought me a lot of hope. The queer found family made my heart melt and the mystery had me hooked. I'm very excited to see what this author writes next.

I really really wanted to like this book, but there unfortunately I had a very difficult time getting attached to the main character which made it hard to enjoy the book, though I did finish it. It's not that the writing was bad, but rather that there were multiple plot points I didn't really vibe with, which made it hard to keep going with the story.

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

The three things that annoyed me were:
1. Eleanora winds up crushing on/getting together with Kenley, the attempted murder victim
2. When the killer is revealed to be Noah's twin, his reaction to just get the homecoming party going again as opposed to being upset/going after Talia or to call his parents felt unrealistic.
3. Talia just basically getting a slap on the wrist for attempted murder? I'm pretty certain that in a case like that, it's up to the District Attorney as to whether or not charges are getting brought on the suspect, not the parents of the victim.

Unfortunately, all of this led to me having a rather mediocre experience with this book.

I wanted to like this story; the idea was good. The execution was not. It's described throughout the book that there is a "murderer" but no one died. The big reveal also left much to be desired.

Thank you to the publisher for an eARC of this book to read and review.

Themes/Tropes: Dark Comedy, amateur detective, found family
Rep: Lesbian, Non-binary, Queer, Mental Health

This book was a great time. I am always a sucker for a good HS amateur detective story and this one did not disappoint. When the LGBTQ+ club at school gets framed for trying to murder the head cheerleader, this band of friends goes on an adventure to find out who really did it. Honestly, I was surprised lol. I did not figure out who did it until it was revealed at the end.

The first paragraph of this book had me giggling and throughout the story it made me happy that students have a place to be themsleves in so many schools. The principal was so questionable and needed some lessons on how to be a leader. I loved the counselor and that support she showed the students, and the janitor.

The relationships in the friend group were well done, and honestly they sounded like a great group of friends that anyone would be lucky to have. Overall really enjoyed the story and can't wait to see what this author does next.

2.5 stars

I was so excited to read this book! I loved the premise, and a queer YA mystery, along with the cover is amazing. I think this would work well for a younger YA reader, but it didn’t really hit for me. The dialogue didn’t feel authentic, and it has one of my least fav tropes for the romance situation. It also has a number of pop culture references that already feel dated at publishing date. The overall message of inclusion is well done. There is no death so this works well for a more low stakes YA mystery.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy to form opinions from.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is normally not a book that I would read, but I did end up really enjoying it. I loved all the characters and the story line. I liked watching the growth of the characters. I did read this book in one day, I did have to know what was going to happen. I would definitely recommend this book.

Rounded up from 3.5. I loved the concept, and the characters are great, but the mystery fell a bit flat to me. I would’ve loved to hang out with these characters in a normal setting, without the looming threat of expulsion. However, I really appreciated the books handling of mental illness, and there was a lot of humor and heart in the writing. Ultimately not for me, but I appreciate the representation of queer youths in non-accepting spaces, which is unfortunately reality for many queer youth, and this tale of resistance may give them some hope that things can and will get better.

When the head cheerleader at their school is attacked and the LGBTQ club is framed, Eleanora Finkel knows that she has to clear their names before their future plans are ruined. Luckily, Eleanora can rely on the help of her close friends and perhaps even an enemy? Yet head cheerleader Kenley doesn’t seem to realize that they’re enemies as Eleanora tries to discover why the club was framed and Kenley was targeted. Can Eleanora find the culprit before the club is disbanded?

Pride or Die is a fast-paced and exhilarating thriller! I found it hard to put down and enjoyed the action-packed adventure. Eleanora is a very relatable character and I loved the strong friendships that she had in the club. I also enjoyed her connection with Kenley. CL Montblanc writes about serious themes of homophobia, while crafting a beautiful friendship group who will do anything for each other. I’m excited to see what CL Montblanc writes next! Readers who enjoy unputdownable YA thrillers and fantastic LGBTQ characters will love this book.

Thank you so much to CL Montblanc, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc.

I picked this book because of the cover (chuckle). I freaking love this cover by Kerri Resnick. It stands out and yet says queer at the same time. It looks ominous and campy at the same time. Genius.

First let me say: this is NOT a horror book (chuckle). The cover kind of makes you think that, but it is not. It’s a mystery about an attempted murder of a mean girl by the ones she picks on the most. It’s Texas so homophobia dominates the story and the kids' motives.

CL Montblanc writes a cute romance. It is very reminiscent of most of the young adult movies out now (Cruel Summer 2021). There are twists, turns, and multiple red herrings. It's a fun and easy ride without any of the I Know What You Did Last Summer (2021) feels.

Pride or Die has a diverse cast with many realistic touches as every kid deals with something. Eleanora suffers from anxiety and is raised by her Mom. Then there are kids dealing with IBS, parental addiction, abandonment, racism, and ADHD. I’m so here for it.

Overall, it’s not a bad way to spend an afternoon. Pride or Die is a light mystery with romances thrown in. You won’t have to turn on the light after dark for this one (chuckle).

Neutral 3 stars
——————

DNF @ 30%

I was super excited for this one, but I just couldn’t get into it. For a YA book, it felt juvenile, the language and writing was super simplistic. The book wasn’t engaging me and nothing about the plot or characters was drawing me in. Great representation, but I was just bored in the parts I read. Nothing in it hooked me enough to finish.

I won’t be reviewing elsewhere.

I think that there are some lovely representations in this book. So many different members of the LGBTQ+ community are visible, and I love how they are fighting not only to clear their name but make their school a safe place for others who might want to join their group. I also enjoyed how the main character is forced to face the fact that their actions were hurtful, and they then can try and address the school and change popular opinion. The crime itself was okay. I was truly not blown away by this book. Nor did I get swept up in the search for who committed the crime. The ending was okay but nothing super stellar.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

I enjoyed the book's message of change, not having to be on a massive scale. I think it helps the audience feel more hopeful about fighting against a system that isn’t built for you and that is constantly against you. I do wish that the characters felt a little bit more developed and we got to know more about them. While there were some fun moments in their investigation, the stakes weren’t able to create the thrilling/tension feeling that I search for in a mystery book.

Pride or Die by CL Montblanc is a clever young adult novel that touches on socially relevant issues.

Seventeen-year-old Eleanora Finkel is the founder of her high school’s LGBTQ+ club. She may be ready to leave Texas behind after graduation, but she wants the club to be there for future students. The school principal is always just a step away from shutting the club down and when a popular student is the victim of an attempted murder, the club members are his prime suspects. Eleanora and her friends are determined to find the person responsible and save the club but will they uncover the truth before it is too late?

Eleanora is the perfect narrator for this engaging mystery. She is stubborn and will do anything to protect her friends. Eleanora often jumps in feet first and her plans sometimes hurt than they help. She also does not interpret events or people correctly since she tends to be more negative than positive. But Eleanora’s heart is always in the right place so it is not difficult to root for her and her friends.

Pride or Die is a humorous young adult novel with the perfect amount of madcap adventure and character growth. The characters are diverse and well-developed. The depictions of high school are spot on and will make adult readers glad those years are behind them. Eleanora and her friends fly a little too much by the seats of their pants but they almost always emerge unscathed. Although the attacker is a bit easy to guess, CL Montblanc does an excellent job keeping readers guessing about other plot points. An overall fun read that I enjoyed and recommend to adult and teen readers.