With a title like ‘Pride or Die,’ I was expecting something slightly more hard-hitting. At no time during the story did there feel like any real danger happening. I did enjoy the storytelling and characters. Also, without going into any spoilers, the ending felt very Kumbaya. I was hoping for more suspense and mystery.

This book was camp. Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read this early!

Sometimes I feel envious of this generation and all of the inclusion they seem to have - when I came out a million years ago, I didn’t think twice about it, but I also got treated like sh*t by A LOT of people… strangers, friends, and family alike. This book definitely made me realize it’s still not “easy” for queer youth, just because there’s more visibility and social norms these days - especially in states like Texas.
As in a lot of YA, the angst level is high, and I didn’t always connect with Eleanora’s extreme need to help everyone. As a people-pleaser myself, I thought she was a bit much, but I did appreciate her and her band of misfits. Though I do think some of the stunts they pulled to solve the mystery were borderline jailable. And I could see two love stories coming from a mile away.
This is cute, deep, and a sad reality for way too many youths who just want to be themselves. I hate that things have progressed enough to make being out easier and this book definitely emphasizes some important changes that should be made for our queer youth in this country. It’s a great read for any YA readers especially.

yes, i believe in the holy trinity! (gays, chaos, and attempted murder)

in all seriousness, this is an incredibly hilarious and refreshing mystery novel! i truly fell in love with it and hope it gets all the hype it deserves!!

okay i absolutely LOVED this book. genuinely such amazing writing and great characters and plot. i lovee eleanora and i absolutely loved how her and kenley got together in the end! super funny and wholesome book with some crazy things to keep you on your toes!! make sure to give this a read! also salim is literally my son i love him

ABSOLUTELY LOVED!!!!!! I loved that I wasn't able to figure out who did it till the characters did, I never would have guess that person would have been the one to do it, but once I read the reasoning it clicked. I loved that there was so much representation of the LGBT+ community, I felt so bad for the characters in the club because they did nothing wrong but try to be themselves and that's hard enough in high school. The fact that there was bullying, racism, bigotry and other social issues was very important to read about because I feel like these are things that happen daily but never really get addressed.

I loved the characters, the plot, the overall message of this book and would 100% recommend it to any teenager who felt like they didn't belong, were being bullied or were just questioning who they were, because I feel like they would come out of reading this feeling like they had been heard.

I'm not sure why, but I was under the impression that this book was a horror and it very much is not. This one is definitely a murder (ish) mystery/thriller with a cast of lovely characters and an engaging story, though it did start to drag there a bit in the middle. The plot twist caught me by surprise- that doesn't happen often. All in all a fun mystery with enjoyable characters.

First of all, I LOVE THE title. Like 10/10 obsessed, so it pains me that I didn't love the book as much as the title. I think I was hoping for more queer horror rather than queer mystery solving, but if you're looking for that, this will hit the spot.

I really liked this one. It achieves the tone of a dark comedy with the main characters flaws and shortcomings often landing her in hot water. The premise pays appropriate attention to the difficulties that these teens are facing and the perceived burden of protecting not only herself and the current students but future students who would need community as well. I thought the mystery was pretty well done and the suspense builds well.

This book was so freaking good!

I went into this book expecting mystery, suspense, and unexpected twists—and wow, did it deliver! But what truly blew me away was how much heart and humor were packed into this story. The characters felt so real, like I could turn the page and find them sitting right next to me, bickering, laughing, and trying (poorly) to solve a murder.

When the tiny four-member LGBTQIA+ club finds themselves accused of an attempted murder, they have no choice but to investigate the crime themselves. What follows is a fast-paced, darkly funny, and wildly entertaining high school mystery with just the right balance of tension and hilarity. The friendships, the banter, and the awkward yet adorable romantic tension had me hooked from start to finish.

I adored Noah and his chaotic, loudmouth humor—the Mario and Luigi moment? I was CACKLING. And Eleanora? A stressed-out, anxious, reluctant detective with a crochet hook instead of a weapon? Absolute perfection!

This book completely scratched my itch for a sharp, clever high school dark comedy. If you love queer found family, witty dialogue, and murder mysteries with a side of heart, you need to read this. Not exactly a thriller, but 100% thrilling. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Pride or Die is about an LGBTQ+ group who are framed for an attempted murder at their school and forced to solve the mystery to clear their names, despite the bigotry and discrimination they face by students and administration. I disagree with the characterization that it's a comedy -- while there are many humorous parts, overall I would consider it a mystery or drama, not comedy. Certainly there's nothing humorous about how hateful people are towards these students. I really appreciated that the author created important nuance -- each character had depth, including the would-be villains--and even the "good" people had flaws and things to work on. The author also included important conversations about racism and intersectionality. I loved the diverse characters and the representation in the book. The plot twists were fun and kept me guessing. I think this would appeal to so many types of readers: certainly those who like mystery, teens solving crime, or suspense would enjoy it but there are also elements of realistic fiction, humor, and romance as well. This would be a great addition to any secondary school or public library collection. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

This was really well written and well done, just not really my cup of tea. However, I would fully recommend this though!

Thank you to St.Martin's Press for an early electronic copy via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

A murder (almost) on a high school campus is investigated by a group of harassed members of a LGBTQ+ school club. This seems to be book one of a future series. Young Adult in genre with some laughs and serious moments along the way, it had lgbtq+ vibes of the group of investigators featured in Scooby Doo. Each character has a distinct personality and brings their talents, or lack thereof, to the investigation.
When a popular cheerleader is seemingly attacked from behind and quickly blamed on the club, leader, Seventeen-year-old Eleanora Finke, rallies her group to prove their innocence. Her motivation beyond the obvious, is to keep the club going in hopes of providing a safe haven for future students.

The things I enjoyed about this book are: the lack of serious violence and the cozy-ish nature of the plot albeit with a serious statement to be made. The adults are from all walks of life and allies have a distinguished place among the characters. The guidance counselor was a breath of fresh air.

I enjoyed this read by Montblanc and the representation in the story. It was a nice mystery and had some good twists and turns. I think it is one that will be well received by my 9th graders.

I loved this book! PRIDE OR DIE was a funny debut about a high school's LGBTQ+ club trying to clear their names in a case of an attempted murder. The characters were all great and the voice felt authentic to today's teens. Highly recommend!

Well, this book is so good I can’t even realise that is a debut! Wow! This is more noticeable. The book is funny, the style is so light that, even when the story darkened, it’s never completely dark. I like that.
The characters are pretty solid (even if the adults are a little flat) and the plot is really well built. The mystery is solid. I like this book a lot and can’t say to discover what her this author can do!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

I was so happy to get a free kindle copy of this book from NetGalley. It sounded so good, and I really wanted to read this! So many books that sound good end up falling short, but this one exceeded all of my expectations. Loved it so much!

There were so many great passages from the book that I wanted to share on my feed, things that were so funny or emotional. With getting an advanced reader copy, I can't share any of them, though. I am sure other readers will share them later. There are moments that are so funny, but others that are very heavy, with the topics being dealt with.

At first, I had no idea who the murderer was. Then, I was 99.9% sure I knew who it was. I was 100% wrong. Didn't even suspect the person. Not a single clue.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the free kindle book. My review is voluntarily given and my opinions are my own.

Triggers: homophobia, bullying, Islamophobia

In Pride Or Die von C.L. Montblanc dreht sich alles um die 17-jährige Eleanora, die eigentlich nur ihren Highschool-Abschluss machen und Texas Lebewohl sagen. Doch als während ihres Clubtreffens die Cheerleader-Captain brutal attackiert wird, geraten sie und ihre Freund*innen ins Visier der Ermittlungen. Um ihre Unschuld zu beweisen und den Club zu retten, bleibt ihnen nichts anderes übrig, als selbst auf Spurensuche zu gehen. Blöd nur, dass Eleanora nicht gerade mit detektivischem Talent gesegnet ist, stattdessen mit ihrer Angststörung kämpft, ausgerechnet für das Opfer schwärmt – und ihre Häkelnadel als Waffe eher ungeeignet ist. Chaos? Garantiert!

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Die Geschichte verbindet Spannung, Humor und queere Repräsentation auf eine erfrischende Weise. Eleanora und ihre Freund*innen stolpern mit viel Charme und einer ordentlichen Prise Chaos durch ihre Ermittlungen, während ihre Freundschaft im Mittelpunkt steht. Besonders gelungen ist die Vielfalt der queeren Charaktere, die ohne klischeehafte Darstellungen auskommen und sich authentisch anfühlen.

Der Kriminalfall selbst hält die Spannung lange genug aufrecht, auch wenn die große Enthüllung am Ende nicht völlig überrascht. Doch das wahre Highlight des Buches ist ohnehin nicht das Rätsel, sondern die enge Verbundenheit der Figuren. Ihre Dynamik sorgt für herzerwärmende, aber auch urkomische Momente, die das Lesen zu einem echten Vergnügen machen.

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Pride or Die ist ein mitreißender Mix aus humorvollem Chaos, queerer Sichtbarkeit und einer Prise Detektivarbeit. Auch wenn die Auflösung des Falls nicht perfekt ist, überzeugt das Buch durch seine liebenswerten Charaktere und die unterhaltsame Freundschaftsdynamik. Wer Geschichten mit Charme, Spannung und queerer Repräsentation liebt, sollte sich dieses Buch nicht entgehen lassen!

“Pride or Die” by CL Montblanc is a fun and fast-paced mystery with a great mix of dark humor and suspense. The story follows a group of LGBTQ+ teens who get caught up in an attempted murder case, and their dynamic is one of the best parts of the book. The humor keeps things light, even when the stakes are high, and there’s a nice bit of romance woven in.

That said, the characters don’t feel as fleshed out as they could be, and the adults in the story come off as pretty one-dimensional. It would’ve been nice to see more depth in both areas to make the emotional moments hit harder.

Overall, it’s an entertaining read with a solid mystery and plenty of queer representation, but it doesn’t quite reach its full potential.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review of the book.

Eleanora Finkel created a club for LGBTQ+ students at the high school in her small Texas town, but not everyone at the school supports the club, especially the popular cheerleader and Eleanora’s nemesis, Kenley Stevens.

When Kenley is attacked right outside LGBTQ+ club’s meeting space, Eleanora and her group become the prime suspects for attempted murder. The only person who believes the group is innocent is Kenley herself, which Eleanora finds suspicious as heck. Why is Kenley suddenly so friendly to Eleanora after harassing her and the other club members for the past year?

As the homophobic principal narrows his focus on Eleanora and her friends as the culprits, putting their college plans in jeopardy, the group starts their own investigation in order to clear their names. The investigation turns their world upside down as former enemies become allies and friends become suspects.

The book aptly captures the complexities of life during the high school years with regard to friendship, relationships with adults at home and school, and discovering one’s identity. Fans of the slow burn relationship will definitely enjoy this one.

For any school librarians who need to be careful about what books they purchase for their collections, there is one scene where the characters use a fake ID to purchase beer for a house party and some swearing throughout the book.