The protagonist, Kirby Cornell, is a local journalist for a rural newspaper. She lives in flat with 3 housemates - Dave, Dylan and Seema. The flatmates have set up a WhatsApp chat where they post anything and everything. One day, Esme, a social media sleuth, appears at their flat and starts a chain of reactions that leads to a mysterious incident. One day, Kirkby receives a message from Esme, only problem is she died 12 months ago - Everyone in the group chat will die.. Tell me, what would you do if you receive a message in a WhatsApp Group from Esme? The story is told over dual timelines - present day and 12 months ago. Kirby proceeds back to the town to investigate more about the death and this leads to some strange occurrences. Can she solve the mystery before something happens to her?!

An easy read with lots of twists and turns along the way.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Sometimes I struggle with books that have dual timelines, but this one was easy to follow and I was hooked by each story that was being told.

I loved how the ‘past’ chapters shone a light on the power of social media and armchair detectives. Short form content is everywhere in day to day life and it was a fun addition to the story.

The storyline was great. I was instantly suspicious of Esme and it was so clever how she fit into the narrative of The Deadbeats. Her interest in the previous events within the town and how that tied in with the ‘Now’ chapters were incredible.

There were a lot of clever links and I didn’t predict them.

None of the characters were particularly likeable, I didn’t really relate to them and found it hard to connect.

Whilst it was a great story, I found it dragged out a little bit. The build up to the twist at the end took a while but when it got there, I felt the book finished quickly.

It’s a hard book to write a review about as lots of my favourite bits would be spoilers!

3.5 ⭐️

This was a great cosy and funny mystery that had me immersed with its fantastic characters and well written plot.

From the very first pages, Everyone in The Group Chat Dies had me hooked. I was instantly drawn into the mystery of Crowhurst, eager to uncover its secrets… especially the town’s weird obsession with its bizarre mascot.
I love a good small-town mystery, especially when it’s packed with twists, red herrings, and a solid dose of humour. This book had all that and more! Told from the perspective of Claire "Kirby" Cornell, the story flips between two timelines present day and twelve months ago keeping the suspense high and the intrigue constant.
The writing style felt so natural and chatty, almost like I was part of the group, laughing along at the inside jokes. Claire’s narration was sharp, witty, and sometimes even spoke directly to the reader, which made it even more fun. What started as a light-hearted, amusing read slowly built up the tension, and before I knew it, I was flying through the pages, desperate to see how it all unravelled.
Beyond the mystery, the friendships in this book felt so real and relatable. The balance between humour and suspense was spot on—I laughed, I felt the tension, and yes, I even teared up a little. I couldn’t stop coming up with my own theories about where things were headed, and I loved every second of it.
Going in, I already knew I’d enjoy the premise, but the clever, fast-paced writing made it even better than I expected. Sharp, gripping, and packed with personality, this book is a must-read for anyone who loves a thriller with a slasher edge and a keen sense of humour.

Really enjoyed this book! Keeps you guessing until the very end, and incites a range of emotions. I didn’t love the main character due to some poor decisions, but overall I’d say everyone who likes a good thriller should give this a go!

Thank you to the author, publishers and netgalley for this ARC.

This is the second book I read within a few weeks that revolves around young people that only live their lives on the internet. Everything for the likes!
The story is told in chapters between ‘then’ and ‘now’, but all the action takes place in the boring little village where Kirby lives. She’s the daughter of a famous actor but they are estranged and due to the fact that she wrote an article about him that put him in a bad light, she lost her job as a journalist in London. Now she’s spending her time with three flatmates. They are all nearing their thirties but two of them have a clear view of what they want ‘when they grow up’. All four behave like they are still in their teens: they watch Netflix and drink too much.
Thirty years ago a man killed five teenagers in the village, during the yearly ‘fayre’. Now, a young girl turns up at the flat where the four live, and she tells them she’s an amateur sleuth with a huge following who insists that the killer is alive. Which is very unlikely because his body was found a few days later after that horrible event.
So, what does the girl, Esme, want and why? Kirby, stuck in her silly job as ‘reporter’ for the local newspaper that is printed just once a week, gets involved with her and then we’re off!
A lot of the story is being told in messages in the group chat. Needless to say that these messages also read like the group are teenagers and not ten years older. There is a lot of talking, a lot of running around going nowhere and of course the police is totally useless, especially when Esme disappears.
Did I enjoy this title? Well, in a way. Kirby is the most fleshed out character and sometimes I could relate to her. Sometimes I also wanted to shout at her because she is so busy running around and not thinking first. There are some surprises in the story and not all is like it seems; in the last few chapters the pace picks up and suddenly we meet the real killer.
It’s becoming a little boring reading about people who cannot seem to live their lives ‘in real life’. Maybe I’m getting old 😉- but as some people in this story discover that there is more in life than just followers and likes I finished with giving it three stars.

firstly, I’d like to say thank you to netgalley and the publisher for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

this book had me laughing out loud! I loved the comedic aspect and I found the main character to be very witty. I think because of this it made it even more fun to read.

on the other side, this was also incredibly suspenseful and twisty and at times had me on the edge of my seat. the various mysteries and twists throughout definitely had me hooked and also shocked as the plot developed.

I ended up reading this all in one day! it was super fast-paced and easy to get through and I really did just have such a fun time with it. I can imagine this book would be great if you were in a reading slump…and also at any time you want a good comedic thriller.
I’d highly recommend!

Wordy, very very wordy - didn't have it be as long as it was.
SO MUCH DIALOGUE
Great story just felt like the ending was over a couple of chapters (too quick). so it took ages to get there and then it was over.

i dont know how books are doing it these days. there is this new and brilliant ( new to me anyway) set of authors somehow making thriller brilliantly funny. or have us rooting for murderers ( not really but you know what i mean if youve read other books like this one in the genre and fallen in love with them). this book does it again. has us giggling or grinning at the little quirks of humor in it.
the writing style of fun of that hint of humor that has you swept along with it. dont get me wrong as the book continues so does the intensity. and i was doing this thing where i was getting more and more tempted to "accidently" flip to further in the book so i could see what happens! i needed to know now. and that for me shows how much i adored this book.
the title had me wanting to read this book so much. and im so glad i got the chance to.
the book follow Claire. shes on a group chat a previous friend introduced her to. trouble is one day this friend turns up on the chat again. bigger trouble being this girl died a year ago. right? what we follow is a dual timeline which is a tick for me as its one of my all time favorite styles. and it flits from back then to now.
i dont want to give too much of a summary because i think the reveals are all the better when you dont have a clue they are coming and even down to the snippets of writing style i want readers to get to experience themselves first.
i loved the way we felt totally imbedded in the story and the character and this is a major applause to the author.
i didnt see the end coming and this for me is an even bigger win.

A flat share in Crowehurst, the tenants have a group chat, one evening Esme arrives and announces she is their new flatmate, Kirby adds her to the group chat.
Esme introduces Kirby to the ShowMe app, drops hints about why she is here investigating Peter Doyle the Crowe Killer even though he’s been dead for 30 Years, and then she disappears.
The story alternates between then and now, a year later, held together by the Group Chat and Kirby’s use of the ShowMe app to try and work out what happened.
An engaging story with a few unexpected twists along the way.
Thanks to Net galley and the publishers for the arc.

Everyone in the Group Chat Dies is so much fun to read. Based on the title, I wasn't expecting it to be funny, but the humorous writing style kept me engaged. The story mainly follows Kirby, who lives in a small town and is not happy with her life. One day, she and her flatmates receive a group chat message from Esme. The only problem is, Esme is dead. The story is told in a dual timeline, and it’s quite fast paced. The mystery keeps the reader hooked, and the plot twists are really good as well. Overall, I enjoyed it a lot. If you're in the mood for a humorous thriller, I definitely recommend picking up this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

The title of this book made me want to read it and I'm sure glad I did.
The book mainly follows Claire(Kirby) as she is dragged bag to the small town she was living a year ago. The book the splits between the happenings of 12 months ago and at present day.
The writing style was chatty and I loved how Claire spoke almost directly to the reader at times. What started out as quite an amusing book turned more tense as the story progressed. At times is had me flipping the pages so fast.
I loved the addition of the group text messages and I would definitely recommend this one, the pacing made me fly through it and I found the characters and the friendship group really fun.

A dual timeline story based around Kirby, a struggling journalist, and her flatmates, who are all pretty much losers!

When Esme arrives, having sublet a room, and then promptly disappears, Kirby becomes obsessed with finding her, believing solving the mystery could hold the key to reigniting her career. Esme is confirmed dead, but a year later, she sends a message to the flatmates' group chat.

Told in the timeline of when Esme first disappeared and the present day, when she messages the group chat, this is an intriguing story, a bit slow in parts, but with some good twists and I think this would really appeal to a YA audience.

3 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, L. M. Chilton and Head of Zeus for an ARC in return for an honest review.

A year ago, Kirby was a junior reporter in Surrey – until Esme died. Now she’s working in Magaluf and she’s just received a WhatsApp – from Esme! Which is impossible because she saw Esme dead, there was an inquest and a funeral. The message is on a Groupchat, set up for a group of twenty something flatmates, which included Kirby (real name Clare), Max (moved out but still on the list), Dave, Dylan, Seema and Esme (new occupant of Max’s room). The first message said, “miss me?” , the next said, “Max Robertson has left the group” Curious, Kirby googles Max and discovers he has just died, having fallen in front of a tube train. She immediately leaves her job as a Holiday Rep, and heads back to Crowhurst, where the Gazette, her former employer, was situated; where their flat was situated; where Esme had died; where every year they held a bizarre Fayre featuring a man dressed as a murderous crow; where a spree killer had murdered five teenagers in 1996 before jumping to his death. The relevance of these last two items is that Esme had been a True Crimes blogger, who didn’t believe that the murderous crow/spree killer was really dead. Was she right? Is this why she died? Are the others at risk?
The story is told in the first person by Kirby. The language and style sound appropriate, although I’m not at all of the right demographic, so don’t actually know! It is told in two timelines, last year and this year, and the reader is never confused about where and when they are. The plot is not particularly novel, but it rolls along quite smartly. Kirby is a bit erratic (she self identifies as a “Hot Mess”) but entertaining; other characters are more stereotypical. The solution is not hard to spot, but the ending is possibly a surprise. I give it a 3.5 which rounds up to 4, a shade generous, but fair.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

I have to admit I wasn't a big fan of this authors previous book Don't Swipe Right, but this sounded like it could be a fun read so I wanted to give it a chance and I went in with an open mind.
And I'm so happy to say that I really enjoyed this one!
Straight away, this book grabbed me and I was thoroughly invested in the story from start to finish.
I loved the characters, the friendship they had together and the banter, which at times had me laughing out loud.
I really enjoyed the mystery in the book which I found interesting and it held my attention throughout.
I liked the writing style and I absolutely flew through this book as it was such an easy read.
I found the whole thing to be so entertaining and funny.
I highly recommend you check this book out and I will definitely be reading from this author again!

I enjoyed this book and story took some unexpected and shocking turns. The twists were good too and I like the back and forth in time POV. However, my main issue was with the immaturity of the group. They were supposed to be in their thirties and acted more like teenagers. However, I looked past this and read it for what it was - a thoroughly entertaining read that was also quite funny.

3.0

12 months ago, Kirby Cornell lost her job and moved to the small town of Crowhurst to live with a bunch of messy housemates. She spent her days navigating her boring, dead-end job and avoiding her sleazy landlord. This all changed when super-sleuth Esme moved in temporarily with them to investigate an infamous series of murders which occurred in the town 30 years ago. Esme uses her social media platform to get to the truth about whether the killer died as was believed at the time. She believes he's still out there.

Fast forward a year and Esme is dead. Despite this, she starts messaging everyone via their group chat. As each flatmate leaves the group chat , they die a horrible death. Kirby is left to find out who is behind the killing before she becomes the next victim.

A fun contemporary murder mystery with it's modern take on amateur sleuthing, with a strong focus on the use of social media. It's a fast-paced, easy read. I enjoyed the twists in the storyline and while I guessed where some of the story was heading, it was still very enjoyable.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

Everyone in the Group Chat Dies is a wickedly snarky and sensational thriller that riffs on the true crime industry and classic slasher narratives.

I highly enjoyed this darkly comedic murder mystery that moved into slasher-esque territory at times and had a gripping plot. Some of these scenes will make you hide behind a cushion. They are gruesome and yet strangely creative, like some of the best kill scenes in Scream. There is a level of camp ridiculousness to affairs that Chilton plays with so well. I really enjoyed the dark humour that is threaded throughout the narrative. It can add a welcome relief to the tension of these scenes, which is a pretty intense narrative, but sometimes it can also feel like the final twist of a knife.

Chilton plays with your expectations and the standard plot beats of a thriller and a mystery, as we try to work out whodunnit and why. The dual timeline adds to this as you begin to explore what exactly happened previously and why it is rearing its head once more. There is plenty for readers to sink their teeth into. It certainly made me want to read more of Chilton’s work. If the others are as well-constructed as this, I am certainly in for a good read.

Its exploration of the true crime industry was fascinating and layered as well. Esme is obsessed with her image and craving the fame that can come from cracking a cold case. She chooses this particular place to exploit the violence that took place there, disregarding the impact it had on the community and the ongoing ramifications. In contrast, Kirby is hyper-aware of just how much it can wreck your life. Her investigation is more cemented in the community she has tried to flee.

Everyone in the Group Chat Dies is a fast-paced, fantastic thriller that brings in some slasher elements.

This was, for me, a one sitting read. The characters are well written so I could almost imagine the scenes in my mind. The murderer was not even on my radar. It had present and past sections, but, in this book, not enough to annoy me. In fact they were crucial to the telling of the plot. I was rooting for Kirby (and Dylan) to survive and be together. A good book in my opinion