I really wanted to like this book. The premise sounded right up my alley. I went in with high hopes. Unfortunately, this one just didn’t work for me, and I had to put it down. I can't pin point why the book wasnt for me but I will give it another try in the future.

I did not finish this book.

the writing came across as pretty immature, which made it tough to get into from the start. it wasn't until i was about three-quarters of the way through that things actually got suspenseful, but by that point i'd already mentally checked out. i think it would've worked so much better if the author had just gone full horror instead of trying to mix in humor that didn't really land. there was definitely something there. the basic idea was actually pretty cool, but it just didn't build the kind of tension that keeps you turning pages.

everyone in the group chat dies is a thriller novel following our main character kirby as she receives a mysterious text message in the group chat from someone who died a year ago. this book started really slow with an unlikeable fmc but picked up once we started getting flash forwards to new bodies dropping in present day.

i enjoyed the style of writing through text messages but really struggled at the beginning when nothing was really happening with esme's investigation. i think because i didn't believe kirby as a narrator, the gravity of the situation didn't really bother me. 3.75/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

3.75 stars rounded up. I thought the concept of this was intriguing and overall, I did enjoy it. There were a few times where the story got a little over the top but all in all it was a quick paced and easy read. It kept my attention, and I was really interested in the mystery and murders. The ending wasn't my favorite, and I was left a bit unsatisfied, maybe if it had been another chapter or two, I would have liked it more. The thing that annoyed me most is if there is a killer within your group chat, why are you still messaging asking to meet the others and their whereabouts. Why are we not texting each other individually??? I think it got a bit silly at times, but it was funny with some dark humor and poked fun at chronically online culture, specifically the crime side of it.
 
Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What a cool hook of a title for sure - it got me interested. However, the book opens a window into the very shallow mind of the main character, Kirby, and from the start, I couldn't like Kirby enough to care about what happens to her throughout the book. There's a mystery, and it's twisty, yet it's a journey that I didn't enjoy. This book would likely appeal to people who enjoy the tell-all nature of social media - just not my type of mystery novel

Appreciate the opportunity to read this early, however it took me far longer than most books to finish. I usually finish books in 2-5 days, and this one took me 17 days. It was tough to get into, had a lot of unnecessary extra information in the beginning, and too many characters in my opinion. It finally got good at the 60% mark, which took me 15 days to get through. I finished the last 40% in 2 days, but was predictable in the end.

The main character, Kirby, is sick of everything in her life and lies her way into a journalist job in small-town Crowhurst outside of London. She is in a group chat with her 4 flatmates: Dave the Legend, Dylan, Max, and Seema. Suddenly Esme arrives with a key in hand and turns their world upside down by disappearing. As the story unfolds, one by one each flatmate leaves the group chat and inevitably dies. Kirby is trying to figure out what is happening, who is killing them all, and how she can escape this certain outcome. Can she do it all? Will she need help solving these crimes?

There were moments that actually made me laugh out loud, which was awesome. I’m a big fan of dual timelines because I love getting a full picture! The story kept me guessing the whole time; I got some things right, others wrong, which made it even more fun to read. I also loved the dark humor sprinkled throughout the book! It did drag a bit in spots and could’ve been a bit shorter, but overall, I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for this ARC.

The main reason I'm giving this a three star is because of how wordy it is. It's one of those that did not need to be as long as it was to get the story across.

That being said, I enjoyed the overall story. A good murder mystery for a more modern age. Lots of dark comedy in it as well, which I feel we all need from time to time.

This was a quick paced book with dual timelines from present day to one year ago. The story follows Claire (Kirby) and the Deadbeats (her flatmates) when they did the thing they aren’t discussing and current day Claire. The hook comes in quick in chapter one when the Deadbeats WhatsApp thread is resurrected by Esme who asks if they miss her. However, Esme died a year ago.
We follow Claire as she tries to understand who is after her and knows what they did. I love how Claire speaks to the reader directly. I love the town of Crowhurst with their eccentricities and the honesty that comes from a town which is on the verge of shutting down.

🛑❌Now for the twists❌🛑:
I didn’t see Esme being in on it with Dave. How could Dave be hiding her in Peter Doyle’s caravan?
Dylan being the one to push Esme
Trevor trying to keep the town and newspaper alive by being the spree killer and pinning it on Peter Doyle.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing this book.

A small-town murder mystery with a Gen Z twist, this one is told in “then” and “now” chapters that circle Kirby, a disgraced journalist who’s moved home after getting canceled in London. She’s stuck writing puff pieces for the local paper and living with three flatmates who all feel a little stuck in early adulthood. Things pick up when Esme, a true crime influencer, shows up claiming the local legend about a decades-old murder spree isn’t what it seems.

The story is packed with group chats, red herrings, and commentary on social media obsession. There’s a mix of dark humor and real tension that mostly works, though the characters sometimes feel more like caricatures than fully fleshed-out people. Kirby is the exception—she’s messy and impulsive, but her voice keeps you reading.

It drags in places, and the pacing leans more meandering than propulsive. But once Esme disappears, the stakes finally rise, and the last third moves fast. Not perfect, but fun enough if you like your mysteries with a side of satire.

Honestly, I didn't really connect with this book the way that I had hoped I would after reading the description when requesting it. It was fine, and I do think others will enjoy it. It just didn't click with me, which is also fine.

This gave me thriller/horror-comedy vibes like Scary Movie kind of.

L.M. Chilton is right though, everybody is chronically online and addicted to their smartphones and technology in general.

There were times I genuinely did laugh out loud. There are also dual timelines with a past and present and I always do like those kind of stories, especially thrillers and horrors.

I do want to read more by this author before saying it's not for me and give it another go.

If you like any of the tropes I mentioned you will like this book.

Thank you to L.M. Chilton, publishers, and Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

This book was very intriguing and kept me guessing on it my theories were going to be correct or not. I was right on some things and wrong on others which makes the reading experience fun. The book had some nice dark humor which I love. I did think that the book did drag on in certain parts and could've been shortened but overall I enjoyed this book alot.y favorite characters were definitely Kirby and Dylan, never could vibe with Dave.

Claire "Kirby" Cornell is a young journalist with a (kind of) tumultuous past. She moves to a small town to get away from her mistakes, but only ends up making more.

This book is a page-turner, for sure. By the 4th or 5th chapter, I was hooked and ready to keep reading until the big reveal. The author does a great job of leaving all the breadcrumbs and clues for the reader to think they'll have it all figured out- just to throw a wrench in that later with the ending. Overall, it's well written and edited. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy modern, pop culture-filled thrillers. If you like your thrillers to have a little happy ending romance, this isn't that.

What bothers me about the book is that the way Claire is portrayed seems off to me. As a woman close to the age of the main character, I feel that the constant references to how Gen Z is (allegedly) is targeted at an older audience, unless it's part of the satire, and I'm just not understanding. 29 is just not that old to me? Certainly not old enough to be so disconnected from the online Gen Z world as this book implies. The characters lack depth to me. Everything seems just surface level, not much deeper. Furthermore, if you enjoy super modern pop culture references in your fiction you'll have no shortage in this book. Sometimes the word choice was lackluster, but not so much so that it takes you out of the story for very long. The ending happens too quickly, feels rushed, and the resolution is glossed over.

This book definitely highlights the reality of today's world where everyone is so wrapped up in their phones. There is some good humor in here and the second half of the book was far better than the first but the pacing was off throughout the book. If the author did a few minor tweaks it'd be great.

Thank you Gallery Books and NetGalley for this arc. I really liked the concept of this book. I think the author did a great job creating a well thought out plot with excellent characters.

Kirby is working a dead end job when she gets a text from her former flatmate group chat saying “everyone in this group chat will die.” Except Esme, who sent the chat, died a year before. Duh-duh-duh. It’s very I Know What You Did Last Summer - the group all went in different directions after Esme died but now someone is picking them off one at a time. Kirby goes back to Crowhurst, the podunk town where everything happened a year before to try to get to the bottom of things. A year before, Kirby was a journalist and Esme was researching an infamous murder that happened in Crowhurst in the 1990s. It’s told from Kirby’s pov in two times - the present and one year ago. It was a cozy British murder mystery and a fast read, but the format was a little too “I know what you did last summer” and I didn’t find the flatmates very believable as friends. I’d give it 3.25 ⭐️

The ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. It comes out Dec 8, 2025.

I so enjoyed this book. Everyone is online or on their phones so I got it. I liked how the book was written and it was witty and fun in a dark way. Kirby needs a break but when her dead ex-roommate sends a text group text things go from there.... This was a suspenseful book with some twists about friendship, being online, murder, and so much more. I think this author writes such fun books!

I loved the then and now chapter set up. And the concept of being chronically online. Very quirky and fun with a great plot!

For most of the first half of this book, I could not get invested in the main character(s). The main cast are all approaching 30 but rely on their phones and televisions for social interactions as if they don't have any brains in their head or hope in their heart. The second half is remarkably better as the mystery grows more complex and does not even really pertain to the members of the group chat. The use of past and present as two points in time isn't the most effective storytelling measure in my view. The best and worst parts of this novel revolve around the cast of various characters. I'm honestly not sure how I feel about the story overall.

Another fun read from the author of Don't Swipe Right. Kirby Cornell fled to the small village of Crowhurst after things blew up for her in London. She shares a flat with three others, who are basically just biding their time with no real ambitions. Things start to pick up when Esme arrives--she's subletting one of the rooms in the flat while she investigates Crowhurst's greatest claim to fame--a mass killing that happened 30 years ago. When Esme disappears under mysterious circumstances, Kirby feels compelled to investigate. We know things don't end well--one year later, Kirby has left the village for a dead-end job at a Spanish resort. But she's forced to come back after receiving a text from Esme. The strange thing is, Esme is dead . . . .

I thought the author did a great job of balancing past and present and doling out just enough clues to pique the reader's interest. Although I didn't love the characters, I was definitely interested to learn what happened to them. There was lots of action, and several surprises along the way.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.