I had to quickly check the genre before I wrote the review and after I read the book, I saw it was YA and it made a lot more sense.

In the theory, this book should’ve been right up my alley BUT it just felt kind of silly? Not in a way that it’s a bit more lowkey for the YA audience but silly in a way that it almost didn’t make sense.

It was pretty obvious who the killer would be, the person who is put on a pedestal? I did like how it was almost a parody like scary movie, making fun of scary movie tropes.

I didn’t care for the ghost aspect of it all and there were a lot of plot holes.

3 ⭐

ARC Review

For fans of Holly Jackson you will enjoy this book!

A really easy and fun read for the lovers of thrillers and slasher movies. Even though it was pretty obvious who the killer would be the twists and turns of the story kept me interested and the pace of the book was good.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this ebook.

How to Survive a Horror Movie by Scarlett Dunmore
4.0⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 0.1/5
Cursing: none
Format/Source: ebook ARC from NetGalley and Union Square and Co.
Genres/Tropes: comedic horror, gothic, serial killer, ghosts
Settings: Harrogate
Audience: YA
Characters: Charley, Olive, Rochelle, Saoirse, Gabrielle, Ms. Blyth, Annabelle, Meghan, Hannah, Sarah, Sadie
👍 short-med chapters, references to real horror movies, gothic setting, humor, no cursing
👎 too many puns (intended and unintended)

Description:
Horror movie enthusiast Charley is determined to keep a low profile when she's enrolled to a girls' boarding school on a remote island. That is, until someone starts killing off her senior class! From elaborate scare tactics to severed heads in fridges, Charley has found herself at the centre of a teen horror movie. And that's not the only alarming thing that's happening - she's now seeing the ghosts of her former classmates!? Haunted by her peers, and with everyone beginning to suspect her, Charley decides to do something about it. She and her only friend Olive are going to solve the murders and find out who's killing off the class before graduation. Charley just needs those pesky ghosts to shut up and give her a hand...

My Opinion:
Scarlett pens a humorous horror in the perfect gothic setting! The island was the ideal setting for a gothic horror story. The short-med chapters made for an easy/quick read. I adored the references to real-life horror movies. The humor interspersed throughout the novel was quite entertaining. The book gave Scream vibes with the humor and rules of horror movies...and Scream is my favorite scary movie! I appreciated that there is no cursing to pollute the storyline. I did find there to be way too many puns in the book. I was entertained by this novel and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys humorous horror stories.
#bookstagram #arcreader #booklovers #horrorbooks #humorouhorror #booktok #scarlettdunmore #ghosts
***I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Charley Ryan, looking for a fresh start, is attending boarding school on a remote island in the UK. When bodies of her classmates start turning up, she puts her love of horror movies to use and decides to track down the killer.

While it did have its entertaining moments, this definitely read as a younger YA novel. It reminded me very much of R.L. Stine’s Fear Street books. It came across more of a paranormal murder mystery than a horror, but it did have a few creepy moments. I really appreciated all the classic horror references, and the chapter titles made me think of Randy from scream and “the rules”.

This is a perfect book for those who enjoy light horror with a little bit of comedy who aren’t too worried about plot holes. Overall, a quick, easy, fast paced, read.

Thank you NetGalley and Union Square & Co.

DNF at 17%. So disappointing for something that is right up my alley on paper… Writing was juvenile (even by YA standards), didn’t care for the main character at all, and the story wasn’t interesting enough to trudge on.

As a slasher lover myself I had high hopes for this books which I admit is my fault. The premise was promising but it just failed to deliver. The characters felt flat and underdeveloped and the main girl made some stupid decision along the way which were just out of character for a horror movie enthusiast who's so keen on the survival rules for horror settings.

I liked the boarding school setting and the little horror movie survival rules as chapter titles. The dinamic our main character had with the ghosts of killer's previous victims was nice and at times funny, but could've benefited from more page time. The horror references were a nice touch in the beginning but started to get old real fast as they were too on the nose for me. I should've counted how many times Stephen King (full name) was mention through the book as if he's the only horror genre writer the author knows.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

As a fan of scream, my daughter and I both read this and instantly she couldn’t stop- the dark comedy with basic tropes of the genre!

Glad we got to experience this

A good addition to the teen mystery/horror genre, my teen readers will speed through this novel. It pretty purposely contains a bunch of useful tropes; a remote location, cut off from the world, a scrappy protagonist with a past, and a supportive best friend. The unhelpful ghosts add a new twist and even some humor. It would be difficult to avoid overusing horror movie twists, when this is the premise of the novel, but this was a fun read.

📚 It’s all fun and games until the slasher tropes stop being theoretical.

✶ PRE-READING ✶
I live for metafictional horror - the kind where the characters know the rules, but the rules still win. Throw in a ghost or three, a remote boarding school, and a best friend who probably deserves her own spin-off, and I’m hooked. I'm expecting laughs, screams, and at least one “OH MY GOD THEY DIDN’T” moment. Possibly all at once.

✶ POST-READING ✶
As I thought... This is a love letter to horror fans that never forgets to be its own story. Charley is delightfully sarcastic, stubborn, and so much smarter than the people accusing her of murder. Her knowledge of horror tropes becomes both shield and weapon - though she learns very quickly that real life (and death) doesn’t follow a clean script. The atmosphere is pitch-perfect: creepy, fog-drenched, and with just enough ghostly sass to keep things entertaining.

It surprised me by... …pulling off some truly gasp-worthy twists. I thought I saw the big twist coming. I did not. The tone shifts from tongue-in-cheek to gut-punch without losing momentum, and the climax is bloody brilliant (pun absolutely intended). Also: Charley is an icon and I would die for her. Possibly literally, in this setting.

✦ RECOMMENDATIONS ✦
📚 Books:
Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare (for the carnage + snark)

Wilder Girls by Rory Power (for the island and creeping horror)

Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson (for ghost girls and girl power)

🎥 TV & Movies:
Scream (meta, slasher perfection)

The Faculty (you know it’s the vibes)

Dead End: Paranormal Park (trust me, if Olive and Charley were animated...)


✦ MUSIC PAIRING ✦
Because sometimes, the heart of a story plays out like a song.

🎵 Featured Song: “bury a friend” – Billie Eilish
Creepy, glitchy, slightly sadistic - exactly the vibe of being haunted and hunted at the same time.

🎶 Vibe Album: Preacher’s Daughter – Ethel Cain
This album is a journey through gothic Americana, queer longing, and inevitable doom - just right for a book where ghosts and trauma hang around in plaid skirts.

🎧 Artist Recommendation: Chløë Black - moody, cinematic, and full of knife-edge femininity.

✧ VIBE CHECK ✧
🎨 Colour Palette: crimson, corpse blue, sickly yellow

🎬 Soundtrack: Scream x Jennifer’s Body x Yellowjackets

🍂 Season: Autumn, mid-October, heavy fog

🕯️ Mood: Campy terror with a side of teenage dread
👻 Scent: Library dust, cold stone, and the faint metallic tang of a nosebleed
★ TAROT CARD PULLED ★
The Moon – Santa Muerte Tarot
This version of The Moon shows a woman gazing into a pond, her reflection a skeleton. Truths are obscured, reality is shifting, and not everything you see can be trusted. That’s the beating (and bleeding) heart of How to Survive a Horror Movie: a descent into illusion where survival depends not on brute strength, but on trusting your own instincts - even when the world insists you’re the villain.

A decent but slightly forgettable take on the meta slasher subgenre. I didn’t find the protagonist as clever or interesting as she was trying to be portrayed as. Most of the time, I was just annoyed with her. The chapter titles were a lot of fun, but the rest of the movie references seemed to only exist for the sake of reminding the reader that the MC likes them. Her knowledge and awareness of these tropes seemed to come and go as the plot necessitated. Also, I was required to stretch my imagination a little too much when it came to things like a boarding school not investigating the deaths of four students. Really? The only reason it’s 3 stars instead of 2 is because I am a sucker for a slasher. More to come on TikTok.

I do love a slasher book and this one was excellent, i was sucked in and could barely put it down. I did guess a few things but didn't see the twist at the end coming. I enjoyed the whole thing and think this was great!

Thank you to Net Galley and Union Square and Co for the arc read for my honest review.
5/5 stars/First Pov

Charley is the new student at a boarding school that's located on a remote island. Charley and her new roommate, Olive loves spending their saturday nights inside watching horror movies. When her sixth year classmates start ending up dead, she realizes there is a killer on the loose. Will Charley be able to catch the killer or will the secrets of her past life lead to her downfall?

Great pacing, I never wanted to put the book down. If you love horror 2000's movie references, ghosts, and a good final girl moment. Check this book out. It's was the perfect way for me to kick off my summerween this year.

Wow this is my new favourite ya thriller/ horror. The twist was just chef,s kiss ! I loved it had LGBTQIA + themes . I forgot the side main characters name but she had Claire from Derry girls vibes but boy mad . I loved the mc she was so chaotic but I adored her . The elles started off horrible but then became sort of iconic . It was giving main girls Regina George vibes.

I’d definitely get a physical copy someday . I myself love horror movies and horror books.

Well written story. Definitely did not see the final plot twist coming up. I only just hope that someone doesn’t write something like that on my mirror today cause I just finished reading this book on a Saturday 😭

I really enjoyed this book for what it was. I am an avid fan of horror movies and this was right up my alley with all of the references of horror classics such as Scream, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street etc...

The writing style was a bit different for me initially bit I grew to enjoy how the chapters were broken down by rules albeit a bit. I did find the story although thrilling to be quite far fetched and the ending and killer I had guessed a bit over halfway through. I did enjoy the Scream like twist despite seeing them coming. .

The story kept me engrossed throughout and the author did a great job of keeping you on the edge of your seat. There was a bit of a lull at times and a few small grammatical issues but all in all a great read for fans of horror movies or mystery thriller stories.

I know this book has already been published, but I got access to it and couldn’t pass up reading and reviewing! This book is a wonderful example of the horror genre with a YA twist. I typically opt out of reading YA novels because of whiny characters that fail to make any sort of character development throughout the book. This is not the case in How to Survive a Horror Movie. Charley has dark past, but she puts that aside to help solve a string of murders and avenge her fellow students’ deaths. I also enjoyed the many plot twists that kept the story’s pace moving and my interest held. A great book!

As a huge fan of horror movies this was 1000000% up my alley! This was SO much fun but intense and suspenseful!
I loved all the horror movie references and how each chapter began with the title of a new rule! Can’t believe this is the debut novel of this author but I truly can’t wait to see what will come next!
Definitely check this book out and never ever forget the rules!!

This was such a fun read! The horror movie references made it nostalgic. The main character and her bestie (and the several extra supporting characters) were fun to follow as they attempted to figure out who was murdering their classmates. There were a couple surprising twists that caught me off guard. The book held my interest all the way through.

I did enjoy this book. It was an easy read and held my attention. It follows an all girl school and murders that take place, one after another. The main character, Charley, is a horror movie buff and, coincidentally, is the one who keeps finding the bodies. She uses her horror movie knowledge to try to figure out who the killer is.

The book was decent but felt like it had all been done before. Regardless, I would recommend it to someone who likes the genre.

Thank you for the opportunity.

How to Survive a Horror Movies follows Charley Ryan, a new student at a girls’ boarding school on a remote island who loves horror movies. When her classmates start dying, Charley is convinced there’s a killer in their midst while the teachers label the deaths as accidents or suicide. With the help of her friend, Olive, Charley sets out to find the killer as she starts to see the ghosts of the girls who died.

This was a quick, fun murder mystery soaked in horror movie references. The references were a really fun touch and made the book really feel like a love letter to slashers. The plot picks up quite quickly and while there were some slower moments, the pacing was good. The mystery element was handled well and while I guessed the killer, I still enjoyed the twist and I think others will as well.

Charley is a good Final Girl and was very knowledgeable and resourceful. Her and Olive were very entertaining as they tried to solve the mystery. The ghosts were amusing and had good characterization. I also really appreciated the queer rep!

Overall, this is fun slasher full of horror movie references and will definitely appeal to lovers of this genre.

Thank you to Netgalley and Union Square & Co for the arc!