First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of How to Survive a Horror Movie. Horror and slashers are very popular with my teens right now, so I'm trying to find some new books to fill that need. As someone who was the target audience for the slashers of the late 1990s and early 2000s, I appreciated the rules that accompanied each chapter. I was also surprised by the twists and turns. However, I had trouble connecting with our protagonist. I just never felt fully invested in her, and I can't put my finger on why. Other things that will make some of my readers stop include the setting (some of my readers balk at reading anything set outside the US) and the length (there is a lot of crossover between my reluctant readers and my horror readers).

Do I think some of my students will enjoy this? Yes, but an equal number will walk away from it.

Do I think it'll be a must-purchase for my library? Out of a crowded horror landscape, I'm not sure How to Survive a Horror Movie will float to the top for the audience I serve. It's definitely on my list of possibilities, but with shrinking budgets, I might refer my interested students to the public library for this one.

3 stars

Rating Scale:

1: I disliked this book with every fiber of my being.
2: I didn't like it, but I didn't hate it. It was fine.
3: I liked this, but I probably won't remember it in the future.
4: I liked this a lot, and I will remember it enough to recommend it moving forward.
5: I loved this book so much!

This was a very cute book, think if randy from scream was in middle school! The reason it’s so low for me is because I didn’t realize it was sooo YA. The book is definitely better suited for 13-15 year olds . It leans very heavily into as many horror movie name drops as it can fit .

The story itself was fun, I enjoyed the twists and the ghosts , I just don’t think I was the target audience !

As a horror fan, this book is... interesting. The main characters are horrid, the setting is not well-constructed, the dialogue is so bad, and I could 100% do without there being a long winded explanation or description every two sentences.

The ghosts were made me dnf this book truly, I could suspend disbelief over three students being killed in a 72 hour period, but ghosts are where I draw the line, especially such poorly thought out ones as these.

I just this book is for me. Not my style of novel that I usually consume. I had hoped this would remind me of "The Mary Shelley Club" By Goldy Moldavsky but unfortunately was not the case. But I feel like if you enjoy isolated settings and a more Scream-esque vibe to your horror YA books then this is for you.

After finally admitting to myself I’m too scared to actually sit and watch horror movies I decided to start giving books a go and this one here has made me realise my LOVE for them
Is highly recommend this for anyone who loves a horror movie and is looking for a quick easy read!!

“how to survive a horror movie” our main character Charley learns to survive a boarding school in a “scream” meets “means girls” universe.

Charley and her best friend Olive are roommates at an all girls boarding school on an isolated island. going to class, doing homework and their favourite part of the week ‘slasher saturday’s’ where our scary movie enthusiasts watch their favourite scary movie to pick their theme of the night.
until one saturday there’s a dead body turned up on the island and Charley and Olive begin their search for the killer, horror movie style. But much to Charley’s surprise this may just make her the schools prime suspect. Oh and she’s being followed by ghosts - totally your casual school girl!

i thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was fast paced and kept you hooked, the plot twists were semi predictable but it didn’t take away from the story. I honestly really enjoyed the ghosts aspect of the book but would’ve liked maybe a bit more of why they were around, we did get a bit of an explanation about them being there to help but more knowledge or even Charley trying harder to figure out why would’ve been a great plot to the story as well!

I'm not the biggest horror movie fan, but since the scream tv series was one of my favorite and Charley sounds just like Noah Foster, I was really excited to read How to Survive a Horror Movie. I was thoroughly disappointed. This book had everything to be great: highschool, mean girls and mystery. Unfortunately, it was anything but. I didn't enjoy Charley's character and could pretty much guess who the killer was halfway through the story, so I wasn't really surprised by the last few chapters.

3 stars

Charley Ryan and her best friend Olive are students at Harrogate, a boarding school for girls located on a remote island in the UK. They are both horror fanatics, watching their favorite slasher films all the time.

They get a taste of real life horror when girls start ending their lives at the school…or are they being murdered? Why do Charley and Olive find each of the bodies? And why is Charley seeing their ghosts?

So, this one wasn’t too grounded in reality (see, also, the ghost thing,) and forget the quibbling over whether the deaths were from suicide or murder, why isn’t the the school administration a wee bit more upset over the deaths, whatever the reason? This is definitely YA for YA, no adult is going to stand for these sorts of plot problems.

Oh. My. God.
I do not say this lightly, this book feels like it was made for me.

As a huge fan of horror movies and a massive advocate for the teen slasher renaissance, this was right up my street. It channels the nostalgia of cult classics like Scream, with a splash of Mean Girls and Heathers, yet somehow still feels fresh and unpredictable.

This is my first read from Dunmore, and I’m already obsessed. The plot is perfectly paced, with creative kills that are just gruesome enough without crossing into over-the-top territory. It’s clever, sharp, and so much fun.

I will be waiting impatiently for the sequel (because you can’t not do a sequel!). 10/10 I will be recommending this to everyone.

This book was an absolute delight to read! It had everything I look for — engaging writing, memorable characters, and a story that stayed with me long after I turned the last page. The author’s voice is distinct and compelling, making it easy to get lost in the world they created, no matter the genre.

I'm incredibly grateful to the publisher for the early copy. It was such a joy to read this in advance, and I can’t wait for more readers to experience it. Highly recommend!

What a fun surprise this book turned out to be!

I struggle a lot with YA Horror because it’s a genre I greatly want to enjoy, but I rarely find any that is truly enjoyable. Other than books written 30+ years ago, it seems to be a genre that struggles a lot with quality and originality.

Enter this gem of a popcorn horror novel, which is clever, fun, and employs just the right amount of humor and just the right amount of creepiness.

I don’t mind a little gore but generally I prefer horror that is more creepy than grotesque, and this one meets that standard *and* tells a good story to boot.

It’s bloody without being upsetting, and stays away from any torture porn/sexual violence stuff that gives me the ick, especially in a YA novel.

The humor here is terrific and reminded me a little of the always-excellent Goldy Moldavsky. It’s fun without straying into farce, and the plot plays on classic Horror tropes while still finding its own original space to occupy in the genre.

Highly recommend if you don’t mind a little blood and guts but prefer your Horror on the lighter side.

While I really wanted to enjoy this book, I sadly did not. The premise is great: our heroine, Charley Ryan, is a horror movie buff who attends school on a lonely island off the coast of Ireland. Students begin dying mysteriously, and as Charley is haunted by the ghosts of the girls, she is pushed to solve the murders to give herself some peace.

I was ready to enjoy a fun, reference-laden YA murder mystery. And while I was expecting it to be geared for a teen reader, unfortunately, the weak writing weakened the overall narrative to the point that I had to give up on reading because I no longer cared about what was going to happen. I wanted to like Charley, and I really wanted to like the novel as a whole, but I think even as a teenager, I would have been frustrated by the sentence structures.

Great concept hindered by poor writing.

"'How To Survive a Horror Movie' feels like a modern take on the classic horror series, Goosebumps - with a similar blend of spooky thrills and relatable teenage protagonists. Charley's horror expertise and the creative murders make for a fun and terrifying ride. If you're a fan of horror or looking for a fun, quick read, this book is a great choice."

Only changes I would suggest:
I believe this author has major talent, I think her writing skills should be sharpened and she could possibly be a one of the greats, definitely looking forward to more!

How to Survive a Horror Movie* is a fun, clever read that blends humor and horror in all the right ways. I really enjoyed the format — each chapter laid out as a “rule” for surviving a horror movie — it added a playful and meta touch to the story.

While I figured out who the killer was fairly early on, it didn’t take away from the enjoyment. The writing was sharp, the tone light but suspenseful, and the references to horror tropes were spot-on. Overall, a great read for fans of horror with a sense of humor. Definitely entertaining and worth picking up!

"Heads in freezers? Bodies in cupboards? Serial killers in masks?”

"Mean Girls" meets "Scream" in this tropey horror-comedy packed with witty dialogue and classic horror movie references.

Grab your popcorn, a cosy blanket, and get ready for a book that feels just like one of your favourite slasher films. "How to Survive a Horror Movie" by Scarlett Dunmore is a real page-turner. Perfect for reading in one sitting!

Horror movie lover Charley Ryan isn’t expecting much from her new all girls' boarding school... until her classmates start dying in ways that feel straight out of a slasher film. As if that’s not enough, Charley’s also starting to see the ghosts of the girls who’ve been killed. Suddenly, her love of horror feels a little too real.

I've been in a bit of a reading slump lately, and this book was exactly what I needed to snap out of it! It had everything I love in a horror movie: an isolating setting, mean girls, tropey characters, and some brutally fun deaths. I especially enjoyed that each chapter was named after classic horror movie rules like "don't go outside to investigate". A clever touch that added both flair and homage to the genre.

I'd highly recommend this one to all horror movie fans! Especially if you're looking for a quick and fun read.

The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is that I found the plot twist a bit too predictable as I guessed it from the very beginning. Still, it was super entertaining to read, and I'm glad I stumbled across it!

Thank you so much to Union Square & Co. - A subsidiary of Sterling Publishing, as well as Netgalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fast paced, YA thriller/horror with supernatural elements. A perfect blend of comedy and horror, and I really liked how the ghost had their own personalities

Thanks netgalley!

if you like horror/slasher movies, this is definitely for you
from the very first line you get sucked in this horror, amazing work!

3.75/5 rounded up!

This was super fun!

Any book like this reminds of that movie Final Girls (from 2015).

As a movie lover (I went to film school), especially of the spooky, Scream variety, I love books like this.

I really liked how all of the chapter headers/titles were different slasher trope-related pieces of advice that applied to something that happened within that chapter. That was a really nice little touch that I found to be quite humorous.

I mean, what do you expect when you have an all girl's boarding school on a remote island...people are gonna get murdered. I've seen enough movies to know that!

This was such a fun read, I think this would be a perfect spooky summertime read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

How to Survive a Horror Movie is a sharp YA horror debut that blends slasher tropes with emotional depth. Scarlett Dunmore balances gore, suspense, and wit as her protagonist navigates grief—and a very real killer—in a world that feels straight out of a horror flick. Smart, self-aware, and satisfying for fans of Scream and Grady Hendrix.

3/5 ☆: How to Survive a Horror Movie 🍿👻

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. This is a young adult horror that follows Charley, a sixth-year student sent off to a remote all-girls boarding school where students in her year are mysteriously being killed off one by one.

I was really intrigued by the premise — creepy boarding school on an isolated island? That’s an immediate yes from me.

Charley arrives mid-year under a fake identity, running from a messy past. She’s assigned a roommate, Olive, who’s a bit of a loner and just as into horror as she is — they bond over “Slasher Saturdays” and quickly become known as the weird kids. Naturally, they’re the first to stumble upon most of the bodies, which doesn’t help their social standing.

Soon, Charley starts seeing ghosts of the murdered girls — not just as scary visions, but as active characters who want to help stop the killer. I liked that twist; it gave the story a paranormal edge beyond the usual whodunit.

That said, I had some mixed feelings about the characters. Charley and Olive make these constant, snarky comments that felt more cringey than clever, especially considering their classmates are literally being murdered. It made it hard to connect with them — they often felt more self-absorbed than scared.

At first, I found the writing and dialogue a bit immature. The first 5% almost lost me, but I pushed through and it did start to grow on me.

Some plot points felt undercooked. For example, Charley is said to be standing in Gabrielle’s blood — but then there’s apparently no proof Gabrielle is dead? That just didn’t track. Like… wouldn’t that be the proof?

Spoilers below ⬇️ ‼️

Early on, I predicted there’d be two killers — Mr. Gillies and Saoirse. Mr. Gillies was super sketchy, always on edge, and there’s a mention of blood on his shirt? That angle was never fully explored, and I wish it had been.

Toward the end, I started to suspect Olive — her hesitation to return to the mainland and the way she skipped out on the shower scene felt off. So when she was revealed as one of the killers, I was surprised — but not totally shocked. That said, the reveal felt a bit rushed and messy I feel like it would have worked if Saoirse was the only killer.

Her motive was interesting, but her final decision to kill herself didn’t quite land for me. It felt out of nowhere and a bit unnecessary.

One plot twist I did like was the reveal that Olive and Saoirse had been roommates all along, and that Saoirse had skipped a year. That was clever. But I wish it had been explored more, especially why no one else seemed to know like surely people would have known they were previously roommates? Not even the ghosts?

The ending left me a bit confused. Charley survives a brutal stabbing, and somehow everything just resets back to normal? If Olive hated her that much, wouldn’t she have made sure she was dead?

Still, despite the flaws, this was a fast-paced and entertaining read. I’d definitely be curious to see where Charley’s story goes in book two.

Charley Ryan is a transfer student at Harrogate School for Girls and has found it difficult to fit in, but she does have one friend, her roommate Olive. Olive and Charley bonded over their love for horror movies of all kinds, of which Olive has a near encyclopedic knowledge. When students start to turn up dead, new girl Charley's name is immediately gossiped about as a suspect. It's up to Charley to prove that there is a serial killer on the loose (and it's not her) and try to stop them before it's too late.

This book was a solid YA horror tale, but it wasn't super original. The setting was great--an all girls school on an island, accessible only by ferry, but the characters, aside from protagonist Charley, were a little underdeveloped. Three stars for a fun, if familiar, YA horror book.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.