Member Reviews

Pure pulp, and I loved it!
If you know horror, you know the rules. For Charity, her role as the final girl in a simulation based on a well-known slasher movie has clearly defined elements. Playing her part well keeps the money rolling in, and prevents her having to spend time at home. It helps that she keeps finding ways to refine her craft to give the guests the terrifying thrill they seek.
Unfortunately, this season things don’t go quite to plan.
Charity is struggling to keep the act going as three of the staff have left without warning. There’s threats from a woman who lives in the woods and the local sheriff is unconcerned by their reports. It’s down to Charity and her friends to try to survive the night when they realise they really are playing the game.
From start to finish this was pacy, full of knowing nods to the genre and included a lot of gore. The whole story behind it was even more creepy, and I found myself surprisingly fond of Charity’s final opportunity to resolve matters.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this before publication.

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I've read of all Kalynn Bayron's previous book. They've all been super enjoyable to me, fast and easy to read. and this book is the same. This obviously has a horror twist compared to her other books, but by no means less enjoyable. I will continue to read anything Kalynn writes as I'm sure to have a great time!

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I got this ARC from NetGalley but all thoughts are my own.

I'm a huge fan of slasher horror films and I'm also a huge fan of Kalynn Bayron so I've been so excited for You're Not Supposed To Die Tonight as soon as I found out about it's existence.

Charity is the final girl. Well, she's been hired to play the final girl at the full contact horror simulation at Camp Mirror Lake based on the slasher movie filmed there. As the season approaches it's end, it seems like most of the staff are just up and leaving. It also seems like the remaining staff aren't the only ones at Camp Mirror Lake. Being the final girl, Charity knows all the rules of horror and she's determined to survive the night.

This was a great read. It really had the essence of those camp (hehe) 80s slasher horror movies. I loved all the little nods to different slasher series. It was a pretty short read but I was so attached to the characters so quickly. They were really well rounded, fully developed characters and they did not deserve to end up at Camp Mirror Lake.

Because it was short and fast paced, the tension was high and pretty constant throughout the book. I find often with horror stories sometimes they falter at the end because it can be hard to resolve that tension satisfactorily. That was not an issue here. The twists and turns kept coming right up until the end, which was the perfect horror movie ending if you ask me.

However as always, the characters always do something stupid that has you questioning whether they've ever watched a horror film. Given that they boast about how they all know the rules of horror that was kind of frustrating. But it wouldn't be a slasher without it.

I really hope there is a ridiculous slasher sequel for this book in the future.

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You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight was a very quick read for me. When the main action of the story kicked off, I reached a point where I decided I couldn't stop and I just had to get to the end. My heart was racing for at least half of this creepy, atmospheric book!

It is a fast paced, action-packed, eerie YA horror with some really witty characters. The author said they they were inspired by slasher flicks and I think that's the perfect comparison for this book. It took a few thrilling turns that I was not expecting which kept the tension and anticipation high throughout. There were some aspects that I wished were a little more fleshed out, but it fits the cheesy teen horror film vibes that I think it was going for. I just can't say I recommend reading this late at night in the dark if you're as easily creeped out as I am!

Recommended for fans of YA thrillers, and particularly classic slasher films.

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This is a YA nod to 80s slashers and the horror novels I (80s babies) grew up on as preteens/teens. It has a diverse cast, and diverse dialog. Very fast paced and slightly predictable (but very seasoned horror readers find it hard for much to truly surprise). However, it wasn’t a problem. I still had a ton of fun breezing through this one. It is great for a short, fun read when you’re in a slump. My only gripe (with any horror let’s be honest) are the glaringly obvious “don’t do that!!” Or “investigate that!!” But without those type of scenarios, the story would end too soon. You have to have some “mistakes” by characters in a slasher. This one is just a fun time really, I’d recommend for a light read as an adult, and a potentially new read for a younger audience. Thank you net galley & Bloomsbury for the opportunity to read and review this story.

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Bayron is one of my all time favourite authors and once again she has not disappointed me!! This entire novel was a wild ride but so much fun. Bezi and Charity were so CUTE and I honestly was not expecting that twist!!!

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A breezy, wise-cracking teen horror about a group of scare actors who get more that they bargained for at their horror attraction. Ideal for fans of 'light' slasher fiction. With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.

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You're Not Supposed To Die Tonight is a horror novel about teenagers working at an immersive horror summer camp experience who suddenly get more scares than they bargained for. Charity is playing the final girl at Camp Mirror Lake, filming location of a famous slasher film and now a full contact horror experience during the summer. As the season draws to a close, other employees start disappearing and Charity thinks she's seeing figures around camp, but surely it's just the spooky atmosphere, or so she thinks until it turns out Camp Mirror Lake has more of a history than she realised, and it's up to her, her girlfriend Bezi, and anyone else left to try and stay alive.

Though this was badged as young adult horror, it's definitely a crossover book, as despite having a teenage protagonist it doesn't really feel like young adult fiction, more just like general horror. The plot starts off seeming like it is going a standard slasher route, but it actually goes off in a different direction partway through, whilst still playing around with having characters who are meant to understand horror tropes because they reenact them all the time. The narrative is pretty fun and, most notably for me, I did find the early parts of the book quite scary, with a real sense of them being out in the woods alone with something unknown going on.

It's a pretty fast-paced book and is fairly short too, meaning that it is mostly tension and doesn't get boring. There's some elements that could've had more explanation, but it comes together pretty well, and the ending is fitting, making it a good horror read especially for fans of slashers that don't do a straight slasher or fiction that plays with the summer camp goes bad vibe.

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Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight' by Kalynn Bayron

Kalynn Bayron's latest novel is a horror set on a campsite and basically follows every camp horror but it's different? Perfection. Bayron knows how to write likeable characters and it shows. Overall just a fun read and kept me hooked throughout.

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You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight follows the story of a bunch of teens who work at a campsite that houses a Horror Movie Simulation attraction.

Love the concept but I felt like it could have been more immersive when “the game” was playing out as it felt quite rushed and after the halfway point the book suddenly turns in a different direction.

Personally I wasn’t a fan of the new direction/ending as I thought the book was aiming to be a Slasher and once it did a certain reveal it made me lose interest.

Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me an arc.

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Oh my god this had me on the edge of my seat the entire book, i loved every second. I adore scary movies and love reading books where the feeling of watching a scary movie captured and this book was exactly that. The twists and turns had me shook. This was amazing. I loved every second, if you like horror/slasher movies you will LOVE this!!!!!!!!!!!

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This book, quite honestly, scared the crap out of me.

This is one of those books that make me question myself. Why do I do this? Why do I pick up books that I know are going to scare me? Why do I torture myself like this? I don't enjoy it. I can't move from my bedroom at nighttime, I feel like I'm gonna see somebody stare at me through the kitchen window. What. Is. Wrong. With. Me?

I don't know - but I do know that this book is good. Good at scaring the heck out of paranoid/easily frightened/wimps like me. I know what you must be thinking - "well, that doesn't sound hard" no, it's not, but this book did have me avoiding the Owl/Birds of Prey section when I visited the zoo last week, so. This is a book that lingers. And, I just know, if I ever see an owl at night I might simply faint on the spot.

This book was so eerie and atmospheric. I felt like I was transported right in to the woods, it's like I could feel the moisture of the air on my skin (sweating from my distress) and hear noises from the woods (my heart pounding). My hand was clenching my phone, I'm surprised it didn't bend. As I was reading, I felt and saw everything so vividly - amazing writing.

I liked the characters, and felt sad - and sorry - for them when they inevitably got slaughtered. I kept hoping that they wouldn't die, and felt crushed when they did. Although we didn't get to know the characters for long (I wish we did get to see them a bit more) their absence was striking. It was the loss of not being able to get to know a character, all the stories untold.

I liked our protagonist, Charity, and her determination. I was rooting for her all throughout, and genuinely felt nervous for her.

The ending . . . wow. I have to say, I did see some of it coming, especially with one of the reveals, but not all. It largely had me like "wtf". I can't say if I was let down or not, I think I was just relieved to have made it all through the book (I was scared but couldn't put it down!!!!). I do feel though that I wish the ending was fleshed out a bit more. While the whole book was incredibly fast paced, it had never really felt rushed in to that point. I did have to re-read parts (torture myself x2) to process the ending because it just happened all so quickly.

As for the final bit of the ending . . . WHAT?! I NEED TO KNOW. DOES THIS BOOK HAVE SUPERNATURAL/PARANORMAL/MAGICAL ELEMENTS? YOU CAN NOT DO THAT TO ME. YOU CAN NOT HURT MY FEELINGS LIKE THAT, AND THEN END IT SOMEWHAT HOPEFUL BUT MYSTERIOUS. AHHH! THE TORTURE! EXTREME TORTURE!

Sorry...I'm good now. Just had to get that off of my chest.

All in all, I did really enjoy (that's one word to describe my experience) this book. I really like Bayron as a writer (loved The Poison Heart duology) and would most certainly read any more horror/thriller books from her if she decides to write any more.


Thank you to Bayron, Netgalley, and Bloomsbury Publishing for contributing to my nightmares by sending me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review

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A really excellent thriller filled with supremely tense moments of horror. Kalynn’s writing is always very strong so you know you’re in good hands. My only comment was I think the book would have been more thrilling if it were just one killer or if the killer had remained a secret longer but otherwise properly scary. It’s rare to read a YA that actually has your heart racing. Thanks for my review copy!

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I have been looking forward to this since seeing it on a Goodreads' 'Most Anticipated Books of the Year' list back in January and it did not disappoint! I don't usually read horror books but there was something about this that was just truly compelling. And the twists! Delicious.

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Since Cinderella Is Dead was published in 2022 Kalynn Bayron has made serious waves in the YA fantasy world, following that smash hit with This Poison Heart and sequel This Wicked Fate. All three books have been wildly popular in my school library and I am delighted to see Kalynn neatly side-step away from fantasy into YA horror! This author always features great diversity and LGBTQ+ characters, which continues in You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight with a Black gay teenage girl being the main character (but this is not a significant part of the story). In the acknowledgements Bayron notes that this novel is a tribute to all her favourite slasher films of the eighties and she has great fun playing around with the Final Girl trope. Younger readers might not pick up on many of the nuances or film references, but it remains a very fun and enjoyable read and even thought it has some f-bombs any young teen will be sucked into a page-turner which really picks up the pace in the second half, with the first setting the scene.

Main character Charity Curtis loves her summer job playing a Final Girl at Camp Mirror Lake, where paying customers have the crap scared out of them in a location made famous by an old horror slasher film, Curse of Camp Mirror Lake. The game is incredibly realistic, full contact, and Charity is very good at it. The first half of the novel sets the scene, Charity’s girlfriend Bezi is another major character and after weird things begin to happen they realise the camp is not what it seems and has a history significantly older than the slasher movie they pay homage to. With real killers on the prowl, Charity’s Final Girl role becomes all to real and she has to fight for survival. Although it lacked scares, there were some cool reveals towards the conclusion and an ending which would be cool in a film. Charity was a great central character and I liked the way the novel did add in some social commentary regarding how the victims were chosen. Like the horror films which inspired it, You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight was not a deep read, but it sure was a fun one. AGE RANGE 13/14+

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OKay, so, frank and honest review...I really enjoyed this...until the last third of the book where it got a bit too fantasy for me. This really shouldn't be a surprise given the author's back catalogue but I was hoping for something more horror/thriller than this quite lived up to. Having said that, I still enjoyed it and will definitely recommend to those who it is more suited to.

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I love the occasional horror stories, so when Bloomsbury granted me this e-arc I was very excited!! - this title releases on June 20!

Charity works at some kind of horror camp all summer, portraying the role of the ‘Final Girl’ - the one who gets to live to the end.

At the end of summer, however, her acting part becomes reality when her friends start turning up dead or hurt. So, will Charity actually be the final girl, or will she not live to tell the tale?

There’s love in this book, humor, and a lot of tension. I found the idea so cleverly done and I so appreciate this book in all fronts! When I tell you I couldn’t put it down, it’s an understatement. (I did put it down sometimes cuz it was scary!)

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Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Charity Curtis has the summer job of her dreams, playing the “final girl” at Camp Mirror Lake. Guests pay to be scared in this full-contact terror game, as Charity and her summer crew recreate scenes from a classic slasher film, Curse of Camp Mirror Lake. The more realistic the fear, the better for business. But the last weekend of the season, Charity's co-workers begin disappearing. And when one ends up dead, Charity's role as the final girl suddenly becomes all too real. If Charity and her girlfriend Bezi hope to survive the night, they'll need figure out what this killer is after. Is there is more to the story of Mirror Lake and its dangerous past than Charity ever suspected?

Charity is good at what she does - scaring people within an inch of their lives in a realistic horror scenario - and is proud of it too. But when things start to go wrong, she cleverly uses her knowledge of horror situations and the best methods of escape to try her hardest to survive. I really liked her character, the sass, the confidence but most importantly, the resilience she displayed when things went to hell. She cared not only about herself but about the others around her. I didn’t ever feel bored reading from her perspective. What a great character!

I’ve read a few other books written by Bayron and really enjoyed them so I knew I just had to read this newest story as well. It did not disappoint! From the very beginning it’s filled with tension, and just like the characters I found myself second guessing if things were really happening or if they were just being a little jumpy - something that can be expected considering what their Summer jobs entail, even if it’s all fake! The flow was fantastic, seamlessly moving from one event to the other, all melding together to create a brilliant plot that had me engaged from the very first page. Normally, horror/thriller books fail to impress me because they don’t create enough of an atmosphere for me but this was not the case for this book. I was enthralled and I have certainly been impressed! The characters were also great and added a lot to the story - a tale like this definitely needs an ensemble! Now, that ending. I was absolutely gobsmacked by what was going on - utterly speechless. That is how you do an ending for sure. Well done Bayron! Big round of applause to you!

Overall, You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight is a fantastic horror that kept me on my toes!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for an advanced copy of this book. Review will be live on my blog on release day.

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I love a slasher movie and this was just like reading a slasher movie. There is a lot of suspense built up and you know something is going to happen but you’re not always sure when. The characters are all well written and you can definitely build feelings for them in a short space of time. It’s a very fast paced book and I didn’t want to put it down. I can see it having high appeal in the YA market.

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You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight is a queer young adult mystery thriller and it is told in first person. The Story follows Charity Curtis as she works as a final girl at Camp Mirror Lake. The guests pay to be scared and it is like a slasher film re enacted. People enjoy being scared and it’s better for Charity and her team to make the horror realistic for more business. However, Charity’s co-workers start to disappear on the last weekend of the season and one even turns up dead. Charity starts to worry and fear crews up on her. Charity and her girlfriend Bezi need to figure out who the killer is and what they are after. There could be more to Mirror Lake than they ever thought. This was a very easy read that I can see many people enjoying. The story moved quick and you are put right into the action. The story was easy to follow which is great because this is targeted towards young adult readers. The characters especially Charity did feel realistic in their actions. Personally this wasn't very scary considering it is horror but I do like reading Final Girl stories and as a mystery it was intriguing. The cover is also gorgeous and I am trying to read more diverse stories with good representation. I liked the queer representation in this with the heroine being gay. My only issue with this is that it is very short so you don't really get to connect with the characters to the point that you care about what happens to them. But then again I am not the target audience for this and I can see young adults being gripped by this. I am going to give this 3.5 stars rounded to a 3 because I can see many people enjoying this but personally I just didn't have much of a connection the story.

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