Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this advanced reader's copy and the opportunity to read this early. Review has been posted on Waterstones and Amazon.

I usually adore a YA thriller especially books that are set within the british wilderness. However this book just wasnt quite it for me.
Some parts felt a little rushed, particularly towards the end.
However the overall premise was excellent.

My students can’t get enough of books like these and any time I can discover a new read in the YA category, I am itching you to read it.

This book started off quite strong and gripped me, but it couldn’t hold my attention and lost momentum as it went further in.

Having said that, my students would still enjoy it and I would purchase it.

The whole genre of YA thrillers and horror is one that I know that I have never really widely explored. I’ve read and loved most of the popular titles but never really gone further. I’m not sure why because I do devour adult thrillers and I really love a gripping mystery. So I am actively trying to delve into some YA thrillers because I’m sure there are some real hidden gems there. That was one of my main reasons for picking up this intriguing looking book.

Keely isn’t at her new school to make friends. She just wants to get away from the tragedy in her past and keep a low profile. But to get into college, she needs to embark on a camping expedition in rural Wales with five smart kids and two teachers. But when the bodies start piling up, it becomes apparent that something is watching them and it seems to be interested in Keely in particular.

One of my favourite aspects of the book was James-Mackey’s ability to paint a picture of the setting. I could see the camp and its surroundings so clearly in my mind and was able to walk around it with the characters. This meant that when the violence started and we had no idea who was behind it, I was scared along with them and I was constantly anticipating the culprit to jump out at me. Naturally then, I started looking for clues everywhere which is my favourite part of a thriller reading experience.

The ghost stories give it a real cosy yet unsettling vibe and I actually think this would be a good autumnal read. I really enjoyed the storytelling sessions and I would have loved to have heard more from Jack who seemed to know so much local history.

Some chapters see Keely looking back at the most important friendship in her past. At first, it’s a classic case of ‘girl’s best friend gets a boyfriend and abandons the friendship’ but we learn that it’s actually much darker than that. Sadly, Amy’s story rang really true. It’s actually a coincidence that while I was reading this book, I’ve also got into Freida McFadden. Although her books are adult thrillers, she writes about the trauma that women suffer at the hands of men they love and of course, that’s also the case here. It’s heartbreaking but so miserably relatable for so many women.

There are some classic horror elements in the book such as the ghost stories, the slasher style deaths and this constant eerie, mysterious presence. There are also creepy dolls. I think it would have been more powerful to know their significance to Keely before we see them in the woods. It would have been a big clue as to who was behind it all but it would have made for a great realisation moment. As it was, I didn’t really put it all together until after the reveal, so that was perhaps a missed opportunity.

You Wouldn’t Catch Me Dead is an engaging thriller with a vivid, ominous setting. I don’t know if I really connected properly with any of the characters in a truly deep way. I didn’t really like Keely but I did enjoy her companions, so perhaps I would have preferred it if they had been the narrators. I was quite disappointed with the ending too but that might have been because I was hoping for the book to be something that it wasn’t. I would still recommend it to YA thriller readers this spooky season though!

I really enjoyed this book! I sat and started but ultimately couldn’t put it down! Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this book.

Thank you Tess James-Mackey, Netgalley and Hachette Children's Group | Hodder Children's Books for the eArc of You Wouldn't Catch Me Dead.

A set of teen's set off into a wildness of the Black Mountains, Wales on a camping trip. The Main character Keeley, isn't looking forward to it at all. She's recently relocated to Shropshire from Kent after a tragedy to her best friend Aimee. Resigning herself that she will be stuck with these other teens and badly equipped for the trip. They stop and trudge up a mountain before setting up camp. A fatal accident and from then on in, Keeley and the other teens are set on a wild mystery of a whodunit!

I really enjoyed this YA book and does highlight the difficulties many face in the light of traumatic experiences, intense emotions and locking people out in fear of loss. Keeley I found relatable. Having lost my Mum at a similar age, I can relate to how she felt throughout this book, the pain of feeling lost, the guilt and never wanting to feel pain like that again. The storyline also tackles abuse and isolation that can happen within young relationships, especially Aimee and Reece's and how other's deal with this. Keeley's story is told as flashbacks as she is trying to get to grips to whether they are being stalked, hunted or haunted!

The other Teens, Barry, a model student, Hannah, Chloe ,the popular girls. Roshni and Jack a bit of a conspiracy theorist, I also found very relatable. You can meet these kind of people in every day lives. I loved that Barry managed to break down Keeley's walls.

The finale and the plot line I found really good, however, I did find the ending. a little rushed. Overall, a really good balance between character and plot driven. 3.75 stars arouded to 4

I wanted to enjoy this more than I did.

It started off quite strong. I was immediately pulled in to Keely's story, intrigued by her backstory and the mystery unfolding around her.
However, once the mystery was revealed, it lost all momentum. The characters of Reece and Ms Procter felt one-dimensional and unrealistic. The ending itself also felt a bit too easily wrapped up.

It was a good concept but the execution could have been better for me.

This was an enjoyable mystery about a girl going on a school camping trip. She's obviously had some sort of trauma and moved to try to get on with her life, but before long it's coming back to haunt her. The reader finds out about what happened to her as the story progresses and is told in flashback form. It's worked in pretty well as things start to go from bad to worse as the trip progresses.
It would be fun to see as a movie as it had a beautifully visual setting in rural Wales, but the story itself was kind of predictable. It was a quick fast paced and enjoyable book that was read in an afternoon.

I started this book, really enjoying it. However I am about 70% through and finding it very drawn out now and am struggling to finish the book. I will read it to the end, but wanted to give a review so far as it may take a while to complete it.

Another gripping and fast-paced read I was hooked from start to finish highly recommend this one I just could not put this one down. I can’t wait to see what else she brings out five stars from me.

An intriguing and gripping story, I loved the characters and can't wait to read more by this author.

3/5 stars

Something about surviving a murderous school trip bonded people for life.

Well this was a nice read! Didn’t know what to expect but I quite liked the pace and atmosphere of You Wouldn’t Catch Me Dead. I had my issue with the characters, especially our MC, Keely, but this was a quick, easy and spooky read.

Tess James-Mackey's first book was a tense game of wits played in a confined space - an abandoned prison with only certain areas open. This new novel is a tense game of wits played in an extremely open space; a national park in Wales, with hills, slopes and a very abandoned church.

Our main character has a secret hidden past, and as she and her new classmates begin their climb, she worries that it's coming back to haunt her. Reluctantly making friends with her team, she determines to keep them safe. This book brings up some important topics that teens should be aware of, keeping them in a fun story that will keep readers engaged and desperate to know what's coming next.

BE AWARE there is violence, some of the bodies are treated very violently and it's described quite clearly.

This is a tense, interesting read and anyone who's into thrillers should give it a go.

This book did not disappoint! I read half of this book at bedtime and finished it the next day, I couldn't wait to get back to it.
I was intrigued by this book because it sounded intriguing and I'm still scarred from my own high school camping trip. I will also never camp again!
Well, I loved this book. Our protagonist, Keely, was prickly and did not want to make friends. Although her reasons became clear and while I can't say I liked her, I was rooting for her to find peace. The over achieving fellow students felt so real, and I liked how they welcomed Keely into the group. Nothing brings a group together quite like being in mortal danger!
I enjoyed how I was kept guessing whether there was something paranormal going on or if our villain was a real person. I loved how creepy this story was, the ghostly monks! It gave me After The Hole (by Guy Burt) vibes, so creepy that it will stick with me for a long time.
I kept wondering, what happened to Amy? I liked having this revelation delayed. Because my mind went into overdrive.

I adored Tess James-Mackey's debut, set in a former-prison-half- turned-play-area, so much that I immediately ordered a copy for myself and one for my fiancé's mum (who also thought it was brilliant!) For this reason, I was desperate to read You Wouldn't Catch Me Dead as soon as I heard about it.

Once again showing how Mackey has a gift for choosing the creepiest locations and scenarios for her stories, this novel takes place in the Welsh countryside on a school camping trip, which goes wrong almost immediately. The five students who attended are left to their own devices, trying to survive, find help and co-exist all whilst battling the elements, the unnerving locals and trying to escape the feeling that they're being watched.

Keely, our protagonist, is excellent with her inner dialogue and commentary about her peers. She's flawed in the way that you just want to give her a hug and tell her that it's okay to let people in sometimes, whilst simultaneously seeming just so human! The secrets of her past - which are every bit as mysterious as they sound - are also hinted at fabulously and revealed bit by heartbreaking bit.

If you're looking for a fast-paced atmospheric YA thriller, and you've already devoured Someone is Watching You, definitely pick up this book and give it a go. It's enjoyable and entertaining, all whilst feeling horribly plausible!

A group of teenagers go on a school camping trip to a remote mountain in wales..

I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this & could have quite easily binged this in a night! This was very fast paced YA and with short chapters you just wanted to keep reading to find out what happened. It had me hooked from the very beginning!

Keely & Barry’s friendship from start to finish was really lovely to see bloom especially with how Keely was in the beginning! I loved that there was flashbacks as it broke up the mysterious story a little bit but still kept it interesting.

A solid 4.25 ⭐️ as it was truly great fun to read!

Thank you NetGalley & Hachette children’s group for the ARC, I can’t wait to read more from Tess!

Keely and her family have moved across the country and she's changed schools to escape from her past. It'll be fine now, she just needs to get through it and there's no point making friends. Her grades aren't good though, so to gain extra credit she signs up for the camping -yuk- weekend in Wales. She's not been to any of the preparation meetings but it probably doesn't matter, they probably didn't cover what's she's about to experience anyway....

I'm not saying any more. It's fantastic, I couldn't put it down and I had a tantrum when my kindle ran out of battery half way through a chapter. 5 stars.

Also shared to Goodreads but unable to link account.

After a tragic event in Keelys past, she resolves not to make any friends at her new school, but to help her get into college, she is roped into a Wilderness camping trip

When tragedy also strikes there, the group are left to fend for themselves. Are the strange goings on part of a local haunting, or teenage pranks gone wrong...

Can Keely and the rest of the group, make it though the trip. And can Keely keep her distance from them when we all know there is safety in number

Great wee story, kept the pages turning and I read through it over a day in a couple of sittings

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette/Hodder for the review copy this book... out on 18th Jan so you can pick this up now!

Tess always has a way of pulling me into her books and this was no exception. the setting, the plot line, the characters, it all had me hooked!!

Rain, fog, horror stories and dead bodies. While that's enough to put people off camping it did not dampen my enthusiasm for this great book.

There's not much that can be said about the characters or the story without giving much away, but both are well written. The location may even have you temped to head off on a camping trip, if you have friends like Keely. And they are very well written people, there's no back ground fillers here.

As for the story it's well written and well executed. The pieces slot into place so well, but not obviously that you'll get it in the opening chapters.

Those opening chapters had me worried in wouldn't like the book, but before they reached double figures I was hooked. The chapters lead into the next, so be prepared to binge this nightmare inducing adventure.

And then an epilogue, thank you! I do like knowing how our adventurers get on after it's all over. This epilogue may require tissues.

Grab this book for a single sitting read. Start early in the morning and finish before dark then keep the lights on.