Initially I quite enjoyed this one as a horror movie buff myself. It's always enjoyable g9 see movies and things referenced that you get the inside joke. While it was described as tongue in cheek and did that okay, it did get tiring after a while. It's not a new plot new girl at an isolated boarding school with a mysterious and shady past, one friend in her roomie, target of the mean girls, starts finding dead bodies. All look like potential accidents but have elements of things found in horror movies and only the main character and her bestie can see that these are murders and not accidents. It has some unique supernatural elements, queer elements and to be fair I didn't guess who the killer was or the reasons behind it. It ticks all my boxes for things I enjoy in a novel but something was just missing.

A love letter to the horror genre.
Plot: A girl named Charley attends a posh boarding school on a eerie remote island. One day Charley and her roommate, Olive, go for a walk and find a dead body. It is not long before they find two more. Unfortunately for Charley, she starts seeing the ghosts of her dead fellow schoolmates. However, fortunately Charley and Olive dedicate nearly all of their spare time to the horror genre, be it binge reading Stephen King or having a Slasher Saturday movie marathon. With these skills the two girls attempt to find the killer.
Characters:
I love the queer blindness of the character of Charley. She is a lesbian and fancies a girl but that is not the big thing in her life. She has actual secrets. Dunmore works tirelessly in this book giving breadcrumbs for the reader to Charley's past.

Antagonist:
Despite my love for Charley, it is the characterisation of the killer which is brilliant. Every snippet of the killer given by the ghosts' last moments to the events of the plot wind everything so there are no real threads left. But plot twists there are many. I did manage to guess the killer, partially, but didn't link the motive at all. With each piece of foreshadowing and self-reffering to the killer that Dunmore used I could tell that Dunmore much have put an extreme amount of time and plotting into this YA horror masterpiece. However, if you love horror in general this is brilliant- yet it also was giving strong Agatha Christie vibes. So if you loved "And then there were none" by Christie, you will demolish this book in one sitting.
The end:
Scarlett Dunmore is cruel. Purely because I will have wait for a second novel. I am of that generation that almost wants an immediate sequel. However, the anticipation I feel will add to the possibilities my mind will create about the true ending of the story line. As an avid horror film buff I knew the rules of a horror story, much like Charley, and so I knew to suspect the ending would usually only be the midway point. I was right. I knew the house was going to be quiet and then the truth would leave you gasping. But this truth left me with a gasp, an "I told you so" in my inner monologue and a shout as we have to wait for the second book to find out- was it the killer back or something worse?

I received a complimentary copy of this book from #netgalley , thank you. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a fun YA horror set in a girls boarding school on an isolated island. I've given it 3 stars because it took me a while to get into it and I can't put my finger on why but I just never fully felt invested in the story. There were a lot of things I liked, the ghosts, the humour, the horror movie references, but I felt like it was a bit too long and drawn out and found some of the characters to be annoying. It also felt very surface level and I don't think that's because it was YA because I've read some amazing YA books.

Even though there was backstory for the characters, I still don't think they felt fully formed and it was all a bit cliche. Having said that, I really enjoyed the ending and was surprised to see there'll be a second book (and even more surprised that I want to read it!).

If you liked this you have to read The Last Girl by Goldy Moldavsky!

I am incredibly grateful to both NetGalley and Little Tiger Group for the opportunity to read and review How to Survive a Horror Movie. Being selected to explore this captivating story before its official release has been such a treat, and I can’t wait to share my thoughts on it with all of you. A huge thank you to the teams at NetGalley and Little Tiger Group for their generosity and for making this advanced reading experience possible.

Horror film enthusiast Charley is determined to keep a low profile when she's enrolled to a boarding school on a remote island. That is, until someone starts killing off her whole senior class. Charley has found herself at the centre of a teen horror movie. Oh, and she's 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. Charley and her best friend Olive are going to solve this mystery.

Oh my goodness! It has been quite a while since a story has been able to shock me with the twists and turns throughout. The more I read the more predictable stories can get but not this one! Scarlett Dunmore kept me guessing.

This book on paper is exactly my sort of thing. YA novel that featured a mystery around a crime and pop culture references, it's like it was written just for me.

I love the references to Scream and Heathers in this book. It honestly gave me life.

One thing I noticed was that the story was almost made out to be an American story but I could just tell how incredibly British it was and that made me giggle. The way certain words were used was a dead giveaway but I was left guessing at the beginning.

I can honestly say that I enjoyed this book so much. The pace was good, the writing was good and the plot was amazing. I wish I could read it again for this first time.

I am so looking forward to seeing what else Scarlett Dunmore writes.

*3.5

As an avid horror movie fan this was a blast, I liked seeing all the horror movie tropes, but with enough twists and turns to keep me on the edge of my seat.

I am gonna be honest, I don’t think this book needs a sequel, so the ending took me a bit by surprise.

A grisly, sharp valentine to all things slasher, How to Survive a Horror Movie was the ultimate treat for horror enthusiasts, shocking and bloody and utterly eccentric. I'm excited that this is the opening book in a series, especially after the cliffhanger at the end and I'll definitely be picking up book 2 when it's released!

Fan of horror slasher movies? Need a popcorn horror/Thriller ? You need to read this book! Full of slasher tropes and fun genre elements! This book was a fun fast read that just is unputdownable!

I don't really get what this book was trying to go for. I liked the concept of students at an all girls boarding school located on an isolated island being murdered, with one girl being able to see the ghosts of her murdered schoolmates, but I feel like there was so many other unnecessary elements that dragged this book down - one being the force-feeding of the main characters horror fixation.

Purporsfully playing into horror movie tropes in a way that basically breaks the 4th wall is something I was really excited to see in books this year, but it's something I'm finding is very hard to pull of successfully and something this book didn't accomplish, partly because it didn't make sense why the character would be doing that. Taking survival advice from horror media? Yeah I can get behind that. Deciding what and when the killers endgame is purely based off the typical horror movie structure? No, that makes no sense within this context - just because the main character is following movie survival logic, doesn't mean the killer is following movie killer logic.

While I really liked the constant stream of killings, it was disappointing how low stakes this felt. Like the lack of reaction from anyone except the main character was confusing, jarring and took so much realism away from the story.

The main thing I'm taking away from this book is a sense of frustration for what this book could have been.

What is more perfect to read before halloween than a 2000s classic slasher set in an all girls boarding school on a deserted island.. well deserted apart from the all boys school that is 😉

Dark academic meets Scream meets Bly Manor

This book has everything you would possible expect from a slasher ya book. Gruesome death, meta discussion of horror genre. It was fast paced, action packed, funny, witty (a bit cringey) and filled with horror movie and book references. The supernatural element was just the sprinkle on a masked killer cake

Questions is how do we feel about sequels?

Thank you to Netgalley and Little Tiger Group for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

#Netgalley

How To Survive A Horror Movie is a brand new YA novel described as the perfect choice for fans of Scream, Fear Street, and The Midnight Club. I can’t resist a creepy tale at this time ot year, so was eager to read this, especially given the setting.

Charley has just enrolled in a private girls boarding school on a remote island off the coast of Ireland. She’s hoping for a fresh start after a bad break up with her ex girlfriend and a murky past that’s alluded to throughout the book.
Luckily she becomes the best of friends with her roommate Olive; they both share a love of horror movies and have regular cosy nights watching slashers while a storm rages outside.
All is well then until bodies of fellow students start showing up, but it’s always Charley and Olive that seem to find them.
Charley becomes convinced there’s a serial killer on the island but no one will believe her. Can she convince everyone before she’s the next victim?!

This is a fun, very self-aware read, much in the style of Randy from Scream’s “rules for surviving a horror movie”. There is also a supernatural element which may not be for everyone, but added to the not-quite-reality vibes for me.
The setting is also great; a properly gothic old school building with the cliffs surrounding it a constant threat, and only the rough sea as an escape. Love.

On the slightly negative side, there’s a good bit of repetition. Charley reports that her thighs are on fire about 5 different times when she’s forced to run to escape someone. This is the difference sometimes with YA writing. It probably won’t be an issue for a younger audience reading this, but it did grate on my nerves after a while.
I also predicted the ending but I am a horror movie nerd, so that’s probably not too surprising 😅

A fun read for #SpookySeason, that will be a big hit with a YA audience.

With many thanks to @netgalley and @littletigerbooks for my early copy. #HowToSurviveAHorrorMovie is available to buy now. All opinions are my own, as always.

A twisty, horror film references filled & sometimes comedic ya novel. Great to read on the run up to Halloween. Liked the character of Charley and dark and creepy vibes of Dunmore!

A fun horror YA book (with a smattering of comedy) set on an isolated island with two boarding schools. The perfect scene for a slasher scenario as soon as the weather gets a bit rough.
OK, so some clichés here but it was an enjoyable popcorn read. I loved the references to the do’s and don’ts of horror movies (think Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer). This author went one step further and added ghosts into the mix and it worked.
The book was fast paced and could easily be read in one sitting. There is a mixture of characters - some quite annoying but it is teenage girls and the author does bring some depth to Charley’s character as she slowly introduces a bit of her back story. However, there is a sequel and I can’t wait to read it.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book.

Fans of horror movies will love this book! It had so many references and little jokes. I enjoyed it a lot, though I’m not really that familiar with many of the references, being a complete wuss when it comes to scary movies. It was still fun to see them break down the tropes and use them for survival tips.

I did find it a little predictable. I think it was meant to be as it was using so many horror movie tropes, but I was bored for a bit in the middle feeling like I knew what was going to happen. The ending surprised me a lot though, so it was just the middle I was not so keen on.

I loved the ghosts that accompanied Charley throughout half of the book. It was a nice way to increase the horror value while also giving vital information to Charley. I also found them really comedic in parts. It was probably my favourite part of the book.

A good book for the horror fan in your life.

Really enjoyed this.

Horror movie references, teenagers and a secluded location meant a perfect recipe for a slasher YA.

I really enjoyed the pacing and the story and the tension and scares were just enough.

I loved this YA horror novel

It had great characters that i loved

I absolutely loved all the horror movie references and would so be friends with the characters

Will be reading more from this author

Charley has moved to a boarding school on a remote island to escape the life she has at home. Olive is her roommate and best friend they are both bond over their love of horror movies. Charley finds herself in what could be her own personal horror movie when her year group starts getting murdered but what's worse for Charley is she can see the dead class mates in all the gory forms of how they died. Can Charley and Olive figure out who the killer is and who will be the next victim.

This book was so much fun I loved it. I was hooked from the very beginning to the end and I couldn't put it down. This was a fast paced YA thriller / mystery story with a lot of humour thrown in along with some gory scenes and descriptions. There are a lot of references to horror movies which I loved and made this book such a fun read. The twist was so unexpected 😱 To also find out there will be a sequel I CAN'T WAIT !! Would definitely recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley, Little Tiger Group and Scarlett Dunmore for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance copy. I really loved the book and its characters. I can see that the author spent a long time on worldbuilding and forming 3 dimensional characters. This was already on my wish-list for the year, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy. I loved the read and can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next!

A scary YA novel set in a boarding school, very trendy topic and I can see lots of young people enjoying this. Lots of references to horror films, and a bit of a "Ghosts" (the TV show) plot. I liked the atmosphere of the island, and the characters were well described. Lots of twists and turns, and I hope there's a sequel!!

Took me a while to get into this one and honestly I considered DNFing regularly as there was too many pop culture references. At one point the entire opening scene for The Lost Boys was written down and honestly of you have to count on other works to make your own is it worth it??

However I am so glad I pushed though as its a total love story to the teen slasher movie genre where you know what's coming and the characters are all over done and cheesy. But it's done so well.
The ending actually had me shook..

Such a fun book. A really gripping mystery with an ending I did not see coming at all and I loved all the horror movie references.