Enjoyed this one. Horror trope fest with plenty of chuckles and set in a boarding school, a good combination! Charley is great.
Will issue well.

Charley, lover of horror films has found herself in the middle of a teen one. At the all-girls boarding school she goes to on a remote island someone is killing off the senior class. Also she starts seeing the ghosts of the victims who want her to help them. As people start to suspect her Charley decides to solve the mystery of the murders aided by her only friend Olive. Now if only the ghosts were more helpful...

Diving right into the boarding school setting we are gifted with a cheeky 1st person POV. Setting the scene for a horror film as it starts with an oncoming storm. This narrative had me invested from the start, first in the now socially awkward, with bouts of clumsiness protagonist, then into what is going on. I really liked how descriptive and evocative it is. Weird little things start happening early, bringing on the suspense and the intrigue, and I'm here for it. Delicious creepiness ensues when needed.

Since I love movies like Scream this story was tailored for me, preferring a bit of humor poured into my horror. But the murder mystery also works for those who love that kind of thing though with the addition of unruly and hilarious ghosts. The book doesn't have chapters but "Rules" which are continuous (no starting on a new page for the next one) with ironic titles and a clear nod to Scream. It made the experience even more immersive. I enjoyed the long paragraphs. The two-three lines paragraphs trend can be exhausting, stop-starting the story for the reader, becoming irritating.

The musings and reactions of the protagonist are grounded in reality. She suddenly isn't a badass detective, she has growing pains of screaming, wanting to vomit and so forth. Her inner dialogue of what she is going through and what she's been through in the past is insightful.

Beyond entertaining, the execution of the story is clever and works at keeping its promise of originality. There are winks or even full-fledged bows to inviting horror and mystery cliches. A few things niggled at me, that were not explained or not explained adequately, like the severed head (you'll know when you read it) and one certain twist kind of annoyed me. Like all horror films, it is natural to end up wondering about some things.

At about 3/4ths of the book I had an epiphany and I knew who the killer was. They did something uncharacteristic. It's so minor, a sliver. I don't think a lot of people will get it. But then I was wrong. Or was I? Love the endmost twists or should I say twist? And the three final words...

In one word, wow! I was glued to this right from the beginning until right to the very end. It didn`t become boring or too slow at any point. All the characters were interesting and reminded me exactly of the cliches in 80s films , of course , especially horror films. Lots of amazing plot twists that I just didn`t see coming. I thought I`d guessed the killer, then thought I was wrong, then bam? Nope I was right, so so good. The cliff-hanger ending was just perfect as well but I`m not impatient to wait for the next book, will be reading it as soon as it`s released.

As a person who reads largely adult books rather than YA, I found that this was the perfect horror/thriller for me to read. It was perfectly spooky and intriguing with characters you could easily connect to, and I found myself flying through it with ease. The setting and vibes reminded me of My Sister Jodie by Jacqueline Wilson, but brought up to date and featuring more death - MSJ was one of the first books I fell in love with so this meant it was almost nostalgic reading this novel and I think it's a great addition to the dark academia genre. This book is absolutely one I’d recommend, whether you normally read YA or not, it’s a great novel that you won’t be able to look away from and will warm you up perfectly as we enter spooky season.

As a horror fan this book definitely spoke to me and it definitely excited and surprised me as it was both funny and creepy.

I have been in a YA horror/thriller mood recently and this book is really up at the top of its category.

It was a fun and fast-paced story with 'Charley' a really interesting and funny character.

The setting was my absolute favourite - boarding schools are just inherently creepy to me and are thus perfect for this kind of story.

Spooky vibes, great characters and settings = wonderful read. I absolutely recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc.

This was a great thriller book that did what I hoped it would. And would recommend to all. Plot and characters were food

This slice of LGBTQ horror movie fan fare is a bit genius.

Following some serious trouble back home, Charley is sent to an all girls boarding school on a remote island. Her only friend is her roommate Olive – a fellow horror movie buff.

When their sixth year classmates start dying in gruesome ways and their ghosts start following her around, Charley must convince everyone that there is a killer on the loose. The only way to stay alive is to follow the horror movie rules.

The ghosts are a bit gross and annoying and we don’t get a detailed sense of many of the living characters, but the twist is a good one and the horror movie references are great.

Definitely worth a read – especially if you’re a Scream or Fear Street fan.

I’m not a fan of horror films but I found this YA book to be a good read.
Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.

How to Survive a Horror Movie was an excellent debut novel from Scarlett Dunmore. I’m seriously impressed, and impressing me with a YA thriller is no easy feat. There wasn’t anything super special about it but it was a really fun and really quick read. Which are mega positives for me.

I loved that every chapter title was a different tip for surviving a horror film. They were great at foreshadowing what was going to happen in the chapter without giving too much away.

Personally, I don’t think the twist is super guessable, at least not for me. I would never have suspected the killer as it’s really not obvious. I’m trying to not give too much away, which is so hard when reviewing these types of books, but it’s really not someone you would expect and their reasoning is also so out of left wing (is that the right phrase?).

The setting for this book was perfect. Someone going on a killing spree in a boarding school on an isolated island *chef’s kiss*. I love that there really was no way for them to get away and boarding school settings always hit for me. Especially in thrillers and mysteries.

Another area of this book that was perfect was the pacing. You’re constantly moving forward and the building tension really keeps you turning the page. I read the majority of this book in 24 hours, which based on my current reading habits, is very impressive. The narrative felt very fresh and I liked how easy it was to read.

A sequel has already been confirmed and I’m so excited that this will be a series. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Welcome to the YA horror pantheon Charley Sullivan, final girl candidate and slasher / horror movie fiend extraordinaire.

After being offered a 'fresh start', Charley has enrolled at a girls’ boarding school on a remote island and everything is ticking along just fine until someone starts killing off girls in her year group. The school head, determined to avoid headlines and controversy labels them as accidents but Charley knows the rules of horror and knows that there is no way that these are anything but the actions of vicious serial killer. Adding a complication to the situation, she finds herself haunted by the ghosts of her dead classmates and quickly realises that it's up to her, her best (only) friend, Olive, and hopefully the ghosts, to solve the murders, survive the killings and not get kicked out of school.

This was such a fun, fast-paced and humorous YA horror debut from Scarlett Dunmore and thankfully is the opening book in a series.

The book is broken up by Charley's rules to survive a horror movie, rather than traditional chapters and it's absolutely filled to the brim with slasher and horror movie references, and plenty of Stephen King. I think Charley would get on very well with Mindy Meeks-Martin and Kirby Reed (from the Scream franchise), with her encyclopaedic knowledge of horror, especially teen horror and slashers and it's worked into the story effectively to help her work out the solutions to the murders.

I did wonder as I was reading if the target audience would appreciate the references used as at points this does read like a younger YA with the narrative voice, but as an adult reader who grew up with it all I lapped it up!

Considering that it does read as a younger YA there were some surprisingly brutal scenes, but again, as an adult reader I appreciated that it didn't shy away from clearly being a horror though it may be a little much for some younger readers. There are some tongue-in-cheek elements that help give a break from the tension and I appreciated the fast pace and what felt like non stop action which kept the story moving forward.

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!

4.25*

Thank you to Netgalley and Little Tiger Group | Little Tiger for this digital review copy of "How To Survive A Horror Movie" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

This was so much fun!! I honestly read the last 55% of this book in one solid go because it genuinely is such a fast paced easy to get absorbed into story!

Our MC Charly is a big fan of slashers, so not only did we have tons of references to movie and book classics, we also had her pointing out all the tropes and standard slasher scenes as they happened to her. It was such a great way to play on all the traits of this genre while not feeling like it was cliché.

The setting was perfect, the humour was great, and I was actually surprised by some of the twists which doesn't happen often! I love that there seems to be more sapphics in horror books lately, especially ones like this where its just a character trait like any other and not the main focus of the story!!

I also LOVED that the chapters were all titled with rules on how to survive a horror movie, that became relevant to the events of that chapter.

I was surprised to see this will have a sequel, the only problem is waiting until 2025 to get it!! (Unlike Charly and Olive, I love a sequel)

thank you to netgalley for this arc!

this book was really good! i’m a big horror movie fan, so i enjoyed seeing all the references. i also really liked the characters, especially the ghosts.

the mystery itself was well written. i enjoyed trying to guess who it was, and the small hints where well done. i also loved the twist at the end, and i’m really hoping for a sequel!

How to Survive a Horror Movie is a wonderfully meta slasher horror comedy story that will keep you up until the early hours racing through the pages.

I loved all the film references to other horror narratives, particularly often with a knowing wink to the audience. By making Charley a horror head, it allows her to see the rules of the story unfolding in front of her. The issue she has is convincing other people to listen. It sits so well with The Blonde Dies First by Joelle Wellington, Let’s Split Up by Bill Wood and I Was a Teenage Slasher & The Indian Lake trilogy by Stephen Graham Jones – aka some of my favourite YA and adult horror stories of recent memory. That additional layer of unpicking the story as it pans out is just delicious and allows the author to play with these expected tropes, subverting them and delivering them in equal measure. For me, this is just delightful and I will continue to read many more books in this style. With Charley it is also a form of escapism for the secrets she is running from, a twisted sense of moving away from reality for just a little while. It adds another layer to her character and reminds us of the comfort and catharsis we can have from confronting our fears on screen and on the page.

Dunmore delivers this with aplomb. We have some extremely creative scare and kill scenes that combine these expected tropes and plot beats with inventive spins and unexpected surprises. The mystery plot Dunmore has created is exceptional, with brilliant pacing and suspense throughout. I especially enjoyed the inclusion of the Ghosts and everything they added to the story, they were a higlight for me. There is a romantic plot as well, which I enjoyed, particularly for the sapphic representation. However, it was the chills and thrills that definitely kept me hooked. Seeing how everything pieced together was fantastic. Dunmore keeps the classic villain explanation scene and it is delectable. There are just so many great nods to the classic structure of slasher stories and great horror films. No spoilers here but the final sting of the book was just fantastic.

How to Survive a Horror Movie is a thrillingly good time and perfect to pick up as the weather turns colder and the nights grow darker.

Thank you NetGalley, Little Tiger, and Scarlett Dunmore for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Read if you like:
- isolated boarding school setting
- murder mysteries with ghostly helpers
- horror movie/book obsessed FMC
- twisty YA with some good horror imagery
- sapphic romance undertones

I really enjoyed this book! I’ve only just started to pick up YA horror, but so far this is my favourite! While there is not overwhelming descriptions of horror/gore, there is enough to unsettle and spook you. The premise of the book was right up my street, I found the pacing to be good and it definitely kept me guessing! There were parts of this book that had me laughing out loud and the horror movie tie-ins were so nostalgic; this is for sure a summerween / spooky season must read!

I think my only peeve for this one was the overwhelming number of Stephen King name drops - I understand our MC is horror obsessed, but literally this was the only author I saw mentioned when there is just so many others that could’ve been mentioned, just to change it up a bit! I found that after a while it took me out of the immersion and that sucks.

Absolutely will be reading the sequel 👻

This would make a really good YA introduction to horror- I think I was a bit out of the target audience for this one and maybe thats why I didn't really connect too well with the characters but I can absolutely see a younger teen loving this. The descriptions were gross but not too explicit, and it was a nice mix of horror and teen angst.

A good autumnal read for teens!
This is a slasher-type horror novel with pop classic horror references throughout. The writing does read a bit young for YA so I’d recommend for teenagers - this would be a good read for Halloween as an intro to the slasher genre.

OH MY GOD THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD!!!!! The ending?! I literally gasped so loud reading this book.

Okay, a proper review now.

Character wise there were points that I found Lottie to be a little hard to like, she had some moments where I just wanted to smack her upside the head. But aside from that, I thought all the characters were good, especially the ones who had come back as ghosts!

The writing was so good, I loved the chapter headings and the way the story still had a little bit of humour and fun. It was really easy to read, and not in a bad way either.

And atmosphere wise, it was literally set on a creepy island at a boarding school?! How much more atmospheric do you need!

The plot was the real standout for me. The entire story was excellent, the twists and turns and the way the author featured the characters love of horror movies and their survival rules was brilliant.

This genuinely is one of the best books I've read this year!

A young-skewing YA intro to horror tropes and genres, although as an adult reading this I very much enjoyed all the references. The book is fast-paced, fun and quite gruesome in it's body count!

As a YA book this is a good dip into horror genre. I didn't particularly like any of the characters and I defiantly wasn't routing for the main character Charley. I felt the dialogue was quite childish and over explained situations and the constant mention of Stephen King got old. The ghosts were a good twist and I liked the relationships they built over time.

The story does follow the horror movie trope which I understand it set out to do but I expected there to be more of a twist. Without the gore this could have been a Goosebumps book, which isn't a bad thing but I think for a YA it should have been fleshed out and topics could have been delved into like suicide and sexuality rather then them just being there for shock value.

There is going to be a second book which I might pick up just to see if there is any character development.