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.

Oh this was such a fun ya horror novel!

I would highly recommend this, the characters were great the plot was great and the pacing was excellent. I couldn’t put it down

This book is perfect for Halloween times, this does not mean it wouldn’t be good read any other time of the year. I love the pacing and the overall story telling. Such a fun read.

A murder mystery horror YA is the perfect book to read at night curdled up in bed. This book did not disappoint

*"How to Survive a Horror Movie" by Scarlett Dunmore is a clever and entertaining guide that blends humor with a love for the horror genre. Dunmore playfully deconstructs classic horror tropes, offering both a satirical survival manual and a fun homage to the genre’s most iconic moments. The book is packed with witty advice, from avoiding haunted houses to outsmarting monsters, making it a laugh-out-loud read for horror fans. With its sharp observations and affectionate nods to horror classics, *How to Survive a Horror Movie* is a must-read for anyone who loves a good scare and a good laugh.*

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review!
At first, I wasn't sure about this. Mainly because a baby blue dahlia is mentioned and as someone obsessed with dahlias I know they don't exist. (I know. This shouldn't be a big deal and has nothing to do with the actual book, but it really got to me. Plus, the tenses got muddled up at one point, but maybe that was just because it was an arc and not a final copy.)
Despite that, I really liked this book. Once the victims started turning into ghosts, I couldn't put the book down, and every time Meghan popped up, I ended up laughing out loud. It was comedic, slightly gory, tense, shocking, and a little predicable in that way the best slasher movies are.
If you're a bigger lover of the horror genre, then i highly recommend it. It really did feel like a horror movie, and I really enjoyed the chapter headers (rules), and the little nods to the classics. All in all, I can't wait for the next one! Highly recommend!

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.