Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight

August pick for Amy McCaw's YA Book Club 2023.

What a fantastic debut into horror. Once the insanity of the plot began and the real fear kicked in, I felt so sick in anticipation and discomfort.

I loved how fast paced this was but without feeling rushed or skimping on the detail at all - it was the perfect balance.

I enjoyed all the horror references and was looking forward for the potential of more Easter eggs for scenario's to come.

The whole plot being set at a horror camp simulation was so cool. It was the perfect backdrop and I loved how rich in its own history and legend it was. It felt so real.

We had a fantastic cast of characters and the pulled the story through with so much personality. I couldn't help but connect to all of the main players in some way.

The plot twist at the end was absolutely amazing! I was so shocked!

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kris386's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.0

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skylarkblue1's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

Content Warnings: Gore, Blood, Death, Loss of a loved one & Friends, Child abandonment and abuse, Gun violence

Oooooh I loved this. I was concerned at first seeing how short it was, but it worked out so damn well!

Charity finally got her dream summer job, being the final girl at a terror-simulation camp. Fake blood, screams and terrifying customers are all part of the job. But on the final day of the season, unexplained things start to happen, could it be getting a bit too real or is the simulated horrors of each night starting to get to her.

I wasn't sure how this would go at first. It did feel a bit slow at first, but once it kicked into all the horror it really didn't stop until the final page! I did quite enjoy reading the BTS of the camp though, especially the fake blood making scene! Reminds me of something that happened recently, in trying to get the world record for the most fake blood on a film set.... the main actor ended up in hospital with red stained eyes from getting fake blood in them lmao.

The characters I did quite enjoy. There's not too much in terms of character arcs in this, which is quite understandable ngl and honestly I didn't mind it. The writing for the plot was more than good enough to cover that.

If anyone's watched the tv show Inside Number 9, you'll love this. It feels like it'd fit absolutely perfectly into an episode of that and if it wasn't ending with the next season I'd petition to have it added as an episode haha! How short it was, how it managed to compress everything down into such little space, and all the constant (but well-made) twists and turns just felt really good.

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nerdysread's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Damn. Less than 300 pages and I went through a whole range of emotions. Shocked, surprised, amused, sad, scared, tensed… I really didn’t expected that and the ending???? Wow. Loved this book
Just wished they used the word lesbian a the beginning

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lilacs_book_bower's review against another edition

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mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I loved YA horror as a teen, and I have been searching for that high ever since. I think aging and becoming a more analytical reader has made it more difficult (damn you, English degree!). Because this book wasn't it, sadly. I had high hopes for this one, and I enjoyed it while I was reading. I read it in almost one sitting, and it has some tense and atmospheric moments. The two last plot points/twists at the very end surprised me, and seemed fitting, so I appreciated that. I am always in favor of more books featuring BIPOC and LGBTQ characters, especially teens, and I welcome discussions of the issues that they face (not all books need to be about trauma though; let's read about joy, I say in a review for a horror book.) However, as soon as the book was over, all I could think about were issues. The characterization is non-existent, even for our heroine. The events are ridiculous, and people make stupid choices, even for a horror book. Why is this happening now, when it could have happened years ago? Or even earlier this summer? It's suddenly supernatural, in a way that is both ridiculous and incredulous. The villains are super predictable. The book should have been longer, which would have allowed more time for character and plot development.

I know they have just murdered your friends, but a middle-aged man in an owl costume isn't exactly terrifying. And anyone who believes Kyle is an idiot. The sheriff came, saw a girl with her belly sliced open, and just decided to dismiss what was going on? Ok, sure, Kyle. And people have been dying at the camp for years, including six teens in one summer, and you have never even told there was a camp there in the first place. You don't think someone might have mentioned that?

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