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4.5
The Blonde Dies First
By Joelle WellingtonPublisher Description
A group of friends fight to choose their own fates in this trope-savvy, self-referential young adult thriller from the acclaimed author of Their Vicious Games , about a demonic force that acts according to horror movie rules in the spirit of the Scream movies.
Devon is always being left behind by her genius twin sister, Drew. At this point, it’s a fact of life. But Devon has one last plan before Drew leaves for college a whole year early—The Best Summer Ever. After committing to the bit a little too much, the twins and their chaotic circle of friends learn why you don’t ever mess with a Ouija board if you want to actually survive the Best Summer Ever, and soon find themselves being hunted down by…a demon?
But while there’s no mistaking the creeping, venomous figure is not from around here, their method doesn’t feel very demonic at all. In fact, it’s downright human—going after them in typical slasher movie kill order. And that means Devon, the blonde, is up first and her decade-long crush, Yaya, is the Final Girl who must kill or be killed to end the cycle.
Devon has never liked playing by anyone else’s rules though, not even a demon’s, and the longer this goes on, the more she feels Drew and Yaya slipping away from her even as she tries to help them all survive. Can they use their horror movie knowledge to flip the script and become the hunters instead of the hunted? Or will their best summer ever be their last?
Devon is always being left behind by her genius twin sister, Drew. At this point, it’s a fact of life. But Devon has one last plan before Drew leaves for college a whole year early—The Best Summer Ever. After committing to the bit a little too much, the twins and their chaotic circle of friends learn why you don’t ever mess with a Ouija board if you want to actually survive the Best Summer Ever, and soon find themselves being hunted down by…a demon?
But while there’s no mistaking the creeping, venomous figure is not from around here, their method doesn’t feel very demonic at all. In fact, it’s downright human—going after them in typical slasher movie kill order. And that means Devon, the blonde, is up first and her decade-long crush, Yaya, is the Final Girl who must kill or be killed to end the cycle.
Devon has never liked playing by anyone else’s rules though, not even a demon’s, and the longer this goes on, the more she feels Drew and Yaya slipping away from her even as she tries to help them all survive. Can they use their horror movie knowledge to flip the script and become the hunters instead of the hunted? Or will their best summer ever be their last?
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4.5
Bea🍉
Created about 1 month agoShare
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“Ugh this was so good!! Such a cool way to take a trope that’s almost been beaten to death and then turn it into something new and interesting. And I just love Devon and Yaya as a couple 😩”
Likable charactersDescriptive writingAddictiveFast-pacedRealistic settingComing of ageMisogynyViolence
Loren
Created about 2 months agoShare
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Diverse charactersLikable charactersBeautifully writtenAddictiveSuspensefulDark setting
Dayr3adz
Created 3 months agoShare
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“AHHHHHHHH!!!! This book was SO good! And that’s a true compliment coming from me because I normally do not like YA or thriller/ mystery books. But when I tell you this book had me skipping outings just to get back to the characters I cannot make this up. Joelle wrote not only a fantasy story but she also created these five characters who are so loyal and unwavering in their loyalty to each other that you can’t help but root for them.
If you are like me in that books play out like movies in your head definitely pick this up ASAP. The descriptive writing style of Ms. Wellington painted such a vivid picture in my head of every interaction throughout this book that I couldn’t help being sucked into this universe Joelle has created for her readers.
If you take nothing else from this review please note that this book was so good I went and bought Joelle’s Their Vicious Games before even finishing The Blonde Dies First because I enjoyed her writing style so much. I found myself refreshing my kindle, hoping for something (anything) more but all in all this book was a fantastic read with a super satisfying ending that will have you enraptured until the very last word.”
Characters change and growDiverse charactersBeautifully writtenEasy to readFast-pacedTwistyImmersive settingComing of age
Jourdan Moriah 📚📺
Created 3 months agoShare
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“Joelle Wellington is officially an auto-buy author for me! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
This book felt like my cousins, childhood friends, and I were dropped into a Stephen King novel. The Blonde Dies First is a teen horror adventure where a group of childhood friends faces a summer of supernatural chaos. Devon wants to make it the "best summer ever" as her twin sister Drew graduates early, marking their last true summer together. The crew is diverse—Black, white, Latino, and queer.
Things get eerie when they use a Ouija board at a party, unleashing a demon that shifts their focus to survival. The story is a love letter to classic horror, reminiscent of Scream with its trope-heavy, meta-approach. Some "twists" are intentionally predictable, but there are still plenty of surprises making it a fun read.
I loved the group dynamics, reminiscent of my summers with my cousins in Chicago, feeling very authentic. While I preferred the premise of Wellington's Their Vicious Games, I was more invested in the characters here. There's surprising depth to the main cast that really pulled me in. This is a quick, fun read, and I can't wait to see more from Joelle Wellington.”
Diverse charactersLikable charactersMulti-layered charactersDescriptive writingComing of age
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