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You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight

A heart-pounding slasher from the author of Cinderella Is Dead

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You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight

By: Kalynn Bayron
Narrated by: Hewot Tedla
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Bloomsbury presents You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron, read by Hewot Tedla.

This heart-pounding slasher by New York Times bestselling author and TikTok sensation Kalynn Bayron is perfect for fans of Tiffany D. Jackson's White Smoke, Friday the 13th, The Haunting of Bly Manor and Get Out.

Charity Curtis has the summer job of her dreams, playing the “final girl” at Camp Mirror Lake. Guests pay to be scared in this full-contact terror game, as Charity and her summer crew recreate scenes from a classic slasher film, Curse of Camp Mirror Lake. The more realistic the fear, the better for business.

But in the last weekend of the season, Charity’s co-workers begin disappearing. And when one ends up dead, Charity’s role as the final girl suddenly becomes all too real. If Charity and her girlfriend Bezi hope to survive the night, they’ll need to figure out what this killer is after. Is there more to the story of Mirror Lake and its dangerous past than Charity ever suspected?©2023 Kalynn Bayron (P)2023 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Action & Adventure Horror LGBTQ+ Literature & Fiction Survival Stories Scary Survival Heartfelt
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Critic reviews

Pulse-pounding horror
Like any good horror movie, this one is full of twists and turns, with one heck of a kicker at the end
In this latest novel, Bayron (My Dear Henry, 2023) integrates the traditional conventions of a slasher novel with the story of a queer, Black girl protagonist who subverts the trope of “Black people dying first.” Bayron's foray into the YA horror space helps continue the effort of decentering whiteness in the genre. The overall campiness of the novel will appeal to fans of ’90s horror films, and make the book as fun as it is terrifying
The book centres Black characters, and its prose sings. This Wicked Fate is a delightful novel about literal Black Girl Magic, found family, and queer love, with adventures and a satisfying twist on Greek mythology
Sharp banter, dynamic characters, and a warm sapphic romance give this even more verve
Mesmerising and beautiful
This duology closer delves deeper into mythology while depicting textured, realistic relationships
A delicious mix of intoxicating fantasy and coming of age, steeped in Greek mythology and peppered with references to the Jordan Peele films Get Out and Us
Kalynn Bayron does more than re-write a fairy-tale ... She breaks it apart and rebuilds it into a wholly original and captivating story where girls finally decide for themselves who lives happily ever after
All stars
Most relevant
The book really capsulated a slasher movie- it has the vibes of scream, of the game The Quarry, with great twists and turns!

A great slasher

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I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS! This book will live rent-free in my head for awhile! I have been wanting to read this for so long, and decided to get the audiobook, the narrator, Hewot Tedla, was spot on and it most definitely had all the slasher summer camp films, and done so well! And even when you read about one twist, that could have gone horribly wrong. It didn't! Everything worked, from the stunning and addictive prologue, to that final chilling, but thrilling final word in the epilogue!

I just devoured it, I was there at the Camp, re-living all 80s slashers, such a great homage, and I hadn't realised I needed such an awesome slasher book until I read this. It was perfect!

I kept seeing Owls mentioned in the other reviews, and I had no idea of the meaning....let me say, now I do!

I loved the idea that you could pay to stay in the cabins and basically be terrorised all night, acting out these films, a survival horror camp (I want to go to one). That's Charity, the Final girl, and she works it so well! Her team, all work so hard to scare the bejesus out of you! Each have their strengths, but when three people up and leave suddenly, it puts more pressure on the season's final night for them and then they have to cancel the final night...well the proverbial s##t hits the fan! It takes time to ramp up the mystery and the horror, but once it's been let out, the action and the running don't stop! I loved learning about the camp, and the people and didn't bother me that most of the action was in the final third. I wanted to care about Charity and friends. Boy were there some brutal incidents.


Oh, I want to scream and talk about this book right from the rooftops! It was just beyond epic. It is so nostalgic, but up to date, so thrilling, chilling, and exciting all at the same time! Seriously read this book if you want something to take you back, back to the summer, back to when Jason climbs out of the water.......

ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT

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SPOILERS.

I was a bit disappointed that this wasn’t your standard ‘slasher at summer camp’ story, because that’s what I wanted. Tbh, I thought the reveal of the Cult Order was laughable. BUT I did audibly gasp at the final chapter, as I really didn’t see that twist coming. As the story went on, I found the narration harder and harder to listen to. She uses the same voice for all of the older characters and I found the voice very irritating.
Overall, I think it was a fine young YA slasher, just not what I was expecting from it.

Not your average slasher

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I liked the ending, the plot twist about the society was not exciting. But the ending was good.

The ending was a bit surprising

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Start slow You really get to know and love the characters individually. The feel of the campsite What is being described to is wow. I was in tears at the end.

Full on Tears

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