Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for this eARC

I really enjoyed this novel, it gave me 90s horrors vibes and I really loved that nostalgic vibe.
The writing in this book was so captivating and pulled me in from the start. I really got swept away with this read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This is a book you'll love if you enjoy classic slasher films! It's a very suspenseful story with a lot of twists, that doesn't hold back on the horror aspect at all. It has a lot of tropes from horror films as a nod to the reader but without coming across as cheesy. I've read a few of this authors books previously and this is by far my favourite, despite not being a massive horror fan!

In her previous work i felt it was too much 'telling rather than showing', i noticed it in this story as well, but too a much lesser extent, I really enjoyed this book, and without any spoilers, that twist ending was excellent.

Terrifically tense, very clever play in the Last Girl genre, with Charity a leading female character that I was rooting for from beginning to end. The depiction of her as a decisive, dedicated leader who is self-sufficient and whip-smart made for a great role model. As it is YA, it could have easily drifted into being condescending but it doesn't - another complete smash by Bayron. The creeping paranoia, mystery around the lake and disappearances - it all builds so I could not put this down and I finished it within hours. Recommending to anyone looking for a thriller this summer that literally kept me on the edge of my seat. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

Thank you netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed most aspects of this book, from the characters to how the plot developed. Because of this, I would recommend this book to absolutely anyone, and cannot wait to read the other works from this author. 4/5 stars!

You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight packs a hell of a punch in its tightly plotted, claustrophobic, and spine-tingling pages.

This was such a fantastic premise—a YA horror set in an immersive horror experience that starts to go terribly wrong. Kalynn Bayron utilises this concept to its fullest potential, constantly interspersing the narrative with meta horror references. The characters here are horror heads, immersed in the genre and used to playing the archetypes of the genre. Of course, this becomes all too real as the bodies begin to stack up. Bayron does not hold back with some visceral, violent, and gory scenes. The blood congeals on your hands as the pages keep turning on. There is always that looming sense of dread and pit in your stomach.

This book really reminds me of the Scream franchise in its winks to the audience and unpicking of the horror genre. The Final Girl is a key feature here and Bayron unpacks what that figure actually represents. There is a real lack of diversity and consciousness in earlier horror narratives, which is tackled head on here. As a Black queer girl, Charity would not always have been considered as a feasible candidate for the Final Girl. Instead, she would have been early fodder for the killer and the Final Girl typically being a white cisheteronormative woman instead. Having Charity take on the role within the meta narrative of the camp serves as a powerful statement. These discussions are prevalent on page, within the discussions of horror narratives and the progress made.

Bayron really shines in her characterisation. I fell deeply in love with Charity very early on, for her full-hearted love of her job, horror and a deep-rooted sense of loyalty to her friends. She is determined, strong and brilliant, but she is also vulnerable and placed within one of the highest pressured situations imaginable. Bezi is also a well-defined character, with plenty of hidden depths to uncover. Their relationship is so softly gorgeous, a welcome contrast to the horror you know is coming. I thoroughly enjoyed how their dynamic shifts over the course of the book and Bayron has been a bit of a evil mastermind herself in this story.

The moment of realisation of the oncoming carnage is one that will stick with me. From the very start, Bayron signposts some clear signs of the chaos that shall ensue, using familiar tropes of the genre. However, these are also subverted in a twisty and atmospheric plotline. Not everything is as it seems and I would advise readers to trust their gut at all costs. There are some incredible, gut-punches of twists in store.

Without spoiling anything, that final third of the narrative was quite a ride. It is shocking and spectacular in its reworking of previous events. Bayron is unafraid to up the stakes and flip the script on everything you think should be coming up. It is such cinematic writing and it is easy to visualise yourself running alongside Charity as she attempts to survive this hellscape. That tension is high, with a zippy page count that screams to be devoured in just a few sittings. Trust me when I say Camp Mirror Lake will not let you leave easily.

You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight is an instant staple of the YA horror genre, with hair-raising twists and turns and a willingness to get into the gory murk of the terrors unfolding in the night. Keep your wits about you and do not trust anything or anyone.

Where were these types of stories when I was a kid? Genuinely, my little heart would have loved this book so freaking much 10+ years ago & even as someone who mostly only reads adult fiction now a days, I had a lot of fun reading this little book!

You’re Not Suppose To Die Tonight is a YA Queer Horror novel that has enough twists & scares to keep you invested but still sticks to the tamer nature that Young Adult novels bring — which is why I think this book is absolutely perfect for teens who are delving into the horror genre but also adults who might not be great with extreme elements of the genre. it’s a great mix of both and will keep you on your toes!

It’s entertaining, fast paced, twisty as hell & screams 80’s slasher/horror, which is one very quick way into my heart. It’s also not very big, which has been a gods send because my attention span has been rough lately, so this went down extremely easy and was a pleasant surprise!

You're not supposed to die tonight

Charity plays the final girl in a full contact terror game at Camp Mirror Lake where they recreate murders from a classic Slasher film but during last weekend of the season people begin to disappear is Charity's role as final girl about to become a reality.

I was so excited at the idea of this book, and it did not disappoint I had so much fun reading this book i could not put it down. This gave the best 80s Slasher Vibes! The creepy atmosphere and isolated setting kept me on the edge of my seat, and the twists and turns had me shocked. The ending completely floored me ! Will definitely be looking to read more from Kalynn Bayron.

Thank you to Netgalley, Bloomsbury Publishing, and Kalynn Bayron for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

You’re not supposed to die tonight by Kalyan Bayron is a gory and fun story that would be perfect to read around Halloween. A fast paced and atmospheric homage to slasher flicks and the final girl trope, this book will keep you guessing right to the end. Due to some gruesome depictions of injury I would not recommend this for the faint of heart but if you’re a fan of the nostalgia of the slasher movies of the 80’s and ‘90’s this is a lot of fun!
Thanks to the author, Bloomsbury YA and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ‘edge-of-your-seat’ novel

(Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review)

This was a quick, fast paced and easy read that had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. The creepy, tense vibes were perfect and created a great, chilling atmosphere. There were also twists and turns throughout and the ending took me completely by surprise! There was a paranormal/fantasy element that was cool but never really fully explained. You still get an idea of what is going on and how it works but it would have been useful if it was explained a bit.

I really loved how this pivoted from a fake slasher story to a real slasher story. I loved the writing in this and thought all the characters were done really well. The drama and the action were done well, and both factors meant i flew through this book. Charity was an interesting character to follow and i loved how the side characters were introduced. This was definitely a book I'd re-read at halloween as it has the perfect spooky vibes.

I absolutely loved this book. It had the perfect chilling feel through the whole book, it feels like an 80's horror film.

I devoured this book in one sitting!

Final Girls are my favourite, especially when they're breaking all of the stereotypes.

A horror camp run by teens with a menacing shadow in the background? What could go wrong? A lot but as a reader, it was ALL RIGHT. From the first sentence till the epilogue there is absolutely no breathing room - go, go, go. And while some plot lines are typical of the 80s slasher genre, there are little twists that make all the difference. I appreciated the pace a lot.

There are some gruesome details so I would definitely make it a 12+ read.

Special thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

Plot twists galore with a splattering of gore.

A quick and fast paced read that ticks off all the slasher classic components with a few additional curve balls thrown in. Those curve balls are pretty weird but that doesn't really bother me, they maybe could have been fleshed out a little more but I enjoyed it overall and would definetely recommend.

Thank you Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for providing me with a free digital copy for me in exchange for an honest review

I absolutely loved this book!
I’m a huge fan of 80s/90s horror films, especially slashers. This book gave me all the nostalgic moments I wanted (and more). This was a wonderful love letter to the genre
I enjoyed the isolated setting of a summer camp. The woods just enhanced the creepiness.
I thought the characters were fantastic and felt very well developed. I loved the friendships and romances. I really was rooting for the kids to make it, I was very invested in this story
The plot twists really got me! I didn’t see any of them coming. I will now need to remove every owl ornament I own from my house
The end of this book had my hysterically sobbing, all the feels! I loved this, a wonderful summer spooky read

When I say I’m a horror fan, I mean old school slashers, and Stephen King, basically. Otherwise, I’m out. So of course I was all over #YoureNotSupposedToDieTonight, a YA meta horror set in an old summer camp, and published today!

Charity Curtis has the summer job to end them all; Camp Mirror Lake provides a simulation of a slasher movie for people who want to scare themselves silly, at no risk.

Charity is almost 18 and although young, she’s the product of neglectful parenting so she’s well used to taking care of herself and everyone else. Of course then, she plays the Final Girl every night at the camp; the one that always survives and beats the serial killer at the last minute.

Some of her co-workers have started slacking off (or have they gone missing?!) and so Charity enlists her girlfriend Bezi and some of their closest friends to drive down and help out for the final night of “camp”.

However, they soon find themselves fighting for their lives with Charity truly vying for the Final Girl position.

Ok, I was GLUED to this. Edge-of-your-seat, scared-of-every-sound-in-your-house, double-guessing-every-character, GLUED! This is my kinda thing, completely. I would say it veered a little to the unbelievable at one point (as can happen with slashers) but the author pulled it right back and I was back on board again.

Was part of the ending predictable? Yes. But I still enjoyed getting there, loved all the pop culture references and cheered for Charity and Bezi along the way. If you enjoy slashers and want a quick, fun read with characters you can really root for, this is the book for you!

(Had to get my camp crystal lake t shirt out for this, but honestly, Friday the 13th only wishes it was as good as this book!)

With huge thanks to @netgalley and @bloomsbury for my early copy. All opinions are my own.

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this book. We'll I don't know where to start other than I absolutely loved this book, it took me a while to read due to personal reasons otherwise it would of been a one sitter, I absolutely couldn't get enough of the plot and the characters and I hope there is more to come. 4.5stars

I LOVE slashers, I love horror , I love camp 80s slasher movies so I just had to request this and I’m soooo grateful to have been given the chance to read & review because this was brilliant! Everything you know and love about the above movies is in this book! What happens when the game becomes reality? Read it and find out! Will we have a new favourite final girl? 👀

Camp Mirror Lake: once home to the classic slasher movie Curse of Camp Mirror Lake, now the location of the scariest immersive experience going. When Charity, fan of horror but not of her difficult home life, discovers that they're hiring, she jumps at the chance to join. Three years later, she's not just pretty much running the show, but also playing the most coveted role: that of the "final girl". When staff start flaking, Charity's frustrated but not surprised: that happens every year. The weird noises on the lake, however? That's new. And when a woman Charity's never seen before gets into the premises, wielding a gun and claiming to know something big, it's pretty clear that the last night of the summer has more in store than anyone could possibly imagine.

This was my first read by Kalynn Bayron, and I'm sure it won't be my last. A key thing about this book for me was the setting, and the way it developed. An isolated camp setting at night is spooky enough; one that's been created to provide an immersive horror experience even more so! It was fun and interesting seeing how the features used to provide fun scares (like the secret passageways) became used in the 'real-life' horror. There was a cast of interesting characters, each with their own motives, which kept me guessing and kept the story flowing well. Whilst there were a couple of character points I suspected, there were others that took me completely by surprise, and even the ones I thought I knew didn't play out as I expected.

I think the pacing was a little off at times, particularly as the events of the book didn't always match up with what the blurb seemed to indicate. This is a real slow burn, with a lot of time spent building up the tension. I think that works really well, and it does ultimately become a slasher, however it's not like there's blood and guts from the very first scene, there's a lot more time spent becoming invested. It was also quite a quick read, so some parts that could have been fleshed out more were a bit more hurried.

Overall, what this book is most is a love story to horror films. It takes and uses tropes in a delightfully self-aware way, and it was a really fun read.

A smashing, slashing sleepaway thriller with all the things that make camp wonderful... and terrifying!

This is the kind of book you can read in one sitting because it’s so good! Love the diverse representation of characters - we need more queer characters in YA books. There’s some pretty harrowing moments in this! The horror elements in this and the references to horror films will make fans so happy. I loved the themes of found family too.