Book Review: You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron

You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron

YA, Horror, LGBT, Standalone

eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 240 Pages

June 20, 2023 by Bloomsbury YA

Blurb:

At Camp Mirror Lake, terror is the name of the game . . . but can you survive the night?

This heart-pounding slasher by New York Timesbestselling author Kalynn Bayron is perfect for fans of Fear Street.

Charity 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, The Curse of Camp Mirror Lake. The more realistic the fear, the better for business.

But 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 figure out what this killer is after. As they unravel the bloody history of the real Mirror Lake, Charity discovers that there may be more to the story than she ever suspected . . .

My Review:

Friday the 13th meets that one episode of Psych from season 3 – Tuesday the 17th (minus the comedic bits) in You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight.

Every summer Charity goes to work at Camp Mirror Lake. But don’t let the name fool you — this is not a summer camp, it’s a terror simulation where people go to be chased around by a Jason Voorhees-like masked killer where they will have to survive the night or be plucked off by the masked killer. This year Charity is playing the coveted role of Final Girl. But when her coworkers start disappearing and mysterious things start happening she realizes that this year someone has decided to make the game real… and if she’s not careful she won’t make it out alive.

I was hooked on this book right from the start. I love horror movies, especially Friday the 13th, and I also love thriller/horror novels with camp settings so this was the perfect read for me. I wish I could work at a place like this, it sounded awesome at the beginning!

It’s easy to connect with the characters and be rooting for them throughout the book. It’s also a fast-paced, easy read. I’m not scared of horror movies/books but this got my heart racing in the best of ways as I furiously turned pages eager to see who would make it out alive.

I also thought the ending was cleverly written and left you wondering what the consequences of the character’s action will be.

If you’re a fan of horror you will love this book! It’s definitely in the top of my reads so far in 2023 and will probably make it onto my favorites list at the end of the year!

Rating:

5 of 5 Knives!