ARC Review: How to Survive a Horror Movie by Scarlett Dunmore

youngcreativepress

2 years ago

Synopsis:

Horror movie enthusiast Charley is determined to keep a low profile when she’s enrolled to a girls’ boarding school on a remote island. That is, until someone starts killing off her senior class! From elaborate scare tactics to severed heads in fridges, Charley has found herself at the centre of a teen horror movie. And that’s not the only alarming thing that’s happening – she’s now seeing the ghosts of her former classmates!?

Haunted by her peers, and with everyone beginning to suspect her, Charley decides to do something about it. She and her only best friend Olive are going to solve the murders and find out who’s killing off the class before graduation. Charley just needs those pesky ghosts to shut up and give her a hand…

Review:

How to Survive a Horror Movie was an excellent debut novel from Scarlett Dunmore. I’m seriously impressed, and impressing me with a YA thriller is no easy feat. There wasn’t anything super special about it but it was a really fun and really quick read. Which are mega positives for me.

I loved that every chapter title was a different tip for surviving a horror film. They were great at foreshadowing what was going to happen in the chapter without giving too much away.

Personally, I don’t think the twist is super guessable, at least not for me. I would never have suspected the killer as it’s really not obvious. I’m trying to not give too much away, which is so hard when reviewing these types of books, but it’s really not someone you would expect and their reasoning is also so out of left wing (is that the right phrase?).

The setting for this book was perfect. Someone going on a killing spree in a boarding school on an isolated island *chef’s kiss*. I love that there really was no way for them to get away and boarding school settings always hit for me. Especially in thrillers and mysteries.

Another area of this book that was perfect was the pacing. You’re constantly moving forward and the building tension really keeps you turning the page. I read the majority of this book in 24 hours, which based on my current reading habits, is very impressive. The narrative felt very fresh and I liked how easy it was to read.

A sequel has already been confirmed and I’m so excited that this will be a series. I can’t wait to see what happens next.