**We were gifted a copy of this book however all thoughts and opinions are our own **
It’s September so as far as I’m concerned it’s spooky season! Although I’m happy to read spooky themed books all year round, I do tend to keep them until the ‘ber’ months hit so I get to experience the cosy vibes I long for. The only problem with keeping books back for a certain season is that inevitably new releases catch your eye and your TBR becomes a little overwhelming and is often never completed.
Little Tiger recently sent over one of their upcoming releases, a debut YA horror, and of course having piqued my interest it leapfrogged over my existing books to be read immediately . How To Survive a Horror Movie by Scarlett Dunmore not only has a title designed to grab any horror movie fan by the throat but the cover is simply stunning- popcorn & blood? I’m here for it. Check out all the details about this newly released title below as well as my full review.
About The Book
Horror movie enthusiast Charley is determined to keep a low profile when she’s enrolled at 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
Horror movie fanatic Charley is the new girl at Harrogate, a girls only boarding school located on an island in the middle of the sea. Despite it’s isolated location and struggling to make friends Charley lives for Slasher Saturday’s when her roommate and singular friend Olive can grab some snacks and indulge in their shared love of horror movies. That is before she finds herself in the middle of her own unfolding slasher reel.
When students start dying in rapid succession Charley knows their deaths aren’t accidents even without the dead girls who make it their mission to haunt her! Fearing for her sanity and unable to convince the headteacher that students are being murdered her only hope is to convince Olive to use their shared knowledge of slasher movies to find the killers identity before they become the next victims or before the secrets of Charley’s past catch up with her. But who can she trust?
This book is the ultimate love letter to all horror and slasher movies and I adored the regular references to well known and loved movies from the genre. The chapter titles in this book offer the reader tips on how to avoid being killed in a horror movie and made me chuckle as we all know in slasher movies often the characters do exactly the opposite and pay the highest price.
The atmosphere of the book was perfect, the isolated setting combined with the writing style offered an anxiety inducing reading experience which is what I’m always seeking in a story of this kind. It’s a fast paced read that offered so many options for the whodunnit, I honestly wasn’t sure until a few pages before the big reveal. I also should have anticipated the twist at the end but I didn’t see it coming and had to take a few minutes when I’d finished reading in order to process and reassemble my jumbled thoughts. I was unaware until the last page that this is the beginning of a new series and I honestly can’t wait until 2025 when the next book is released!
Although firmly in the horror genre, I loved how Dunmore combined this with the mystery elements of Charley’s past and also the paranormal aspect of the ghostly students. It’s extremely witty and at times I found myself laughing out loud much to the chagrin of my family! Hand on heart this is a book that I have thought about multiple times daily since finishing it and as someone who reads quite a lot of books that is saying something.
As a YA novel I didn’t expect too much in the way of blood and gore having previously found this was glossed over for the benefit of the audience, so was surprised at the brutality and vivid descriptions of some of the deaths. Not that this was a bad thing, just unexpected and therefore had me wincing a couple of times! How To Survive a Horror Movie is a debut novel which I find very difficult to believe and reads like stories I’m used to reading from well established authors. I can’t wait to see what Scarlett Dunmore has for us next, but I will be making sure I’m first in line to find out!
About The Author
Scarlett Dunmore studied English and Creative Writing at University, eventually finding a love for YA literature. When she is not writing she can often be found watching scary films or exploring abandoned abbeys, old cemeteries and ruined castles in Scotland. ‘How to Survive a Horror Movie’ is Scarlett’s debut novel inspired by her love for horror movies and Halloween.
Follow Scarlett on Instagram to learn more about the book and its sequel: @scarlett_dunmore
How To Survive a Horror Movie is available to purchase now from Amazon*
Fraser’s Fun House 