Alice Lawrence is the sole witness in her sister’s murder trial.
And in the year since Claire’s death, Alice’s life has completely fallen apart. Her parents have gotten divorced, she’s moved into an apartment that smells like bologna, and she is being forced to face her sister’s killer and a courtroom full of people who doubt what she saw in the corn maze a year prior.
Claire was an all-American girl, beautiful and bubbly, and a theater star. Alice was a nerd who dreamed of becoming a forensic pathologist and would rather stay at home to watch her favorite horror movies than party. Despite their differences, they were bonded by sisterhood and were each other’s best friends.
Until Claire was taken away from her.
On the first day of the murder trial, as Alice prepares to give her testimony, she is knocked out by a Sidney Prescott look-alike in the courthouse bathroom. When she wakes up, it is Halloween morning a year earlier, the same day Claire was murdered. Alice has until midnight to save her sister and find the real killer before he claims another victim.
Title: How to Survive Your Murder
Author: Danielle Valentine
Publication Date: August 30, 2022
Publisher: Razorbill
Genre: Young Adult, Murder Mystery, Horror
What the freak did I just read?! This book was an emotional roller coaster that ended with the best slasher/horror book ending that a slasher junkie could ask for.
There were a few things that I really liked about this book: the chapter titles, the horror movie references, and how everything played out. The chapter titles were funny and just self-deprecating enough for a gen z audience to love. The horror movie references were frequent and spot on. Even though there were many that I haven’t seen, the ones I have were well represented. And the way things played out….well, I’ll just have to say it was awesome.
The Groundhog day aspect of this story definitely allowed the plot to be shaped in a way it wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. And I appreciate the fact that the author allowed us a glimpse into Alice’s life (our main character) a year after her sister’s murder before catapulting us back to the night it all went down. That way, we got a really good sense of everything Alice had lost that night and where she’d end up if she didn’t find the killer.
I have to admit, there were a few moments where I was just bored with this book. I pushed through because I felt like the ending was going to be worth it (and it so was), but I can’t deny that I wasn’t completely interested in this book at times. Also, for me (a slasher movie/murder-mystery fanatic), the killer was pretty obvious about halfway through. It was satisfying to see I was right in the end so I wasn’t too peeved about it being so obvious. I think maybe for the normal slasher/murder-mystery lover, it won’t be so obvious and will be a fun ride.
Overall, I enjoyed this book! And I’d recommend it for its amazing ending alone.
Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed a gifted and advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Rating
To check out my other reviews, click here. Or to check out more books by Danielle Valentine, go to her Goodreads profile.
I'm All Booked Up YA says
This book is on our TBR! We’re so glad that you enjoyed it!