The Blonde Dies First

Happy Wednesday!

Hope all is well! Today, I’m drowning in deadlines so I’m writing this quickly as I scarf down leftover Chinese food. Lately, I’ve been on a romantasy kick so I wanted to mix it up today! I already read one slasher today, Party Games by R.L. Stine, and immediately hopped onto the next! So I am currently reading Joelle Wellington’s The Blonde Dies First! I started this a few months ago but got caught up in another book, I’m excited to restart it!

Below you’ll find the synopsis as well as my current thoughts.

What It’s About

A group of friends fight to choose their own fates in this trope-savvy, self-referential young adult thriller from the acclaimed author of Their Vicious Games, about a demonic force that acts according to horror movie rules in the spirit of the Scream movies.

Devon is always being left behind by her genius twin sister, Drew. At this point, it’s a fact of life. But Devon has one last plan before Drew leaves for college a whole year early—The Best Summer Ever. After committing to the bit a little too much, the twins and their chaotic circle of friends learn why you don’t ever mess with a Ouija board if you want to actually survive the Best Summer Ever, and soon find themselves being hunted down by…a demon?

But while there’s no mistaking the creeping, venomous figure is not from around here, their method doesn’t feel very demonic at all. In fact, it’s downright human—going after them in typical slasher movie kill order. And that means Devon, the blonde, is up first and her decade-long crush, Yaya, is the Final Girl who must kill or be killed to end the cycle.

Devon has never liked playing by anyone else’s rules though, not even a demon’s, and the longer this goes on, the more she feels Drew and Yaya slipping away from her even as she tries to help them all survive. Can they use their horror movie knowledge to flip the script and become the hunters instead of the hunted? Or will their best summer ever be their last?

Thoughts So Far

***Possible Spoilers below

So far in The Blonde Dies First, a pair of identical twins — Andrea & Devon — invited a group of their friends for one last hooray before college, but Drew’s changed and her new private school friends were very differnet than their childhood friend. At the party, these new friends pressure them to use a ouiji board, much to others’ protests. All the childhood friends be like:

I have a feeling that Drew is in on whatever is going on here. But time will tell.

Anyway, good day to you and good day to all!

♡ G&P