Influencers and Murder Islands: My You're So Dead Review

I’m a HUGE sucker for anything that puts a spin on Agatha Christie, so when I heard about a book that was basically And Then There Were None at Fyre Festival, I jumped at the chance to get an ARC! I knew going in that it was going to be more on the comedic side, and I was interested to see how that was going to work in a thriller setting.

So did this book succeed at what it was trying to do? Let's find out!

Book Title: You're So Dead
Author: Ash Parsons
Publisher/Year: Philomel, 2021
Genre: Thriller
Number of Pages (According to Goodreads): 400
My Rating: 4 out of 5

Book description (from Goodreads):

A hilarious Agatha Christie-inspired YA thriller-comedy about three best friends who sneak into an influencers-only festival event (gone wrong), only to discover a killer is in their midst--and they have to uncover the truth and solve the mystery before it's too late. Perfect for fans of One of Us Is Lying and Truly Devious .

Plum Winter has always come in second to her sister, the unbelievably cool, famous influencer Peach Winter. And when Peach is invited to an all-expenses paid trip to a luxurious art and music festival for influencers on a private island in the Caribbean, Plum decides it's finally her time to shine. So she intercepts the invite--and asks her two best friends Antonia and Marlowe to come along to the fest with her. It'll be a spring break they'll never forget.

But when Plum and her friends get to the island, it's not anything like it seemed in the invite. The island is run-down, creepy, and there doesn't even seem to be a festival--it's just seven other quasi-celebrities and influencers, and none of the glitz and glamor she expected. Then people start to die...

Plum and her friends soon realize that someone has lured each of them to the "festival" to kill them. Someone has a vendetta against every person on the island--and no one is supposed to leave the island alive. So, together, Plum, Antonia, and Marlowe will do whatever it takes to unravel the mystery of the killer, and fight to save themselves and as many influencers as they can, before it's too late.

Let's Take a Trip to the Murder Island

I've read a lot of And Then There Were None-based thrillers, so I'd seen a fair amount of the stuff in this book before, but what really made it stand out to me was the cast of characters. It was so interesting to see all these mismatched influencers trying to work together! My favorite was Jalen, the true crime podcaster who was a little too excited about being hunted by a serial killer, but all of them were wonderfully awful in their own way (except Brittlyn, who was basically Gun Girl -- she was just awful :P)

This setup leaves ample opportunity for commentary on toxic positivity, beauty standards, and internet bullying, and while the book wasn't primarily focused on that, I really liked the little thoughtful tidbits woven throughout.

Humor in a Thriller?

The book was pitched as a thriller-comedy, and I was especially interested to see how that would pan out. After all, I LOVE parody murder mysteries in the vein of the Clue movie.

Unfortunately, while some of the humor in this book was genuinely heartwarming, I felt like it didn’t quite hit the mark for me overall. It's not quite silly enough to be a parody, but not quite serious enough to be as tense as I like my thrillers. Obviously, it's a difficult balance to strike -- and I did still really enjoy myself with this book -- but I think I would have enjoyed it more if the humor was more understated and the tension more prioritized.

Trigger and Content Warnings for You're So Dead

This book may not be for you if you're sensitive to discussions/depictions of death, blood, explosions, and vomiting.

Final Thoughts

I did read this book REALLY fast, and despite it showing up as 400 pages on Goodreads, it seems to me like it's actually quite short. Basically, I think it's perfect for a beach read or whenever you need something quick and fun!

Thanks to Penguin Teen for the ebook review copy! You're So Dead is now available everywhere, so check out the links below if you want to snag your own copy:

Barnes and Noble | Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads

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