A Book Review: ‘You’re Not Supposed To Die Tonight’ by Kalynn Bayron

Charity Curtis works at a camp designed to scare its visitors straight. Everything is fake. The serial killer isn’t real. There is no imminent danger. Or is there? Kalynn Bayron has created a twisted tale that will keep you invested until the very end in You’re Not Supposed To Die Tonight. 

The Final Girl

Charity knows a thing or two about being a Final Girl. She portrays one in the camp’s simulation. How will Charity adjust to being an actual Final Girl, though? And, will she be the last one standing when the real killer of this camp hunts them down? 

These are the questions Bayron refuses to answer until the end of the book. And even at the end, we aren’t quite sure if Charity survives as the ending includes her despite her alleged death. 

The Serial Killer You Know

The family ties in You’re Not Supposed To Die Tonight will keep you intrigued. Not only is an insider responsible for the blood bath at camp, but he has ties to the land that will make you want to go back and read certain passages again. 

Ultimately, though, it is the twist near the end of the story that will leave you in shock. You’ll have to take a break from the revelations to process things as the person truly responsible for all of the chaos inflicted on the kids is not the person you are expecting. 

The Final Act?

Just when you think the twists of You’re Not Supposed To Die Tonight are finished, another shocker comes your way. Charity, the main character who also serves as the narrator of the text, is murdered. Or, is she? 

Kalynn Bayron wrote You’re Not Supposed To Die Tonight with layers in mind. She wants the reader to follow multiple roads only to come to one truth. She wants the reader to believe they have figured it out only to learn the facts escape them. 

You’re Not Supposed To Die Tonight is a great story for Middle Grade and Upper School students searching for a scary story that isn’t too long. The beginning is, admittedly, slow. Charity and her crew, however, make up for the slow start with loads of action and mystery. 

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