You wouldn’t catch me dead

Coco Ardingly College Year 8

This book kept me anticipating the next thrill after every chapter. I especially loved the combination of the haunted setting of the Abbey with the ominous atmosphere of the Black Mountains as it created what I thought was the perfect scene for a murder. Keely’s life (and what happened to her best friend Amy) before the Onward Programme worked its way into the plot beautifully and everything became clear as the mystery unfolded. The plot twisted and turned, and the tension mounted as Keely and her friends were led off their path by numerous red herrings, which sometimes even convinced me that they had found the killer. I thought it was very interesting to see Keely’s character develop as I progressed through the book, and as the secrets revealed themselves one by one. Her relationship with Barry also flourished as the book went on, and she ended up becoming good friends with someone she was so hostile at before. Each cliff hanger left me wanting for more and kept me holding my breath as the truth was revealed. Keely’s sarcasm, and her unwilling personality gives the book a nice aspect of humour. Over all I thought that this book has a perfect balance of thriller and horror and I really enjoyed reading it.

Esmé Y8 Ardingly College

You wouldn’t catch me dead
5/5 stars
Tess James Mackey
This is a gripping thriller right from the get go. It takes you on a roller coaster from start to finish. I liked how she used the elements of an abusive relationship, and it shows a real depth to the character when you hear her go through such a traumatising time. The emotional side to this book is one of the main reasons why this book is so good. It really makes you think of all the people who have had to go through similar things in the real world, and how she takes you into their shoes, seeing how frustrating it is, and how it can really break down a person’s character and soul. I also found that the villain was written so well, and you do grow to hate them. I loved how you can see Keely accepting that she must make some friends and how she finds it easier when she has people to put her trust into. Then she grows into a strong friendship with Barry, which shows that she can be nice when she wants to be even when after the stuff she has been through. I would say this is now one of my favourite books of all time.

Louisa Ardingly College

You Wouldn’t Catch Me Dead is an engaging thriller with an ominous setting. The book is filled with unexpected plot twists and is a real page turner. I loved how the book fooled you at the beginning to think that there would only be one murder however there ended up being several. I love how the plot thickens throughout the book and everything starts taking a turn for the worse, which makes you want to read on. Overall I loved this book and can’t wait to read more of Tess James-Mackey’s books.

Cornelia , Yr 9 Ardingly

I loved the eerie feel to this book and I really enjoyed how Tess James Mackey made the atmosphere so creepy and uncertain. I actually thought this book was quite scary but I enjoyed how it had an emotional side to it. I loved how Keely’s character started off as a quiet uninterested girl sent on a school trip in order to get into college then she had a turn. I wasn’t that surprised with who the killer was in the end since the author left clues here and there, but overall this was a great book.

Mouna Ardingly College

Usually, I don’t like YA murder books, but this one was a pleasant surprise.
Keely is a 16-year-old teenager who has gone through a lot in her life, including horrible things which happened to her best friend Amy.
After moving to a new school, she doesn’t plan on making friends but instead, being as invisible as possible and going to college. Her ambition to go to college leads her to enrol in a wilderness group with 5 other ambitious students.
As the group make it to the trail to start hiking, they are stunned to see their teacher dead, lying in the bottom of a ravine. This puts everyone on edge and as the death count slowly rises, more bizarre things happen to them, and their situation doesn’t get any better.
I think that the way Tess James-Mackey sets a scene is amazing as she can set an eerie atmosphere which is able to make any reader feel on the edge. I specifically loved the scenes which were set at night as the author is amazing at frightening the reader with small, horrifying details which completely change the story.

Ozzy year 9 ardingly collage

I thought this book was very average because the pace was much too slow. It took about half the book to get going. However when it did eventually all kick off it was intense and was a lot faster. I especially loved the way the fog was described at the beginning and the imagery of the hills was excellent. Although I think the description of the Abbey wasn’t deep enough but the presence of it helped set the atmosphere. I think the weather of the trip was subtle but effective at setting the mood. The fog helped create a sense of mystery, the rain a sense of sadness when Mr Crewe died and the dampness to bring Keelys spirit down.

Overall I think it was a 6/10

Roland

I really like this book because I find it smart to kill off the only one that could help, as the other teacher is useless and they have no phone signal. Even at the start of the hike you can tell it will be a horror as the setting is very eerie. I also like how the protagonist never does anything and when they do one thing it goes terribly wrong.

Jahara

This book was a bore. It started really well, with a shocking murder, however slowly depleted as the murderer became more and more obvious. Personally I thought the blurb ruined the book, as it spoilt the entire plot. Furthermore, I felt that the plot was dreary and kept dragging on and on.

Hugo

3.5 out of 5 Stars.
School teenagers head off on a school excursion to the Welsh countryside, there is nothing but creeks, valleys and rain. Everything is fine… Until the first murder happens, then the next.. Soon the students fall into a cobweb of murder and chaos. I personally liked the book, but the middle was a bit boring, and kind of threw me off the hook but then the end was great as it was suspense and action-packed.

Chris, Ardingly College

“You Wouldn’t Catch Me Dead” Is an eventful and exciting book, full of twists that leave you guessing while reading it.
The start of the book felt quite slow and uneventful. But that is to be expected with any book of this genre! I felt the beginning had set the stage for the entire book extremely well, giving it an eerie atmosphere that was ever so intriguing.
When the first “Accident” struck (Though maybe a little bit predictable) the book started coming alive, making it impossible (for me) to put down. The eerie atmosphere combined with all that was going on made it feel fresh and exciting.
Towards the end of the book, something happens during the night which makes you realize “So this is what it was? Everything else had been a coincidence and it had been due to this all along?” But a little voice in my head remained steadfast on the idea that there was more than it seemed because it just felt like it wanted you to think it had been a coincidence (and there was still a decent chunk of pages left).
The ending was a twist though making it feel complete as a book.

Overall, I found this book a great read and enjoyed it thoroughly, and I recommend reading it.

Elicia J, Year 9 Ardingly

When I first got given the book I wasn’t prepared for it. I thought it would be another one of those classic camp horror stories. YOU WOULN’T CATCH ME DEAD is a great book that has so many twists and turns that you can’t keep up. Keely embarks on a trip with her school mates and is trying to distract herself from the trauma she’s been through but what she’s going to go through will be more traumatic. When I first started reading it I was scared that I was going to get bored of it easily but I got hooked! Tess James-Mackey made me like the creepy feeling and how she expressed that in her writing and vocabulary. This book was thrilling, captivating, and overall really good! Loved it and would reccommend it to anyone who likes creepy thriller stories.

Elliott W

This was an excellent read. I normally am able to tell whenever a pot twist is coming as I find most of the mystery books predictable. However, this truly had me questioning what was happening and I was trying to work out the ending every time I had the chance. This was a genuine mysterious, eerie read.

Misty Ardingly

I thought this book was a terrifying, extremely interesting read, with many good plot twists. I love the description of isolation and the imagery of cold wet countryside. The only downside I had to this book was that it was excessively graphic, but other than that I thought it was fantastic. My favorite parts of the book were the flash backs as they were extremely suspenseful. I would definitely recommend this book but with the precaution that it is not for the faint of heart.

Eliza

Possible Spoiler Alert!

I thought this book was scary, however it also had an emotional side to it. My favourite part was the flashbacks to before Amy died. The building of Keely’s character was also interesting to see through the book, as she started off as a quiet, uninterested pupil sent on a school trip. And we had no idea why. She turned into an emotional girl who was clearly hurting due to the loss of her best friend. I also thought that when I found out who the killer was, I wasn’t hugely shocked as the author had left subtle but noticeable clues. I also liked the way that Keely developed a strong friendship towards the end of the book, with the pupils she was on the trip with. I think that the author did leave me guessing about who the killer was throughout the book until the big clue of the dolls in the tree was disclosed. For a while, the author gave clues that the killer could be others.

Regan, Ardingly College

The book had a lot of interesting twists, some were quite dark which created more suspense. I thought at time the book was a bit unrealistic at times. e.g. when they were at the campsite. I found certain parts enjoyable and others not so much because it got very dark. I would suggest this book to anyone who likes horror and a lot of dark plot twists.

Olivia

I really enjoyed the book as it was a crime thriller. I think it had a good bit of suspense to it and it made me want to keep reading it . I thought it had a really good story line as it included her past history from her old town . When I found out who the side kick killer was I was quite shocked , although there were a few clues to hint who it was . Overall I really liked the book and I would recommend it .

Zach

I thought “You Wouldn’t Catch Me Dead” was very good as I love crime and mystery and that the dark plot was brilliant. I thought the secrets throughout the book were great at times and spread out perfectly so it kept building on me. I also liked the use of friends building their relationship this was amazing. Overall I believe this book is one of the best I have ever read!

Maxi Ardingly college

I thought this book was absolutely amazing as it showed my favourite genre all the way through the book. I also enjoyed this book as it showed Keely in the same situation as me in a new school and not knowing anyone or anything. In my opinion, my favourite character was Barry as he stayed calm in times of dismay and lead the whole group without any doubt in his choices. I also liked how the author placed a key event right at the start of the book in order to make the reader never put it down.

Tabitha – Ardingly College

I really enjoyed the plot of the book, and the way the characters had so much depth. I loved the way Amy and Keely’s story was described, and I loved how all the characters each got laced into the storyline, like Reece slowly being introduced to the plotline. I also liked how the chapters flitted back and forth between past and present. I was honestly shocked when I realised how some particular characters fitted into the storyline.

Jenson Ardingly college

I liked the book because I liked the sense of mystery and darkness it presents by the shadows of people, the gloomy places and the mystery of the rocks. I also liked how it’s unexpected what will happen next and how there were a lot of plot twists and near the end it went downhill very fast and unexpectedly.

Yashika Y9 Ardingly Collage

‘You Wouldn’t Catch Me Dead’ is a young adult thriller. I enjoyed the description in the book, but over all thought it was far-fetched. It would be even better if the military officers didn’t come to their camp, as I felt that was quite random. I would have preferred if the plot was less predictable. I understand that Keely had been through a lot, but she linked every other thing to Amy, and I got bored of the repetition. But, I understand why other people would like it.

Tom at Ardingly college

I really liked this book because it always kept me in suspense about what was going to happen next. I think the author kept the killer’s identity a good mystery through the whole book till the end. I really liked the end when it shows how much Keely changed her attitude in general and towards others when she visits the grave. I also like how everyone does their best to include Keely into their grou. I do personally think the blurb revealed a bit too much about the book. In general I really liked the book.

Elliot Yr 9 Ardingly

This book was amazing from all of the different sub plots of Keely dealing with trauma to discovering about her life back then with Amy and with her boyfriend to her growing as a person gaining more courage and being able to make friends all while there are loads of murders and red herrings. An all round amazing writing – just a great book

Lyla, Ardingly College

I enjoyed reading this book. I was not expecting a lot of the plot twists in it and how everything just suddenly went downhill very fast. I also liked how descriptive the author described the places and surroundings to make it gloomy and set the mood.

Rodrigo, Ardingly college

I really enjoyed this book as I love crime thrillers. I liked how creepy it was and how dark it was
as well as the aspect of horror. As well as this I was surprised to find the killer had a side kick as I always thought the character was completely useless over all. This book is definitely one of my top ten books of all time because it’s all the genres I like put into one book.

Jessica Ardingly College Year 9

“You Wouldn’t Catch Me Dead” Is an interesting murder mystery book set in Wales. It follows a group of schoolchildren taking part in the Onwards Program, which is not dissimilar to a camping trip.

Things start to go wrong after an unfortunate incident occurs, resulting in the death of one of the instructors, and leaving the children with a teacher who hates children about as much as children despise her.

One of the things I loved in this book was the character development of the main character, Keely, who went from completely closed off, to allowing herself to make friends without feeling guilty.

I also enjoyed how the reader does not get Keely’s entire backstory right from the start, and the reader instead learns what happened through chapters about her past spread through the book.

I was surprised at the reveal of the murderer, but it made a lot of sense with the story, and I think the character who turned out to be the killer was the perfect fit for the role.

This book is perfect for anyone who enjoys murder mystery and thriller books, with lots of twists and turns, and exciting scenes to keep you invested in the story. This was a book which I found exceedingly difficult to put down.

In conclusion I think that “You Wouldn’t Catch me Dead” is an amazing book, keeping me interested the whole way through, and I will be reading more books by Tess James-Mackey in the future.

Jamie

I quite liked this book, it was a nice murder mystery book as well as weaving Keely’s past throughout the book. The end of the story successfully tied the backstory of Keely and the present story of the killings together quite nicely. I like the fact that the story tries different methods to mislead the reader on who the killer was was quite amusing and brilliant. My favourite part was how the story suggests there might be something supernatural causing the killings in the middle of the story.

Nikol year 9 Ardingly

I loved you Wouldn’t Catch Me Dead, it’s one of the books that I was excited to read. My favourite moment was when Kelly found Amy’s dolls and no one believed that it was the exact same dolls that her and her best friends used to play with. I found it very creepy and surprising. I personally didn’t like Chloe because she didn’t have her own opinion and she was always following Hannah like a dog. I strongly believed that they would have died when they didn’t I was relieved.

Cassie

I found ‘You Wouldn’t Catch Me Dead’ a very tense and exciting book from start to finish; it sets the scene on a rainy school trip before it takes a dark mysterious turn when her classmates start to disappear. One of my favourite parts in the book was when Keely uncovers the murderer… with all these sudden deaths, this page-turning novel kept me on the edge of my seat.

Theo Ardingly College

I enjoyed this book as horror is quite a new theme for me. Very quickly I realised that the plot was very well thought out as you could see it develop. The book was very dark but I really enjoyed the ending because of the friendship that developed between Barry and Kelly but I would only recommend it to year 9 for the graphic images that come to mind.

Daniel

I think this book started off okay but then it got a lot better. I liked how they used cliff hangers and made me want to carry on reading. Throughout the story I kept questioning what will happen next. When they revealed the killers it was interesting.

Louis

SPOILER ALERT!

I think this book is great. I love the characters and all their different skills and the thoughts they all possess. Without spoiling it I thought that Hannah and Chloe were up to the killings. But the plot twist was amazing to switching to Reece and about Ms Proctor. I also thought it was great that Keely got her revenge for Amy.
Also nice to see that Keely accepted her friends.

Sam Ardingly year 9

I really enjoyed this book as I thought it had a lot of drama. I also enjoyed the mystery of the book and the horror as you never know what was going to happen and it seemed full of surprises. I was quite confused and didn’t really enjoy the first 2 chapters of the book, but I think it got a lot better and I thought the tension that was created was very good, for example when they went into the old man’s house in the abbey and saw him dead with all the blood around him.

Aston, Year 9, Ardingly College

SPOILER ALERT!

I thought You Wouldn’t Catch Me Dead was slow at the beginning because there wasn’t much going on . It was boring to me until people started dying near the end and when Jack got some serious injuries. I also thought there were a lot of emotions going on at once which I thought was unnecessary. Some examples of this were when Keely was all sad because she was trapped in Wales and then started laughing with her class so instantly which I found a bit odd. My favourite part of the book was when everyone started to get killed by Reece and how he killed them with the giant knife was very cool. Over all I would give the book a 6/10.

Eve, Yr 9, Ardingly college

I don’t normally read many crime-thriller books, but this one kept me on the edge of my seat. I really liked the tense and climactic atmosphere. My favorite part was probably the part where Keely discovers who the killer is, and rescues her friend from the abbey ruin. A truly brilliant read.

Harrison Pickering

This is my review of ‘You wouldn’t catch me dead’

I though it was a very slow book with many ups and downs, and being honest, I LOVED this book, I thought it was so well written that I decided to read Someone is watching you. The setting was great, the anticipation was great, and I don’t think I’ve been on the edge of my seat so much before, apart from when I was maybe reading an Agatha Christie, or The hunger games.

Essentially what I’m trying to say is I loved this book, and I reckon it probably deserves to win the contest.

a guy, maybe?

Diabolical and a lot of people die