Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Damned If You Do

Cordelia is a 17- year-old high school stage manager, doing the typical high school things. Until one day she has a new guidance counselor, Fred. He's essentially telling Cordelia she needs to improve her grades (something she has been told many times by her mother, the theater teacher, and her principal). This time however, it was a bit different. Fred tells her he wants a piece of her soul. They both laugh it off until Fred says he's not kidding. The fun kind of starts from there. I enjoyed this book so much because while it is a horror novel, there is quite a bit of humor to offset the dark subject matter. I would suggest checking the trigger warnings because it can be a triggering topic for some. I appreciated the queer representation and learning about some Filipino folklore. This book had one of my favorite tropes of all time, found family. We don’t get to choose the family we are born into and sometimes things that happen to children are unfortunate and unfair, but I loved that Cordelia found a solid group of people to offset that. Thank you so much to Alex Brown, RB media, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

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hailstorm3812's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This is a book described as Queer Buffy about a stage manager, I was going to enjoy this book. I think this is a fun little romp and I would love to see more of the series in a monster of the week format. I liked the worldbuilding, characters, and emotional stakes a lot. I would kill for these kids. I am a notable friends to lovers hater so I was stressed a lot for the romance but it was quite cute. I was wondering why the stage manager is calling the show from backstage?? I also think there is better comparisons than Buffy but it is incredibly effective at finding the audience since I bought it immediately.

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e_liz's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

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sitreadsip's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Damned If You Do Audiobook Review✨

First off I would like to thank Netgalley for this gifted audiobook!

Read if you…
• like YA Horror
• are looking for a diverse book with lgbtq+ representation & cultural representation.
• are looking for a book about a bunch of kids fighting demons

The blurb (and I think it’s spot on!): “Queer Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Filipino folklore in this horror comedy about a high school stage manager who accidentally sells her soul to a demon.”

My dad is from the Philippines but never really shared much of the culture with us. Besides the food and calling his Filipino friends Uncle and Auntie. Everything else I’ve learned from… can you guess it? Yup, Books! So reading this really helped me see things I’m familiar with (the food was a happy little surprise for me). I also learned a little bit about Filipino folklore that I didn’t know about. And I love learning new things about my culture. Thank you Alex Brown for sharing this story!

The audiobook was so fun! I loved all the different personalities that were shown through the narrator, Amielynn Abellera. Fred was probably one of my favorite characters, he brought comedy relief and a weird comfort to the story. There was so much emotion that shines through the story. My only complaint was that the high schoolers sounded like 10 year olds and not seniors in high school (in the audiobook). Other than that I loved Cordelia and her group of friends. I had fun trying to figure out who the Aswang was! Overall such a good story to listen to!

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wornpagesandendlesscoffey's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book was aptly marketed. It really did feel like a Buffy-esque story, except maybe with a bit more drama. I loved seeing a stage manager as an MC in a book like this (maybe a bit partial to the theatre since it’s my job). The romance sprinkled in the story felt very Willow, and it was pretty of cool to see a character that was not white inhabit both those personas. This book was preeeettty dark and dealt with some seriously heavy themes so make sure you check the TW before you dive in!

I was a bit disappointed in how easily the characters moved on from the death of a major influence and honestly think it was glossed over, like Blake’s death was a plot point that pushed it forward and not dealt with as an actual casualty. The bit at the very end where he was memorialized even felt as though it was rushed.

overall, I enjoyed the story and would recommend to others. It was a solid, enjoyable read.

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