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Sidekick Super Review: This is Where We Die (2025) by Cindy R.X. He
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
The Basics
Page Length: 336
Audiobook Length: ~7.5 hours
Grade Reading Level: 8+
Target Audience Age: 14-18+
Goodreads Score: 3.59 out of 5
Buy it HERE
Setting: Contemporary Christie's Island (a private, secluded island off the coast of Massachusetts)
Genre: Young Adult Thriller/Horror
Topics: Revenge, Murder Mystery, Survival, Isolation, Trauma, Friendship, Betrayal, Fear, Serial Killer
Plot: Eighteen months ago, eight teens from Boston Academy went on a ski trip. Only six came back. Now, everything is different. At school, they stick together—but only out of necessity. Mostly, they’re counting down the days until graduation, desperate to escape each other, their town, and the trauma they carry from the trip they never talk about anymore.
To mark the end, they come up with one last, extravagant idea: renting a private island that’s been blowing up on social media. It has everything—a massive mansion, a fully stocked kitchen with private chefs and butlers, a pool, and access to pristine beaches. The perfect place for one final hurrah before they all move on. The plan is simple: the six of them will spend one night there alone, then the rest of their graduating class will join them the next day.
But when they arrive, the island is completely deserted. No staff. No Wi-Fi. No cell service. And no one ever shows up—no boats, no classmates, nothing. They are completely alone, stranded again. And once more, sinister things begin to happen. This time, it’s clear the events are connected to the ski trip they’ve sworn never to mention. What really happened on that mountain? Will they survive this trip like they “survived” the last one? And who is behind this calculated, terrifying plan for revenge?
Themes: Hidden Truths and consequences, power of guilt, revenge and justice, friendship and betrayal, ethics of survival
You might like this book if you like:
True crime/serial killer podcasts
Puzzles, riddles, escape rooms
Books like: And Then There Were None, The Island, Ten, They'll Never Catch Us, One of Us is Lying, The Cheerleaders, Truly Devious, Lord of the Flies
Shows like: Yellowjackets, Pretty Little Liars, Cruel Summer, The Wilds, Harper's Island, The Society
Movies like: I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Invitation, Mindhunters, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Shutter Island
Other books written by this author: Perfect Little Monsters
Teaching This is Where We Die in Class
Content
Language: Infrequent use of strong language
Sex/Romance: no explicit scenes, but all the characters have romances/romantic encounters with each other; there is discussion of sex, but no descriptions
Violence/Scariness: This book has lots of violence. Teens are stranded on a mountain for several weeks which leads to death, killing, and implied cannibalism. Later, the same teens are killed one by one by an unseen killer on vacation--lots of suspense, and some blood and gore.
Drinking/Smoking/Drugs: scenes of teen drinking, one character is heavily reliant on Valium, one teen dies of an overdose
Class Novel-ability:
This one probably won’t work—it’s just not appropriate for a class-wide novel. It is, however, a fun, fast read and one I think students would be drawn to. The kids in my class would have flipped for it; they were obsessed with serial killers and murder mysteries. This would be a great book to suggest for readers who find books boring and need something to spark their interest.
The Star Qualities
This book is told through multiple POVs, with all six main characters getting their own chapters. This really adds to the mystery of the story, as readers have to piece everything together from their differing perspectives. Each character suspects different people at different times, and each carries their own trauma from the skiing accident, which makes the story much richer.
The mystery itself is honestly pretty hard to solve. You don’t get the full story of the skiing accident until the very end—throughout the book, you’re only given small snippets and subtle clues. Because of the multiple POVs, the puzzle becomes even more complicated. I liked that it took me until the end to figure out who the killer was and what their motives were; it made the book more interesting than many other YA murder mystery thrillers I’ve read.
The pacing is quick and fast-moving. The book isn’t very long, and the constant action makes it easy for reluctant readers to finish. It’s a great pick for students who may have never completed an entire novel before—this could be the one they finally do.
Book Talk Read Aloud Section
If you have the physical book, read pages 1-3 (all of chapter 1 "Isla")
If you don't, read the same pages in the Kindle reading sample here.
"Reading Like a Writer" Mentor Texts
This opening passage is packed with craft. The first sentence is blunt, declarative, and internal dialogue, immediately pulling the reader in. Metaphor and vivid sensory details make fear feel physical, while cause-and-effect thinking builds tension. The irony—the snow both saving and trapping them—adds depth. These moves hook the reader and give students craft techniques they can imitate.
I like this passage because both the spoken dialogue and the narrator’s internal thoughts drive the action. The tension comes from the exchanges between the characters, while the pacing is shaped by the narrator’s slow realization of the truth. Her discoveries unfold gradually, and the ellipses heighten the drama, making each moment of understanding feel more suspenseful. Students can learn a lot structurally from this passage—how to write tension-packed dialogue and how to pace it alongside a narrator’s thoughts.
There are several of these passages woven throughout the book, always appearing at the end of regular chapters. They’re fascinating for a number of reasons: the speakers are unknown, the dialogue is fragmented, and the information escalates quickly, growing more dramatic with each line. We don’t know if these voices are texting, talking, or commenting on a social media post—and that uncertainty is the point. Who’s speaking? Where is this happening? The combination of structure and content makes the reader intensely curious. This is a great example to show students that there are no fixed rules in writing—only purposeful choices.
This passage uses a few strong, teachable craft moves. The parenthetical aside adds voice by briefly letting us into the narrator’s thoughts. The shift in structure on the page highlights the note and changes the pacing. Capitalization creates urgency without extra explanation. Any of these moves would be effective and accessible for students to practice in their own writing.
Sentences for Combining and Imitation
Sentence sets for combining:
"I can sense everyone’s mood growing darker and more anxious, if that’s even possible, with each passing minute that the boats don’t show." (This is Where We Die, p. 148)
Every passing minute that the boats don't show, I sense something
I can sense everyone's mood growing darker.
I can sense them growing more anxious.
If that's even possible.
"The mansion comes gradually into sight–a glass and metal beast hunkered on the hill, cold, patient, watching, waiting–as we climb back up the sloping ground to it." (p. 164)
The mansion comes gradually into sight.
It's a glass and metal beast hunkered on the hill.
It's cold.
It's patient.
It's watching.
It's waiting.
We climb back up to the sloping ground to it.
"Although the storm from last night has broken, the sea is still restless, tumultuous, angry looking; the dark water broken by white foam and froth like that of some rabid animal; the sun hidden behind menacing black clouds." (p. 145)
The storm from last night has broken.
The sea is still restless.
The sea is still tumultuous.
The sea is still angry looking.
The dark water is broken by white foam and froth.
The white foam and froth are like that of some rabid animal.
The sun is hidden behind menacing black clouds.
"We fall quiet as we look at each other, so the only sound is the lapping of the waves and an occasional squawk from some faraway, solitary seagull." (p. 148)
We fall quiet as we look at each other.
The only sound is the lapping of the waves.
Occasionally, there is a squawk from a seagull.
It's from a faraway, solitary seagull.
Sentences for Imitation:
This book is full of short, snappy sentences with a strong sense of voice—often created through simple structural moves that give the writing attitude and craft. The author frequently uses ellipses, italics, and parenthetical asides set off with dashes. Below are a few examples of each. These are great for showing students how something as small as punctuation can inject energy, personality, and life into a sentence.
"The boats that don’t ever seem to be coming . . . and all we can do right now is keep waiting. (p. 160)
"I feel a small twinge of guilt . . . and doubt. (p. 159)
"Everyone knows she’s rich–even though she hates that they do–but sometimes we forget just how rich." (p.17)
"I don’t have to look at them to know they’re eyeing me. I know they’re all wondering the same thing: What is Charlie doing here?" (p. 37)
"I mean, as if I’d ever miss the chance to spend the weekend partying on Taylor Swift’s private island. Who knows, we might even get to meet her." (p. 47)
Used this book in your classroom? Tell us how in the comments!
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