Fear Street Super Thriller: Nightmares: (2 Books in 1: The Dead Boyfriend; Give me a K-I-L-L)

Fear Street Relaunch #5-6

by R.L. Stine

Watch the movies, read the books! The Fear Street movies are coming to Netflix this summer!

The fifth and sixth books in the re-launch of R.L. Stine's Fear Street, now in one volume.


The Dead Boyfriend

When Caitlin starts seeing Colin, she throws herself into her first real relationship with fervor. She ignores friends who warn her that Colin may be a phony and that she is taking the whole thing too seriously. When Caitlin approaches Colin with another girl, she snaps. Everything goes red. When she comes back to her senses, Colin is dead—and she has killed him. But if Colin is dead, how is he staring at her across a crowded party?


Give Me A K-I-L-L

There are rumors that lack of funds may mean the end of cheerleading at Shadyside. That would be a shame for Heather Wyatt, who has just transferred from her old school, where she was a star. There’s only one girl in her way—rich, spoiled Devra Dalby, who is also trying out for the one open slot. The competition to join the squad is fierce—and it ends in murder. Will Heather make the squad—if there's even a squad anymore—or will she end up dead?

Genres: Horror, Young Adult, Fantasy, Thriller, Mystery, Childrens, Collections

571 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2017

About the author

Robert Lawrence Stine known as R. L. Stine and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American novelist and writer, well known for targeting younger audiences. Stine, who is often called the Stephen King of children's literature, is the author of dozens of popular horror fiction novellas, including the books in the Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room and Fear Street series.

R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.

Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.

http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...

Reviews

[Holly Ellard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both stories entertaining, but the second story was a little better because of the twist.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

*One star for each book in this collection

I've never read a Goosebumps book. How's the writing in those? Because this are my 3rd & 4th Fear Street books and I honestly don't know why I do this to myself. Because the writing in these is all very...

The teens in these books are written how people over 40/kids under 11 *think* teenagers act & talk.

There are genuinely creepy & unsettling moments, but all the moments in between are just...not good. The prose is simplistic, boring and awkwardly worded. The characters are THE WORST. Entitled, bratty, shallow, vapid, STUPID.

And I get the feeling RL Stine hates middled-aged women and fat people because LORD. And did he have a really bratty teenage daughter who scarred him? Because the way he writes teen girls is NOT A GOOD LOOK. They treat their parents like shit, they treat their (girl) friends like shit, they're all SO HORRIBLE. I own one more RL Stine compilation and then I'm DONE.

[Vespera Crane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I adore the Fear Street books so I picked this up not realizing it just came out. One compliant about the book is how short the chapters are, like 3 pages short. It was a fight not to glance over at the page to ruin the cliff hanger. The end of the chapters have a blank page, making the book bigger than it should have been.
The first story was "eh". A lot of the story could've been cut and the ending didn't make sense. Nothing in the story ended up mattering. I also was a little miffed about the "the spooky goth girl is evil" sterotype, as a goth girl.
The 2nd story was so much better, and I would honestly skip the first story. The ending is a bit "eh" but that's how RL Stine's endings are to me. But it had a nice twist to it, and I didn't see it coming.

So this is a pretty okay book, the 2nd half is the saving grace to me. I would wait to buy it used Because it's not worth the full price.

[Serena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I surprisingly quite liked these two stories. I had low expectations since every modern Fear Street book I’ve read thus far has been terrible but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed these two. If it wasn’t for the crappy endings they’d be much better. The Dead Boyfriend’s ending SUCKED! So dumb, it’s like Stine wrote himself into a corner and couldn’t think of a way out so he half assed some ending that makes literally no sense. I can’t...
And the ending of Give Me a K-I-L-L just felt rushed and resolved WAY too quickly. I also totally saw Gretchen’s “twist” from a mile away... I just don’t think the reasoning behind the occurrences was as good as it could’ve been but... whatever. Besides the endings, they were fun, mindless and entertaining stories.

[ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, i only finished the first story so far but i already wanna talk about it . i really enjoy RL Stines stories, and personally for me, i could care less how he writes as long the story is good. But in the dead boyfriend when Caitlyn finally murdered Blade, i just feel like that part maybe just should’ve been longer if that makes sense. Obviously, all in all the book was really good but there was some details, sentences that wasn’t quite necessary.

[Lena Reads Everything · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is two books in 1 and my 14 year old self would be scoring these much differently, so I’ll be reviewing them as my 14 year old self.

The Dead Boyfriend

Caitlin falls hard for her first boyfriend, Colin, ignoring warnings that he's not who he seems. But after she kills him in a jealous rage, she’s haunted by the impossible—seeing him alive and watching her from across a crowded room.

I enjoyed this the most out of the two stories. I liked the supernatural themes and the zombie boyfriend was a nice creepy twist. The fact that the main character is also the killer was a different development of a usual teen horror plot.

I think the highlight was actually the reference to her parents being in their 40s and how old they acted. I related to the parent in that sense 🤣 4/5

Give Me A K-I-L-L

Gretchen transfers to Shadyside, eager to join the cheer squad, but spoiled Devra stands in her way for the last open spot. As the fierce rivalry escalates into murder, Gretchen must fight to survive—not just make the team.

This story dragged on for the simple plot that it was, which made it very boring. There were very random things just thrown into this story (there was a dog that was mentioned that I thought why was that included) and then the ending was also wrapped up strangely.

The whole cheerleader vibe is also very foreign to me, but always reminds me of Buffy, which I loved growing up. 2/5.

Averaged to 3/5

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐
FEAR STREET SUPER THRILLER: NIGHTMARES

⭐⭐⭐
THE D*AD BOYFRIEND by R.L. Stine

When Caitlyn gets in a relationship, she thinks it's serious...until she catches her boyfriend out with another girl and loses it. She k*lls him. But now he's haunting her, back from the dead.
THE D*AD BOYFRIEND is a fast-paced thriller. It has short chapters that kept me hooked, but it is super cringe-y, and the writing was subpar. What really stuck out was the twist at the end, which made up for the book, but did leave a kot unanswered.

⭐⭐⭐
GIVE ME A K-*-L-L by R.L. Stine

Gretchen Page is new to Shadyside High. At her previous school, she was a cheerleader, and now a spot has opened up at her new school. There's only one person up against her...but then threats and accidents turn into m*rder.
GIVE ME A K-*-L-L is a fast-paced thriller that kept me hooked. I flew through it in just two days, but the writing of this one was subpar (grammatical errors ,uses of one nam when referring to someone else, weird time jumps). Much like the book above, this did have a twist that left me shocked, but it also felt unfinished with that last sentence on the last page.
Overall, the books are okay for the thrills, but that's about it.

[Katelyn Kappel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was truly amazing. The suspense, the thrills, the type of writing in general. R.L Stine is such a good author; he can make you scared for YOUR life. I have only read three of these books so far, but I am genuinely in love with them. The series drew me into my love of reading and writing and I couldn't be more grateful. I recommend this to anyone who likes horror or thrillers. I read my first 'Fear Street' book at age nine in the fifth grade. You're never too young to start reading and exploring.

Fear Street Super Thriller: Nightmares: (2 Books in 1: The Dead Boyfriend; Give me a K-I-L-L)
R.L. Stine

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I did not see those twists coming, especially that first one. Still not entirely sure how I feel about the ending of the first one. For the second story (Give me a K-I-L-L), wow. I kind of knew who was behind it, but then Stine threw me off with that twist toward the end and made me doubt my suspicions, but then gave us another twist that confirmed my original suspicions. That was a crazy ride. But what's with the "meet cute" scenes? Why are the guys in both stories trying to guess the girl's name when they meet? It's fine for one story, but I wouldn't do it again in another. Still, these are fast-paced, fun reads with some interesting twists, which is exactly what I needed right now.

[Elena Tomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall the book was okay...the format of the book itself was annoying because each chapter was so short and made the book seem longer than it really is. It had way too many cliffhangers and instead of the attempt of making the book seem more interesting, it was too much and became annoyingly frustrating and confusing. The writing of the author was pretty good though and the words used were decent, so I could definitely picture the scenes of the book in my head. The 2nd story was much better than the 1st so Stine should have started off the book with the 2nd one in order to make me want to continue reading it. I almost gave up after the 1st story but kept reading anyway. Stine's other fear street books were definitely much better and would get a five-star rating, this one was just okay.

[Hannah (The Curiouser & Curiouser) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this at a used bookstore on a whim. R.L. Stine was one of the authors who got me addicted to reading when I was younger, and I still have a collection of the early Fear Street books I have from him.

Maybe its just because I'm older now, but this 2-in-1 book just wasn't the same. I didn't care for the characters and there was just something lacking about the stories. The Babysitter series and Dangerous Girls books R.L. Stine wrote are some classics from him and are still stories I remember with fondness. If you're looking to read a good book by this author, I'd recommend starting there.

[Shad Mohd. Algari · Rating 2 out of 5]

lol I never learn! Every time I try convincing myself that R.L. Stine books are no longer age-appropriate for me comes a new one and I go flyyyyying to buy it and end up rating it 2-stars 😂
Call it nostalgia, if you will, but I am n e v e r getting over Stine's writing style, covers and overall genre 💜

[Darque Dreamer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say that Give Me a K-I-L-L was probably my favorite book out of the six, but there were some discrepancies in the stories in regards to the first two duos. Again, this duo was classic, cheesy, R.L. Stine, so I'd say his books are always worth a read, like wanting to watch a really bad horror film.

[Joella Foster · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this on a whim because *halloween*. I used to love reading RL Stine’s Goosebumps and Fear Street series, and can vividly remember how much they scared me when I was younger.

The Dead Boyfriend
Now that I know how this story ends, looking back, it has an interesting premise. However, the ending still makes absolutely no sense, and made the rest of the story pointless and feel like a waste of time. Additionally, the main character is kind of a sucky person. I hated how she treated her friends, and her instalove with her boyfriend drove me insane.

Give Me a K-I-L-L
I liked the overall premise of this book a lot more, and the ending made a lot more sense. I do think the final confrontation happened way too quickly after such a long build up. Unfortunately, just like in the first book, the teen main character kind of sucked. Her completely unwarranted hatred of her mother was annoying to read, and I feel like was never really explained. This ends on a bit of an unfinished note with a final twist, which is typical of RL Stine, and is a turn I did not see coming at all, unlike The Dead Boyfriend, where I saw the final twist from miles away.

Overall - I enjoyed reading these, and they were incredibly quick (I finished them both in one day). It was nostalgic, which is what I was looking for. If you go into it knowing that these are meant to be more about the twist and gimmicks and suspense, then by all means read it. Just don't expect any likable characters or for them to do logical or rational things. Sometimes it’s just fun to see what Stine comes up with, because he does have a lot of cool ideas. Just maybe not the greatest execution.

[AmyM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read all the books in the Fear Street Relaunch this month and my top 3 stories in order were Give Me A K-I-L-L (favorite), Don’t Stay Up Late, and Can You Keep A Secret. The other three stories were a little too far-fetched for me, even for Fear Street. I’ve always liked RL Stine’s wild imagination and fun little cliffhangers at the end of each chapter. Quick reads.

[Tracy Diaz · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was a little childish for me, I realized this when Caitlin and Blake decided they were gonna be super funny if they made out in the middle of the room talking about “they’ll say get a room” I mean obviously? She killed Blake way to fast for me and then Deena being a Fear to bring him back to life? Come on DNF at page 125

[Ivory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both books were amazing! The Dead Boyfriend was good but Give Me A K-I-L-L was better! TDB gave off this eery dramatic feeling and GMAK gave off a mean girls but like if it was a mystery murder. I can’t say anything else or i’ll spoil it. Just know GMAK had me gasping at the end. Yes it really did take me 4 days to read both of them.

[Destiny Little · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the whole book in 1 sitting. This was one of those novels that has you reading so fast trying to see what is going to happen. You skip over paragraphs and then have to go back and read them. No spoilers, but the ending of the first book I never saw coming. I figured out the ending of the 2nd, I'm good at guessing like that. I love all of R.L Stines' books, so maybe I'm just biased. 😅

[Conner McCall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that the second story was very good until the end when Stine tried to pull the main character has been insane the whole time thing before backtracking and making it Sid. And I absolutely hated the final sentence of the book. The first story was also very good but suffered from a bad ending. In all I would give this a 2.75

[Ezza Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay why is the name of the main character inthe second book is nit the same as in the book.. who is heather wyatt?

But I did enjoyed both of the books so this is a 4 star from me. It's a roller coaster ride all the way through and I inhaled the stories like it's nothing. It's a lot better than the previous books.

[Anna Shiverdecker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just finished the first book and I'm still not sure how I feel about the end. It was properly set up as best as I can think, and it justified a certain author choice I was questioning the point of up until the end, but it also didn't quite satisfy. Maybe that's the price for that kind of twist - you just aren't as satisfied with a full story but are supposed to appreciate the gimmick.

Anyway, I know the Fear Street doesn't have the best rep, but it's pretty nostalgic to me. I picked this up for that reason, but I was surprised to find it was written and published recently rather than just being a re-release. To be honest, I didn't like the modern touches with mentions of Netflix and FaceTime and the like. I kinda feel like Shadyside should sort of be out of time, always stuck in the 80's or whatever. I think that kind of setting is more interesting for horror. But maybe that's just my nostalgia talking.

The writing is fine, even good at points. Stine does suspense very well. It's just the characters that are maybe a little too one-noted? There were a few times where I thought people don't talk like that, but I didn't find it as bad as some other reviews have suggested. Then again, I'm not a teenage anymore either.

***

And now I've finished the second book. I liked the ending a lot better in this one, even if I kind of saw it coming. It did still surprise me and had a lot of interesting elements. However, leading up to the ending was a bit painful. Again, the modern things put me off and pulled me out of the story, but mainly I was bothered by the events leading up to the end, because it just seemed to not make sense. There were a lot of problems with this story both plot-wise and character-wise. The biggest thing that bothered me was the fire batons. Those aren't really that dangerous. You can clamp onto one of those ends for a second and be just fine and it doesn't burn that hot. If it were as dangerous as all that, there's no way high school kids would be allowed anywhere near it. Anyway, it was just things like that and the fact that the mother didn't do something that I think was played down a lot because the plot called for it.

Still, overall, I enjoyed reading these. It was nostalgic, despite it being modernized. If you know what you're getting into, that these are meant more to be about the twist and gimmicks and suspense, then by all means read it. Just don't expect any likable characters or for them to do logical things or talk normally or rationally. It's fine for what it is, just know it's not trying to do the same things as most of the newer published stuff. I guess that's actually part of why I like it. I don't have to take it too seriously and just see what interesting things Stine comes up with, because he does come up with cool ideas. Just maybe not the greatest execution.

[readbyreed · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually wanted to give it a 1.5
It’s just... the dead boyfriend was so boring and the main character was irksome
And give me a K-I-L-L was ok I guess I liked the story line and plot twist at the end but it just didn’t tickle my fancy

[Shara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Storyline were painful until the end ... he uses the same lines in two stories when a guy is trying to figure out a girl's name. It just wasn't the fear street books I loved in the 90s and the stories fell flat for me.

[Toniele Stoner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Fear Street as a teen, and they're still pretty entertaining. R.L Stine just has a way of keeping the reader guessing. You never know what's going to happen. Out of these two, I definitely enjoyed 'Give Me A K-I-L-L' a little more.

[Ethan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Dead Boyfriend

So so so so so bad. Do yourself a favor and don’t pick this book up

1/5 stars

Give Me a K-I-L-L

Meh it was ok definitely a lot better than The Dead Boyfriend.

3/5 stars

[Alaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't care what others think because I loved both books. The Dead Boyfriend ends in SUCH a plot twist! As for the other one, it's not as great, but I still loved it!

[Lydia Richards · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Dead Boyfriend was awesome and then disappointing but Give Me a K-I-L-L saved it! I think both problems are the endings of the stories and don't have a clear conclusion.

[Nora Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first one gave me chills the second book had more plot twist than anticipated but quickly fell in love.

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

At this point, I only read these books for nostalgia.

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was soooo good! Each story was great in it’s own way. I didn’t expect the ending for either stories and I definitely recommend picking up a copy of this book.