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Happy Death Day & Happy Death Day 2U
The official novelization of the #1 smash hit film Happy Death Day and its sequel Happy Death Day 2U , from Blumhouse ( Split , Get Out , The Purge franchise) and Universal Pictures.
In Happy Death Day , Teresa "Tree" Gelbman's birthday is the worst day of her life, starting when she wakes up in a stranger's bed. It's also the last day of her life, ending when she's killed by a psychotic killer with a knife. She's dead. And then she wakes up in a stranger's bed, it's September 18, and she has to live it all over again . . . until she's hunted down and wakes up, again, and again. It's a Groundhog Day situation, only with murder, guns, and mean girls, and Tree's only shot at living to see the next day is to relive the day of her murder, over and over, until she discovers her killer's identity.
Happy Death Day 2U picks up the story without missing a beat. Tree Gelbman thought she'd finally lived to see a brand-new day. But when she wakes up on her same birthday and an all-new psychopath in a mask is out to kill her and her friends, she's going to find out that all the rules have changed. Death makes a killer comeback.
In Happy Death Day , Teresa "Tree" Gelbman's birthday is the worst day of her life, starting when she wakes up in a stranger's bed. It's also the last day of her life, ending when she's killed by a psychotic killer with a knife. She's dead. And then she wakes up in a stranger's bed, it's September 18, and she has to live it all over again . . . until she's hunted down and wakes up, again, and again. It's a Groundhog Day situation, only with murder, guns, and mean girls, and Tree's only shot at living to see the next day is to relive the day of her murder, over and over, until she discovers her killer's identity.
Happy Death Day 2U picks up the story without missing a beat. Tree Gelbman thought she'd finally lived to see a brand-new day. But when she wakes up on her same birthday and an all-new psychopath in a mask is out to kill her and her friends, she's going to find out that all the rules have changed. Death makes a killer comeback.
288 pages, Paperback
Published February 19, 2019
About the author
Aaron Hartzler
4 books430 followersAaron Hartzler is the author of Rapture Practice (Little, Brown), a memoir about getting kicked out of his Christian high school two weeks before graduation. The New York Times called Rapture Practice "effervescent and moving, evocative and tender." It was also named one of Kirkus Reviews and Amazon's Best Books of 2013, and was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. His second book, a novel called What We Saw, was published by HarperTeen on September 22, 2015. It's the story of a girl named Kate whose friend is assaulted by student athletes at a party, and how Kate navigates small town politics to find out what really happened. Aaron lives at the beach in Los Angeles with his husband, Brant, and their two rescue dogs, Charlie and Brahms. You can find him on Twitter and Facebook.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
June 11, 2019
Many thanks to Anchor Books & Blumhouse Books for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review
I loved Happy Death Day (the movie) and the novelization was no exception. It had all the original scares, charm and compelling plot that the movie did. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy Happy Death Day 2U. It definitely wasn't the author's fault. He did the best he could with what he was given. They just took Happy Death Day and stripped it of all the humor that made it good. The science fiction wasn't well done or enjoyable. That said, it was a quick read and was slightly enjoyable and interesting.
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June 8, 2019
Not bad, but it follows the movies line by line. No additional scenes. :(
February 21, 2019
It's fun to have movie novelizations back, I used to love them when I was younger. Hartzler does a good job of putting the movies into word. Not a whole lot of info beyond the films which is always the best part.
April 8, 2019
Pretty entertaining adaptation of the two films. It does, however, suffer from severe pacing issues and it is chalked full of spelling errors.
September 3, 2024
"She felt a little wave of embarrassment that she existed in a world where she just assumed that everyone was straight. Of course they weren’t. She’d seen movies from the ’80s where being gay was this big shameful secret and coming out was a horrible ordeal. Even in the reruns of Dawson’s Creek she’d loved as a kid, after poor Jack came out all he seemed to do was cry about it. But things had changed. There were kids in her class back in junior high who had come out, and nobody seemed to care. She certainly didn’t, so she’d never considered that it might still be a difficult thing. Tree understood all at once, no questions asked, that it would be a huge deal for Tim. Sure, marriage equality was the law of the land now, but for a guy coming out to his fraternity brothers at Bayfield University? That was not an easy conversation".
La segunda (y tercera?) novelización del año. En este caso vuelvo con una historia de terror aunque con mezcla de comedia que en película (sobre todo la primera) me encantó pero que al ser pasada en papel me dejó algo frío y aquí están mis razones.
La historia nos cuenta sobre Tree Gelbman, que el día de su cumleaños despierta en una habitación que no conoce y tiene un día muy extraño que acaba cuando es asesinada por alguien solo para despertar el mismo día en la misma habitación. Así es como Tree queda atrapada en en el tiempo y deberá vencer al asesino que va tras ella antes de que pueda vivir otro día.
La historia tiene un tropo que ya ha sido usado antes, que es el loop de tiempo, pero esta vez para jugar con una historia de horror, pero con mucha comedia que la vuelve una historia interesante y divertida de leer. La novelización restaca muy bien esos elementos, pero falla en no expandir más allá de eso. Es casi como leer la película escena por escena, expandiendo un poco los sentimientos y reflexiones de Tree, pero poco más. Hablando únicamente del primer libro, esperaba encontrarme con más transfondo de los personajes y sus relaciones, algo que se puede hacer en una novela, cuyo formato es más amplio que lo que se puede poner en una película de una hora y media. La historia fluye bien y el final es satisfactorio. Lo que más amo y destaco de esta historia es el desarrollo que tiene el personaje de Tree, que cambia de manera muy orgánica con el avance de la trama y sus sucesivas muertes.
Con respecto al segundo, la cosa se pone más complicada porque la segunda película me gustó menos que la primera. La historia se vuelve algo más complicada, sacandola del campo del horror para meter elementos de ciencia ficción que sentí estaban algo demás. Claro, hay una explicación de porque se cree el loop, pero podía vivir sin ella. La historia de nuevo carece de expansión, aunque si se le da algo de transfondo al personaje de Ryan y un poco más de desarrollo a Tree, aunque sigo prefiriendo todo lo que creció el primer libro.
Para mí el principal error fue poner ambas novelizaciones en una sola edición. Claro, son dos trabajos relativamente cortos así que, económicamente hablando, porque es mejor un libro con dos historias que sumen 300 y algo páginas, que 2 de 150, pero el problema es que al ser un solo trabajo, uno afecta al otro. La novelización del primer es bastante sencilla pero puede dar para 4 estrellas, pero la del segundo hace que se quede en 3. Lamentablemente las cosas son así y la decisión de venderlas en conjunto. La historia no deja de ser interesante aunque si has visto la película es poco y nada lo que aporta más allá de recordarla.
Las novelizaciones de Happy Death Day y Happy Death Day 2U no aportan demasiado pero si eres fan de las películas te dará un momento entretenido para recordarlas y sumergirte de nuevo en la historia de Tree Gelbman, que solo por el desarrollo que se le da consigue valer la pena.
La segunda (y tercera?) novelización del año. En este caso vuelvo con una historia de terror aunque con mezcla de comedia que en película (sobre todo la primera) me encantó pero que al ser pasada en papel me dejó algo frío y aquí están mis razones.
La historia nos cuenta sobre Tree Gelbman, que el día de su cumleaños despierta en una habitación que no conoce y tiene un día muy extraño que acaba cuando es asesinada por alguien solo para despertar el mismo día en la misma habitación. Así es como Tree queda atrapada en en el tiempo y deberá vencer al asesino que va tras ella antes de que pueda vivir otro día.
La historia tiene un tropo que ya ha sido usado antes, que es el loop de tiempo, pero esta vez para jugar con una historia de horror, pero con mucha comedia que la vuelve una historia interesante y divertida de leer. La novelización restaca muy bien esos elementos, pero falla en no expandir más allá de eso. Es casi como leer la película escena por escena, expandiendo un poco los sentimientos y reflexiones de Tree, pero poco más. Hablando únicamente del primer libro, esperaba encontrarme con más transfondo de los personajes y sus relaciones, algo que se puede hacer en una novela, cuyo formato es más amplio que lo que se puede poner en una película de una hora y media. La historia fluye bien y el final es satisfactorio. Lo que más amo y destaco de esta historia es el desarrollo que tiene el personaje de Tree, que cambia de manera muy orgánica con el avance de la trama y sus sucesivas muertes.
Con respecto al segundo, la cosa se pone más complicada porque la segunda película me gustó menos que la primera. La historia se vuelve algo más complicada, sacandola del campo del horror para meter elementos de ciencia ficción que sentí estaban algo demás. Claro, hay una explicación de porque se cree el loop, pero podía vivir sin ella. La historia de nuevo carece de expansión, aunque si se le da algo de transfondo al personaje de Ryan y un poco más de desarrollo a Tree, aunque sigo prefiriendo todo lo que creció el primer libro.
Para mí el principal error fue poner ambas novelizaciones en una sola edición. Claro, son dos trabajos relativamente cortos así que, económicamente hablando, porque es mejor un libro con dos historias que sumen 300 y algo páginas, que 2 de 150, pero el problema es que al ser un solo trabajo, uno afecta al otro. La novelización del primer es bastante sencilla pero puede dar para 4 estrellas, pero la del segundo hace que se quede en 3. Lamentablemente las cosas son así y la decisión de venderlas en conjunto. La historia no deja de ser interesante aunque si has visto la película es poco y nada lo que aporta más allá de recordarla.
Las novelizaciones de Happy Death Day y Happy Death Day 2U no aportan demasiado pero si eres fan de las películas te dará un momento entretenido para recordarlas y sumergirte de nuevo en la historia de Tree Gelbman, que solo por el desarrollo que se le da consigue valer la pena.
September 21, 2022
next is danielles loop. i really hope they make another movie/book bc like, i watched the first movie 12x soooo.
also goodreads pls count this as two books bc technically it is, thats why it says i took so long to complete, i read the first then took a break & read other things before coming back. anyways, loved it obvi, def read
also goodreads pls count this as two books bc technically it is, thats why it says i took so long to complete, i read the first then took a break & read other things before coming back. anyways, loved it obvi, def read
May 16, 2019
I picked this book up when I saw the trailer for the movies. I didn't watch the movies (yet). I love time loop stories, so I'm definitely biased in favour of the story. I've found there are two main kinds of time loops. The first is when you go through 100s of loops waiting for it to end. This includes movies like groundhog day; edge of tomorrow; and poor dean winchester in Supernatural. The second is when the loop ends when you solved a mystery. This includes one of my favourite tv shows Day Break (from 2006) which nobody else has ever heard of apparently. This book is the latter.
I really liked the first book. The main character learns a little more with each loop until it ends with her murder every day. It finally ends when she finds out who keeps killing her. It's interesting to see how she tries to live (barricading herself, chasing down suspects, attacking the convict, etc) through her iterations. The villain doesn't know about the time loop, so it's a bit of a stretch to see how they kill Tree every single time. But it's entertaining so I'll roll with it. My only complaint is one particular line from the narrator. Frustrated at the alarm going off, she yells "shut up shut up shut up". She definitely can't pull off the iconic Rie Kugimiya, but I'm probably the only one thinking of Shakugan no Shana.
The second book was a bit more...complex? That was kinda weird and I think I didn't fully follow that. Poor tree doesn't get killed every day this time, so she resorts to jumping off a building with a noose to force reset. I felt it wasn't as good as the first book because she's deliberately looping so many times just so the scientists can cross out a different algorithm each time. The algorithms are very inhuman and uninteresting. Compare that with the mystery tv series Day Break where the main character is investigating a different lead each time, interrogating a different witness or preventing a different crime. The first book had a different death scene each time which kept it fun. There was one hilarious scene. I've already forgotten the character's name, so I'll just call her Cordelia Chase (a la buffy the vampire slayer). The scooby gang needs a distraction to steal the dean's key, so the wanna-be actress Cordelia becomes a blind french exchange student.
On a side note, I was a little surprised by how short this book is. Each one is just a short novella. I'm going over the movie novelization of The Terminator, which is a full length novel. I was expecting to get more death scenes and funny scenes. I suspect the book followed the movie very closely and didn't add much extra.
I really liked the first book. The main character learns a little more with each loop until it ends with her murder every day. It finally ends when she finds out who keeps killing her. It's interesting to see how she tries to live (barricading herself, chasing down suspects, attacking the convict, etc) through her iterations. The villain doesn't know about the time loop, so it's a bit of a stretch to see how they kill Tree every single time. But it's entertaining so I'll roll with it. My only complaint is one particular line from the narrator. Frustrated at the alarm going off, she yells "shut up shut up shut up". She definitely can't pull off the iconic Rie Kugimiya, but I'm probably the only one thinking of Shakugan no Shana.
The second book was a bit more...complex? That was kinda weird and I think I didn't fully follow that. Poor tree doesn't get killed every day this time, so she resorts to jumping off a building with a noose to force reset. I felt it wasn't as good as the first book because she's deliberately looping so many times just so the scientists can cross out a different algorithm each time. The algorithms are very inhuman and uninteresting. Compare that with the mystery tv series Day Break where the main character is investigating a different lead each time, interrogating a different witness or preventing a different crime. The first book had a different death scene each time which kept it fun. There was one hilarious scene. I've already forgotten the character's name, so I'll just call her Cordelia Chase (a la buffy the vampire slayer). The scooby gang needs a distraction to steal the dean's key, so the wanna-be actress Cordelia becomes a blind french exchange student.
On a side note, I was a little surprised by how short this book is. Each one is just a short novella. I'm going over the movie novelization of The Terminator, which is a full length novel. I was expecting to get more death scenes and funny scenes. I suspect the book followed the movie very closely and didn't add much extra.
July 10, 2019
I really enjoyed both movies, both directed by Christopher Landon (the son of Michael Landon). I wasn’t expecting to like the sequel as much as I did the first one - which was a breath of fresh air in the horror/thriller world - but it really took the original film and made you think differently about it.
So I was excited to see that there was two movie novelisations about them, by the same author, in the same volume. Both novelisations are quite short and snappy - there isn’t much in the way of additional scenes so it’s sticks pretty closely to what you see on screen. Obviously there are some additional minor changes on screen, in the way of dialogue changes and some additional deaths. The ending is very, very slightly different, which the film going for the more additional shock factor.
The one thing I would say is the additional detail that the novelisations goes into is excellent. All the minor background stuff, that would have perhaps passed you by on screen (the movie posters on Carter’s wall, the “reflection” in the glass), all the little nuances that the director has added in, perhaps little in jokes or nods to other movies. I really love the detail, as it adds to the book, rather than detracting from it.
There is going to be a third film, although I’m not quite sure where they will go from here. I wasn’t really sure where the sequel would go from the first one, so I’m hoping I will be pleasantly surprised. Can I ask for the same author to do the novelisation, please?
The one quibble i do have about the book (which isn’t really a quibble, just me being pedantic) is that there’s not the same urgency to the book as there is to the film. There was one point during the film, where I was literally on the edge of my seat. The author has tried to make this feel more urgent, by making the chapters relatively short, but it just doesn’t quite work the same way as it did on screen. But again, me being pedantic.
This is quite a quick read, as even with two books, it’s only 277 pages long. And it’s an enjoyable read if you’ve recently seen and loved the films. Don’t go into this expecting more than what you saw on screen or additional scenes. And I still don’t quite understand how Sissy works. However, they are both excellent novelisations and highly worthwhile picking up - even if they are a little overpriced in my opinion.
So I was excited to see that there was two movie novelisations about them, by the same author, in the same volume. Both novelisations are quite short and snappy - there isn’t much in the way of additional scenes so it’s sticks pretty closely to what you see on screen. Obviously there are some additional minor changes on screen, in the way of dialogue changes and some additional deaths. The ending is very, very slightly different, which the film going for the more additional shock factor.
The one thing I would say is the additional detail that the novelisations goes into is excellent. All the minor background stuff, that would have perhaps passed you by on screen (the movie posters on Carter’s wall, the “reflection” in the glass), all the little nuances that the director has added in, perhaps little in jokes or nods to other movies. I really love the detail, as it adds to the book, rather than detracting from it.
There is going to be a third film, although I’m not quite sure where they will go from here. I wasn’t really sure where the sequel would go from the first one, so I’m hoping I will be pleasantly surprised. Can I ask for the same author to do the novelisation, please?
The one quibble i do have about the book (which isn’t really a quibble, just me being pedantic) is that there’s not the same urgency to the book as there is to the film. There was one point during the film, where I was literally on the edge of my seat. The author has tried to make this feel more urgent, by making the chapters relatively short, but it just doesn’t quite work the same way as it did on screen. But again, me being pedantic.
This is quite a quick read, as even with two books, it’s only 277 pages long. And it’s an enjoyable read if you’ve recently seen and loved the films. Don’t go into this expecting more than what you saw on screen or additional scenes. And I still don’t quite understand how Sissy works. However, they are both excellent novelisations and highly worthwhile picking up - even if they are a little overpriced in my opinion.
April 13, 2020
So this is 2 books in one, they are both short enough and the story isn't complete without both, so I feel like it should just be one book.... that being said, because it's not 1 book, it's impacting my review. The first book I would give a 2/5 stars. I hated Tree until almost the end. And while I love Carter, it wasn't enough to earn a higher rating when the last 4-5 chapters of the book were so rushed you were left assuming and guessing answers to questions. That being said, I LOVED book two even though it was even shorter, it seemed more well done and more questions were answered. I don't want to give anything away with spoilers so I won't go into more details. I would have given book two 4/5 stars. So if you choose to read this, make sure to read both or I don't think it would be worth it. One other concern from both books, there are no cop integration/interviewing scenes, its a question I had lingering from both books and one that is never answered, if people die (not going into who/when/what, but death day, its in the title) if someone dies and others are around, wouldn't they be questioned by the cops, and that is never brought up even a little.
October 15, 2022
FIRST THING TO REMEMBER: MOVIES CAME FIRST, THEN, THE BOOK
It is just like the movie, almost word for word. But, if you want to know what Tree was thinking or why some of the things she did seemed dumb, then, yeah, you might like this book. I LOVED the movies, but, it's been a few years and many, many, many movies ago. So, I've forgotten a lot about what was in the movies, for me, this worked wonders. As I read it, I didn't recall everything that happened, so, there was still a few surprises. If you don't like books that completely follows the movie, then you won't like this one. But, then again, it's a book based on the movie, so, there's that. It's a lot like Coraline - it was wrote WHILE they were filming the movie, and the movie added so much that, to me bogged it down. This is the movies, plain and simple. Loved the movies, loved the book.
It is just like the movie, almost word for word. But, if you want to know what Tree was thinking or why some of the things she did seemed dumb, then, yeah, you might like this book. I LOVED the movies, but, it's been a few years and many, many, many movies ago. So, I've forgotten a lot about what was in the movies, for me, this worked wonders. As I read it, I didn't recall everything that happened, so, there was still a few surprises. If you don't like books that completely follows the movie, then you won't like this one. But, then again, it's a book based on the movie, so, there's that. It's a lot like Coraline - it was wrote WHILE they were filming the movie, and the movie added so much that, to me bogged it down. This is the movies, plain and simple. Loved the movies, loved the book.
December 18, 2019
My opinion for happy death day 2 book is that it’s a great book, In this book there is a psychotic killer with a baby mask on that is trying to kill a girl named Jessica on her birthday, but they are just visualizations and she sees this happen every time she wakes up, but until she finds out who her killer is she will be left alone . I would recommend this book to people who like to read horror books my favorite quote in this book is when Rayan says “this crazy white girl” what he is trying to say is that she is not saying the truth and is lying.
April 23, 2019
I had seen the movie Happy Death Day and enjoyed it. It was funny, scary, mysterious and had me guessing as to who could be the killer. The book followed the lines of the movie exactly. I haven't seen the sequel, so I was reading it cold and I found it equally as funny and suspenseful as the first and I just love endings like this one. I'm wanting another book in this series now!
June 17, 2026
Une novélisation (presque) meilleure que les films originaux ! Ce roman regroupe l'adaptation de Happy Death Day et sa suite Happy Death Day 2U. J'ai trouvé le concept génial et super original. La boucle temporelle dont Tree est prisonnière nous rend presque aussi fou qu'elle et on se demande qui est le tueur tout au long du récit. Super histoire !
January 8, 2020
Loved the movie & loved the books even more. The time loop premise is my fav type so I was biased already but the adorableness & deep of Tree, the romance of her & Carter & the second time loop sequence was amazing!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2019
This was really good. Made me feel like I was watching both movies again. Highly recommend if you like the movie or you just wast a quick fun read. Finished in a day.
May 4, 2019
These were fun !! I have only seen the first movie and this was pretty great for a movie adapted into a book ....
May 6, 2019
Not too different from the movies other than some more insight from the main character. Not the most creative screenplay adaptation, but if you like the films, you'll like this.
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September 16, 2019I think it was well based off the movie.
October 24, 2020
Contemplating on watching the movie(s) after reading this. It was mildly funny and entertaining.
September 25, 2021
i love to watch this movie yall. and the book is even greater.
August 15, 2022
Reads as a beat by beat novelization of the films. If you’ve seen them, you’re not missing anything.
September 13, 2022
I truly enjoyed this novelization. I am a huge fan of the film series, so that helps. Highly recommend if you are too!
January 29, 2023
One of my favourite movies but unfortunately, novelization didn't do it justice.
July 30, 2023
I enjoyed both of these as much as the movie. Well written and fun.
October 30, 2023
all of this over a professor
August 10, 2024
This did just have the effect of making me want to watch the movies again. I was hoping the books would add some depth to the script but it's just a beat for beat retelling - which isn't bad, especially if you've gone a while without watching the source material, then it's a nice refresher.
August 19, 2025
A "good read" for fans of the genre, but not enough to make new Horror fans.
April 29, 2019
Audio book: Audio quality: excellent, Narration:good
This book wasn't my cup of tea. I didn't like this author's writing style and the slow paced and rather boring story made things even worse.
This book wasn't my cup of tea. I didn't like this author's writing style and the slow paced and rather boring story made things even worse.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews