Death of a Cheerleader

Riverdale #4

by Micol Ostow

Betty and Veronica's cheerleading retreat with the River Vixens was supposed to be fun -- not deadly.
Betty, Veronica, Cheryl, and the rest of the River Vixens are heading out of town for the weekend on a cheerleading retreat. So Archie, Jughead, and the rest of the guys decide to have a poker night at La Bonne Nuit. But a storm causes the power to go out, and the speakeasy goes into lockdown. When the lights come back on, all of the cash is gone. The thief has to be someone the guys know -- but who?

A few hours away, the River Vixens are ready to enjoy a few days of nature and team bonding. But when they arrive at the cheerleading camp, there are two other feuding squads already there. The team from Stonewall Prep claims that the Greendale girls are the reason one of their teammates went missing two years ago.

Betty and Veronica volunteer to investigate after creepy things start happening all over camp. And when one of the cheerleaders nearly drowns in the lake, B&V know they have to find out the truth before anyone else gets hurt -- or worse.

This original Riverdale novel features a story not seen on the show!

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Death, Audiobook, Book Club

304 pages, Paperback

First published May 5, 2020

About the author

Micol Ostow has been writing professionally since 2004, and in that time has written and/or ghostwritten over 40 published works for young readers. She started her reign of terror with Egmont with her novel FAMILY, which Elizabeth Burns named a favorite of 2012 on her School Library Journal-syndicated blog, A Chair, a Fireplace, a Tea Cozy. Micol's graphic novel, SO PUNK ROCK (and Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother), was named a 2009 Booklist Top Ten Arts Books for Youth Selection, a Booklist Top Ten Religion Books for Youth Selection, and a Sydney Taylor Notable Book for Teens. She received her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Her young adult horror novel, AMITY, will release from Egmont in August 2014, and her first chapter book series, LOUISE TRAPEZE, will debut in Spring 2015 from Random House.

She lives and works in Brooklyn, NY, alongside her Emmy Award-winning husband, their daughter, and a finicky French bulldog. Visit her at www.micolostow.com.

Reviews

[Charlotte May · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Riverdale was the devil we knew…the town was a part of us, simultaneously fortifying us even as it rotted us from the inside out.”

A further step into the world of Riverdale!

This time the girls are on a sleep away cheerleading camp during a terrible storm. The camp is not without its gruesome stories though - including a young girl who was bullied by the other girls and disappeared.

Meanwhile the boys arrange a poker night at La Bonne Nuit. But when there is a power outage, they could be in a lot more danger than they realise.

I enjoyed this tale, it has all the spooky elements you’d expect from Riverdale. A good mixture of POVs and at times pretty horrific.

Only one book left in this series!

“Maybe there is no safe place, not for us. Maybe we’re the cursed ones. Wherever we go, murder and mayhem seem to follow.”

[Books.and.brews_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

We follow the River Vixens as they head to a cheerleading retreat at an out-of-season camp, only to find out that they aren't the only cheerleaders there, and there are no adults. As with all camps there are urban myths floating around, one in particular involving the other two cheer squads. Is this myth actually true? Is it related to all the strange happenings? Who actually organised this retreat? Can the case get cracked before anyone else gets hurt?


With the girls out of town, the boys decide to hold a poker game at La Bonne Nuit. When a power outage causes the lights and security cameras to turn off. When the power comes back on all the money is missing? Who is top of the suspect list?


Death of a Cheerleader is told from multiple P.O.Vs through the story from the main four, Cheryl, Reggie and occasionally Pop Tate!


This is a story that is not part of the T.V series but it takes on just after season three and the characters are all struggling with their own battles. Veronica and Betty are both dealing with different parental struggles, Archie is in mourning, and Jughead is trying to connect with and support JB from afar as she struggles with being left behind.


Ostow has once again created a brilliant dark and twisted story. You don't need to have seen the show to read these but it definitely helps! I have really enjoyed reading this series and can't wait to see what one comes next!


Thank you so much Scholastic for sending me a copy in exchange for a review 

Riverdale: Death of a Cheerleader is available now!RRP: $16.99

[Julie (Bookish.Intoxication) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Returning to Micol Ostow's Riverdale is always a joy. Back to this messed up band of friends and their crazy little town.

Death of a Cheerleader follows events of season 4 of the Netflix series. As always Ostow effortlessly joins her novels to the show, allowing for readers to go from tv to book with no hassle at all. The characters read and feel the same as those we love from the show.

Death of a cheerleader takes us inside the minds of our beloved characters in a new way, things are changing so much for them, they are splitting up, starting new chapters and that change is scary. Ostow perfectly encapsulates that feeling of change and being overwhelmed.

I loved the inclusion of JB (Jelly Bean) in this book, it really showed the reader lore of what Jughead's home life is like and how much he loves and values his little sister. Not to mention how smart and savvy JB is!

This was a great addition to the Riverdale franchise, fast paced, mysterious and in true Riverdale form, never a dull moment.

Thank you to the team at Scholastic Australia for sending me out a review copy. All thoughts are my own.

Full review is live on my blog www.bookishintoxicationwrites.com

[Liviu Szoke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Destul de antrenantă pentru ce-și propune să facă, devenind chiar interesantă spre final, când ia la mișto filmele gen „Știu ce-ai făcut astă vară” și le oferă un zvâc nouă, de secol XXI. Doldora de referințe culte dintre cele mai variate, cu un limbaj când elevat, când argotic, dar mereu spumos, aventurile ieșite din comun ale adolescenților din Riverdale, unde mișună ucigașii în serie, sectanții, traficanții și maniacii, te țin cu sufletul la gură. Bașca, seria de volume mai e și fidelă serialului, din câte am auzit. :)

[Jodie- Readthewriteact · Rating 3 out of 5]

Out of all of the Riverdale books I gave read so far, this one is probably my least favourite. I just found that the events of the plot were family one dimensional and in the boys poker night, fairly juvenile. I think also because this book was essentially split between the boys and the girls it lacked in couple interactions and whatnot the core four which I love about the show. It did get bonus points though because we saw more of Toni and Cheryl.

[Marcin Boruchowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last book in this series.
Tells the story of two parallel events - the death of one of the cheerleaders at camp and the discovery of the mysterious disappearance of one of the high school students.
At this time, the men's group organized a poker meeting during which a mysterious theft occurs.

[Kyla Sixkiller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This captivating story delves into the characters' inner struggles as they navigate a period of immense change. Splitting up, starting new chapters, and facing the anxieties that come with it, Ostow brilliantly portrays the emotional turmoil of this transitional phase, making it relatable for readers.

A delightful addition is the inclusion of JB (Jellybean). This offers readers a glimpse into the lore of Jughead's home life and showcases the deep love and respect he has for his intelligent and resourceful little sister.


This is the only book so far that has really deviated from what we have seen on screen. There were a couple scenes where I had to pause and tell my husband that the book REALLY hit certain things better and clearly than the show did.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5/5
Quite disappointed with this story :(

[Joe Holman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the best of the four book series. The plot stayed focused which was a real plus. The characters also stayed true throughout. The plot was not tightly woven though and there were gaps that could have used more description. Also a few key elements that were implausible at best.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Besser als gedacht

[Between The Pages (Gemma M) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book four in the Riverdale series and this has to be the best one yet. The book flicks between a boys poker night, high stakes with some uninvited guests and a cheerleader weekend retreat. All set amongst one of the biggest storms to hit Riverdale making it even more creepy and spooky.
The Cheerleader retreat starts off badly being stuck on the flooded highway in a storm where they then have to walk to the retreat they never imagined. Amongst all this there are other cheer groups there, no adults and a war between two groups which turns deadly fast. This has to be the darkest book of the series so far. The creepiest and the spookiest. A brilliant, gripping read.
A well deserved four stars from me. Highly recommend. Another story that is apparantly not included in the tv series. I don't know if this is the final book of the series but I've really enjoyed reading them.

[Cari ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

This was a good 4th book! A little rushed and slightly cheesy but still good.

[Chloe Hollis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am obsessed with Riverdale and have all the books in this collection.
I didn’t think it would be that good to be honest but once I started reading it I could not put it down.
I just had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next.
Would recommend this book to anyone regardless if they like Riverdale or not.

[Frankie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved to see the different perspectives in this book and the story was great too, only thing I did find is that the ending comes too soon, we find out what the bad thing is and then the book is done and dusted. Feel like it would of been good if the villian in the book happened and then there was a bit more to read than them being done straight away.

[josh]

i can't believe i'm going to have to get my beronica content from this because the tv show is serving me crumbs at this point

[czytanienaszapasja · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5⭐
Bardzo lubię książki z tej serii. Uważam, że mają o wiele bardziej wykorzystany potencjał, niż fabuła w serialu!

[Trappedinmagic · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ich habe mich sehr gefreut, eine zusätzliche Geschichte von Riverdale lesen zu dürfen. Ich empfand es als eine gelungene Abwechslung während ich auf die nächste Staffel auf Netflix warte.
"Riverdale - Der Cheerleader Mord" ist der vierte Roman, den Micol Ostow im Rahmen von Riverdale und den Archie Comics verfasst hat. Dazu sei gesagt, dass es nicht schlimm ist, wenn man die anderen Bücher vorher nicht gelesen hat. Allerdings muss man schon die Serie geschaut haben, um die Personen und gesamten Zusammenhänge zu verstehen.
.
In dieser Geschichte bekommt man als Leser Perspektiven von den verschiedensten Charakteren. Die meisten stammen von Jughead, Betty, Veronica und Archie, was auch zu erwarten war. Dann gibt es aber auch noch andere Perspektiven, zum Beispiel von Cheryl, Reggie und sogar von Pop Tate. Ich habe es sehr gemocht, mich in den verschiedenen Perspektiven zu bewegen, wobei ich die POV von Jughead am liebsten gelesen habe. Das ging mir aber in der Serie schon so, ich liebe es, wenn Jughead über die Ereignisse in Riverdale berichtet und dabei seinem literarischen Ergüssen freien Lauf lässt. Auch fand ich es gut, dass die Autorin mit den verschiedenen POVs die Charakter wirklich so getroffen hat, wie sie in der Serie erscheinen. Jughead ist der Grübler, Archie ist der Gerechte, Betty ist die Schlaue, Veronica ist die Gerissene und Cheryl ist die Hochnäsige. Ich hatte in den verschiedenen POVs nicht das Gefühl, dass der Charakter der jeweiligen Person nicht dem entsprach, wie sie in der Serie zu sehen sind.
.
Der Schreibstil der Autorin ist sehr flüssig und leicht. Das Buch hatte einen sehr jugendlichen Stil (was bei einem Jugendbuch auch so sein sollte). Dazu wurden vor einigen Kapiteln Chatverläufe zwischen verschiedenen Personen eingeschleust, was den Fluss der Geschichte noch einmal auflockerte.
.
Schade fand ich es leider, dass der Spannungsbogen extrem gebraucht hat, um anzulaufen. Als ich auf Seite 200 war, hatte der Pokerabend immer noch nicht begonnen, geschweige denn, dass die Mädchen auf dem Campingplatz angekommen wären. Dann gab es ein paar Stolpersteine und ein wenig Spannung kam auf, die dann aber bis Seite 320 wieder abflaute. Die großen Lösungen der zwei verschiedenen Fälle kamen dann erst auf den letzten Seiten des Buches, was ich ziemlich schade fand, da sich dann dort alles überschlagen hat. Auch war mir das Mysterium, um welches es eigentlich ging zu schnell gelöst, zu einfach abgefertigt.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

On Wednesday, I finished ʀɪᴠᴇʀᴅᴀʟᴇ - ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ ᴏꜰ ᴀ ᴄʜᴇᴇʀʟᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ by Micol Ostow. The gorgeous cover with its well thought through design and colour scheme resembles a big part of the story perfectly.

The author's writing style is as thrilling as ever and I got sucked right into the story. Micol Ostow really has a great way with words and I absolutely love her world building skills. It felt as if you're walking right next to the characters through the woods and their emotions are extremely tangible. What confused me a bit, though, has been the fact that only a part of the story is about the death of a cheerleader as the title suggests. The other big part of the book spins around the activities and adventures of the boys while the girls are on their cheer retreat. Well, I guess it's double-action this time.

When it comes to the characters you'll meet quite a few of the more popular ones from Riverdale but you'll also get to meet some of the Stonewall Preppies as well as a few from Baxter High. I think the author did a great job with this little crossover of the High Schools in this universe without giving away too much from the other original stories. The characters are all what you'd expect and more. They're mean, kind, curious, courageous, and some are simply crazy for sure.

With ʀɪᴠᴇʀᴅᴀʟᴇ - ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ ᴏꜰ ᴀ ᴄʜᴇᴇʀʟᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ, the author created an easy, fun read for in between. It is full of secrets and mysteries to be solved and I can definitely recommend it to anyone who likes Riverdale. It is not necessary to watch the TV show beforehand but I'd advise to do so since it helps a lot to already know the characters and how they act in the various scenarios.

[James Crawford · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are two things going on in this book. One is the Riverdale cheerleaders going on a retreat and the other involves the male characters having a poker night.

Jughead has left Riverdale High to go to a different school. Archie's father is dead and Betty's mother had worked for the FBI so the book starts off with some interesting reveals.

The coach wants to prepare the girls for competition and that's the reason for the retreat. Unfortunately, the coach doesn't seem to be great on planning things like not checking on the weather first and not checking out the camp first to make sure it's right for the girls.

Result? Major storm, bus damage, girls walking to the camp that is not the camp of their dreams. It's more complicated than that, too.

Then there's a bit about Pop Tate and some kind of monster in a river and Josie and the Pussycats appearing. This part seems to me to just really be filler material.

Things go majorly wrong at the camp and at the poker game the lights go out, some thugs show up and some money goes missing but none of them seem to be the one to take the money.

Then there are Barbie dolls that aren't in the best shape, to put it mildly. There's a death and, at the poker game, something is revealed that is really easily expected.

I feel the poker game part was also basically a filler piece. The section about the cheerleaders was well done and I think could have been expanded to take up more of the book and the river monster dropped and the poker game given much less verbage.

I'm basically disappointed in this book. It could have been a contender.

[Shelly Hammond · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. It’s fun and if you are a fan of the show or old comic you may really like it as well. As far as what the story promises and what you get, well, that’s a bit of a different story.
Cheryl and her vixens, including Betty, Veronica, and Toni, are heading to a cheerleading retreat ou of town for the weekend. The guys are having a poker night at La Bonne Nuit. However, a storm hits and it throws everyone’s weekend off.
The boys have lost power and the speakeasy goes into lockdown. When the lights come back on, something has happened that leaves everyone tense. The girls are just a few hours away but after a grueling hike to the camp the girls just want to relax a bit and enjoy themselves. Of course that’s never going to happen when they come face to face with two feuding squads already there. When a few things happen the Riverdale girls do what they do best, investigate.
I’ll leave it there so I don’t tell you the whole book but this is good for the fun of the story but as far as the way the book leads you to believe you are going to be thrown into some sort of murder mystery, well that’s not really what you get. There are hints and stuff but as you read you realize that it’s really just a fun story. It’s definitely worth it if you like the other books or the series though.

[Véronique Laplante Grenier · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Death of a Cheerleader, Betty, Veronica, Cherryl and all of the Riverdale Vixen are going for a out of town retreat for a whole weekend.

But a storm have there bus go of road and the girls need to walk through the woods to get to camp. Once there not only that there's no staff but two others cheerleading squads, the Stonewall Prep and the one from Greendale. Stonewall's claim that Greendale is responsible for one of they own to went missing two years ago.

In Riverdale, Archie and Jughead have a Poker night at La Bonne Nuit with the other guys but the storm cause the power to go out.

Creepy things starts to happen all over the camp and at La Bonne Nuit when the powers back, money is missing. B&V needs to find the truth before anyone else get hurt after someone almost drown and the guys need to find the thieft.

The book takes place right after season 3. Really loved this book and its a great addition to the tv show. Hope for more books in the serie.

[Kelsey Zukowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Riverdale was the devil we knew. The town simultaneously fortified us as it rotted us from the inside out, even as it ate away at our very souls.”

Death of a Cheerleader offers an intriguing, foreboding mystery full of revenge and occult roots. The set up ties into some of the darkness we know or adjacent schools like the missing persons mystery of Stonewall Prep and the rumors of witchcraft at Greendale’s Baxter High (intersecting into the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina). There’s great suspense and possibilities building while still going a route that while not shocking, still offers a punch and escalation with personal tragedy and fire behind it.

It offers a mix of some of the storylines, mainly those involving the boys, being familiar to those in the show, and giving us a story that is a fresh adventure. Another fun and chilling Riverdale adventure.

[Steph Wu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you so much Scholastic for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I definitely enjoyed this one a lot more than the previous book however I found myself struggling to pick up from where we left off. I stopped following the tv show after season 2 so it took a while for me to figure out where everyone was and who these Stonewall kids were. - But I figured it out and definitely enjoyed the read.

This story definitely had a better plot compared to the others. I felt like this plot could actually have gone somewhere and I would have enjoyed it. Unfortunately, this plot didn't go anywhere and took forever to place into action.

As per usual, the writing definitely suits each individual character and I loved how there was a lot more Cheryl and Toni.

I would still say that the first book remains my favourite.

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, it did help with some of the story lines that have happened in season 4 of Riverdale and I think it's convinced me to watch the chilling adventures of Sabrina on Netflix now after they had an appearance in the book. It was a crossover between the Riverdale cheerleading squad, the stonewall prep and also the cheerleading team for the chilling adventures of Sabrina and it was so much fun to be back in this world again. Another good thing is that, we get to see sides of characters that we don't get to see much of from the TV show in the book, it was nice to hear Reggies side of things for once and not have Archie be the main character.

[Natalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

again four stars only because its riverdale, DONT HATE ME! well it was okay the Judy thingy was pretty predictable BUT very interesting. and the JB thingy was just unnecessary and annoying. i liked that we got to see how betty was feeling about the growing distance between her and jughead because i feel like in the series they didn’t show it that much and it was just hinted at at times. oh and archie was there. he really didn’t care about betty and veronica in my opinion. v was a bad bitch, but what do you expect? and cheryl.. i cant physically get over how well her character is written. its a masterpiece!

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't expect these to be good. But they do sometimes include interesting bits of info not included in the show. Specifically things fans constantly ask for more of, like Cheryl & Toni, and Jellybean, and Greendale. Plus, the show got cut short & won't be back until MAYBE January 2021, and I needed my fix of over the top cheese & camp. I added an extra star because the audiobook is performed by a full cast who try to imitate what the characters sound like on the show, which was exactly the fun ridiculousness I needed at the moment.

[Sarah Beth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really did not enjoy this book. I actually considered stopping reading but once I had started, I figured I might as well finish it. It felt very juvenile. I've read many young adult books as an adult but this one just felt so beneath my reading level. I thought the idea of text messages to tell parts of the story was interesting, but it still didn't make up for the rest of my lack of interest. Also, I had hoped the fact that Greendale and Baxter High being involved would include characters from Sabrina but I was disappointed on that front too.

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Format: Physical Book

Favourite Quote: Riverdale was the devil we knew…the town was a part of us, simultaneously fortifying us even as it rotted us from the inside out.

Review:
In my opinion, this book was a lot darker than the previous ones. I was definitely more interested in the cheerleaders storyline than the one with the boys at La Bon Nuit, but it was a good contrast to see how everyone was coping differently with the storm. These books are wildly entertaining and are a guilty pleasure of mine, as everything Riverdale is!

[Marianna Gibowska · Rating 2 out of 5]

No co ja mogę powiedzieć. Nudna, przewidywalna, tragicznie napisana, brak korekty, infantylna. Przez połowę książki nie dzieje się nic, jeden z dwóch głównych wątków jest absolutnie zbędny i nudny do potęgi, ten drugi miał potencjał, ale oczywiście cała sensowna akcja rozegrała się na ostatnich 30 stronach. Nie wspomnę nawet o tym, jak szkodliwe jest to zakończenie. Naprawdę dramat, ale gwiazdkę więcej daję za nostalgię co do postaci oraz pomysł, który był całkiem niezły, tylko wykonanie zawiodło.

[Bert · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 4th Riverdale novel now and it seems tired already, much like the show itself. It’s tired and needs to be put to bed for a while. Micol Ostow does a good job mostly with these novels, I’m sure she’s given a guideline of what she can and can’t write about. This entry could’ve been really good if it had gone for a slasher at Cheerleader camp style, as opposed to just referring to that kinda story. A missed opportunity I reckon.