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Fear Street Collector's Editions #1
Fear Street The Beginning: The New Girl; The Surprise Party; The Overnight; Missing
The classic and heart-pounding Fear Street Series from beloved author R.L. Stine is back with the first four books now in one thrilling package!
Welcome to Fear Street…
Where strange things happen, people go missing, and nightmares come true.
This is where it all began. When Fear Street became legend, forever linked with danger, and curses, and things that go bump in the night. Go back to how it all started—to the moment when Corey Brooks falls for perfect, incredible Anna, only to learn that she’s gone missing...on Fear Street.
Venture into the terrifying Fear Street woods where Meg Dalton’s best friend Evan died under mysterious circumstances, and discover why only Meg can uncover the truth behind his death. Follow Della to Fear Island and learn about the terrifying threats that force Della to confront her past—and the incident that occurred on the island between her and a dangerous stranger.
Return to Fear Street with Mark and Cara Burroughs who come home to find that their parents have disappeared, plunging them into a nightmare of chaos that neither of them could have ever predicted. The only thing they know for sure is that though Fear Street may be a mystery, not everyone escapes such an evil place alive.
Only danger awaits those brave enough to travel down Fear Street. You’re not afraid…are you?
Welcome to Fear Street…
Where strange things happen, people go missing, and nightmares come true.
This is where it all began. When Fear Street became legend, forever linked with danger, and curses, and things that go bump in the night. Go back to how it all started—to the moment when Corey Brooks falls for perfect, incredible Anna, only to learn that she’s gone missing...on Fear Street.
Venture into the terrifying Fear Street woods where Meg Dalton’s best friend Evan died under mysterious circumstances, and discover why only Meg can uncover the truth behind his death. Follow Della to Fear Island and learn about the terrifying threats that force Della to confront her past—and the incident that occurred on the island between her and a dangerous stranger.
Return to Fear Street with Mark and Cara Burroughs who come home to find that their parents have disappeared, plunging them into a nightmare of chaos that neither of them could have ever predicted. The only thing they know for sure is that though Fear Street may be a mystery, not everyone escapes such an evil place alive.
Only danger awaits those brave enough to travel down Fear Street. You’re not afraid…are you?
552 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1998
309 people are currently reading
3246 people want to read
About the author
R.L. Stine
1,683 books18.7k followersRobert 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...
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...
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 247 reviews
June 10, 2021
The New Girl - 3.5 stars
The Surprise Party - 3 stars
The Overnight - 4 stars
Missing - 3 stars
I love Fear Street! These first few books aren't the greatest ever, but it opens on a solid note overall. The books only get better as they go, though, so if you are new to the series I advise you to hang in there! It's worth it. :)
The Surprise Party - 3 stars
The Overnight - 4 stars
Missing - 3 stars
I love Fear Street! These first few books aren't the greatest ever, but it opens on a solid note overall. The books only get better as they go, though, so if you are new to the series I advise you to hang in there! It's worth it. :)
October 11, 2020
These, well, could have been updated a bit before publishing in an omnibus. The stories themselves are still great, but the fact that they were published in 1989 is glaringly obvious. They are also full of typos. Did no one edit before publishing? Hopefully that’s great cover will draw new readers into Fear Street.
October 23, 2022
read in 2021, but it was one of my favourite books at that time :)
February 18, 2024
The New Girl
The high school setting is a perfect introduction to the series as the reader is giving various mentions of the history of Fear Street.
The idea that a mysterious new girl could possibly be supernatural adds to the charm despite the twist being spoilt in the prologue.
The Suprise Party
The plot was a little slower in this story, though seeing Cory appear again was a nice nod.
Seeing the woods in Fear Street also makes the series feel bigger in scope.
The Overnight
A group of teens spent the night outdoors unsupervised. What's the worst that could happen?
This has some real 'I know what you did last summer' vibes. It's nice to have some more outdoor adventures and seeing even more locations - this time Fear Island.
Missing
I really liked the premise with this one, ironically many of Stine's Goosebumps books relied on absent guardians - so when Mark and Cara's parent don't arrive home from work they start to investigate where they could be.
This very effectively plays on the fear of not knowing where they are whilst very much rooted to the 90's with the technology available to them.
The high school setting is a perfect introduction to the series as the reader is giving various mentions of the history of Fear Street.
The idea that a mysterious new girl could possibly be supernatural adds to the charm despite the twist being spoilt in the prologue.
The Suprise Party
The plot was a little slower in this story, though seeing Cory appear again was a nice nod.
Seeing the woods in Fear Street also makes the series feel bigger in scope.
The Overnight
A group of teens spent the night outdoors unsupervised. What's the worst that could happen?
This has some real 'I know what you did last summer' vibes. It's nice to have some more outdoor adventures and seeing even more locations - this time Fear Island.
Missing
I really liked the premise with this one, ironically many of Stine's Goosebumps books relied on absent guardians - so when Mark and Cara's parent don't arrive home from work they start to investigate where they could be.
This very effectively plays on the fear of not knowing where they are whilst very much rooted to the 90's with the technology available to them.
September 3, 2020
Nice little collection, hope we get more!
Just in time for Halloween 🎃
Just in time for Halloween 🎃
July 25, 2023
This book was so entertaining and I loved how each section was a completely seperate story with some character crossovers. I did in fact take me a long time to read, but honestly, so good.
August 13, 2021
3.5 stars.
This is a solid collection of teen horror stories, and a great introduction to the Fear Street series for readers, who, like me, didn't read these books growing up. I mean, sure, perhaps a lot of readers will see the twists in each story coming, but even so, this book offers great entertainment value and a fantastic blend of small town horror, crazy cults, and dead lovers.
I think out of all the stories, I liked The Overnight the best, that's pretty much the ideal horror story to tell around a campfire.
This is a solid collection of teen horror stories, and a great introduction to the Fear Street series for readers, who, like me, didn't read these books growing up. I mean, sure, perhaps a lot of readers will see the twists in each story coming, but even so, this book offers great entertainment value and a fantastic blend of small town horror, crazy cults, and dead lovers.
I think out of all the stories, I liked The Overnight the best, that's pretty much the ideal horror story to tell around a campfire.
May 1, 2023
The New Girl - 4/5
Defines loved this book! It was my first R. L. Stine book that was apart of one of his older series and it did not disappoint
The Surprise Party - 3/5
This is the second dead street book I have read and honestly it felt like something was missing within the storyline. Meg’s character was majorly annoying in the sense of her not paying attention to her surroundings. Lisa’s and Cory’s relationship was out in the dust which I did not enjoy. Mike in the few pages that he was in put a smile on my face and I wish I saw more of his character, hopefully he’s in the next book more or future books
The Overnight - 3/5
I honestly need a therapist and a good cry after reading this. This book took a major toll on my mental health
Missing - 4/5
Great storyline, I would have never guessed the storyline of the brotherhood cult. Not only that but the whole undercover FBI operation!! Cara and Gena’s character really brought out strong female leads and being able to get back some old characters from previous stories was a welcoming refresher. I always love at the end when the questions are all finally answer!
Defines loved this book! It was my first R. L. Stine book that was apart of one of his older series and it did not disappoint
The Surprise Party - 3/5
This is the second dead street book I have read and honestly it felt like something was missing within the storyline. Meg’s character was majorly annoying in the sense of her not paying attention to her surroundings. Lisa’s and Cory’s relationship was out in the dust which I did not enjoy. Mike in the few pages that he was in put a smile on my face and I wish I saw more of his character, hopefully he’s in the next book more or future books
The Overnight - 3/5
I honestly need a therapist and a good cry after reading this. This book took a major toll on my mental health
Missing - 4/5
Great storyline, I would have never guessed the storyline of the brotherhood cult. Not only that but the whole undercover FBI operation!! Cara and Gena’s character really brought out strong female leads and being able to get back some old characters from previous stories was a welcoming refresher. I always love at the end when the questions are all finally answer!
September 21, 2018
Reviewed on Lili Lost in a Book
The first stories of Fear Street...
The New Girl
So, we have Cory who is fucking insane because after seeing Anna in passing, he pretty much becomes obsessed with her. We’re talking about a 5 second glance, maybe less. Ugh. Anyway, he soon begins to wonder if Anna is even real because she is just so elusive and mysterious. But he just has to find out everything about her because, obsessed. I could smell the instalove from miles away... ugh! Cory’s obsession with Anna was insane and so, so annoying!
Anyway, even though I totally hated Cory’s fixation on Anna, I actually found the mystery of Anna and what her deal was quite intriguing. The reveal really caught me off guard! It was really good! Well, not when it was actually revealed ‘cause I had figured out that particular twist ahead of time when Anna finally told her life’s story before they moved to Shadyside—to Fear Street. I thought it was pretty obvious, but very interesting, nonetheless.
Overall though, I really liked The New Girl and the mystery about the oh-so enigmatic Anna. The book was very suspenseful but a fast read. And the climax was action-packed and so freaking insane! I am so glad to have finally read the very first Fear Street book! It was so fun seeing how it all started!
SEE FULL REVIEW HERE!
---
The Surprise Party
After the apparent suicide of their friend Evan, Meg’s friend (and Evan’s girlfriend) moves away. Now she’s back in Shadyside visiting and Meg decides to throw her a surprise party. Except someone doesn’t want this party to happen. Does it have to do with the death of Evan? Pretty much, yeah. Lol.
I really liked this book! It had a ton of plot twists—like, more plot twists than I could’ve imagined! It was insane! A good bit into the book is when we get a revelation, and I was very surprised because it was far too early for these sorts of reveals/confessions. Turns out there was more to the story. It was a pretty interesting mystery and it kept me wanting more.
In a lot of Fear Street books, I’m pretty indifferent about the characters, but in this one I absolutely loved our main character Meg! Girl gets things done and thinks on her feet! She is no damsel in distress! She is smart and tries her hardest to get herself and her friends out of trouble! She is a badass and I loved her! She’s also kind of a savage. Lol. And Meg and Tony I really liked! At times, they were pretty cute together... when Tony wasn’t being a total psycho! He had these weird mood swings that just— WTF, dude!
SEE FULL REVIEW HERE!
---
The Overnight
The Overnight mostly takes place on Fear Island, which is on a lake on Fear Street, somewhere behind the burned down Fear Mansion. And let me tell you, I loved this setting! It was a lot of fun! I mean, not for the characters, but it was for me! :D
Speaking of characters, I thought the characters in this book were all pretty interesting overall. I really liked our main character Della. Her friend Maia on the other hand... nope! Another character I wasn’t a fan of was Ricky, the non-class clown. This guy tries so hard to be funny and he... he just isn’t! All his jokes are awful and just... shut up Ricky! Gods! Pete, though, I liked him! I really liked the way his relationship with Della progressed. Very much enjoyed it :)
The Overnight was action-packed and very suspenseful! The mystery as to who saw what Della did and then proceeded to threaten to spill her secret... Well, I suspected everyone! But then when the reveal came around... I can’t say I was a fan of it. I honestly preferred all my theories I came up with, lol. But overall, I really enjoyed this book! It was a lot of fun and the main character was really great and very believable!
SEE FULL REVIEW HERE!
The first stories of Fear Street...
The New Girl
So, we have Cory who is fucking insane because after seeing Anna in passing, he pretty much becomes obsessed with her. We’re talking about a 5 second glance, maybe less. Ugh. Anyway, he soon begins to wonder if Anna is even real because she is just so elusive and mysterious. But he just has to find out everything about her because, obsessed. I could smell the instalove from miles away... ugh! Cory’s obsession with Anna was insane and so, so annoying!
Anyway, even though I totally hated Cory’s fixation on Anna, I actually found the mystery of Anna and what her deal was quite intriguing. The reveal really caught me off guard! It was really good! Well, not when it was actually revealed ‘cause I had figured out that particular twist ahead of time when Anna finally told her life’s story before they moved to Shadyside—to Fear Street. I thought it was pretty obvious, but very interesting, nonetheless.
Overall though, I really liked The New Girl and the mystery about the oh-so enigmatic Anna. The book was very suspenseful but a fast read. And the climax was action-packed and so freaking insane! I am so glad to have finally read the very first Fear Street book! It was so fun seeing how it all started!
SEE FULL REVIEW HERE!
---
The Surprise Party
After the apparent suicide of their friend Evan, Meg’s friend (and Evan’s girlfriend) moves away. Now she’s back in Shadyside visiting and Meg decides to throw her a surprise party. Except someone doesn’t want this party to happen. Does it have to do with the death of Evan? Pretty much, yeah. Lol.
I really liked this book! It had a ton of plot twists—like, more plot twists than I could’ve imagined! It was insane! A good bit into the book is when we get a revelation, and I was very surprised because it was far too early for these sorts of reveals/confessions. Turns out there was more to the story. It was a pretty interesting mystery and it kept me wanting more.
In a lot of Fear Street books, I’m pretty indifferent about the characters, but in this one I absolutely loved our main character Meg! Girl gets things done and thinks on her feet! She is no damsel in distress! She is smart and tries her hardest to get herself and her friends out of trouble! She is a badass and I loved her! She’s also kind of a savage. Lol. And Meg and Tony I really liked! At times, they were pretty cute together... when Tony wasn’t being a total psycho! He had these weird mood swings that just— WTF, dude!
SEE FULL REVIEW HERE!
---
The Overnight
The Overnight mostly takes place on Fear Island, which is on a lake on Fear Street, somewhere behind the burned down Fear Mansion. And let me tell you, I loved this setting! It was a lot of fun! I mean, not for the characters, but it was for me! :D
Speaking of characters, I thought the characters in this book were all pretty interesting overall. I really liked our main character Della. Her friend Maia on the other hand... nope! Another character I wasn’t a fan of was Ricky, the non-class clown. This guy tries so hard to be funny and he... he just isn’t! All his jokes are awful and just... shut up Ricky! Gods! Pete, though, I liked him! I really liked the way his relationship with Della progressed. Very much enjoyed it :)
The Overnight was action-packed and very suspenseful! The mystery as to who saw what Della did and then proceeded to threaten to spill her secret... Well, I suspected everyone! But then when the reveal came around... I can’t say I was a fan of it. I honestly preferred all my theories I came up with, lol. But overall, I really enjoyed this book! It was a lot of fun and the main character was really great and very believable!
SEE FULL REVIEW HERE!
October 4, 2021
I found these four stories all really anticlimactic and a bit dull. They all started out very interesting but I often found that by the end of each story I was bored and just didn't really care.
But I was expecting them to have more paranormal elements to them. Mainly because I watched the Fear Street films first and I thought that they would be more like them.
I think it didn't help that there were typos throughout either. They felt dated. And the writing style was very heavy handed in telling you what was happening and failed to show what was happening 70-80% of the time. Or at least that's what it felt like to me.
I just don't think these four stories were well written at all.
But I was expecting them to have more paranormal elements to them. Mainly because I watched the Fear Street films first and I thought that they would be more like them.
I think it didn't help that there were typos throughout either. They felt dated. And the writing style was very heavy handed in telling you what was happening and failed to show what was happening 70-80% of the time. Or at least that's what it felt like to me.
I just don't think these four stories were well written at all.
May 5, 2025
Campy nostalgic fun
October 13, 2021
What a fun, nostalgic type read for October!
This novel is comprised of 4 novellas and I rated them as follows:
The New Girl: 3 stars
The Surprise Party: 3.5 stars
The Overnight: 3.5 stars
Missing: 3.5 stars (docked 1/2 star because of brief but excessive animal cruelty that felt totally out of place for the story or I would've given this one 4 stars because I really enjoyed it).
I rounded this up to 4 stars, overall, since I rated most of these novellas with 3.5 stars.
I really enjoyed each story and none of these were actually scary so if you are someone who frightens easily, these have no spooky factor at all. They are mostly atmospheric, mysterious and haunting but as far as fright factor, there is not truly any of that.
I recommend this for anybody who wants a Fall or October type read but without the fear factor or gore. Also, if you simply want some nostalgia from the time period they were written...because cassette tapes are brought up at a party and land lands are mentioned constantly...amongst many other little nods to the not-so-distant past of my childhood. It truly is a fun read!
This novel is comprised of 4 novellas and I rated them as follows:
The New Girl: 3 stars
The Surprise Party: 3.5 stars
The Overnight: 3.5 stars
Missing: 3.5 stars (docked 1/2 star because of brief but excessive animal cruelty that felt totally out of place for the story or I would've given this one 4 stars because I really enjoyed it).
I rounded this up to 4 stars, overall, since I rated most of these novellas with 3.5 stars.
I really enjoyed each story and none of these were actually scary so if you are someone who frightens easily, these have no spooky factor at all. They are mostly atmospheric, mysterious and haunting but as far as fright factor, there is not truly any of that.
I recommend this for anybody who wants a Fall or October type read but without the fear factor or gore. Also, if you simply want some nostalgia from the time period they were written...because cassette tapes are brought up at a party and land lands are mentioned constantly...amongst many other little nods to the not-so-distant past of my childhood. It truly is a fun read!
October 23, 2020
The new girl- Really enjoyed this one. I thought I had it figured out, but it went a completely different direction!!
The surprise party- loved this one! It was suspenseful and spooky!!
The overnight- this one was my favorite of all the stories! This was another one I thought I had figured out, but didn’t.
The missing- I enjoyed this one! It was fast paced and suspenseful!!
Overall- LOVED this book! So cool to have a bind up.
The surprise party- loved this one! It was suspenseful and spooky!!
The overnight- this one was my favorite of all the stories! This was another one I thought I had figured out, but didn’t.
The missing- I enjoyed this one! It was fast paced and suspenseful!!
Overall- LOVED this book! So cool to have a bind up.
July 31, 2024
The New Girl: 3/5
Not bad but not great. Plot and characters were surface level. Kept me engaged
The Suprise Party: 3/5
Again, not that deep. Kinda predictable until the end
The Overnight: 4/5
Good ending. Less predictable than the other two stories. Characters were still surface level, but a little deeper this time. Plot was good
Missing: 3.5/5
Ending was very good. Characters were annoying and didn't seem real. Plot before the ending was slow and lacking.
Not bad but not great. Plot and characters were surface level. Kept me engaged
The Suprise Party: 3/5
Again, not that deep. Kinda predictable until the end
The Overnight: 4/5
Good ending. Less predictable than the other two stories. Characters were still surface level, but a little deeper this time. Plot was good
Missing: 3.5/5
Ending was very good. Characters were annoying and didn't seem real. Plot before the ending was slow and lacking.
February 12, 2023
Didn’t expect to like this book as much as I liked it. The stories were the perfect length, long enough to get invested in the story but short enough to keep it from getting boring. My favorite was the Surprise Party because I loved the reveal in the end.
The New Girl: 3 ⭐️
The Surprise Party: 4 ⭐️
The Overnight: 4 ⭐️
The Missing: 3,5 ⭐️
The New Girl: 3 ⭐️
The Surprise Party: 4 ⭐️
The Overnight: 4 ⭐️
The Missing: 3,5 ⭐️
November 11, 2021
2.5 - 3 ⭐
This was nothing like the movies and was definitely aimed at a younger YA audience.
This was nothing like the movies and was definitely aimed at a younger YA audience.
January 10, 2022
Absolutely baffling! 2 of the stories read like decent point horrors and 2 were just bizarre. Really long drawn out set up with super quick resolutions.
Read
January 19, 2023DNF.
August 16, 2022
This series of books are soooo good. One day I saw that Sadie sink and Maya hawk we’re gonna be in a new trilogy horror movie on Netflix. I love them from stranger things so I looked forward to the movies. They were 18+ but I didn’t care🤫. And when it came out and I watched it it was literally one of the best movies I’ve EVER seen. It was really bloody and scary , but for me it wasn’t scary just fun. The movies contain really brutal scenes but I like it brutal.
So when I heard that they were based on books and the book lover that I am I immediately wanted to read them. I told my aunt and she loves that I read books and she says that she can buy any book that I want. So I said that there were this really good movie that were based off of a book and there was a book with the first four books in one.
So one of the Christmas presents that I got from her was that book. And I was so happy.
I started reading the first book the new girl. It was really good I couldn’t stop reading but the only thing was that Cory fell in love with Anna before even talking to her. And it was very weird that she didn’t “exist” but that was what was so exiting, so see what was going to happen. And the ending was really shocking, but awesome.
The second book the surprise party was one of my favorites. Meg Dalton just came back to town after Evan’s death. And her boyfriend Tony (Evan’s best friend) and her best friend Shannon (Evan’s sister) have changed a lot since Evan’s death. Tony is just angry all the time and Shannon has been very distant. But they plan a surprise party and what happened at the party is nerve wracking. And the party was in the same woods that Evan got shot. At the end is a big plot twist revealed.
The third book the overnight was definitely my favorite of them all. Della O’Conner and her friends in the outdoors club are going to overnight on the fear island. They lied to their parents and said that their teacher will come too, but it’s just them. You Will read stuff like relationship problems and fun games and stuff that the group do. And you will also read a terrifying thing that happened to one of the girls when a guy comes in the middle of a paintball game and tries to kill the girl…
The fourth book missing is like my third or fourth favorite. Two siblings are home at night and their parents haven’t come home yet. Mark and Cara just thinks that they are having a night out and they go to sleep. The next morning they are still not home, they haven’t called or written a note. They call the police but the police doesn’t have any interest in helping them. Then weird things happen. And their cousin that they didn’t know that they have comes to live with them. And then when he’s murdered with and arrow do they realize that someone is after them. They find out everything in the shady side woods short after.
All of these books are sooo good and they name the people in the previous books also. I really recommend it. 5/5
So when I heard that they were based on books and the book lover that I am I immediately wanted to read them. I told my aunt and she loves that I read books and she says that she can buy any book that I want. So I said that there were this really good movie that were based off of a book and there was a book with the first four books in one.
So one of the Christmas presents that I got from her was that book. And I was so happy.
I started reading the first book the new girl. It was really good I couldn’t stop reading but the only thing was that Cory fell in love with Anna before even talking to her. And it was very weird that she didn’t “exist” but that was what was so exiting, so see what was going to happen. And the ending was really shocking, but awesome.
The second book the surprise party was one of my favorites. Meg Dalton just came back to town after Evan’s death. And her boyfriend Tony (Evan’s best friend) and her best friend Shannon (Evan’s sister) have changed a lot since Evan’s death. Tony is just angry all the time and Shannon has been very distant. But they plan a surprise party and what happened at the party is nerve wracking. And the party was in the same woods that Evan got shot. At the end is a big plot twist revealed.
The third book the overnight was definitely my favorite of them all. Della O’Conner and her friends in the outdoors club are going to overnight on the fear island. They lied to their parents and said that their teacher will come too, but it’s just them. You Will read stuff like relationship problems and fun games and stuff that the group do. And you will also read a terrifying thing that happened to one of the girls when a guy comes in the middle of a paintball game and tries to kill the girl…
The fourth book missing is like my third or fourth favorite. Two siblings are home at night and their parents haven’t come home yet. Mark and Cara just thinks that they are having a night out and they go to sleep. The next morning they are still not home, they haven’t called or written a note. They call the police but the police doesn’t have any interest in helping them. Then weird things happen. And their cousin that they didn’t know that they have comes to live with them. And then when he’s murdered with and arrow do they realize that someone is after them. They find out everything in the shady side woods short after.
All of these books are sooo good and they name the people in the previous books also. I really recommend it. 5/5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2022
The New Girl - 4/5
The Surprise Party - 4/5
The Overnight - 3/5
Missing - 5/5
Overall, I thought this was a great bind-up of the first four books in the Fear Street anthology series. Most of the books in this collection were above average, with the exception of The Overnight. I am not a big fan of outdoorsy, camp settings in thrillers generally and it was due to the setting that turned me off from enjoying the story. Missing was the best of the four - it had nearly everything I enjoy in a thriller and I wasn't expecting the climax at all!
I think Stine is a great author for teens, but the thing that can be a drawback is that his main characters and many of the secondary characters tend to be one-dimensional. There isn't a lot of depth in the characters, and at first glance you can see why he doesn't. This is meant to be an anthology series with a new set of main players in each installment. Character development tends to fall to the wayside in favor of the plot. Stine is very much plot driven and I tend to like my stories in that vehicle. For that reason, its my preference to not judge Stine by lack of character development in Fear Street, as that isn't his primary goal in those books.
For those wanting something more character-driven in their thrillers, I would recommend Caroline B. Cooney and Christopher Pike. Not Stine.
The Surprise Party - 4/5
The Overnight - 3/5
Missing - 5/5
Overall, I thought this was a great bind-up of the first four books in the Fear Street anthology series. Most of the books in this collection were above average, with the exception of The Overnight. I am not a big fan of outdoorsy, camp settings in thrillers generally and it was due to the setting that turned me off from enjoying the story. Missing was the best of the four - it had nearly everything I enjoy in a thriller and I wasn't expecting the climax at all!
I think Stine is a great author for teens, but the thing that can be a drawback is that his main characters and many of the secondary characters tend to be one-dimensional. There isn't a lot of depth in the characters, and at first glance you can see why he doesn't. This is meant to be an anthology series with a new set of main players in each installment. Character development tends to fall to the wayside in favor of the plot. Stine is very much plot driven and I tend to like my stories in that vehicle. For that reason, its my preference to not judge Stine by lack of character development in Fear Street, as that isn't his primary goal in those books.
For those wanting something more character-driven in their thrillers, I would recommend Caroline B. Cooney and Christopher Pike. Not Stine.
September 14, 2021
Despite reading pretty much every Goosebumps book and Point Horror release by R.L. Stine as a kid, I never got into the Fear Street books. The few I dipped into didn't grab me, probably due to the lack of supernatural elements - I was more into giant bugs (don't even @jamie.stewart) and monster hamsters than murderous ex-boyfriends and such. Yeah, I'm aware most if not all Point Horror were the same, but most of those at least alluded to something more fantastical. After seeing the Netflix trilogy of films, I bought this collection of the first four Fear Street books to give the series another shot. While my initial ideas about the franchise held up, I found I enjoyed the more mundane nature of the horror more as a boring old adult. I can't see what the movies have to do with the books though. To be honest, other than a name. Can anyone who's read more fill me in? Fear Street The Beginning comprises the initial four books in the series, establishing shared mythology that I found more engaging than the individual stories alone. In The New Girl, there's a hint of something ghostly and teenage romantic obsession that I enjoyed, while The Surprise Party lacked the critical element - surprise. The Overnight had a great premise, but with a barely-there antagonist, the threat vanished while Missing experimented with the series in interesting ways that makes me want to track down a few more old paperbacks.
March 8, 2024
After 7 Rick Riordon (Percy series and attempt at Kane Chronicles) books I needed some horror back in my life and I LOOOOVED ZTHE fear Street Netflix movies and you k ow what they always say "The books are better" well, for me not in this case. They're NOTHING like the movies and I know they're a collection of short stories but still...
The first story "The new girl" was okay but the end was MEH, the 2nd story I couldn't get into. The 3rd story started good but felt VERY rushed in the end and WASNT satisfying AT. ALL. and since I'm a slow reader (ADHD and dyslexic) I don't wanna waste more time for now so I'm ot risking the 4th story to suck too so I'm moving on to another book al together. The big lack of murders was VERY disappointing. It's called "Fear street" and Fear street itself is 'promoted' as partly where murders happened... Well literally someone has JUST been murdered in the 1st page of the prologue and in the 3rd story the murder turns out FAKE?! Sorry, but VERY disappointing
The first story "The new girl" was okay but the end was MEH, the 2nd story I couldn't get into. The 3rd story started good but felt VERY rushed in the end and WASNT satisfying AT. ALL. and since I'm a slow reader (ADHD and dyslexic) I don't wanna waste more time for now so I'm ot risking the 4th story to suck too so I'm moving on to another book al together. The big lack of murders was VERY disappointing. It's called "Fear street" and Fear street itself is 'promoted' as partly where murders happened... Well literally someone has JUST been murdered in the 1st page of the prologue and in the 3rd story the murder turns out FAKE?! Sorry, but VERY disappointing
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 27, 2024
The New Girl: 4/5
I liked the idea of the plot twist, I think the scariness could’ve been a little more chilling but it was really interesting.
The Surprise Party: 3/5
I predicted the plot twist like… 1/3 the way through the story, but I still really enjoyed it. The problem was that I hate gullible silly people and the main character just happened to be one of those people.
The Overnight: 2/5
I truly didn’t find this story very fascinating. It was kinda boring in some parts and I didn’t really understand where everything was going. It was truly just fine.
Missing: 3.5/5
I didn’t know where this story was heading. I was just as lost as the main characters were. It was interesting and I did enjoy the ending even if it was a little cheesy.
I liked the idea of the plot twist, I think the scariness could’ve been a little more chilling but it was really interesting.
The Surprise Party: 3/5
I predicted the plot twist like… 1/3 the way through the story, but I still really enjoyed it. The problem was that I hate gullible silly people and the main character just happened to be one of those people.
The Overnight: 2/5
I truly didn’t find this story very fascinating. It was kinda boring in some parts and I didn’t really understand where everything was going. It was truly just fine.
Missing: 3.5/5
I didn’t know where this story was heading. I was just as lost as the main characters were. It was interesting and I did enjoy the ending even if it was a little cheesy.
March 10, 2022
I absolutely love Fear Street books. They’re so nostalgic for me. I love rereading them as an adult. This book really is a solid collection of teen horror stories. The Beginning is comprised of four books in the Fear Street series: The New Girl, The Surprise Party, The Overnight, and Missing. They were all suspenseful and spooky, very atmospheric and mysterious, and full of teen drama. I really enjoyed reading this collection. It’s a great introduction to the series. Highly recommended for fans of RL Stine or looking for YA horror.
February 26, 2023
I loved this book unfortunately i did not find it on this app i have libby and i found it there.This book is filled with excitement through the whole thing which makes it a really good book. It has a murder mystery romance. Overall i loved this book and it one of my personal favs. It is a book that will keep you reading and reading and reading……. The reason is bc it is full of suspense and just keeps you going.
January 4, 2022
This collection of books was so great, I loved how it felt that these situations could actually happen. My favorite book is a hard question to answer but it would probably be The surprise Party because if the shocking twist! 5/5 totally recommend.
June 9, 2022
I'm not going to finish this series, definitely not there's about a billion books in it but I'm not even up to finishing the 4 in this book, maybe I'd have got alot more out of the series if I was the age it was aimed at or maybe Fear Street just isn't as well known because goosebumps was far better.. I dunno, I've never read any of those either. They were just alright, the 3 I read didn't stand out for me enough to read the 4th 😂
November 8, 2022
the new girl = ⭐⭐/ 5
the surprise party = ⭐⭐⭐/ 5
the overnight = ⭐⭐⭐.5 / 5
missing = ⭐⭐. 5 / 5
i really lost motivation to read this since the characters literally had no brain cells and were so stupid and insufferable. the plot twists were interesting but pretty random.
the surprise party = ⭐⭐⭐/ 5
the overnight = ⭐⭐⭐.5 / 5
missing = ⭐⭐. 5 / 5
i really lost motivation to read this since the characters literally had no brain cells and were so stupid and insufferable. the plot twists were interesting but pretty random.
January 25, 2021
Fantastic and amazing and fantastic
October 12, 2021
3.5 stars
I absolutely love the first story. The eerieness of Anna and the mystery behind her was just *chef’s kiss*. So does the third one. But not so with the second and fourth. There’s just something plain about those two that put me off a bit but nevertheless fun read! 🥰
I absolutely love the first story. The eerieness of Anna and the mystery behind her was just *chef’s kiss*. So does the third one. But not so with the second and fourth. There’s just something plain about those two that put me off a bit but nevertheless fun read! 🥰
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