Book Review: This Is Where We Die by Cindy R.X. He
Released July 1, 2025
Released Date: July 1, 2025
Cover Grade: A
Rating: 8 out of 10
This is Where We Die, by Cindy R.X. He, is a young adult thriller set to publish this summer. This is a classic locked-room murder mystery that explores the theme of moral dilemmas and revenge. Secrets turn deadly, and not all our actions, no matter how unavoidable or necessary they may be to survive, can be forgiven. R.X. He’s straightforward and engaging storytelling is perfect for teens who like twists and turns with a slow build up.
These six friends survived a horrific event that left two of their friends dead. Now, they find themselves together again on an island to celebrate graduation. Quickly, they each start to die one by one, each death becoming more and more apparent this is no accident.
Sadie, Will, Isla, Anthony, Emily, and Charlie are a strained group of friends as the story begins. They’re believable and relatable characters in a multiple point of view narrative; there is a chance to see what each character thinks and feels.
Verdict:
It’s a great classic thriller. You can’t help but hope maybe they’ll survive. I was constantly reevaluating who I thought the killer was. And in the end, I was wrong! With a touch of predictability, paranoia will still grip you the whole way through. 8/10
Thank you, Sourcebooks Fire and Cindy R.X. He. I received an advance review copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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Similar Titles:
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally
You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron
One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
From the Publisher:
Locked room thriller: A classic locked room thriller, elevated to a locked private island thriller. It features a secluded location, multiple narrators, and a deadly secret—all the parts of an incredibly successful thriller.
ISBN 9781728293424, 1728293421
Young Adult Fiction / Thrillers & Suspense
Ages 14 to 18, Grades 8 to 12
336 pages, Paperback
Expected publication July 1, 2025
Title of the Book: This is Where We Die
Author: Cindy R.X. He
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Book Blurb:
Eight friends went on a trip. Only six came back. Now a killer has one night to make sure the survivors pay for what they did . . . so that zero make it out alive. From the author of Perfect Little Monsters comes another incredible twisty thriller.
Sadie, Will, Isla, Anthony, Emily, and Charlie are survivors. They were the six (out of eight) to return from a ski holiday turned nightmare two years ago. Although… nobody knows exactly what happened; the details hushed up via the wealth and connections of Sadie’s rich parents.
When an exclusive private island with a mansion for rent goes viral on social media, their graduating class persuades Sadie to rent it for the weekend. The six arrive first by helicopter and wait for the rest of their classmates to join them by boat the next day.
But nobody ever comes.
Cut off from the rest of the world with no cell service and no means off the island, paranoia and terror mount as they start to be picked off one by one by an unseen killer. Their past has finally caught up with them, and they’ll need to figure out who is killing them before they all wind up dead.
Author Bio:
CINDY R.X. HE has always enjoyed losing herself in the pages of a book. She studied banking and finance at the University of London, but after working several years in the finance industry, she finally quit and returned to her first love, writing. Born in Singapore, she now lives in the French Alps with her husband, children, and rescue cat, where she skis in the winter and hoards books all year round. She is also the author of Perfect Little Monsters.