"She’s dying to go out with him…" Rajiv's Review of the 5th Novel in the spooky Fear Street Relaunch Series called "The Dead Boyfriend" by R.L Stine

The Dead Boyfriend by R.L. Stine
Release: September 27th 2016
Format: Kindle Edition
Publisher: A Thomas Dunne Book for St. Martin’s Griffin
Source: Amazon

Dead Boyfriend Synopsis:

Caitlin has never had a real boyfriend before. When she starts seeing Blade, she throws herself into the relationship with fervor. She ignores her friends, who warn her that Blade may be a phony and that she is taking the whole thing too seriously. Caitlin is smitten. She doesn’t care if she loses her friends. All she wants is Blade. When Caitlin sees Blade with another girl, she completely loses it. She snaps. Everything goes red. When she comes back to her senses, she realizes that Blade is dead—and she has killed him. But if Colin is dead, how is he staring at her across a crowded party?

Review:

R.L. Stine continues to be one of those authors I gravitate towards for short, campy horror books for nostalgia. “Fear Street” and “Point Horror” were one of my favorite series growing up, and I still love re-reading some of these titles. So far, I am enjoying the new books in the Relaunch series and “The Dead Boyfriend” is a nice addition.

Unlike some of the other reviews I’ve come across, I thought the characters were well written. I felt that all three protagonists were strange enough to make the story feel like “Fear Street”. Caitlyn plays the perfect role of the girl gone crazy from being traumatized of the horror. Deena is very weird and creepy with her black magic, and you never really know what she might do next. Blade comes back as a zombie version and torments Caitlyn that also adds well to the horror. Stine cleverly blended various elements, like witches, zombies, black magic and murder and made the story very interesting.

The story is gripping for most part and keeps you wondering what will happen next. There were parts that completely surprised me, like when Caitlyn suddenly attacks Blade, or when Blade gets animated in church. It also has an interesting moment where it connects the characters and scenes to “The Lost Girl”, another book in the Relaunch series.

Now, the main part that ruined the book for me – the frustrating ending! We know that Stine’s novels always has a twist in the end that make you go WTH! But this one could have been better. It reminded me a bit about how his other Fear Street novel “Switched” ended. However, while the ending of “Switched” made the story creepier, this felt like a let-down. I guess the ending makes logical sense, but I would have expected something more innovative from the author.

I feel like I want to love this series as how I did back in the 90s. I’m not sure if I have outgrown this type of horror genre, or if Stine’s writing skills have dimmed, but I don’t find myself enjoying these books like I used to. Having said that, “The Dead Boyfriend” comes very close to creating the eerie suspense to the original, more than the other books in the Relaunch. Overall, I would have loved the book if the ending was written with a more original climax.