e-ALC, 06:10:38
Narrated by: Dominique Salavacion
Release Date: August 5, 2025
Published by: Books on Tape (Delacorte Press)
Read from: August 6-7, 2025
Stand-alone
Source: PRH Audio App (I received a free e-ALC from the publisher’s app and the publisher. This did nothing to influence my review.)
Content Warning: Bullying, Toxic Friendship, Body Horror, Death, Gore, Toxic Relationship
For Readers Interested In: Audio, Horror, Sparkly Covers, Middle Grade [MG], Most Anticipated, ParanormalA sleepover at an amusement park turns into a night of terror in this scary middle school read from the New York Times bestselling author of Mine and Camp Scare.
Tonight is Brie’s chance to finally be accepted by the Ems—the most popular girls at school. If she can just keep one potentially reputation-ending secret under wraps, she’ll have the best night of her life, screaming on scary rides and running the Wildwoods amusement park with her new friends.
But when the Ems take a game of truth or dare too far, Brie ends up alone in a creepy abandoned section of the park. There, she meets a group of cool older teens that invite her to join them. They seem friendly enough.
Little does Brie know she’s about to come face to face with a reawakened evil that wants to take her on the ride of her life…make that her death.
*MY THOUGHTS*
I’m not gonna lie…. It didn’t take me much at all for me to add this book to my TBR. Do you see this cover? IMMEDIATELY YES. But there’s also a haunted amusement park, and y’all know how much I love those. So yeah. Even with me going in and not knowing anything, I will say I really enjoyed this one.
Ok so first off, I hate to say this, but I hated every kid in this book. Like why were they all terrible? I think I thought to myself every other hour of this audio, “I hope her momma gets PAID for this.” Because why would you do that to someone? This whole thing could have been avoided. Because what in the world? The main character was a little trooper tho. She was literally just trying to hang out with them and get in with the popular crowd. I can’t imagine being left in somewhere like this and still living to tell the tale. And the snacks? Yeah that would have been it for me lol I would have just sat down somewhere.
I also thought she was a trooper because not only did she help herself find her way out of there, but she also helped the “others” she was with as well. This showed so much of her character. Because let’s be real, I don’t think anyone else would have done what she did. Once she learned what was happening, I think they would have ran. But they were nice to her. I understand why she did what she did, but I don’t think I would have lol The “others” tho were zombies? They had gross skin and body parts falling off, so I assumed that they were, but it’s never specifically said. But even still, I thought it was creepy. Y’all know I’m not a huge fan of body horror, so this gave off creepy vibes. And what that “other other one” did to her while she was there kind of pissed me off. Because how are you still acting like this and you’ve already been a menace? Like why would you do that? Yes I knew I liked this book when I realized I was irritated at a tween/teen (?) zombie lol
I wasn’t’ that happy with the ending tho. I think she should have showed them getting in actual trouble. If only to show that bullying isn’t ok. This is still a tween/middle grade book and I would want them to get that lesson out of this. Even if it is a horror book.
I enjoyed this one. It was jump scare scary and it had all the weird vibes that I’ve come to love about Dawson. And this is a MG book! This was a lot of fun and I hope if y’all decide to pick it up you enjoy it as much as I do.
Overall, I give this
