e-Audio, 09:46:14
Narrated by: Mia Hutchinson-Shaw
Release Date: August 15, 2023
Published by: Books on Tape
Read from: July 28-29, 2023
Stand-alone
Source: PRH App
TW: Death, Death of a Parent, Blood, Gore, Mental Illness, Violence, Grief, Animal Death
For Readers Interested In: Thriller, Horror, LGBTQ+, YAIn this queer YA psychological thriller from the author of Some Girls Do and Hot Dog Girl, the sole surviving counselors of a summer camp massacre search to uncover the truth of what happened that fateful night, but what they find out might just get them killed.
You don’t usually meet the love of your life while running from masked men with machetes, but that’s exactly what happens to Sloan after surviving a ritual killing that left so many of her fellow summer camp counselors dead. Cherry, the only other survivor, becomes a lifeline for Sloan, their traumatic experience bonding them in ways no one else can understand.
As the girls get closer, and Sloan learns more about the motives behind the attack that brought them together, she begins to suspect that Cherry may be more than just a survivor—she may actually have been a part of it. Cherry tries to reassure her, but Sloan only becomes more distraught. Is this gaslighting or reality? Is Cherry a victim or a perpetrator? Is Sloan losing her mind, or seeing things clearly for the first time?
Against all odds, Sloan survived that hot summer night. But will she survive what comes next?
*MY THOUGHTS*
I REALLY need to start reading the synopsis. I say this with like every book, but then I never do it. But if I had, I think I would have been more prepared for this one and liked it more. This was good, but it was pitched to me as a horror book, not just a psychological thriller, so it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. Instead of me getting the massacre as it occurred, it was the aftermath and the girls trying to figure out life after all of this. Did I like it tho? Yes. Was it what I was expecting?
Ok so going in to this I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was not thinking it was going to be the same thing the whole book tho. She was asking the same question and hardly found any evidence to support her claims like the whole book. And then when they started explaining things to her, she still didn’t want to hear it. She needed real help and they insisted on sending her to someone that wasn’t a real doctor. In this situation, girl BFFR. (Also as a side note, I did read a review where someone with PTSD said this was an insensitive description of those with PTSD so I wasn’t a huge fan of that.) *To clarify I meant I wasn’t a fan of the PTSD being described wrong, not that they said it.*
I didn’t care for the romance in this one either. Like these chicks were definitely not together together, they were trauma bonding. And I don’t think either one of them wanted to hear it. I didn’t like that no one was telling them it wasn’t ok. They should have at the very least given them some time apart. Their whole relationship just wasn’t healthy. And none of the adults said anything.
The concept of this book tho was creepy, I’ll give Dugan that. I listened to this until like 3 am and every single creak or groan that my house made, I was creeped out. I remember pausing and looking around a few times. This one is not for the weak y’all. I was just as confused as the MC and I wasn’t sure where the ending was going. I just knew they were going to reveal if she was correct or not in her assumptions. But no, completely different than I thought.
The ending was good af tho. I hate when books are like repetitive and are like basic until the ending. Like why did you do all this extra all that time and then come snatch my wig NOW? It was stupid lol I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that. It was hella weird. I don’t like that it was over right after that tho. I still had so many questions. Was she right? Was she just trippin? What happened? I needed to know. But none of that was explained. Is that “all the rave” now for authors to write these open ended books? Or those that like end on this huge thing and then its over? Can we stop this? It’s getting frustrating lol
This wasn’t my favorite Dugan which is sad because I really expected it to be. As a horror girlie I just KNEW this was going to be the best. It had its problems, but it was ok. I do wish it was horror and not thriller, I did enjoy it and I think my teens still will also.
Overall, I give this
