Ciera Burch

4.5 stars

First off, what a STUNNING cover! Sapphics with dogs? Yes, please!

This is a hard-hitting story about former friends turned rivals becoming teammates and, not only rebuilding their connection as friends, but exploring the beginnings of a romance too. Meanwhile, Taylor is dealing with her dad's kidney failure, and Mari struggles to essentially be a parent to her younger twin siblings. All of this is set against the backdrop of cross-country.

My favorite parts included the dogs. This show more is a slooooow burn, but the times that Mari and Taylor got along best for the most part were while walking dogs. I think this book captures teenagers really well, but I was a little jarred by the speed at which how hot and cold Taylor and Mari acted. Also, I wish something would have happened to Sarita... Some kind of final confrontation or news of her being punished or something. Can't have everything, I guess.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review! show less

Dark forests, unknown surroundings, and a the monster of a local legend already promise tons of spooky goodness, but this camp adds an extra, unexpected twist.

Naomi doesn't really want to go to camp...staying with her father and brothers would be so much better...but since she doesn't have a choice, she'll deal as best she can. While everyone at the camp has their own quirky personality or traits, she soon finds herself getting along pretty well with several of the kids. While not everything show more is perfect, and the campfire tales surrounding the Jersey Devil and creepy thoughts, nothing really goes wrong until the see strange lights during a walk through the woods. The real Jersey Devil appears, and the creature isn't exactly what they expected, especially since it claims that they are the key to overcoming a dark evil.

This is a quick-paced read for spook fans, especially those who enjoy a good camp story. The camp has many usual traits (kids facing various problems, odd counselors, mysterious places), which make it easy to sink into before taking off in a fairly unique direction. There isn't as much drama as some camp stories hold, and for that, I'm grateful. This group has enough to go up against, anyway. While there still are some personal issues to add character depth and a few messages, these don't threaten to take over the more general plot. Instead, the hidden shadows, secrets, and approaching danger keep these pages turning.

The addition of the Jersey Devil adds a nice local legend aspect, which was a nice touch. Just when it seemed that this might be heading in that sort of spooky direction, it takes an unexpected turn. Not only does this give the a unique touch, but it keeps readers guessing. There are spooky moments and scenes with higher tension, but it doesn't head into the extreme, either. This feeds more into delicious creepiness as new friends do their best to figure out what is going on.

It's an enjoyable read with a touch of fantasy, a little imagination, and a creepy tone to delight fans of paranormal, monsters, and mystery. show less

Creepy! I liked the resolution, and even though there are a lot of unexplained and mysterious things, that worked for me. I loved the relationships in the book -- Micah and Poppop, new friend Theo, Mom and annoyed-big-sister Renee and of course mysterious Jenn. I liked that this talks about some hard history without drowning young readers in it. I liked the sentient house aspect, and Micah's fascination with old things. Easy to fall into and a quick read.

** spoiler alert ** This was a perfectly fine spooky camp story. I've been reading a lot of them lately, so they are starting to blend together -- highlights: nice to have a Black main protagonist with thoughtful opinions and a love of science; nice that the Jersey Devil turns out to be a good guy; good messages about friendship; nice to have a Deaf new friend; good messages about getting your parents to hear you. Mild crush on new friend is implied, but it could just be a bestie thing. Not show more hugely spooky unless you are familiar with kudzu -- that stuff is terrifying. I suspect it will be popular with the intended audience. show less