Girls at summer camp, coming into their own. Cults, tragedy, and plenty of creepy things.

Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy.

I was really hoping for more from this book. I didn't love it, didn't hate it. When Arlee joins the secret society I thought this was when it would get good, and things would pick up but it wasn't as exciting as I hoped. Honestly, I think the secrets and what not could have been better. I like summer camp settings so that was a plus but didn't love some other parts of the story.

I fabulous read that I thoroughly enjoyed! Highly recommend and will purchase several physical and digital copies for library collections. Thank you!!

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for granting me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! Unfortunately, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

I finally got around to reading this title after getting the arc a long long time ago and I have to say, I’m sadly unimpressed.

This book just didn’t work for me. The premise sounded so fun because I love books that are set at a summer camp, especially when they’re spooky thriller or horror books, but this one just didn’t work for me. I didn’t like the writing and felt very bored from the start. I wanted to love it but that was just not the case.

If you have a fondness for stories set in teenage summer camps and the curious allure of peculiar cults, then this book should be on your reading list.

Personally, I found “Primal Animals” engaging. The eye-catching cover immediately drew me in. As I mentioned earlier, the storyline is undeniably eccentric, but it’s an eccentricity that works well. While I didn’t necessarily form a strong connection with the main character, Arlee, the narrative itself held my interest throughout.

The author’s writing style was enjoyable, effortlessly immersing me in the camp experience alongside Arlee. The story carried an enticing blend of darkness and intrigue, providing entertainment. However, it must be noted that it veered into territory that felt a bit too unconventional for my taste, ultimately leaving me feeling that it ventured a bit too far from the norm.

3.5 rounded upto 4 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm honestly surprised that past-me requested this book after my feelings on Rubin's previous book: The Trouble Girls. Like that one, there are some interesting concepts that are brought up without being truly examined, leaving the story feeling shallow and chaotic and without direction. As a fan of YA horror, I had some hopes for the horror elements, but there wasn't much there - more description and less dialogue (or internal monologue) could really have sold that.

Also the conclusion made no sense. A great conspiracy can't be unraveled with a phone call, and I for one wondered at the viability of the police (already corrupted with this whole cult thing) being the ones to do the fixing.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Primal Animals is a great YA Mystery/Thriller. The book follows Arlee Gold as she goes to an exclusive summer camp. Her mom went there as a kid and thought it would be good for Arlee to follow in her footsteps. The camp focuses on test prep and also the usual summer camp activities like horseback riding and archery.

When Arlee arrives, once people learn who she is everyone is scared of her. She finds out it’s because of something her mom did when she was at the camp. The mystery of what exactly her mom did lasts almost to the end of the book. That part was a little frustrating because it was such a weird explanation of why people treated Arlee and her mom the way they did.

This book has something for everyone, with a slow burn romance, great LGBTQ rep, a secret society and dangers lurking around every corner. This one definitely kept me guessing until the end. I liked the book overall, but the main character could be annoying at times. Some of the secrets took forever to be revealed. Overall though it’s a great read that kept me wanting to read more and more.

The novel "Primal Animals" features Arlee Gold, a queer teen girl, who attends a summer camp that holds dark secrets. The campers are warned about her mother's ominous reputation, and Arlee finds herself in dangerous situations involving a secret society. The book doesn't shy away from twisted and grotesque descriptions, and it surprises readers with unexpected plot developments. While the large cast of characters can be confusing at first, the main characters are distinct enough to follow.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

1/5 stars, the only way I connected to the main character was her fear of moths, because me too

Initially, when I read this I rated this 3 stars, but I remember absolutely nothing about this book besides how grueling it was to try to finish it. So instead, I have bumped my review rating down to one star, because I really remember nothing besides how little I enjoyed this story. This also might be reflective of me going into 2023 trying to be slightly more critical of the ratings I give things, like acknowledging that 3 stars are not a bad rating. But anyways, I'll get on with the few things I have to say I remember about this book.

First of all, this cover is stunning and I've found that I enjoy stories set at summer camp-esque locations, especially if secret societies are involved. And while I do remember the summer camp aspect being really strong, the plotline surrounding the secret societies took soooooo long to come to fruition, and just felt very slow and drawn out. That was the case for most of this book, it felt like nothing was happening when there were plot twists going on.

There was not a real tone set even halfway through the book, and I was hoping for so much more from the concept than what did happen. I could never sit myself down and become super invested in the story because the plot jumped all over the place. The only way that I could relate to the main character was her fear of moths, but other than that she didn't make any sense.

I think there are better thriller & summer camp books out there than the story I received in this one, and don't really recommend it unless you want to be confused the entire time you are reading.

[TW: death of a parent, anxiety depiction, panic attacks, fear of moths and bugs, drinking and drunk state, dead bodies, ritual sacrifice (of humans and animals), cult themes, kidnapping, abduction of a minor, bad religious experience, mutilation, poisoning, child abandonment, gaslighting]

*Arc provided by Netgalley and Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review."

Gruesome and disturbing is probably the best way to describe this book. Arlee is sent to an exclusive camp for the summer and ends up joining a secret society that is an absolute nightmare. I can see this book being highly triggering to a lot of people due to the graphic nature and contents. This books talks about sexual assault, murder, torture, and some particularly gross scenes involving dead animals. There's also drinking and pot use.

I don't even know who I'd recommend this to as I'm still a little uncomfortable after reading it. That being said the author did an amazing job of making me feel something. At this moment it just happens to be sick to my stomach.

dnf
i tried to get into this book, but it was just not for me. I'm hoping to come back to it at some point, but for now I will not be finishing it.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Julia Lynn Rubin does not hold back in this wild and wonderful horror story about defense mechanisms gone wrong. Hypnotizing.

Primal Animals by Julia Lynn Rubin is a wild ride. I am generally a big fan of a camp mystery, but this one was a bit too out there for me. Still, fans of shows like Yellowjackets should check this one out.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

This is one of the few books I had to DNF, and I say that with a heavy heart. I really, really wanted to love this book, but I think this is one of the cases where it was a "me" problem, and not a book problem. I related very much to the main character. I have, myself, felt so out of place as a teen. Arlee deals with all of the same things I dealt with as a younger person. Maybe that's why it was so hard for me to read. She is not much of a character outside of her spiraling thoughts, and her mood swings felt unrealistic the way they were written.

I did love the setting of this book, though. Summer camp books are such a blast, and I felt that the author did a wonderful job of creating a claustrophobic setting, with darkness hidden just beneath the surface of the sunshine-y exterior. There was a great sense of foreboding and creepiness that I loved.

I had to stop reading when there is a secret ritual in the woods where Arlee is forced to drink the bl*od of another camper. It felt very much like a cult thing, and I usually like books about cults, but this one took it too far. I am not squeamish, but I just didn't like it.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

This story shook me! I’m not sure what I was expecting but I was pleasantly surprised by what I got! I really enjoyed the plot of an elite co-ed summer camp where so much is going on behind the scenes. The character and setting development was great, I felt like I was right there with the campers! There were some parts that might need a trigger warning regarding death and dead animals but it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the story. I would recommend to anyone who likes summer mysteries revolving around high school kids.

TW: entomophobia, mental health, animal death, blood/gore, SA and toxic friendship.
Please look up TW, as there is potential for more; those are the ones that come straight to mind.

This story was prolonged, and I wished for more potential, especially from the concept.
I was 1/4 of the book in, and nothing had happened; I feel like the tone wasn't set, or this could have worked, but unfortunately, I became aware of the slowness.
The writing was so over the place, or maybe it was the story; I couldn't follow or stay interested enough to follow. I am not sure what vibe it was going for, but I wish it could have stuck to one not to confuse me.
Sadly, I didn't love this because, as an LGBTQ+ Member with mental health issues and a seeker of darker tones, this didn't do what I wanted.

BIG entomophobia vibes! Beautiful cover <3

Great book and enjoyed the characters . loved the slight romance and the how well the group worked together. Overall a great book . I would read this author again.

I’m a sucker for a dark, twisty story about a queer teen girl. Primal Animals follows Arlee Gold as she attends a summer camp where there’s more going on than meets the eye. This was a very well written and fast paced story. Primal Animals is haunting and beautifully written and if you like horror thriller with a sapphic romance, I definitely recommend this book!