A huge thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday books for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. A dark tale of sisterhood, camp, falling in love and not giving in to your dark side that will keep you up and make you think. I did like this book but I but I did feel like something was missing from it. There are a few slow and dull moments in the book but the last five chapters were really really good. The were something’s I did not like about the main character but I loved her rage and the fact that she tried hard not to be evil. With a reread I might give this book 4 or 5 stars. I liked how this book made me question anger and our animal instincts, like why do we act in anger and rage and hurt others? Why does it feel good at times, to get revenge, to hurt others like we have been hurt?

This was not at all what I was expecting.

I listened to the audiobook and I was creeped out.
The ending was shocking and it totally wasn't the story that I was expecting since I jumped into it withotu knowing anything about the book. I loved the wlw longing

I lost interest quickly and found the overall story and writing to be weird. Just not for me and my older generation brain.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was so weird.

Primal Animals follows teenage Arlee Gold who spending the summer at college prep Camp Rockaway. It's the same camp her mother went to and found lifelong friends. But Arlee is uncertain about the appeal of the camp. That is until she's unintentionally inducted into the secret cult. Is Arlee willing to go along with the bloody rituals and how far is too far?

I had a hard time getting into this one. I was constantly confused by what was happening and Arlee's motivations and character. She didn't make any sense. We're also lead to believe she might have an untreated mental illness from trauma, but this plot line is never truly addressed. We're lead to think Arlee has been abused by her father, when that is not in fact true, but she is traumatized by his affair and divorce with her mother.

Then there was the ending. It was so abrupt and made no sense at all. Arlee solves all the problems at the camp by calling the police, even though this murder cult has existed for decades and has inside people on the police?? Like in what world would that work!? I really wanted to like this one, but it was confusing and by the time I started to enjoy the atmosphere, a chapter later the book ended.

Rep: white sapphic cis female MC with delusions (or something?? it's not named), white sapphic cis female side character, queer cis male side characters, various white cishet side characters.

CWs: Animal death, animal cruelty/mutilation (animals are dead but still), blood, mental illness, murder, death, panic attacks, gore, alcohol consumption, drug use (marijuana), violence, gaslighting, toxic friendship, injury/injury detail, vomit. Moderate: rape, sexual harassment, cursing, misogyny, sexism, stalking, excrement, infidelity (of parent). Minor: body shaming, self harm, fire.

Primal Animals was great in its queer and diversity rep. I felt like it even played well into the overall atmosphere of the book, which I have to award credit for. What I didn't care for was....everything else. Camp Rockaway, where the book was set, was a bizarre spread of teenagers who attend sessions and then roam around to drink, do drugs, and other recreational doings. We come to find out that there are secret societies and secrets in general. Our MC, Arlee, gets funny looks from her fellow campers and is paranoid about everything from her s0cial standing to bugs landing on her leg. This book just focuses on all of the tiny little shock value things and left me wondering how and why the ends of the plot even come together.

This book would be a good recommendation for someone who wants YA but likes the creepy twisted type of books. I read it quickly and it was good. Unfortunately I did feel by the end it was trying to be a books like Catherine House and Grace Year and didn't quite capture the ethereal feeling that makes those work so well. Not a bad book, just not my favorite book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Glorious cover, but Wednesday Books never lets me down with cover art- that department is killing it.

This book was okay for me. The writing is a little uneven, but I'm always here to root for sapphic fiction, especially YA.

Thanks so much for the review copy!

Yeah, this was not the story for me. It is nothing like Yellowjackets and I really wish companies stop jumping on board to what's hip and current right now. This story wasn't the mystery the publisher thought it was going to be.

This was one of those books you end up reading in one night because you can't stand not knowing what happens next. I'm just not sure it's a book you'll re-read, because once its secrets are revealed the book loses something - I think maybe too much is caught up in the mystery, leaving nothing really to go back for - beautiful prose, memorable characters, etc - after the fact.

But Primal Animals is definitely a book worth reading the first time.

Oh my goodness, you're going to get wrapped up in this elite prep school, that has everything and seems perfect but hides secrets that are there, but below the surface for Arlee.

The characters are well developed and there's definitely a chemistry between Winnie and Arlee that left me wanting more. And that ending? How could you do that to me???? Ugh.

I seriously loved this book. It was so easy to get wrapped up into their world and imagine each or the characters. I didn't want to put it down and found myself craving more and thinking about it throughout the day. It's one I won't forget and I can't wait to read more by this author!

Usually, I am a fan of strange horror books. This is not one of them.

As a reader, I am still left with questions, but not in the way that horror should often leave you with. This is more of a "what in the world did I just read" feeling. All plot-related things that happened to the main character (like black-outs and her phobias) seemed to go nowhere, or have no real relevance to the story itself. The characters fell flat, the writing was emotionless.

Also, the horror in this book was more for shock-and-awe (and incredibly, incredibly disturbing) than for the actual advancement of the plot. Seriously, this book needs a list of trigger warnings.

This YA horror back is definitely a better read with no spoilers. I'd hand sell this to any teen looking for a summer camp horror novel. I would also tell them not to read it alone in the woods!

Primal Animals is a journey into paranoia set in a hot, humid North Carolina camp. It's a disturbing but engrossing summer read that will have you turning the lights back on. Arlee, new to this camp that her mom insists will be good for her, is starting to wonder what's really going on here. The other campers seem to know something bout her that she doesn't. Primal Animals is a wild read where you never know what the next page is going to bring.This book is definitely not for the faint of heart and provides lots of creepy crawly content.

Readers of Wilder Girls and What Big Teeth will love this one.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am sorry to say I have DNFed this book. I was excited about the premise; a sapphic horror story with Lord of the Flies vibes sounded amazing in theory, but in practice it just didn't work for me. While this book did succeed in being creepy, the writing was so info-dumpy and the plot felt lost and unconnected. I just couldn't get into it.

Ok, y’all. It’s been a looooong time since I read Primal Animals so this might be a little vague. But of what I do remember, I just have to say…OH MY GOD. The brutality. The violence. I was in shock for the full second half of the book. I was not prepared.


Like you think summer camp. Maybe there’s a murder. Maybe there’s a scandal. I didn’t expect this level of violence and torture??? Like holy shit!! In a YA book??? It was a lot. But I don’t want to spoil it because the level of OMG horror I felt is also wildly exciting when reading it. Just…trust.

I also like how much the book builds up the suspense. It was a little slow at times, but not enough that I found myself getting frustrated. I really was like just like “oh shit. something is about to go down and I’M SCARED.”

There is also the secret of what happened with Arlee’s mom when she was at camp and that also built up the suspense like nothing else. It left me wondering what her mother could have done.


I was also surprised how much I liked main reveal because usually, I’m just like “yes, let the girls kill without remorse” but Julia Lynn Rubin wrote this in a way that I was just as horrified as Arlee by the deaths that were occurring. Wonderfully done!

As for the ending, I am a fan of open-ended stories because I like imagining what happens next, but I know not everyone likes that. This one told us just enough to give an idea of what happened to the girls at the camp.

Trigger warnings: if you don’t have a strong stomach, this is probably not for you, harassment, and graphic violence/murder

Overall, I really enjoyed Primal Animals. Despite knowing what happens now, I still think I could reread it and still enjoy the horror and wildness of it all. I’m giving it 4 out of 5 stars.

Primal Animals by Julia Lynn Rubin is available now!

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the free eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Overall 1.5 stars. Didn't like. Too many characters, didn't like the behavior of the characters, the overall situation of the story. Was looking forward to reading. Just didn't enjoy.

While I thought this book would be everything I hoped for, the mood and atmosphere was not well constructed, and while the book was creepy in places and the plot was engaging enough, there were too many characters and they were too underdeveloped for me to care about them. Even Arlee was hard to care about.

This was a very unexpected, and very enjoyable read! I loved the creep factor, the rep for anxiety and fears, and the secret society. Definitely a pleasant surprise and would highly recommend for fans of slow burn horror and suspense! I’ll be excited to read future books by this author.

I enjoyed this! I loved the overall concept of a girl finding a mysterious, creepy cultlike society at camp--it could be a great movie for sure. That being said, the ending to me didn't fit the beginning. It felt wrapped up and neat which didn't seem to fit the overall dark, vibe of the novel.

~Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review~
A haunting, mysterious story about a broken girl dropped off at a prestigious summer camp, already uneased by the fly-infested summer to come. I'd say that, for the most part, the mystery was compelling, the stakes were high and the various motifs from Arlee's past - such as insects and the piano - created a gut-wrenching, creepy backdrop to this summer from hell. While I wish things were wrapped up WAY more neatly (as the reader is meant to speculate on much of this story's ending) and that characters were characterized in a less info-dump-y way, I enjoyed this story and its take on the horrifically dark consequences of past trauma and how far a person is willing to go to unearth the truth.