Going into Primal Animals blind was a good decision for me. I already knew I would enjoy this because Julia Lynn Rubin is a queen, and I really enjoyed her book Trouble Girls! What I didn't realize is how DARK this book would get. I freaking love the concept and originality brought to this book. I really didn't know who to trust or even if Arlee was going to be a reliable narrator. I even once suspected that everything was going to be a dream at one point LOL. I LOVE the camp setting and how the author describes settings in a way that's not overdone or redundant but still very atmospheric. A few scenes really stood out to me (wont spoil anything here) and will definitely stick with me. My one issue is with the way this ended, It wasn't badly done it just felt a tad abrupt and I think I just feel that way because I wanted more. I finished this in one sitting and totally recommend picking this one up.

I think the less you know about this book going into it, the better! It’s weird, it’s kind of experimental, it’s all based on vibes, and also there’s a lot of insects and someone that has a lot of anxiety. Also it’s sapphic. It’s kind of like Wilder Girls and also nothing like Wilder Girls. I do think you should read it if the description sounds interesting. Four stars.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Arlee Gold has always lived in her successful mother's shadow and after some bad school years, her mum decides to enroll her as a legacy at Camp Rockaway, an elite college prep summer camp, in the North Caroline wilderness. On her own, intimidated and oppressed by bugs, Arlee doesn't know what to do, but she founds a queer sanctuary in her bunkmates, drawn right away to the mysterious Winnie. But even though she hoped things would be different here, Arlee starts to notice whispers in her away and people getting away from her, realizing even there she's seen as a freak. When another rising junior invites her to a meeting, Arlee finds herself caught up in a secret society, finding, finally, a sisterhood and a place where everyone protect each other, by all means necessary. When Winnie is put in grave danger, though, Arlee starts to question how far her new sister will go to get their revenge.

Primal Animals is the brilliant and wonderfully creepy mystery written by the magnificent Julia Lynn Rubin and it's phenomenal! Set in a summer camp, with games, rules, fresh air, school and more, Arlee is the brilliant main character who struggles to find her place and wants to be seen and accepted. When the first time, with her bunkmates, ends badly, she's accepted by a secret society and she thinks to have found her own place, surrounded by sister ready to do anything to protect each other. Really anything, with deadly consequences. In a place where nothing and none is what it seems and none is what you thought it would be, Arlee has to protect herself and move cautiously in this world.

Secret society, girls protecting each other, chilling and eerie setting and a tension that will go under your skin, this book is spectacular! Non only the characterization is amazing and well rounded, but the setting and writing style are *chef's kiss*, capturing the reader attention right away...if the reader wasn't already in love with the amazing cover, that's it.
Filled with secrets, lies and suspance this book is absolutely brilliant, well written and so recommended!

A strange book that got more strange and read like a draft? The beginning of this book was intriguing and the freaky cam setup kept me reading but by chapter ten this book seemed to just read like a brain dump. Wasn't sure if it was going for that on purpose but if it was I don't think it was executed well. I hope the trend of these "vibes" books ends sooner rather than later. At some point, an actual story needs to be told.

Overall this was like a 3/3.5 stars? I did enjoy it for the most part (as I write this I realize it is supposed to be told from this unreliable narrator who’s constantly in a state of a borderline panic attack or feeling like the most powerful person in the room) but at times it felt the pace went too slow or sped by things way too fast for what was going on in the plot, but it kinda fits the main character?
We follow Arlee Gold as she goes to this fancy summer camp that her mother went to when she was young. Arlee has always been super afraid of bugs and is just a ball of anxiety in general, so as soon as she steps onto the premises of this big camp she can tell something is off. Her suspicions are encouraged by the odd way her mother and the camp’s director speak to each other and to Arlee herself.
This book is definitely Midsommar energy and was able to pull of the summer camp cult! But again, after some of the big reveals I just felt like things… lulled a bit? Like yes, Arlee was panicking a good chunk of the time after the biggest twist, but I could feel it dragging a bit for myself as we got closer to the end. The climax really didn’t feel like a climax to a story to me? The ending was satisfying but still felt off. Maybe that was on purpose though?
Overall, I enjoyed this for the most part and if it sounds good to you I encourage you to try it out!
Thank you to Netgalley and Julia Lynn Rubin for the chance to read this for free in exchange for an honest review

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have so many mixed feelings about this book. The premise sounded interesting and the beginning really did start out with a bang. Then it felt like the book kind of lost itself. It kept jumping from one plot point to another. The main character also kept swaying between beliefs constantly after talking to one character or another. Which, if the author had done right might make it feel okay but this just felt like a mess. The ending also is what got me. It felt so rushed for what all was going on. I wish we had gotten more of a closure because I really would like to either know what happens next or what led up to that big conclusion. I am going to give this book two stars because while it wasn't really for me it was still enjoyable enough that I did end up finishing it all. I just wish it had so much more to it.

Arlee is going to Camp Rockaway due to her bad behavior the last two years at school. She doesn’t want to go. Her mother tells her it will change her life. The camp will be having the campers learning how to well on the pre college exams (such as SAT etc.) and will get to take electives such as horseback riding, swimming and more. When they arrive at camp, Arlee meets the guide who is suppose to show her around the camp. Arlene’s mother and the director of the camp are delighted to see each other. Arlee goes to her assigned cabin where she will find it to be a sanctuary for her. Arlee is afraid that they and other campers will find out that she is a freak. Arlee has auditory and visual hallucinations besides a phobia about insects. She feels like an outcast as most campers won’t look or talk to her unless it’s too excuse themselves as they seem they don’t want to be near her. She hears ominous rumors about her mother but no one will tell her what they are. She is secretly invited to join a secret society and decides to join as she doesn’t want to feel so alone. It will surprise her. The society’s mottto is “protect all girls” as males are despicable. When the leader of the society takes Arlee and new two young members, they follow her and is told that they must follow directions or else. When given another task — the three members are not happy about it. She decides that she wants to go home and be with her mother. When the director sees her so Arlee can get a phone call home, she is drugged. What will happen to Arlee?

The novel is suspenseful but turns into horror. There are twists and turns. Some of them I would never had expected. It’s a story I won’t forget. I enjoyed the romance between Arlee and Winnie. There is a mystery aspect that turned the novel into unknown creepy and scary horror. I loved the unique surprises that didn’t seem like surprises but were such as a male camper disappeared.

I was excited for this book from the moment I saw the cover, but unfortunately I just wanted a bit more from it. Think and additional 100 pgs building out characters and lore would have helped a lot.

The queer romance seemed like an add on because we never learned much about the love interest. She was just kind of there and… well *spoilers*. I would have liked more time getting to know her and the other campers more.

I typically don’t mind gore in horror books, but so much of it is in this book was not explained or tied back so it just seemed kind of pointless. I think I more time spent expanding the lore would have help. Additionally the book never managed to build the tension that I typically like from horror novel. Maybe someone with a fear of insects would feel differently, but for me a spider hanging out in a wall is enough to make me start to get nervous.

While the book was enjoyable at times, I had high expectations that it didn’t quite meet.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC.

Arlee Gold is afraid of bugs. She's on her way to the same summer camp her mother went to in her youth. On the outside it looks too good to be true, fancy, beautiful guests, one in particular catches her eye and a crush develops pretty quickly.
Between being treated like an outcast for reasons she can't quite figure out and being invited to join a secret society, Arlee has a lot to figure out.
This book was weird, and it sort of felt weird for no reason? By the end of the book I felt like there were points trying to be made and this book was hanging out just slightly to the left of the goal?
I enjoyed this book, but I was ready for something slightly more.

Overall I found this story to be repetitive and slightly boring. The ending was intriguing but also a bit annoying to me.
I felt like the MC lacked depth and only talked about herself and how the other campers we scared of her because of her mothers reputation at the camp.

DNF @ 26%

As a big fan of sapphic horror, this was a big let-down. I've read this author's other book, Trouble Girls, and enjoyed it so I was expecting this book to be right up my alley. Unfortunately, I couldn't get passed how annoying the main character was. And looking at reviews from some of my friends who've read this, it seems like it's only going to go downhill in terms of plot and theme. I may have been willing to give this another go, but the fact that nothing interesting had happened in the 26% that I read, I don't see this as something I'll be continuing.

This is a dark and disturbing book. Arlee
Gold, child of divorce, is sent to camp - their very camp her mother attended years before - a camp that combines SAT/ACT prep with the more usual activities of a summer camp in the country. But beneath the surface of the camp is a secret society, one which protects its own, no matter the cost - and the cost is high.

As a legacy camper, Arlee is automatically eligible for the secret society. Her induction into the society explains her mother’s lifelong friendship with other women she met at camp - but it goes much deeper than that. As Arlee attempts to find out more about the society and her mother’s involvement, she is pulled into questionable activities, which quickly spiral out of control. Secrets abound, scattered through the more usual cliques and gossip of high school students.

If you enjoy conspiracy and murder, you will likely enjoy this novel - but it wasn’t for me. The plotting, pettiness, deliberate injury, and secrets are not at all to my taste.

I received an advance copy of this novel in exchange for my review, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Received ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

The concept of this book was very appealing to me - a dark, twisty YA novel novel about a queer teen attending a summer camp with a secret society. The cover art is beautiful . Unfortunately, the book just didn't work for me. The characters didn't resonate, there were too many of them and the pacing was too slow. Also he romance didn't add to the story.

Primal Animals fell a little short for me. I was expecting something with fantastic elements that was at least a bit spooky. This was not either of those things.

This should not be classified as horror. There are some horrific elements involved, but I was never terrified while reading it. Death and a wandering mind do not make a horror novel.

The dialogue felt forced in the beginning as well as the descriptions. I think once I got absorbed in the novel, I was able to look past that.

For most of the novel, the main character, Arlee, is timid and scared and anxious. But then randomly, she is a bold, secure individual. And then she falls right back into the scared child.

As terrified as she was of insects, Arlee constantly described her anxiety with insects. Butterflies in her stomach. Flies buzzing in her brain.

Overall, I felt the novel was a fast read. It held my attention through most of it, although, it would have been better as a novella or a short story.

A very suspenseful story that keeps you guessing with teens, secret societies, wilderness, and camp life throughout. It is hard to say much about this story without giving anything away, but it is a fun read while you try to deduce what is actually true or not. If you are a fan of young adult horror, I would recommend this book.

The most honest thing I can say is that I don't know how I feel about this book.. the world of this twisted summer camp is wildly intriguing and all of the characters are compelling, but what of this story? It goes every which way and leaves with a level of drama that still had me feeling like the story was unfinished. Though I did quite literally gasp at the final line. Worth the read for the drama alone, Primal Animals was engaging throughout, though I did find myself getting three quarters of the way through and still feeling like I was waiting for the *real* story to start. In my opinion? Must be read to be believed

The description of Primal Animals is everything you would want from a YA horror book--summer camp, mystery, secret societies, safety in a queer excepting group. It all sounds fantastic; seriously, sign me up (exactly why I requested the dARC of this work), and while the book does cover all these elements, there is something a little off (for me) just like the girls talk about camp Rockaway. It is like it wants to go deeper and be more but instead uses sock value gore abruptly to be superficial.
Overall, I can see why many are loving this book. The language and descriptive setting really do make you feel you are right there with Arlee, but the pacing of the plot and the randomness of the "horror" didn't hit it out of the park for me this time.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the dARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

Arlee Gold is is sent to a summer camp to assist with test scores and getting into a good college. Which sounds all great until Arlee is invited into a secret society. Arlee intrigued me as a character because Julia Lynn Rubin writes in a way that Arlee came off the page for me and felt as if I was walking in their shoes. This story had on an emotional roller coaster as the story evolved and developed; in a good way! I think that the summer camp setting, helped add to the horror aspects of this book. This is a book that will stay with me for weeks and months to come! Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

I'm still trying to process everything that happened in this book. I went in knowing a little about the book, like this girl goes to summer camp. That was about it. So I was most definitely blindsided by the horror/thriller part of the book! But! That did not stop it from being an intense page turner that I did not want to put down. The MC was crazy and I loved it. The way her mind would just go off the deep end and go from one extreme to the next kept me from being able to guess what would happen next. She was unpredictable at times and I really liked not knowing what crazy thing she would do next. There were some crazy weird gore scenes described in the book that were a bit strange, but really fit in with the vibe of the book as it went on. I do wish the story had wrapped up a bit neater or atleast given us a little more at the end, but it did have SOME closure.

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Julia Lynn Rubin for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Primal Animals is a chilling,. enthralling read! The summer camp setting hooked me right away. YA horror is a tricky line to ride, but Rubin managed to be spooky and creepy without crossing the line.