A mysterious secret society. An elite summer camp. Lush, remote North Carolina setting. Creepy. Twisted. Frightening. Compelling. I could not put Primal Animals down! Teen Horror at it well written best.

When I saw the tagline for Primal Animals, "Protect the Girls" coupled with the synopsis, I assumed we'd have some awesomely sapphic feminist anthem on our hands. It just... fell short of that for me, sadly. The best way I can explain most of my thoughts on this one is via the line I found over and over in my Kindle notes: "umm...okay?" That's not to say it's all bad necessarily, and I am sure it will work for some readers, but it just didn't quite hit the mark for me.

Let's start with Arlee, our main character. Arlee... I don't know anything about who Arlee is as a person. She just felt very bland to me. Maybe that is who she is, I guess, but I didn't feel very connected to her. For a chunk of the book I didn't like or dislike her, I was just fairly apathetic. I felt some sympathy for her, but that really wasn't enough. She heads off to some Privileged Kid Camp™ which in itself is a little pretentious, but she doesn't seem thrilled so points there for Arlee. She meets her cabinmates and they all seem a little leery of her, as do the others she encounters. Apparently, her mom is somewhat of an urban legend around camp, but Arlee hasn't a clue why, for no one will tell her

But she jumps into camp with both feet, which is fine, nice for her to make the best of things. But she acts, by the end of the first night, that she loves all these campers with her whole heart, and ma'am, you literally met them yesterday, so. No real explanation for the very sudden change of heart, especially when so many of the campers seem to not want to be near her.

As the summer progresses, Arlee ends up getting an invite to join some kind of secret society, which seemed a little suspicious to me, but you do you, Arlee. She begins to develop feelings for one of the girls, and that is cute, this girl seems less vapid than the others, so I approved. Their relationship was one of the parts of the story I liked, so there's that. I also will say that the whole atmosphere of the camp is on point- it feels unsavory from the start, and just devolves from there, so kudos to the author for that.

Eventually, things just take a turn for the gory and bizarre. That's really all I can say. If you want a more detailed list for trigger purposes, please do have a look: (view spoiler) So, please understand that it is probably not for those who have trouble with gore. There is also some very casual/excessive drug use and alcohol use, which seemed a little bananas for a camp, but the Camp Powers That Be did not seem to care, so.

Basically, my biggest issue with the story was that I never understood why any of the events happened. Like- on a more basic, immediate level, some of the bad actions made sense. But the overall arc of the society doing messed up (very messed up) stuff for generations... I just never "got" it. I think on some level, it was supposed to be as... protection? Or perhaps revenge for past actions? But I don't know how much I liked that either. I mean, sure, at least there would be reasons, but I find vigilante justice to be quite a slippery slope, and in this case, way out of control. (view spoiler)

Also, even by the end, I didn't feel like I knew Arlee any better, and I even perhaps felt less sympathetic to her due to some of her choices along the way. I didn't even really root for the relationship, mostly because I thought the love interest could do better. I could probably also mention that a lot of the side characters were rather unlikable- especially Arlee's parents, but there were a few side characters at camp that I was moderately invested in.

Bottom Line: While the atmosphere was on point, and it definitely did deliver on horror, the characters and overall plot didn't quite work for me.

Scheduled to post 6/4/22.

Okay, so I feel some ways about this, and pretty much none of them good. There will be spoilers here, so you've been warned.

I totally forgot I was supposed to be reading a YA horror novel, mainly because there's nothing scary about it. I can see where it's supposed to be scary, but the complete lack of tension, and building that tension, just removes any kind of horror feeling it might have. Like yeah, the secret society thing is weird. What Arlee has to do is weird. But she's barely an active participant in her own story and all the truly weird things don't happen to her, they happen around her and she stands on the periphery. There was a moment when Arlee first gets to camp and sees that weird horse person in the woods where I thought maybe this could get weird, but it's a nothingburger. There is no damn tension in this book.

The incident with Arlee in the woods that she keeps referring to is never fully explained. She had some kind of breakdown after her dad left and then maybe there was some kind of pseudo-erotic moment with a deer corpse in the woods? I'm not too sure, because as the reader we only get flashes of it. And I think we're supposed to get Arlee's fear with the bugs, but it's just not there for me. She completely freaks out in the most irrational ways and since she's kind of a standoffish character to begin with, I'm just not feeling it.

Most of the story focuses on the camp itself and how idyllic it is and the parties and friendships and whatever. I'm guessing that's supposed to juxtapose against the sinister underbelly of this secret society of the camp, something Arlee's mom was a part of and got a scary reputation for that has been passed on to Arlee for some reason that takes waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long to explain. The thing is, this dichotomy could have worked if things actually happened to Arlee, if she were actively involved in her own story. But she wasn't. She gets dragged in after the fact and has to bury a body with no explanation. Then she's required to play piano for some weird Midsommar-like ritual with another boy's severed head. Yes, those things are creepy, but there's zero context and Arlee's not otherwise involved with them. They don't happen to her, she's not part of the act. She exists on the periphery.

Then as things finally unravel and we get answers (like 90% of the way into the story, mind you), Arlee gets very holier than thou and the story flips from unapologetic feminist to apologist feminist with Arlee going THIS IS JUST TOO FAR. Yet we know all the reasons why this secret society did all the things they did. We know them. Yet Arlee's over here like MURDER IS NOT THE ANSWER. The story is set up for it to be the only answer, Arlee. So WTF? Am I supposed to be on Arlee's side in the end? Like, I understand why she has the reactions that she does, because holy crap. It's a lot. But where she took "protect the girls" only seems to be assuaging her own guilt in her complicity instead of seeing the much bigger picture of what this society is actually fighting against and how they really don't have any other options. Like, did the author forget the story she's writing, or does she honestly think Arlee is the hero here?

I think we're supposed to think Caroline and Samantha are some nasty villains, and Lisha is unhinged and needs to be stopped and is actually a serial killer. Instead, I'm thinking that we got told the story from the wrong person. Lisha or Anna would have been far better protagonists and would have made a much more impactful, morally gray story. Arlee just kind of messes up the story. So much is left out because she's not involved, and then it gets flipped on its head because she wants to be righteous and fix the situation the way she thinks it needs to be fixed. It throws everything off.

I actually really liked the voice of the book. It's what kept me reading. That and waiting for something, anything to happen. I liked the blooming relationship between Arlee and Winnie and it pisses me off that it went absolutely nowhere. and Winnie literally just disappears. Considering we know the fate of kids that just "disppear" from this camp, it's safe to assume Winnie didn't leave willingly. But there are just so many missed moments and absolutely no tension occurring in this story. The fatal flaw is that Arlee is just not an active participant in any of it. She's dragged through the story kicking and screaming, and what could rightly be an uncomfortable revenge story takes a turn into self-righteousness, telling the reader that there are some things that are just too far. It felt underhanded moralizing at the end, and the more I think about it, the more I sneer.

If you want a true, unapologetic feminist revenge story that will make you feel really uncomfortable in all the right ways, read FOUL IS FAIR by Hannah Capin. That book doesn't try to back over itself and tell you it's gone too far. It's not YA horror, but it's YA thriller and worth every page. PRIMAL ANIMALS is just a wet blanket told from the wrong main character, in a story where very little happens, and then it seems like the author had a crisis of conscience at the end and tries to flip everything around. Except all that happens is we get a seemingly self-aggrandizing character who can't see beyond the end of her own nose. We get an author setting us up to side with this secret feminist society, only to flick our noses at the end and go 'ah ah ah' THAT is not the answer and it just feels gross.

2

Trigger Warnings: Underage drinking, animal corpse/death, past cheating, child abuse, corpse, drugging, vomit, homophobia, murder, panic attacks, racism, self harm, sexism, sexual harassment, violence

Representation: Queer, Lesbian, Gay, Trans

Primal Animals is a YA horror about Arlee who is attending a college prep summer camp. While there, Arlee develops feelings for one of her bunk mates. When she is then chosen to join a secret society, Arlee is asked to do something extremely dangerous.

This book was so scary! Although I’m also a baby when it comes to this stuff. The story is very engaging and a quick read. This is a great book for the beginning of summer! Summer camp and a sapphic romance was a perfect balance for the creepy horror that felt like storytelling around a fire. This book was very suspenseful and kept me on the edge of my seat! The story has many twists and turns that I never saw coming.

The characters in this book were great! Arlee has such great development and the other characters as well. There was also great representation of the world we live in, where queerness is not our only identity. I also really appreciated Arlee for her depth and thought the author did a great job with writing her. My only critique would be the balance between creating this world and the plot. The ending feels a bit rushed due to so much world set-up.

Why should you read Primal Animals?

Classic Horror Premise
There’s a summer camp. Set in a humongous wood out of the way of society where no one can go missing. Where creepy things hide in the trees and secrets are buried deeper than the roots of nature.

It’s a simple and classic Horror premise but Julia Lynn Rubin does well to make it something unforgettable, and add all the twists you could want from a Horror novel!

Enticingly gripping in the creepiest way
If you enjoyed the communal connection that features in Midsommar, how easily drawn in the main character gets into a cult and the horrors but the supposed joys that comes with that, then Primal Animals does that so effortlessly well. It plays on the human need for connection and understanding, and makes us connect with Arlee, and understand how she falls into this cultish world, but slowly discover the true horrors behind it and take the reader on a ride!

What the Actual ?!?!
Honestly this book will have you shooketh to the core, and honestly concerned because it gets very dark, very, very fast which is terrifically done but will give you whiplash. If you want disturbing, and don’t care how much it is, then this is brilliant!

The Representation
This book is openly Queer and awash with LGBTQIA+ representation, Arlee has a crush on a girl she shares a cabin with, their friend is trans, and there are gay couples and more in this story. It’s very refreshing to not only have the main character and love interest be Queer but to see so many sexualities and identities included within the book, and even though we don’t explore those characters lives, it enriches the diversity of the story.

The Yearning!
Oh the yearning in this book is off the charts! Arlee and her falling for her bunkmate is one of the cutest things ever but the yearning is strong and the author does so well to describe how much of a pull Arlee feels for her crush! So if you love yearning and so much intensity, this is for you!

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.

Arlee Gold is spending the summer before her Junior year at Camp Rockaway – the prestige college prep camp that boasts of being the place rich, influential families send their teenagers in the summer. Arlee herself is a legacy – and a pretty notorious one if the other campers’ reactions to her are anything to go by – her mother attended when she was a teen herself. The same mother who is certain that this is the exact thing Arlee needs to put her past finally behind her and start anew. And, despite the fact Arlee is seriously terrified of bugs, she can’t help but hope so too. Especially after meeting her bunkmate, Winnie.

But then Arlee gets invited to join a secret society of women at the camp that goes back generations. A little vary, Arlee nevertheless agrees, hoping that this is the key to building lasting relationships with her campmates. Too bad the society’s initiation process involves a little bit more than what Arlee thought she was signing up for…

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this one! Primal Animals is advertised as a sapphic thriller set at an idyllic summer camp where things beneath the surface are not as they appear. And for the most part, that’s exactly what it is! What Rubin does exceptionally well is craft the perfect world for this type of story. Camp Rockaway is just creepy enough to keep you on edge but normal enough to make you wonder if it’s all in your head. There’s also a good cast of characters who all have the potential to be really interesting if given enough time to develop too.

In fact, I think I had such high expectations for the progression of this plot because of how great the whole concept and setting were. Unfortunately, the plot itself was lacking. It felt a little one-dimensional, the events predictable, and there were too many narrative elements left unexplained or unresolved at the end to be really satisfying. I almost wish this book could have been longer! Because I felt like so many pieces of this story were only brushed upon, and I would have liked to have delved deeper into their meaning! I wish the characters could have been fleshed out more too since I sincerely wanted to understand their motivations for their actions better.

All in all, I think Primal Animals was an enjoyable read still and had a lot of potential to be great! It just fell a little flat in the overall execution for me.

Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tours and the publisher, Wednesday Books/St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

The premise of Primal Animals is compelling. Mysterious, cultish happenings at a summer college prep camp, a camp at which protagonist Arlee Gold’s mother has a notorious reputation? And make it sapphic? Sign me up. Unfortunately, the promise in the premise of Primal Animals falls extremely short in execution, and left me by turn confused and unintentionally amused.

Generously, this novel was… not for me, despite a general enjoyment of queer horror. All of the elements felt incredibly disjointed from one another, leading to a bumpy reading experience. There is a lot of telling versus showing within the text, both in the present day as Arlee attends the summer camp and in flashbacks as Arlee reflects upon the various experiences that led to the present day. There’s a whole subplot about piano lessons that I’m still, days after finishing, struggling to contextualize within the rest of the novel.

Because of all the telling, it feels like there is almost no build up from ‘anxious girl at sleepaway camp’ to ‘excuse me, she pulled WHAT out of a bag at an all-camp meeting’. The gross or horrific elements felt way out of context and thus lost some of their narrative impact for me.

The events in this novel also cross the line from dramatic to overdramatic for my personal threshold. The big reveal of Arlee’s closely guarded secret feels way out of proportion to the trauma it was a response to; likewise, the escalation of the secret societies activities seems intended to have served a greater feminist/girl power narrative, but given the lack of development, feels ungrounded and confusing.

What I struggled the most with was that, after all of this drama and a horrific chain of events… there are no consequences? Not really, and not meaningful ones. The novel ends abruptly on another tell-not-show summary of what happens after camp concludes, which makes it feel vastly unearned and unsatisfying.

All that aside, the prose was solid and there were many genuinely raw/visceral/compelling lines and passages throughout; emotional tone was conveyed well. The sapphic romance was the saving grace of this book to me, because although it too felt a bit underbaked, there was definitely chemistry between Arlee and the love interest. Then again, a note in the tell-not-show ending left a sour taste in my mouth regarding that too.

All in all, Primal Animals was unfortunately not for me, as the excellent concept didn’t live up to its promises. There are many other favourable reviews, so chances are if you are really into the concept of a creepy summer camp with a side of sapphic romance, you could enjoy this more than I did.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an advance review copy. All opinions are my own.

I read - and loved - Trouble Girls by Jennifer Lynn Rubin last year, so I was super excited to read this book and it did not disappoint!

Arlee Gold has had a rough time lately. Her mother promises that a summer at Camp Rockaway is just what she needs - and at first, it seems like she's right. Between the picturesque setting, the college prep classes, and oh yeah, her crush on her bunkmate (yay LGBT rep!), things seem to be going great .... but are they? Why do the other girls shy away from Arlee when she mentions her last name? Why is her phobia of insects constantly being bombarded? And when she's invited to join a secret society .... well, let's just say things take a scary and unpredictable turn.

Primal Animals is a methodical, atmospheric slow burn that turns from mystery to horror and leaves you totally guessing (and gasping!). The secret society element is an awesome addition and really lends itself to the overall themes of group think versus self awareness (which is compounded as Arlee has to grapple with her mother’s legacy). The summer camp setting contributes to the feeling of isolation and disorientation. And did I mention bugs?? I really suggest going in blind to this book because the build up of tension and ultimate conclusion is fantastic. Julie Lynn Rubin has a fantastic writing style and I also really appreciate her inclusivity - you'll find queer and trans characters in this book.  

TW: animal death (at times gory), insects, some body horror, discussion/mention of SA, discussion of homophobia and transphobia

This story starts off so strong and is really hard to put down once you start. Primal animals is a young adult horror novel that follows Arlee Gold, a high school student whose mother thinks she will benefit from the summer camp she went to for college prep classes. However as soon as Arlee arrives, she notices a distance from the other girls when her last name is spoken. And then she’s brought into a secret society of women who will do anything to protect each other. As events unfold and Arlee begins to see another side to the camp, the society and the woman who raised her.

Arlee is a great main character, she’s very relatable. She’s not popular and fitting in instantly, she has a crush on one of her bunkmates, and she’s just trying to figure out everything about the camp and its secrets. Her character is relatable and not too much. The support characters are just as well written to pull the story together. They all add something to the overall story.

I had a really hard time putting Primal animals down. I alternated between the e-galley and the audio-galley; they were both extremely enjoyable. I’m so glad to see a new horror book in the young adult category. Its not as common and stories like this one should be shared more and I craved as a teenager. I found primal animals just as enjoyable as an adult. The feel of the story has a mature feel without all the excessive drama that tends to be thrown into to young adult stories.

Primal Animals is a great camp story perfect for anyone who likes suspense, mystery and horror.

Primal Animals is the book for you if you love mysteries and a narrator you can't trust. There are many layered mysteries hidden under the perfect facade at camp. Who is there to trust if you cannot trust yourself.

Thank you so much to net galley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book. This book is really intriguing and the characters were fun. This book was creepy for sure but not overpowering just enough to make you unsettled. I felt like the unveiling at the end could have been improved but overall really good. I would like to read more by this author.

This is a tough book to review as I think its best to go into this blind. There is definitely some trigger warnings with this book so please go and check those out before you dive into this book. That being said I enjoyed reading this book. It was definitely dark and not exactly an easy book but the story was interesting and I definitely wanted to know more as I read. If you like horror and don't feel like the triggers are to much for you I would definitely recommend this book. Its a little slow to start but once it does its amazing.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Primal Animals

Author: Julia Lynn Rubin

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3/5

Diversity: Queen characters, Trans character, Bisexual MC, Adopted character

Recommended For...: young adult readers, thriller, mystery, LGBT, horror, summer camp

Publication Date: May 24, 2022

Genre: YA Thriller Mystery

Age Relevance: 17+ (religion, religious trauma, sexual harassment, sexual assault, medical gaslighting, anxiety, parental death, child abuse, kidnapping, transphobia, homophobia, sexism, underage alcohol consumption, drug use, language, gore, violence, death, murder, romance, animal death, animal gore)

Explanation of Above: Religion and religious trauma are mentioned briefly in this book. There are mentions of sexual harassment and one mention of a sexual assault. The book shows some medical gaslighting, anxiety, and mentions parental death. There are also some scenes of child abuse via emotional abuse and one slight mention and scene of physical abuse. Kidnapping is shown once in the book. There are mentions of transphobia and homophobia in passing of what’s going on in Texas. There is also sexism shown in the book, as well as a LOT of underage alcohol consumption and some drug use mentioned. There is some cursing in this book, as well as vomit and blood gore and a lot of violence shown and mentioned. There is death and murder in this book. There is some very slight romance in this book. There is also a lot of animal death and gore in the book, occurring to moths, foals, deer, cockroaches, and flies. The animal gore in this book is extreme and I highly advise those sensitive to it do not read this book or go into it warned.

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Pages: 304

Synopsis: Protect the girls

Arlee Gold is anxious about spending the summer at the college prep Camp Rockaway—the same camp her mother attended years ago, which her mother insists will help give Arlee a “fresh start” and will “change her life.” Little does Arlee know that, once she steps foot on the manicured grounds, this will prove to be true in horrifying ways.

Even though the girls in her cabin are awesome—and she’s developing a major crush on the girl who sleeps in the bunk above her—the other campers seem to be wary of Arlee, unwilling to talk to her or be near her, which only ramps up her paranoia. When she’s tapped to join a strange secret society, Arlee thinks this will be her shot at fitting in...until her new "sisters" ask her to do the unthinkable, putting her life, and the life of her new crush, in perilous danger.

Review: I felt like this was a good book. I immediately connected with the main character because of our shared fear of bugs and I liked the idea of the secret society. I thought the book did good in the world building and I liked the premise of it. I also liked the overall feel of the book. It did well to be a thriller and keep a mystery atmosphere rather than a horror one that sometimes thriller books fall into.

However, I didn’t like the book that well. I thought the book had a lot of characters at the beginning and that made it really hard to keep everyone sorted out. The book had a lot of twists and turns and a lot of them weren’t well plotted out. The character development wasn’t there and I just felt like the book could have been better if more expanded and more explained. It just felt like everything was way too rushed.

Verdict: It was ok, just not for me.

I feel a rush of complicated feelings with this one, specially because it is from a genre that I am not used to reading, I wanted to try something new and this one was definitely something that was not similar to any other book I’ve read before.
I have to admit that for the most part of the book I didn't really know what was going on with the plot, or characters, secrets, or the weird stuff that seemed to happen at random.
The characters were as weird, I di not fully understood the, but they were not hateful or in a way that repelled my interest, although they weren’t super interesting either; specially the main character. For my point of view, she was the type of character that the author wan’t to pass as mysterious by giving them a traumatic event of the past that don’t review until the very end, but through the the book they give hints that it was something horrible; that trope is honestly overused and irritating, but anyway.
Honetly the end was the best of the book. Some parts in the middle were also memorable, but the disturbing scenes were the ones that got stuck in my mind.
This book talks about sensible subjects like rape, torture, murder, blood, cults, etc. Make sure you are aware of these warnings before reading the book.

#bookreview #primalanimals
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Troubled teen, Arlene Gold, is sent to Camp Rockaway. The same camp her mother attended at her age. But being in the middle of a nature camp complete with rustic cabins is torture for a girl with a big phobia.
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This book is eerie from the start. Bugs, a secret society, and trying to fit in with girls who know more about her mom than she’s does.
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You spend the first half of the book being in the dark with Arlene waiting for everything to go downhill and it so does. From murder to blackmail you can feel the terror and impending consequences no matter what our girl Arlene does.
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5 STARS
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Thank you #netgalley and #wednesdaybooks #stmartinspress for a copy of this book for an unbiased review
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3.6

This is a strange book. It has provocative elements and interesting visuals, but it doesn't quite line up in the end.

The pacing is something I could see working for some and not others. This story has a slow build, giving you plenty of time to get acclimated and feel the camp out. If you're a fan of building dread, then the compelling mystery of it al works well. But it does lack tension in the middle, and I think could lose people there. However, if you go into this expecting a smaller scale, more introspective horror, I think it works.

The atmosphere of this book is also done well. The not-quite-right feeling of it all it subtle, but you never forget that this is a weird place, somewhere that Arlee is just getting to know and yet is also trying her best to fit herself into. There are hiccups that remind you that Arlee and you are both new here, and you don't really know what is possible or what is expected- something that makes the eventual descent all the more eared.

This book also feels very now. Feminist horror is in at the moment, so I think readers clamoring for more of that, fans of things such as Midsommer, are going to enjoy this book.

But while the conceptual elements of this book were interesting they weren't held up by enough. The eventual trauma reveal was unsatisfying for all the build up. It didn't feel organic and it didn't impact the story itself. I also felt the same about the ending, where everything teased was meant o come together, and yet felt suddenly caricature-level.
I also expected Arlee's unreliable narrator set up to effect more of the story. I simply don't understand making hallucinations part of her character without ever playing with that uncertainty past the very beginning.
And, as I stated, the pacing of this took a while to get right. Unfortunately it took me a while to get invested in this book after all the mystery dangling and exposition and then the middle fully plateaus.

I liked the writing and the concept, but I can't help but feel this book needed bulking up or severe edits in the middle.

Ahhh Summer, and with it the opportunity to go to camp. Arlee is excited to go to camp Rockaway, the same camp her mom attended when she was young. Her mother thinks it will giver her a fresh start and perspective. Along with camp comes friendships and crushes, especially on one of her roommates. Things are going good until she’s picked for the damps strange secret society, then things start to take a dangerous turn.

Ya Horror, well any horror, is my jam. Especially ones where it could really happen. The plot was engaging and had me wishing I could have gone to camp as a kid and join a secret society, but not a dangerous one as in this story. How flaws and secrets could put on display, and fears that help shape us and grow.

I really enjoyed the story the author weaved. I even loved the flaws the characters exude.

Encouraged by her mother to face her fear of bugs, Arlee Gold attends a college prep summer camp where her mother is a legacy. Arlee’s mom continually assures her that she’s going to have the best summer ever. So, there’s nothing to worry about, right?

Wrong. There’s something not quite right about Camp Rockaway and everyone who attends the camp. That’s a huge part of why this YA Horror is so intriguing. The mystery only grows with the introduction of a secret society and murder. But the questions remain: Who is Caroline Gold? Why is she so infamous at Camp Rockaway?

I went into Primal Animals thinking this book was going to be a sweet, cutesy fun summer-camp read. Nuh-huh. This young book is fun, but it is dark! Camp Rockaway turns into Camp Crystal. With that being said, I LOVED this book! Primal Animals held my interest from the beginning, and I read Primal Animals in one sitting.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the gifted copy and for the amazing opportunity to read and review Primal Animals.

2.50 Stars. This was weird AF, but unfortunately not in a good way. I’m really bummed about this one. I was so excited to get the ARC of this book since it was one of my more anticipated reads of the year. I love YA horror -especially with a sapphic twist- but this was a head scratcher, and I’m left wondering what did I really just read?! The really disappointing thing is that the premise had some really good potential. There were so many interesting paths the main storyline could have followed; instead it took the least interesting one possible.

First off, well maybe it is just me, but is this even horror? This just felt like a dark drama with a little psychological suspense in it. Yes, there were a few gross things, and I have a genuine phobia of spiders like the main character had, but bugs and some violence doesn’t make horror in my personal opinion. There were so many ways to stick some horror into the story, and I kept waiting for it, but I just never got to see it.

There were many things I didn’t really understand or felt like the set-up was too unbelievable for this type of story. For instance, the whole piano thing really threw me off. Sure, I understood the connection, but seriously why would it be a part of what happened, and why was it even such a big storyline of the book. My mother wouldn’t let me play drums and forced me to take piano lessons, which I hated. Trust me that livid experience was not worth half a book and it wasn’t worth half a book for this main character either. There were other things I didn’t get like about the black-out/ zone-outs the main character kept having. I was waiting for something, anything to happen with them… but just like all the time spent on her bug phobias, everything seemed to fizzle out. I’m trained to expect that if an author spends a lot of time on a certain subject that it will mean something, instead it was the opposite in this book.

The only thing I liked a little bit was the sapphic romance. The more I kind of think about it the more messed up it actually was, but there were some sweet and well done moments that stuck out in the bit of mess that kind of was everything else. I do have to say the way the romance ends is kind of iffy. I’ll put a spoiler up for those who are interested. (view spoiler)

TLDR: I’m sorry to say that this was not the book for me. I’m disappointed as I was very excited to read it. I will say that for every 1 and 2 star rating; this has a 4 or 5 star rating to match it. I have not seen a book this polarizing in a long time. There are almost no 3 star ratings as people seem to either really like it or really dislike it. While this didn’t have the horror elements or interesting story I was looking for, and I cannot recommend this read, there clearly are people who enjoyed it so YMMV.

An ARC was kindly given to me for a review.