DNF at 10%. I just can't. This writing style is just awful to me. I'm so confused and annoyed. No one talks like this. Even in a campy, B horror movie. Please don't let me dislike for this book away you away from reading it if it sounds good to you, but I knew almost immediately this wouldn't be for me.

As always thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

This book sounded good in theory but the story is convoluted and poorly written. The editor that worked with Nancy Bush should be ashamed. The chapters are a meandering mess with uneven pacing, unclear transitions between past and present, and the most superfluous words (who says burgers with all the fixings and then lists teh fixings?).
There are periods of action and tension that are enjoyable but the same phrases, situations, and relationships are repeated over and over. Yes, I know who is married to who half way in, you don't have to remind me.
The ending doesn't tie all loose ends, a major action happens outside of the story and the ending is just told to the readers in the epilogue.
I have enjoyed Nancy Bush's work with Lisa Jackson, but I am not a fan of her on my own.

Toot toot! Hot-Mess-Express rolling into the station...

Well, this wasn't quite what I expected and by quite, I mean, not at all. I felt way too disgruntled upon finishing it to write a review and now it's been days. I remember practically nothing, apparently sucked out of my brain by the 'didn't enjoy it'-gods.

All I can say is, if you tell me you are giving me Summer Camp Horror, you better deliver me Summer Camp Horror. The synopsis of The Camp had me frothing at the mouth. Unfortunately, it didn't deliver any of the vibes, nor enticing plot, that I was expecting.

I'm an atmopshere-girlie first and foremost. I've mentioned that numerous times. One of my favorite settings is Summer Horror, particularly Summer Camp Horror. I feel like that is what I was promised here, but it's not what I got.

There is nothing chilling about this, nor Friday the 13th about this and these are just things mentioned in the synopsis. I'm not inventing these comparisons on my own. If I hadn't had that in my mind, there's a very slight chance I would have enjoyed it more, but honestly, I doubt it.

One of my biggest issues with this story was that it didn't seem to know what type of story it was trying to be. It couldn't figure out its own identity, so how the heck was I expected to?

There were way too many perspectives for my tastes, they just didn't seem necessary, as well as a whole host of ridiculous subplots that I couldn't have cared less about.

For example, you're following camp counselors from the past, camp counselors from the present, people from a commune located near the camp, there's a wacky surrogate subplot, a grown woman being accused of sleeping with a 15-year old boy and a cat that lives in a asylum that is giving total Doctor Sleep vibes...

I'm not sure what else to say. It's rare I'm at a loss for words, but this is one of those occasions. It was just so hard to track and even harder to care. There were so many characters involved; too many.

It did get a little easier once they were all in one spot, the camp, but I feel like that happened way too late in the narrative. By then, I had given up. I probably should have DNFed, but I kept wanting to figure it out; like, what's the point?

Honestly, it was pretty bad and not in a fun-Sharknado-bad sort of way...

As I always say though, and I do want to stress this, just because this book didn't work for me, does not mean it won't work for you. We all have different tastes and enjoy different things. I'm not quite sure who I would recommend this to, but I would say probably not to huge Summer Camp, or Slasher Horror fans; like if Friday the 13th is your jam, this is not it.

Thank you to the publisher, Zebra Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Even when books don't knock me out of the park, I still appreciate the opportunity to read and them and provide my opinion.

Camp Luft-Shawk, nicknamed Camp Love Shack has tales of death connected to it. Twenty years previously a young woman's body was found and another camper went missing and was never found. Now, twenty years later, the camp has been renamed Camp Fog Lake and it is reopening. The alumni has bee invited to join their own children for a.parents weekend. Those who were there all those years ago are back.and still keeping the secrets they've held for so long. They want to make sure nothing happens to their own children even though so many years have passed. Will the alumni weekend go off without a hitch or will secrets come to light and more death plague the camp. Love the series and hope the author brings the characters back again soon.

dnf on page 11

You see I did not get far, and that's for the simple reason that I saw the writing style and immediately noped out. Yes this is an arc, and I could read on, but I doubt that my opinion would change and I'd have good things to say about this.

It's interesting to me that this author has written many other things, because that kind of writing I usually associate with newbie writers. I'd guess that they found their niche and stayed. Which is totally fine, just not for me.

If you still think the blurp sounds interesting, I urge you to go and read other reviews.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

From the outset, I had no idea in which direction to look for the killer or even a suspect. The author skillfully weaves a web of suspense and mystery, keeping me guessing at every turn. The sense of panic that crawled up inside me was palpable as I navigated the twists and turns of the plot.
In conclusion, "The Camp" is a heart-pounding thriller that delivers on every front. Nancy Bush has crafted a compelling and suspenseful tale that will leave readers breathless. With its unpredictable plot, intense atmosphere, and a cast of characters you won't soon forget, this book is an absolute must-read. I wholeheartedly recommend it and firmly believe it deserves its well-earned five-star rating.

Harley and her step-sister Marissa are going to be CIT (counselors in training) for the summer at newly renovated Camp Fog Lake which used to be Camp Luft-Shawk or Camp Love Shack as all the kids called it twenty years ago before it closed down due to a horrible tragedy taking place. Harley's aunt Emma also happened to be a couselor back then during the summer when there were so many secrets and lies and friends stopped speaking to one another after that fateful summer. Unfortunately, Emma cannot remember very much from that time since she was attacked shortly after being home from camp while babysitting that same summer and was left with a traumatic brain injury that has sadly left her childlike in many ways.

Emma doesn't want Harley to go to camp for fear of something bad happening again but Harley has ulterior motives for going (a certain boy) and nothing will change her mind. In the meantime there will be an unplanned reunion of sorts at the camp involving many people from Emma's past with coincidental ties to Harley's present camp experience that were completely unexpected. When fun campfire stories start turning ominous as strange events begin to happen, Harley decides she will play sleuth to get to the bottom of the mysteries of old Camp Love Shack not knowing she is in danger as well as many others because when the mysterious thick fog rolls in sometimes evil hides in it's mist and some may never be seen alive again.


This was another entertaining and enjoyable book for me by Nancy Bush which I'm so glad to have read. The book wasn't scary but it certainly had several mysteries going on simultaneously. I thought the novel was fast-paced with nefarious characters and some chilling crimes taking place. There were a great many different, colorful, characters within the complex story which I appreciated since it made the book very unique with intertwining subplots. Another fun treat for myself were the characters of Jaime and Emma from the previous book called "The Babysitter" being weaved back into this suspenseful novel.

Camp living, unruly teenagers, campfire tales, cults, heavy fog, brackish adults, unsolved mysteries, secrets, lies and murder, so what else could a reader ask for in a great mystery/thriller!


I want to thank the publisher "Kensington Books" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this terrific book and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given this novel a rating of 4 CHILLING AND MYSTERIOUS 🌟🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!

I thought this one was okay. It was a little on the slow side for me.

I felt that there were a lot of characters to keep track of and got confusing at times.

Essentially, there was a murder at a camp 20 years ago, and it happens again. Overall, it just did not keep me engaged.

I typically love stories that take place at camps. This was not it. I almost stopped reading several times but thought that it had to get better. Nope. I really didn’t connect with any characters and the plot just dragged on and on. Riley Sager meets Grady Hendrix? Friday the 13th meets Yellowjackets? I don’t see it. Maybe others will enjoy it but it was way too long and didn’t get interesting until the end.

I love camp stories and this one is enough to make your skin crawl. Horror filled and immersive with a strong cast of characters.

Not for me.

At first, I thought I was in a reading slump or something because nothing about this novel stuck. There were too many characters to keep track of and nothing about the story stood out. I ended up skimming through the novel.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Nancy Bush, and Kensington Books for graciously sending me the ARC to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.**

This book was an example of the idea being better than the execution.

Everything about this book from the description sounded fantastic, and right up my alley; a creepy camp setting with unsolved murders in the past. It was very Friday the 13th-esque sounding, and gave off a nostalgic, 80’s slasher vibe, which I would normally love as I absolutely love old 80’s horror movies, and that’s what I was desperately wanting from this book. But unfortunately, it didn’t quite deliver and live up to what I had anticipated from the synopsis.

Something about this book just didn’t work for me, unfortunately, and that’s a bummer, because I really wanted to love this one. The writing style just didn’t work for me, which is strange and disappointing, as I have read previous Nancy Bush novels that I really enjoyed. The writing was too choppy, and there were too many characters to keep straight. Sometimes this works and I’m perfectly fine with there being multiple characters to keep track of, but it did not work for me in this one.

There were some twists and suspenseful moments that I enjoyed, but not enough to make me like the book more. I really wanted more of a creepy camp story, and that just didn’t happen.

Sadly, this book just wasn’t really for me. I still recommend it though, as there may be someone who enjoys it more than I did, as we all have differing opinions. I really do hope that many people enjoy it more than I did, because it may be the perfect summertime, 80’s-esque slasher thriller that you’ve been looking for.

Not my favorite Nancy Bush book, but I will still read more books from her in the future!

I was drawn in by the creepy campsite synopsis but ended up not really liking the book, primarily because the storyline was convoluted and there were way too many characters to keep straight. Basically, there were some murders at this camp 20 years ago that were never solved. The camp is shut down but gets reopened under new management later; guests include new campers, new counselors, and alumni from that fateful summer. Weird things start happening again and we also find out that some folks are keeping secrets.

There were some likable characters in the book and I thought that Harley and Jamie in particular showed a lot of chutzpah. There were just so many characters between the original campers and the new batch that I constantly had to take myself out of the story to get straight on who was who and how they were related. There was also the relationship between the camp and the nearby commune that added even more characters and additional drama. There were some interesting twists throughout but honestly I wasn’t all that engaged by the time it was all said and done.

Overall, this wasn’t for me but did give off a creepy vibe. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Camp was a reminiscent of Friday the 13th with a a culty twist. I think i personally wanted more of the eerie creepy camp story. I did like the bizarre twist. At times it was a little tricky to keep up with multiple characters and multiple story lines. A good summer creepy read with some interesting twists

The Camp by Nancy Bush is her newest book and is filled with all kinds of murder and mayhem that will fill a readers blood thirst to the brim. I can honestly say I was not not sure if anyone was going to to survive from the killer in this book at one point, this killer is crazy and one bad dude with no soul and has a thirst for revenge that is mind boggling.
Overall, this was a good read but I did not totally feel that it totally fit with the series and the past book.
The Camp gets four out of five stars from me.

I loved the creepy camp setting. I thought it was such a fun read, so reminiscent of old campy 80's horror movies and I loved that! Nancy Bush did a great job keeping so many characters easy to remember and still keep the story flowing and suspenseful.

Using duel timelines, Nancy Bush’s The Camp travels into some classic 80’s slasher film territory. After all we’re dealing with a summer camp filled with horny teenage camp councilors and murder. Camp Fog Lake (aka Camp Love Shack) shut down after some mysterious deaths. Now, twenty years later, the camp is reopening. Emma was there that last year before the camp closed and she tries the warn her niece away, but due to *spoiler* …umm some traumatic events, Emma has gaps in her memory among other brain/mental issues. While the locale/premise is somewhat reminiscent of classic slashers, it’s not a clone by any stretch. And while the book didn’t blow me away, there are multiple original storylines going on here that were interesting enough to keep me reading to the end to find out the truth of what happened. 3.5 stars. I’d like thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read and review an ARC of The Camp.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-camp-nancy-bush/1143431304?ean=9781420155686&bvnotificationId=e5defdb8-1574-11ee-92ed-1246988ed38f&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=gmail.com#review/251812288

Twenty years ago, a girl was murdered at Camp Fog Lake and it was shut down. Emma and her group of friends went there at the time but shortly after she returned home, she had an accident and hit her head, affecting her memory. Something happened that night that she can't quite remember, but she knows the camp is dangerous. Now the camp is reopening and her niece is planning to go despite Emma's warnings. The evil has returned and they'll soon regret reopening the camp.
I love the camp setting of this book and all the crazy rumors around the killings. The creepy fog added to the atmosphere and there's just this menacing vibe to it. I thought it was funny that it was described as like 80s slasher films. That's exactly it!!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This can be read as a standalone but it focuses on characters we have been following in past books. The mystery was great and kept me guessing. I was shocked at the reveals! The beginning hooked me and didn't let go.

2.5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I was drawn into this book by the description. It sounded right up my alley; however it was one that just wasn’t for me. I tried reading this book several times over the last couple of months, but each time I tried to read it, I just couldn’t get into the storyline. It felt like there were so many different storylines that I just couldn’t get into and the same with the characters. I felt like it was just very confusing and difficult to keep up with that it just took away from the storyline so I ended up DNFing it at around 40%.