This one was just okay. I struggled to keep up with the multiple plot lines and characters and time lines. I wasn’t super invested in it but I finished it. The ending was alright but felt really rushed.

I've read other books by Bush and enjoyed them, but this one missed the mark for me. Too many characters. Too little character development. Too many plot points. Too many secrets. Too confusing to follow. The plot seemed inconsistent, with some wonderful moments combined with parts that felt like they were written by someone else. I expected with a lot with the Friday the 13th comparison, but I didn't find it. No scary camp vibes at all.

There are a lot of characters in this book. To avoid confusion, you need to break it up in your mind as the camp counselors from years ago now grown with families who are now working at the same camp. Then you have the cult farm characters, some of which are involved at the camp. And last but not least, you have a police investigation happening in the home town of many of the characters. My favorite characters were Jamie, Harley, and Emma who were all related and each in their own way were very strong women. Many of the characters were dysfunctional with some trying to get back on track with their lives. Everyone in the book had some type of secret.

Just like the characters, there are several things going on with the plot. You have the adults and kids from the camp with secrets trying to keep those secrets. You have the cult farm dealing with dysfunctional family issues, and you have the police investigation. All of these three plots come together in a surprising way that will keep the reader guessing.

I’m torn about the author’s style of writing. There were moments that the story was pure genius in creating a creepy atmosphere and making the readers heart race, and then it was like she fell off a cliff and didn’t know what to write. Those sections were boring, and very easy to tell she lost focus. Having said all that, I still think the book is worth reading. I wish the author had been more consistent with the writing which would have made this a 4 star book. As it stands, it’s only 3 stars.

My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions are my own.

I was really excited to receive a copy of The Camp for review. The cover is amazing and the summary is really intriguing. however, I did not find this to be the action-packed, edge-of-your-seat novel I was hoping for. It was suspenseful, and there was a lot going on, and a lot of questionable characters (a few I liked... many I hated). The last third of the book did pick up pace, and definitely had some interesting reveals and twists. I give this 3 1/2 stars, rounded up to 4.

DNF.

The premise was interesting, but the writing was absolutely horrendous to the point that I could not continue reading. Dear reader, look somewhere else for an camp horror mystery.

The camp where one girl died and another went missing is reopening and they've invited back alumnae who were there 20 years ago. Only problem- there are old secrets, lies, and bullies who will do a lot to keep things quiet. And there's a cult. Emma who had a TBI and struggles with memory, doesn't want her niece to go but she herself holds some of the answers as to what happened. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, This has too many characters and POVS and one too many plot lines- it's a little confusing, That said, it's a page turner.

In The Camp by Nancy Bush we get a layered mystery hora that it’s everything you read Nancy Bush four. In 1988 when it was still called love shack camp we meet Brooke Wendy rowena and Emma it is the last night of the camp in just a few stragglers or left behind Emma feels like she is over it and just wants to go to bed she doesn’t want to entertain the Catty click that is the other three girls. She is also tired of talking about the camps history and the folklore that comes from the commune or cult across the lake but when she tries to go to sleep she hears screaming and when she goes to investigate she sees something but what what does the other three girls have to do with it and how did a member of the commune wind up dead on suicide rock along with one of the boys from the camp. Fast forward to modern day Emma was attacked and now has mental problems stemming from that violent assault she lives in an assisted living facility but also spends a lot of time with her sister and her niece. This is how she hears Love Shack Camp has now been change to Fog Lake Camp and they’re reopening it. Brooke is in the middle of a divorce and is definitely not going to attend the reopening except when her old friend Rowena calls Brooke does her best not to fall back into the same role let Rowena call the shots mentality but eventually she does agree to go to the camp opening. Eventually most of the old gang returns to the camp mostly to monitor their children who are now counseling the new campus. Rowena‘s daughter Kelly goes along with Harley Emma‘s niece and even more when the maintenance guy is back. What the campers don’t realize is that you can change the name but that doesn’t mean history will not repeat itself. There is a murderer in their mitts but who is it and why did he take out Sweet Marlon the maintenance guy? This was such a good story Nancy Bush is known for her great teen horrors but as I’ve said in previous reviews I think this year is the year for books like this because she is definitely out done her self this is a layered mystery with a twist that are truly surprising it seems to come out of left field but totally fits the narrative I really did enjoy this book and highly recommend it… What a great horror! I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. A camp is reopening after being closed for years. The campers are all excited about meeting new friends. There are stories about this camp that would keep you up at night. This book kept me guessing.

This was my most anticipated release of the summer… and it kind of let me down. It’s described as Friday the 13th meets Yellowjackets and I’m afraid I might have missed something.

The first thing I will point out is this listed as a stand-alone (at least on Goodreads) but as soon as I started reading it the character names and the name of the town Emma is from stood out to me from the only other Nancy Bush book I’ve read - The Babysitter. Yep. Same characters, same town, apparently not a part of that series? That was the first thing that kind of put me off… if I hadn’t read The Babysitter and known Emma’s backstory a new reader might not know or understand what caused Emma to be the way she is as an adult.

The camp/outdoorsy setting was the only connection I can make to Friday the 13th as The Camp devolves more into a nearby cult and religious zealots which I found a bit predictive and boring compared to what I assumed the book would be from the description.

I recently read another upcoming release with Friday the 13th vibes that I felt hit it out of the park but this one let me down big and left me confused and asking if I missed something in comparison.

Shocker...According to legend when the fog rolls in over a summer camp dead bodies appear. Twenty years ago after a girls body was found thought to be a suicide the camp was closed. Now re-opening an alumni/parents weekend is scheduled. Many from the last camp twenty years ago are coming, but when the fog rolls in, once again evil and dead bodies appear as if enacting revenge, but for what?

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟 3/5 stars

The Camp is pitched as Friday the 13th meets Yellowjackets, which is the dream storyline. It follows Emma, who attends Camp Love Shack as a teen until it shut down after the deaths of two teens. It is reopened many years later and Emma believes the past may repeat itself.

I loved the storyline of this book and how it reminded me of a Wendy Corsi Staub or Erica Spindler novel. However, I didn’t love the writing style. Great story, but I wasn’t a fan of how it was executed. It may have worked better for me on audio. Overall, it was an interesting premise, but ended up being middle of the road for me.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Camp by Nancy Bush makes me really glad I never went to a summer camp...or was born into a cult. I found this to be very suspenseful and I finished the last half of the book in two days. I appreciate the author wrapping up *almost* everyone's stories, but it is killing me to not know what happened to Emma. Did I just miss it? I would read another book that followed Emma's Story for a few months before Camp Love Shack until she returns 20 years later for the parents/alumni weekend.

Also, respect to Sunny Dae.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Kensington Books for the advanced review copy. I have added more Nancy Bush books to my TBR.

Oh no, this did not go so well with me. I could not finish it and stopped about the halfway mark. It was confusing with too many characters and was just a very busy story plot. I honestly love Nancy Bush and her writing is usually something I can count on to be a story that is well told and thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat. I just could not get over the teenage feel to it.


2 out of 5 stars



Thank you to NetGalley as well as the author/publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

I really wanted to like this. With a setting that just brings to mind so many teen slasher movies of the 70s & 80s, this had the potential a campy & gory homage. However, I thought that it was so busy & complicated that it missed the mark. There’s a lot of characters, and we see this book through many POVs, but it seemed like new characters were being added every few chapters, and I gave up on trying to remember who was who. With the new characters came different plot lines, and while they all linked up by the end of the story, they all just seemed to complicate the story, and I found it a real struggle to read. I found most of the characters to be pretty unlikeable, and didn’t care if they survived their weekend at Camp Fog Lake or not.

This book is so strange, I only made it 50% through and just gave up.
So many characters just pop in and create new storylines that it’s rather confusing. There has got to be some sadistic backstory that will somehow present itself. I just could not read any further after a new character pops in and gets spanked over her husbands knee like a child. NO THANKS. Terrible

The Camp was a pretty forgettable read for me. I struggled through most of it and it was very tempting to quit on several occasions. But since I got to the point of no return (56%,) I was forced to continue till the end.

I’m not going to offer my rendition of the story since I barely remember the plot. And the description doesn’t quite come close to what occurs in the novel.

There were numerous characters and I lost track of who’s who. Luckily, there were some carryover characters from Bush’s previous novel (The Babysitter. A 5 star read for me) that provided some context into Emma’s disability.

The novel is basically a whodunit. But with several tangential storylines, I struggled with the flow and direction of the narrative. And the lackluster ending really didn’t help boost its appeal. I just felt as though the author was forced to churn out another novel for the sake of churning out another novel. Two excruciating stars.

I received a digital ARC from Kensington Books through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

Wow, where to even begin! What a fun and exciting read. Put Friday the 13th on the set of Midsommar and have Jim Jones direct it.

I was a little nervous at the very beginning about how many characters there were to remember. But Bush did a fantastic job of making sure no one was forgettable. Her description of Camp Fog Lake made me feel like I was there. But I'm definitely glad to have not actually been there. Great read if you like fun campy horror stories or if your husband runs a summer camp, as is the case for me!

Thank you to Nancy Bush, Zebra Books, and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was intrigued with the recommendation that this is a modern twist on Friday the 13th. Emma witnessed a tragedy before getting hit in the head, two bodies were found, and three girlfriends went their separate ways. Camp Luft-Shawk closed its doors, twenty years later it is opened for summer camp. Emma’s niece will be attending, which brings everyone back to the camp during the alumni weekend. New deaths occur and secrets are discovered. Thank you to NetGalley and Zebra Books for an advanced readers copy.

With hints of classic horror movies, when teens are at camp and obsessed with sex, The Camp is an exciting camp-themed thriller told in duel timelines from Nancy Bush.

20 years ago, Ryan went missing and a girl was found dead on suicide ledge. Camp Fog Lake was closed for good.

Now, the camp has reopened and asking alums to revisit. Emma was once the girl all the boys wanted, but after a horrible accident after returning from camp, she is differently abled and can only remember memories in snippets. The mean girls have also returned, mainly to make sure their secret never gets out.

At the same time, the commune nearby still has a hold on the camp. Emma, her sister and niece, along with a few other campers, are all pulled into the mystery from the first moment Emma returns to camp.

I enjoyed this book because of the fast-pace and the mystery overall was good. I did think the storyline with the Detective could have been left out because it added so little to the story. That said, it's a good book to kick off the summer.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

Summer Camp murders? I'm there!! This was a fun story set in Camp Fog Lake. The name alone sets the tone for all the teenage slasher movie-type cliches that follow. And I mean that in a good way. Twenty years ago, a girl was murdered. Emma was a camper at the time. Camp was closed. Now it is being reopened and Emma's niece wants to go. Great idea, right? Of course not! Lots of horror movie thrills, suspense and drama ensue. Yes, there are a lot of characters to keep up with so character development is pretty much lost, but I didn't really read it for that anyway. A lot of POV's but all is tied up pretty neatly by the end. This would make a good beach or, if you dare, camping read. I can always count on this author for fun, quick reads and look forward to more.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Kensington, Zebra Books and Nancy Bush for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Instagram and various other retail and social media sites upon publication.