Thank you to @NetGalley and @barringtonstoke for an advance copy of WELCOME TO CAMP KILLER in return for my honest review.

When an American-style summer camp is set up on an English estate with a spooky history, the scary campfire stories come true for the teenage counsellors.

💭 This YA thriller is the perfect end-of-summer read for teens who are looking for a scare scared 😱 It’s a wild, fast paced ride filled with pranks, ghost stories, suspicious accidents and murder!

I would have LOVED this book when I was younger and working as a camp counsellor. I’d say it’s a step-up on the scary meter from a Goosebumps book.

I just wish it was longer - the atmosphere of the creepy old estate could have been so much creepier, and more character development and relationship building would have added some spice.


READ THIS BOOK IF YOU…
🔪 Like YA thrillers
🕵️‍♀️ Enjoy WHOdunnits
🏕️ Worked at a summer camp
🤏 Are looking for a short, fast paced horror story

A group of teens are invited to be counselors at a camp started by a man that their parents went to camp with in their younger days. Accidents start to happen at camp and things soon start to become deadly. It seems there is a murderous plot happening at Camp Miller and no one is safe.

I felt like this story needed a lot more. There wasn’t enough character development for me to feel connected to the characters. Every time something happened or one of them died I didn’t really feel anything. There were no distinguishing backstories or really relationships built between the characters. The story lacked the tension and sense of panic that horror/thrillers need to really pack a punch. I didn’t feel engaged in the story or invested in the mystery because the characters didn’t give me a reason to be. There was no emotion besides random outbursts and even those fell flat because nothing was done with those emotions.

There were a lot of unnecessary plot points like Finn calling their girlfriend all the time. I know, objectively, that it was supposed to make us suspicious, but it didn’t really land. All of the characters were one dimensional and I never differentiated them in my head. I read their dialogue all in the same voice because I had no traits to assign to their character that would make them stand out.

The ending and whodunit felt poorly done and there was little to no foreshadowing that would have allowed the reader to theorize who the killer could be. We were never given clues or information that would have helped us figure out what was happening. There was just too much telling and not enough showing.

I think this book would have been better if it was longer and we were able to get to know the characters and the lore a little better. I liked the concept, but it felt poorly executed.

Really fast paced spooky short story about a teen camp in the UK. The counsellors scare themselves with a ghost story about the building on camp as then people start getting hurt.

My daughter absolutely loves Cynthia Murphy’s books so I took the opportunity to give this one a read via NetGalley, while waiting for her pre-ordered physical copy to arrive.

Well, this was a great, fun, spooky read. As someone who grew up reading all sorts of horror novels, loving campfire ghost stories and watching films like the Friday the 13th series (when I was probably way too young), this certainly ticked a lot of nostalgia boxes for me.

Fast paced and entertaining, if a little on the short side (it was over way too soon).

I may well be raiding my daughter’s bookshelf and checking out her other Cynthia Murphy titles.

A cute, fun, spooky read! Perfect for September! Had an homage to slasher films from the eighties, specifically Friday the 13th. I definitely liked the juxtaposition of the ghost story behind the camp and the actual slaughter happening under everyone's noses!

Give me a camp setting and I devour the book! My first time reading from the author and it won’t be the last! I found the fast paced and well balanced! Ideal read for the spooky season!

📚 Review 📚
Welcome to Camp Killer - Cynthia Murphy
Rating - 3 🌟🌟🌟
Genre: YA / thriller

🏕️ When an American-style residential camp is set up in the grounds of an English stately home, the teenage camp counsellors are looking forward to a fun summer of activities. But right from the outset, things don’t feel quite right at Camp Miller. Rumours circulate of a tragedy that took place in the grounds and there are unexplained sightings of a ghostly presence. Then the incidents begin – a near-drowning out on the lake, a fatal fall from a cliff-face … Are these tragic accidents or is there something more sinister going on at Camp Killer?

🏕️ Thank you to netgalley and Cynthia Murphy for this eARC! Welcome to Camp Killer is out on September 7th

🏕️ This was a really pacy, quick and fun YA thriller. I really loved the setting - I love movies set at American summer camps - and I thought it was an interesting idea to transplant this to the UK, though I think the setting could have been expanded on.

🏕️ This book is really action-heavy, so you don't really have time to get to know the characters at all. If the book was longer, I think the characters could have been developed more and be less interchangeable. I also think that developing the characters more could have amped up the suspicion against one particular character, and made the twist at the end much more shocking (though it was still quite shocking)

🏕️ I think this book also struggled with its target audience. The characters are around 16/17 years old, but I think if I had read it at 16 or 17 I would have found it too childish. But then, some really gruesome murders happen (including one character being chopped up and stuffed in a tumble dryer) which might be too much for a younger reader.

🏕️ Overall, I enjoyed this despite the issues that I had, and would read this author again. If you want something quick and easy to read to pass an hour or so, then definitely read this.

🏷️ #bookstagram #bookstagramuk #bookreview #WelcomeToCampKiller #CynthiaMurphy #YAFiction #eARC

Welcome to Camp Killer was a wildly fun, somewhat scary book. I thought the reading level and length were perfect for what the book was aimed for without reducing the story. While I wish the story had a bit more depth, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. The book has all the charm of an 80s slasher combined with the mystery of Agatha Christie.

ARC Review ✨

Welcome to Camp Killer by Cynthia Murphy
Releases: September 7th
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Welcome to Camp Killer is a short horror story for Y.A Readers. This summer camp got its nickname from being on the grounds with a tragic past.

It is a fast pace story & gave me goosebumps series vibes! It is the perfect campfire story for summer.

Thank you Netgallery & Barrington Stoke for the advanced copy!

(Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review)

This book was super fast-paced, easy to read and such a page-turner. You get hooked from the beginning, which is right where the action starts. My only issue was with the characters as they didn’t have much depth and felt a bit surface-level. However, the book is quite short so I understand there wasn’t much time for lots of backstories or huge character arcs. Overall though, this was a fun, fast-paced, spooky read.

As a fan of Cynthia Murphy, I knew going into this that it would have the perfect spooky horror vibe. I loved this fast paced story, from the moment I started it I knew I would have to finish.. It starts off with the legend of the campgrounds which welcomes you to camp killer! Soon after arriving accidents in the camp begin which will leave you wondering if the legend is true or if something more sinster is responsible. Overall I liked the book and it was a quick two day read.

Welcome to Camp Killer by Cynthia Murphy was an amazing novella.
The perfect murder mystery for young readers.
I thought Murphy’s writing was intriguing and and she definitely kept me interested and hooked.
A fast paced read with a touch of horror and supernatural elements.
The characters were engaging and well developed.
Overall, I will definitely recommend this book.
And I’ll be looking forward to more stories by Cynthia Murphy.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Barrington Stoke for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Love this cute novella, a Barrington Stoke book which are specifically written for dyslexics and reluctant readers. A truly chilling tale where people keep getting killed off - can Hannah survive and work out who's the killer??

This short horror story based on an American style camp is fast paced with a mystery to solve. I enjoyed reading this and will definitely be recommending it for teen readers!

Welcome to Camp Killer by Cynthia Murphy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publication date: 7th September

An American style summer camp set up in the grounds of an English manor, ghost stories around a fire pit, what more could you want to start off the autumn reads! 🍂

This book was so much fun to read, it gave off real goosebumps (if you ever read them as a child) and American horror vibes (if it was YA). This is a YA thriller/horror so I really recommend it for those who maybe don’t like scary books but want to get into the spooky season 👻

I gave it 4⭐️s as I know it’s just a short story and there is only so much you can develop the characters in that time but I just wanted more of it! So much fun

Thank you to @barringtonstoke and @cynthiamurphyya for the ARC, the perfect start to autumn reads! 🤗

Overall Rating: 2/5 Stars
Storyline: 2/5 Stars
Character Development: 0/5 Stars
Ending: 2/5 Stars

This book was ok it is a book I defiantly would of enjoyed if I was younger but I'm 23 and i just fount it predictable and i guessed how the story would end by the end of chapter 2

I was expecting something more intricate and ultimately it was clear the book was probably aimed at fairly young readers who might be less confident or enthusiastic in their reading - this is definitely for the younger end of YA readers rather than some YA books which can be interesting for adults too. Considering the book from that perspective, it had all the hallmarks of a fun horror/mystery book so could be a good way to encourage someone to get into reading. The different murder styles were certainly inventive! I was quite surprised at how brief the book was though - even given the context, it seemed like the plot was fairly surface level and there was lots that could have been explored more.

*3.5 stars*

A very quick read, fun summer camp vibes, it honestly reminded me of the game the Quarry if the Quarry was made properly.

I liked that it kept the suspense around who's the killer by giving each of the characters suspicious reactions, alibis etc.

I wish there was more physical description though, bc by the end of it I still couldn't picture a single hair color (it really does help picture the characters :( )

And finally, about the final reveal, I won't include any spoilers and will refer to the killer as "they", but as there is a non binary character I'd like to insist that when I say "they did this" I don't mean the character with they/them pronouns, just the killer who I won't name. I did see the plot twist coming but it was a good idea.

It all felt a bit cliché, for example the "villain talk" as you find in so many thrillers or movies. The killer just goes ahead and explains all of their plan, their motives etc, and here the person wasn't even asked?? like ok??? also, their motive was pretty weak, it didn't feel like a big enough reason to do all of it and go to that extent. I thought it was gonna be another character with a different motive, and honestly I wish I'd been right.

Anywayz it's super short so it's really not that serious, it was a fun slasher read (eventhough it wasn't as gore and slasher-like as I'd hoped) with cool summer camp vibes.

(don't know if it's because of the ARC format, edition or whatever but the chapters weren't separated on different pages, the dedication wasn't on its own page it appeared at the end of the legal stuff and above the first chapter. also the spaces between lines, dialogues etc was very irregular)

A camp slasher novella with goosebump vibes.

An American style summer camp set in England on the ground of an old haunted mansion. It starts with a ghost story around a fire when horrible things start happening to the counselors.

This was fun and fast paced. I wish the characters had a little more development-I kept getting them confused because they didn’t super stand out much. But definitely a fun one for kids.

Thanks to NetGalley and Barrington Stokes for an eARC.

This is a fun short read. The characters are enjoyable and the author really manages to give them personalities even with it being a short book. If you love camp slashers this is definitely for you. I did feel like there were times I wanted scenes to be a bit more flushed out but they were still great scenes. This book is engaging and fast paced. It was really fun.