Summer camp counselors are targeted and killed quickly at a camp in England. Who is killing the camp counselors? Could it be the ghost of a woman who killed her husband and then herself? Who will survive the night?

This is such a fun quick paced horror book that will keep you on your toes. I didn't know who the killer was until the end and that's always my favorite kind of story. Highly recommend for those who need and quick dose of horror.

3.5 stars rounded to 4. A typical young adult read, very short, good camp slasher fun! I read it in one sitting and enjoyed it very much. Perfect for young teenagers. No big surprises in the plot, but fast-paced, well written, and with interesting, relatable characters. Thank you NetGalley and the author for the ARC.

WELCOME TO CAMP KILLER is a fun, fast-paced summer horror story. It starts off with us hanging around some soon-to-be counselors and a campfire hearing stories about what happened at the camp in the past. Then all these... unfortunate events start to occur involving the counselors. Are they super bad accidents? Tragic coincidences? The past coming for them!? I think all MG horror fans will get a dose of nostalgic fun reading this and it's a great gateway horror book to bridge the gap for younger audiences. This one played out just like a movie in my head and I am here for that!

Welcome to Camp Killer is short horror story set in an American-style residential camp in England. Just after the arrival of the kids to the camp, the counselors notice some weird incidents happening.

Horror is a genre I have not particulary explored yet, so I really apprecited the simplicity and fast pace of this book. It was very easy to get into the book and the intrigue of what was going to happen next was always present. It kind of reminded me of Fear Street II, which I love it.

The plotwist was gooood, I didn't expected it! ((view spoiler)). I get that is a short story, but I feel like it could have been just a little longer, mostly to get to know the characters a bit better. For instance it would have been nice to have the kids around a couple of days instead of just one, to feel more the camp vibes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is quite a quick read, almost too quick in my opinion. I ended up not feeling connected with the characters or caring much about the story, which sucks because those things are needed in a slasher novel. I didn’t care who died or why the killer did it, but it was a fun quick read just in time for fall.

I love a good camp horror slasher novel. I always try to find out the twist or who did it first and I couldn’t figure it out with this one till the very end. The authors style of writing made me feel like I was there trying not to be killed and I love that. I’m definitely buying this because I love the cover

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. The following opinions are my own.

This one was almost nostalgic in that it really reminded me of goosebumps. I used to finish those books in one sitting. Completely glued to the pages. I liked that it was fast paced and was mildly creepy. But it was definitely for a younger audience I think.

I've always been a sucker for horror set in a summer camp, so when I read the synopsis of Welcome to Camp Killer, I was keen to dive in. Welcome to Camp Killer was a short, sharp, fast-paced read that easily held my attention and provided some tense thrills. It would be great for any fans of Goosebumps books - especially the ones set in summer camps!

Being a YA slasher horror aimed at ages 13+ (with a reading comprehension age of 8), this is an excellent addition to the genre with a fairly high body count, creepy atmosphere, and a mysterious killer. I'm also pleased to report that I did not pick the killer before they were revealed - I was guessing until the very end!

The language used was simple yet engaging and made Welcome to Camp Killer enjoyable to read. I also appreciated the clear, numbered chapters, which were around 10ish pages each - a feature that I think would make reading this book much more manageable and less daunting for the target audience, as Barrington Stoke aims to do.

Cynthia Murphy is a new author to me, but after seeing how she packed such a fun story into only a short novel (~128 pages), I'd definitely like to check out some of her other writing.

I would've liked to have learned a little more about the characters or seen them develop more, as some of them felt a little flat, but given this book's length and target age, I feel this is likely a non-issue.

Overall, I would have loved this book as a 13-year-old, and frankly, I loved it as a mid-20-year-old too.

Thank you to Cynthia Murphy, Barrington Stoke, and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Welcome to Camp Killer is a fast-paced story that hits many familiar tropes of horror stories set within a summer camp. The setting of the story Camp Miller is an American-styled summer camp built upon the grounds of an English manor. Although it does-supposedly-possess a story of an eerie ghost, I do wish the location and history had been better utilized for a more unique story.

The main characters are a group of camp counselors, their adult mentor and a very brief group of children campers. Due to the short nature of the story, the counselors are not overly developed beyond a few specific traits, which made it slightly more difficult to feel sorrowful once “accidents” began happening and bodies start to drop. Nevertheless, the events are gory without being gratuitous and the fiery finale does serve to wrap things up in a slightly predictable fashion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Barrington Stroke for providing me an arc of this novella in exchange for my honest review.

A death-packed, Final Destination-adjacent teen horror, written with the clarity and language for audiences aged nine and up, but – this being Barrington Stoke – for readers of thirteen and older, who need that difference to get over whatever hurdle is in the way of their reading ability. Holly is one of eight teens fetching up in the NW of England to be counsellors at an American summer camp-styled affair, because their parents all worked with the site's new owner at such a venue back in the day. The final evening before the guests arrive for week one, a ghost story gets shared over the marshmallows and fireside smuts, and after that the mysteries start to happen. Someone gets in bed to find they're not alone, someone nearly drowns with the kayaks, and everyone left keeps looking up to a mysterious add-on to the Gothic pile's tallest tower, from where a revenge-seeking woman may once have thrown herself to her death...

Getting this amount of grand guignol in a read for this audience must have been a task, but the author seems pretty much fit for it, until a few too many corpses just get thrown at us all at once, that is. But many a teen horror book has failed, and this doesn't – the creepiness is there, the genre savviness is not over-played and the whole really works. Someone is clearly posited as the one we should aim blame at, someone – the actual manager – gets ignored by all, and once again we see teens wrung through the mill of a lethal stay at camp – although here they do (collectively at least) have enough agency to get past the Generic Victim status. I would hope few actual nine year olds pick this up – I guess the unattractive cover will help in that – for while this not a full-on wound- and gore-fest this is not exactly cagey about what is happening. It's a four star, 13+ chiller.

But why a book designed for people with any of a number of reading issues has to go down the oh-so-counter-productive pronoun-mangling route, I have no idea.

This felt more like the synopsis of a book. I think it could have been filled in a bit; I would have liked more detail and character development. I really did not care if any of these kids died. The storyline seemed more like a young adult book with all the blood and killing, not a JV book.

Welcome to Camp Killer was such a fun, pacy and twisty read.

This novella chilled me on a hot, summery day. It is a quick read that does not let up on the graphic violence within its pages. Murphy has a reputation for consistent, creative and chilling YA horror narratives that is duly upheld here.

The setting is a uniquely bizarre one, with an Americanised summer camp within the grounds of a derelict English mansion. From just this, everything feels slightly off kilter and out of place. Murphy just lets rip from there with a rip-roaring narrative. The shorter pace, designed in keeping with Barrington Stoke’s aims, meant that I zipped through this. For a bit of context, Barrington Stoke works hard to publish super-readable, accessible books that help every child experience the joy of reading. This focus on accessibility and inclusion means that I have long been a champion of their work. It also means that their books are incredibly easy to read and feel like binge-watching one of your favourite TV shows. They just flow so well and their shorter length allows for pages to just keep turning.

Murphy packs one hell of a punch within that shorter space though. This is just as twisty and gut-punching as her other works. I always love that interplay between realistic slasher horror and the slight hint of the supernatural she always weaves in. Here, that is played off to great effect. You are constantly questioning everything and everyone you are presented with. The characterisation is distinctive and three-dimensional as well.

Welcome to Camp Killer proves just why Cynthia Murphy remains a consistent standout of YA horror.

A punchy, pacy YA thriller which puts me in mind of the classic Goosebumps books. Lots of intrigue around a classic whodunnit, and the setting of a dark and rainy North West summer camp was perfectly eerie.

Because this was pretty short, I didn't feel like I knew the characters particularly well, and the ending seemed to just arrive out of nowhere, but this is an excellent story if you want something quick and entertaining.

A short spooky YA read that perfectly achieves what it sets out to do. Perfect for fans of RL Stine, a great addition to the Barrington Stoke line!

At an American style summer camp in England, ghost stories are told which is all fun and games until one counsellor ends up dead. Will the band of camp counsellors reveal who the killer is before they kill again?!

It's Camp Crystal Lake but made for children! This was a fun and fast-paced short killer story written for younger readers. As someone who adored Goosebumps as a child, I would have absolutely loved this book growing up. Pick it up if you love YA horror or have a younger reader (13+) who enjoys creepy stories, it will be published September 7!

Welcome to Camp Killer is a short horror story set in an American-style summer camp on the grounds of an old English manor house that has a tragic past. As the camp counsellors are getting ready to open the camp, people start turning up dead.

A creepy, fast-paced horror story perfect for younger readers! However, as an older reader it was a bit predictable and as it was so short (only 120-something pages) the characters didn't really have any time to make an impact, they all fell a bit flat unfortunately.

Overall - 3.5⭐️

Welcome to Camp Killer is short ya camp horror story. When an American decides to open a classic sleep away camp in England and everyone one is very excited. The counselors are ready to have an American summer camp experience but almost immediately things start to go wrong. People start to get hurt and have strange things happen to them and finally someone is murdered. They have to close the camp and try to survive till their bus comes. This was really short and easy read. I enjoyed the spooky vibes but it was pretty predictable but still fun.

Thank you NetGalley and Barrington Stoke for an advanced e-copy of this great read. As a middle school teacher, it is a struggle to find high interest, fast-paced books that are written at an accessible level for my reluctant readers. This book is perfect for them!

This book is set at an American styled sleepaway camp in England. Eight counselors are all asked to work the camp this summer just as their parents did together when they were teens at another camp in America. But, the night before the campers arrive, Fionn, one of the counselors, tells them all a story of Dorthea, the crazed and jealous wife of the main manor who killed her family and herself, and now haunts these very grounds. So, when strange occurrences start happening, Dorthea's ghost is the prime suspect. Then, as counselors start dying, no one know who they can trust. The only thing I didn't love about this book was the very end. I think younger readers need a more solid ending to understand what happened. But, other than that, this is a book I'd definitely recommend to my students.

Welcome to Camp Killer is a really short and fun murder mystery you can read in one sitting. This wasn't the best YA thriller I've ever read but for a nice interesting and fast read to get you out of a slump I recommend.

Welcome to Camp Killer by Cynthia Murphy

Thank you to @netgalley, #barringtonstoke publishing, & @cynthiamurphyya for the opportunity to read this #advancedreadercopy in exchange for my #honestbookreview! This book is available for preorder now and will be published September 7.

An American style summer camp has been setup on the grounds of an old English estate. For Holly and the other counselors, it’s just the start of a summer job when they gather around the campfire for some ghost stories. One counselor shares the story of Dorothea, a wife wronged and driven mad by her husband who haunts the grounds to this day. It’s all for giggles until a counselor ends up dead. Will Holly and co unmask the killer before they strike again?

This was super fun! This is the stuff of nightmares when you’re at camp as a kid - campfire ghost stories come to life. This has the same frantic and clutch the edge of your chair energy as Four Found Dead, which I reviewed earlier this year. I highly recommend for those who enjoy YA thrillers.

TW: bullying, brutal death scenes, cheating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ - 4.5/5