Reading about a creepy a$$ summer camp right in the middle of a heat wave definitely hits different. I felt like I was personally being dragged to the remote wilderness to be reformed for one thing or another.

Wilderness Reform follows Ben’s journey as he is ripped from his home following a crime spree, hauled to Montana, and placed in a cabin with a bunch of other juvenile delinquents. Things feel pretty off from the beginning, but they quickly plummet into down right terrifying.

The counselors are not quite right and as Ben and his new-found friends dig in a bit more - they will come nose to nose with something old and sinister.

I enjoyed this book and really couldn’t put it down. My only complaint with the book was the passage of time felt different from chapter to chapter. There would be talk of the camp being 6 weeks long, but in the next chapter it would be mentioned that the boys had been toiling away at the camp for weeks and still had weeks to go. It created a weird break from the story for me and probably won’t bother most people!

I will definitely be checking out these brother’s other book and encourage you to check out Wilderness Reform if you like summer camp, Montana wilderness, horror, campfires, and hiking!

**Thank you to Atria Books for this beautiful finished copy for my shelves and to NetGalley for the digital ARC!!**

Ben Thibodeux is a juvenile delinquent. After getting arrested for attempting to hold up a convenience store with a fake gun, he’s discovered to have stolen a boat and broken into a string of fishing camps along the Louisiana bayou a ways from his home in Lafitte. Fully expecting to go to juvie for his crimes, he’s thus shocked when a small group of men descend on the hovel where he lives with his younger brother Wade and his Aunt Nicki. Instead of putting him in jail, the men have arranged for him to attend Bear Springs Academy, a wilderness reform school out in Montana.

Even if Ben had any interest in being that far away from his eight year-old brother, the demeanor of Reid, the academy’s head and representative, saps any of the appeal that the school’s admittedly intriguing “adventure-based therapy” might have held for him. There’s something that isn’t quite right about Reid, something terrifying that Ben can’t explain. Despite his protests, Ben is shipped off to the middle of nowhere, to learn survival skills in the company of other troubled boys from all over the country, under Reid and his counselors’ watchful eye.

Ben’s bunkmates, at least, seem to share his opinion of the camp, especially when a string of strange happenings have them questioning how Bear Springs is really turning all these maladjusted boys into uniformly happy campers. After one particularly disturbing and seemingly overnight transformation, Billy, the most antisocial member of their bunk, offers up his theory. Ben asks for clarification from his Texan bunkmate:

QUOTE
“Whatchu mean, got broke? Like they beat him into submission last night?”

Billy shrugged from his prone position, almost indiscernibly, then spoke more than he had since they’d all met.

“Don’t always gotta beat someone to break em. The right words can do it. Coulda been fists, coulda been words, both, whatever it was, they broke that kid lass night. It was easier for the rest of em. Broke em over the last few months. Whoever ol’ Mikey was, he held out till last night, but he gone now. They gon’ try to do it to the rest of us, too, that’s how places like this work. Bust ya down till you last fuse pops, last bitta you’s gone.”
END QUOTE

Ben knows that there’s a difference between being taught discipline and being broken, and he has zero interest in the latter. But Bear Springs is definitely doing something even worse than just destroying the spirit of their campers. Ben isn’t sure what exactly that is, but he knows he doesn’t want to stick around to find out firsthand. Will he have a chance to escape, or will something truly evil manage to do the unthinkable to him and to his newfound friends?

This slow burn horror novel examines a very scarily real issue: how certain demographics are considered so unimportant that no one really cares if they disappear into the wilderness. These almost uniformly impoverished boys, signed away by uncaring guardians and systems that would rather punish than educate, are the perfect prey for malevolence. Bear Springs mirrors many real life, unregulated reform schools and camps that promise to fix children’s behavioral issues while secretly abusing them.

What truly gives this chilling novel its heart is the characterization of the kids, and especially the four members of Ben’s bunk. Ben himself is a smartass thirteen year-old whose extreme social intelligence has been thwarted by the dire lack of positive attention from any adults in his life so far. While he’s good at talking tough, the real circumstances of the crime spree that landed him in reform school reveal a heartbreaking vulnerability:

QUOTE
From start to finish, all he’d felt was fear and anxiety. He’d done it all to try to find somewhere safe to take his little brother, Wade, where their aunt couldn’t find them–and he’d been scared shitless the entire time. He hadn’t even considered how he’d sneak back to his hometown of Lafitte to get his little brother, let alone how he’d actually smuggle the small child away. The whole week was just a poorly planned cascade of fiascos, catalyzed by one moment of meteoric panic and rage. Panic for his little brother, and rage at being too small and not knowing how to protect him.
END QUOTE

Ben, Billy, Rodrigo and Trent have all had rough upbringings that caused them to resort to crime and violence. Ironically, these tendencies are the same ones that allow them to plan and implement an escape from Bear Springs, using the very same survival skills the camp has been teaching them. It’s impossible to root against the boys, even before they learn the horrifying truth about Reid and his minions, in an original concept that I very much enjoyed reading about. The meticulous plotting of the novel builds up to a ferocious ending that will leave readers breathless.

I just let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding...ughhhh, this hurts my heart. I so wanted to love this, but I just didn't. I was bored beyond belief through the entire thing and I don't know why, TBH. If you look at the individual components, I should've loved it, but I felt nothing. I couldn't care less about the characters, or anything that was happening to them; and since it's a character-driven story, to not care a lick ended up having a huge impact on my experience.

This is the first I have read from Matt and Harrison Query, although I have heard fantastic things about their other novel, Old Country, which I definitely still plan to read. This cover is beautiful. I love it, but sadly, that is as far as my love goes with this one. Since this is set at a wilderness camp for troubled teenagers, in a remote area of Montana, I fully expected to be completely gripped by this story.

I love Horror with a nature setting, and anything that involves survival elements, but in spite of that, I never felt a true sense of place, or really any atmosphere here at all. They could have been anywhere as far as I was concerned...and IDK, maybe I did build this up as something else in my mind, and when it didn't live up to those expectations, it made me grumpy. Maybe that is it? Maybe it's me?

I was sort of expecting something a bit like Nick Cutter's, The Troop, and that is on me. It's not the authors' fault that I'm picky. However, I gotta say, I don't think it's me that the pace of this could've been beaten by a snail. Part of the problem for me was the main character, Ben. Something about him, the way he was written, or perhaps it was the narration in the audiobook, but it turned me off. I couldn't stand him. Since he's such a huge part of the narrative, it didn't bode well for me.

Even though this was a disappointment for me, I can still recognize some strong attributes of the story, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if I end up in the minority opinion on this one. With this being said, take it with a grain of salt. Maybe I am just in a mood. It's totally possible and I admit that. If this synopsis sounds intriguing to you, please do pick it up.

If you end up loving it, come back and tell me how horribly wrong I am. I would welcome it! As I always say, there's a Reader for every book and a book for every Reader. I'm by no means the end all opinion on all books. Thank you to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I still am very much looking forward to getting to Old Country.

Welcome to Montana’s beautiful Bear Springs Academy! We guarantee your life will be changed before you leave…

Ben was attempting to find a safe place in the Louisiana swampland (committing a few crimes along the way) for him & his little brother to escape their abusive aunt when he was caught & sentenced to reform camp in Montana. At first Ben decides he’ll just have to navigate the place like any other situation involving adults he can study & then play mind games with in order to manipulate things in his favor, but the counselors are definitely a little off - strange affectations, & extremely cheerful demeanors ALL the time. And as Ben starts to notice other weird little occurrences over the course of his time there, he begins to realize that not everyone will get the chance to leave at the end of the summer…

I did feel like this book could’ve been a little shorter, but for the most part I enjoyed the ride - it was very interesting to try & guess what exactly was going on at that academy, & to follow the clues with Ben during his amateur investigation. I was saddened to read of all the things this thirteen-year-old had had to endure already, though I know that it is the reality for far too many kids that age. The end had a little more gore than I needed, but overall the beautiful setting, the slowly mounting dread, & intricately thought-out plot made for a creepy read that I’d recommend to most who enjoy horror.

Thank you to NetGalley & Atria for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

Ben is a young teen who gets in trouble a lot. After being caught for armed robbery, he is sent to a rehabilitation center that is all outdoors based and turns teens in men basically. While there, he realizes that something is not right.

I did not like this book. I honestly just felt so bored throughout. It talked about camping and outdoors stuff so much and it was driving me nuts. I think the action and horror should’ve started way sooner.

If you like camping, this will probably work for you more than i did for me.

I hope others love this one but it wasn’t for me.

I requested this for consideration for Book Riot's All the Books podcast for its release date. After sampling several books out this week, I decided to go with a different book for my review.

I can see where people will love this story. Unfortunately, for me, this story just felt really repetitive. Because of the repetition, too, the story felt really slow. The plotting out of the suspense aspect of this story feels like it needed some more work because a huge reveal is very apparent early on in the story which sort of squashes any build up. I think that if this novel was worked on a bit more this could be a good one. As it stands, though, it's pretty rough.

Unfortunately, I ended up DNF'ing this book at 75%. I found the story to be repetitive and slow at times. I enjoyed the other kids' backstories, but we already know the big reveal too early on, to the point where I just lost interest.

Wilderness Reform has strong YA vibes. It does hit some very slow spots, and is a bit repetitive at times.

DNF at 40%

Unfortunately, I'm not connecting with the main character and the plot is moving very slowly. I would encourage the authors to do more showing than telling with character development in the future.

I absolutely loved this book! Our main character Ben is one of the most interesting characters I have ever read. I loved that they were able to make this an adult horror book with a 13 year old MC. They wrote this kid as someone who is beyond his years in intelligence and it worked for me! I had many theories as to the horror in this book, and I was completely wrong. This was fun and funny at times. I'm also thankful that they didn't write the other boys using the current slang! As a milliennial, I don't think I'm ready for that in my reading yet. Two for two for the Querys' books! Keep them coming!
Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

Phew, this book was slow as molasses. On top of that I found all the characters extremely unlikeable and combined with the pacing I was just incredibly annoyed while reading this one. It does pick up significantly in the end, but it was too little too late for me.

Thank you to Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the ARC and Libro fm for the ALC.

Unfortunately, I think I am not the right fit for these authors’ writing styles. I read 25% and although I love the premise, I just could not get into it and ended up DNF-ing. I am only leaving feedback per Netgalley requirement.

Wilderness Reform is a delicious mix of psychological thriller and horror, with the right amount of supernatural elements to keep you guessing and keep you flipping pages to see who will win in this battle of good(ish) vs. evil.

I love that every character in this book is a little bad and a little flawed - you are rooting for these kids who aren't all bad and who definitely don't deserve the mess they find themselves in. And I LOVE that so much of this book has the simmering menace happening just below the surface, where you know it's all on the brink of exploding but you don't know when or how.

This is a story that is somehow familiar and unique all at once, and I really enjoyed how the atmospheric tension and horror elements layered in bit by bit until you find yourself thrown headfirst into the action.

I don't want to reveal much as this is one that will be best enjoyed without expectation. But if what you want this summer is a good horror movie on the page, this is your book. Don't skip it, it's worth the crazy ride

Many thanks to the publisher for my copy!

DNF at 30%. I just couldn’t get into this one, the child main character was just so unlikable I couldn’t find any sympathy for him at all. Disappointed because I loved their last book SO much.

I’d like to thank Matt and Harrison Query, NetGalley and Atria Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wilderness Reform follows thirteen year old Ben as he’s sent to a wilderness reform camp in the mountains of Montana after a string of thefts, where the counselors just aren’t quite right. Wow, this book was so detailed it was amazing. The characters were described so viscerally and strangely elegantly that I really got a good view of them all. Our main character Ben especially read as a very interesting main character with the incredible sensitivity he had to knowledge of reading peoples intent just by gazing into their eyes. I truly can't describe how interesting his character is, as it's something that you have to read to understand.

To read this book you have to know it's slow moving, very slow burn, lots of intelligent paragraphs that you really learn things from and very highly detailed descriptions of the nature and goings on in the book. Being that way, it took me longer to read than I would have liked, but it was a unique experience. It reminds me a lot of Stephen Kings writing, if not Cormac McCarthy-esque which is because of the raw country feel to the story.

I fully enjoyed the idea of Aztec Lore in this book which is different from the usual Lore people write about in the mountains, I really appreciated that. I've read one other book that included Aztec mythology and it's not used as often as Indigenous traits in mountain horror books, and I really liked the fresh take on it.

I’m very intrigued by the Query’s other book Old Country which apparently got very popular on Reddit, and after reading this book I can definitely see why. I really want Stephen King to read this, I think he'd really enjoy it. I also recommend it to everyone who loves camping, went to summer camp as a kid (because it is so crazy how spot on this camp was with the camp I went to as a kid), and if you really enjoyed reading The Reformatory by Tananarive Due.

Trigger Warnings I Gathered: child abuse, possible mentions of sexual assault (hinted maybe but I wasn’t positive), parent death, body horror, gun violence, kidnapping, stalking, child death, grief, brainwashing

It’s dark and dangerous, yet holds so much hope for our damaged boys in this world.

Ben and his friends were amazing – Ben was Iconic – and the evil they face was unique and terrifying.

From the first page, I was completely enthralled and deep into the author’s world.

I loved this one!

After a run in with the law, Ben is sent from Louisiana to a wilderness camp in Montana that promises to turn wild young men into model citizens with impeccable results. But at what cost?

Wilderness Reform was a great concept that lacked execution.

I think this book would have benefitted from either a first-person perspective or at the very least more interiority from Ben. All his thoughts/feelings felt superficial.

Instead, we got a "genius" teen (just trust the authors on this guys) whose preternatural ability is interrupting adults.

There is NO tension in this book whatsoever. I'm a scaredy cat supreme and I didn't get the creeps once. Everything we learn about the camp is essentially through exposition from both the kayak instructor, the ranger, and a book from the goddamn library giving Ben the final answer--it just feels like lazy writing. Plus, the big bad monster felt incongruous to the setting for me.

Plot holes? Sure! Take one for fun: why'd they have to fight when Ben had a handy little trick.

Maybe this one's for you, but it wasn't for me. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

A slowwwwwww burn...

I do see similarities between this and The Troop by Nick Cutter, so if you enjoyed the writing style (minus the mixed media) and pacing of that one then you would most likely also enjoy this one as well. I, on the other hand, was not a fan of The Troop... so I was also not a fan of this book.

I think I am slowly coming to the realization that books set at camps, no matter the genre, are not my cup of tea. Camp seems like the perfect unsettling setting for horrific things to occur, but they just didn't. We spent entirely too much time on the boys and their relationships with each other that there seemed to be no room for anything else. This book took incredibly long to get to the point.

I am really sad I did not like this because I really enjoyed this author duo's first book, Old Country! I would still be willing to give whatever they write next a shot though.

I'm learning that just like romance, I am not a slow burn thriller girlie. I'm not a big thriller person right now anyways, but a slow burn has to work extra hard to keep my attention. Unfortunately, this one just didn't