A summer camp for adults who just might be hiding from their real lives. Seems like a good idea, right? Not when deep down there is vengeance and a killer lurking. But is it a killer among them or a folktale haunting gone wrong? As the FMC works her way through a second coming-of-age, the reader gets to know more of the sinister camp life that is happening all around her. I found this book entertaining and thrilling. There are some horrific scenes and situations, but it did not strike me as appalling. More of a “mild horror”.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and author Josh Winning for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Heads Will Roll follows a cancelled actress who decides to take refuge at an adult summer camp to get away from her life that's falling apart. When campers start going missing, Willow decides she won't sit back and let it happen and starts her own investigation.

If you love a classic creepy camp slasher, you'll love Heads Will Roll. Its got gore, humor, and even a little camp romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC!

After sitcom star Willow tweeted herself into infamy, she's shipped off to Camp Castaway. Tucked away in the trees of upstate New York, Castaway is a summer camp for adults in desperate need of leaving behind their mistakes. No real names, no phones…no way to call for help. But the peaceful vibe is shattered when a terrifying woman pops shrieking from the wardrobe in Willow’s room. Soon, terror grips the group, campers begin to lose their heads—literally!—and Willow and her new friends are on the run. 

This book was so fun! Like all the best parts of a cheesy slasher horror movie, in book form! The writing was great, and the characters were likable. But the best part was, it perfectly captured those cheesy summer camp slasher horror movie vibes! From one twist to the next, I never could've guessed the revelation we'd find in the final chapter!

Fantastic, fun read! Definitely recommend if you're a fan of slasher movies like I am!

Heads Will Roll
Written by Josh Winning
Published by Penguin Group Putnam
Release Date July 30, 2024

“ Willow’s worst nightmare was being canceled. But the shadows in the woods of Camp Castaway might destroy more than her reputation”

Ok, I LOVE a great thriller/mystery and the publishers blurb definitely had me enticed and wanting to read this book. The summer camp vibe was a little bit YA with a feel of a bunch of teenagers instead of adults. The characters were well written and developed and helped keep the reader entertained. Winning does an amazing job of paying tribute to a lot of horror movies that are the ultimate slasher films.
horror movies.

We Love Willow is a Netflix thriller and unfortunately for the main character, Rebecca who is Willow on the show, and because one of her tweets went viral for her drunken behavior, the show is now canceled. That is not the worst though. Her fiancé left her. AND she got canceled on her internet page. While all of this is happening she receives a brochure from her agent about Camp Castaway. A camp for adults that have a past that they want to get away from. Camp Castaway is situated in upstate New York and the campers will not know each others names and there are no phones to speak to anyone.
As she arrives it seems everything and everyone is just as the brochure said. Until a camper goes missing and Willow find a doll in her room that was mutilated and she thinks that may have something to do with the missing camper. The story vamps up and takes the reader on a ride that keeps going and getting off is not something you will want todo. This book has everything needed to scare the hell out of the reader. Willow starts to investigate and whoever is leaving clues has more plans and the twists and turns are going to have you trying to figure out what is his or her next plan is and who is behind all of the kills.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for giving me a copy to read in exchange for my honest an unbiased review.

I don’t have too much to say about this book. It felt very amateurish in the writing style, and it was very predictable. I would say that if it were a movie, it would be B-rated. Also, there were a lot of pieces that just didn’t make sense to me/weren’t believable.

Thanks for the ARC from Netgalley.

The ultimate crime for a slasher story is for it to be boring, so take this book to jail.
Also I know it's "summer camp" but all these adult characters felt like tweens, and it had almost more of a Camp Rock vibe than Friday the 13th.

This was a book that spotlights the cancel culture of social media mixed with camp slasher. It really didn’t pick up speed for me until about the back half of the bool and then from there I couldn’t put it down. Overall the book is a good, fun, quick read. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!!

A perfect read for those who know that summer is for slashers. This nails the camp atmosphere and manages to be twisty. A rewarding reading experience for slasher fans that will catch the easter eggs and references.

Josh Winning's Head's Will Roll is a smartly written, heart-stopping, pulse p.ounding, heartattack inducing thrill ride that will keep the reader up at night if they try to sleep with the lights off. This book is has enough jumps and scares, the reader will feel as if they are living inside of a horror movie, instead of just reading a book. The details are vivid, and vibrant, drawing the reader in for more, even when they want to turn away, much like driving by a gruesome accident, and could possibly give Stephen King a run for his money in the fight department.

This book had me on the edge of my seat. I definitely thought I had it figured out, but then a curveball or two were thrown at me, and I was shocked by the ending. Great book.

I read Burn The Negative by Josh Winning last year and LOVED it. It was a Hollywood/Cursed Movie horror book.

Heads Will Roll is a Summer Camp Slasher that pays tribute to tons of horror movies. So thankful that NetGalley approved my request to read this one early! I absolutely loved how aware this book was. It even had a Paul Tremblay reference which made me smile.

The book focuses on Rebecca, who is know for her Netflix sitcom We Love Willow. After one of her tweets goes viral (for the wrong reasons), her show is canceled, her fiancé leaves her, and she's getting canceled on the internet. She receives a brochure on a secluded camp in the New York mountains called Camp Castaway-or as she quickly dubs it Camp Cancelled. Everyone there seems to have a past/ present they're hiding from. Everything seems great when she first arrived, but when campers start going missing Rebecca gets suspicious. She starts investigating and uncovers some dark secrets about the camp and her fellow campers.

Overall I LOVED this book. It has great representation. It's cheesy and gory. I read this very quickly, finishing it in about three days. It's super addicting and definitely a novel you won't want to put down once you start it.

I gave this one 4 stars!

This book comes out July 30th, 2024 published by @putnambooks. Thanks again to@netgalley and @joshuawinning for the opportunity to read and review this book early.

This was fun. It wasn't great but it was a mid fun book. I am very grateful to be able to have gotten to read this ARC. Thank you Netgalley and Josh Winning.

This was a creepy story, but I liked it. Willow is at a camp and one camper goes missing and then there’s a note she finds and people start losing their heads. Crazy, but good.

“Willow’s worst nightmare was being canceled. But the shadows in the woods of Camp Castaway might destroy more than her reputation.”
Heads Will Roll is the latest novel from author Josh Winning and is scheduled to be published next month. A very special thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Publishing for the advanced copy of this rollicking page-turner!
This was my second read from Winning, immediately following Burn the Negative. Although I personally preferred that book, Heads Will Roll is a pulpy homage to summer camp slashers and B-horror. Cancel culture sends sitcom star Willow to the confines of Camp Castaway – a camp for adults who are desperate to leave their mistakes behind. Unfortunately for them, an ax-wielding killer stalks the woods, ready to lob heads!
This was a cheeky tale of contemporary queer horror with lots of nostalgic elements. The killer reveal stumbled a bit for me in the end, however I enjoyed reading this one overall. Heads Will Roll is a perfect seasonal read that pays homage to some of our favorite tropes while simultaneously feeling new and fresh.

**Thank you to NetGalley and PUTNAM Books for the eARC of this title.**

I had this book preordered months ago and only requested the ebook as I like a digital copy when traveling sometimes. As there is no Kindle format of this ebook, and I can't read on my phone without getting a headache, I won't be reading this title through NetGalley - and will instead wait for my preorder to arrive. Thanks anyway!

This title will be featured/reviewed in a print publication. Please contact this reviewer directly for more details.

People making you feel alone? Are you ready to disappear? Well, we’ve got just the thing: Camp Castaway. Ditch your phone, unplug, get away from it all, and heal. Camp Castaway is your salvation. 

Wait. I forgot to mention Knock-Knock Nancy, didn’t I? 

Well, they did say heads will roll, yeah. 

A masked killer roams camp, but then, we all wear masks, don’t we? In a world where “people just want somebody to hate,” how can we not?

“The constant cycle of judgment, virtue signaling and shaming… it’s exhausting. Pointless. And it has to stop somewhere.”

So off to camp we go. 

In a place where everyone has a reason to hide and no one’s using their real name, the comfort of a healing space comes crashing down when people start disappearing. 

There’s a killer about, but who? Is the legend of Knock-Knock Nancy true? Or, has someone taken inspiration and set it to their own ends?

As bodies pile up, relationships become frayed, testing the need for survival. 

As they fight the fight, Josh Winning shows us what horror is really about: love. Horror, it’s “seeing people at their absolute worst and still caring. Still fighting.”

Heads Will Roll is an absolute treat. A celebration of horror and all that we love about it.

Heads Will Roll was such a good time, y'all. This book is pure campy (see what I did there?), slasher fun. I loved the merging of the modern social media phenomenon that is cancel culture with the age old, tried and true slasher story.

I loved all the characters at Camp Castaway, a summer camp for adults who made a whoopsie and need some off the grid time to get their shit together. Their stories felt so relatable to real life, where we're regularly seeing celebrities and influencers cancelled after the smallest mistake. But what would happen if the punishment got a little...deadly?

This book will keep you guessing right until the end, trying to figure out just exactly what is going on and who might be behind the ax. Heads Will Roll is a great summer read, but it might have you double checking that wherever you book your next camping trip has a cabin with a locking door.

Pick this one up and read it around the campfire with a hot dog and a marshmallow, I'm certain you'll love it!

“A cancellation is just an invitation to make other plans.”

Trying to escape the cancel-culture of Hollywood, our protagonist attends a secluded retreat in the woods under the conditions of no phone, no social media, and no real names. just what “Willow” is looking for. Camp Castaway seems like a place where campers get away from their troubles. Camp Mom Bebe focuses on positive affirmations and healing from within; positive affirmations can only protect from so much. When campers start disappearing, Willow takes it upon herself, with the help of fellow camper “Dani”, to investigate the missing. Suspicions lead to more questions as Willow discovers the other campers are not what they seem. Armed with knowledge (and some kitchen knives) Willow believes there is a darker history to camp castaway. Maybe the legends told around the campfire aren’t so made up after all.

Heads Will Roll is a true slasher and one of the best slashers I have ever come across in a written format.

Willow’s character development from cringe sitcom actress to self-accepting woman was so well written. This was executed beautifully through not only her verbal dialogue, but also her internal thoughts. The reader can really see this when Willow’s comments that she deems as “acceptable” in society change to expressions that are truly her own. I always have a great appreciation when authors don’t use tacky, incorrect representation of witchcraft in their religious trauma stories. Winning doesn’t give us “the devil made me do it” but the real culty horror… Christianity. Head Will Roll gave me the feeling that I was watching Scream (1996) for the first time. The character points of view chapters of their death reminded me of scenes from Sleepaway Camp (1983). There are so many references to classic slashers, you know Winning has a love of his craft with this novel. As a bisexual woman, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the queer representation in this story. It was wonderful to see the representation in Heads Will Roll. The horror community and the LGBTQIA+ community are a match made in blissfully, gory heaven; Winning’s novel is a welcome addition.

There was only one detail that was not wrapped up by the end of the story. The reader is given such a satisfying ending with so many questions answered that I could forgive Winning for this one oversight.

Willow is the Dewey to my Gale. Maybe Camp Castaway isn’t the last we will be seeing her. Slashers always have a sequel.

t's not Camp Crystal Lake it's Camp Castaway! A camp for adults where one can get away, turn off the outside world, work on oneself, and get in touch with nature. That is the plan at least, but little do the campers know that danger awaits! Woohoo! I love 80's horror movies and this one had all the vibes. Heads Will Roll is shocking, gripping, entertaining, horrific and full of pulse pounding danger!!!!!! This book is oozing with atmosphere, dripping with blood, and hard to put down!!

Willow found herself cancelled after making a tweet. Everyone in Hollywood turned their back on her and her agent sent her off to Camp Castaway to get out of the public eye and off social media. The Camp has a no technology and no smartphone rules. Participants are anonymous and use fake names. It is meant to be a safe place for everyone looking to get away for a while.

All is rustic, soothing, and cozy, at camp. While hoping that she won’t be recognized, Willow is shocked to see her favorite actress is also at the camp! This isn't going to be so bad after all. NOT SO FAST WILLOW!!!! A story about Knock-Knock Nancy is told around the campfire (reminiscent of Friday the 13th, part 2 when campers tell a scary story) and serves to make campers uncomfortable. When a fellow camper goes missing, everyone is concerned and begins to be on edge!

This book is heavy on thrills, chills, tension, and atmosphere. Plus, that cover! I enjoyed the mixing of cancel culture, secretes, relationships, LGBTQ, and horror. This book had characters I questioned, one that I cheered for, and there were a few characters that had me changing my mind about them constantly.

I found this book to be both fun, riveting, atmospheric, a little OTT, and full of dread. All were so well done! Although, this is a horror book and there are some scary scenes, I didn't find it to be too gory or scary (although there were some scary scenes). There were also some scenes that reminded me of scenes from some horror films I have enjoyed. Which I found to be a nice touch!

There are some twists and turns and a few jaw dropping revels that I did not see coming at all!!! I love it when that happens. I loved the mounting dread, tension, sense of danger and pulse pounding scenes. I found myself wanting to yell at the characters to be careful, to not split up, to be aware, to not trust anyone.

I had a lot of fun reading this book. This book is for horror fans and a nod to slasher horror films.

Don't lose your head while reading this bloody good book!