This book is like watching a great slasher film in your head while reading. There are a number of suspects, red herrings, and plenty of good ol' slashery goodness mixed with dark humor at times.

If you love slashers with heart, this is the book for you! Willow is a disgraced sitcom star who has been "canceled" online for a tweet gone wrong. Her fiancee has dumped her and she has lost her job on the long-running series. Desperate to escape, her agent secures her a spot at Camp Castaway, a healing adult summer camp in the woods of upstate New York. There, Willow meets other folks who came to the camp to disconnect from their phones, their social media and the rest of the world. For the first time, Willow feels like she can be herself and let go of her anger, guilt and fear of all she has lost. She evens starts to make new friends, including a surprising connection with her favorite horror movie actress Juniper and a camper named Dani, which awakens feeling in Willow she hasn't felt in a long time.

There's also a creepy legend about the camp and a mysterious figure called Knock Knock Nancy who was beheaded by a zealot preacher and now searches for her head by taking the heads of others. At first, the campers laugh off the stories, but as they begin to disappear and weird symbols and doll heads appear around the camp, Willow realizes that there is a killer at camp, and they're after their heads!

I love a good slasher, but this book also delivered a refreshing story and take on slasher tropes that kept me guessing until the very end. I liked the emphasis on the emotional story too, Willow's arch, the connections she makes with the other campers, and her fight for survival. Some slashers can be so focused on the violence that they forget about the human toll of all the kills, and this didn't feel that way, though it didn't shy away from the gore. There were a few times I felt confused by the text messages and notes between chapters and the mystery reveal at the end felt a little rushed, but over this was a bloody good read.

I am nothing if not a sucker for the summer camp horror genre — give me a bunch of unsuspecting youths making shockingly bad decisions while on the run from a masked killer, and you might say I’m a happy . . . camper (*ba dum tss*). Last August I scratched that itch with the (mostly) excellent You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron, and this year the nightmarish honor goes to Josh Winning’s Heads Will Roll, a new, solid queer slasher featuring cancel culture, a vengeful ghost, bad wigs, and spooky religious imagery, among many, many other creepy things.

The usual set-up of teens being ripped limb-from-limb in the great outdoors gets a fun, gruesome twist when a remote, upstate New York summer camp is converted to an adults-only oasis for people looking to escape technology addiction, social media cancelation, and other First World Problems by toasting marshmallows, swimming in the lake, and “healing” through yoga. Oh, and getting chased by an axe-wielding maniac. That, too.

I really, really enjoyed Heads Will Roll. It hits pretty much every beat of a good old-fashioned slasher, with the addition of modern-day twists. The characters fall into familiar genre archetypes — the Stoner, the Cool Girl, the Peace-Maker, the Bad Ass, the Jerk, the Good Girl, etc. — but still manage to be unique and layered. I desperately wanted to spend another few nights around the campfire with them.

Winning’s narrative structure is another element I liked — Willow’s first-person observations of the Camp Castaway experience are interspersed with solo chapters for the other campers as they get picked off one-by-one, which gives Willow’s story some (freaky) breathing room and solidifies the book’s genuine slasher movie feel. (Also helping that horror movie feel? The descriptions of the deaths-by-axe, y i k e s.) The dialogue was occasionally cringey — nothing takes the wind out of a tense, gory action scene’s sails more than eye roll-inducing internet-speak like “Not today Satan” — but for the most part, the author has a good handle on how these characters interact with each other.

As far as main characters go, we could do a lot worse than Willow. She, like most horror movie protagonists, seems colorblind to the giant, bright red flags everywhere, and a lot of her behavior seems paradoxical (for instance, why spend so much time hemming and hawing over whether or not anyone recognizes you, after you’ve already chosen the name of your famous sitcom character to go by at camp?! Make it make sense.) Still, she’s tough, smart, and has plenty of familial trauma to unpack — what more could we want in a Final Girl?

When it comes to the local legend of Knock Knock Nancy (who is blamed for the murders, at first), the story feels well thought-out, especially as the mystery surrounding Nancy evolves throughout the novel. However that’s where all the good things involving the Big Bad at Camp Castaway end, because I had some issues with how things wrap up.

I obviously don’t want to spoil things for you so I’ll refrain from diving into specifics (please message me if you’ve read it and you want to chat, though, because I’m dying to unpack this with someone 😩), but I will say the plot holes at the end drove me lightly insane. While I can handle how remarkably chill the campers are about seeing/handling the decapitated corpses of their friends, there were glaring inconsistencies that I couldn’t ignore: Had people at Camp Castaway died before? If so, was it all just covered up? Why did [REDACTED] choose now to start the rampage? How did [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] even come into contact with each other? Did I miss a key paragraph that explained all of this?! Help.

Annoyances about the last few chapters aside, Heads Will Roll is a thrill ride. Anyone who’s a fan of the Friday the 13th franchise needs to add this to their TBR pile with haste.

Shout out to NetGalley and Putnam books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

An adult summer camp horror - what more could you want? Heads Will Roll was such a fun read! A young sitcom star who's seen her fair share of awful tabloid headlines heads off to Camp Castaway, which promises no phones, no social media, and no real names - what could go wrong? What starts as a relaxing summer getaway soon turns to chaos in classic summer camp fashion.

I cannot recommend this enough to anyone looking for a fun summer camp horror, this genre is a classic for a reason. Tension is high and the stakes are even higher.

Heads Will Roll kept me entertained and on the edge of my seat from beginning to end!
Nestled in the middle of the woods with no phones allowed.. no technology allowed is Camp Castaway. Where you can go to unplug from the world and get back to the basics. Group therapy, yoga, new friends, what more could you ask for? Surely not the campfire ghost story which could be based in reality, strange things happening, and people going missing with no phones to call for help..
The makings of a great horror story are all there and Josh Winning wrote another winner with this one.

I loved Willow from the first time we met her, and I loved the others we met once she arrived at the camp. So much so that I was actively rooting for none of them to be the killer and keeping my fingers crossed that hopefully, my favorites would survive the massacre I knew would be coming.
I thought the pacing was perfect, the little things easily explained away to the bigger things that let our main character know that something isn't right, all to get us to this climactic moment when the bodies begin to drop in earnest and the killer is finally revealed.. And I was totally surprised by who it turned out to be.

I had a great time reading this just like I had with the other books this author has written, and I can't wait to see what he's going to come out with next!

I loved the horror references throughout this book. It started off really strong and then kinda faded out towards the end and got a bit confusing. Overall fun campy horror

HEADS WILL ROLL – by Josh Winning

Calling All Slasher Fans! Heads literally roll in this macabre-filled, heartbreaking, horror-flick-whodunit…

‘Camp Castaway has broken its promise to us. It is no longer a safe place to switch off and disconnect. It’s a death trap.’

‘Nestled deep in upstate New York, Castaway is a summer camp for adults who are desperate to leave their mistakes behind. No real names, no phones . . . no way to call for help.’

Highly Recommend!

Thank you, NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons (Penguin Group), for providing me with an eBook of HEADS WILL ROLL at the request of an honest review.

I cannot be the only person who has the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auzfTPp4moA">Yeah Yeah Yeahs</a> song run through their head every time they come across the words of this title. Tho as I write this review, I'm listening to the horror-movie-soundtrack oeuvre of Isabel LaRosa, while shivering slightly in the unseasonable (and thankfully temporary) chill of local weather. While I'm glad it'll warm up again soon, the weather and music combine to make the perfect atmosphere for this excellent spooky season read.

After being cancelled for an injudicious tweet -- one that's received a backlash so bad, it's cost our primary narrator her job, her fiance and her savings -- the sitcom actress most famed for her role as the perennially peppy Willow checks into Camp Castaway. The remote retreat for adults advertises itself as a place for people to unplug from all their electronics while getting back to nature and undergoing a little group therapy in the process. Attendees are encouraged to assume aliases upon arrival. Our narrator, having been too panicked and overwhelmed to read through all the promotional material her agent pressed on her before getting there, unthinkingly chooses Willow as her alter ego.

This is kind of a Freudian slip, because in many ways the actress does aspire to be more like Willow. But she's also hiding secrets that she's starting to believe might not be worth keeping buried any more. Ironically, she's in a place filled with secrets, and not just because the other campers all carry guilty burdens of their own. Camp Castaway has its own sordid history, that Willow starts to piece together after a series of unsettling events begins to befall them. Another camper vanishes after telling the rest of the group the local legend of the murderous Knock-Knock Nancy, and Willow finds a creepy doll's head in her cabin, with a threatening note tucked inside. There couldn't actually be a vengeful spirit haunting the woods around Camp Castaway, could there? But when the bodies start piling up, and the heads literally start rolling, Willow and her new friends will have to do everything in their power to defeat a ghostly killer and survive.

This book took me a minute to get into but once I was in, I was hooked! Part of the effort of suspension of disbelief for me was the whole thing about cancellation: so many people come back unscathed from far worse things than Willow said, that it felt like any half decent PR firm would have easily been able to spin her gaffe in a way that also helped free her to be true to herself -- and that was even before I knew what she'd so injudiciously tweeted! In fairness, a large part of her need to go to Camp Castaway came from the vicious emotional spiral that followed, fueled in part by her own self-loathing. And I get that. Just because you know something will blow over doesn't make it any less painful in the short term, especially when you're still coming to terms with your own past.

The narrative otherwise flows like a well-written horror movie, even if I still have Thoughts! and Feelings! over Juniper. I loved how Josh Winning kept me guessing throughout as to whodunnit and why. The way he shows how stories get twisted and tangled over time was also really thoughtful and engrossing. As with many horror films, there were a few teeny tiny plot holes, but overall this was thrilling entertainment that kept me on the edge of my seat while rooting for the good guys (RIP to the fallen!) I do not like watching slasher films at all -- reading about people dying is one thing, but watching them, even when it's fake, is quite another -- so this was the perfect scary way for me to welcome the return of fall and spooky season!

Heads Will Roll by Josh Winning was published July 30 2024 by G. P. Putnam's Sons and is available from all good booksellers, including <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15382/9780593544693">Bookshop!</a>

It turns out there are things way worse than getting cancelled on the internet - like getting stalked and potentially murdered at a wellness camp you exiled yourself to. With a single tweet, Willow blows up her whole life. Hit show? Cancelled. Fiancé? He’s not sticking around. That fat advance? Yeah, that’s gone too. Willow sends herself to Camp Castaway (aka Camp Cancelled) for a bit of a digital detox and break from social media. She doesn’t anticipate that one of her internet trolls may have followed her.

Wow was this a fun read! I’m not going to lie, it did take me a bit to become invested in the story. Once we got there? I couldn’t put it down! While I did have my suspicions about who the killer may be, this definitely kept me guessing the whole way through. Willow was a misunderstood, likeable main character and it was fun rooting for her. I thought the twists were unique, loved the secondary characters, and thought the isolated camp setting was perfect. This really was a great end of summer horror to lead into the autumn months.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for a review copy. I look forward to reading from this author again!

The perfect summer camp horror to read on a cool summer night. While I originally had some skepticism of taking on cancel culture, I loved the idea of a summer camp slasher with adult characters, and both delivered. I was happy to be wrong: cancel culture is rooted in "vengeance" which melded into a slasher story extremely well.

There's a lot of love for the genre here. Care is given to building tension and not being predictable. The characters were a tad unlikable in a lingering way that slowed things down for me. If your a reader who loves the drama of reality television and slasher movies this is winning combo.

What an awesome read!!! i love camper / slasher genre!

When Willow sends a thoughtless and tweet that isn't what she expects, her life as a television star begins to deteriorate she checks herself into Camp Castaway. This is a camp to just get away and get away from the outside world all for adults.

The Character build is great, ghost story and humor along with a little gory details. This is not fast paced but not slow paced either.

Will recommend and read more from this author. Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

Summer camp slasher. But without the teenage angst. This was so good! I love slashers so much and is definitely one of my new favorites!

I really enjoyed the summer vibes and horror.vibes with this one. I do wish there was a bit more.to it but overall it was a great summer horror book!

Thanks to Netgalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for letting me read an eARC of Heads Will Roll by Josh Winning. Heads Will Roll is a solid slasher that is a very brisk and fun read, in large part due to great character development. Willow is a great final girl with an interesting backstory. The backstory makes it so that as Willow goes through trying to survive, you root for her because she is also striving to become a better person. The other campers are also great and add to the intrigue as Willows tries to uncover who or what is exactly killing the campers. I highly recommend Heads Will Roll for people who love slashers but also for people who love a really cool thriller.

Move over Camp Sleepaway, and hello, Camp Castaway! What a fun, campy thriller this was! It could have easily been a five-star read for me, but there were moments when the writing leaned a bit too much into YA territory. Still, I had an absolute blast reading it!

Heads Will Roll by Josh Winning offers a thrilling story of suspense. The story follows Willow, a disgraced sitcom star sent to Camp Castaway, a remote retreat meant for those escaping their past. But the camp soon turns sinister with vanishing campers and eerie threats. While the pacing can lag, the suspense and intriguing twists make it a gripping read. If you enjoy psychological thrillers with a dark edge, this book is worth a look.

Willow is a celebrity who finds herself in need of a getaway after a tweet she posts goes viral and gets her cancelled. Her agent suggests the perfect place, Camp Castaway in upper New York. The camp has a strict no electronics policy—no phones, no internet. Campers are not even allowed to use their real names. This seems like the perfect place for Willow to take a step back, and decide what she wants to do next. Unfortunately Willow finds herself in danger as one by one the campers are disappearing and losing their heads, literally.

This was a great summer camp slasher story. Everyone is a suspect and there are lots of crazy characters with back stories which provide perfect motives. It had some really good moments and some good action but it tended to drag in the middle. The ending felt a little forced but overall it was a fun ride that will satisfy the slasher fan.

3 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

After being canceled for a misconstrued tweet, a sitcom actor- Willow- flees to a summer camp where no phones are allowed and everyone goes by a chosen alias. Hoping that being off the grid will help her mental health, the summer takes a dark turn when a camper disappears and an urban legend seemingly comes to life. This is my second venture into Josh Winning’s catalog, and I liked this one so much better than my first foray. This is a really fun summer camp slasher, with real heart at the center and a fun, distinct full cast of characters. A collection of canceled misfits try to reckon with what brought them to camp, heal, and ultimately fight to survive. It’s bloody, it’s fast paced, and the central mystery of just who is doing all this slashing is really great. Great atmosphere throughout and a solid, compelling protagonist you root for to be the final girl make this a really great entry into the summer slasher canon!

This review will post on my instagram @boozehoundbookclub

Give me a summer camp slasher and I’m a happy gal. I loved that this camp was for adults who basically needed to hid away from society for doing something bad. I really enjoyed willow, our FMC, and her idol juniper. The middle got a bit too slow burn for my taste, but the ending more than made up for it