Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book before publication! The review will be live on my blog on 7/12/24. I will also feature the review on Instagram that same day and post my review to Goodreads, The Storygraph, Fable, and retail sites.

Review:

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I LOVE a summer camp slasher, and as soon as I saw the cover for this one, I knew I had to read it. Despite a few lingering questions regarding the "why/how" behind the killer's motives, I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

The story follows "Willow" (her camp name), a disgraced sitcom star who checks herself into Camp Castaway to escape the fallout of a scandalous tweet. At one time, she was one of the most popular actors working today thanks to her Netflix series, but a tweet that was taken out of context led to her being quickly canceled. The promise of being able to disconnect from electronics for a couple of weeks sounded very appealing to Willow, but what she expected to be a relaxing retreat in the woods turns into a nightmare when campers start disappearing, and heads literally begin to roll. As Willow and her new friends try to unravel the mystery of what is happening at the camp, they uncover a disturbing secret behind the camp's history that could cost them their lives if they don't get out soon.

Winning's writing style is fast-paced and suspenseful, keeping readers on the edge of their seats from the very first chapter. The camp setting, a wellness retreat for adults, is a refreshing twist in the summer camp slasher genre. The camp is supposed to be one of healing, but the history around the camp is anything but, and the campers find that out in a brutal fashion.

As the campers struggle to survive and uncover the truth behind the terror at Camp Castaway, Winning skillfully weaves together themes of fame, social media, and cancel culture. He explores the dark side of celebrity culture, the lengths people will go to to escape their past mistakes, and those who seem all too happy to destroy them, regardless of the severity of said mistake. This makes the novel not just a thrilling read, but also a thought-provoking commentary on our society.

A crew of unforgettable characters helps move the story along. From the jaded writer Dani, who Willow finds herself crushing on, to Willow's favorite actress, Juniper, the shy and panic-stricken Kurt, and the mysterious owner of the camp, Bebe (and several others), the story is full of victims and suspects galore.

And, of course, there's a local legend around the camp, and this time around, it's a woman known as "Knock-Knock Nancy." Legend has it that Nancy was an alleged witch in the 1800s and was decapitated by a crazy priest when she refused to accept she was evil. Legend has it that if you hear three knocks on your door, you shouldn't answer because it's Nancy, and she'll take off your head. Learning more about the legend and how it tied into the demise of the campers was a lot of fun. I think my only complaint with this one was that I was confused by the final reveal of who the killer was. I understood the motive, but the "how" wasn't clear. (I don't want to say more because I don't want to spoil anything.) That said, despite the lingering questions, it wasn't enough to ruin my overall enjoyment of the book. It was still a lot of fun!

Despite a few lingering questions, this was everything I could have asked for in a fun slasher. With its unforgettable characters and suspenseful plot, this is the perfect summer read for slasher fans. So grab your flashlight, gather around the campfire, and prepare for a rollercoaster ride of twists, turns, and chilling surprises. You can thank me later.

I really enjoyed Winning's "Burn the Negative" so I was excited to read more horror from him. I actually liked that Winning kept the critiques of "cancel culture" as questions without answers and didn't try to come down on one side of the issue or the other. Not only would this probably have turned out far too heavy handed for a summer camp slasher, but it also allowed the book to focus more on the characters themselves and their relationships.

Received this book as an ARC and it’s was all you could hope for in a campy slasher book. I enjoyed this one from beginning to end. The twist and turns this took me on was so great.

The characters each had something you either like or hated and made you think who are these people and who’s got the axe. It was creepy at times and heart pounding camp fun!

Thank you Netgally, Josh Winning and Penguin group for the advanced copy.

Who doesn’t love a good current, slasher, and camp-setting horror book?? Once I started, I couldn’t put it down! I’ve bit my remaining fingernails off while reading this! I had to know: what? Who? How? Kudos for a relatable story line, solid characters, and enough gore to make me fidget a little. I’d love this for a movie! Juniper Browns character alone would have me in the theater!!
Thank you NetGalley for this e- Arc. So super fun!

I was hoping to have something more adult and interesting. Everything about this should have been fun, but it just didn't live up to what I was wanting/expecting. I hated nearly every single character. It's marketed as an adult, but it reads so incredibly YA.

“If I were yesterday me, the woman who depended on my connectivity to survive, the lack of service would flood my system with panic. ”
Here are reasons to read the Horror book:

Adult Summer Camp - Willow is on her way for 2 weeks in an adult summer camp
Cancelled - After being a tv star, and then cancelled, Willow needs to find her peace
Unplug - the biggest thing going for this camp is that there are no phones allowed, so she doesn’t have to read what people are saying about her online
Killer - and that’s good because she has started to receive really chilling messages where people want to get rid of her permanently

The premise of this story, the horror summer camp, has been done before and I am here for it. But I was VERY surprised how much I could not put this book down. It was very fast paced and so creepy. If you liked Scream, you will probably like this book. It’s a little campy, but quite a bit scary. There are twists, and fake outs, and really everything I want in a summer horror.

Couldn't view it on a iphone. Wasn't loadable for a kindle. Looks like a promising book.. App doesn't work on Macbooks

A great slasher at summer camp story.
This is the classic story, but well executed.
I liked that the characters were adults with their more or less shameful secrets and not just a bunch of clueless teenagers.
The pacing was great, the characters well executed and the ending satisfying. I found some little plot holes looking back but I was so engrossed in the story while reading it that it didn't really matter at the time.

If you are into slashers, it is definitely worth reading!

“We Love Willow” was a popular Netflix show about a ditzy girl and her imaginary friend. When the actress who played Willow tweeted a joke that landed insensitively, she and the show were both canceled. She was raked across the coals online, her friends ghosted her, and her fiancé broke up with her.

She was homeless, jobless and alone when her agent decided to send her to Camp Castaway. The camp is a small, isolated place for people to get away from everything…literally. There are no phones, music or television, just being in nature, playing board games and reading books. (I love that Willow was reading Paul Tremblay!) Everyone uses fake names, and nobody talks about what sent them to the camp. Tye, the camp counselor, Bebe, the “camp mom”, and Chef Jeff work there, but there are a few others there:

Misty, an older mahjong player/gambling addict
Dani, a queer writer
Buck, a weirdo
Kurt, a musician with allergies
Apollo, a sports agent
Kat, who is in IT, and
Juniper Brown, a famous actress from the 80s/90s who goes by own name because she’s so A-list.

Oh, and then there’s Knock-Knock Nancy. Legend has it that she was decapitated in the 1800s and now haunts the land by knocking before cutting off people’s heads. No, we cannot forget about her!

This story is so campy, so creepy, and so much fun that I’d love to say more, but I can’t! I want everyone to be as surprised as I was at finding out why everyone was there, who else may be lurking in those woods, and what becomes of all of them, because it’s all so good. (And yes, you’ll even learn Willow’s real name!) Willow is the first-person character, but we also get a couple of chapters from other campers, and they’re chilling. I loved the multimedia aspect, with tweets and stories and episodes from Willow’s show - it really added to an already interesting story. I really liked “Burn The Negative”, but I think the author outdid themselves with this one. 4.5 stars, rounded up!

(Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons, Josh Winning and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on July 30, 2024.)

Thank you to Netgallery and Penguin Group Putnam for an early release copy of Heads Will Roll by Josh Winning.

Heads Will Roll is an interesting camping slasher, I enjoyed our characters, more specifically Kurt and Juniper, I didn’t mind our main character but Junipers chapters were some of the most interesting chapters. The pacing is on the slower side but I didn’t really mind it, it gives sometime to get to know the characters before anything exciting happens. I was pleasantly surprised at the addition of a sapphic relationship (Willow is Bi). I didn’t mind Willow and Dani’s relationship in the beginning but half way through Dani started to come off as immature and it ruined the relationship for me. I liked the duo we got between Kurt and Willow, the scene where they talk about panic attacks and how to calm down was sweet. I saw their dynamic as more of a brother/sister.

Something’s that bothered me were the religious themes, I want to say a good majority of this book talks about healing in the eyes of god, and getting revenge against the “canceled” campers. There are also a lot of pop references in nearly every chapter that comes off as annoying, the other thing was the reason why Willow was canceled and what happened to her brother, I can’t really go into it without spoiling but it’s in regards to the lgbtq community.

Heads Will Roll is a breezy slasher set at an isolated camp for adults who need to unplug from their devices and reflect on life choices. But it seems a local legend, Knock Knock Nancy, has come to life to punish the campers for their sins. As heads start to roll & creepy doll parts are found, the reformative retreat turns into a bloody nightmare.

I very much enjoyed the author’s first novel, Burn the Negative, but I struggled with this one. The first half is slow. The main character's at camp after making a regrettable post on social media. Once the post is finally revealed something like a third of the way through, the post and the response to it are underwhelming. Beyond that, there are a lot of coincidences driving the plot at camp. Along with the somewhat flat characters, it all adds up to a largely predictable read that was not for me. And though not for me, I do hope the novel finds an appreciative audience and brings the author much success.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam for the digital ARC.

Josh Winning's *Heads Will Roll* is a captivating and darkly humorous thriller that plunges readers into a world where past mistakes haunt, and danger lurks behind every cabin door. The story begins with sitcom star Willow, whose infamous tweet and drunken mishap land her in Camp Castaway, a secluded summer retreat for adults looking to escape their troubled pasts.

Winning's setting is superbly crafted, painting Camp Castaway as a seemingly idyllic haven nestled deep in upstate New York. The camp's rules—no real names, no phones, no way to call for help—add an eerie layer of isolation that sets the stage for the unfolding drama. Willow's interactions with fellow campers, including her favorite actress and the intriguing writer Dani, are both relatable and engaging, providing a rich tapestry of personalities against the backdrop of looming terror.

The novel takes a thrilling turn when a camper vanishes, and Willow discovers a mutilated doll with a threatening message in her room. Winning masterfully builds suspense, with each chapter peeling back layers of mystery and dread. The peaceful camp vibe quickly unravels as campers face literal and figurative decapitation, their disturbing past deeds surfacing in the process.

What sets *Heads Will Roll* apart is its perfect balance of dark humor and nail-biting suspense. Willow's journey from a disgraced star to a woman fighting for her life is both harrowing and compelling. Winning's sharp wit and keen observations on celebrity culture add depth to the narrative, making it more than just a thriller but a commentary on the cost of fame and the human desire for redemption.

As secrets are revealed and the body count rises, readers will be glued to the pages, eager to uncover the truth behind the camp's sinister happenings. The climax is both shocking and satisfying, ensuring that Willow's story is one that will stay with readers long after the final page is turned.

*Heads Will Roll* is a must-read for fans of suspense and dark comedy. Josh Winning delivers a story that is as entertaining as it is chilling, proving that sometimes, our past mistakes can come back to haunt us in the most unexpected and terrifying ways.

A big thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for an advanced copy to review.

Heads Will Roll is a great horror story. The summer camp setting is great. The slasher story goes well with its interesting characters. There are a lot of twists and turns that keep you guessing. It's a real page turner that all horror fans will enjoy.

If you’re looking for an edge of your seat horror book, then read this one.

I had a lot of fun with this book. The author does a good job writing horror, and I love reading it. I loved that despite it being a slasher book it didn’t feel over gory and had an interesting storyline. My biggest hang up with this book, and its not a huge hang up, is that this book felt very much YA despite being a slasher book. I enjoyed that this book took an interesting look at cancel culture and how everyone was running from something at the camp. I also enjoyed how there was a bit of humor mixed in as well. The character development was also great and getting to know Willow and Dani was fantastic. It was interesting how one sentence can be taken out of context and cause a whole lot of problems, and I think that is often something we are seeing more of in this day and age of online presences, and this book did a fascinating job of highlighting that.


Thank you to G.P Putnam Sons @putnambooks and @netgalley for the e-arc copy. All thoughts are my own

3⭐️

This one was just fine and had some twists in it at the end that I found fun. I enjoyed also the isolation setting of the camp. However I did find the pacing a bit off and was starting to get pretty repetitive. Taking away from my overall enjoyment.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for this advance reader copy. This review is voluntarily my own.

yall this book .. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time reading. the setting is a classic summer camp with a twist … it’s all people who have been “cancelled” in one way or another. the set up made for the perfect self aware (dare I say meta?) summer camp slasher. And yet it evaded any of the potential cheesiness of following the classic slasher trope.

as a naturally curious person, so my favorite part of a horror or thriller is usually the big reveal. the payoff of this one was just excellent.

huge thanks to @putnambooks for letting me read this one early. I was so excited when I heard about it from @ash.reads.horror ‘s post that I immediately requested it on NetGalley.

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 rounded up to 4

This was a summer camp horror story. So if your a fan of slasher films this is the book for you.

It takes place at an adult summer camp where people go to reconnect with nature, and detox from the digital world. Soon after the FMC arrives people start to go missing. when bodies start pilling up the campers try to find a escape.

While this book is at the base a slasher film turned book, it was also filled with a lot a emotional growth from the characters and hits on some heavy topics.

This is a fun slasher. It's everything I love about summer camp horror. I devoured this in a single night. It speaks to cancel culture and so much more. You can tell the author loves horror and knows the tropes and tricks.

Predictable and a bit cringy with the pop culture references. the characters are supposed to be adults but it felt like i was reading about pre-teens at a summer camp.
overall, i love a good slasher story and that part of the book didn't disappoint. the story kept me interested enough to want to read to the end even if I did predict what was going to happen.

3.5 stars.

Heads Will Roll is an adult-centered summer camp set campy (no pun intended) horror. My main issue is the zeitgeist-y pop culture references that may make it feel dated in the near future.