This is a creature feature about a lake monster but with a a twist.

This small town thrives on Old Lucy, a lake monster which drives in tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of something unknown. The town's identity is based on this local legend and sightings. But it's all fake.

Lemon is soon to graduate high school when she is chosen to carry on an old family tradition. Donning a latex costume and ensuring the legend of Old Lucy stays alive for the sake of her family and the town itself. Her family has been behind the "monster" for generations.

But when a very real, very hungry lake monster starts to eat the local populace, it's up to Lemon, her grandparents, and her two best friends to stop the carnage while maintaining the Old Lucy traditions.

Add to that federal agents who seem to know the truth, theories about wormholes and time travel, and the origins of the monster itself, and this novel really packs quite the punch.

It is a YA novel and isn't explicitly gory but it's definitely a fun read for adults and younger teens alike. If you're looking for a fun, fast paced creature feature with just enough weirdness to keep it engaging throughout than I highly recommend this.

Sometimes you have certain assumptions when you read a book summary and read a title, but these are blown out of the water in this story. I was kept intrigued the whole time. The way the author made you feel the family expectations and the lack of choice the main character had was so well done. There was never a point where I could see where the story was going. I was kept guessing up to the last page.
I'm kind of hoping for a sequel because I'm not ready to leave these characters yet.
Enjoy!

Lemon Ziegler Longs for a different life. She hates pretending to be the town lake monster. But this keeps the little town alive. Now there is a real monster and it is very hungry. Creepy creature feature.

I absolutely loved this story of three friends trying to save their town from a lake monster while navigating the end of high school and the questions that poses as well. Lemon is a fantastic protagonist and her story of feeling torn between loyalty to her family and herself is one that many teens will identify with while reading.

There is a lot of filler paragraphs in this book. This book is a slow burner with a lot of missed points.

The plot is interesting, but the writing is horrible.

Chapters 18-24- WE DON'T NEED PAGES AND PAGES OF THE CHARACTERS THOUGHTS. JUST GET TO THE POINT

What begins with a cool concept slowly becomes a tale of annoying high school kids being annoying high school kids. Really cool idea but it just ends up quickly falling flat and dragging on.

This was one hell of a fun read!

Lemon's family has lived on the lake in Devil's Elbow for generations. The Ziegler family thrives on the legend of Old Lucy, the docile lake monster that lives in Lake Lakokoma. While her friends are preparing for college, Lemon is preparing to spend the rest of her life in the Old Lucy costume perpetuating the myth and ensuring tourism and revenue in the town of Devil's Elbow. Darrin and Troy have been friends with Lem since they were kids, never knowing her family secret. Troy's been holding a secret of his own, he is in love with Lemon. While Darrin is too transparent to hold any deep rooted secrets-he is a hard core conspiracy theorist who would die on the hill that Old Lucy exists. When a real monster appears in the lake and starts eating pets and people, Lemon spills her family secret to Darrin and Troy. Lemon. Troy, and Darrin find themselves fighting against time, the FBI, false friends, and keeping the legend of Old Lucy a pleasant one while trying to find a way to kill the monster.

I really enjoyed this book. The relationships felt real and all the history these characters shared felt completely believable. The reveal towards the end felt kind of cheesy at first and definitely fed into the conspiracy theory aspect of this book. I did come to appreciate that by the end of the book. This was a little campy and goofy at times but overall a very enjoyable and suspenseful read! I highly recommend this one when it comes out on July 2nd, 2024!

There’s something to be said for the depth of emotions that really well done YA books can pull off. Often times, its focused around loss or love. But when we get a story that deals with loss AND love, you know that you should probably cancel any plans, as your heart is going to be aching and your attention will be focused completely on the story you’re about to read.

I’ve not read anything from Wolverton previously, but for a first time experience, this was so very well done that I’ll absolutely be seeking out more of her work. I hadn’t seen much of this book shared around in my usual haunts, but when I saw Nicole herself, post about it on IG, I was immediately intrigued. When I read the synopsis, I was hooked. Pun intended? Sure, we’ll go with that!

What I liked: The story follows three small town friends, Lemon, Darrin and Tory. Lemon and Troy secretly love each other, though they’ve not told each other. Everyone else knows it, but hey, grade 12 and all, no need to push these two together if they’re going their separate ways after graduating, right? Lemon though, has a huge secret. For decades, her family has perpetrated the myth that the lake has a sea monster, Old Lucy. They get in the Old Lucy costume and make sure sightings happen so that tourists visit and spend their cash. Lemon herself, is struggling. Her parents have died and she’s moved in with her grandparents.

All is going seemingly well, even if Lemon is angry about being forced into this life and not able to leave and pursue veterinary school. That is, until a real sea monster attacks her and her dog and even more secrets are exposed.

It’s from here that Wolverton really shines. The first quarter or so is all about setting the bowling pins up and from this moment forward the pins are knocked down, one by one. There’s heartbreak, trust issues, secret government agencies, coming-of-age perfection and through it all, we get to see the three friends band together and work as a team to try and not only get to the bottom of what this monster is, but also to ensure the future of their small town.

Like many YA books before, this one had me smiling, crying and pumping my fist in the air, as the story unfolded and we see Lemon, Troy and Darrin grow up over a short span of time, the reality of the wider world showing its ugly face.

The ending is spot on and thankfully designed in such a way that it feels like a true ending. Would I like another book featuring these characters? Sure. But if this is the only story we get with this trio, I’d be a-ok with it because of how wonderfully developed they are, which is a testament to the deft writing of Wolverton.

What I didn’t like: I, personally, am not a fan of first person POV shifts and that is how this book is told. Each chapter is told through a different POV – namely between Lemon and Troy – and it is very jarring, especially as we move deeper into the book and the tensions rise. I would’ve preferred a 3rd person POV throughout, but that’s just me and my own reading tastes. Once I got over that initial shift, it was easy transitions the rest of the way.

Why you should buy this: As far as lake monster stories go, this one is top notch. Told with rapid pacing, rising tension and a really well done finale that was showcased in a very cinematic way, Wolverton has really knocked this one out of the park. Lemon is such a great main character and watching her and Troy find each other through the stress of their situations was an absolute highlight.

This was a delightful tale of horror from beginning to end, starting with the horror of an unwanted birthright and staying strong with an original and unusual monster stalking the lake shore of Devil's Elbow. I loved the ride-or-die friendship between Lemon, Troy, and Darrin, the emotive presence of Butterbeans and Bob (RIP Snowflake), and the healing relationship Lemon has with her grandmother. Despite the real tension and thrills of the story, it was surprisingly cozy. A delightful story about family, friends, being true to yourself, and the horror and honor of legacy.

Thank you to NetGalley and CamCat Books/Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

A Misfortune of Lake Monsters by Nicole M. Wolverton is a summer creature feature that is surprisingly gory and is seemingly X-Files-inspired as we follow Lemon Ziegler. Lemon wants to leave Devil's Elbow, Pennsylvania and go to college to be a vet, but her family's weird legacy is all that's stopping her. Voted by her family to be the new Old Lucy, Devil's Elbow's own cryptid, Lemon feels all but stuck. Until a real cryptid shows up.

I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. I typically have a harder time reading YA because I find so many YAs boring, formulaic, and just not relatable in any sense. However, A Misfortune of Lake Monsters had me tapping through my kindle so fast. Between Lemon being a character who deserves so much and the story itself reminding me A LOT of an extended X-Files episode, this book has a lot going for it. Wolverton did such a great job with setting up Devil's Elbow and the legend of Old Lucy. Old Lucy has just enough detail to be creepy and leave room for a whole lot of gossip to spread her tale.

The only thing I was not a huge fan of was the romance in this. While I was rooting for it, I do wish that it took more of a backseat to the overall story. Especially when things really started picking up, I just do not care about teenage romances, especially as a thirty-something year old. Other than that, I loved this book. It's fun, a quick read, and the main character is really someone that you can get behind and cheer for.

Would recommend for my cryptid and X-Files lovers.

4 star read for me. Loved the story line and the characters were fantastic. Loved every second of this book. Super good.

In the months leading up to my high school graduation, I went through this weird phase where all I did in my free time was read & reread Paper Towns, and watch & rewatch Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Had this book been published at that time, it absolutely would have been added to my rotation of nostalgic, cusp-of-adulthood, friendship-focused adventure stories.

A Misfortune of Lake Monsters is now my favourite in the category, because it encapsulates everything I loved about the others but with added cryptids. Also, Lemon's teenage girl thoughts were almost uncomfortably reflective of my own around that age.

Lemon and her crew were super fun to follow around as they tried to solve the mystery of the lake monster in their town. I honestly couldn't put the book down as the crew began uncovering new things!

I don't usually read a lot of YA books, but I'm super glad I picked this one up. The writing was fun and easy to get through, but in my opinion not too simple as to detract from the plot of the book!

There was a lot of mention of conspiracy theories, which can be a super fun premise but for me it felt a bit heavy handed until it got to the end of the book.

Overall super fun book to read, and would definitely check out more of this authors work!

This was a pleasant surprise and very enjoyable story. Quick, easy read with well written characters. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

As a big fan of cryptozoology this tale of lake monsters pulled me in right from the start. Adding Lemon's journey for independence was a nice touch. I identified and believed the actions behind Lemon's words. Nicole M. Wolverton weaved a fully satisfying sci-fi plot with horror elements into a thrilling adventure. Very impressed.

Thank you to CamCat Books | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

I wasn't entirely sure how I would feel going into but I enjoyed the relationships between the characters and watching the mystery unfold.

This was not the book for me. I wish that books that had curse words would tell you this up front. I did not finish this book.
Thank you for the arc copy to read.
The low rating is because I didn't finish the book

If you are obsessed with stories about local monsters and love tales that feature a band of quirky friends trying to solve a mystery, you will like A Misfortune of Lake Monsters. But if you want these two elements executed perfectly in the same story, then you will absolutely fall in love with it. There is an Egyptian saying that roughly translates to "the spell has turned on its caster." I'm a sucker for stories that remind me of that saying.

One thing I wish to commend Wolverton on is how "visual" A Misfortune of Lake Monsters is. Wolverton does an amazing job of painting a picture with her words. The tone, the pacing, the descriptions, and the vivid characters and settings turned this book into a production. I genuinely felt there was a movie playing in my head as I was reading. So much so, in fact, that I could imagine what type of music that would be playing during certain scenes.

Another aspect I really enjoyed is the characters. With horror, I usually focus on the experience and don’t expect much from the characters, but Wolverton offers a highly appreciated surprise with her characters. Lemon, Troy, and Darrin are fun to follow because they feel like real teenagers. While I liked all of them for different reasons, I think Darrin is my favorite, but I can imagine that this is the type of story where each reader will have their favorite character. But seriously, Darrin is a national treasure and must be protected at all costs.

I won’t go into many details here because experiencing this story unfold without knowing anything in advance was definitely part of the fun for me. But if you want a fast-paced story that keeps you on your toes while somehow managing to both scare you and pull a laugh out of you, then A Misfortune of Lake Monsters is going to be one of your favorite reads of the year. This was a great debut by Nicole M. Wolverton, and I definitely want more stories like this from her in the future.

Thanks NetGalley & CamCat Books for the ARC.

I picked this up because I was intrigued by the premise, and it met my expectations. The characters are believable, and I enjoyed their friendship dynamic. The plot moved at a great pace, and getting both Troy and Lemon’s points of view added depth to the story. Fun read!

This is a fun YA horror novel, perfect for the summer. I will admit I didn't fully click with the writing here, so the reading experience wasn't as immersive as I'd hoped it would be, but it was a fun ride nevertheless.