Camp Lanier offers an intriguing premise, blending mystery and suspense with a coming-of-age narrative. The setting of the camp is vividly described, and the writing captures the tension and drama of the story well.

However, some aspects of the plot feel predictable (especially the plot twist), and a few character motivations are underdeveloped, leaving certain parts of the narrative feeling less impactful than they could have been.

This was a good book and quite creepy at times. We have all heard rumors about Lake Lanier and so this is just a feeder for that. I thought it captured my attention quicky and kept me attention!

Loved the camp setting, themes and the Oscarville legend, but I couldn't get past the judgemental attitude that every White person is a no good racist.

The horror is very real in this one and that makes it a painful book to read, but it is important to know the real facts that this story is based on. There is a slow build to the final battle scene. The slow build was sometimes a little too slow. The ending was nice to have, but a little too easy after the battle. I would have liked a little bit of time dealing with things before there was a happy ending.

I was very intrigued by the synopsis on this one. In this story we follow Taylor, she's spending her summer at Camp Lanier to make up for a bad decision and some lies told by her "friends" about her to the court. She meets other community service teens at the camp and as soon as she gets there, she starts seeing some creepy things going on. Dun dun dun.

I was interested in this book because it was loosely following a true story as a background plot about Oscarville. The mostly Black town that was the center for racially motivated violent crimes against the townsfolk.

I liked the other community services characters and the MC's past, how she was still trying to grieve the loss of her brother. I also enjoyed the creepy parts, almost like it was a camp ghost story.

The only parts that didn't work for me was the fact that the ending felt super rushed and I guessed who the villain was gonna be as soon as they were introduced.


Thank you NetGalley and Sterling & Stone for an eARC in exchange for an honest review! ✨

I really enjoyed that even though this was a horror book, there were a lot of humorous moments included too. The book was fast paced and when I actually took the time to sit down with it, I flew through it. I really wanted more history of Oscarville throughout the story, so I was glad to read the author's note at the end which gave some more information, but I think it would have been better if there was even more of it interweaved throughout the story.

I enjoyed the social commentary and urban legend aspects of this book. It had great creepiness while still making important points about society. I did find it a bit predictable.

Camp Lanier is a thrilling, atmospheric read that had me hooked from start to finish. Sylvester Barzey masterfully weaves suspense, mystery, and emotion into a story that keeps you guessing at every turn. The characters are compelling, and the vivid setting pulls you right into the heart of the action. If you’re a fan of gripping tales with unexpected twists, Camp Lanier is a must-read. Sylvester Barzey truly delivers!

I forgot what this was about when I first started reading it. So to say I went in blindly is putting it perfectly. I LOVED it! I did feel like it was lacking something I couldn’t put my hands on but I digress! I HIGHLY recommend this for any of my horror junkies! Yes please! 🙌

This was a fun read! I’ve heard the legend of Lake Lanier and loved reading a story that included more about it. A quick horror book that will definitely have you hooked! One thing that bumped me was some of the pop culture references, which I feel could get outdated quickly.

I enjoyed this! It's got a creepy atmosphere and a unique storyline and characters. It's pacing is perfect and I liked the writing style. It's not overly gory or scary and would be a perfect light horror book. I would recommend this! Special Thank You to Sylvester Barzey, Sterling and Stone and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

CAMP LANIER by @sylvesterbarzey is a summer camp horror book for young adults that packs a powerful history lesson. Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publisher, @sterlingandstonepgh for the e-ARC.

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Taylor Johnson is one of the resident IT girls of Curtis, Academy in Atlanta, Georgia until her three white "besties" throw her under the bus after they seemingly set her up to take the fall for a shop-lifting spree they begged her to participate in. Missing out on summer basketball camp in California, Taylor is mandated to participate in a summer work-release program at Camp Lanier in lieu of the threat of jail-time. After arriving at camp

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A summer camp mystery steeped in systemic racism, classism and white washing. This is definitely a solidly YA book and the tropes and secrets are pretty readily understood, but the message is an important one and the paranormal additions added that much more scare factor. Every place has a history, and sometimes it is darker than you expect. This book was based on the urban legend of Lake Lanier in Georgia.

If you have a spooky teen or new adult in your life that also likes social justice themes, this would be an excellent choice for a Christmas gift!🎄

Did you attend Summer camp as a kid? If so, where at?

I went to Camp Reed in the Spokane, WA area but I think for just one summer.

💚SMASHBOT💚

I love when a book sends you down a rabbit hole of research. I used to live about an hour away from Lake Lanier and still reside in the state of Georgia, so any historical fiction about this state is interesting to me. I loved the elements of a slasher/ghost story/historical fiction in the plot. It was equal parts tragic/suspenseful/spooky and I enjoyed the revenge. This was great to read during spooky season but would also be great for the summer.

Camp Lanier was a bit of a struggle for me as I couldn’t seem to find a lasting hold in finishing it. Still reviving 3 stars because I do believe many will enjoy it, it just wasn’t for me, unfortunately!

Camp Lanier
Sylvester Barzey

3.25 / 5

A revenge slasher with a supernatural twist, this YA horror was a lot of fun.

It would make a good intro into horror for those wanting to dip their toes into the genre. It's more creepy than scary, but entertaining nonetheless.

I recommend checking out this YA horror novel for yourself, and seeing what you think.

3.25 / 5

In my honest opinion this was absolutely terrible. Just why make the characters talk like that it ruined the whole vibe I had to dnf I could not stand it any longer

Camp Lanier is about a young school girl Taylor who is trying to fit in her new school among rich and privileged kids and she is the scholarship kid. From the very first page, I liked her humour. She is funny and sassy and typical teenager. Normally I do not like YA but this was really good to read.

Overall my rating is lower than what I would have given for few reasons

* I expected more horror in this story. It isn't really horror if you ask me coz there were very few horror elements and jump scares in the story.

* Also I didn't like the ending, it didn't make much sense to me also it didn't have any shock or surprise. So it just felt meh.

* There were few scenes in the book which made no sense like <spoiler> when first time the killer is shown and they get rid of him, in real people would have chased the man, I don't know but there were few scenes in the book that made me go really? </Spoiler>

Apart from the few points mentioned, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I definitely going to pick up some other works by the author if they are this hilarious. There were many laugh a loud moments for me, some were too smart to not dwell on it.

Thank you Netgalley and sterling and stone for the wonderful ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Star rating : 3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC


The premise of this book is amazing, and execution on the atmosphere is wonderful. The writing leaned too YA for my liking unfortunately, which really took me out of the horror experience. If YA books and horror are your thing, I would highly recommend this one!

Thank you netgalley for the advanced preview book. I just love getting advance copies! This one lives up to the hype!

I believe this novel just wasn't the target audience for me. Some novels these things do not matter, of course, but this novel read more middle grad than young adult and the contrast between the language of the characters and their actions with the juvenile writing left for a jarring experience.

The history of the camp was interesting, and it had the camp vibes of a B horror movie and I certainly did not despise reading it. I feel with the content toned down and some language removed, this would thrive more in the middle grade department, though. I hate to give a new author a less than enthralled review, so I will add there's promise here and I appreciate the themes of mental health and the positive family representation, which I think we should have more of in our books.