I really enjoyed this summer camp story based on Lake Lanier on North Georgia. Perfect blend of supernatural meets summer camp slasher . Reminded me of an old school horror flick. Thank you for the ARC copy from #netgalley #camplanier

2.5 stars rounded up

The main character, Taylor, is caught shoplifting and has to take the blame when her so-called friends leave her behind. She's sentenced to a community service program at Camp Lanier, which lies on the infamous Lake Lanier, a lake that's rumored to have flooded an all-Black town and has been cursed ever since.

I was really excited to read this book as I'd heard about the real-life Lake Lanier and the rumors surrounding it. This is a YA horror/thriller and I was overall disappointed with the characters, plot, and lack of spookiness.

The characters felt kind of flat and plain to me, and the dialogue was somewhat stilted. I can't imagine teens speaking that way. Overall the plot was fine, but I wanted to be more afraid for our characters, and I wanted to feel more eeriness in the atmosphere and setting. Everything felt rushed and I found myself wanting a lot more from this story.

This book is gripping from start to finish! Taylor is a black girl, who is a new to town and school falls in with the wrong group of girls. Taylor ends up getting arrested and sent to a summer camp for wayward youth. But soon Taylor discovered that this camp Lanier isn't what it seems...

Taylor has been hanging out with the wrong kind of ‘friends’, and it costs her. Big time! When she is caught shoplifting, something she was coerced into by those friends of hers, she has a choice to make. Two years in jail or spend the summer working at Camp Lanier. Seems like a simple choice. But little does Taylor know that Camp Lanier has a horrific legacy of death…a legacy that continues to this day. Camp Lanier is a slasher mixed with ghost story with a touch of exploration of historical racism. Have to say this one hooked me right from the start. It has great pacing that kept me flipping pages. Seriously I ended up reading this in a single day. If I had any complain it’s that I’d have liked it to be a bit longer. Felt like there was more to explore. 4.5 stars. I’d like to thank Sterling & Stone and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Camp Lanier.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R1GRUIZ25NZG8X/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Thank you @netgalley for an advance copy!

I'm going to get straight into this book. I couldn't put it down. Very much "Get Out" vibes. And even funny at times! A YA horror, but deeper. How deeper? The amount of Black history and just .... knowledge weaved into every aspect was very eye-opening.

As the mother of a POC child, I am constantly trying to digest his culture, his history, so that I can know him better. And that doesn't only happen in history books. It happens by reading literature written by other POC. This quick horror tale was no exception.

And not only in reading Black history, but also watching the strength in the FMC.

READ 👏 BIPOC 👏 ALL 👏 YEAR 👏

Gosh and I loved learning about the true history of the town of Oscarville at the end, very powerful.

A ghost story on a rainy summer night was what I was looking for, and Camp Lanier had just the right amount of dark and creepy moments. Knowing this book was based on an actual town in Georgia that was purposely flooded made it hard for this history buff to put down. Mixing the paranormal with the horrifying truths of our not so distant past, was a way to bring disturbing stories to the surface that should never be forgotten. The author’s note and research he provided was the perfect bit of historical information to include regarding the actual town of Oscarville, and all the injustices that were inflicted on its citizens.

I’m so happy to have had the chance to read the Advanced Reader’s Edition e-copy of Camp Lanier by Sylvester Barzey; thank you NetGalley and Sterling and Stone.

2.5 stars rounded to 3. First of all, this is a YA horror book, so it should be read as a YA take on the legends around Lake Lanier. Do not expect any deep characterization (or even a consistent one!), make some allowances for the plain, undemanding prose, and keep in mind this is in no way an elaboration of any extensive research on the place. Plus the cover looks AI made, the socially sensitive themes (eg. racism) are painted with a broad brush, and the dialogue feels rather stilted and unnatural. The author has nothing new to add on any front: the plot is a standard slasher told in a supernatural key (think Leatherface in a summer camp with ghosts!), throwing some historical facts into the mix for good measure. However, if you're after a quick summer read, and enjoy ghost stories and urban legends, this book won't disappoint.

3.5 stars.

I did not realize that this novel was a YA horror, and after sitting down and really thinking about it -I like this book for its intended audience (AKA young adult getting into horror).

The cover of this book is amazing. It's what initially drew me into wanting to reading it.

Now the meat & potatoes: this book has elements of supernatural hauntings (which I love) with a mix of slasher films. It's a short book and can easily be read in one sitting. That being said, because it was a short book, it felt a little rushed at times.

I enjoyed the author's note at the end that spoke of the history behind of Lake Lanier as I felt it really tied everything together.

This is a great book if you typically read YA and are dipping your toes into the horror genre. Taylor is a strong FMC who learns to become stronger due to the circumstances that lead her to work at the camp. Although I wasn't the intended age demographic I can easily see this novel being heavily talked about when it officially releases.

This story has surprised me for good. At first, when all the robbery happened, I was thinking of abandoning it, for me it is logical that Taylor, as a racialized person, was going to go wrong from the plan of her "adorable friends". Starting with the fact that they are in the United States... And there is not much more to say.
But I trusted my instincts and kept reading, which was a damn good decision.
The atmosphere of terror builds up little by little and gently penetrates the pores. Knowing that something is wrong with camp and the way everyone tries to wash their hands and carry on as if nothing happened is pretty interesting. I must say that I was waiting for the end, yes; and that, although the events seem ideal for cinema, they still manage to be perceived wonderfully by the hand of the author's pen.
Of course, although the book does an interesting job of talking about racism and showing what is wrong, I think it would also have been interesting to give weight to bullying and the consequences that it has not only for that trio, but also for Taylor who, although she was a passive participant, was still there, keeping quiet about what the others did. In the same sense, taking advantage of the fact that it is a YA book, placing more emphasis on how to blindly follow your friends is not good, the need to form your own criteria, especially in adolescents should always be an important issue.
In short, a very good book that, I say again, would look great on screen if they ever decided to adapt it.

Let me start by saying I didn’t realize this was YA horror when I picked this up. So in turn, this didn’t work out too well for me. The writing felt a little too young for my taste and the plot itself felt a little disjointed at times. The characters felt very one dimensional and juvenile, which it’s YA horror so it makes sense. There weren’t enough horror elements in this for my personal tastes besides in the conclusion of the book, but for YA readers, this may work for. I did like the historical aspects about this because I’ve always been fascinated by the real Lake Lanier. I do feel this would work for YA or middle grade readers so I’m giving this a middle of the road 3 star rating. It just didn’t work for my personal taste.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this eARC. All opinions are my own.

A very well done YA horror that should be on all the YA summer reading lists! This one has a bit of everything. There are ghosts, a slasher, mean girls, a crazy family and more! I found the mix of historical facts and the fictional interpretation of the author to be very well done. I think this could be a great book club choice as it has the content to encourage some excellent conversations around racism as it existed in the past and continues on in the present.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this as an advanced readers copy free of charge. I am leaving an honest review voluntarily.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Sterling & Stone for an ARC of Camp Lanier by Sylvester Barzey in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

The best type of horror isn't just scary for the sake of it; it sheds light on important societal issues, and Camp Lanier does just that. Some of the most terrifying and unsettling parts of this book are the ones that feel all too real.

This book evokes both fear and sadness, driving home the idea that the events depicted could be taking place anywhere in the world.

If you enjoy movies like Friday the 13th and Get Out, I highly recommend this book. I'm grateful to have discovered Barzey's work and I am definitely looking forward to reading more from them.

I thought the concept for this book was so interesting and would make for some great summer reading. I didn’t really vibe with the very casual writing style the author had, but to be fair it’s YA.

Basically Taylor is doing community service working the summer at Camp Lanier after getting caught shoplifting, when she starts seeing spooky apparitions that aren’t actually there. Something is up with Camp Lanier and the racist Hudson family that owns it. Taylor is going to find out, but it won’t be particularly interesting or terribly well executed.

I did like that in the author note, Barzey touched on the actual history, I honestly would’ve loved more of that!

This YA horror novel was so good and deeper than expected. And the cover! Just look at it!

Taylor tries to fit in with her new rich white "friends" and follows along with their game of shoplifting for fun. When Taylor is caught, she is sent to work community service at Camp Lanier, a lake that is rumored to be made by forcing an all-black community off of their land. Within hours of arriving to the camp, Taylor realizes something is not right. She starts to see and hear things and as workers start to disappear she know she has to find out why. There is something in the water!

This is a super fast, creepy read with campy, slasher vibes and some supernatural elements thrown in. I loved Taylor. She is such a strong character but you get to see her softer side when she faces her past tragedies. This is not only a great horror story but the story is much deeper as it deals with racism, classism and bring in the history of Oscarville. The Author's Note at the end of the book was a real eye opener. Once I realized this was based on real events, I had to start researching for more information.

Thank you Sylvester not only for the splentacular story but also the education. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

The characters were fairly standard for this type of ghost story with racial undertones, leading to them becoming stereotypes. However, the underlying story of the lakes history is sadly very plausible and not unlike actual historical events, leading this to be a good mix of slasher and paranormal horror splashed across a backdrop of horrifyingly realistic Lore.

2.5 stars

Let's start with what I enjoyed. The premise is not unique, but it's fun and that counts for something. I also thought the writing was decent and kept a decent pace.

Now for what I didn't enjoy. The story was incredibly flat. Had the racial aspect been explored more thoroughly and done properly this would've been a lot better. The only thing that worked about the story is the campy nature that you find in shows like Scream Queens and the classic camp slasher movies. I think that was decently done here, though I wish that it leaned into that a bit more heavily.

The characters feel like caricatures, but that tracks with the obvious inspirations, so I don't see that as a problem. Once again I just wish the author had really doubled down on these characters, but alas.

As such, I cannot give this book a positive rating, because despite the few things that it did (almost) right, this fell short of being good.

I've always been intrigued by the lore of lake lanier. it was exciting to read a book about it. this book was fast paced, but i felt satisfied by the end.
it gave creepy summer camp vibes, and a bit of history as well.
Really great book that i think is perfectly targeted for the YA genre.
4.5 stars.

Encompasses everything you could want in a book: horror, summer camps. supernatural. A very fast read!

This is a great YA BIPOC Horror book!
You've got:
Ghosts
Psychic visions
Urban legends
A Serial Killer
A lake that kills

Even with the fun and scares, this author also incorporated:
Black history
Racism in the 50s & racism today
Societal ignorance/social class bias
The horrors white people inflicted on black people that were deemed acceptable
Familial Racism
The value of belonging and true friendship

So, while this book was fun and scary, it was also terrifying and infuriating in a very real way.

I gave this 4.5 stars rounded up to 5⭐️.

As always, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to have an advanced ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am not usually a big fan of horror or young adult novels, but this was a good one on both counts. I knew I would want to read this during the summer when my full-on summer reading mode came on and it did not disappoint.
We meet Taylor, a teenage girl who falls in with the wrong crowd in her private school where she is on scholarship. We have all been there: wanting friends, sometimes becoming a little desperate to belong. Taylor tells the story and I like her voice. She is very vivid and a bit funny and sassy, exactly what you would expect from a teenager. Her "friends" throw her under the bus and she is sent to a work release program at Camp Lanier, a camp for rich kids. Weird things happen. You will have to find out the rest for yourselves because I am no spoiler.
A couple of things that could have been fleshed out a little (this was a relatively short book). I thought Taylor's parents were interesting but were a bit flat and could have been a little less so. Another was the division in the camp between the work release kids and the rich kids which paralleled Taylor's school. I think the author alluded to this but I would have liked to have seen this explored more. Nevertheless, this was a fast and enjoyable summer read.
Thanks to NetGalley and to Sterling & Stone for providing with an advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review.