SO fun! Reading this was like a love letter to every musical theater person I've ever known. I really enjoyed the friendships and the story; I figured out one of the killers but was shocked by the other! It was awesome and fun and bloody.

I adored this story! The Gaslight summer camp is a three week intensive camp where theater kids can live out their wildest dreams (i.e. put on an amazing summer show). This year's show is Riverdale, where Faye, typically cast as the good girl ingenue, is hoping to be cast against type as Veronica instead of her more typical Betty. Unfortunately, the camp director, Boaz, turns up dead, and mysterious deaths continue to plague the camp. Join Faye, her friends Kai, Rosie, Mars, and Wes, as they attempt to solve the murder and not alert their parents. This story is a wonderful example of trans and LGBTQ representation, and a great slasher to boot. I'm a big fan of YA, and this story was one of the best I've read this year!

This young adult horror follows a high school student, Faye, as she attends her last summer of theater camp. Everything is supposed to be perfect as she says goodbye to the place she's spent every summer since she was in middle school, but people keep turning up dead. Unsure of who's telling the truth and who's lying (since it is a camp full of young actors, after all - you can't trust their reactions), Faye and the other campers insist that, despite the danger, the show must go on.

Even without being a former theater kid myself, I very quickly fell into this story. I didn't want to put the book down. The pacing kept me engaged throughout, without any slow parts dragging down the story. The ending was so satisfying as all the pieces came together - realizing the answer was right in front of you the whole time, even though I hadn't figured it out before that point.

Anderson's writing did a great job of painting the setting. While I never attended theater camp, I did attend a sleepaway camp at a college very similar to the fictional Rockville College. As I was reading this, I almost felt like I was back there. The cliques, the crummy dorms that everyone tries to make more comfortable - it was all so familiar to me and described so well by Anderson. It also provided a great change of pace from the traditional "summer camp in the middle of the spooky woods".

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good mystery - one that keeps you guessing throughout.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

I think there was a bit of disconnect between myself and the characters. Maybe the problem is that I was never a theater kid in school?

I absolutely loved Show Stopper!

Everything about this book was so compelling. The characters came alive on the pages, the setting was fully realized, and the friendships and romances felt so authentic. I loved these characters and the backdrop of Ghostlight. It was fast paced but also made plenty of room for character development. I liked the complicated dynamic between Faye and her friends and her budding romance with Wes. And the murder mystery kept me guessing until close to the very end. This was a fantastic slasher with heart and enough gore for horror fans. Thank you so much to Netgalley for providing me with an arc of this book. I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

Showstopper by Lily Anderson takes place at a the top theater camp in the country, Camp Ghostlight. Faye, used to playing the ingenue, is ready to step into the much metier villain role this year, but, with the death of the artistic director, she is forced to go to face-to-face with, and audition against her BFF. Things start to really go haywire when stagehands get into accidents and people start to die. Who is behind it all and will Faye survive the summer?

As a former theater kid myself I absolutely devoured this plot. I started out playing the title role of Goldilocks (as a brunette, mind you) and did improv theater well into my 30s until my chronic pain felled me, so this was right up my alley and I am dorking out as any true dramaphile would.

The setting is the fictional Rockville College, a dumpy educational institution with a stellar theater located somewhere in California (two hours from Silicon Valley to be exact). California may sound glamorous, but this location can really stand in for much of the county and it is the perfect place to center camp.

This was such a great set up, the characters were so well written and rang oh-so-true. More than just the ingenue and the villain, we have the heartthrob, the annoying kid, the destined to play a wacky relative performer and more. And each of them jumps off the page with the perfect dialogue and panache. There were plenty of twists and the story kept me entertained and guessing at the killer though I never got it. Definitely the most fun I have had reading in a while. Four 1/2 stars rounded to 5, for this bring-down-the-house thriller.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Thank you Netgalley and Henry Holt and Co for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

If you’ve ever lived for the spotlight, powered through tech week with nothing but nerves and caffeine, or sworn that the show must go on even as chaos breaks loose backstage… “Showstopper” by Lily Anderson is your twisted little love letter. This is a YA horror book made for theater kids, and this book is definitely entertaining.

Set at Ghostlight Youth Theater Camp, a summer haven for high school drama kids, Showstopper blends classic slasher horror with coming-of-age emotions, messy friendships, queer romance, and—oh yeah—a serial killer picking off cast and crew one by one. Equal parts Scream and High School Musical, it delivers both gory thrills and emotionally layered storytelling. Faye is an Afro-Latina theater kid who’s finally ready to take the stage as herself—no more sugarcoated princess roles. It’s her last summer at Ghostlight, and she’s determined to make it count. But her dream of center stage gets tangled up with best friend drama, a swoon-worthy (and trans) love interest, and a whole lot of blood. When mysterious "accidents" begin to strike down fellow campers—stagehands, actors, even directors—it becomes clear that someone isn’t just gunning for a standing ovation… they’re out for revenge.

Anderson absolutely nails the backstage energy—rivalries, tech booth hookups, cast politics, and that hell week adrenaline that makes everyone forget how exhausted (and sometimes endangered) they are. This is written by a theater kid for theater kids. There’s standout LGBTQIA+ representation throughout, with characters open about their identities and relationships. Faye’s love story with a trans character is refreshingly sweet and emotionally mature without overtaking the main plot.

Yes, there’s a body count—and yes, it escalates into full-blown horror—but “Showstopper” is more than just a murder mystery. It offers pointed commentary on toxic theater culture, especially the way adult men in theater/tech prey on young actresses and young teenagers don’t realize there is something wrong with adults pursuing hook-ups with underage teenagers. They just think it’s “normal,” showing how this thinking is internalized. There’s also an underlying message about how institutions fail to protect teens when things go wrong. The killings aren't random; they’re personal.

Each kill scene gets its own chilling POV, ratcheting up the dread while giving readers an up-close look at the stakes. As the deaths grow more brutal, the absurdity of everyone still focusing on the production becomes almost darkly comedic… and terrifyingly real.

After the initial bloodbath, the middle drags a bit as the story leans more into melodrama than murder. The slow-down lets us marinate in character dynamics, but I did feel that the tension fizzles too long before the final act as the story focuses more on the theater aspects over the thrills of the murders. You may guess the "why" behind the murders early on, but the full reveal still offers surprises—especially in who’s involved. It’s a revenge story at its core, but one rooted in heartbreak, not just horror. The ending offers solid closure for most characters, including a gut-wrenching resolution for one. Still, an epilogue would’ve helped soften the come-down from the intensity and show more healing after the final curtain.

Overall, “Showstopper” is a standout YA horror with teeth, heart, and a killer instinct for theater drama. It's gory and glittery, fun and furious, and filled with the kind of complex, emotional teen characters who feel like real people—messy, brave, and doing their best in the face of the unthinkable. Whether you're here for the kills, the camp, or the camaraderie, “Showstopper” earns its standing ovation.

💀 Trigger Warnings: gore, violence, death of minors, grooming/age-inappropriate relationships (addressed critically)
🏳️‍🌈 Highlights: strong LGBTQIA+ rep, BIPOC main character, sweet queer romance amidst the horror