Welcome to Camp Killer (2024)

This is a fun, pseudo-creepy short story with an emphasis on short. I was kind of surprised how quickly it was moving and I think it would have been a little better if the characters had gotten to be a little fleshed out and the story was a little bit longer. I didn’t think the big reveal of the killer’s reasoning was super great. Overall I found the story to be fun and loved how the ghost stories tied in. This book felt more middle grade than young adult to me and reminded me quite a bit of the Goosebumps books I loved as a kid. Chad loved his experience working in summer camps in America with his other friends from England so he decided to open up an American style summer camp in England and invited the children of his friends to be counselors. The night before the kids come the counselors tell ghost stories and when things from the story appear too be happening none of them know what kind of a nightmare they have walked into.

Welcome to Camp Killer was a fun short horror story for kids that's got the perfect summer vibe. It's about a summer camp that's on the grounds of an old English house with a tragic past, and as the camp counselors get ready for the summer weird things start to happen.

It was a really fast-paced story that was easy and entertaining to read. It reminded me of the Goosebumps series I used to devour as a kid. It had a creepy (but not too creepy for kids) atmosphere, which I always love in a good ghost story. I do however wish the book was longer as I felt the characters were pretty flat.

Overall, Welcome to Camp Killer is a cute horror story that's perfect to read around the campfire during the summer.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the gifted copy.

An American-style camp is set up on the grounds of an English estate and the teenage camp counselors are all excited for a fun summer. But something doesn't feel right at Camp Miller. A deadly tale is going around about what happened on the campgrounds before it became a camp and people are experiencing unexplained sightings of the ghostly kind and tragic accidents start to occur.

Welcome to Camp Killer was a fun spooky summer read. It was fast and a real page turner. It starts off with the spooky legend of the campgrounds which sets the book up nicely. When the accidents start to happen it has you questioning whether or not the accidents are linked to what happened all those years ago or if they are all just tragic coincidences. I wholeheartedly enjoyed this one and it wasn't very long which means you can easily get through it if you're limited on reading time.

Thank you NetGalley and Barrington Stoke for the ARC and giving me the chance to read and review it honestly.

Happy reading!

This was a short and fun slasher perfect for summer.

We are in Camp Miller. Chad, the owner, has years of experience in summer camps in the US and decides to bring that same concept to the UK.

With a new camp, 8 counselors and 32 kids, the camp is ready to open its doors.

On the first night, the counselors tell each other ghost stories by the firepit. One of those stories is related to the history of this very same camp.

Pranks turn deadly and someone or something is out to kill them all.

I had a lot of fun with this novella and it includes many of the horror tropes we all love but done right.

Of course I wish it would have been longer because we did not get the chance to see much character development and the ending/reveal did feel a bit abrupt and rushed.

But I love Cynthia’s writing and this was a quick fun read I would definitely recommend to fans of slashers.

*3.5 stars*

A very quick read, fun summer camp vibes, it honestly reminded me of the game the Quarry if the Quarry was made properly.

I liked that it kept the suspense around who's the killer by giving each of the characters suspicious reactions, alibis etc.

I wish there was more physical description though, bc by the end of it I still couldn't picture a single hair color (it really does help picture the characters :( )

And finally, about the final reveal, I won't include any spoilers and will refer to the killer as "they", but as there is a non binary character I'd like to insist that when I say "they did this" I don't mean the character with they/them pronouns, just the killer who I won't name. I did see the plot twist coming but it was a good idea.

It all felt a bit cliché, for example the "villain talk" as you find in so many thrillers or movies. The killer just goes ahead and explains all of their plan, their motives etc, and here the person wasn't even asked?? like ok??? also, their motive was pretty weak, it didn't feel like a big enough reason to do all of it and go to that extent. I thought it was gonna be another character with a different motive, and honestly I wish I'd been right.

Anywayz it's super short so it's really not that serious, it was a fun slasher read (eventhough it wasn't as gore and slasher-like as I'd hoped) with cool summer camp vibes.

[ARC read, honest opinion]

Welcome to Camp Killer is a fast-paced story that hits many familiar tropes of horror stories set within a summer camp. The setting of the story Camp Miller is an American-styled summer camp built upon the grounds of an English manor. Although it does-supposedly-possess a story of an eerie ghost, I do wish the location and history had been better utilized for a more unique story.

The main characters are a group of camp counselors, their adult mentor and a very brief group of children campers. Due to the short nature of the story, the counselors are not overly developed beyond a few specific traits, which made it slightly more difficult to feel sorrowful once “accidents” began happening and bodies start to drop. Nevertheless, the events are gory without being gratuitous and the fiery finale does serve to wrap things up in a slightly predictable fashion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Barrington Stroke for providing me an arc of this novella in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of Camp Killer. All thoughts are my own.

I enjoyed this YA horror/thriller romp, it was very much reminiscent of the Goosebumps franchise and very much took me back. I however felt there could be more action and a bit more character development. I know that it's a novella so the author is limited in how much time they can dedicate to these things but I didn't connect to the storyline in the way I should.

Thank you Netgalley and Barrington Stoke for providing and arc. My review is my own an reflects my honest opinion about the book.

Welcome to Camp Killer is short horror story set in an American-style residential camp in England. Just after the arrival of the kids to the camp, the counselors notice some weird incidents happening.

Horror is a genre I have not particulary explored yet, so I really apprecited the simplicity and fast pace of this book. It was very easy to get into the book and the intrigue of what was going to happen next was always present. It kind of reminded me of Fear Street II, which I love it.

The plotwist was gooood, I didn't expected it! ( i was fully convinced that the ghost was real ). I get that is a short story, but I feel like it could have been just a little longer, mostly to get to know the characters a bit better. For instance it would have been nice to have the kids around a couple of days instead of just one, to feel more the camp vibes.

I would recommend this book to those who are not used to read horror/slasher books, or to people who wants to start reading again! It is very short and entretaining to read.

Welcome to Camp Killer by Cynthia Murphy

Thank you to @netgalley, #barringtonstoke publishing, & @cynthiamurphyya for the opportunity to read this #advancedreadercopy in exchange for my #honestbookreview! This book is available for preorder now and will be published September 7.

An American style summer camp has been setup on the grounds of an old English estate. For Holly and the other counselors, it’s just the start of a summer job when they gather around the campfire for some ghost stories. One counselor shares the story of Dorothea, a wife wronged and driven mad by her husband who haunts the grounds to this day. It’s all for giggles until a counselor ends up dead. Will Holly and co unmask the killer before they strike again?

This was super fun! This is the stuff of nightmares when you’re at camp as a kid - campfire ghost stories come to life. This has the same frantic and clutch the edge of your chair energy as Four Found Dead, which I reviewed earlier this year. I highly recommend for those who enjoy YA thrillers.

TW: bullying, brutal death scenes, cheating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ - 4.5/5

At an American style summer camp in England, ghost stories are told which is all fun and games until one counsellor ends up dead. Will the band of camp counsellors reveal who the killer is before they kill again?!

It's Camp Crystal Lake but made for children! This was a fun and fast-paced short killer story written for younger readers. As someone who adored Goosebumps as a child, I would have absolutely loved this book growing up. Pick it up if you love YA horror or have a younger reader (13+) who enjoys creepy stories, it will be published September 7!

(Netgalley review copy)

Vermakelijk kort verhaal! Jammer dat de karakters niet uitgediept waren maar het was dan ook maar 120 pagina’s. Wel een aanrader voor een kort horror verhaal in de maand oktober!

Good story, good twist, ending felt a bit rushed and lacking details sometimes.

This was a thrill! Just over 100 pages long, Cynthia Murphy manages to craft a captivating murder mystery story. I enjoyed watching the story unravel, and wow, that plot twist - so dark and twisty.

I do wish the book was a little longer, so we got to spend more time with the characters and developing their personalities, HOWEVER I need to acknowledge that this is a novel for younger readers/for readers with a lower reading age, to allow reading to be more accessible to them. So, I am not necessarily the target audience, although I did really enjoy the book.

With keeping the purpose behind this book in mind (entertainment, bring reading to readers who have a lower reading age while providing content suitable - and interesting - to their age) I think this was very well done and accessible. Again, I'm not sure how well I can judge that being as I'm not part of that category, but I do know this is a book I'd recommend to the students that I work with if they were after a book recommendation.

Thank you to Barrington Stoke for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Camp Miller, also known to some as Camp Killer, is a newly opening summer camp. Things start going wrong, and suspicious accidents make the teenage counsellors wonder if there is something wrong at Camp Miller, and if that something is one among them or something supernatural.

This Ya novel was a short and fun read, that kept me interested and entertained throughout the story. The setting of this novel is great, and the vibes were immaculate.

I felt that the ending was a bit predictable and been done a million times before, but that did not take away too much of the overall enjoyment of the story. I also think it’s worth mentioning that I’m obviously not the intended audience for this story, so that might have something to do with my feelings of predictability.

I think this would be a great read for Young Adult’s that like something a little more scary than usual, and are looking for an end of summer/fall read.

Big thanks to Netgalley, Barrington Stoke, and the author Cynthia Murphy for allowing me to read an E-Arc of this novel.

Welcome to Camp Killer by Cynthia Murphy is a enthralling fast paced young adult horror short story. When an American-style camp is set up in England eight camp counselors are joined in to host a week at Camp Miller- but what happens when things start going wrong and murders occur?

This captivating murder mystery was easy to follow and fun to see unravel. The gradual buildup of tension added to the excitement of reading. It was a page turner, and I read it all in one sitting. It kind of reminded me of a Scooby Doo film, with them all guessing at who was pulling the "pranks" and later on who was killing.

The book was shorter, so we didn't get the chance to truly see the characters developed personalities other than the original brief summary. But, it was still fun to see how everything laid out in the end.

I would definitely recommend if you are in the mood for a short horror novel, this one was a thrill. Thank you to NetGalley, Barrington Stoke, and the author for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: 7 September 2023

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Thank you so much to Barrington Stoke and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

A new summer camp is starting up, the counsellor Chad using the children of his former camp friends. On the first night a scary ghost story is told, and soon after scary events unfold harming the teen counsellor’s, leaving them all in fear for their lives.

I liked the concept for this story, with it being a haunted land with a dark past, but it wasn’t scary enough, things happened but none of them were overly scary. The storyline seemed to go slowly and I found pacing too slow for the events unfolding. The characters were okay but you didn’t really get a chance to form much of a connection with them.

I did like that we had a layered story, a few mysteries to unsolve throughout. We got some twists and some interesting back story. I liked that we saw the connections with the teens building gradually and that they were there for each other during everything.

The book was an easy and short read I do think that a young teen demographic would really enjoy it, it’s not really scary at all, but it has a good ghost concept and some horror and gore bits scattered within. A great read if you are wanting to get into the genre but aren’t sure if you’ll be too scared by it, it’s a great starter horror.

Welcome to Camp Killer follows an American type summer camp set in the UK. The camp ground is said to be haunted and things start going horribly wrong when camp counselors start ending up dead.

This book was very short (about 100 pages) and fast-paced. Unfortunately, it did not work for me. Since it was so short, I did not care about the characters at all. We never got to know anyone and I didn't really care when they starting dying off. Also, this book had every campsite cliché in the book. It was like every slasher movie at a summer camp ever made. I think the author could have done something fun since it was in the UK but it was honestly just the same as American ones.

I think the concept was fun but I wish it was a bit longer and more original. Thanks so much to netgalley and Barrington Stoke for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book is for anyone who’s ever shared ghost stories around the fire. A quick, captivating read - my only complaint is I wish it was more than a short story! I would love to read a full novel version with the suspense even more drawn out. Reading this story had chills running down my spine in anticipation, and I did not see the big reveal coming. Highly recommend if you need a quick, spooky read.

Thank you Cynthia Murphy, Barrington Stoke and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Barrington Stoke and Cynthia Murphy for this copy of Camp Killer, a thrilling YA murder mystery! This was such a fun little story and I had it read in no time! It may have been short but it packed a punch. The action and mystery were there in perfect amounts and I really couldn't tell who was behind everything. If you're looking for a short and not so sweet mystery, this is one for you!

* Please look up trigger warnings before reading *

Well, this might be short but it packs a punch! Going to camp always sounds like a good idea… but when it’s Camp Killer and someone’s out murdering, maybe it’s not a great idea! Really enjoyed this - it’s fast-paced, gripping and definitely one to keep an eye on!

at the beginning, i kind of struggled with the writing style, but it made the book very fast-paced, which i ultimately enjoyed
the plot picked up halfway through the book and made for an interesting reveal of the plottwist, which i really didn't see coming at all

A fun, short horror story.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy out 07 September 2023.

Short fast paced thriller about a summer camp in England. Loved it! So many twists and I had no clue who was behind it. Great summer book.

3.75 stars (rounded up)

Very unexpected 😯

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc of Welcome To Camp Killer in exchange for an honest review.

A fast paced, fun and thrilling read for lovers of teen slashers.

Initially I didn’t know that this was a novella so was a little surprised to find myself absolutely whizzing through it, but it really suited the length and I couldn’t put it down. This is a book that I can honestly say I devoured in one sitting. Usually I find it a little challenging to keep up with a bigger cast of characters, but with this I was given just the right amount of information for each person to be able to follow along pretty easily. So that was really delightful as when I was initially introduced to all the characters I was like “oh my goodness this is going to be a disaster in my brain” but it wasn’t at all, so that was awesome. I somewhat wish there was a little more to the ending but I also think it did work very well for the pace and length of the book. It’s kind of giving a Scooby Doo episode but with higher stakes and I can definitely get behind that. The ending did surprise me, and to be honest was not what I was expecting. I don’t know if I didn’t pick up on any clues or if it was just a surprise but I would like another lil reread to see if there’s anything I pick up on that I missed the first time around. Anyway, this was a super fun book perfect for spooky season!

My goodness i read this in about 3 hours! It was so good!!! I love Cynthia Murphy she needs to write a million books PLEASE. Such a quick Read and just SO GOOOD. Didn’t expect it to be who it was but yeah it was good!! Okay im gonna have nightmares now ty goodnight

A brilliant, fast-paced slasher from Cynthia Murphy. Reminiscent of point horror, but less problematic, and with some good LGBTQ+ representation in there.

Another great fast paced book! I love her books... I just want to read more and more...

It was okay I guess