Heads will roll gives off the early 90’s slasher vibes that one like myself grew up with. There was darkness in horror in a way that screamed slasher flick of the 90’s with a twist of current century references and dialog. Overall, I thought the story was good. It took me a minute to get into, but once the story picked up it was hard to put down,(again screams basic 90’s setup). I think the only downfall for this book is the random text messages and articles thrown into the mix with no real context. It left me confused and wasnt really resolved in a clear way. Yes, i ended up understanding where the texts came in, but why were the relevent at that point in time in the story and who was even sending the text messages to begin with… its all unanswered. I also wished they gave more insight on what happened when the cops showed up, i feel like it wouldve been a great way to wrap everything up more, but again i guess you dont really see that in slasher movies either so it makes sense! At the end of it all i did really enjoy this read and the nostalgic vibes it gave me as someone who loves horror movies and grew up in the 90’s.

I was instantly drawn into this book by the cover and premise alone. My hopes were high, and the result exceeded them! This was devilishly fun from start to finish.

After being cancelled Willow escapes to Camp Castaway to get away from social media and regroup. All attendees must give up their cell phones upon checking in so the camp is completely cut off from the outside world. This is fine by Willow, until she starts hearing knocks in the night and campers start disappearing.

This was a super fun read with 80s/90s slasher vibes and lots of twists and turns. I liked that it keeps you guessing as to whether the legend of knock knock Nancy is real or if there is a killer on the loose. And while there is mystery and tension and murder, it’s also has emotional moments.

Would recommend to those looking for a fun summer read that will keep you guessing.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher. I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The best way I can describe Heads Will Roll is Friday the 13th meets Nine Perfect Strangers. Our protagonist "Willow" is the star of a popular show who finds her show and herself cancelled after a tweet gone bad. To regain some perspective, space, and security, she goes on a digital detox retreat to Camp Castaway. There she meets her other campmates and Camp Director Bebe, all of whom have their own secrets. Not the least is the story of Knock Knock Nancy, a girl who may or may not haunt the very woods of Camp Castaway.

This is the second Josh Winning book I've read, and I had a blast with it. Willow is a character I was trepidatious about when we first learn about her situation. Since social media "cancellations" have been extremely controversial lately, I wasn't sure how it was going to play in this novel. Nonspoiler: it played just fine; the interpersonal relationships between the characters are far more interesting than the circumstances of the social media plot point. A relief, to be sure. This novel was cinematic in setting, and I could easily see it being a successful film were it to be optioned. Creepy, clever, and a whole lot of fun.

This one's okay there's something significant about it that stands out, but there's also nothing about it that makes me angry. It's a pretty average rate overall

Who grew up in the 80’s and doesn’t love a good summer camp story? After being canceled for a Tweet, Willow is sent to a technology free summer camp for adults. After a night of camp fire urban legends, campers slowly start to disappear and the bodies pile up.

What a fun read!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read this ARC!

If you love slasher movies, you’ll love this fantastic novel. This is exactly what I look for when I read horror novels, little dark humor, fun, witty, keeps you on edge and you won’t want to put this down. I felt like I was watching a slasher flick the whole time.

I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone.

I received a copy of this book through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

An unnamed actress referred to as only as Willow—the name of a sitcom character she’s famous for playing—has been canceled and even received death threats after a tweet she made is sent to Camp Castaway for a technology free summer camp for adults. Another camper tells an urban legend about Knock-Knock Nancy. She isn’t there for long before one of the other campers disappears. Soon Willow starts to wonder if Nancy is real.

This book pulled me in pretty fast and kept my attention easily. It has short chapters, which I always like in a book. The characters were relatable. I liked the setting. I liked the ending. I definitely recommend it if you like slashers.

Did you even go to summer camp if you weren’t stalked by a killer?

This novel brings back the nostalgia of the 80s summer camp slashers movies mixed with modern day cancel culture drama.

It was fast paced and the death count was pretty high. Gore wise it wasn’t anything too crazy so if you have a weak stomach, I think you could handle it.

I loveeeeed the setting of this book. There’s just something creepy about a cabin slasher. Overall good read. Some parts were a little far fetched but I was entertained and read it fast.

If you like slashers you're going to love this fantastic novel. The name says it all. Heads Will Roll, and oh yeah, take that literally.

It's about a woman who had a hit Netflix show until a single tweet had her cancelled in the most extreme manner. She decides to go to a camp that promises digital detox and getting out in nature. There, she'll meet several characters who all have their own demons they're running from.

But soon, people go missing, decapitated bodies start piling up, and there's no way to escape this camp far away from civilization.

There's a lot more to the story than that but I'll just say it's well written and really dives into cancel culture and how it impacts others.

This book is like watching a great slasher film in your head while reading. There are a number of suspects, red herrings, and plenty of good ol' slashery goodness mixed with dark humor at times.

You definitely want to read this one and I highly recommend it.

Josh Winning Proves Once Again He is a Master of Horror!

Heads Will Roll is everything that you could want in a CAMPy slasher horror novel. It has heart, it has gore, and it has beautiful messages around cancel culture. Oh, and my favorite part is that it reads exactly like a movie in your brain. Josh Winning knows how to craft horror with his words that I can vividly see myself in. I am transplanted when reading his stories to the universes that he builds and I get to experience all of the events along with the characters. It is magical and I loved every second of it.

Heads Will Roll features Camp Castaway, a camp for troubled individuals who need a reset from the world. Enter "Willow," our celebrity main character, who is attempting to relax and escape from the world at large. However, things are not as they seem at Camp Castaway and after introducing us to a colorful cast of characters (suspects). If this premise alone isn't a major draw for you to read this novel, then read it for the cast of characters. Josh Winning has given us some of the classic horror tropes. We have a jock, a badass heroine, a burgeoning (queer) love interest and then we have some other fun characters. The mysterious camp leader who has more secrets than anything, the disturbingly creepy chef named Jeff, and a terrifying legend that gets revealed piece by piece.

I absolutely adored this book. I have loved everything that Josh has put out and when I heard that there was going to be a camp slasher, I knew I was going to love this. It is just truly a fantastic mystery! It has enough gore that I was disturbed but also grossly enthralled! And the reveal was not something that I guessed. Truly the ending has more twists and turns than I could have ever anticipated. You need to check out this fast-paced thrill ride of a queer horror novel. It is truly perfection!

“No contact with the outside world for fourteen days.
No email. No social media.
No cataloging every minute of the day.
No strangers judging me.
No guilt.
Nobody threatening to kill me.
Telling me what they're going to do with my torn-out heart.
I open the nearest locker and set my phone inside.”

Willow is an actress who got “canceled” over a tweet, she’s gone from being so beloved and adored to being hated and getting death threats. She needs space, a place where the internet doesn’t exist,that’s where Camp Castaway comes in. It’s a camp where people go to unplug and start fresh, leave their troubles behind, but the thing about running away from your problems is that they always come knocking.

I was really excited when I received this ARC, who doesn’t love a good camp horror story? Unfortunately this book was a let down for me in so many ways.

This book was so incredibly slow with its pacing,nothing happens until about the 30% mark and even then it’s not thrilling. Honestly none of the “action” scenes were exciting in any way,no cool kills or chase scenes, it was just repetitive.

ENOUGH WITH THE POP CULTURE REFERENCES PLEASE!

There were so many in this book I wanted to slam my head against a wall every time one was mentioned, and there was at least one in every chapter.

By the time you get to know the characters it’s too late, how am I supposed to care at all about what happens to them if everything is jammed into one paragraph? Also almost everything Willow said was so incredibly cringey.

The ending was ridiculous and the last line was so cheesy,this was like watching a terrible 90s drama with a hint of gore.

Even though I did not enjoy this, I do appreciate NetGalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I'm going to be completely honestly, I was genuinely excited for this book but the more I kept read the more I felt trepidation until I finally hit this this quote

"And the most fucked-up part of it? I don’t think I ever really understood what happened to Bran until I got canceled. Being “outed.” Judged. Put in a box and left there. I finally got it."

and had to put it down for my own peace of mind

I was so excited to get the ARC of this book. I read Josh’s last book, Burn the Negative, which was just perfect.

Getting down to it, Heads Will Roll was a perfect slasher novel, seriously. It hit all the right notes for me. As always, Josh used mixed media in the format of texts and articles. I’m all for this.

Guys, this will be out in July, and you should totally put it on your TBR!

Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC of this book.

This books has sections of interesting writing styles, when it's snippets of tweets and text messages it's actually different from everything else. But then it goes back into the main chapters and it's another story about a woman dealing with her past. Very very common in modern horror novels and kind of getting sick of it.

This is very much a love letter to slashers of the past; I caught a lot of references throughout. It takes the idea of summer camp horror, religious horror, family trauma, and public drama and combines it into one. The ending has echoes of many other horror literature.

At this point, I will automatically read anything written by Josh Winning going forward.
Heads Will Roll is a slasher novel about an actress attending a phone-free camp for adults after a Twitter post got her in the bad graces of the general public.
I absolutely loved this book.
The characters, settings, scenes... I was able to visualize all of it in my head; could picture it as a film adaptation. The lead character being a horror fan meant that there were a lot of references to both horror movies and other horror authors, which I adored. There were enough turns in the plot for me to be surprised, but not so many that it felt unbelievable or like they came out of nowhere. I also loved the inclusion of the queer characters/romance. Overall? I think fans of the slasher genre, summer camp horror, and/or those who want some fun thrills in their books will enjoy this.

I did not like this author’s previous book, and I don’t think I will continue reading from him. His concepts sound so good, but unfortunately the execution just doesn’t do it for me. I know I’m in the minority, and it makes me sad. The characters in this book felt very one dimensional and I could not connect with any of them. The plot felt all over the place and certain points were obvious, and others were just out of left field. I liked the LGBTQ+ representation, but some of it felt kind of forced. I liked the idea, setting, and the sprinkled mixed media, but it just didn’t work out.

"Heads Will Roll" was a fast-paced enjoyable read.

While this story is very modern, I got a nostalgic feeling while reading it. If Summer Camp Slasher films are your vibe I think that you're really going to enjoy this book.

The plot is well crafted, the characters are memorable and overall it was a very engaging and intriguing read.

Thank you Josh Winning, Net Galley and Penguin Group Putnam for providing me with an ARC of this book!