Jesse had her hopes set on attending a summer fashion program this summer. Her parents had other ideas. She’s just been dumped at fat camp for two whole months!

While this is Jesse’s first fat camp experience, some of her fellow campers have endured multiple admissions. It seems that Camp Bloom doesn’t have the best success rate. Maybe someone should speak to the chef…

On campfire confession night, Jesse and Noah witness a murder. There’s nothing like murder to inspire an impromptu cardio session.

To be fair, if someone told me I couldn’t eat chocolate for two months, I might get a bit stabby too.

Jesse, Noah, Tony and Kate take it upon themselves to solve the murder mystery.

This was an entertaining read. I loved the characters, the representation, the sleuthing and the lack of body shaming.

Throughout the story you discover why each of the main characters are at the camp. My favourite backstory was Kate’s.

Matthew Seely’s illustrations complemented the story well, adding to the humour. The characters are expressive and I loved the colour palette.

I’d like to see Jesse, Noah, Tony and Kate solve another mystery together.

Welcome to Camp Bloom, where you can transform from a crying, fat caterpillar to a happy, skinny butterfly. If someone doesn’t kill you first.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Oni Press for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.

What happens when a bunch of teenagers go to a weight loss camp for the summer? Of course, someone dies!

DEAD WEIGHT: MURDER AT CAMP BLOOM is an entertaining YA sleuth graphic novel. It has a collection of diverse characters and a fairly fast-moving plot. About halfway through their summer camp, one of the adult camp counselors is murdered. When two of the teenagers witness it happen, they - along with two of their camp-mates - start investigating.

I liked that, even though Jesse wasn't too happy to be at "fat camp" in the beginning, she wasn't this angry teen throughout the entire book. She opened up to a few of the other campers and I enjoyed her character.

The illustrations are very well-done, with expressive faces and a creepy atmosphere as they're investigating the murder. This might be a little bit spooky for young teenagers but most of it is entertaining and mystery-ish. The full camp map on the inside front and back covers was a nice addition, along with a behind-the-scenes after the story.

This was hilarious. I loved the characters, the art style. I liked how the kids got into trouble and the situation just got worse. It was funny and a little creepy. Definitely will read more from this artist and writer.

'Dead Weight: Murder at Camp Bloom' by Terry Blas and Molly Muldoon with art by Matthew Seely is a graphic novel mystery set at a summer camp.

Camp Bloom welcomes a diverse range of campers every year. What brings them together is losing weight. The camp has some counselors who have been very successful at losing weight. It also has some secrets, like the cook who sells candy to the campers, and it hides a murderer. A group of kids find a dead counselor, and now they want to find who did it before the killer strikes again.

It's a decent mystery and kept me guessing. The cast of characters is diverse. The art works for the story. I liked the story and characters.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Oni Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

*I received a free copy of this for review from Netgalley*

Super cute graphic novel! Had a great time reading this. The humour and inclusiveness was on point. 10/10 will look for more of this authors work in the future.

Cute tale, love the diversity/inclusivity... honestly it’s probably the first graphic novel I’ve read like this. I would’ve liked it to be a bit more body positive, but all in all I enjoyed it.

This was a fun teen graphic novel about teens coming together at a weight loss camp over the summer. Jesse, Noah, Tony, and Kate have only just met when they become witness to a crime. They develop a friendship as they work together to protect each other and figure out what is really going on at Camp Bloom. The characters are each unique and interesting. They come from different diverse backgrounds and you learn a little bit about their lives outside of camp and their struggles. The mystery was a little unbelievable for me, but I think that is somewhat expected in a teen drama. I loved the illustrations, if reminded me of the “Giant Days” series, which I love. Overall pretty good, I would recommend to teens and adults.

Special thanks to Netgalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest opinion.

A really enjoyable and exciting graphic novel! Perfect for teens into mysteries. Also LGBT-inclusive.

Dead Weight was definitely better than I thought it would be. I enjoyed the plot and the characters plenty. I definitely want to see more.

I'm not 100% certain this needed to be set at a weight loss camp. While the weight loss elements were important to a few events, for the most part this could have occurred at any summer camp, especially since the main characters don't really address weight or self esteem issues to any real degree. The plot is fairly clear but the evidence for the mystery is somewhat thin.

This book is great for fans of Lumberjanes. It is honest, open, inclusive and funny with adventure and takes place at a summer camp. It is a great classic mystery and the artwork was also very good.

Brilliant artwork and a classic murder mystery with a twist. Very likeable characters. I would love to see more from these guys.

Loved this first installment! Very quirky and fun! Looking forward to the next one!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book, which I voluntarily reviewed.

This graphic novel was such a pleasant surprise! I expected a lot of fun based on the premise, but I didn’t expect to have this much fun, even loving it this much. It has a vivid artwork, intriguing mystery, but also a plot within. The characters are also well-developed and all in all, instead of weighing the story down, these elements work together really well to make this amazing graphic novels. Can’t wait for the next installment!

In this book, one of the counselors of Camp Bloom is murdered. A group of teenagers, then, decide to investigate his death.
The art of the book is really cute, I liked it.
The characters had depth, everyone had to deal with their own problems.
The story was captivating and I ended up reading the graphic novel in one sitting because of it.
Even though it dealt with murder, this book was really fun to read and I recommend it to anyone that wants a light yet thrilling read.

First let me thank Netgalley for this awesome graphic novel to review! OMG what a fun book to read. I just loved the story and the artwork. This follows a group of kids that went to Camp Bloom which is a fat camp. They soon witness a murder and then set out to find the killer. I don't want to go into the story more as to not spoil it but let me say it was brilliant. I would highly recommend this to everyone of all ages. The artwork is to die for!

It was an interesting premise but didn't hold my attention much. I think this book definitely has an audience. I just don't think it's me.

Dead Weight is a unique, well-written and diverse graphic novel with a great mystery and awesome characters.

Camp Bloom is a weight-loss camp for teens in the Oregon wilderness. One night, Noah and Jesse witness the murder of a beloved counsellor by a masked murderer. However, the body soon disappears. But, thanks to Jesse’s hidden phone, a blurry picture reveals that the killer is one of the camp counsellors! Noah and Jesse recruit fellow campers Tony and Kate to help solve the mystery and they soon learn that everyone at Camp Bloom has something to hide.

The characters are well-written, relatable, and diverse. It’s wonderful to see black, Latina, and gay characters whose personalities aren’t centred around their differences or their weight. Moreover, the diversity is not forced but fits the characters and the storyline perfectly. Although the setting is a weight-loss camp, there is a lot of body positivity and it’s great to see characters whose body types are rarely represented.

My favourite is Jesse, the Latina fashionista who doesn’t want to be at weight-loss camp. Tech-loving Tony and outdoorsy Kate are also great characters. While I like shy and sweet Noah, he could have been better developed. I also would have liked some more development for the counsellors given how important they are in the narrative.

The mystery is interesting, well-paced, and fun. The book had me guessing until the end and the reveal is surprising and satisfying. The takedown of the murderer is hilarious.

The illustrations are simple but wonderful and nicely coloured. All fat people do not look the same and I love that the illustrator ensures that there are a range of bodies represented.

I was sceptical about the setting being a weight-loss camp but I like how everything turned out. Some characters want to lose weight for their own benefit, others question the need to change while some characters take a sad approach to their weight loss. The counsellors also seem genuinely interested in the well-being of their campers.

Dead Weight is an entertaining and diverse read. I absolutely loved it! I would definitely purchase this book. It’s a perfect read for all ages. It’s so unique and different and I wish there was a book like this when I was a teen. I really hope that the authors continue this series because I can’t wait to read more from this team!

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for this book in exchange for an honest review.

My review of Dead Weight, Murder at Camp Bloom By Terry Blas, Molly Muldoon and Matthew Seely.

Murder at fat camp! We follow teens, Jesse, Noah, Kate and Tony around for what seem's too short amount of time. Who are they looking for? The killer! Eye witness to their camp Counselors death, they are on the case.

Let me back up for a second, I need to add that, some of the characters are either Gay or Lesbian! Why do I need to back up and make sure you know that? BECAUSE! I love the fact that Oni Press is raising the bar, yes we have read and seen many Gay characters in books, but this is by far my favorite, so I wanted to share it. :)

And so begins a daring game of Who done it?! Checking off Camp Counselors one by one, we follow this amazing group of kids around a fat camp. I really loved this book! I loved that the characters are on the big side ( I myself am proudly a big girl). The story line is funny and it literally kept me laughing at each joke and dry sense of humor. The book is funny, mysterious and keeps you on your toes. I really enjoyed it and hope Oni Press makes a second book!

Our review is 5/5 stars!!! We couldn't get enough of this Graphic Novel! The illustrations are great, characters are awesome! Give it a read!

Out later this month is Dead Weight: Murder at Camp Bloom, a terrific concept that unfortunately disappoints in the execution. This camp-based murder mystery is the debut graphic novel of co-writers Terry Blas and Molly Muldoon as well as artist Matthew Seely.

Seely has an animation background, which shows in the expressive and slightly exaggerated character design. It felt like I was watching a cartoon, in both good — clear emotion, colorful settings, outsized facial features — and bad ways — shortcut characterization, and a plot that didn’t really come together as tightly as a mystery should.

Jesse has been sent to “fat camp” for the summer instead of the fashion program she wanted. Tony is a returning camper, a shy black kid with glasses who loves technology. Noah is also returning and wants some special attention. Ben is gay and wants to transcend gender norms and spend more time with the girls. Kate is also gay and would rather be alone in the woods than hang with other people.

Jesse and Noah sneak out one night and witness a murder in the woods that’s quickly covered up. The victim is Counselor Cory, who’s lost enough weight to be considered buff. The other staffers all have their secrets. The chef responsible for healthy meals sells candy bars out the back door. The head nurse is a smoker. The camp leader is herself overweight, which is damaging her business.

My biggest problem with the story was that I never got a fully developed sense of these characters. I was told their quirk or motivation, but as the story played out, they felt like paper dolls being moved around instead of people. Their voices are all the same, which is particularly strange, given that the writers talk in an end note about it being “important for us to have the characters sound and be distinct from one another.” With such a large cast, the problem might be just not enough space for everyone to get the kind of development they needed.

The publicity points out their diversity — Latina, black, queer — and that’s great to see in a graphic novel, but they didn’t become much more. Noah, in particular, as default white boy, is a nothing in terms of personality. I wanted to find out more about why they’re there, how they feel about it, and their opinions on their own size. Jesse and Tony get brief monologues on the subject, but because the subject is raised so abruptly and handled so bluntly, it feels pasted in.

Additionally, there’s not much mystery here. The kids bumble around, spending too much time on deciding to investigate and talking each other into believing there was a death. We know going in this is a genre work, so we expect a dead body and amateur detectives; we don’t need so much stage-setting. More time should have been spent on establishing the conclusion, which comes out of nowhere without any clues for the reader to discover or notice.

Young readers who aren’t used to seeing characters like themselves, if they fit one of the many categories portrayed here, will likely be more forgiving than I was.