This is a cute enough murder mystery, set at a Fat Camp. The kids are diverse, which is a plus, plus there is LGBTQ representation included. And, as with any good mystery, there are lots of red herrings thrown in, to make you think you have figured out the mystery, including one that made it look like it might have been done by one of the teens that is trying to solve the murder.

Realistic, cute, funny, and not all the kids are obsessed with losing weight, such as the main character, Jesse, shown here.
<img class="alignnone wp-image-355 size-full" src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-04-05-at-11.41.52-PM.png" alt="dead weight 2" width="516" height="770" />

And while I enjoyed reading how the mystery was solved, and I enjoyed all the kids, I didn't love it. It was good, but not great.

But, then, I might not be the target market.

<img class="alignnone wp-image-326 size-full" src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-23-at-3.51.36-PM.png" alt="Fat camp" />

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

For fans of Lumberjanes and Nimona comes this standalone comic about a diverse group of “fat camp” attendees who witness a murder, only to have the body disappear and a faked note saying the counselor had in fact gone home in a hurry. To find justice for their murdered camp counselor and prove what they are capable of, the group pulls together to solve the crime, even as more counselors start dying. I loved the art and the characters. The mystery was fairly classic, with clues sprinkled throughout the beginning and plenty of red herrings to keep readers guessing. Beyond a simple murder mystery, diverse issues such as obesity, homosexuality and effect of your culture and ethnicity on your lifestyle are discussed, without them veering into “diversity for diversity’s sake” territory.

I laughed my way through this whole book. Set at a summer fat camp, a group of teens play detective while trying to solve the mystery of who murdered one of the camp counselors. The loved the four main characters the most, but some of the background characters where amusing as well. My favorite part of all would have to be the stunning illustrations. The colors were vibrant and layered, tying it all together perfectly. I cant wait to see what else this author and illustrator will do... maybe another volume in the series? Here's to hoping.

I received this from #NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This was SUPER cute, and it could have been super bad: it's a mystery set at "fat camp" for overweight teens. However, the author somehow managed to not make anyone here stereotypical - and threw in a bucket load of diverse characters - Latinos, African-Americans, LGBTQ characters are all depicted here with a lot of heart and personality. I dug it!

Imagine Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys put on some weight and get sent to fat camp. Four campers uncover a murder and determine they can't trust any of the counselors. Don't worry the fat camp junior detectives are on the case. A fun, all ages mystery that is inclusive and LGBTQ+. Maybe we'll see another case next summer.

Take an old school Scooby Doo style mystery, set it a weight loss camp, add a diverse group of plucky likeable kids, and tell that story in really cool art -- and you've got this graphic novel. I loved the representation of this cast, which is a welcome antidote to the bevy of cookie cutter indistinguishable comic characters out there. A page turner of a mystery I thoroughly enjoyed!

I didn't know that I wanted or needed a murder mystery set at a summer weight loss camp for teens, but it turns out that I did. Our four main characters were delightfully fleshed out as the series went on and I loved the twists and turns that occurred before the killer was revealed.

Reading Dead Weight reminds me of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys because of the mystery and sleuthing theme. The story of the four teenagers in the Camp Bloom, a camp for those who have weight issues, is quite interesting to read and the "accidental" bond between these teens will make readers happy.

I wasn't expecting anything before I read this because based on the cover, I thought the story could be childish or too juvenile. But the expression, "Don't judge the book by its cover," strongly represents this graphic novel. So if you enjoy reading mystery and detective type of stories, Dead Weight is a great addition to your list.

4 stars.

Thank you so much, Netgalley, for sending me an ecopy of this graphic novel for review!

I went into this wary, because I was worried about the representation, but I'm excited to say that everything was handled pretty well! We have a bunch of fat characters, a few queer ones, and a few who are poc, and I loved how their story wasn't about what they identify as, considering they're investigating a murder.

Knocking off a star because I wish some of the characters were more fleshed out.

I found this to be wildly fun, fast paced, and funny. I hope to see this maybe eventually become a series, but I'm also happy with the potential ending.

Unlikely friendships are made and tested when four kids sent to fat camp encounter a murderer. I thoroughly enjoyed this and will be including it in a summer camp-themed blog post for my library's book blog.

I received a copy from Oni Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Four teenagers are dropped off at Camp Bloom, a weight-loss camp, and are hesitant for different reasons. One kid is torn up about being separated from technology while another is irritated that her family is sending her there to lose weight. It's just another boring summer when Jesse, one of the teenagers, sneaks off to eat candy and play games on her phone. She's followed by one of her peers because she dropped something and they both witness the murder of everyone's favorite counselor. Thanks to some blurry pictures taken on Jesse's phone, they learn that the killer is a member of the staff. With no adults to trust, they enlist two of their peers and begin to look for clues together.

This is such a fun murder mystery set at a weight loss camp. I wasn't sure what to expect when I read the synopsis and saw that the setting was a weight loss camp, but it was handled really well. The counselors seem supportive. One of the staff members is running a side business selling junk food. The campers are encourage to share their thoughts and such as well as join activities. It was realistic to see a character who wasn't overweight but was there because they viewed themselves as such and see the others reactions. I loved seeing the four main characters bond and become friends as they worked to solve the mystery.

It's such a heartwarming graphic novel that I wish it was around when I was a teenager. It's good to have stories like this around, especially for kids who can relate to the characters and need to see positive messages like this. It's fun, positive, and shows a variety of characters and how there's always something beyond the surface. I also love the art style, and I enjoyed seeing the concept art and how the panels were brought to life at the end. I look forward to check more work out like this in the future.

This was a really fun little murder mystery with some great characters. I was somewhat worried about how they would handle the whole 'fat camp' thing, but I think that overall it was a really great setting and showed that there are many reasons people are fat and some of them might want to lose weight but some of them don't. If you like Lumberjanes then I think you will enjoy this title as well.

Also there was a really great panel that made me laugh, but I don't want to post it because it spoils who the murderer is. But anyway the kids were asking how the murderer dragged someone's body through the woods and they were like 'well they weigh a lot less now' and that just made me laugh because I always say 'if you're fat then you're harder to kidnap' and I guess that also applies to being dragged through the woods by a murderer lol

This review is also posted in my blog :
https://onewordtoomuch.wordpress.com/2018/03/15/dead-weight-murder-at-camp-bloom/

Thank you to Net Galley for a free copy of this book in trade for an honest review.

Well, this is sure is different from the other graphic novel I’ve ever read. It’s funny, mysterious, and makes you curious how 4 different teenager who don’t really like or know each other could solve this problem. There are at one point that those teenagers seem to be falling apart, but they become friends in the end. Their adventure is like the Famous Five, minus the dog.

The more reason to read this graphic novel:
• It’s set in a fat camp. The main characters are fat, but it’s a positive kind of fat. They have their own attitude and not afraid to show their color. I think it shows a positive massage: don’t let your body make people judge you, but who you are is more important. There are some references to LGBT as well.
• The story is intriguing. Somehow the plot is quite twisty too, with some false clues that leave the readers wandering, who’s the killer? Are we on the right track here?
• Illustration style – totally love it! I like the expression on each character and how they bear themselves. Each character facial expression really suits the story. Shock, contempt, fear, nervous, happy, sad is all pictured in a good comical way. Rarely that I found this kind of expression on a graphic novel. In the end of the book, there’s an extra part where the study of the characters is shown. I also like the bright coloring and the straight bold lines.

Recommend for those who love mystery and crime genre, graphic novel with good illustration and a good story with a twist at certain turn.

Wasn’t quite sure what I was expecting from this book. At first I thought this was geared toward a younger audience, but after the first couple pages, I realized this was more of a teen / adult comic. This was a little bit of a blend of Scooby Doo plus Nancy Drew goes to fat camp.
The book centers around four kids who find themselves having witnessed a murder at their fat camp. They need to figure out who did it and learn to trust each other in the process. The demographics of the children are widely diverse, ranging from Latino to homosexual to your standard white boy. The pace of the story is good and even though there aren’t that many of possible suspects, the mystery aspect of the story isn’t bad.
The artwork was well done and fit the theme of a “campy” story perfectly.
Again, wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I picked this up, but was very pleasantly surprised.
Thank you NetGalley and publisher, Oni Press, for the opportunity to read this ARC.

The art is lovely, it fits the characters and the story.
I didn't quite jump into the fat camp setting from the beginning and the murder isn't exactly believable, but the characters are fun and well defined so I really enjoyed following them along.

A murder mystery set in a summer fat camp – that’s all I needed to know.
The illustrations in this comic are gorgeous and beautifully styled. Though the story takes place in a fat camp, it’s not trying to preach or harp on about the psychology and health issues surrounding obesity – it’s just an interesting setting for kids to meet each other.

It’s a typical misfit-kids-find-each-other-and-solve-a-murder book (love the genre) but it’s inclusive in cast without making a big deal about it, rather than a bunch of middle class white kids getting together. I expect some great things from this co-operation between artists and look forward to reading their work in future.

The characters in this graphic novel were well developed given the short length. The mystery aspect played out nicely moving the plot along at a good pace. Fans of the cozy mystery genre would enjoy this. The art style was clear and beautifully done. So much diversity in this story! As a plus size lady I enjoyed the fat camp aspect and the body positivity showed. I want more graphic novels like this! *ARC provided by NetGalley.

This a really fun murder mystery at fat camp. A group of campers get caught up in a dangerous mystery. The art style fits the story perfectly. It reminds me of the cartoons I loved in the 90s. Such a fun read!

With a diverse cast of characters, Dead Weight promises to be a new foray into murderously fun graphic novels. However, it falls a bit short. It is fun seeing how the four teens, Noah, Kate, Jesse and Tony work together to figure out who murdered a beloved counselor. The motives exhibited by different suspects are semi-plausible, though the actual murderer’s motive was a bit lazy and problematic. The climax felt incredibly rushed, as did the resolution of the story.

As a fat kid from Oregon I knew I had to read this! While I didn't love it, it was fun and I did enjoy it - after all I always love a good murder mystery. The story wasn't easy to guess - but I felt like it was lacking something. Maybe I wanted more Oregon rep in the book - otherwise why mention it in the back? Would still pick up a vol. 2!