I loved this book! I do have an innate love of spooky, supernatural camp stories and opposites attract love interest. Seventeen year old Melody "Elodie" Larivière does not want to spend her summer being a camp counsellor. She doesn't want to be responsible for a group of rowdy redheads, and she certainly does want to be stuck with little miss perfect Catherine. But that's what her mother has in store for her. It does help that the camp leader is eccentric and somewhat creepy, and that the story behind the camp is sinister and what is up with that eerie blue light that only Elodie seems to notice every evening.

The character writing in this book is exquisite. Each of them is well written and rounded with their own quirks and sense of humour. The book is set in 1990's Canada and you really get a feel for this from Elodie who has that archetypal 90's grunge look, and who would rather be sitting at home listening to NiN or Nirvana. This would be the perfect short summer read if you want something light and refreshing with expressive character art and exquisite colours.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Camp Spirit is a YA graphic novel set in the 1990s in Ontario, where its protagonist, Elodie, has been forced by her mom to be a camp counselor for the summer. Elodie is very 90s grunge and is not at all interested in camping or the outdoors. What starts as a frothy, pulpy sort of story takes a sharp turn about mid-way through, and turns this summer romance into a a graphic novel full of intrigue, mystical nightmares, demonic presences, and urban legends. Even through this shift, though, the book never loses its center- the growing friendship (and maybe more) between Elodie and camp counselor extraordinaire, Catherine.

This book is adorable and un-put-down-able, and I really loved both Elodie and Catherine. Their relationship is super sweet, and I loved seeing them grow from acquaintances to friends to more-than-friends throughout the course of the story. Both of the characters feel very 90s, and it was really fun to read. Elodie is the perfect 90s grunge, and I loved loved loved her style.

There’s actually quite a bit of the story focused on Elodie’s growing fondness for the kids in her stead, who are all redheads and mostly rambunctious. The kids have characters, which is nice to see for them being minor characters. If you happened to go to summer camps in the 1990s or thereabouts, like me, you will feel right at home in this story. Even if you never went to camp or aren’t in the targeted demographic, I still think this story will resonate with you, just maybe not to the point that it did with me.

The illustrations and coloring of the book are really nice, and effectively evoke the camp setting. I think the scenery was especially well-captured, and the eery blue lights and green “demonic” coloring was really very effective.

All in all, this was a 4 star graphic novel for me! I think it was exceptionally fun, but missing some depth, which I love in my reading. I can see where this may not be the book for everyone, but I felt the nostalgia and loved my time with it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review! Camp Spirit releases on April 14, 2020.

My review will be posted on my blog, Back Shelf Books, at the below link on March 20, 2020. My review has been posted at the below goodreads link today.

I received this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley! Overall, I really liked this graphic novel. It follows our main character, Elodie, on her first experience as a camp counselor. While she initially thinks that she is looking at six weeks of boredom in the middle of the Canadian woods, she quickly learns that there’s more than meets the eye at Camp Bear Lake. The story was propulsive, layered with lots of character development, and had a hint of the supernatural. It’s definitely a graphic novel for adults; some of the jokes and language were a little too off- color for my taste, but I typically read more middle grade and so that’s to be expected. This book will definitely give you a good story, and it looks like it’s being set up to continue in a series hopefully!

Camp Spirit is Lumberjanes for an older audience, set in the long forgotten times of 1994. Emoldie is the kind of grunge teen who's 'too cool' for summer camp, but when her mother forces her to go as savings for college, she grudgingly agrees. Missing training means she gets saddled with the most unruly of the campers, but her own mix of snark and dark humor is just the thing to make her the perfect leader for even the most rambunctious of youngsters. Add in an evil forest demon and the sweetest of teen lesbian romance, and you have the perfect cocktail for a fun and thrilling summer romp. The colorful art did an excellent job of capturing the awkwardness and brilliance of emotion that comes with being a teen. The eccentric, often flailing camp leader and his calm, cool, collected wife were an added bonus to an already delightful read.

I enjoyed the whole feel and flow of this graphic. The main character, Elodie, is not the camp counselor type, but over the course of the summer discovers she is just what her campers need. She learns that things (and people) are not always what they seem. I wasn't ready for the book to end, and would be more than excited to learn that there is a sequel in the works.
This book was provided to me free of charge by Netgalley. My review is voluntarily given.

I don't normally read graphic novels, but I decided to try out the genre. Camp Spirit is a good place to start. This graphic novel is light and fun. The topic and setting caused me to reminisce about the my late teenage years in the 90's. The characters are a bit stereotyped and some parts of the plot are a bit too juvenile for me, but overall I enjoyed the read.

This graphic novel sounded like a great blast from the past, something where I would get to relive my childhood but it gave me nothing but a headache.

It was dreadfully boring. I never knew that a book about a spooky legend and Satan could be so boring.

What I didn’t really like was all the non-friendly queer words. It’s something that I couldn’t forget. I know the 90’s were a different time but this was too much. Also, when she described herself as being a former porker, I was flabbergasted.

Starts out as a story about a 90's teen who gets forced to work a summer job at a sleep-away camp by her mom to help earn some money for college, and then not only turns into a supernatural story, but also a story about young love and discovering who you really are.
Very fun little book, great art and a heartwarming message.

So it took me a while to review this because something went funky with my download?? It works now, just strange.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for the arc! <3

Camp Spirit takes you right back into a 90's summer camp setting, and keeps things nostalgic with it's many music references. I'm going to be honest and say that this comic was all over the place- but in a good way!! So much going on but it was always enjoyable. We got a bit of drama, LGBTQ romance, supernatural aspects and more.

More things I liked:

-the art style
-the camp setting
-the humour
-Elodie and Catherine!

Why it's missing a star:

-It was great but not perfect
-5 stars are for reads that blow me away


real rating: 4.1/5

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was really good. I don't usually connect or get attached to graphic novels but I loved the characters and the f/f romance so much. The plot was engaging and entertaining and the only complaint I have is that it was resolved too quickly and not very clearly.

Yeesh – I couldn't get into this at all. For all its trying hard to convey how summer camp if you're ever so slightly emo is full of shitty people and shitty situations, all we get is the shitty people and shitty situations, which are just painful to read about. So I never got to the First Lesbian Love bit, or the allegedly spooky camp mystery. A shame, but it was completely failing to bring me on board as a part of its audience.

I loved loved loved this graphic novel! It felt so well paced, often when I’m reading a graphic novel I get through it so fast it’s kind of like, oh it’s already over? Whereas with Camp Spirit, even though I still got through it quite fast, everything felt well paced, well developed, each character was so different but all seemed to worked so well together. I loved the redheads too! Who could forget them? 😂

Fun and crazy summer camp story that is wonderfully illustrated. Elodie is the moody teen who is being forced to work as a camp counselor and ends up with a group of wild girls. The relationship between her and the girls is wonderful. Little bit of crazy camp lore thrown in for good measure.

Elodie is sent to be a camp counselor against her will by her mother. She is dreading the experience especially she knows all the other counselors and doesn't really like any of them. It doesn't help that she is assigned a group of rambunctious red heads who are convinced her name is Melody. However, as time goes by she starts to get more comfortable with her position, but there are still weird things happening in the forest. Is there a harmless explanation, or is something more sinister happening in the woods?
This graphic novel takes place in the '90s, so a lot of the music and pop culture references were a lot of fun. The story did have a lot going on between the supernatural elements, the relationships between the counselors, and all of the campers. However, it was never overwhelming and it seemed to work well together. My only complaint is that the ending was a bit anticlimactic, and I wish there was a little more explanation.

I'm not really sure what I just read, but I sure as heck enjoyed it!

Camp Spirit is a little bit teen drama, a little bit LGBTQ romance, a little bit supernatural horror, and a little bit camp comedy...all rolled up in some 90's nostalgia (mostly musical references and a Daria-esque main character, Elodie).

The supernatural elements enter the story kind of late and feel a little jarring, but the literal laugh-out-loud humor (particularly from the rag-tag, say-anything, fiercely protective group of red-headed campers assigned to Elodie) was so, so good. There's a scene where Elodie sicks the girls on a particularly pig-headed male counselor that had me in TEARS.

There's a LOT of swearing, so if that kind of thing offends you I would steer clear (but you're missing out, let me tell you), and there is some suggested nudity (shower scenes, a naughty swimming scene)...so I would say this graphic romp is probably more suited for high school students. But honestly...I can think of a dozen of my middle grade readers who would adore it.

Maybe you have noticed a lot of my reviews lately are E-ARCs! That is because I have been on a huge Netgalley kick. I have had a Netgalley account for a long time and requested books on there, my list has piled up quite a bit and its honestly because I had been on a different kind of reading kick (usually reading stuff from my bookcases) but recently I have just been wanting to read all the Netgalley books and in the past two weeks alone I think I have finished five plus, with like three more in progress currently. One of the Netgalley ARCs I received recently was Camp Spirit, a graphic novel that I loved so so much (I have already pre-ordered) and have my fingers crossed there will be more (like maybe we could make this a series??).


SPOILERS AHEAD


In the summer of 1994, Elodie is about to head off to college but before she does she is being forced by her mother to work a summer job, as a camp counselor. This sounds like the worst thing ever to Elodie who literally wants nothing to do with this summer camp. Once she is dropped off she is thrust into the world of being a camp counselor, she has a day or two before the kids show up to try and adjust and once her bunch shows up, she clearly has her hands full. While everyone else is being a camp counselor to a sweet fun group, Elodie has a group of wild redhead girls who allow her zero privacy and ask tons of questions (even if they are not always appropriate). However, Elodie quickly begins to adjust, she starts to get used to her group of campers and even learns how to control them and have fun with them, she starts making friends with other counselors and best friends with one counselor in particular. But the summer will not be all smooth sailing because there is a known mystery about the camp and Elodie will soon be wrapped up in the mystery!


I absolutely loved this graphic novel! It was adorable, the art was amazing, and the story was incredible! I am crossing my fingers that somehow, someway there will be more in this world with these characters. The mystery of the camp and Elodie's involvement was totally unexpected and I loved every second of it. I also really enjoyed watching Elodie and her campers. I am giving this book five stars on Goodreads and I highly recommend checking it out when it comes out in April!





**I received this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review

I enjoyed this graphic novel a lot - the characters were very quirky, had an authentic voice, and the milieu of the 1990s in Canada was evocatively captured. Yes, it does read very much like a Mary Sue for the author; all the same, there is a lot of heart and genuine warmth here, even at its most irreverent moments. As soon as the story ended, I wanted to reread it again immediately.

Story: Elodie's in her last year of high school when she finds out she has to go to Summer Camp to be a counselor. Annoyed at leaving her urban life in Quebec for the country, she's not pleased at the prospect. Once at camp, she has serious trouble adjusting - public restrooms, open showers, and the creepiness of the camp are not making her life easier. Not to mention that she also was put in charge of 'the redheads' - the rowdiest and most unmanageable of the campers. Fortunately, she's made friends with fellow counselor Catherine; slowly but surely the two will navigate the Summer. Until Elodie starts seeing images of a forest demon, having terrible supernatural nightmares, and begins to suspect the camp chief has ill intentions for his campers!

Author Lenoir captures 1990s teen rebellion perfectly - from the soundtrack of NiN and Nirvana, the lumberjack shirts with chunky boots, and a skate-punk personna that would later be immortalized by Avril Levigne (to whom (likely not coincidentally) our protagonist bears a strong resemblance). Along with main character Elodie are a cast of personalities that are distinct, if a bit narrow in nuance, enough to make for an interesting read. Even the kids are quite fun and Elodie's handling of each of them makes perfect sense in a fun way.

The art is excellent - conveying the story when needed without requiring dialogue. The snappy comebacks are, of course, very welcome. But he story lives and fails on the art and here it is emotive and yet rich. The backgrounds keep a 'comic' feel but the art also feels a bit 1990s - channeling Nickelodeon quite a bit. But I have to say that this also feels it owes a lot to Scott Pilgrim in terms of influence.

The story has several themes: Elodie learning to survive outside the city, a blossoming friendship with fellow counselor Catherine, winning over the hearts and trust of the camp kids, and the mystery of the camp owner and his connection to a myth of the area. It would seem like the parts wouldn't work and yet, like Scott Pilgrim, they do in a way that makes the story very unique and readable. At any other hands, the supernatural could have felt tacked on or out of place yet it all works here beautifully.

I truly enjoyed and loved this title. I was rooting for Elodie and Catherine to get together the whole time, was invested in the mystery, and loved the camp kids and counselors. There are some very funny moments within and it is a story I would have loved to see animated or made into a movie. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

I actually enjoyed this one more than I thought I would. I enjoyed the crude humor between Elodie and her campers. I was pre-teen in the 90s so it was fun to reminisce on that time period.

Beautiful illustrations. Fun characters. Interesting story. Everything you want from a graphic novel!

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

It has the girls-at-camp-with-possible-supernatural-goings-on (but a little less friendship-is-magic) of Lumberjanes, but not so reflective and moody as Honor Girl. In the middle of all of that, though, you've got a well-plotted, tidy, thoughtful little series with entertaining characters, humor, and some sweet things to say about all sorts of relationships. Definitely a winner for me. Got to love those redheads.