The Loop was one of the first novels I received from my Night Worms subscription, it’s taken me a long time to read it but I’m glad I did! I really liked it. It’s described as 28 Days Later meets Dazed and Confused and that’s a pretty apt description I think. Kids are out at an end of the year party in Turner Falls, Oregon and some serious stuff happens quickly, changing their lives and town forever.

It’s very action packed once you get past the getting to know you beginning part with the tough, smart, yet kind main character Lucy and her BFF Bucket.

I’ve noticed some of the reviews for this are very negative and I think that’s because the reader wasn’t aware this is a full on horror novel, lots of gore, body horror, and terribly gruesome deaths of people and kids. But if you’re a sci-fi horror fan along the lines of chest bursters from Alien then I think you will love The Loop as much as I did.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review. I bought a copy as well.

Jeremy Robert Johnson's THE LOOP is a tightly coiled horror thriller. It reads like an action packed wind-up trap with multiple rows of serrated teeth. The expository narrative is revealed to the reader through the eyes and minds of its compact cast of well-wrought characters.

We learn of the horrific consequences of a biotech firm's experiments through their direct observations and experiences, and we gradually discover the nature of the firm's unethical research & development mostly from the imperiled character's sharply realized, intelligent deductions. When this nightmarish scenario gets confirmed with some insight from one character who worked for the corporation responsible, the reader feels the relentless machinations of the trap getting locked into place.

What makes THE LOOP so satisfying is not just its fresh take on an old trope, but rather its topical insight on a terrifying scenario growing all the more plausible in today's expanding technological market. This is a book so carefully and tautly executed that it propels the reader toward its dizzying, irrevocable climax and delivers a remarkable and gratifying ending.

There's a good chance you'll want to read it all over again right away to verify what you just finished reading really happened that way. At least, that's the feeling it left me with. It's not just a well-executed story, but a cautionary fable tailor-made for our present day and age.

This is definitely outside of the scope that I usually read and I liked the idea that it had a kind of end of the world vibe going for it. I think this book really needed to focus on getting the story down of what was actually going on. This would have made it entirely less confusing. The subject of this book seemed more about driving around and trying to decide what to do which is really confusing if there is not solid idea of what the threat is and what is so terrifying about any of this. I did feel that the dialogue was intriguing at times, however this was not enough to carry this book. There was a lot of vague, gratuitous, gore in this book that was thrown in just for shock value as it added nothing to the book really. This book did not work for me, although it was promising in the way it was described. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

If this were a movie, my eyes would be covered for most of it! As a book, I thoroughly enjoyed the creepiness.

A plot to takeover the world unlike any you've seen since the 80's. Very well told and brought into the modern era, this 80's b-movie plot (think Cocoon) has brought forth a feeling of nostalgia with a feeling of "this could actually happen."

I prefer books over movies, but I can guarantee if this were made into a movie, it would be a hit!

4.5Stars

Love the mix of genre in this book sci-fi with horror zombies but in my opinion it's not a book I will recommend to everyone. But either way I really enjoy it.
Thank you so much for netgalley and the publisher for the book in exchange for and honest review.

Very fast-moving and gruesome story about a tech-loosed apocalypse on a small town in Oregon. This company has created some sort of implantable device, meant to promote harmony and help people be their best selves, yet it has backfired completely and created an army of tech-zombie high schoolers, bent on causing as much harm as possible. A small group of outcasts fight back. This was a very good, very scary novel, with an incredibly downbeat ending, which would make an excellent film in the right hands.

I kept wanting to love this book, but I never could quite connect with it. It's possibly not my cup of tea. But I'm glad I got a chance to at least try it

A review is to follow shortly. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the electronic advanced review copy in exchange for my review.

Personal entertainment rating 5⭐️. A small town pandemic story about chaos & conspiracy & social blackout in the aftermath of a biotech company’s shenanigans. A pinch of sci-fi, a dose of paranoia, all Loop. I absolutly loved this book and need to familiarize myself with RJR's catalogue.

Holy crap that was terrifying!

Science's new innovation has unexpected and disturbing results, flooding out over a small Oregon town.

I loved Lucy. She was a perfect main character, deeply flawed but brave. I so loved Brewer, too. 😭 the violence in this is just unreal and grotesque, but really did contribute to the plot. Just keep that in mind, I guess.

Turner Falls is a small tourist town nestled in the hills of central Oregon. When a terrifying outbreak rapidly develops, this idyllic town becomes the epicenter of an epidemic of violence.

Fans of sci-fi-ish horror will enjoy Jeremy Johnson’s The Loop, which can now be found on many top scariest horror book lists. The writing is very cinematic and light. I couldn’t help but think Stranger Things and IT fans would enjoy the outcast kids embroiled within the funny yet harrowing tale.

This is such a weird and fun book I went into this one having a single idea what is about I honestly like to go with other cover and then it said it had like stranger things while I was like let's check it out it was really good.

This had some really good creepy scenes to it so it would make a great October read I really like the main character Lucy I loved all the twists and turns this was just a really wild and fun book.

3.5/5 stars!

I really enjoyed this story! I can easily see where the comparison for Stranger Things meets World War Z comes from. Overall, I found everything enjoyable, but I wished I was able to connect with the characters a bit more. I'm a huge fan of Jeremy Robert Johnson, so I'll be checking out whatever he puts out next!

Love the podcast vibe. Wonderful read took longer than I hoped but better late than never. Book had that spooky Nightvale vibe. Anyone who enjoys it will love this.

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley and Saga Press.

This is a great read. It starts slowly but around page 100 it kicks into high gear and really sucks the reader in. The descriptions of violence and horror are a little detailed but where the book shines is it’s character interactions and I found the ending staying with me after I set the book down. A highly entertaining read.

I don't usually read zombie books or watch zombie movies - they just aren't my cup of tea. This one was no different. If you like zombies, I believe the storyline and pace will not disappoint. Recommended for zombie buffs

I love horror stories and the promise of this concept of an experiment gone bad intrigued me. Sadly, I didn’t get pulled into the story as I had hoped. I didn’t experience one of those”what would I do? “ moments. I just fell short in the horror department for me.

A thrilling sci-fii that keeps you on your toes as your reading - hard to put down once I started it. Maybe geard for teens, but a great read for anyone.

This was my first book by Jeremy Robert Johnson. Heard of him, but hadn't read anything. Wow. Not sure why I hadn't. The book was great. Great characters, great story, great pacing. Will definitely have to find more from Jeremy Robert Johnson.