Woah. This book was a little more intense then I was expecting. This book is being billed as World War Z meets Stranger Things and I can definitely see why. The level of violence and gore in this book is pretty high so be aware of that before diving into this book. That being said, I didn’t want to put this book down. A lot happens to keep you hooked. This was a really quick read that I enjoyed.

TSK TSK TSK, SOMEONE'S BEEN A BAD LITTLE CORPORATION!!

Something disturbing has begun in Turner Falls, Oregon. Home to IMTECH, a Science & Biotech Corporation. And it's about to get wild.

Using another specie's tissue, IMTECH created a biotech (like a parasite) and secretly implanted it in some of the town's teenagers. The goal was to control them. Let's just say, it backfired and the opposite occurred. All teenagers implanted became "infected" with an uncontrollable rage to kill and cause pain. The infected torture and kill everyone they come into contact with. A random group of people, including a few uninfected teenagers will spend every second fighting for their lives while trying to also understand what has happened so they can try to stop it before its too late.

Initially, I was off put at first. I thought it started very slow and felt mediocre. I even set it down for a while.

Finally around 100 pages in, the story did more than just pick up; it punched you in the face and hit you on the head with a hammer for good measure!! Because WOW folks: This is one bloody disturbing action book. It is extremely graphic and can be overly crass as well. Definitely not for the faint of heart. I think the author was smart to have the POV from a teenage girl instead of a boy. It lessened the graphic attack, only slightly, but it was a good idea.

On another note: The author is able to create great dialogue among the characters that helps to lighten and entertain. Additionally, character development of the main character was excellent. It gives the book more depth than just a raging kill fest. I think the author had many positive attributes going for him. This book takes you through a myriad of emotions, highs and lows, rotating constantly. Ultimately, this is a highly stimulating read. If not for the long and slow start, and the initial crass tone I would have given 4 stars.

*Thank you to Gallery Books via NetGalley for the digital review copy.

This may very well be the book that launches Jeremy Robert Johnson into the upper echelon of the scifi/horror genre. Despite some of the blurbs from some of the early reviews, this is not a zombie novel. It's more like man-made Frankenstein plague.

On the face of it, many readers may want to compare this book to Stranger Things, but it soon is obvious that the resemblance is only superficial. The characters are more damaged, the action is much more frenetic and eventual outcome is much bleaker. If it wasn't obvious, I loved it. We need more cross-genre mashups like this.

5 Gory Stars.

The Loop- Jeremy Roberts Johnson

“But when I try to picture a utopia, where we, like, all rise above, and we’re kind and we grow as a species, I can’t see it. So either I’m too dumb to have that kind of vision, or I’m just smart enough to know that humans could never pull it off. It’s way easier to imagine dystopia, and war, and all the bullshit we’ve been living in.”

Strap in, bitches! We are not in a utopia, that’s for sure! This book is a high-octane ride from the very beginning. Lucy and Bucket are best friends, and just about the only brown kids in their crap hillbilly town of Turner Falls, Oregon. But Lucy is confident that they can make it through their senior year and put the town in their rearview as long as they have each other. Unfortunately, their plans fall apart one day in school when one of the rich kids attacks & kills the teacher with a textbook. In a matter of minutes, the room is swarming with police and he is shot. But not before Lucy & Bucket saw his strange blue eyes and saw that weird thing in his neck.
Something very wrong is going on in Turner Falls. And it all connects back to the giant biotech company IMTECH, who has decided to use the children of its own execs as guinea pigs for an insane experiment.
Now Lucy, Bucket, and another of their outcast friends Brewer are on a mission to save the world.
The promo material calls this book a conspiracy thriller, and that’s just about right- it will take you down all the rabbit holes of all the conspiracies you’ve heard out there: drones, government monitoring, implants. But it does it all through the lens of a badass female protagonist, so there’s that! Lucy is easy to root for. This book has everything a horror/thriller lover might want: lots of gore, a fast paced plot, and so much action!
But it just wasn’t my style. I’m more of a slow burn kind of gal. What really saved this book for me was the ending, where the language shifted from crass teenage dialogue (which was realistic, I thought) to a more poetic style. I won’t tell you why, but I’m glad I hung in until then. It really opened up at that point for me.

I gave this one almost four stars 3.75! But that is just a matter of personal taste. This book is well written and a lot of fun, and I think a lot of other people will just love it!

I did not realize this was a YA book before requesting. I found I was not a good reader for it, as I almost never read YA. The book opened with a dramatic scene, and I was interested for a while because of that.

The pace slowed dramatically, and I also had a hard time with some of the content in the first 1/4 of the book--references to animal abuse as well as references to "negging" behavior toward a young woman. I get that the author is not promoting these bad things, but I was just not expecting them and found them unpleasant, and so, not feeling caught up in the narrative, I didn't continue reading. I see that the book has a lot of good reviews, and I wish it well, but it was not for me. I am not posting this review.

Modern day Invasion of the Body Snatchers. This was a wild ride and I didn’t want to get off! I loved the strong female lead who wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty.

This book bills itself as a “heart-racing conspiracy thriller as a lonely young woman teams up with a group of fellow outcasts to survive the night in a town overcome by a science experiment gone wrong.” That is a spot-on plot description.

This book also bills itself as “Stranger Things meets World War Z.” There, I must respectfully disagree. The Loop and Stranger Things both involve teens dealing with something otherworldly, but there is little similarity in tone. And the oral history, reserved storytelling style of World War Z bears no resemblance to this tale.

The writing here is raw, and a little bit over the top. The pace is frenetic. There’s horror and gore, but there are also threads of raunchiness, even elements of a teen sex comedy. It has a clever opening that sets the mood and allows for a quick data dump of backstory. The main character, Lucy Henderson, is well-developed, far more so than any of the other characters. And the book has a really strong ending.

Rather than Stranger Things or World War Z, The Loop reminded me of the books of Scott Sigler and the cult classic movie Return of the Living Dead. Both are compliments. A fun, fast read.

This is truly the story of the end of the world as we know it. This was an intensely graphic tale that had me afraid to stop turning the pages, the characters were beyond flawed but so very real. The story was well told and easy to follow. High school student Lucy’s life is changed by trauma for the second time when a peer in class gouges out another student’s eye in front of her and the class. The events that unfold next appear ripped from the screen of a classic horror movie leading Lucy on an adventure to try to save the world from certain destruction.

When I started this book I really didn't think I was going to like it. But the story definitely pulled me in and the ending made it all worth while.

The good news? This book is an absolutely engrossing, exciting, attention grabbing story from the start.
The bad news? I finished it. What's next?

A small town group of teenagers find themselves engaged in a particularly gory battle to survive. Who are they fighting? Why, it's the crowd of rich kids that seem to have morphed into a group set on killing everyone in town. The story line does not sound that exciting but Jeremy Robert Johnson has definitely worked in some unexpected twists and a couple of turns that keep your eyes open and focus'd on the next page. An action packed thriller that went far too quickly.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy. DNF at around the 45% mark.

I initially wanted to abandon this much earlier. Beyond the promising opening scene, Part 1 was very boring for me. It felt like a YA novel, but not appropriate for younger readers. Another early review encouraged me to keep pushing through until the action started.

There's nothing <i>wrong</i> with it -- it's just pretty mindless action. If you want to read about troubled outsider teens trying to survive while their classmates have been turned into killer drones, this will fit the bill. But with the comparison up top to World War Z and Stranger Things I was expecting something a lot more engaging.

This is a great book with lots of weirdness and edge-of-your-seat action, and the ending is awesome. Jeremy Robert Johnson is a great writer and I look forward to more of his work.

My thanks to Gallery Saga Press, Netgalley, and especially the author Jeremy Robert Johnson.
I loved this book! I had heard that this was going to be made into a series on some Netflix, Hulu or whatever! I'm not one who usually cares about a t.v. thing. However, I loved the book enough to know that if it's on Netflix or Hulu, I'll definitely watch this!
Amazon, Apple, H.B.O.,and whatever? Nope.
This is a story that not only has character building, but "for me" I felt all the hurts. I loved some 4 to 6 people in this story. Which only made the last 60% horendous.
I do love an author who has the wherewithal to make us feel....Then, send a flaming bowling 🎳 ball at the end. This author is now on my Amazon wish list. Unless his books go on sale though, the wish list is where it will stay. Bummer dude!
I loved this book, a would definitely recommend it!
Good shit, Maynard!

I had high hopes of receiving this book early before it even had a posted cover on Netgalley, all due to the magical blurb "Stranger Things meets World War Z." But to say that this only met my expectations would almost be selling this book, and its author Jeremy Robert Johnson, short.

Yes, it definitely had some 'small town vs. evil corporation' vibes, and yes, this is a story of a contagion of sorts that alters humans and inexplicably turns them into monsters. But that is where the correlation ends for me.

I found this to be so surprisingly original, and it is now the first book of 2020 that I have essentially read in one sitting. All 320 pages, not skimmed, but devoured at a rate that surprised even me. There were so many emotional rollercoasters that this book took me on, not to mention the best most gruesome horror I have read in ages! I absolutely could not put this one down. And that ending! I was absolutely blown away! I will be recommending this to all of my friends who appreciate a solid and original horror/thriller story.

4.875/5 Stars for me!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Gallery Books for the early access to this title in exchange for my honest review.

Jeremy Robert Johnson has really outdone himself. Weird, gross, and action packed. Plus, the ending is killer.

If you are looking for an escape from the pandemic reality of life, The Loop may be a good way to go. This sci-fi/horror novel takes you in the sleep town of Turner Falls, a small town in Western Oregon, where people head to for a vacation from the pressures of city life. This is where we meet Lucy, Bucket, Brewer and a cast of snobby popular kids. Nearing the end of the school year, a tragedy strikes one of their classmates when he completely loses his mind and attacks their teacher. This act of violence is enough to shake the kids up, but it is just the beginning of an epidemic which turns the young people of Turner Falls into homicidal maniacs. There is a lot more at work here than a virus hitting this town, but you will have to read the novel to find out more, as there isn't much more I can give you without a spoiler!

Jeremy Robert Johnson does a great job of creating believable characters in the three protagonists mentioned above. You can't help but like them all with all their quirks and the difficulties they have faced growing up. I found myself rooting for them to come out on top and for the bullies to be crushed. Do they come out on top... well, I cannot tell you that either, so read the book.

If you are a fan of Stephen King, John Saul or Anne Rice, you will enjoy this novel. However, this book is not for the faint of heart as there is violence and gore, so don't say I did not warn you!

Thank you to Netgalley and Saga Press for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review!

Wow, I loved this book so much.

Usually, I give a few brief sentences about the rationale behind choosing the title I'm reviewing, but after finishing The Loop, announcing my adoration felt much more appropriate. Pitched as Stranger Things and World War Z, I had high hopes for an immersive apocalyptic read that did NOT revolve around a virus, and boy, did I get it.

Lucy is dealing with the stress from witnessing a horrific attack in her classroom. With her friends Bucket and Brewer, she decides to go to the caves on the outskirts of town for a party, unwind and forget the tragedy for a bit, but what they get is far more than they expected. Something seems to be infecting the affluent kids who live in The Exchange, causing violent outbursts and unabashed glee. Lucy and her friends need to escape from the caves, save their families, and find a way to survive the night--but what awaits them as they head into town is a bloody trail of carnage and life-changing destruction.

This book.

Where do I even start? Lucy is a superb MC. Tough, conflicted, compassionate, and real, she's got everything you want in a burgeoning apocalyptic heroine. I particularly loved her internal reflection on the horrible things she's forced to do, acknowledging that some part inside her had always yearned for the violence. She's frightened by this realization but doesn't shy away from it, instead embracing the survivalist in her and relishing the control it gives her in an impossible situation. Even before this, we see her trying to make sense of who she is, what it means to be an adopted orphan from Peru, what she wants for herself, how she wants others to view her, how to amend the memories of her past with her current family life--all while navigating being one of only two brown kids in the town and the Otherness she feels--this is a powerful examination of identity that should not be shirked or dismissed because of the overarching subject matter of a scientific experiment-gone-wrong; and where Lucy succeeds as a character--I'm hesitant to say Final Girl because she's so much more than that moniker implies--is when she finds a way to unite her separate ideas of herself in one superb moment (that I will not discuss because spoilers, but wow).

Additionally, JRJ writes with gusto, breathing life into this horror with the apparent ease of riding a bike. A simple thought or a brutal description, there is no short supply of imagery here, and the cinematic world-building is a masterclass in sci-fi horror. It's hard to bring a unique take to the genre--zombies, alien, apocalypse--but The Loop combined all my favorite elements from past takes into one visceral, never-ending roller coaster ride through the deadliest night Turner Falls has ever seen.

Fast-paced, brutal, and beautifully terrifying, The Loop is an 11/10 must-read for 2020. I could've read this book all day and will definitely be reading it again.

Big thanks to Gallery/Saga and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

The Loop by Jeremy Robert Johnson is a YA sci-fi thriller that I enjoyed but I had a hard time connecting with the characters and parts of the plot. The main character and narrator, Lucy, a picked-on minority in Turner Falls with a tragic past is now living with her adopted family and suffering through high school with the rich kids who call her things like ‘loogie’ and her best friend Bucket, Sandy, because of his ethnicity. The plot, while interesting seemed just a bit farfetched and hard to swallow with only the kids paying attention to the weirdness going on. It was entertaining and moved pretty fast. All in all, an enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Press for providing me with a DRC of The Loop in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 8.5/10

Thanks to the publisher and author for an advance reading copy of The Loop for review consideration. This did not influence my thoughts or opinions on the novel.

The Loop is a white-knuckle, face-bashing thrill-ride from the mind behind Skullcrack City and Entropy in Bloom. This is weird conspiracy thriller fiction to the max, and I’m all in. This was an absolute blast from beginning to end.

I’ve been kicking myself for a while now because I’ve had Skullcrack City on my to-do list but just haven’t overcome the towering bookstack to crack it open. When I saw JRJ had a new novel coming out this year, I made it a priority to refresh both NetGalley and Edelweiss on the daily until I saw The Loop come across. When I received an approval notification within a day or so of requesting, I decided to jump right in and see what all the fuss was about.

Needless to say, Johnson has the chops to write a story that is as engaging at the end as it is as at the beginning. Even with work, COVID anxieties, etc., I plowed through this book rather quickly, mostly due to the fact that I had an insanely tight grip on my Kindle throughout.

What begins as a podcast conspiracy rolls into a bloody massacre that leaves not a soul in Turner Falls to the wayside. Lucy is the focal point of the story, so everything is seen through her eyes, but we are introduced to an array of characters throughout the seemingly short timeline from beginning to end. Each of these additional characters plays a small but important role in helping Lucy crack the code, so to speak. She is a very likeable character who has had a rough go of it in her short life, but she shows off a heck of a lot more grit as the story progresses than you would figure in the early onset.

I feel like Stranger Things is becoming the new Game of Thrones comparison when drawing in the crowd, but I can definitely see a resemblance with the young cast, the overarching conspiracy, and the small town feel.

While the plot itself gave me some vibes of Stephen King’s Cell, Dean Koontz’s Demon Seed, and George A. Romero’s The Crazies, Johnson has written a wholly original, albeit bat**** crazy, novel that I think will appeal to fans of the former mentioned and those who enjoy a good zombie/body snatcher romp.

All in all, if you haven’t read any JRJ and like a bit of weird thriller fiction in your life, this is a pretty awesome starting point. If you are already a fan of JRJ, pick this up with 0 hesitation.