The small town of Turner Falls, OR is best known as a small vacation town full of local restaurants, micro breweries and, most recently, an influx in biotechnology companies setting up massive data centers on the desert land. The largest is IMTECH and they've filed more patents in the last year than Google. Something's definitely up and even conspiracy theory podcast Nightwatchman is trying to sniff out the truth.

Meanwhile, teenager Lucy is trying to survive high school. Adopted from South America after the death of her birth parents in an alcohol related car accident, Lucy and the only other brown kid in school "Bucket" do their best to blend into this small town to make it out alive. However, after a few insane incidents around town involving "zombie=like" kids, a large party down at the beach caves unleashes a parasite that forces whoever stays alive to fight to stay that way.

Robert Johnson presents a fascinating plot centered around bioengineered parasites being tested on the teenages of a small town. I do wish there had been at least one other perspective included, perhaps from the scientific side, instead of only Lucy's. People react in many different ways when facing life-threatening situations and being able to see how another character handled everything would have provided a bit more depth to the overall narrative. As a lover of horror, I appreciated all the intense violence and gore while watching the main character come to terms with all the emotions swirling inside her.

A YA sci-fi thriller that I enjoyed but I had a hard time connecting with the characters and parts of the plot. 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 allowing me to review this book.

I'm rounding this story up to 3 stars due to originality and character potential. The story somewhat reminded me of "The Goonies" if the villains had turned into bloodthirsty zombies.

The unlucky teens, Lucy, Bucket and Brewer, found themselves attempting to save their town from an alien-like invasion after almost everyone had been "infected". I found the gruesome descriptions of violence and language out of sync with Lucy's philosophical thoughts. Almost like there were two different stories trying to mold into one. And even though I just finished, I'm already unclear on exactly what happened...

*Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the free copy of The Loop in exchange for my honest review.

For those looking for a feel-good novel, this is not it. The Loop is dark, violent and, frankly disturbing. It took me a while to connect with the characters because they are teenagers. I don’t like teenagers. Starting the plot with animal cruelty didn’t win any points with me. I can’t say that I enjoyed this read, but I liked it as a novel. There is very graphic violence, which eventually got to me, but I couldn’t put it down, like watching a scary movie from behind the couch, covering my eyes. And remember those teenage characters that I didn’t like? After spending time with them I really started rooting for them. Their determination helped me connect with them and I ended cringing and cheering for them. This is a hard read, but I liked it a lot.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Gallery Books!

Lucy, an adopted teen, and her best friend Bucket live in Turner Falls. One day during class, Lucy witnesses some strange and disturbing violent behavior from one of her classmates. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. A few weeks later at a party in a cave, Lucy, Bucket and Brewer come across some more violent behavior from their classmates and find themselves in a sticky situation.

What is going on in the small town of Turner Falls. Lucy is determined to find out.

What follows is a trippy and unique story. Definitely a wild ride. Jump on and enjoy the ride!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.

DNF at 49%.

The book is billed as a mix of Stranger Things and World War Z, but these are overly generous comparisons. I'm a squeamish dabbling horror reader who still really loved those two stories. Their appeal was the world building, relationships between characters, and use of different entry points into the story -- three things that felt sorely lacking for someone who came to the story expecting them based on the description.

The first two chapters were strong and compelling, but I struggled to get through the cave scene and just couldn't come back from there. There was some crudeness early on that just didn't sit well with me, and then made me question whether I was being a prude, until I saw other reviews make the same point.

Small towns always have high school cliques. The outsiders always think there’s something f@cked up with the popular kids, this time it’s way worse. This quick read flows like a late night podcast and has a satisfying grit of reality suspended in its fantasy. Read it for the hero.

This book started off so strong and had an amazing beginning. I adored Lucy the main character and her best bud Bucket and love interest of sorts, Brewer. I had such high hopes after reading the first 25% but then it all started to go downhill from there.

Honestly I have to blame myself for this. I haven't read zombie fiction in years and now I remember why I stopped. Once you've read one you have basically read them all. While this book doesn't have zombies, per se, it has teenagers that turn into flesh eating maniacs caused by a local biotech company. So we have Lucy and pals on the run for the entirety of the book. Rinse and repeat for 200+ pages. It just became so tedious and boring. It's hard to imagine that a book so gory and violent could be boring but there you have it. I honestly stopped caring about anyone and all I could focus on was how much longer until I was finished. 2 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was the first book by this author for me. I enjoyed the pacing and uniqueness of this plot. I definitely will look out for more from this author.

I really enjoyed this book. A small town is taken over by an epidemic and the teenagers become ill. Once they are ill they turn extremely violent and often have thoughts of murder or actually carry it out. There is a lot of violence, gore and explicit language in this book. Lucy is a bad ass and I really enjoyed her character. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this book was like a rollercoaster ride.
I had previously read "In the River", by Jeremy Robert Johnson and despite enjoying it, I failed to feel for it as much as the majority of the people who were raving about it and found it incredibly touching. When I was invited by NetGalley and Saga Press to read a copy of "The Loop", I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I am so happy I took the opportunity to read it though. This book was crazy ~ in the good sense.

The plot follows a teenage girl in a small town. After a very strange and incredibly violent incident at school, the school year wraps up early in the town, and the rich students throw a graduation party. Despite it being out of character for her, the girl decides to attend the party, which soon escalates into a Hell on Earth that quickly spreads to the whole town.

This was an incredibly fast-paced novel, that I intentionally put down often because I wanted to make the ride last. I could have easily read this in 1-2 sittings, but I wanted to spend more time with these characters and in this world before everything was revealed and the story came to an end. This book is perfect for fans of coming of age horror, as well as those with an affinity for conspiracy theories. Oh, and the action kill-scenes are really out there, holding nothing back. I really enjoyed this book, and I'm very grateful for the opportunity to read it via NetGalley in exchange for my review.

’A small town nestled in the hills of central Oregon becomes the epicenter of an epidemic of violence when the teenaged children of several executives from the local biotech firm become ill and aggressively murderous.’

THE LOOP, the first book I have by Jeremy Robert Johnson, and I can’t wait to read more. A disturbingly unputdownable ride—and that ending—My Heart!

Thank you, NetGalley and Saga Press, for loaning me an eGalley of THE LOOP in exchange for an honest review.

This book was action-packed and such a ride! It was engaging and thrilling and perfect for the Halloween season! I loved the world and the characters. I often found myself staying up late past my bedtime in order to finish the chapter that I was reading!

Coverage for Frolic can be found here: https://frolic.media/perfect-pairings-books-and-horror-movies/
(It is a Halloween inspired post that pairs novels with Halloween films!)

Thank you for sending an early copy!

One night tale of small town horror and bloodbath as a biotech company's fast tracked new device tested on teens takes over the town. This book has it all, coming of age teen drama, blood, guts, extreme violonce and language. Enjoy the ride!

Buckle up your seatbelts! Hold onto your hats! "The Loop" by Jeremy Robert Johnson is one heck of a ride! Think "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" meets "Zombieland" meets "The X-Files" meets "The Breakfast Club!!"

This book grabs you from its opening chapter and does not let go even when the very last word is read! I'm not going to say much more than that as this is one of those genre-blending novels that is best read without too much foreknowledge! A word of warning however...this book contains both violent scenes, explicit language, and graphically descriptive passages. It is not for the easily offended or faint of heart, but this in no way detracts from the novel's impact! It is totally in keeping with the book's overall tone and totally propels the story from start to finish.

My sincere thanks go out to both NetGalley and the author for the privilege of receiving an advanced digital copy of "The Loop" in exchange for a fair and honest review! Mr. Johnson, I am googling your previous works just as soon as I press SUBMIT!!😉

#TheLoop
#NetGalley

This thrilling novel is part movie Disturbing Behavior and movie The Cabin in the Woods with a bit of a nod to Stephen King and I loved every word. The action begins almost immediately and the characters are relatable and quickly become important to the reader. As long as you subscribe to the “We need to do something” camp instead of the “How/why is this happening” one, you will love it too. I may have felt once or twice like I wanted a little more explained but that thought quickly vanishes like when you realize you had to turn as you speed by your exit! This book is exciting, fun, funny, and interesting.

This was okay but it really reminded me of a Konrath book. I think I had trouble getting into it because of that

Well, the Stranger Things comparisons are not unwarranted. That said, nobody should approach this book expecting the exact same tone as the show. The Loop is, and I mean this as high praise, much nastier. The gore is plentiful and graphic. No characters are safe. The absolute nadir of human depravity, greed, and arrogance is consistently dredged up. And, without getting into too many details or spoiling anything, the central threat is downright terrifying. Man, I liked this book a lot. I'm not usually THAT scared or unsettled by this kind of horror novel. Reading The Loop, I was absolutely squirming in my seat. Highly recommended. Though fair warning, take all the pop culture touch points from recent reviews (The Twilight Zone, The X-Files, Stranger Things, World War Z, etc.) with a grain of salt. The Loop very much stands alone as an original work of character-driven science fiction and horror.

Speaking of characters driving the story: they're all wonderful. Especially Lucy. Jeremy Robert Johnson really takes the time and effort to let us inside her head and to know her fully. You care about her right away and the ensuing chaos and destruction are all the more compelling through her perspective

Sadly, this was not a story for me. I could not get myself immersed in this world no matter how hard I tried. And believe me, I tried. I wanted to love this story and get freaked out by it. But, it didn't seem to happen for me. Especially, with the pace of the story and how little of a connection I felt to the characters that were introduced.

The writing style didn't get me to love this either, as the more I read, the more I wanted to put this novel down, which is never a good thing. Sometimes, a slow burn is well appreciated, but here there was neither that, nor a desire to find out what was really going on with the teens in this world. For all of that, I'm sorry that it just couldn't have gone another way for me. I wished it wasn't so.

***I received this copy from Gallery/Saga Press, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the review copy!

TW: Sex and Voilence

The synopsis of this book drew me in and I was excited when I got the email I was approved through Netgalley.

This story is solid and was told great. It has it spooky moment but it is by far not a horror book. it was like reading a goosebumps novel and I loved it! The plot was great and the characters were very flushed out.

I recommend this read!