Sleep away summer camp makes a great setting for a murder mystery, and Jessica Goodman delivers on that in The Counselors.

I didn’t love Goodman’s first YA mystery, They Wish They Were Us. It suffered from a common problem for the subgenre (quality of mystery and solve sacrificed for pacing), so I was pleasantly surprised by this book, which gives the reader a good quality mystery with a good solve, yet still maintains the fast pacing that seems to be a requirement for all YA mysteries.

Goodman does a good job of casually dropping clues throughout the narrative while keeping the reader guessing (I was sure I had it figured out, but I wasn’t quite right in the end), and makes you care enough about the characters to be invested in their ultimate fates.

The central friendship trio in the book is a one you desperately want to root for, even if a lot of the secondary characters aren’t exactly the most lovable group.

Goldie is a townie, an outsider, a girl haunted by a dark secret she must keep. She is alone. Except during the summer. In the summer, her friends arrive on yellow buses and memories build at Camp Alpine Lake. Once campers now counselors, Goldie and her best friends Imo and Ava, have sworn to the heavens that despite their class and fiscal differences they are always “sisters by choice.”

And then Goldie’s ex boyfriend washes up dead on the lake shore. And then everything is sideways, and Goldie realizes very quickly that she’s not the only one with a dark secret that someone might kill to protect.

This book wasn’t what I’d call a thriller, honestly, but it was absolutely a cozy sentimental camp mystery to those who have fond memories of summers spent by lakes, color wars, friendship bracelets, and late night bonfires with friends you swear you’ll never ever forget.

This was such a great story of friendship and priorities, a solid mystery to boot, and though I would have liked more of the “camp thriller” with the knives and the blood and the Scream Queens of the 80s—this book does an excellent job of wrapping summer mystery with comforting nostalgia. And who can complain about that?

*Thank you to Penguin group, Jessica Goodman, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Previously published at https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/the-counselors/

“A lot of parents pack up their troubles and send them off to camp.” –Raymond Duncan

Ah, summer camp. Such happy memories of swimming in a river, bonfires, and friendship. But The Counselors is so much more than water fun and singing camp songs. In one book, Goodman has written about murder, first love, complicated families, and the power of female friendships, even when they make little sense, and written it all in a way you don’t want to put it down. It is fast-paced, exciting, and tugs at your heart bones. While they categorize this as a young adult thriller, it is a mystery that stands on its own.

Goldie Easton has been a part of Camp Alpine Lake, a haven for the elite’s children, since she was a child. Though she is a “townie”, living full time in the small, depressed town of Roxwood, Vermont, where Camp Alpine Lake lives, she has made a friendship with Ava and Imogen that will last a lifetime. Or will it? Usually their time outside of camp is filled with texting, visits to NYC where Ava resides in a penthouse, or to Roxwood, where they eat maple creemees and snuggle. But this year has been different. They have not been in touch as much as they are all keeping big secrets, afraid of being judged. Ava and Imogen don’t know the bigger secret: Goldie has taken up with a boy in town, Heller, and they were in an accident that transformed both of their lives. When Heller is murdered in the lake at camp, Goldie suspects everyone, but especially Ava, who left the camp the night he is murdered. Goodman is absolutely brilliant at capturing what it feels like to be a teenager on the verge of becoming a young adult, how heightened everything feels and how high stakes every single event in your life seems.

There are so many things that stand out about this beautifully written mystery. The flow and pacing of the story is spot on. The Counselors is told from Goldie’s point of view and alternates between her current life at camp and flashbacks to other times in her life including happy times with Imo and Ava, her time with Heller, and the accident that changed her life. There is such a delicious build-up of tension throughout the story, it defines what it means to be a page-turner.

The author built up a mystery similar to a puzzle, with the story going in all different directions but everything connected to Goldie, Ava and Imogen. Every time the reader suspects what has happened, there is another “clue” to take us in a different direction.

The friendship between Goldie and her two friends is the genuine star of this novel. Ava and Imogen are the “rich kids” but never make Goldie feel like a “townie”. But as they grow older in the book, there are certain things that divide them but don’t separate them. I loved their camaraderie, their affection towards each other and their strong link. While they all have been keeping secrets, it doesn’t separate them. It felt empowering as a female to read about them.

This is my first novel by Jessica Goodman, and I devoured it. It kept me on edge with the tension and strong characters. The mystery was well thought out. Goldie is so relatable, in her first relationship with one of the most popular boys in town, willing to lie so she can save his future. I enjoyed everything about The Counselors and can’t wait to read more from this author.

The Counselors is the perfect, fast-paced summer read and I really enjoyed it.

This book sucked me in from the first page- I loved everything from the setting of the summer camp to the friendship between Goldie, Ava, and Imogen. Reading this made me wish that I had gone to summer camp when I was younger.

I really enjoyed the mystery/thriller aspect of this and I think it was really well executed. There was the perfect combination of an intricately woven plot with the joy of being at summer camp. The book is filled with twists and turns that I didn't see coming, and the ending was a complete shock to me.

I loved The Counselors and I would definitely recommend it to people who love fast-paced thrillers (that aren't too scary). I will definitely be reading Jessica Goodman's other books after finishing The Counselors.

Thank you Net Galley and Penguin Teen for an ARC of The Counselors in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a sucker for the sleep away camp trope when it comes to a murder mystery and The Counselor’s definitely delivered the vibes for me, making it my favorite Goodman book so far! To be honest, her first two books were meh to me so when I was sent a copy of this one, I was nervous because it sounded amazing and I wanted to love it.

From the first page though, I could tell this was written better and had potentially and I was immediately sucked into the plot. I genuinely didn’t start guessing about what was happening until the very end and was still wrong when it came down to it haha.

The Counselors made me wish I had the chance to attend summer camp when I was a kid. The food, the laughter and the friendships made definitely seem unbeatable and the friendships that were made at this particular camp are the focal point of this story. It’s about camp, but also about long standing friendships, secrets and what someone would do to cover up their very own secrets. This story is told through out “now” and “then” point of view, which I genuinely enjoyed and felt like we got a well rounded out story because of it.

I definitely feel like The Counselors is the perfect murder mystery for summer to just pick up and binge!

I went into this one chasing the high of <i>They’ll Never Catch Us<\i> because I was definitely blown away with how Goodman stepped up her game after They Wish They Were Us. But I have to say that this one was the weakest of her three books so far, which was really disappointing.

Goldie is one of the locals in the small Vermont town that is home to Camp Alpine. Every year, Goldie looks forward to returning to summer camp to be reunited with her best friends Ava and Imogen, and now they will be counselors together in their last summer before college. Ava and Imogen are unaware of a huge secret that Goldie is hiding, and everything comes crashing down when the local boy it involved turns up dead at Camp Alpine.

I was initially drawn to the mystery surrounding Goldie and this intense connection she had with the boy who left her in pieces. The jumps between the past and present POV just made me focus on the past, and by the time that we got the answers, I felt that it was just unsatisfactory.

I did appreciate the insight into friendships and the lengths that people will go to in order to protect their loved ones as well as their own secrets.

That being said, the ultimate killer and big bad was just not a direction that I wanted to see this story going. Hopefully Goodman’s next story is more up my alley.

<i>Thank you to Penguin Teen for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.<\i>

This one was a really great summer time read. I have read one of this authors past book and it was good but not great. This one though was way better and I devoured it pretty quickly. I really liked the characters, especially the main one. I also liked both of her closest friends. I did feel like we got a ton more depth on one of them than the other and while it made sense for the story, I wish there had been more. I thought the mystery was well done and everything was tied up nicely.

*thank you to Penguin for a copy his eArc in exchange for an honest review*

Another thrilling from Jessica Goodman, this one follows a set of teens who go to Camp Alpine every year. Following a rough end to her high school career, Goldie Easton is ready to leave real life behind for 8 weeks and enjoy her summer with her two best friends just like every summer. Working as junior counselors this year, Goldie wants everything to be the same as it always is,, even though everything has changed. She’s not going to college next year because of what happened and she doesn’t know how to tell her friends exactly how messed up everything got this year.

Jessica Goodman always writes fun not quite real, wild teens and it’s one of my favorite parts of her writing. In that, this story did not disappoint. This one’s mystery and suspense was a little lack luster. I saw the end coming early on, and it felt like it was missing something i can’t put my finger on. I loved the setting of the camp in the woods, and the us versus them part of the Richie Richie and “townie” groups. But i think i was expecting something a little more creepy in the woods up north with no cell service and it was a bit of a let down.

This hooked me from the start and kept me guessing until the jaw dropping end. I absolutely love how Jessica Goodman spins intrigue and plot twists into her stories. Really enjoyed how this cut between Goldie’s past and the present, it helped me understand her so much better. The ending left me speechless and was the last thing I was expecting! So good! *I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely adored this thriller! Jessica Goodman’s writing is always so haunting and beautiful. The book is fast-paced and it will keep you up at night in the best way possible.

Another excellent YA thriller by Goodman. I liked this one better than her last - the characters were more relatable.

Complaints -

Goldie’s character was unbelievably naive.

The bad guys were very much a caricature of real people.

Overall tho, I sped through this one and loved the scooby doo type ending.

Calling all fans of summer camp suspense novels! "The Counselors" is a great follow up to "They Wish They Were Us" and "They'll Never Catch Us"

Goodman has delivered once more with a twisty, unexpected thriller set at a summer camp.

First, I love a summer camp novel and so I was all-in from the cover reveal. Second, this book had so many great facets to it that I wish I could make a podcast about. Alas, I will attempt to briefly explain my thoughts below.

Similar to They Wish They Were Us (which talked a bit about sexism), this book addresses more than just murder. It talks a bit about classism and privilege. While this was not the focus, I always appreciate that Goodman's books are about more than what's on the surface. It hammers down the fact that she really puts some thought into her stories and plots.

The book flips between the past and present which is typically not something I love, but I didn't mind it here. It was definitely a critical aspect of the story and the finale.

I liked the female friendship in this book. The plot explores some of the complications with it (which mainly have to do with the mc, Goldie, imo). The three ladies are strong and very funny at times so it was enjoyable to follow them on this thrilling adventure.

I didn't love the main character. I appreciated her efforts in trying to solve the murder mystery and whatnot, but, like many slasher movies, she made many stupid decisions. There were so many times I wanted to yell at her for not asking for help or for not telling the truth. In the end, things were set right, but not from our main character. Not really.

Overall, this was another great thriller from Goodman and I can't wait to see what she comes out with next!

This one missed the mark for me. I've read Jessica Goodman before and enjoyed other books by her, but this one not so much. I think I was expecting or thinking I was going to get something different with a more amateur detective-type story and more mystery.
It was about these 3 girls that are like 3 sisters who have always been or gone to summer camp together and having Goldie's ex-boyfriend show up dead that summer by the lake. Goldie reflects on the past with her ex and at the summer camp. She also reflects on her relationships with her two best friends and how things have or are changing. After her ex-boyfriend shows up dead, she starts to do some searching and snooping around a bit to find out what happened, who killed her ex-bf, and why. The sister friendship with Goldie and her friends is a strong one that plays into the story as well, but like I said I was expecting and looking for more than I got out of this story. If you like Jessica Goodman, summer camp stories, light, and easy not too much mystery or anything then this could be something you'd enjoy reading. It just wasn't for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group, and Razorbill for letting me read and review this story. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is my first book by Jessica Goodman. Overall, I enjoyed it! I feel like it did start off a little slow for my taste.

While I normally don’t like the Then and Now type of book, it actually worked for me in this book. It really helped set up the storyline.

The book made me want to go to summer camp! I never went as a kid and it made me feel like I was missing out. However, I wouldn’t want to have a dead body show up at my camp.

The timeline in the book confused me a little bit. A whole summer passed without us really knowing it was going by.

I do love me a red herring! That was probably my favorite aspect of the book.

I love a camp setting and this one was perfect. Camp Alpine Lake is located in the town where Goldie lives and she grew up there, as a kid of staff members and now a counselor along with her two best friends. After a very hard senior year, Goldie has a lot going on that she hasn't told her friends about. I was able to predict part of what was happening, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of this story. This is another one where I had the ebook and the audio and I chose to listen. I really enjoyed the dual timelines of the summer and Goldie's senior year and uncovering what happened to her!

Not sure what I was hoping for when I picked this book. Maybe more mystery, maybe more sinister, maybe more darkness? It ended up being a contemporary story with a bit of a mystery. It is a story about coming of age, it is about privilege, it is about friendship, and secrets.

Goldie and her two best friends Ava and Imogen met at a camp, where they used to be part of the summer kids. Now they come back as counselors, but all three are hiding secrets that they don't want to share. It seems like those secrets are making cracks in their friendship, and it will be tested when one of the local boys is found dead in the lake on camp property. Now Goldie has to explain how she knows the boy to her friends, and figure out how the boy died. There are darker secrets hiding in this camp, than just what the girls are hiding.

Like I said, I wanted more sleuthing and more sinister. It was more about reminiscing what happened in the year prior to the camp. About learning what friendship means, and how one feels when they are not as privileged as their friends. It was cute, kind of sad, nothing I'll think about weeks later.

The counselors by Jessica Goodman is a ya thriller and it's her newest book that came out today! May 31, 2022! So happy book birthday to this amazing thriller.
So I didn't know anything about this book and when I started to physical reading it I really enjoyed it, I haven't phsically read anything in a while. Minus graphic novel. So to sum it up I really enjoyed it!
This follows our main character name goldie and she is involved in this summer camp that is near ur place and she has been going to this camp since she was a kid! And now it's her turn to become a counselor! Until the day before she starts her job up she finds out her ex boyfriend is dead in lake and they have to figure out who and what and how he died.... That's all I'll say about that but when I was reading I kept turning the pages over and over to make sure I was reading the twist right because I didn't see that twist coming! Also the friendship dynamic in here was amazing every time Goldie and ava and imogen was on the page I couldn't stop laughing or smiling! This was my first book I've read from Jessica Goodman and I'll totally check out their other two books since I loved this one so much! Five out five stars!(:

Jessica Goodman does it again and has my 80s horror camped theme loving heart happy!!! Instantly that cover drew me in and anything that has to do with summer camp and mysteries or murder has me sold.

Ava, Goldie, and Imogen are the best of friends, sisters for life. They developed their friendship through the years at Camp Alpine Lake and now this year they are the camp counselors. Goldie’s been a bit on edge with secrets, and when her ex boyfriend turns up dead in the very camp lake shes working at, she realizes others have been keeping lies too.

I loved this fast-paced summer camp thriller. You have friend each with secrets you’d never expect. How can the best of friends truly not know each other. I ,over the alternating between past and present to build up the story and the characters. I honestly just loved and devoured this book.

I can’t wait for Jessica’s next book!

I found The Counselors to be an immersive slow-burn thriller. I enjoyed how it was told in alternating timelines. I never attended summer camp but I could imagine the bonds that would have formed were much like those that Goldie did. Part of me wishes Goldie would have been honest sooner, but I also understand her fears. I definitely wanted to read to find out if I guessed the killer correctly! If you want a mystery with teen drama you should check this one out. I can't wait to see what Jessica writes next.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.