Thank you to NetGalley and CamCat Books/Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

A Misfortune of Lake Monsters by Nicole M. Wolverton is a summer creature feature that is surprisingly gory and is seemingly X-Files-inspired as we follow Lemon Ziegler. Lemon wants to leave Devil's Elbow, Pennsylvania and go to college to be a vet, but her family's weird legacy is all that's stopping her. Voted by her family to be the new Old Lucy, Devil's Elbow's own cryptid, Lemon feels all but stuck. Until a real cryptid shows up.

I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. I typically have a harder time reading YA because I find so many YAs boring, formulaic, and just not relatable in any sense. However, A Misfortune of Lake Monsters had me tapping through my kindle so fast. Between Lemon being a character who deserves so much and the story itself reminding me A LOT of an extended X-Files episode, this book has a lot going for it. Wolverton did such a great job with setting up Devil's Elbow and the legend of Old Lucy. Old Lucy has just enough detail to be creepy and leave room for a whole lot of gossip to spread her tale.

The only thing I was not a huge fan of was the romance in this. While I was rooting for it, I do wish that it took more of a backseat to the overall story. Especially when things really started picking up, I just do not care about teenage romances, especially as a thirty-something year old. Other than that, I loved this book. It's fun, a quick read, and the main character is really someone that you can get behind and cheer for.

Would recommend for my cryptid and X-Files lovers.

4 star read for me. Loved the story line and the characters were fantastic. Loved every second of this book. Super good.

In the months leading up to my high school graduation, I went through this weird phase where all I did in my free time was read & reread Paper Towns, and watch & rewatch Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Had this book been published at that time, it absolutely would have been added to my rotation of nostalgic, cusp-of-adulthood, friendship-focused adventure stories.

A Misfortune of Lake Monsters is now my favourite in the category, because it encapsulates everything I loved about the others but with added cryptids. Also, Lemon's teenage girl thoughts were almost uncomfortably reflective of my own around that age.

Lemon and her crew were super fun to follow around as they tried to solve the mystery of the lake monster in their town. I honestly couldn't put the book down as the crew began uncovering new things!

I don't usually read a lot of YA books, but I'm super glad I picked this one up. The writing was fun and easy to get through, but in my opinion not too simple as to detract from the plot of the book!

There was a lot of mention of conspiracy theories, which can be a super fun premise but for me it felt a bit heavy handed until it got to the end of the book.

Overall super fun book to read, and would definitely check out more of this authors work!

This was a pleasant surprise and very enjoyable story. Quick, easy read with well written characters. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

As a big fan of cryptozoology this tale of lake monsters pulled me in right from the start. Adding Lemon's journey for independence was a nice touch. I identified and believed the actions behind Lemon's words. Nicole M. Wolverton weaved a fully satisfying sci-fi plot with horror elements into a thrilling adventure. Very impressed.

Thank you to CamCat Books | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

I wasn't entirely sure how I would feel going into but I enjoyed the relationships between the characters and watching the mystery unfold.

This was not the book for me. I wish that books that had curse words would tell you this up front. I did not finish this book.
Thank you for the arc copy to read.
The low rating is because I didn't finish the book

If you are obsessed with stories about local monsters and love tales that feature a band of quirky friends trying to solve a mystery, you will like A Misfortune of Lake Monsters. But if you want these two elements executed perfectly in the same story, then you will absolutely fall in love with it. There is an Egyptian saying that roughly translates to "the spell has turned on its caster." I'm a sucker for stories that remind me of that saying.

One thing I wish to commend Wolverton on is how "visual" A Misfortune of Lake Monsters is. Wolverton does an amazing job of painting a picture with her words. The tone, the pacing, the descriptions, and the vivid characters and settings turned this book into a production. I genuinely felt there was a movie playing in my head as I was reading. So much so, in fact, that I could imagine what type of music that would be playing during certain scenes.

Another aspect I really enjoyed is the characters. With horror, I usually focus on the experience and don’t expect much from the characters, but Wolverton offers a highly appreciated surprise with her characters. Lemon, Troy, and Darrin are fun to follow because they feel like real teenagers. While I liked all of them for different reasons, I think Darrin is my favorite, but I can imagine that this is the type of story where each reader will have their favorite character. But seriously, Darrin is a national treasure and must be protected at all costs.

I won’t go into many details here because experiencing this story unfold without knowing anything in advance was definitely part of the fun for me. But if you want a fast-paced story that keeps you on your toes while somehow managing to both scare you and pull a laugh out of you, then A Misfortune of Lake Monsters is going to be one of your favorite reads of the year. This was a great debut by Nicole M. Wolverton, and I definitely want more stories like this from her in the future.

Thanks NetGalley & CamCat Books for the ARC.

I picked this up because I was intrigued by the premise, and it met my expectations. The characters are believable, and I enjoyed their friendship dynamic. The plot moved at a great pace, and getting both Troy and Lemon’s points of view added depth to the story. Fun read!

This is a fun YA horror novel, perfect for the summer. I will admit I didn't fully click with the writing here, so the reading experience wasn't as immersive as I'd hoped it would be, but it was a fun ride nevertheless.

A thoroughly enjoyable YA monster horror book with a splash of sci-fi. The horror is definitely on the lighter side but enough that I’ll have second thoughts when about to jump into a lake for the next few weeks. The characters are really well written with a great friendship between Lemon and her friends. There’s even a smidge of romance thrown in for good measure.
I managed to read this in one sitting over a few hours. The pace of writing kept me hooked and wanting to know more.

Thank you Netgalley and CamCat Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"A Misfortune of Lake Monsters" by Nicole M. Wolverton dives into the eerie depths of Devil's Elbow, Pennsylvania, where the tranquility of Lake Lokakoma harbors a dark secret. Lemon, a young woman wanting to escape her small-town confines, finds herself entangled in a bizarre family tradition: impersonating the town's legendary lake monster, Old Lucy, to attract tourists. However, when a real monster emerges from the depths, Lemon and her friends must confront a terrifying truth to save their community. This is a book that combines elements of horror and mystery as Lemon, her friends, and grandparents try to figure out the truth behind the appearance of the real monster. Before going into this review, I do want to provide some trigger warnings for death, gore, and an animal death (this was described in some detail and I found it to be incredibly sudden – this occurs in the first 25% of the book).

With a compelling dual point of view, Wolverton created a thrilling book that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The story unfolds with a sense of urgency, drawing you into a world where the line between reality and myth blurs. While the book mainly focuses on the horror/thriller elements, there is a bit of a shift towards sci-fi and secret government agencies towards the end of the book. This shift really made this book feel like a horror movie to me, which I absolutely loved. I can totally picture this book being made into a movie.

There is a lot of character depth in this book, which I really enjoyed. I wasn’t expecting much romance from a horror book, but I really enjoyed the relationship between Lemon and Troy. It definitely helped that we got to experience Troy’s POV in the book as well. Throughout, there is character depth with Lemon's relatable struggles and her friends' steadfast loyalty. One of the highlights of the book for me is the genuine camaraderie shared among Lemon, Troy, and Darrin. Their friendship adds layers of warmth to the narrative. They felt like actual teenagers (especially Darrin’s sometimes immature dialogue), and this cast of characters made me enjoy the book even more.

The pace throughout the book is fast; I found myself finishing this book in just one sitting as I wanted to know more about the truth regarding the monster. However, for a horror book, I did want more of a sense of dread and terror with the monster. There wasn’t that high of a kill count (nothing like “Jaws”), and I was expecting a bit more death and destruction when I first got into reading the book. I did enjoy the ending of the book and how everything wrapped up perfectly.

Overall, "A Misfortune of Lake Monsters" is an engaging blend of horror, mystery, and coming-of-age themes. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone looking for a YA horror/monster book.

Lemon Ziegler wants to escape rural Devil’s Elbow, Pennsylvania to attend college―but that’s impossible now that she’s expected to impersonate the town’s lake monster for the rest of her life. Her family has been secretly keeping the tradition of Old Lucy, the famed (and very fake) monster of Lake Lokakoma, alive for generations, all to keep the tourists coming. Without Lemon, the town dies, and she can’t disappoint her grandparents . . . or tell her best friends about any of it. That includes Troy Ramirez, who has been covertly in love with Lemon for years, afraid to ruin their friendship by confessing his feelings.


When a very real, and very hungry monster is discovered in the lake, secrets must fall by the wayside. Determined to stop the monster, Lemon and her best friends are the only thing standing between Devil’s Elbow and the monster out for blood.

A good quick read, this was a unique twist on a creature feature set in a YA horror novel. Fun and fast paced, this was a good read for an afternoon on quirky fun. 3.5 stars:)

For anyone in need of a book that you cannot put down, you’ve found it!
The authors ability create a vivid description of their fictional world will leave you completely captivated. A completely enthralling, nail-biting thriller that will leave you questioning the mystery even when the book is complete. A fantastic read.