Wow. What a great read! I was hooked on this from the start and read it in one sitting. Fantastic summer read. Who doesn’t love a horror book set at a summer camp?

Taylor is a girl that has a lot going for her—she is a basketball player at school on a scholarship and is looking forward to basketball camp to sharpen her skills. However, things don’t quite go as planned, as she is sent to Camp Lanier for the summer to escape a trip to jail for stealing lip gloss. Immediately upon arriving, it is clear that things are not as they appear.

The story takes the reader through several twists and turns and shines a light on the dark history of the summer camp. A great cast of characters helps this novel shine.

I really enjoyed the prose in this novel, each character had their own distinct voice and it made this really fun to read. The horror aspects of the book were very well done and the author also does a fantastic job of blending history in with the story in his own way. There is also a great author’s note at the back which provides some background information.

Truthfully, I felt like this book could have been longer, but that is my only complaint.

Thank you to NetGalley who provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was surprised at what a fast read this was. It definitely reads a little like an 80s horror movie (in a good way) but also has important undertones relating to today's society. The plot is basically a young black woman at a prestigious school gets set up by her white friends to take the fall on a whole lot of shoplifting. The judge gives her an option of an insane prison sentence or going to this reformatory camp.

The camp is actually a functioning summer camp by a lake (very Friday the 13th-y). On one side is the summer camp for rich kids and the other is a work camp for teenagers who opt out of jail. Something far more sinister is going on at this camp and our protagonist is the chosen one to do something about it.

No spoilers but I found this book exciting and creepy and very horror movie-esque but thankfully without most of the splatter gore. Definitely an angsty read that will keep you up at night and never want to go to summer camp again.

My thanks to Sterling & Stone Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC. I would be interested in checking out some of this author's other work.

first thing first, thank you very much for allowing me to read your book early.

one thing I know for sure is that if Camp Lanier were real, I would most definitely not be going, but I can honestly say that I loved every part of this book from the start to the end. the plot twists, and the thriller/horror aspects of the way it was told. I found myself gripping my e-reader in anticipation of what was going to happen next the entire time.

I would definitely recommend this book to people who love this genre or even just want to dip into it!

When I saw this book was based on the legends about the real Lake Lanier, I had to read it. It’s a short and engaging read. I loved this fictional and scary YA take on the legend with the idea of a summer camp. Taylor’s character is flawed but she comes across as a real teenager struggling to fit in and she’s loyal to her friends to a fault. The plotting blended a slasher story and a haunting while touching on real world issues. I definitely recommend this one for fans of YA and horror.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. I tried hard to like this book. I was excited to read this because I know the stories about Camp Lanier and the town that was flooded. This book was very much a YA novel trying to be a horror novel. This could have been an amazing book but I feel like the characters were undeveloped and hard to relate to. The main character went from strong to weak. She was not consistent. The horror aspect was lacking for me as well.

WOW! CAMP LANIER by Sylvester Barzey is one powerful, take-your-breath, open-your-eyes, novel!! Heartbreaking, yes! Terrifying, yes!! Human Evil, most definitely!
Match all that up against our take-no-prisoners, persevere-till-it's-done, compassionate, yet easily frightened, intrepid heroine protagonist! Taylor is unstoppable! I love and admire her, and I hope, hope, hope, Mr. Barzey will deliver her an encore (many encores)!

A note as to the background: Lake Lanier is a real location. Very probably it is Haunted. (If not, it should be; it's death toll is amazing!) I live in this State, so I often hear both the news and the legends. The community of Oscarville was a real location. There's a lot of factual history behind this story, and even the fictional approach highlights and showcases the disgusting, dismaying, and horrifying, history of the treatment of the Black populace in this State, and in so many other States. Shameful history, shameful blot on this nation.

CAMP LANIER releases July 16. Do not miss it! Be prepared to be terrified, and to "live" inside these characters (both contemporary and past). And to Taylor: You're incredible!! ROCK ON!!!

Camp Lanier is a great spooky summer read. It has classic horror elements - summer camp with a strange past and a lake everyone's afraid of, eerie sounds and shadows in the woods, rumors swirling around town - and some modern updates. Without giving too much of the story away, this book reads a bit like a YA novelization of a Jordan Peele film and I am here for it. Camp Lanier is a fun and easy read that will also give you a scare. I look forward to reading more from this author.

This was a really good read. I liked the characters and the story. It messes with you to learn that some of the events of this book were true. You hear about things like that, but you never really get the details. And, of course, things like this are kept in the dark to keep people from looking bad.

But I digress. This was a quick read that kept me engaged and dying to know what was going to happen next. There were a few things that irritated me about the FMC, but the story was great. I would definitely read more from the author.

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC of Camp Lanier by Sylvester Barney. I loved this book, the back story and the writing were fantastic. It is social horror while also being creepy. Ghost stories and urban legends in the woods are notoriously scary. This book did not disappoint.

Taylor is sent to Camp Lanier after she is caught shoplifting. The urban legend is that an all Black town was forced out to create the lake. Taylor notices some odd things happening including kids running away. She is determined to find out why and if it is the Atlanta Ripper.

I struggled to get through this novel.
I wanted to like it so bad, but the writing, to me, was awful.

I enjoyed the concept of the novel, but the execution was terrible. This read more like a first draft.

I was looking forward to diving into this book, but unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. The story felt rushed and left me with more questions than answers. I think the author may have bitten off more than they could chew, trying to pack too many ideas into a single novel.

The characters were particularly problematic. I struggled to get a sense of who they were and what motivated them. The main character's personality was inconsistent, veering wildly from badass to cowardly. This made it difficult for me to connect with her.

While I was hoping for a scary horror story, the actual horror elements were underwhelming. The plot relied on overused tropes like creepy kids in white dresses and a serial killer with a leather face. The attempts at humor fell flat, feeling out of place and forced. One moment the characters would be terrified, and the next they'd be cracking jokes. This jarring tone change made it hard for me to become invested in the story.

Despite my disappointment, I did appreciate that the book is based on real events, which added a layer of authenticity to the story. The afterword by the author was also well-written and provided some interesting insights into their inspiration and research process.

Overall, this book wasn't my cup of tea.

This was so much fun and I flew through the book! I was reading it at night so every little noise I heard, I’d be freaked out! This gives off fantastical summer, horror, camp vibes. I used to work at a summer camp. ( my summer camp was a little different, for it was a weight loss summer camp ) So certain scenes I had a connection with. The one part in the beginning, with the girls going to the soda machine. I was like Soda?! You can’t have that!! Haha! There are a lot of historical facts in the book. Which I found very educational and informative. If you are looking for a campy, summer, horror. This book is worth a read. Even if you aren’t, I believe it is still worth checking out.

Thank you NetGalley, Sylvester Barzey, and the publisher, Sterling & Stone.

This was my first book I read by this author and certainly not the last. I flew through this book so fast.

The story focus heavily on racism and the horrible treatment of black people, that they still experience to this day.

It made me sit on the edge of my seat and I think the story is very impactful. Especially after finishing the book and reading it was loosely based on real events. Even though this story is part slasher, part ghost story, the real horror is definitely the racism.

Camp Lanier is a quick and easy read (easy as in, you can fly right through it, not the subject). I loved how the author was able to incorporate history into the story.

I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.
4.5 Stars

This was a wild and spooky ride! The summer camp vibes were spot on, and the supernatural aspect was amazing. It’s hard to find a good summer camp horror book, but this succeeded!

I thought this was done well. Not super scary but written in a believable way. It was fast paced and loosely based on historical events that happened at this lake. A girl will have to survive a week at this camp and people have been disappearing. What’s happening at this camp?? And will she be the next missing person?
I’ve heard a lot of terrible things about a lake like this near where I live and it’s all I thought about when I finished this.
Thanks Sterling & Stone via NetGalley.

3.75 stars

Loved it. This is my favorites sub-genre. Though it is a ya, it was still very entertaining and had all the greatest elements of this brand of horror. The writing was good and kept me captivated. I will definitely revisit this author in the future.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sylvester Barzey for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Camp Lanier coming out July 16, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I love camp horror stories, so I was excited to check it out. Taylor has had a rough time and has to work at the camp as community service. I loved the writing. I thought it was a good mix of history, slasher and ghost story. The characters were complex. I loved the ending. It was a short read, but loved it. I would definitely check out more books by this author.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys camp horror stories featuring diverse characters!

Camp Lanier is a YA horror with supernatural elements. As far as YA horror goes, it was entertaining though somewhat predictable. I did like Taylor's character, and the history of lake Lanier, but all in all the writing style was a little young for me.
Taylor is a black student in an affluent private school, who is befriended by a group of white girls who convince her to hang out and steal. Though wary she eventually joins in but when they are caught Taylor is the one thrown under the bus. When confronted with jail or community service at Camp Lanier she takes the later. But once there Taylor begins seeing a ghost, hearing cries at night, and when a girl named Mia goes missing and is brushed off as a runaway her and another camper team up to get to the truth. Are the missing kids of Lake Lanier do to runaways or is there a killer running around taking girls that won't be missed.
I give this book a 3.5⭐'s rounded down, but for me it is because the writing is more for a younger audience.
Thank you netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ghosts, camp and a slasher?!? I had a feeling going into this that I would love it, but I didn't realize just how much! It confronts racism and it is based on a real history of Lake Lanier. That made this book that much more horrific! I absolutely recommend this book to anyone who likes the camp, slasher, haunting tropes. Great for a summer read!

This was a great quick read! I really enjoyed the whole story and plot. Taylor gets thrown under the bus by her "friends" for shoplifting and gets community service at Camp Lanier. She arrives to be told there is no room for her so she can room with Victoria as alternates. The 2 girls become friends. Taylor starts to experience some weird things around camp, hearing things that no one can hear, seeing things that no one can see. She soon learns that every year people tend to go missing at Camp Lanier and are labeled as runaways. She does not believe this and teams up with Liam to figure out what is really going on. Taylor hates all things spooky and hates horror movies, but she needs to find her friend Mia after she mysteriously disappears. She may not like the truth but Taylor brings it out and exposes Camp Lanier for what it really is.