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impybelle's review against another edition
4.0
Slumber Party was the very first Pike book I ever read. It was so good that I immediately had to hunt down his other books. In retrospect, I'm betting my mother probably regrets picking this one out for me.
Despite being more than 20 years old, the book holds up well with some stilted dialog being the only thing that bugs me. I'm still a sucker for the backstory and the way it colors Lara's perceptions of her friends and their ill fated ski trip.
Plus, I've never quite managed to get the mental image of Nicole going up in flames out of my head.
Despite being more than 20 years old, the book holds up well with some stilted dialog being the only thing that bugs me. I'm still a sucker for the backstory and the way it colors Lara's perceptions of her friends and their ill fated ski trip.
Plus, I've never quite managed to get the mental image of Nicole going up in flames out of my head.
andryce's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
catladyreba's review against another edition
2.0
This was so, so bad. But so bad that it was....good? OK, maybe good is a stretch, but then again, it's not like I am reading this book for it's high literary merit. I convinced my friend Suz (wish I could @ on goodreads!) to listen to the podcast Teen Creeps with me and read the books they highlight. And, episode 1 is, you guessed it, Slumber Party. These books were such an integral part of my teen years, I could not wait to revisit them.
stephbookshine's review against another edition
3.0
I hadn’t read Slumber Party in my teens, but many of the beloved tropes that I remember so well are present here: there are no parents or other authority figure around that the girls can turn to; the location is isolated, and this is exacerbated by the weather; the main character has a secret in her past, and so does every other character; EVERYONE is a suspect!
One of the obvious observations, which I suspect will crop up more than once during the course of this feature, is that these books were written in a different time. The flippant jokes about issues like anorexia or disability were unremarkable in the fiction of 30+ years ago, but I just cannot imagine some of the attitudes in modern teen fiction and it actually felt a little shocking how much this dated the character interactions and dialogue.
The plot is straightforward and easy-to-follow (if the motivations are a little vague!). Six girls head up the snowy mountains for a girl’s weekend skiing and hanging out. Almost immediately odd events start to stack up, and everyone begins to act strangely, except for Lara – our main character – who is merely suspiciously calm about the whole thing! It soon becomes clear that the girls’ past has returned to haunt them, as someone is out for some rough justice… but who?
The six girls can be easily split into pairs for descriptive purposes: Lara and Dana are the ‘normal’ girls that the reader is supposed to identify with; Rachael and Mindy are the stereotypical Mean Girls (think Regina and Karen and you wouldn’t be too far wrong!) and Nell and Celeste are the studious, quiet, ‘good girls’ that act as the voice of conscience/reason. Of course, these are first impressions and EVERYONE has secrets!
It’s fascinating, again as a modern, adult reader, to note how obsessed the girls are with boys, to the extent of ignoring obvious warning signs because… paaaarty! Still, well, hormones are a thing. Even more interesting was how little this group of ‘best friends’ like each other. They have little in common, don’t enjoy each other’s company, and actively despise each others values and behaviours. I have no idea why they even thought it would be a good idea to speak to each other, let alone head off on a rural break!
That said, I did get a slight frisson during the climactic reveal, despite having sussed who the ‘villain’ was, and it was a nice, easy read. I would class this as a reasonable start to the series, which introduces the mild level of fear and some of the real-life teen concerns covered.
“When we were nine years old,” Lara began, “Nell had an accident.”
“It was nobody’s fault,” Dana interjected.
“She got burned,” Lara continued. “Her face and hands. She had to have extensive plastic surgery, which was very painful. She looks okay now, but it’s always there between us. You see, the accident that burned her – each one of us contributed to it.” Lara tried to smile to relieve the tension. “I guess you would call it our deep, dark secret.”
“Was anyone else hurt?” Celeste asked, stooping down to make a snowball.
Obviously she did not notice how badly the topic disturbed them.
“No.” Dana said quickly.
Do not talk about it. Do not remember.
“No one else,” Lara echoed weakly; not exactly a lie. Nicole hadn’t really been hurt.
Nicole had died.
– Christopher Pike, Slumber Party
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
One of the obvious observations, which I suspect will crop up more than once during the course of this feature, is that these books were written in a different time. The flippant jokes about issues like anorexia or disability were unremarkable in the fiction of 30+ years ago, but I just cannot imagine some of the attitudes in modern teen fiction and it actually felt a little shocking how much this dated the character interactions and dialogue.
The plot is straightforward and easy-to-follow (if the motivations are a little vague!). Six girls head up the snowy mountains for a girl’s weekend skiing and hanging out. Almost immediately odd events start to stack up, and everyone begins to act strangely, except for Lara – our main character – who is merely suspiciously calm about the whole thing! It soon becomes clear that the girls’ past has returned to haunt them, as someone is out for some rough justice… but who?
The six girls can be easily split into pairs for descriptive purposes: Lara and Dana are the ‘normal’ girls that the reader is supposed to identify with; Rachael and Mindy are the stereotypical Mean Girls (think Regina and Karen and you wouldn’t be too far wrong!) and Nell and Celeste are the studious, quiet, ‘good girls’ that act as the voice of conscience/reason. Of course, these are first impressions and EVERYONE has secrets!
It’s fascinating, again as a modern, adult reader, to note how obsessed the girls are with boys, to the extent of ignoring obvious warning signs because… paaaarty! Still, well, hormones are a thing. Even more interesting was how little this group of ‘best friends’ like each other. They have little in common, don’t enjoy each other’s company, and actively despise each others values and behaviours. I have no idea why they even thought it would be a good idea to speak to each other, let alone head off on a rural break!
That said, I did get a slight frisson during the climactic reveal, despite having sussed who the ‘villain’ was, and it was a nice, easy read. I would class this as a reasonable start to the series, which introduces the mild level of fear and some of the real-life teen concerns covered.
“When we were nine years old,” Lara began, “Nell had an accident.”
“It was nobody’s fault,” Dana interjected.
“She got burned,” Lara continued. “Her face and hands. She had to have extensive plastic surgery, which was very painful. She looks okay now, but it’s always there between us. You see, the accident that burned her – each one of us contributed to it.” Lara tried to smile to relieve the tension. “I guess you would call it our deep, dark secret.”
“Was anyone else hurt?” Celeste asked, stooping down to make a snowball.
Obviously she did not notice how badly the topic disturbed them.
“No.” Dana said quickly.
Do not talk about it. Do not remember.
“No one else,” Lara echoed weakly; not exactly a lie. Nicole hadn’t really been hurt.
Nicole had died.
– Christopher Pike, Slumber Party
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
miss_alaina's review against another edition
1.0
I decided to read this book alongside listening to the Teen Creeps podcast. Oh my goodness, this was terrible. The basic story wasn't too bad, but the execution was terrible.
First of all, all the girls treat each other terribly and don't seem to like one another at all - and yet they're all supposed to be friends! I don't know if there was a single scene where the girls weren't insulting each other in some way. Poor Dana took the brunt of it with repeated comments (not to mention Laura's inner thoughts) about her piggish appetite and face "only a mother could love".
Second, Christopher Pike's sexualization of these young girls was incredibly uncomfortable. Like, can we not talk about every girl's breasts? And what was with the horribly awkward scene where Laura walks into the bathroom while another character is showering and then thinks it's funny the other girl is "shy" and covers up? I understand what Pike was trying to do with this scene, but there has to be another way to make your point without Laura having no respect for the other girl's privacy.
Honestly, this book was so out-of-date and insulting that it was hard to look past all its flaws and see the story underneath. Unlikable characters, predictable plot, fat-shaming... the list just goes on and on. Maybe in somebody else's hands this would've been a good book, but, as it is, it's just terrible. Perhaps if I had read this as a kid and had fond memories of it then I would be able to give this book a pass, but as an adult in 2019 reading it for the first time, I give it a major thumbs down.
First of all, all the girls treat each other terribly and don't seem to like one another at all - and yet they're all supposed to be friends! I don't know if there was a single scene where the girls weren't insulting each other in some way. Poor Dana took the brunt of it with repeated comments (not to mention Laura's inner thoughts) about her piggish appetite and face "only a mother could love".
Second, Christopher Pike's sexualization of these young girls was incredibly uncomfortable. Like, can we not talk about every girl's breasts? And what was with the horribly awkward scene where Laura walks into the bathroom while another character is showering and then thinks it's funny the other girl is "shy" and covers up? I understand what Pike was trying to do with this scene, but there has to be another way to make your point without Laura having no respect for the other girl's privacy.
Spoiler
And finally - why is sexual assault okay with everyone??!? One character is clearly disheveled and upset after her encounter with a guy and Laura, the WORST FRIEND EVER, not only ignores this entirely, but INVITES THE ASSAULTER BACK TO THEIR HOUSE and says her friend won't mind him being there after what he did to her because she "likes aggressive men". Wow!Honestly, this book was so out-of-date and insulting that it was hard to look past all its flaws and see the story underneath. Unlikable characters, predictable plot, fat-shaming... the list just goes on and on. Maybe in somebody else's hands this would've been a good book, but, as it is, it's just terrible. Perhaps if I had read this as a kid and had fond memories of it then I would be able to give this book a pass, but as an adult in 2019 reading it for the first time, I give it a major thumbs down.
mslestat's review against another edition
3.0
This has everything a proper 80s teen horror novel should: a slumber party at an isolated house in the middle of a snow storm, a mysterious ouija board session, a tragic and disfiguring accident, spontaneous human combustion, revenge...
Add in references to Carrie and the Exorcist and it has to qualify for a bingo of some sort. Fun and quick like most Pike books, 3.5 stars.
Add in references to Carrie and the Exorcist and it has to qualify for a bingo of some sort. Fun and quick like most Pike books, 3.5 stars.