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bookishmillennial's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
This takes place at a summer camp which Stevie is recruited by the owner to join so that she and her friends (Janelle, Nate, David) can attempt to solve the 1978 murders of four camp counselors in the woods. They’re known as the “Box in the Woods” murders and had remained unsolved. I was expecting another few books to fully crack the case but Johnson provided a completely standalone mystery, which was equally shocking and impressive!
I can’t wait to continue on and read the next book. These books are cozy, funny, and sometimes extremely tense and stressful mysteries, and I love the anxiety representation in them too.
I highly recommend them, and it’d be cool if they adapted it into a movie series!
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Cursing, Blood, and War
kawaii_rose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Murder and Death
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Cursing
rissaandherbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Gore, Car accident, Child death, Gun violence, Murder, Drug use, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Cursing
Minor: Alcohol
jillkaarlela's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Age rating: 14+ (true crime gets graphic at times)
Moderate: Murder, Violence, Child death, and Death
Minor: Cursing
naomi_k's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Drug use, Cursing, and Panic attacks/disorders
sunsetcity's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Gaslighting, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Child death, Cursing, Death, Grief, Toxic friendship, Gun violence, Medical content, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
emily_mh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
The biggest issue was the pacing. There was no thorough investigation of the murders as there was really only one track that Stevie investigated, making the plot THIN. Why weren't there proper red herrings??? And then ALL of a sudden, Stevie has solved the mystery. I'm not even kidding, it just happens out the blue when I thought there would be at least a chapter or more till the big reveal.
The second worst thing was that I don't think Johnson did her research, which made it feel like a cash grab (this was not helped by the fact that the writing was a little sloppy and repetitive, which led me to think it had been rushed through the writing and editing process). Any person interested in true crime worth their salt KNOWS the significance of stabbing as a murder method, especially how many times a person is stabbed, and also knows that spree killers exist. These two things are incredibly relevant to the crime that took place, given four people were stabbed to death (a different number of times) in one night. Yet they are NEVER DISCUSSED.
Finally, the characters. Nate was a true saving grace in this. I loved him, and I loved his character development (even if THAT felt a little rushed and behind the scenes). I also liked that Johnson set it up in the beginning that the story would only feature Stevie, Nate and Janelle, as I really like this trio and their dynamic. But then DAVID comes on the scene. His presence was simply unnecessary, and he was only included to offer some relationship drama, which wasn't needed as it took space away from the already thin plot.
So, yeah. I did not like this. I really hope Johnson doesn't release any more books in this series because I will feel obligated to read them as I am a completionist, but I have lost all faith that I might enjoy them.
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Violence, Cursing, Gun violence, Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical content
Minor: Vomit, Blood, Cancer, Mental illness, Gun violence, Death of parent, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Suicide, Homophobia, War, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Sexism, Alcohol, Ableism, and Sexual content
Hunting, internalised misogyny, loss of a loved one, motorbike accident, incarceration, Naziscasreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, Child death, and Cursing
dilani's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Murder
Moderate: Car accident, Child death, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Cursing, Gun violence, and War
thebakerbookworm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The focus is definitely more plot heavy in this one though—it makes for a quick read, but there wasn't really a ton of development for our characters. I wanted David to be present for more of the story. I love the friendships that Stevie has with Nate and Janelle and those got more focus than her relationship with David, I thought. The new characters were interesting, though I don't think any would stick around for a new story (if there are ever more books about Stevie, which I would definitely still read).
I didn't guess the mystery and I liked how it all came together at the end. The story feels very fast though; I don't know if that was a good thing or not. By the end, I realized that not even a week had gone by. But I supposed such is the way with many mystery books.
This book didn't spoil anything much from the original trilogy, so I don't think you have to read the trilogy before reading this one. But I would recommend reading the trilogy first, as you'll understand the characters a lot better—they get more development and complexity in those books.
Graphic: Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Car accident, Cursing, Child death, Drug use, and Panic attacks/disorders