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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I could drive a (stick shift) truck through the plot holes, but it was still an enjoyable read anyway. It kept me wanting to come back to it and see what twists and red herrings I would encounter along the way to the conclusion. PS why did she need the counselors to be drunk half the time? It was so implausible that it was distracting.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content
mysterious
medium-paced
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 stars
I didn't care much for Jessica Goodman's first novel, [b:They Wish They Were Us|48717442|They Wish They Were Us|Jessica Goodman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1582659617l/48717442._SY75_.jpg|68119443], but I'm a sucker for a summer camp mystery. Probably thanks to my undying love for The Parent Trap. So I decided to try her again with The Counselors, and the summer camp setting did not let me down.
I really loved this book up until the last 15% or so, when the end completely unraveled. As it was happening I thought, eh, okay, not great but believable. But the more I thought about each piece, the less any of it made any real sense and the more it felt like the author just phoned it in. This was still fun to listen to, but I'd say that's mostly for the camp atmosphere, and not for the mystery.
I didn't care much for Jessica Goodman's first novel, [b:They Wish They Were Us|48717442|They Wish They Were Us|Jessica Goodman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1582659617l/48717442._SY75_.jpg|68119443], but I'm a sucker for a summer camp mystery. Probably thanks to my undying love for The Parent Trap. So I decided to try her again with The Counselors, and the summer camp setting did not let me down.
I really loved this book up until the last 15% or so, when the end completely unraveled. As it was happening I thought, eh, okay, not great but believable. But the more I thought about each piece, the less any of it made any real sense and the more it felt like the author just phoned it in. This was still fun to listen to, but I'd say that's mostly for the camp atmosphere, and not for the mystery.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This felt like a fast read to me and the only reason it took 'long' was because I had to do other things. I found the story and the world fascinating and I wanted to stay at this summer camp as long as I could. Despite the murder, the summer camp was so cool. I loved the story and the group of friends that we follow. It was a delight.
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was so disappointed by this book! The premise was so good but honestly it fell so flat. The twist was predictable and the characters weren’t exactly loveable. The setting were interesting which is why it got a 2 and not a 1.
dark
medium-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
I was really, really annoyed with the main character for letting a boy use her like that. And then for her to still think she’s in love with him?? No.
Ava the best friend was unlikeable as well, and the motive for the mystery is not something teenagers would care about.
I loved the camp setting, but that’s about it. Which is a bummer because I’ve loved a couple of this author’s other books.
Ava the best friend was unlikeable as well, and the motive for the mystery is not something teenagers would care about.
I loved the camp setting, but that’s about it. Which is a bummer because I’ve loved a couple of this author’s other books.
Summer camp seemed like the perfect location for a thriller book...and then the big plot twist that was the motivation for the murder mystery was tax evasion.
This book had so much potential, but the fact that I hated every single character with a burning passion ruined the entire thing for me.
Goldie was an idiot for taking the fall for Heller, and the fact that he even asked was ridiculous. And then the entire book she whined about how much she loved him and wished he would've taken it all back and loved her again. It was so nonsensical. And every time she found out that someone knew, she got irrationally angry that they didn't expose her for lying, like it was everyone else's job to fix the mistake she made.
Then there's Ava, whose hatred of her sisters royally pissed me off. We get it, you're pissed that your dad left your mom and has a new life but the girls didn't do anything wrong, and then to spend time with them in secret all summer and then be like, "oh I actually love them." 🙄🙄 I also hated how hot and cold she was with Goldie. Like, she knew the truth and then after that first attempt to talk to her about it, she gave up and decided to just be a bitch the rest of the summer. What was the reason?!?!
Lastly, Imogen was fine. She was a better friend and way more supportive, but the girl needed more depth outside of her relationship status, and there wasn't any.
In the end, I don't understand how anyone could love a summer camp enough to do any of the things that happen in this book. The entire thing was nonsense.
This book had so much potential, but the fact that I hated every single character with a burning passion ruined the entire thing for me.
Goldie was an idiot for taking the fall for Heller, and the fact that he even asked was ridiculous. And then the entire book she whined about how much she loved him and wished he would've taken it all back and loved her again. It was so nonsensical. And every time she found out that someone knew, she got irrationally angry that they didn't expose her for lying, like it was everyone else's job to fix the mistake she made.
Then there's Ava, whose hatred of her sisters royally pissed me off. We get it, you're pissed that your dad left your mom and has a new life but the girls didn't do anything wrong, and then to spend time with them in secret all summer and then be like, "oh I actually love them." 🙄🙄 I also hated how hot and cold she was with Goldie. Like, she knew the truth and then after that first attempt to talk to her about it, she gave up and decided to just be a bitch the rest of the summer. What was the reason?!?!
Lastly, Imogen was fine. She was a better friend and way more supportive, but the girl needed more depth outside of her relationship status, and there wasn't any.
In the end, I don't understand how anyone could love a summer camp enough to do any of the things that happen in this book. The entire thing was nonsense.