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A review by liamunderwood
Beach Party by R.L. Stine
1.0
R.L. Stine played such a formative role in my childhood. I've been fairly enjoying reading Goosebumps, but I'm having way more fun revisiting Point Horror. Except, unfortunately, for R.L. Stine's entries. Both The Baby-Sitter and The Boyfriend were disappointing, but they were at least written in a compelling way and I found myself quickly devouring the books. The same could not be said for Beach Party.
The book opens with the line 'Karen Mandell drove the way she did everything else in life - foot down hard on the gas, full speed ahead, never look behind.' It's all downhill from here. There is one memorable scene in this entire book, but the rest is just excruciatingly boring to read. The plot centres around the dilemma of which boy should our protagonist, Karen, choose to spend her time with - Jerry or Vince. Jerry has a girlfriend, and Vince is supposed to be dangerous. I didn't particularly care for either of her options so struggled to really buy into this dilemma. The ending is also incredibly weak, even by Point Horror standards.
Beach Party is the first Point Horror book that I've found boring. Although flawed, the others all have at least something going for them, or something that makes them stand out. Beach Party has nothing going for it.
1/5
Point Horror Ranked
1) Trick or Treat - 3.5/5
2) Teacher's Pet - 3.5/5
3) April Fools - 3.5/5
4) My Secret Admirer - 3.5/5
5) The Lifeguard - 3.5/5
6) Funhouse - 3/5
7) The Boyfriend - 2/5
8) The Baby-Sitter - 1.5/5
9) Beach Party - 1/5
The book opens with the line 'Karen Mandell drove the way she did everything else in life - foot down hard on the gas, full speed ahead, never look behind.' It's all downhill from here. There is one memorable scene in this entire book, but the rest is just excruciatingly boring to read. The plot centres around the dilemma of which boy should our protagonist, Karen, choose to spend her time with - Jerry or Vince. Jerry has a girlfriend, and Vince is supposed to be dangerous. I didn't particularly care for either of her options so struggled to really buy into this dilemma. The ending is also incredibly weak, even by Point Horror standards.
Beach Party is the first Point Horror book that I've found boring. Although flawed, the others all have at least something going for them, or something that makes them stand out. Beach Party has nothing going for it.
1/5
Point Horror Ranked
1) Trick or Treat - 3.5/5
2) Teacher's Pet - 3.5/5
3) April Fools - 3.5/5
4) My Secret Admirer - 3.5/5
5) The Lifeguard - 3.5/5
6) Funhouse - 3/5
7) The Boyfriend - 2/5
8) The Baby-Sitter - 1.5/5
9) Beach Party - 1/5