The Counselors

After an assault at her high school, Goldie enrolls as a counselor at her childhood summer camp to escape the trauma and reconnect with her best friends. At Camp Alpine Lake, she hopes the familiar routines and scenic wilderness will help her heal and move forward. The peaceful summer takes a dark turn when a fellow counselor is found dead, and authorities determine it was no accident. Goldie becomes entangled in uncovering what happened, even as she questions who among her camp friends she can truly trust. The story combines elements of summer camp nostalgia, friendship bonds, and psychological suspense as secrets from both past and present emerge. Through solving the mystery, Goldie must confront truths about loyalty, trauma recovery, and the ways people can change over time.

Readers found this YA thriller suspenseful but predictable. Many highlighted the authentic portrayal of friendship dynamics and mental health struggles at summer camp. The isolated camp setting and building tension kept readers engaged. Likes: - Fast-paced narrative style - LGBTQ+ representation - Camp atmosphere and details - Complex female friendships Dislikes: - Several readers guessed the mystery's solution early - Some found the protagonist unlikeable - Plot points felt contrived to some readers - Multiple reviewers noted similarities to other YA thrillers Review Scores: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (6,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (450+ ratings) Barnes & Noble: 4.3/5 (100+ ratings) "The summer camp setting was a character itself" - Goodreads reviewer "Too many convenient coincidences" - Amazon reviewer "Perfect mix of nostalgia and suspense" - Barnes & Noble reviewer

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📚 Author Jessica Goodman worked as an editor at Cosmopolitan magazine before becoming a full-time novelist 🏕️ The setting of Camp Alpine Lake was inspired by real-life summer camps in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts 🎯 The book combines elements of classic summer camp stories with psychological thriller themes, a genre blend that was relatively uncommon in YA literature at the time 💫 Jessica Goodman wrote the first draft of The Counselors during the COVID-19 lockdown, drawing on her own memories of attending summer camp 🔍 The murder mystery plot was influenced by the author's love of true crime podcasts and documentaries, which she frequently listened to while writing