Cover Image: The Ghost of Danny McGee

The Ghost of Danny McGee

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Member Reviews

This is a very unique book in the way that it blends different genres. I went in thinking that it was going to be a dystopian story, which it is, but there is also so much more mixed in that you could not pinpoint this book in only one genre.

I will admit that some of the characters I found annoying and one-dimensional, but overall, I did not find that it took away from the story or my enjoyment of the book, Personally, I just would have liked more complex definitions in some of them.

Trying to determine what is real and what is really going on at this summer camp for adults is part of the appeal of this novel, and I do not want to give too much away, so do yourself a favor and just read the book.

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At about 35% in to this book, a chapter opens with words along the lines of "time is moving faster now" and I was like: is it?! IS IT?!

I already felt like I'd been reading the book for approximately one million years by that point.

The premise is SO interesting but it just drags on and on and on. It's just a bunch of random scenes of people at a summer camp.

I'm DNFing around 40% because I am bored out of my mind.

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As a scifi fan, I had a blast with this book. I enjoyed both the plot and the characters. I saw some reviews compare it to Black Mirror and I completely agree. I'd love to read more from the author in the future!

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Get Out goes to summer camp. This immersive, psychological tale has an intriguing concept. What happens when you meet an alleged serial killer before he’s accused? Specifically, while he’s a kid?

This is a summer camp for adults, who “become” children (with no memory of their adult lives), to get to experience the summer they never got while actually children.

I loved the concept and ideas shown in this book. I want to read more like this! 😍

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Set in a summer camp, adults can pay to have their conscious put into a child clone to leave their worries behind for a summer of carefree fun. We switch between two perspectives, Sam, a camp counselor and Logan, a camper who is attending with her husband in hopes to save her marriage. The camp has a ton of other characters including a famous actor wanted for murder.

The story is told from two peoples prospective.
one camper and one councillor. Knowing who some of the adult characters were before transferring consciousness has you wondering how the summer will turn out. I kept questioning do they actually know where they are and what they are and choosing to ignore it OR they seriously don't remember.

You'll have to read it yourself to find out.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me early access to this book!

4 stars from me

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First wow what a cover. This cover pulled me into requesting this book. However this was not what I was expecting. I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. What a unique and terrifying plot. I absolutely love the character building, the plot was mind blowing but absolutely fantastic.

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This book was not at all what I was expecting, and I love it for it. I really, really enjoyed this. The premise was intriguing enough for me to pick this up but the storytelling is what really stood out for me. It was engrossing, highly recommended.

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I loved the overall vibe of this book. It was creepy in the good sense - in a way of after a while starting to wonder what is actually real and what is not. That creepy was combined with a good bit of both nostalgia and for me personally that 'what if I were one of the councellors?' - here we usually do not have these weeks long camps that are common in the US, but I have been with the scouts for quite a while, also as one of the leaders, so I know the implications of camp and being responsible for a bunch of kids as a group of young adults. Even though it was only for one week at most for us, it was not a paid job, and we knew each other and the kids. And, most importantly, they were real kids. Still, the way Sam felt responsible and wanted to protect her troup really let loose my inner beaver- and cub scout leader. The responsibility those young people had was so huge, and that for ten weeks! (Also can I be annoyed at their alcohol usage? Yes, I can, and I am, because damn, as if the overall theme of the book wasn't enough to keep my What Ifs going without the idea that all the councellors were wasted during the night!)
So this is a bit of a ramble, all to say that I was totally taken in by the atmosphere of the book, and to me the 'kids' and most of the time the councellors felt very real together with their emotional rollercoasters. The biggest reason for this book not having five stars is that the ending felt rushed.

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I absolutely loved this! what a unique plot, and not to mention it was so well written and engaging.

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The plot was predictable and the characters fell a little flat. Given the premise of the book I expected more psychological and ethical discussion.

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There are many books dealing with cloning and consciousness transfer. Most have to do with the concept of life extension, rejuvenation, often with a dystopian side related to the maintenance of power by a ruling class. In this case, it apparently has a simple playful function: rich, more or less bored people choose to be 'put to sleep' for a summer while their consciousness is transferred into their younger clones, pre-teens or teenagers at most, who spend that time exactly as their apparent age requires, at a summer camp, doing various activities. Watching over them are kids not much older than them, struggling with their own growth.
It all seems very idyllic, until a ghost story told by the campfire gets out of hand thanks to the imagination of some somewhat overly gifted campers and, suddenly, an adult body dies, creating endless worries in those who have to take care of the very young clone. And at this point understanding begins, questions begin, in an unstoppable process that leads to maturation. Very well written, with few lapses in style, the novel manages to keep the reader's attention constantly high, as they follow faithfully all the twists and turns of the story, in search of Danny McGee's ghost.

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This had a lot of potential. I was swept away with the story, the writing was engaging but the ending was lack lustre and there was essentially no character development.

I think what disappointed me most though was the fact that at just over 50% I was feeling like I didn't know the characters - what motivated them, why they were responding to situations in the way that they were, even the two whose perspective the book is written from - and just as I was beginning to think this we start getting the suggestion that the counsellors are somewhat the same as the children (are they being drugged, are they also a consciousness transfer, etc...) but the ending feels like it negates any of that. I appreciate nuance and that there are hints that there is a deeper level of meddling going on by the boss, I don't feel like the ending leaves it open enough for speculation which is such a shame.

As I mentioned though, I really enjoyed the writing and the premise so I will be keeping my eye out for more from this author. Thank you for providing the eARC :)

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This novel is an intriguing and occasionally terrifying look into the innocence of childhood and growing up. It is set in a not too distant future where you can transplant your consciousness into a genetically altered version of your youthful self. Even this concept, and thinking whether you would put yourself into these shoes, is interesting.

Both of the narrative voices are really well-developed, fascinating, and feel incredibly authentic. The child's point of view does not make the book more childish; rather, it makes it more appropriate for young adult and adult readers. I'd absolutely recommend this to students I work with.

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The premise of this book was extremely interesting and I don't think I've read a book like this before, but that still wasn't enough to keep my attention. This novel started out very promising, but about halfway through it started to lose me. There just wasn't anything happening really, at least nothing that seemed relevant. I had hoped that this would be a thrilling read, but it just kept going on about releationships between characters that weren't really interesting to me, especially because I found it hard to connect with the characters at all.
Overall a great premise, I just didn't really like the execution all that much. Still, if the blurb sounds interesting to you, I still recommend giving this book a try, maybe it just wasn't for me.

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The concept of this book really drew me in - "transferring adults’ consciousness into a clone of their childhood selves". It's told from two points of view - one of the camp counselors and one of the campers. I really struggled to get through this one. I expected a lot more drama, but it took quite a while for anything to really happen, and even then it fell a little flat for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

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I absolutely loved the premise of the book and as a fan of Black Mirror, I found the aspect of consciousness transfer interesting. However, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. I didn't connect with the characters, as the little background information we had on them didn't add anything. Neither did both characters seeming a bit flat, at times I wasn't even sure whose POV I was in as they were a little too similar. It took me a long time to finish this relatively short book as it didn't grip me.

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The Ghost of Danny McGee hit me like a freight train and put me in the world’s most unforeseen thrall. I was certainly not expecting to be as captivated by this book as I was, but for the life of me I find myself utterly speechless as to how I want to discuss or convey my sentiments to you all, but I will try my best.
Let’s be honest, the premise of this book is weird. Part pseudo coming of age tale, part social experiment, part science fiction—reading the synopsis it is hard to understand what the point of this story is. To that I say, have you never wished to go back to being a child? To view and experience the world without the filters of your adult life and knowledge? It is a difficult thing to consider without bias. If we were able to go back, what would that mean for our current selves? Would different situations and friendships experienced then change who we are now, or are our current selves inevitable? The Ghost of Danny McGee also forces the reader to face the uncomfortable reality that the loss of innocence is just that, something we lose. No one is born evil or good, and there was a point in everyone’s life where they were a child just as curious and excited about the world as anyone else.
The complex morality of this novel and the immediate juxtaposition of the child versus adult self left me in such a thoughtful state I had a hard time comprehending much of anything else for a little bit after. I was in a reading hangover, if you will. The only other books that have done that to me in recent memory have been: I am Margaret Moore, The Project, and The Night Swim. So, it goes without saying that I would definitely recommend this just for the mind-f***ery alone.

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I had to DNF this one, unfortunately. I just couldn't get into it. The premise is so unique, but the characters seem too one-dimensional. I really need to connect to the characters when I read and sadly I just couldn't do that.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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Thank you @netgalley and @californiacoldbloodbooks for the e-ARC. This was quite an interesting read. While, I normally don't enjoy sci-fi, I thought the premise was very unique.

The story is told in dual POVs and it was probably a wise choice to go with one camper and one counselor's POV. The pace and narration were good and while none of the characters were particularly likable, the story had enough intrigue to keep it going. I also felt that some characters were very one dimensional.

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I read “Westworld” meets “Black Mirror” and I POUNCED. The premise had me hooked: A summer camp where the rich pay to relive their childhood in their young clones. Such an intriguing and honestly terrifying concept. Like, the ethics of that sound like an actual nightmare. Throw in a little mystery and you have a delightfully eerie and suspenseful speculative dystopian-esque sci-fi.

The pacing is definitely a bit on the slower side, but the vibes are immaculate. It is very atmospheric and thought-provoking and the story/dual-POVs kept me turning the page. What a trip! I think because of the “Westworld” comparison I was expecting more of a payoff with the ending (like some crazy twists), but I still very much enjoyed and can already tell this is going to be one of those books I’ll think about often.

*Update*: So it’s been a couple days, and I know I said I was expecting more of a payoff with the ending, but I started to spiral and question everything I thought I knew. Did I miss something, is there more to it than meets the eye? Particularly in regards to one of the non-POV characters. I can’t wait for this book’s release so I can finally talk to someone about it lol.

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