Firstly, thank you to the publisher for accepting my request on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Not for me. I really struggled to get through this due to the pacing and the way things were explained. Whenever I managed to get into it I'd be pulled back out as I'd just feel lost all over again. I think the story had potential but like others have mentioned I think it would've done better in first person and with better pacing. I really enjoyed the friendships and character development though.

Holy moly! A YA horror book that's actually scary? A YA horror book that's actually scary and is chock-full of BIPOC and queer rep? And said YA horror book takes place at a HORROR CAMP for BIPOC queer teens?!

YA doesn't get much better than this, especially considering it's by a debut author! Get this for your library on the double! Go go go!

Temple grew up under less than ideal circumstances... her father is a serial killer who buried his victims’ bodies on their farm. One body that’s never been found is that of her missing mother. Her desire to find her mother and cryptic words from her father has her setting out on a mission. The problem is that there’s a camp on the farm now for horror loving queer girls. She gets herself hired as a counselor despite her lackluster people skills and her nemesis being there. It should be simple to just sneak away for a bit and locate her mother right?

Wrong... so very wrong... because little does Temple know that the seemingly crazy things her father use to say aren’t so crazy anymore. Something more than just serial murders is going on. The fact that more people have gone missing in the area since her father’s imprisonment is a big indicator of that. But what she couldn’t have anticipated was that something supernatural was going on. Her plans are ruined, the girls are dying and there’s no help coming. There’s a lot Temple never knew about her family’s history and it’s up to her to help the others escape. But Temple is no hero she doesn’t even like these girl...

I’ve read a few YA horror books and this was the best so far. Can’t wait to see more from the author.

This book was wild, and the twists and jump scares just kept coming. Temple is a great antihero-turned-hero, and I liked her arc a lot. The story is gruesome and exciting, with plenty of horror elements and a few funny moments sprinkled in.

But for me, horror is all about the story *inside* the story. If this was just a story about a cursed/haunted summer camp, it would have been a thrill. What made it for me was the underlying story about generational trauma and abusive families, and a young woman coming into her own. I don’t want to give spoilers, but that aspect really worked. I was confused by some of what seemed to be unrelated plot points at the outset, but they all came together in a really cool way!

I also loved that everyone in the story is Black and queer and that’s… just a fact. It’s not a story “about” race per se, and the trauma Temple is dealing with isn’t based on her race specifically, although that’s of course a big part of her identity. But this isn’t a story about Black trauma, or queer trauma. It’s a story about family and isolation and fear of being alone.

The thing that stops this from being five stars for me was that I often had to reread passage to understand what was happening in physical space, and even then I sometimes could not understand what exactly was happening. This story is pretty heavy on action, so it was a bigger issue than it would have been in a less action-packed story. That said, I received this book as an uncorrected ARC copy, so changes may have been made between the version I read and the final manuscript.

I still have zero problems recommending this book wholeheartedly. I love horror, and this one had me gasping and screeching in all the right places. It’s not quite as pulpy as “You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight” but it’s in a similar vein, and also reminded me a bit of “Just Like Home.” So if you liked either of those books, you’ll want to check this one out!

As I stated above, I read this as an ARC from NetGalley. This is a great debut and I’m excited to see what Sami Ellis does next!

Oh I liked this one - lots of characters to keep track of lead to some confusion. But oh the representation, creative backstory and somewhat grisly. I could not stop listening to this audio.
Temple is the daughter of an infamous serial killer - currently on death row and her mother likely one of his victims. Her father finally gives her clues to her mother's location - living on what used to the family farm or buried somewhere. Returning as a camp counselor for the summer, Temple must navigate her duties while investigating. Surrounded by horror obsessed teenage queer girls and lesbian camp leaders, focused on what happened on the property and the infamous book by a woman who disappeared somewhere on the property.
Slasher vibes, queer people everywhere and a deep rooted secret.

Dead Girls Walking is a YA slasher, Temple's father is an accused serial killer and goes back to her former home, turned queer horror camp to find her mother's body. The beginning is slow and the middle lag a bit but overall a fascinating horror story that took a turn that I was not expecting. I enjoyed the premise and inclusive representation. The characters are funny and realistic and even horror fanatics do not always make the best choices in a real life horror. 3.5 rounded up.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the ARC.

I wanted to take a day to sit back and process how i felt about this book and what my honest rating is.

Quick plot summary: Temple lied her way into counseling at a queer horror camp for Black girls who love true crime (does this exist in real life?!) to get closer to her old home- a home riddled with trauma, including her murdered mom and murderer dad. As the book goes on, readers get to dive into Temple’s familial dynamics and see why Temple is the way she is currently. Some other tropes besides horror is found family, generational trauma, and a refreshing lack of main character romance.

For context, I love campground horror, I love zombies, and I have recently started loving paranormal slashers. So everything about this book was right up my alley, and I enjoyed most of it! There were parts that felt a little convoluted by the end, and I think if I were in the actual YA demographic some of the book’s various tangles of plot might have gone over my head. This is a debut, and I tend to give more grace for things like that in debuts, as first books are usually geared towards making a splash.

Temple is an unlikeable lead, and I think some readers may have issues with that. Me? I love a woman mad at the world. She gave me SGJ Jade Daniels energy circa My Heart is A Chainsaw. And without an unlikable character you don’t get the satisfying growth arc, which we were absolutely gifted with in this book.

This settles comfortable at a personal 3.75 for me; it was super fun, tons of diversity representation, modern references to entertain young readers, and a good heart of the story. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite make 4 star status for me, simply because it suffers from debut over-excitement. But I think Sam Ellis has proven in this that her follow ups will be worth checking out! For that reason I will be rating 4 stars.

A special thank you to Netgalley, ABRAM kids and RB audio for sending me both the ebook AND audiobook so that I could listen along while I read- the easiest way for me to consume stories. (Side note, the narrator did a great job of differentiating a multitude of character voices!)

"Dead Girls Walking" by Sami Ellis is like a pulse-pounding thrill ride through a haunted house - once you step in, there's no turning back! From the get-go, I was sucked into Temple Baker's twisted world, where evil runs in her blood and secrets lurk behind every corner.

The story starts a bit slow, but once it gains momentum, it's an unstoppable force of terror. Temple's quest to uncover the truth about her father's crimes while navigating a queer horror camp filled with true crime enthusiasts is a ride I won't soon forget. The characters are richly developed, their backstories adding layers of depth that make them relatable and real.

Ellis's storytelling prowess shines through in every spine-chilling moment, keeping me guessing and gasping in equal measure. The twists and turns had me reeling, and I couldn't shake the feeling of impending doom lurking in every shadow.

For horror fanatics and lovers of the macabre, "Dead Girls Walking" is a must-read with its unique premise and fantastic representation. Just be prepared for some gruesome moments that will leave you sleeping with the lights on.

Reading from the POV of Temple, a serial killers daughter on a mission to find her mother, was a genuinely scary experience. The descriptions in this book were so vivid that I had to put the book down multiple times to process it. This book is also packed to the brim with plot twists, up until the very last page Making it so addicting to read.

♡ eBook Review ♡
♤ Release March 26 ♤
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•YA
•Horror | Slasher
•Summer Camp
•Paranormal Vibes
•Queer
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Temple Baker knows that evil runs in her blood. Her father is the North Point Killer, an infamous serial killer known for how he marked each of his victims with a brand. He was convicted for murdering 20 people and was the talk of countless true crime blogs for years. Some say he was possessed by a demon. Some say that they never found all his victims. Some say thateven though he’s now behind bars, people are still dying in the woods. Despite everything though, Temple never believed that her dad killed her mom. Turns out, the farm that was once her father’s hunting grounds and her home has been turned into an overnight camp for queer, horror-obsessed girls. So Temple poses as a camp counselor to go digging in the woods.
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This book is sooo well written! I enjoyed everything about this book, the representation is amazing. Black girls are doing major things in books this year. Thus definitely gave me the Friday the 13th vibes, and I LOVE it. This is my first time reading this author work and I will be waiting for more.
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♡ Thank you Netgalley for the eArc for my honest opinion

Dead girls walking was a book that played homage to all the classic horror fans out there. It’s a YA slasher / horror focused on a group of black LGBT women and girls who spend their time in a writers retreat in the middle of nowhere. We follow Temple who is the daughter of the “north point killer” as she searches the grounds for her mums body.

I am surprised that I loved this as much as I did, I was worried that this book would be on the younger side of YA but it was perfect. The authors writing was easy to follow and was really suspenseful so you didn’t want to put this one down! The imagery used set the perfect eerie atmosphere and location to send shivers down your spine

I was very surprised by the way the book spiralled into the supernatural but I really enjoyed the generational monstrosity of it! I could never guessed what was going to happen next!

This seemed like a book that was right up my alley - queer girls who spend the weekend at a horror summer camp and have to survive a night of horrors - what’s not to love?

The plot was really interesting and I really enjoyed the characters, but I was confused for the majority of this book. The very beginning seemed to start with you, as a reader, being in the dark and having to learn about the lore and history of this spooky camp. But as I kept on reading, the confusion just grew and grew. I think this book was trying to do way too much without really focusing on a single plot point. It felt very reminiscent of Friday the 13th, mixed with Cabin in the Woods, mixed with Evil Dead, but then also mixed with so many other well known horror medias that it just got so muddy and a bit frustrating to read.
I did like the book and the premise of it, I just feel the execution was way off mark and could have used a few edits to cut out the fluff that didn’t add to the story.

Overall, this was okay. The writing is a bit confusing and you are left in the dark for 90% of the book, but it was creepy, spooky, and most importantly, a little gay.

Thank you NetGalley and Amulet Books for this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Amulet Books and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I can’t believe it (for two reasons) but I had to DNF this. The first reason is because this plot sounds amazing, and checked off so many boxes for me in what I want in a book. The second is because I’m all for dumping the reader in the middle of the story and letting them find their way out. But there were too many things unexplained at the beginning of this that I was just lost. I think if the structure was reworked, it might be a great book, but I could not get into it and had to stop 15% in.

3⭐️

This book was ok just not quite what I was expecting. I was really excited for the summer horror slasher camp feels but it just didn't really fully deliver for me. I really liked Temples over all back story but I didn't really like her character. I found myself not really connecting to any of characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Abrams for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own,

Rated: 3.75 but rounded up.

I have to say I was really confused by this book for just over 50% of the book I had no idea what was going on. I struggled (more than Temple) to connect what was going on, and I simply didn't understand what the point of the whole story was going to be. I've never seen Friday the 13th, so it's possible I missed a lot of the references. However, once the book finally started to make sense to me, I began to really enjoy it!

Though Temple is not my favorite MC, by the end of the novel I was rooting for her. If you're a fan of horror, I would definitely recommend.

Dead Girls Walking was possibly one of my favourite YA horror reads in the past few years. It was just such a sublime, shiver-inducing read.

I adored Temple as a protagonist – she is shouldering an impossible weight with the legacy of her father. Her guilt is profound, as is her grief and both entirely control her to begin with. That emotional rawness is so striking on page. She also has a wicked sense of humour and a sardonic outlook on life that I very much enjoyed. You can watch some of those walls start to crack ever so slightly and then all hell breaks loose. Her character journey over the course of the book is astounding and deeply cathartic. I loved how Ellis chose to end the book in such a particular place. There is such a key theme of generational trauma and having to break the cycle by any means necessary. Amidst the bloodshed, there are some really moving moments and Ellis plays it pitch perfectly for me.

I went in expecting some carnage and I was delivered it. This is not a book that plays around. It is is up to its shoulders in blood and gore with some scenes that I definitely think rank up there with some iconic horror scenes. They’re just so twisted and creative – often shocking you and utterly pulling the rug out from under your feet. However, they never feel like they’re only there for shock value and serve a purpose in moving the story along. Ellis’ twists are exceptional as well. There are several moments where I audibly gasped and I am really excited for more people to discover the dark layers of this book. The pacing is spot on as well, allowing you to build up connections with these characters only to rip them apart.

Dead Girls Walking is an exceptionally arresting debut from a YA author you will want to keep your eye on.

Queer summer camp slasher? Obviously, I was sold immediately on this book. And the plot did not disappoint, with all the crazy twists and over-the-top horror that you’d expect from the genre, right down to the last pages. The representation also put a fresh spin on a classic trope, taking place in a summer camp for queer girls themed around a local horror novel that may be more than fiction. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t connect with many of the characters—especially not the protagonist, Temple. Don’t get me wrong, she was by all means an interesting main character with her layered backstory of a serial killer father and a family secret that runs even deeper. But I found it hard to see beyond the surface to who she really was. I think part of the reason for this was because of the detachment of the third person style, and perhaps I’d have felt differently if this was written in first person so we could get a proper look into our protagonist’s mind. Nevertheless, it didn’t spoil the fun of this twisty, splatter-filled horror.

This book was utterly spectacular!
I made the mistake of reading this at nighttime, IN THE DARK! Like a fool!
I enjoyed finding out more about Temple and the horrors of her family. I liked seeing her growth over this horrific weekend experience.
The atmosphere was so creepy and eerie. An isolated camp in the middle of what are basically murder woods? I loved it. I absolutely hate camping but I will never say no to a horror featuring a camping experience.
This book gave me everything; strong female lead, teenage drama, horror fanatics, demons, creepy woods, family secrets. I loved every moment of this book

Rating: 3.5/5

The start of Dead Girls Walking was so confusing. It’s a classic case of the author acting like you should know who the character is and what’s going on. However, I really had no clue what was going on.

Having a horror/thriller set at a summer camp can be seen as cliche, but I love it. Some of my favourite horror media have this exact trope: You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight (book) and The Quarry (video game). However, what’s different about this book, is you don’t spend a single moment at the camp thinking everything is ok. From the get-go, you know that something isn’t right and honestly, it was great. Dead Girls Walking dives straight into the action and the suspense never drops.

The pacing was sometimes a little too fast, especially in action scenes, so I did find it a little hard to follow at times. However, the fast pace did this book a lot of favours. It could have gotten too repetitive, but as the story was progressing pretty fast you never had to worry about this.

Temple was such an interesting character. Her personality seemed to change depending on who she was talking to, which made her a little hard to like. She had the whole ‘I hate everyone and everything’ bit going on and I got bored of it quite quickly. Life definitely dealt her a crappy hand, but it’s not like she tried to make things better for herself. Thankfully, Cali and Yaya took none of that and basically told her she was being an idiot - Cali was my favourite character.

I did really enjoy Dead Girls Walking and it was a surprisingly fast read. The pace seems to accelerate more and more the further you get in and there’s a lot of action. I’d definitely recommend checking this out if you’re a big fan of horror/thrillers with a supernatural twist.

When I saw this was a slasher taking place in a summer camp setting full of queer women of color I knew I had to read it. Somehow it was every horror trope while also blasting through them. I did find the main character Temple a little hard to connect with, but she grew on me as the story went. The first third was a little slow to get through, despite the amazing first line. The second two thirds were pure horror chaos and I loved every second of them. Temple has returned to the woods where she grew up. After a visit to her father, who is in prison as a convicted serial killer, she is determined to find the body of her mother. She doesn’t want to believe her father killed her, but she needs to know what happened to her. Luckily for Temple there is a free, short, summer camp for queer, Black girls who love horror and she was accepted as a counselor giving her the perfect cover. But the old adage about never being able to go home again wasn’t lying. Temple will find more than she ever knew about her family and their history at this camp. I liked this story and I’ll admit I was a little mad when I saw the author had finished it in 2018 and I took this long to get it published. I hope this success of publications leads to more horror from Sami Ellis.