Young Adult

The Counselors

The Counselors

  • Downloads：8381
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-07-02 08:52:36
  • Update Date：2025-09-08
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Jessica Goodman
  • ISBN：059352750X
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

From bestselling author Jessica Goodman comes a twisty new thriller about three best friends， one elite summer camp， and the dark secrets that lead to a body in the lake。

Sisters by choice。
That’s how Goldie and her best friends， Ava and Imogen， define their friendship， which formed years ago at Camp Alpine Lake。
This year， Goldie is back at camp as a counselor， desperate for summer to start and for Ava and Imo to arrive。 With the dark secret Goldie’s been keeping， she’s more in need of their comfort than ever。 When the boy who broke Goldie's heart， turns up dead in the lake， this last summer before college is completely upended—and Goldie learns that she’s not the only person at camp who has been lying。 Asking questions offers Goldie no answers， only danger and betrayals deeper than she ever imagined。

Download

Reviews

Elise ，

This is the first book I’ve read with my eyeballs in a very long time， so I’m quite happy with myself。 And I really enjoyed this story！ Definitely the perfect summer read。I have read one book by the author previously that I did not enjoy， so I was pleasantly surprised that this one worked so well for me， especially given the reviews。 I feel like this book captured the essence of summer and summer camp so perfectly while also serving up a layered and juicy mystery。Honestly， this book did what I h This is the first book I’ve read with my eyeballs in a very long time， so I’m quite happy with myself。 And I really enjoyed this story！ Definitely the perfect summer read。I have read one book by the author previously that I did not enjoy， so I was pleasantly surprised that this one worked so well for me， especially given the reviews。 I feel like this book captured the essence of summer and summer camp so perfectly while also serving up a layered and juicy mystery。Honestly， this book did what I had hoped Maureen Johnson’s “Box in the Woods” would have done in the summer of 2021。 It truly transported me to summer camp in Vermont。 The food， the smells， the sights， and the sounds of camp were so well described。 It also served as a really nice balance to the sinister mystery that was playing out。Honestly， food should get its own paragraph in this review because there was so much amazing food described in this book。 Some of the foods I would love to dive into （of course I’m imagining vegan versions but that’s beside the point）: every breakfast served at camp， the ice cream bar， the corn on the cob， the bagels and lox in NYC， and even that slice of pizza Goldie ate when she visited New York one time。 The food in this book was a masterpiece。Goldie’s backstory truly threw me off the trail for a long time。 I was surprised by part of the reveal at the end， which was fun because I thought I had figured it all out。 Some people complained about the crime but I thought it was worked out perfectly。 There is very little I can complain about。 I would give this book a try if you want a YA summer camp murder mystery！ 。。。more

Samantha Fenstemaker ，

It was ok。 Didn’t hold my interest like I thought it would。 Cute summer “thriller”

Danielle Pollman ，

This is my second book by Goodman and it certainly won’t be my last！ I’m sure glad my summer camp experience was different than this one！ I felt like the pacing of this book was pretty steady。 It didn’t give away anything too quickly， but I didn’t feel like it was dragging or taking too long to get to the action。 Every chapter， the ominous vibe grew and grew。 Goldie was a really intriguing MC， torn between being a townie in Roxwood and also being one of the “chosen ones” at the exclusive Camp Al This is my second book by Goodman and it certainly won’t be my last！ I’m sure glad my summer camp experience was different than this one！ I felt like the pacing of this book was pretty steady。 It didn’t give away anything too quickly， but I didn’t feel like it was dragging or taking too long to get to the action。 Every chapter， the ominous vibe grew and grew。 Goldie was a really intriguing MC， torn between being a townie in Roxwood and also being one of the “chosen ones” at the exclusive Camp Alpine Lake。 Her struggle to balance those two sides of herself was really compelling， especially with her feelings about her two privileged best friends， Ava and Imogen。 I loved the flashbacks of her previous summers at camp and also the look into her relationship with Heller。 I was a little disappointed at the motive behind the murder。 I was hoping for it to be a little more dramatic and salacious， but the execution was done well。 Overall， I was happy with it！ 。。。more

Amy Day ，

Just okay。 Slower than the other Goodman books I read and most of what happens are things the teenagers had no influence over， it being about adults not in most scenes。 An okay book。

LeAnn ，

2。5 stars

Chad ，

This was not what I was expecting it to be。

Shaun Shepard ，

As a childhood summer camper myself—and a lover of thrillers set at summer camps！—the premise of this book immediately intrigued me。 I enjoyed the cast of characters， and I was eager to learn what happened in the past， and how that led future friendships betrayed and secrets exposed。 It was initially compelling but I was left a bit underwhelmed at the end。 The past timeline didn’t make a lot of sense to me， in terms of the odd choices the protagonist made。 While it was interesting to see how the As a childhood summer camper myself—and a lover of thrillers set at summer camps！—the premise of this book immediately intrigued me。 I enjoyed the cast of characters， and I was eager to learn what happened in the past， and how that led future friendships betrayed and secrets exposed。 It was initially compelling but I was left a bit underwhelmed at the end。 The past timeline didn’t make a lot of sense to me， in terms of the odd choices the protagonist made。 While it was interesting to see how the author connected the loose threads left throughout the story， I found several a bit hard to believe。 Overall， an enjoyable summer thriller with a few questionable plot points！ 。。。more

Brittany Riffe ，

4。25/5

Kristina ，

3。5 stars， rounding up because summer camp YA thriller is my kryptonite。 This was more mystery than thriller though。 Had all the elements I want in a summer read - sleep away camp， wealth， secrets， drama， nostalgia， and friendships broken and mended。 Jessica Goodmans books have such good covers and this one was perfect - grabbed me right away。 I didn’t like her others as much so I’m happy this was a win。 Not the best written/edited but more stars because of the direct appeal of the setting and p 3。5 stars， rounding up because summer camp YA thriller is my kryptonite。 This was more mystery than thriller though。 Had all the elements I want in a summer read - sleep away camp， wealth， secrets， drama， nostalgia， and friendships broken and mended。 Jessica Goodmans books have such good covers and this one was perfect - grabbed me right away。 I didn’t like her others as much so I’m happy this was a win。 Not the best written/edited but more stars because of the direct appeal of the setting and plot。 The reveal of the killer and why wasn’t all that shocking but that’s ok。 。。。more

Caitlyn ，

3。5 stars out of 5

Britton。Ajohn ，

Summer， sisterhood & secrets。 This book is， at its core， a love story to the friends we make and the summers we spend with them。 They prevail and triumph over the BS that happens all year long。 I love Goldie， a well meaning basic bitch that throws her life away for a boy and spends all year waiting for the 8 weeks of camp。 She's an outsider at school & a townie at camp but that's OK， she loves it there。 Her girlfriends are there。 Told in a back-and-forth timeline you really just want to pat G Summer， sisterhood & secrets。 This book is， at its core， a love story to the friends we make and the summers we spend with them。 They prevail and triumph over the BS that happens all year long。 I love Goldie， a well meaning basic bitch that throws her life away for a boy and spends all year waiting for the 8 weeks of camp。 She's an outsider at school & a townie at camp but that's OK， she loves it there。 Her girlfriends are there。 Told in a back-and-forth timeline you really just want to pat Goldie on the head， she's such a puppy。 Even when she's being bad she's good。 I can't hate her， she's just so golden。 The twists and turns are a bumpy ride and the audiobook narrator is great。 I can really easily recommend this book as a good， slightly nostalgic， engaging， dramatic poolside read。 3 stars！！ 。。。more

Lauren ，

I liked a lot of things about this book！ It has such good summer vibes and I really liked the mystery involved。 But I had a really hard time getting through this book for some reason！ I don’t know exactly what it was， but I wish it were a bit faster paced and I know it is YA but it read a bit young for my liking。 It will definitely fulfill all of your summer camp dreams though！

Hannah-Rose ，

A quick and easy beach read with a side of murder。 This one hit a bit close to home with all the summer camp vibes and I felt like the “townie” descriptions were overdone， but I still tore through it。

Ash ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Goldie and her best friends Ava and Imogen are more than ready to be back at Camp Alpine Lake， the place their friendship first formed and continued to grow。This year， Goldie is keeping a dark secret close to her chest and needs their comfort more than ever。 But when the boy Goldie loved turns up dead in the camps lake， things begin to unravel。Goldie finds that she is not the only person at camp who is lying and asking questions only brings more danger and betrayal。I was so excited to read this Goldie and her best friends Ava and Imogen are more than ready to be back at Camp Alpine Lake， the place their friendship first formed and continued to grow。This year， Goldie is keeping a dark secret close to her chest and needs their comfort more than ever。 But when the boy Goldie loved turns up dead in the camps lake， things begin to unravel。Goldie finds that she is not the only person at camp who is lying and asking questions only brings more danger and betrayal。I was so excited to read this book， I love thrillers/horrors/mysteries that take place at summer camps， they always remind me of a good campy 80s horror movie， so I was really excited to dive in to this one。 I loved the story and the mystery that Goldie was going through， and I loved learning her secret through flashback chapters。。。 but then we got to the embezzlement and tax evasion stuff。。。 and it lost me。 I had started to kind of question where the reasoning for the murder was going when Ava's dad was said to be involved， but I was hoping it would surprise me。。。。 but it was all due to tax evasion and embezzlement。。 which was highly disappointing。When I'm deciding whether or not to recommend a book， I usually think， "would I tell my mom and/or my sister to read this book because I'm desperate to have someone to talk to about this book with"？ Unfortunately， the answer for this book is no。 I wouldn't recommend it。 If you have any good summer camp thriller or horror books to recommend， please do！ I really want a good one 😩 。。。more

Sammi ，

3/5 stars

Kiersten Aguinaga ，

I was really， really hooked for 75% of the book。 I would have loved a different ending。

Darryn ，

Thank you to Edelweiss for this digital arc。There were lots of things I liked about this book but there were also definitely things I couldn't stand。 Jessica Goodman does a good job of writing characters that get sucked up in the moment and don't make the best decisions。 I thought the story kept a good pace， keeping me interested the whole time， and I really liked reading about Goldie and her friends。 With her other books I also felt like this had a great atmosphere that really brought the setti Thank you to Edelweiss for this digital arc。There were lots of things I liked about this book but there were also definitely things I couldn't stand。 Jessica Goodman does a good job of writing characters that get sucked up in the moment and don't make the best decisions。 I thought the story kept a good pace， keeping me interested the whole time， and I really liked reading about Goldie and her friends。 With her other books I also felt like this had a great atmosphere that really brought the setting to the reader。 I had to dock a star for （view spoiler）[the toxic relationship that Goldie had with Heller because I felt the author was really trying to redeem him in the end。 Someone does not care for you if they make you take the fall for something they have done and then just let you get bullied for it。 I don't care what the other characters say （hide spoiler）]。 I felt like this sent a really bad message。 。。。more

Kelsey ，

DNF @ 22% of audiobook。I tried， but there were so many toxic af vibes， so I read some spoilers and yeah， sorry， no thank you。Unfortunately this is not the first time I have had to DNF a book by this author， so I just don't think her writing is for me， personally。 DNF @ 22% of audiobook。I tried， but there were so many toxic af vibes， so I read some spoilers and yeah， sorry， no thank you。Unfortunately this is not the first time I have had to DNF a book by this author， so I just don't think her writing is for me， personally。 。。。more

Abbi ，

3。5 stars！ cozy camp vibes！ friendships！ secrets！ murder！not my favorite YA mystery but it kept me entertained and guessing。 a good summer read！

Forever Young Adult ，

Graded By: RosemaryCover Story: Bloody BaywatchBFF Charm: Big SisterSwoonworthy Scale: 3Talky Talk: Now & ThenBonus Factors: Summer Camp， Murder MysteryRelationship Status: Strong StartRead the full book report here。 Graded By: RosemaryCover Story: Bloody BaywatchBFF Charm: Big SisterSwoonworthy Scale: 3Talky Talk: Now & ThenBonus Factors: Summer Camp， Murder MysteryRelationship Status: Strong StartRead the full book report here。 。。。more

Cara Scully ，

4。8 ⭐️

Michelle Morgan ，

FIVE STARS FOR THE WRITING TWO STARS FOR THE PLOTThis is a hard book for me to rate。 The writing was phenomenal。 The characters were incredible and I loved them。 But it felt like the author was worried no one would read a book about a summer camp so she randomly tossed it a "plot" in the last pages。 I definitely recommend giving it a read but I couldn't give someone a synopsis or even know how to explain the book to someone if I was asked。 FIVE STARS FOR THE WRITING TWO STARS FOR THE PLOTThis is a hard book for me to rate。 The writing was phenomenal。 The characters were incredible and I loved them。 But it felt like the author was worried no one would read a book about a summer camp so she randomly tossed it a "plot" in the last pages。 I definitely recommend giving it a read but I couldn't give someone a synopsis or even know how to explain the book to someone if I was asked。 。。。more

Leah ，

"But fire is such an important part of camp。 Starting it， maintaining it， feeding it， breathing life into it。 It's all a symbol。 An obvious metaphor for building something that can so easily take on a life of its own。"Is it OK to call a YA mystery novel adorable？ Cause that's exactly how this left me feeling！！ One sentence synopsis: Goldie Easten is a lifer at Camp Alpine Lake and returns to be a counselor with her long time camp besties， Ava and Imogen， only to have the first day of camp ruined "But fire is such an important part of camp。 Starting it， maintaining it， feeding it， breathing life into it。 It's all a symbol。 An obvious metaphor for building something that can so easily take on a life of its own。"Is it OK to call a YA mystery novel adorable？ Cause that's exactly how this left me feeling！！ One sentence synopsis: Goldie Easten is a lifer at Camp Alpine Lake and returns to be a counselor with her long time camp besties， Ava and Imogen， only to have the first day of camp ruined by her ex being found dead in the pristine lake。 The plot was well constructed and the timelines were told both in the past and the present。 Sometimes， it got a bit confusing because the past scenes weren't in any order-instead you had to piece everything together with clues that Goldie gave us during each scenario。 Since this was definitely a young adult novel， don't except too much out of the plot and story。 It was very simple。 Read this if you like: short chapters， fun and soft mysteries， long distance friendships， summer camps 。。。more

Megan ，

3。5 rounded up because I genuinely liked the story until the end， which fell a little flat for me。I really enjoyed the relationships in this book， particularly the complicated friendship between Goldie， Ava and Imogen。 And while I didn’t necessarily love seeing Goldie’s lingering feelings for Heller， I understood it。 I think Goodman did a great job portraying complex feelings and dynamics between people。I pretty much guessed where the twist was going to go and who was going to be villainized。 I 3。5 rounded up because I genuinely liked the story until the end， which fell a little flat for me。I really enjoyed the relationships in this book， particularly the complicated friendship between Goldie， Ava and Imogen。 And while I didn’t necessarily love seeing Goldie’s lingering feelings for Heller， I understood it。 I think Goodman did a great job portraying complex feelings and dynamics between people。I pretty much guessed where the twist was going to go and who was going to be villainized。 I wasn’t sure of the exact details， and when everything was uncovered， that’s where I thought the story fell flat。 The reasoning was a little too boring， the confession a little too easily made。However， I did enjoy following Goldie around as she uncovered more clues and lived at Alpine camp。 I don’t personally enjoy camping or the outdoors， but sleep away camp settings are always atmospheric and interesting to me。 Goodman did a great job encompassing the spirit and nostalgia Goldie felt at Alpine （though sometimes the descriptions were a little dramatic）。 The story didn’t move at a fast pace， and looking back， I’m not sure THAT much happened in between camp activities/distractions。 But I think that’s a testament to how much I liked Goldie and her story。Thanks to the publisher for proving me an eARC。 This for not impact my rating。 。。。more

Jodi Kauble ，

2。5 stars

Jessie ，

This book is a cozy ya myster that makes me long for the days when I was a camp counselor！ This is a perfect lighter mystery for summer days that would be perfect to read on a dark night around a campfire。 The atmosphere was perfect however， I had a hard time connecting to the characters and felt the mystery was lighter than I had expected。 I recommend that you go into this book with an open mind and not a lot of expectations

Nat ，

Okay so the concept of a summer camp mystery love it， seems like a bop。 And then she lost me。 The guy， hot trash。 Beyond problematic。 The fact that author tried to make us like him even tho he was literally garbage is wild to me。

Emmalynn Fillmore ，

3。75

G ，

Perfect summer read。 Love the camp theme， murder mystery whodunit。 It’s all here。

Rachel Lang ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The camp vibes were everything， the plot not so much。 So many of these characters are terrible people。 And I'm sorry but if one more person in this book defended Heller or said that he loved Goldie， they need a reality check because he was awful。 The first half of this I was into it and would probably have given a four star rating but the second half was really dull， probably around a two star for me。 The camp vibes were everything， the plot not so much。 So many of these characters are terrible people。 And I'm sorry but if one more person in this book defended Heller or said that he loved Goldie， they need a reality check because he was awful。 The first half of this I was into it and would probably have given a four star rating but the second half was really dull， probably around a two star for me。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Counselors

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Counselors&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Counselors&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0