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Homecoming Queen
Twenty-five years after the last Homecoming queen at Westdale High was murdered, Melissa is nominated as a contestant for the newly revived tradition and is horrified when the other contestants begin to suffer deadly accidents. Original.
209 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1996
11 people are currently reading
309 people want to read
About the author
John Hall
7 books9 followersAs a teenager, John Hall devoured a diet of classic horror movies such as Halloween, Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Some of his more recent favorite horror movies are the Scream and Saw franchises. When he began reading adult horror, his instant favorites were Stephen King, John Saul and Dean Koontz. Most recently he's a fan of dark suspense authors such as Gillian Flynn, Ruth Ware, Shari Lapena, B.A. Paris, A.J. Finn, Liv Constantine and Lisa Jackson. John Hall's novels will appeal to fans of Karen McManus, E. Lockhart, Natasha Preston, Lois Duncan, Joan Lowery Nixon, R. L. Stine and Caroline Cooney. John grew up in Brooklyn, with a younger brother and over twenty cousins (yes, it's true!) but now lives in New York City. Readers can email him at johnhallauthor@gmail.com.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
September 7, 2021
Melissa Brady and her friends are excited for the Homecoming Queen contest at Westdale High School, it’s the first time that the contest has been held for 25 years. So it’s a really big deal!
As on the previous occasion Brenda Sheldon had been killed in a car accident.
But it’s not long before the other Homecoming Queen contestants start having horrible accidents. Is the contest cursed or is Brenda coming back from the grave?
Even though this Point Horror treads familiar ground, it does have some really great creepy cliffhangers.
The ending was a little obvious but with likeable characters and with a genuine level of threat sustained throughout, it makes one of the better stories in the series.
As on the previous occasion Brenda Sheldon had been killed in a car accident.
But it’s not long before the other Homecoming Queen contestants start having horrible accidents. Is the contest cursed or is Brenda coming back from the grave?
Even though this Point Horror treads familiar ground, it does have some really great creepy cliffhangers.
The ending was a little obvious but with likeable characters and with a genuine level of threat sustained throughout, it makes one of the better stories in the series.
August 4, 2019
Just re-read this for Teenage Scream podcast (lovingly dissecting the best and worst of 90s teen horror):
https://soundcloud.com/teenagescream
https://soundcloud.com/teenagescream
November 18, 2021
I'm getting the hang of these Point Horror books... I knew who the killer was EARLY this time 😂
This is only my second foray back into the world of PH as an adult, but (so far) this is the most 90s thing I've ever read! The premise, the colloquialisms... even the accidents and deaths are prime 90s nightmares. And I LOVE it!
I can't give it 5 stars obviously, because this isn't some masterpiece of writing, but I enjoyed it immensely and devoured it in 2 sittings (would have been 1 if the world of adulting would f off and leave me to it!)
I read this for both #AntiBullyReads (Anti-Bullying Readathon, hosted by me for the 8th year) and November's #pointhorrorreadalong with @talespointhorrorbookclub, all over on Instagram.
This is only my second foray back into the world of PH as an adult, but (so far) this is the most 90s thing I've ever read! The premise, the colloquialisms... even the accidents and deaths are prime 90s nightmares. And I LOVE it!
I can't give it 5 stars obviously, because this isn't some masterpiece of writing, but I enjoyed it immensely and devoured it in 2 sittings (would have been 1 if the world of adulting would f off and leave me to it!)
I read this for both #AntiBullyReads (Anti-Bullying Readathon, hosted by me for the 8th year) and November's #pointhorrorreadalong with @talespointhorrorbookclub, all over on Instagram.
July 12, 2015
Not as bad as the one about the sisters, but still bad enough to earn 1.5 stars. I'm not usually the type to point out how dated a book is from a different time, as I expect it to be, but John Hall did himself a disservice by mentioning everything under the sun that was popular in 1995/1996. There is no way they could slap an updated cover on this book and fool anybody who didn't look at the copyright date. The Smashing pumpkins were mentioned as a hot band, Sassy was the must-read teen magazine, and Melrose place was still on the air.
Most of the books in the teen horror/thriller genre had gone down the hill by the mid 90's, and had completely fallen off by the end of the decade. It seemed that authors no longer cared about anything close to quality, R.L. Stine appeared to give up all effort by 1996. A new style of teen books took over in the 2000's, and nothing was ever the same again. Very sad. Sigh.
Moving along...Homecoming Queen is nothing new. It's filled with cheesy lingo meant to sound "with it." The characters are typical, as you have your nasty snobs, your edgy girl who wears mini skirts with vintage plaid shirts and platform boots, and then your wannabe popular girl and a nerdy type.
Westdale high hasn't had a homecoming queen in 25 years, since the last one was killed. That would have been 1971, but for some reason the last homecoming queen is on the cover wearing a 1930's dress. I believe someone in the art department got their decades confused. 1971 is way back, but not that waaaay back.
The most popular girls in the school, Laurel and Betsy, are out to win the title, but are rooting for each other. Melissa's friends are rooting for her. Bad things start to happen. Melissa goes into the auditorium one Sunday when the school is closed to put up her posters for homecoming queen, she sees a throne and a crown and a scepter and a robe on the stage. She wonders if the drama club is about to start a play...it does not enter her mind that it might be for homecoming.
Melissa is nearly killed in the auditorium, but once she was back out in the sunshine with her friends, she hardly seemed to care all that much, just enough to relate the story. More things like that happen, and though Melissa is scared and even goes to the police, she continues to run around by herself, even making a trip to the Laundromat an hour before closing. There's no attendant in sight after the last customers leave, but that doesn't bother Melissa, she starts her wash. Washing and drying apparently only takes less than half an hour in Westdale, because Melissa finishes both that quickly. Betsy and Lauren pop up from out of nowhere and play a prank on her. She leaves, but then has to go back to get an assignment she left on the dryer. Things do not go well upon her return.
One problem I had was that Laurel and Betsy were popping up everywhere Melissa was. If she went to the gym, Betsy was there, if she went to the mall, Betsy and Laurel were there. As mentioned above, Melissa went to the school on a Sunday, both Betsy and Laurel were there. Betsy and Laurel were around every single corner. I was expecting she would go home and use the bathroom, and Betsy and Laurel would be behind the shower curtains!
It's more than obvious who is behind the incidents, though this person would have to be a psychic and have some kind of special powers to pull off even half the stuff they did, it just couldn't have happened.
I think I have another John Hall book in one of my storage bins, but I won't be dusting it off anytime soon.
Most of the books in the teen horror/thriller genre had gone down the hill by the mid 90's, and had completely fallen off by the end of the decade. It seemed that authors no longer cared about anything close to quality, R.L. Stine appeared to give up all effort by 1996. A new style of teen books took over in the 2000's, and nothing was ever the same again. Very sad. Sigh.
Moving along...Homecoming Queen is nothing new. It's filled with cheesy lingo meant to sound "with it." The characters are typical, as you have your nasty snobs, your edgy girl who wears mini skirts with vintage plaid shirts and platform boots, and then your wannabe popular girl and a nerdy type.
Westdale high hasn't had a homecoming queen in 25 years, since the last one was killed. That would have been 1971, but for some reason the last homecoming queen is on the cover wearing a 1930's dress. I believe someone in the art department got their decades confused. 1971 is way back, but not that waaaay back.
The most popular girls in the school, Laurel and Betsy, are out to win the title, but are rooting for each other. Melissa's friends are rooting for her. Bad things start to happen. Melissa goes into the auditorium one Sunday when the school is closed to put up her posters for homecoming queen, she sees a throne and a crown and a scepter and a robe on the stage. She wonders if the drama club is about to start a play...it does not enter her mind that it might be for homecoming.
Melissa is nearly killed in the auditorium, but once she was back out in the sunshine with her friends, she hardly seemed to care all that much, just enough to relate the story. More things like that happen, and though Melissa is scared and even goes to the police, she continues to run around by herself, even making a trip to the Laundromat an hour before closing. There's no attendant in sight after the last customers leave, but that doesn't bother Melissa, she starts her wash. Washing and drying apparently only takes less than half an hour in Westdale, because Melissa finishes both that quickly. Betsy and Lauren pop up from out of nowhere and play a prank on her. She leaves, but then has to go back to get an assignment she left on the dryer. Things do not go well upon her return.
One problem I had was that Laurel and Betsy were popping up everywhere Melissa was. If she went to the gym, Betsy was there, if she went to the mall, Betsy and Laurel were there. As mentioned above, Melissa went to the school on a Sunday, both Betsy and Laurel were there. Betsy and Laurel were around every single corner. I was expecting she would go home and use the bathroom, and Betsy and Laurel would be behind the shower curtains!
It's more than obvious who is behind the incidents, though this person would have to be a psychic and have some kind of special powers to pull off even half the stuff they did, it just couldn't have happened.
I think I have another John Hall book in one of my storage bins, but I won't be dusting it off anytime soon.
September 15, 2021
One-Line Review: Somewhere, there is a land where teenagers can afford beauty parlours and fancy gyms, and losing 5lbs takes you from chubby to svelte. And I want to live there.
Full Review:
It's a new autumn, and time to finish the Point Horror reviews!
Homecoming Queen is one that I always think I like more than I do. I've always been a huge fan of Homecoming, for one. I love the cover, for two. That scepter thing on the front cover? I get happy chills every time I see one of those, and feel highly cheated that we don't get Homecoming in England. (One of the many things I missed at English high school.)
So this leads me to think I really like the book, whereas I read it and find it just OK.
We start off with Melissa meeting her two best friends - Izzy and Celeste - on the first day back at school. Over the summer, Melissa has got her braces off, got a tan, acquired golden sun-streaks in her hair and swapped her glasses for contact lenses. Oh, and she's shed those pesky five pounds of baby fat she was carrying. A cute little exchange occurs when Iz and Celeste see her and immediately exclaim, "You're so thin!" I did wonder while reading this if the book was supposed to be a spoof - I probably wouldn't even notice if a friend lost five pounds, let alone remark on what a difference it had made. (Unless she was like, 95lbs to start with, which would hardly qualify her for overweight at the beginning.) However, I don't think it's intended to be farcical; perhaps it's just how teenage girls were in the nineties. Or perhaps it's a satirical jab at teen stereotypes by the author. We will never know.
So Mel - no, that doesn't seem like it suits her, how about Lissa? - goes to school on the first day and everyone comments on her new look, including these awful beeyatches called Laurel and Betsy, who are jealous that Laurel's ex, Seth, is making googly eyes at Melissa. Seth really seems to be into this new Lissa, and he asks her out. To her credit, she asks why he never noticed her before, and he categorically denies this, giving her a slightly stalkerish list of the things he's noticed about her. This convinces her that he's not just after her for the sun-streaked hair and five-pounds-thinner body. Although he never actually says why, if he noticed and liked her last year, he never talked to her, just fobs her off with something about Laurel (the ex) being crazy jealous if he talked to other girls. Righty-o then.
Izzy decides to nominate Melissa for Homecoming Queen, which doesn't please Laurel and Betsy, although the other two contestants - Faith and Tia - are friendly and nice.
Oh, I forgot to mention - this is the high school's first Homecoming in 25 years, since the last Homecoming Queen was in a car crash and died the night of the dance. Apparently the school cancelled it in her honour. (25 years is a lot of honour!)
So weird stuff starts happening to the Homecoming Court - Melissa gets a bouquet of dead flowers in the mail, Faith gets burned by a malfunctioning tanning bed at the health club, and Tia gets stung by a load of bees that were put in Melissa's locker. Rumours abound that Brenda Sheldon - the last Queen - is back from the dead and wanting revenge (for what?) and Melissa can't decide if she's being haunted or if there's a more prosaic explanation...
This wasn't awful and wasn't great. There weren't a lot of scares - even during the ghost scenes I wasn't jumpy. I'd also pretty much worked out the murderer from the first chapter (on the first reading, last year) although not the motivation.
Some of the details didn't quite ring true to me - for example, I've NEVER known a health club (at least here in England) that lets 16/17-year-olds use tanning beds. It's rare to find a health club that allows 16/17-year-olds to have memberships. In addition, my own gym - which is basic and does not come with luxuries like a swimming pool, running track and jacuzzi / spa - costs £40 a month - maybe $80. I can't imagine schoolkids affording eighty bucks a month (or the equivalent of eighty bucks in 1996) for the gym, like so many of them seem to do in this book. Sure, the parents could pay, but there's no mention of their families being loaded. This may, of course, be different in America.
That all said, I had some fun reading Homecoming Queen. It didn't have the emotional punch of a Cooney book, or the atmospherics of Cusick, but John Hall (credited inside as John Scognamiglio - I wonder if he's the editor John Scognamiglio?) has created something fun that kept my interest (just about) to the end.
Verdict: A modest but decent addition to the Point Horror series.
Full Review:
It's a new autumn, and time to finish the Point Horror reviews!
Homecoming Queen is one that I always think I like more than I do. I've always been a huge fan of Homecoming, for one. I love the cover, for two. That scepter thing on the front cover? I get happy chills every time I see one of those, and feel highly cheated that we don't get Homecoming in England. (One of the many things I missed at English high school.)
So this leads me to think I really like the book, whereas I read it and find it just OK.
We start off with Melissa meeting her two best friends - Izzy and Celeste - on the first day back at school. Over the summer, Melissa has got her braces off, got a tan, acquired golden sun-streaks in her hair and swapped her glasses for contact lenses. Oh, and she's shed those pesky five pounds of baby fat she was carrying. A cute little exchange occurs when Iz and Celeste see her and immediately exclaim, "You're so thin!" I did wonder while reading this if the book was supposed to be a spoof - I probably wouldn't even notice if a friend lost five pounds, let alone remark on what a difference it had made. (Unless she was like, 95lbs to start with, which would hardly qualify her for overweight at the beginning.) However, I don't think it's intended to be farcical; perhaps it's just how teenage girls were in the nineties. Or perhaps it's a satirical jab at teen stereotypes by the author. We will never know.
So Mel - no, that doesn't seem like it suits her, how about Lissa? - goes to school on the first day and everyone comments on her new look, including these awful beeyatches called Laurel and Betsy, who are jealous that Laurel's ex, Seth, is making googly eyes at Melissa. Seth really seems to be into this new Lissa, and he asks her out. To her credit, she asks why he never noticed her before, and he categorically denies this, giving her a slightly stalkerish list of the things he's noticed about her. This convinces her that he's not just after her for the sun-streaked hair and five-pounds-thinner body. Although he never actually says why, if he noticed and liked her last year, he never talked to her, just fobs her off with something about Laurel (the ex) being crazy jealous if he talked to other girls. Righty-o then.
Izzy decides to nominate Melissa for Homecoming Queen, which doesn't please Laurel and Betsy, although the other two contestants - Faith and Tia - are friendly and nice.
Oh, I forgot to mention - this is the high school's first Homecoming in 25 years, since the last Homecoming Queen was in a car crash and died the night of the dance. Apparently the school cancelled it in her honour. (25 years is a lot of honour!)
So weird stuff starts happening to the Homecoming Court - Melissa gets a bouquet of dead flowers in the mail, Faith gets burned by a malfunctioning tanning bed at the health club, and Tia gets stung by a load of bees that were put in Melissa's locker. Rumours abound that Brenda Sheldon - the last Queen - is back from the dead and wanting revenge (for what?) and Melissa can't decide if she's being haunted or if there's a more prosaic explanation...
This wasn't awful and wasn't great. There weren't a lot of scares - even during the ghost scenes I wasn't jumpy. I'd also pretty much worked out the murderer from the first chapter (on the first reading, last year) although not the motivation.
Some of the details didn't quite ring true to me - for example, I've NEVER known a health club (at least here in England) that lets 16/17-year-olds use tanning beds. It's rare to find a health club that allows 16/17-year-olds to have memberships. In addition, my own gym - which is basic and does not come with luxuries like a swimming pool, running track and jacuzzi / spa - costs £40 a month - maybe $80. I can't imagine schoolkids affording eighty bucks a month (or the equivalent of eighty bucks in 1996) for the gym, like so many of them seem to do in this book. Sure, the parents could pay, but there's no mention of their families being loaded. This may, of course, be different in America.
That all said, I had some fun reading Homecoming Queen. It didn't have the emotional punch of a Cooney book, or the atmospherics of Cusick, but John Hall (credited inside as John Scognamiglio - I wonder if he's the editor John Scognamiglio?) has created something fun that kept my interest (just about) to the end.
Verdict: A modest but decent addition to the Point Horror series.
July 14, 2019
A fun romp through high school politics with a fair bit of camp.
I read this for our podcast Teenage Scream, which dissects the best (and worst) of 90s Teen Horror.
https://soundcloud.com/teenagescream
I read this for our podcast Teenage Scream, which dissects the best (and worst) of 90s Teen Horror.
https://soundcloud.com/teenagescream
November 8, 2023
3.5 stars
October 13, 2012
I had a great ache of nostalgia for the Point Horror series recently, and so decided to make a bit of a personal project out of rereading them. This one was one of my favourites, and so I decided to start with it. I'm glad I did, because it aquits itself pretty well even to an adult reader's standards.
Oh, it's never going to be more than a fun, light breezy read for an adult really, as it's a short book and the plot is rather brisk and to-the-point; but horror lovers may well enjoy something which s basically a celebration of many of the standard horror themes and tropes. I know I love that sort of thing as long as it's done well.
There are rather strong overtones of Scream in certain parts of the plot, which is pretty unsurprising considering the first Scream film came out the year before this was published. The idea that you can't trust even your own friends, that you may not even really KNOW them, is something of a universal concern for people and still a touch unsettling - though personally I feel the ending loses some of what impact it may have had because it arrives and plays out so quickly.
If ever there's an option to make a TV series out of these books (which I would love to see), then I'd be rooting for this one to make an appearance.
Oh, it's never going to be more than a fun, light breezy read for an adult really, as it's a short book and the plot is rather brisk and to-the-point; but horror lovers may well enjoy something which s basically a celebration of many of the standard horror themes and tropes. I know I love that sort of thing as long as it's done well.
There are rather strong overtones of Scream in certain parts of the plot, which is pretty unsurprising considering the first Scream film came out the year before this was published. The idea that you can't trust even your own friends, that you may not even really KNOW them, is something of a universal concern for people and still a touch unsettling - though personally I feel the ending loses some of what impact it may have had because it arrives and plays out so quickly.
If ever there's an option to make a TV series out of these books (which I would love to see), then I'd be rooting for this one to make an appearance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 19, 2022
A one off entry from author John Hall in the Point Horror series towards its ending run.
I was expecting maybe a peak into the past about the Homecoming Queen Brenda Sheldon instead of it being told to us second hand just because it would have been interesting and I've seen it done before but...it's cool. I still liked it.
Melissa Brady lost some weight over the summer, got her braces off, got some contacts and her hair got lightened by the sun. Best friends Isabel "Izzy" Jacobs and Celeste DiPaglia think she looks great and they are about to be seniors at Westdale High. Even if Celeste is a little studious and Izzy wants to just coast, Melissa couldn't be happier unless...Seth Powell, her crush and football star, finally starts to notice her new look.
That seems to be working out well because Laurel Schaeffer, Seth's girlfriend, is starting to give her those jealous looks. By lunch, news has made it around about two things: First that Seth and Laurel are broken up and that after twenty-five years, Westdale is bringing back the tradition of Homecoming King and Queen.
Not being from town originally, only having moved there last winter, Melissa learns about Brenda Sheldon. Voted Homecoming Queen because she was beautiful and smart and nice, Brenda went off with her boyfriend Jake after the dance and some of his friends. There was rain, driving at night and drunk driving involved and Brenda, Jake and three others were killed.
Speculation is that Brenda was decapitated but not proven and she has become a sort of ghost legend. The tradition was dropped out of respect to the dead teenagers and to prevent another tragedy thanks to partying and drinking.
When Seth joins Melissa, Izzy and Celeste for lunch it makes Laurel and her bestie, Betsy Sullivan, come over after he leaves. They are fake nice to Melissa about her new look and Izzy just adds fuel to the fire to melt the icy sugarness away that both girls joke that now Melissa is probably going to put her name in the race for Homecoming Queen.
That sounds fine to Izzy and Celeste, they think their bestie could win. Melissa isn't sure at first (the last homecoming queen died) but she decides to run so that Betsy and Laurel won't think only they can win. Izzy nominates her and soon the students can vote for a dollar to raise money for the school on who will be king and queen of Homecoming.
Two other girls, Faith Robbins and Tia Diaz, are nominated and after the first week of votes...Melissa is in the lead. Betsy and Laurel are in the last two places (I guess you can be nice and popular but I've never heard of cheerleaders not being in the lead.)
Most of the action is normal catty, high school teenage girl drama with boys and friends getting their feelings hurt but then...awful things start happening to the girls being nominated for Homecoming Queen.
Sandbags falling on the stage, being attacked by bees, receiving severe burns from a tanning bed.
Is it the ghost of Brenda Sheldon causing all of these horrible things to happen? Perhaps yet there are plenty of teenagers who could be behind this? Girls desperate to win, girls ready to make the popular girls pay or even crazed boyfriends who want their girl to be the queen.
Melissa's about to learn that heavy is the head that wears the crown...until it gets chopped off...
Nothing too different except really focusing more on how high school popularity and cliques are a big joke. You don't need to tell me or anyone else that bit of information twice: get a slim summer bod you become one of the popular girls but have to get braces or seen parking with a boy: SCANDALOUS!!
The reveal isn't surprising about who it is but the motive is slightly sad and dangerously close to be being believable as in I've seen made for tv movies based on actual events involving the same reasons. The climax is filled with tension and then the ending is just another one of those "PTSD what's that?" situations.
Not amazing but still a decent read and a recommendation for those curious about Homecoming Queen by John Hall.
I was expecting maybe a peak into the past about the Homecoming Queen Brenda Sheldon instead of it being told to us second hand just because it would have been interesting and I've seen it done before but...it's cool. I still liked it.
Melissa Brady lost some weight over the summer, got her braces off, got some contacts and her hair got lightened by the sun. Best friends Isabel "Izzy" Jacobs and Celeste DiPaglia think she looks great and they are about to be seniors at Westdale High. Even if Celeste is a little studious and Izzy wants to just coast, Melissa couldn't be happier unless...Seth Powell, her crush and football star, finally starts to notice her new look.
That seems to be working out well because Laurel Schaeffer, Seth's girlfriend, is starting to give her those jealous looks. By lunch, news has made it around about two things: First that Seth and Laurel are broken up and that after twenty-five years, Westdale is bringing back the tradition of Homecoming King and Queen.
Not being from town originally, only having moved there last winter, Melissa learns about Brenda Sheldon. Voted Homecoming Queen because she was beautiful and smart and nice, Brenda went off with her boyfriend Jake after the dance and some of his friends. There was rain, driving at night and drunk driving involved and Brenda, Jake and three others were killed.
Speculation is that Brenda was decapitated but not proven and she has become a sort of ghost legend. The tradition was dropped out of respect to the dead teenagers and to prevent another tragedy thanks to partying and drinking.
When Seth joins Melissa, Izzy and Celeste for lunch it makes Laurel and her bestie, Betsy Sullivan, come over after he leaves. They are fake nice to Melissa about her new look and Izzy just adds fuel to the fire to melt the icy sugarness away that both girls joke that now Melissa is probably going to put her name in the race for Homecoming Queen.
That sounds fine to Izzy and Celeste, they think their bestie could win. Melissa isn't sure at first (the last homecoming queen died) but she decides to run so that Betsy and Laurel won't think only they can win. Izzy nominates her and soon the students can vote for a dollar to raise money for the school on who will be king and queen of Homecoming.
Two other girls, Faith Robbins and Tia Diaz, are nominated and after the first week of votes...Melissa is in the lead. Betsy and Laurel are in the last two places (I guess you can be nice and popular but I've never heard of cheerleaders not being in the lead.)
Most of the action is normal catty, high school teenage girl drama with boys and friends getting their feelings hurt but then...awful things start happening to the girls being nominated for Homecoming Queen.
Sandbags falling on the stage, being attacked by bees, receiving severe burns from a tanning bed.
Is it the ghost of Brenda Sheldon causing all of these horrible things to happen? Perhaps yet there are plenty of teenagers who could be behind this? Girls desperate to win, girls ready to make the popular girls pay or even crazed boyfriends who want their girl to be the queen.
Melissa's about to learn that heavy is the head that wears the crown...until it gets chopped off...
Nothing too different except really focusing more on how high school popularity and cliques are a big joke. You don't need to tell me or anyone else that bit of information twice: get a slim summer bod you become one of the popular girls but have to get braces or seen parking with a boy: SCANDALOUS!!
The reveal isn't surprising about who it is but the motive is slightly sad and dangerously close to be being believable as in I've seen made for tv movies based on actual events involving the same reasons. The climax is filled with tension and then the ending is just another one of those "PTSD what's that?" situations.
Not amazing but still a decent read and a recommendation for those curious about Homecoming Queen by John Hall.
November 22, 2024
2.5 stars. A very of-its-time, pedestrian slasher story with a touch of men writing female rivalry about it.
I liked how very nineties it is. There are references to the pop culture of the time (Smashing Pumpkins!) and everyone eats barely anything but pizza. I loved the cats, Salt and Pepper, and some of the 'accidents' were delightfully gruesome.
The main trouble is, the plot just doesn't hold up when you look at it even from a distance. Characters pop up where they have no business being to 'play pranks'. The motivation of the murderer is not believable (I guessed who this was before the reveal) and the deaths are treated way too lightly.
I liked how very nineties it is. There are references to the pop culture of the time (Smashing Pumpkins!) and everyone eats barely anything but pizza. I loved the cats, Salt and Pepper, and some of the 'accidents' were delightfully gruesome.
The main trouble is, the plot just doesn't hold up when you look at it even from a distance. Characters pop up where they have no business being to 'play pranks'. The motivation of the murderer is not believable (I guessed who this was before the reveal) and the deaths are treated way too lightly.
February 15, 2024
I love this book. It is one of my favourites. I would do anything to read it for the first time again! I got it from a book fair in primary school, I'm 38 this year 🤣 I still go back every now and then to read it again. It takes a couple of hours to read and I enjoy the story. What could be bad about that?
February 18, 2022
I really enjoy this authors writing. I read Killer Christmas last year. This one is full of teen angst and spooky happenings, betrayed friends, teen love interest and don't forget the threat of murder! Read in two days, a quick fun read. I am on to the next one now.
July 13, 2024
I gave this 5 ⭐️ for nostalgic reasons
I read this book when I was an early teen, maybe like 13/14
Was it a good book back then? Yes! Very 90s American high school, totally rad 😂 Now? Not so much but I definitely enjoyed the throw back!
I read this book when I was an early teen, maybe like 13/14
Was it a good book back then? Yes! Very 90s American high school, totally rad 😂 Now? Not so much but I definitely enjoyed the throw back!
December 10, 2020
I really loved this one. Fun concept, likeable characters, pacey writing. Really fun.
January 6, 2021
It was ok. Lots of high school drama and jealousy. A quick and easy read.
December 17, 2022
A trip down memory lane, although I'd actually not read this one before. Classic point horror thrills. A no concentratate read, just pure fun!
October 20, 2024
I never read this one as a kid, but as an adult I loved this!
August 9, 2024
For fans of Mean Girls and John Hughes movies (but with a murderous twist). Fast paced, well written although the denouement was a little predictable and the bee smuggling episode strained belief!
July 6, 2024
I read this with my book club that I run on Instagram where we revisit Point Horror and other books from our childhood - @talespointhorrorbookclub
Tagline - She’s drop dead gorgeous
Memorable For - Bee transportation & death by drier!
Blurb -
There hasn't been a Homecoming queen at Westdale High for 25 years - not since beautiful queen Brenda Sheldon was killed in a car accident. Now the school has brought the tradition back, but the contestants start having nasty accidents. Could Brenda's ghost be out for revenge, or is someone else?
Some Thoughts -
Westdale High decide it’s about time to bring back an old tradition. I’m not talking about recycling club…. Oh no! They decide to have a new Homecoming King and Queen! Three weeks of campaigning start. Votes can be brought for a dollar each and a score board keeps tally of who is winning every Monday in the cafeteria. Five girls are competing but only one can win! But 25 years ago the last Homecoming Queen, the pretty and popular Brenda Sheldon, died in a gruesome car accident! When accidents start to happen, a malfunctioning tanning bed, bees in lockers, dead flower deliveries and creepy phone calls and then there’s the death by drier! The competition is becoming deadly! Is Brenda Sheldon back from the dead and not happy about someone else taking her crown?
Other highlights include awesome Izzy, questions about bee transportation, a haunted house scene featuring an axe wielding psycho and a PH that feels soooo 90s!
Tagline - She’s drop dead gorgeous
Memorable For - Bee transportation & death by drier!
Blurb -
There hasn't been a Homecoming queen at Westdale High for 25 years - not since beautiful queen Brenda Sheldon was killed in a car accident. Now the school has brought the tradition back, but the contestants start having nasty accidents. Could Brenda's ghost be out for revenge, or is someone else?
Some Thoughts -
Westdale High decide it’s about time to bring back an old tradition. I’m not talking about recycling club…. Oh no! They decide to have a new Homecoming King and Queen! Three weeks of campaigning start. Votes can be brought for a dollar each and a score board keeps tally of who is winning every Monday in the cafeteria. Five girls are competing but only one can win! But 25 years ago the last Homecoming Queen, the pretty and popular Brenda Sheldon, died in a gruesome car accident! When accidents start to happen, a malfunctioning tanning bed, bees in lockers, dead flower deliveries and creepy phone calls and then there’s the death by drier! The competition is becoming deadly! Is Brenda Sheldon back from the dead and not happy about someone else taking her crown?
Other highlights include awesome Izzy, questions about bee transportation, a haunted house scene featuring an axe wielding psycho and a PH that feels soooo 90s!
December 30, 2022
I first read this as a teen and it's perfect for getting me out of a reading slump
August 19, 2015
I love this book, classic point horror at its best. But why are all the men writers better than the women in this series? I do have over 100 more books to go so maybe it will even out in the end. This book was so 80s/90's and so American, if you love point horror this is going to be one of your favourites! Highschool drama, and I actually didn't guess the killer until about 3 quarters of the way through new record for point horror.
August 15, 2011
loved this when I was in middle school
July 18, 2013
Ah Homecoming an important event in every american teens life. But the fight for homecoming queen can be deadly. And this had a surprise ending!
February 10, 2014
Read this when I was younger. Amazing book and very creepy.
August 9, 2016
It was mind blowing
January 17, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews