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Beach Party
It's the ultimate beach party in California. And Karen, who's just broken up with her boyfriend, is going to enjoy every minute of it--especially having two new guys who like her. But the party takes a nasty turn when Karen realizes someone is out to spoil the fun by getting rid of her.
176 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 1990
20 people are currently reading
1660 people want to read
About the author
R.L. Stine
1,679 books18.6k followersRobert Lawrence Stine known as R. L. Stine and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American novelist and writer, well known for targeting younger audiences. Stine, who is often called the Stephen King of children's literature, is the author of dozens of popular horror fiction novellas, including the books in the Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room and Fear Street series.
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
September 3, 2020
"Stay away from Jerry".
Beach Party by R.L. Stine
My review..9/3/2020
Sooo..I have finally..finally..done my reread of this nifty little book from my past. My thoughts?
It isn't a very good book. Plot holes abound. The characters behave in ways that are head scratching at best, batshit crazy at worst. And it's short.
But.....
Atmosphere is everything and this book...I mean it literally IS the perfect mindless beach read. And given much of it takes place on the beach, that makes it that much more compulsively readable.
Karen's buddy Ann-Marie is coming to visit her in sunny California. This will be a week of sun and surf and fun on the shores. What could go wrong?
Well..if your Karen..alot. During this week, she meets two guys she is attracted to, gets various warnings to stay away from one, almost gets killed, has no good very bad shitty things happen to her and starts to suspect everyone.
I'll tell ya..there is nothing like an R.L. Stine book.
So yeah, it's cheesy, inconsistencies abound but if you want a short but fun little book, that takes you to the ocean and features murder, mayhem and plenty of screwed people here is your book.
Don't waste time debating the plausibility of anything. Just let the sand and ocean waves envelop you. Quality is not important here..fun is! And by the way, it would have got a four but the ending was a bit flat for me.
We all read different books for different reasons. This is pure escapist. Have fun !
Beach Party by R.L. Stine
My review..9/3/2020
Sooo..I have finally..finally..done my reread of this nifty little book from my past. My thoughts?
It isn't a very good book. Plot holes abound. The characters behave in ways that are head scratching at best, batshit crazy at worst. And it's short.
But.....
Atmosphere is everything and this book...I mean it literally IS the perfect mindless beach read. And given much of it takes place on the beach, that makes it that much more compulsively readable.
Karen's buddy Ann-Marie is coming to visit her in sunny California. This will be a week of sun and surf and fun on the shores. What could go wrong?
Well..if your Karen..alot. During this week, she meets two guys she is attracted to, gets various warnings to stay away from one, almost gets killed, has no good very bad shitty things happen to her and starts to suspect everyone.
I'll tell ya..there is nothing like an R.L. Stine book.
So yeah, it's cheesy, inconsistencies abound but if you want a short but fun little book, that takes you to the ocean and features murder, mayhem and plenty of screwed people here is your book.
Don't waste time debating the plausibility of anything. Just let the sand and ocean waves envelop you. Quality is not important here..fun is! And by the way, it would have got a four but the ending was a bit flat for me.
We all read different books for different reasons. This is pure escapist. Have fun !
May 8, 2019
2.25
Well for the most part I enjoyed trying to figure out the mystery of "stay away from Jerry" and who was the murderer. While I didn't guess, and normally that's a good thing, I...don't think I liked the twist. Kinda put a bad taste in my mouth. I did like the part with Vince in the end.
Well for the most part I enjoyed trying to figure out the mystery of "stay away from Jerry" and who was the murderer. While I didn't guess, and normally that's a good thing, I...don't think I liked the twist. Kinda put a bad taste in my mouth. I did like the part with Vince in the end.
May 8, 2019
This one did not work for me. The characters were awful and the story predictable. Sorry Bob. Better luck next time.
August 19, 2024
A very typical point horror story. Wasn't particularly engaging for the first third as its a little slow to get to any tense moments. But once there was a mystery to solve it became a much better story. I would say the ending is what saved this one as I genuinely didn't predict the culprit at all. Would just about reccommend but there are much better entries to the series.
A girl and her friend take a vacation to a summer resort where she finds a mysterious boy she instantly falls for. But cryptic threats keep being sent her way to stay away from him. One when if her friends is murdered she has no idea who to be afraid of and who she can trust. Is the boy as innocent as he seems? Or are the messages trying to save her?
A girl and her friend take a vacation to a summer resort where she finds a mysterious boy she instantly falls for. But cryptic threats keep being sent her way to stay away from him. One when if her friends is murdered she has no idea who to be afraid of and who she can trust. Is the boy as innocent as he seems? Or are the messages trying to save her?
May 29, 2019
Bimbo girl meets bad-boy (we know this because he wears a leather jacket and has...TATTOOS! *gasp*)...but also meets good guy and his jealous girlfriend and has ex-boyfriend hanging around and jealous friend from NY...mysteries pursue...bimbo nearly dies a couple of times....someone actually does die...red herrings galore...murderer is revealed....bimbo goes off hand-in-hand with boy....the earth continues to spin.
Next please!
Next please!
October 13, 2021
One-Line Review: Ahhh, 1990 was such a great year.
Full Review:
I remembered the main plot points of this book quite well, despite the fact that I probably hadn't read it in fifteen years, but I couldn't remember if I actually liked it or not. Happily, it turns out that I did.
Karen (California girl) and her friend Ann-Marie (visiting from New York, where she's been living for a few years) are spending the summer at Venice Beach, and are planning to party nonstop. Karen's recently broken up with her boyfriend, so she's thrilled when she meets two new guys: sweet, handsome Jerry and menacing-but-sexy Vince. She and Jerry really hit it off, but someone starts leaving her messages, warning her to stay away from him. Jerry's maybe-girlfriend-maybe-ex doesn't seem to like Karen. Ann-Marie is acting strangely. And then the nasty pranks start.
This is one of R.L. Stine's best books, I think. I feel a little uncomfortable saying that, because it's a pretty old book - 1991, I think - and I like to think that authors improve over the years. This doesn't always happen with Stine. I don't know if it's because I've been reading too many of his Fear Street books over the years, but a lot of his plots seem to be both outlandish and recycled. With the amount of different criminal and supernatural / preternatural elements that he adds to his books, they shouldn't ever feel stale, yet to me they often do. There are some good titles in the Fear Street series, and also a lot of forgettable ones that feel rushed and lacking in vitality.
Perhaps it's because this is an early book of his, or perhaps it's the different setting, or perhaps it's the fact that Point Horror is aimed at a slightly older reader than Fear Street. Whatever the reason, Beach Party still feels fresh to me. This is going to sound odd, and you may not get what I mean, but it feels honest. Like Mr Stine wrote it because he wanted to, rather than churning it out on contract the way I suspect he does with a lot of his books.
Ah, I don't mean to denigrate Mr Stine. I liked him a lot as an early teenager and preteen, and still enjoy some of his books nowadays. I just find him hit-or-miss.
So yeah, I really enjoyed Beach Party a lot. The characters are a little shallow, but they're fun and pleasant enough to root for. The plot is reasonably tight, and I enjoyed the big reveal at the end. The best thing for me, though, is that this book really captures the zeitgeist of the late 80s and early 90s. I lived at the beach up until about 1989, and as soon as I started reading this, I could have been back there. I put on a Def Leppard T-shirt while I read, stuck some cheerful pop songs from 1990 and 1991 on my iPod, and had a fantastic couple of evenings reading. 1990 was a brilliant year for me, and it was an utterly hedonistic pleasure to be able to revisit it via this book.
I love the cover, too. Simple, beautiful and just a tad creepy - but not creepy enough to rid me of that happy feeling.
Verdict: Elements that pulled together nicely. Great fun to read.
Full Review:
I remembered the main plot points of this book quite well, despite the fact that I probably hadn't read it in fifteen years, but I couldn't remember if I actually liked it or not. Happily, it turns out that I did.
Karen (California girl) and her friend Ann-Marie (visiting from New York, where she's been living for a few years) are spending the summer at Venice Beach, and are planning to party nonstop. Karen's recently broken up with her boyfriend, so she's thrilled when she meets two new guys: sweet, handsome Jerry and menacing-but-sexy Vince. She and Jerry really hit it off, but someone starts leaving her messages, warning her to stay away from him. Jerry's maybe-girlfriend-maybe-ex doesn't seem to like Karen. Ann-Marie is acting strangely. And then the nasty pranks start.
This is one of R.L. Stine's best books, I think. I feel a little uncomfortable saying that, because it's a pretty old book - 1991, I think - and I like to think that authors improve over the years. This doesn't always happen with Stine. I don't know if it's because I've been reading too many of his Fear Street books over the years, but a lot of his plots seem to be both outlandish and recycled. With the amount of different criminal and supernatural / preternatural elements that he adds to his books, they shouldn't ever feel stale, yet to me they often do. There are some good titles in the Fear Street series, and also a lot of forgettable ones that feel rushed and lacking in vitality.
Perhaps it's because this is an early book of his, or perhaps it's the different setting, or perhaps it's the fact that Point Horror is aimed at a slightly older reader than Fear Street. Whatever the reason, Beach Party still feels fresh to me. This is going to sound odd, and you may not get what I mean, but it feels honest. Like Mr Stine wrote it because he wanted to, rather than churning it out on contract the way I suspect he does with a lot of his books.
Ah, I don't mean to denigrate Mr Stine. I liked him a lot as an early teenager and preteen, and still enjoy some of his books nowadays. I just find him hit-or-miss.
So yeah, I really enjoyed Beach Party a lot. The characters are a little shallow, but they're fun and pleasant enough to root for. The plot is reasonably tight, and I enjoyed the big reveal at the end. The best thing for me, though, is that this book really captures the zeitgeist of the late 80s and early 90s. I lived at the beach up until about 1989, and as soon as I started reading this, I could have been back there. I put on a Def Leppard T-shirt while I read, stuck some cheerful pop songs from 1990 and 1991 on my iPod, and had a fantastic couple of evenings reading. 1990 was a brilliant year for me, and it was an utterly hedonistic pleasure to be able to revisit it via this book.
I love the cover, too. Simple, beautiful and just a tad creepy - but not creepy enough to rid me of that happy feeling.
Verdict: Elements that pulled together nicely. Great fun to read.
December 14, 2017
89th book read in 2017.
Number 619 out of 653 on my all time book list.
Mind-numbingly silly
Number 619 out of 653 on my all time book list.
Mind-numbingly silly
November 27, 2021
A Point Horror entry by Stine that has all the typical ingredients: A murder, mysterious, threatening phone calls, strong 90's vibes and lots of teen drama.
I was curious to read this book after reading Beach House by Stine and really enjoying it. Unfortunately, this one is in no way connected and is not nearly as good. However, we do have an entertaining story here with the whodunit mystery aspect as well as the cheesy, teen melodrama involving lots of sarcastic and witty dialogue. The story is a more grounded one and doesn't lean into supernatural territory unlike some of the other Point Horror titles. It's weak points are not having much going for it aside from the simple murder mystery and the big twist/reveal is rather anticlimactic.
Overall, I liked this book but it's not great or one of Stine's best.
2.5 / 5 rounded down to 2 for Goodreads.
I was curious to read this book after reading Beach House by Stine and really enjoying it. Unfortunately, this one is in no way connected and is not nearly as good. However, we do have an entertaining story here with the whodunit mystery aspect as well as the cheesy, teen melodrama involving lots of sarcastic and witty dialogue. The story is a more grounded one and doesn't lean into supernatural territory unlike some of the other Point Horror titles. It's weak points are not having much going for it aside from the simple murder mystery and the big twist/reveal is rather anticlimactic.
Overall, I liked this book but it's not great or one of Stine's best.
2.5 / 5 rounded down to 2 for Goodreads.
August 1, 2021
Karen and her best friend are spending a couple of weeks together sans parents so let the partying commence! Karen meets two guys who are very different from each other but equally attractive. One of these guys already has a girlfriend though and Karen starts receiving some threats to stay away from him. Dun dun dun.
A fun and quick Stine read. Perfect for summer.
A fun and quick Stine read. Perfect for summer.
October 27, 2023
Not my favorite, unfortunately. R.L. Stine was my reason for reading when I was younger. I'm sure I would have loved this when I was younger but not so much now at age 33.
June 26, 2017
This is one of the more uneventful Stine books. After reading Beach House, I honestly expected more. It's about a flirty California girl named Karen who is hosting her more reserved New York friend, Ann-Marie, for the summer. Karen lives in Venice. At the start of the summer she meets two opposite guys she likes equally: Sweet Jerry and Tough Vince. Ann-Marie is annoyed Karen won't spend time with her. Renee is annoyed because Jerry is her boyfriend. So when Karen starts getting threatening messages to Stay Away From Jerry, she thinks they're from Renee. But then a can of spray paint turns up in Ann-Marie's dresser drawers and a pile of jellyfish turn up in her bed. Who else could have done these things but Ann-Marie, since they live together?! But one afternoon a girl finds Karen and tells her that she is Jerry's sister. Jerry counters later on that he doesn't have a sister. When AM admits that she is dating Karen's ex, Mike, and was worried about Karen finding out, Karen is, naturally, relieved. Then Karen thinks the frightening notes might be coming from Vince. Or Jerry's so-called sister. Karen goes to confront Renee about Jerry one day only to find her dead in the kitchen. So the culprit of the threats isn't Renee or AM. At the beach one day Vince wakes Karen up from a nap. They go walking along the beach together but Karen begins to become frightened of him. She runs back to her beach blanket to apply sunscreen, only to find another typed warning there. Then as she starts to apply sunscreen she realizes she is screaming because her skin is burning. Vince hurries back and takes Karen to the hospital. Now she's ruled out Vince as a suspect and decides it must be Jerry's alleged sister. She's still torn between her feelings for Jerry and Vince when she and Jerry go snorkeling a couple of days later. Everything seems okay until Jerry floats further out and Karen calls to him to come back. Because of her burned hand and shoulder (the sunscreen bottle was filled with acid), she needs help to return to shore. When she catches up to Jerry he tells her he's not Jerry-he's Todd. Todd was Jerry's brother who drowned when Jerry couldn't save him. Karen realizes Jerry left the notes as Todd warning her against himself. He then confesses he had to do a bad thing to Renee because she wouldn't listen to him. Jerry's sister shows up and says he hasn't been right since Todd drowned, to the point of taking his identity and denying he has a sister. She says she'll take him to get help. Vince carries Karen back across the beach, and she seems all right with the fact now that he has a tattoo and runs with a gang. Ah, young love!!
November 10, 2025
That was FUN. Totally dated and tone deaf, but exciting a fun. Very much a YA Lifetime movie.
June 12, 2021
4 stars! Perfect summer read. Lots of people seem to be pretty harsh on this book from what I've read on here. If you are expecting something more than teenage drama, fun late 80s/early 90s vibes, and beach feels, then I'm not sure you should pick this up. However, if you are looking for something light and nostalgic, then dig in! Some things in the story could have been executed better, but I never thought about that while reading; I was just along for the ride! And what a fun, sand-filled ride it was!
September 8, 2021
One of the better Point Horror's, felt that the characters were likable and the mystery was interesting enough to keep me hooked.
November 11, 2023
It drags on way too long and the threats just felt repetitive. There were so many red herrings and the ending was anticlimatic and so abrupt. It also paints such negative stereotypes on mental illness which is pretty common in these Point Horror series.
But i did like the sarcastic and funny dialogues.
But i did like the sarcastic and funny dialogues.
January 13, 2018
Rating is based on / against other Point Horror's that I have read as part of #PointHorrorBookClub and you can find my thoughts here
www.talesofyesterday.co.uk/2018/01/ph...
Please be aware that as this is a discussion post it will contain spoilers!
www.talesofyesterday.co.uk/2018/01/ph...
Please be aware that as this is a discussion post it will contain spoilers!
August 6, 2021
DNF page 47. This one is just terrible. Teen drama but nothing happens.
August 4, 2022
Karen and Anne-Marie plan to spend a month reconnecting and hanging out. They’ll be staying at Karen’s father’s apartment in Venice, California while he is away on a vacation of his own. Karen hasn't seen Ann Marie in a few years so reconnecting with her at the beach is just what they need. While walking along the beach on the very first night of their vacation they are approached by a gang of guys that seem to have nefarious intentions. Luckily two other guys happen to be strolling on by and rescue them from the situation. Immediately Karen is thinking how cute Jerry is. She has recently broken up with her boyfriend and seems to looking for her next guy. Problem is Jerry has a girlfriend, and Renee (Jerry’s girlfriend) is not too fond of Karen. As the days go on threats are made and spray paint vandalism ensues, all warning Karen to stay away from Jerry. Stine did a good of leading you to believe one person is to blame but also giving others a motive as well.
What started as a month-long vacation between friends Karen and Anne-Marie quickly became boy crazy summer, ditching your friend who flew across the US to hang out with you, threatening notes, and murder. The Venice, California vibes were spot on. For a very short book it was easily able to transport me. The atmosphere is everything in this book. I definitely recommend reading it while at the beach. However, don’t expect much quality because there are some major plot holes, and while the mystery isn’t easily figured out (at least I didn’t figure it out) it’s also not that well explained either.
What started as a month-long vacation between friends Karen and Anne-Marie quickly became boy crazy summer, ditching your friend who flew across the US to hang out with you, threatening notes, and murder. The Venice, California vibes were spot on. For a very short book it was easily able to transport me. The atmosphere is everything in this book. I definitely recommend reading it while at the beach. However, don’t expect much quality because there are some major plot holes, and while the mystery isn’t easily figured out (at least I didn’t figure it out) it’s also not that well explained either.
June 2, 2014
Jesus, I read this when I was like 8, and I do not remember there being so much eluding to sex in it! No wonder I humped every surface of house growing up...
Jesus, I read this when I was like 8, and I do not remember there being so much eluding to sex in it! No wonder I humped every surface of house growing up...
Stine loves his cliff hangers! Super apparent in BEACH PARTY where damn near every chapter ends with one.
Two friends vacation at the father's house of one of the teen girls. The dad is away and since Karen's parents are divorce, the girls have the place to themselves. Karen hasn't see Ann Marie in a few years so reconnecting with her at the beach is just what she needs after breaking up with her boyfriend. When walking along the beach one night they are circled by the neighborhood gang of from the wrong side of the track thugs. THIS part is what kinda shocked me the most. I get the whole play of the teenage girl being attracted to the badass, but this scene was borderline rapey, and Karen seemed to be rather turned on by the whole affair. I liked the scene...but it was suggestive to a demise I don't think I fully understood when I first read this.
SO anyway, the girls are rescued by the hunky nice guy, and Karen falls for him. (Along with the douche bad guy Vince, the leader of the rape brigade) Problem is, good old Jerry has a girlfriend, and Renee is not fond of the googly eyes. So things transpire, and threats are made via phone calls and spray paint vandalism for Karen to stay away from Jerry and the hunt for the hunter begins! Stine is real good at leading you to believe one person is the killer but also gives possible motives for other characters until the reveal is made.
I kind of had a thought as to who the killer was but the twist was a pleasant surprise (8 years old, sue me I didn't remember). The characters were pretty shallow but what are you going to expect from a bunch of teens. Stine gives full physical descriptions of each character when you meet them and that adds to the visual storytelling which I think is super important when trying to engage young readers. I LOVED LOVED LOVED that he also describes what they're wearing because the clothes are so 80's early 90's that even I remember when I thought neon green bicycle shorts were all the rage.
Stine is probably my favorite author between him and Christopher Pike. Maybe it's because I grew up on Goosebumps as a precursor to my Fear Street love but I just enjoy his storytelling much more and his suspense.
Jesus, I read this when I was like 8, and I do not remember there being so much eluding to sex in it! No wonder I humped every surface of house growing up...
Stine loves his cliff hangers! Super apparent in BEACH PARTY where damn near every chapter ends with one.
Two friends vacation at the father's house of one of the teen girls. The dad is away and since Karen's parents are divorce, the girls have the place to themselves. Karen hasn't see Ann Marie in a few years so reconnecting with her at the beach is just what she needs after breaking up with her boyfriend. When walking along the beach one night they are circled by the neighborhood gang of from the wrong side of the track thugs. THIS part is what kinda shocked me the most. I get the whole play of the teenage girl being attracted to the badass, but this scene was borderline rapey, and Karen seemed to be rather turned on by the whole affair. I liked the scene...but it was suggestive to a demise I don't think I fully understood when I first read this.
SO anyway, the girls are rescued by the hunky nice guy, and Karen falls for him. (Along with the douche bad guy Vince, the leader of the rape brigade) Problem is, good old Jerry has a girlfriend, and Renee is not fond of the googly eyes. So things transpire, and threats are made via phone calls and spray paint vandalism for Karen to stay away from Jerry and the hunt for the hunter begins! Stine is real good at leading you to believe one person is the killer but also gives possible motives for other characters until the reveal is made.
I kind of had a thought as to who the killer was but the twist was a pleasant surprise (8 years old, sue me I didn't remember). The characters were pretty shallow but what are you going to expect from a bunch of teens. Stine gives full physical descriptions of each character when you meet them and that adds to the visual storytelling which I think is super important when trying to engage young readers. I LOVED LOVED LOVED that he also describes what they're wearing because the clothes are so 80's early 90's that even I remember when I thought neon green bicycle shorts were all the rage.
Stine is probably my favorite author between him and Christopher Pike. Maybe it's because I grew up on Goosebumps as a precursor to my Fear Street love but I just enjoy his storytelling much more and his suspense.
January 11, 2016
Source: I own this book.
Cost: Unknown
Title: Beach Party
Series: Point Horror #8
Author: RL Stine
Overall Rating: 4 stars
I remember this being the first Stine book that I read that wasn't a Goosebumps book and I was shocked at the stark differences. Firstly, the characters actually have personalities that are unique to them! The storyline of this book was a rollercoaster that followed a very who-dun-it type of trope. You thought it was Renee that was being horrible to Karen, you suspected Ann-Marie, you loved Jerry. You didn't see the ending coming, that twist ending of Jerry not being Jerry was everything.
Everything.
Cost: Unknown
Title: Beach Party
Series: Point Horror #8
Author: RL Stine
Overall Rating: 4 stars
I remember this being the first Stine book that I read that wasn't a Goosebumps book and I was shocked at the stark differences. Firstly, the characters actually have personalities that are unique to them! The storyline of this book was a rollercoaster that followed a very who-dun-it type of trope. You thought it was Renee that was being horrible to Karen, you suspected Ann-Marie, you loved Jerry. You didn't see the ending coming, that twist ending of Jerry not being Jerry was everything.
Everything.
May 3, 2018
Oh dear, where do I start with this one: seeing a guy you know has a long term girlfriend, thinking a guy being moody and vaguely threatening is attractive, repeatedly ditching your friend who has come to visit so you can hang out with said guy, etc. Nope, nope, nope. Definitely one of the worst books in the series.
July 10, 2021
To many characters .Not enough kills. Very nostalgic with a awesome ending. Both hit and miss for me. 3 out of five stars.
August 10, 2022
My Summer of Stine continues with a double header of horror on the beach. It may be time to head back to school but first we're going to have one more Beach Party.
Karen's parents are divorced and her dad is having a mid-life crisis but it's working out to her advantage. He bought her a new Mustang convertible and he and his young girlfriend are off on a get away. Karen is all alone on Venice Beach and her friend Ann-Marie is coming to stay with her for a whole month.
A.M. moved away to New York two years ago but now she's coming back for a visit. Things don't start out too well because A.M. doesn't seem to thrilled to be on the beach, to Karen's disappointment, and the girls get hassled by some tough looking guys.
Karen recognizes one as a guy named Vince who looks a little like Sting and she's kind of into the bad boy thing he has going on. The two girls are saved by two boys, pretending Karen is one of their sisters, and the toughs slink off. They introduce themselves as Jerry and Marty and Karen can't help but notice that Vince looks like Tom Cruise.
The boys invite the girls to join them at a place called RayJay's and Karen finds that Jerry and Marty were on their way to meet dates, Renee and Stephanie. Renee is none too pleased that Karen has joined them and A.M. doesn't seem all that interested in hanging out with the boys. When they head out, Renee makes it clear to Karen that Jerry is her man.
It seems however that Jerry is ready to begin something with Karen and well...she did just break up with her old boyfriend Mike. Pretty soon all of this fun in the sun...becomes the stuff of nightmares.
Mike is starting to follow Karen around again, A.M. doesn't seem to be enjoying herself and then horrible things begin to happen to Karen. The one thing in common is all of it is to make her leave Jerry alone. Is it jealous Renee, is it Vince jealous of Jerry, is it Mike wanting to get back with Karen at all costs or could it even be Ann-Marie? The two girls fought over a boy before and A.M. did come back to see Karen...not be a third wheel while she's out with not just one but two guys.
Can Karen figure out what's going on before it's too late?
We get some really creepy things happening to Karen, a big swerve, another red herring and a good twist of a reveal about who is behind the terror. The ending is a little sad and sweet if just a tad rushed. None of the characters are too nice, side characters not counted, but they have a few instances where they seem like human beings and by the end I think they have evolved thanks to the story.
It's a solid three stars and a positive recommendation if you have never read it.
Karen's parents are divorced and her dad is having a mid-life crisis but it's working out to her advantage. He bought her a new Mustang convertible and he and his young girlfriend are off on a get away. Karen is all alone on Venice Beach and her friend Ann-Marie is coming to stay with her for a whole month.
A.M. moved away to New York two years ago but now she's coming back for a visit. Things don't start out too well because A.M. doesn't seem to thrilled to be on the beach, to Karen's disappointment, and the girls get hassled by some tough looking guys.
Karen recognizes one as a guy named Vince who looks a little like Sting and she's kind of into the bad boy thing he has going on. The two girls are saved by two boys, pretending Karen is one of their sisters, and the toughs slink off. They introduce themselves as Jerry and Marty and Karen can't help but notice that Vince looks like Tom Cruise.
The boys invite the girls to join them at a place called RayJay's and Karen finds that Jerry and Marty were on their way to meet dates, Renee and Stephanie. Renee is none too pleased that Karen has joined them and A.M. doesn't seem all that interested in hanging out with the boys. When they head out, Renee makes it clear to Karen that Jerry is her man.
It seems however that Jerry is ready to begin something with Karen and well...she did just break up with her old boyfriend Mike. Pretty soon all of this fun in the sun...becomes the stuff of nightmares.
Mike is starting to follow Karen around again, A.M. doesn't seem to be enjoying herself and then horrible things begin to happen to Karen. The one thing in common is all of it is to make her leave Jerry alone. Is it jealous Renee, is it Vince jealous of Jerry, is it Mike wanting to get back with Karen at all costs or could it even be Ann-Marie? The two girls fought over a boy before and A.M. did come back to see Karen...not be a third wheel while she's out with not just one but two guys.
Can Karen figure out what's going on before it's too late?
We get some really creepy things happening to Karen, a big swerve, another red herring and a good twist of a reveal about who is behind the terror. The ending is a little sad and sweet if just a tad rushed. None of the characters are too nice, side characters not counted, but they have a few instances where they seem like human beings and by the end I think they have evolved thanks to the story.
It's a solid three stars and a positive recommendation if you have never read it.
April 28, 2023
I've always been a fan of R.L. Stine since the age of 9 when I was handed his book by my teacher at the time because he didn't like the fact I was reading Stephen King. 😂 And I have to say, I'm glad he did. I love every book this author has written. I decided to read this one, even though I've read it a million times, but I still love it. It had thrown me off when it came to certain characters that seemed suspicious until the end, you'll get a surprise on who it really was. Who would've thought the one who was commiting these series of harassments and murder be the closest one you begin to like? It shows you can't trust the ones you like. Brought back memories reading this and I'm proud to have it in my Stine collection. ❤️
September 22, 2022
Meh.. it was okay. The love triangle seemed pretty stupid and pointless. (I've never really been a fan of love triangles either.) I didn't really like any of the characters. I feel like Vince wasn't even needed in the story. Karen got a bit rude at times, for like no reason. The way she treated her ex mike, and disregarded Ann-Marie. Don't really have anything to say about Jerry, lol. I wasn't expecting the twist at all, I actually kind of liked it. The ending wasn't very good and seemed pretty rushed though. Three stars??
November 16, 2020
I thought that this book was really amazing because it had a bunch of cliff hangers in one chapter that continued to the other. This had me reading one hour in the morning right when I woke up and also when I went back to sleep. The characters have a lot of mystery and really strange backgrounds that when it comes to solving a mystery everyone is suspicious. And for me, it was more like a movie that continued and not just a chapter book that stopped in one place then kept on going. Something else that I really love about this book is that it includes a bunch of imagery and details that only a book is able to provide.
May 20, 2023
“We heard there was going to be a party…A beach party.”
“Someone had tried to kill her…Someone had tried to burn her to death.”
“Stay away from Jerry.”
This was great! Maybe the best RL Stine I have read, up there with “Welcome To Dead House.” Major Christopher Pike vibes on this one. Great mystery and as always, a nice twist. Didn’t have the classic Stine jaw dropping last sentence but it didn’t need it. Loved the beach setting. Will have to read “Beach House” by Stine soon!
“Someone had tried to kill her…Someone had tried to burn her to death.”
“Stay away from Jerry.”
This was great! Maybe the best RL Stine I have read, up there with “Welcome To Dead House.” Major Christopher Pike vibes on this one. Great mystery and as always, a nice twist. Didn’t have the classic Stine jaw dropping last sentence but it didn’t need it. Loved the beach setting. Will have to read “Beach House” by Stine soon!
October 4, 2017
Great book with a mystery trying to be solved throughout the whole book
February 20, 2020
Ugh, terrible.
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
February 22, 2020
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
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