Body Count

by Codie Crowley

In this sapphic slasher novel, Sundae Valentine made a deal with a monster in Wildwood, N.J., when she was a child, and barely escaped with her life. Six years later, Sundae’s braving Wildwood again for a killer beach party to celebrate prom with the cheerleaders and the football team. But the monster is back, too, and this time he’ll stop at nothing to make sure she pays her debts.

Genres: Horror, Young Adult, LGBT, Thriller, Queer, Lesbian, Audiobook

304 pages, Hardcover

First published May 5, 2026

About the author

Codie Crowley once told a scary story that caused mass hysteria at a slumber party, and she’s been chasing that high ever since. When she isn't writing chilling fiction, she's probably out looking for ghosts in Salem, Massachusetts, where she lives with her husband, their cat, and a collection of creepy dolls.


Her debut novel, Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch, is coming August 2024 from Disney-Hyperion.

Reviews

[Posipi (comment lock)]

✨preread✨
guess who got approved?? this bitch! and ive listened a lil so far, and DAMN it's disturbing af. Im scared. i think i'll have nightmares. also, yuri?? yayayay!!

[SJARR ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up (with skepticism) “Feminist horror” is an interesting description for this. Not saying it wrong, because everyone has their own unique perspective on things, and what makes a story feminist coded. But, it’s interesting.

I am not sure this should be marketed the way that it is.
Granted, the main character is 18. So, technically not a minor- but still young enough to fall into the “teens and YA” category (12-18)
But, there is a lot of sex talk, girls referring to themselves as "sluts", wearing "pleasers" (which I assume are those heels commonly worn by women in the adult industry), among a few other things that I won't list.
It is not just about the age of the characters- but also the age of the intended audience.
Because of this, I think “new adult” category would be a better fit.
I don't want to judge the entire book based on what I think is a marketing oversight- but please do take notice of this.

As for the plot, I do think it was interesting.
Here we meet Sundae, a girl that had a run in with a ghost, and received 3 wishes.
But, those 3 wishes did not come without a price. A price that she hasn’t yet paid.
Fast forward years later, the ghost is ready to collect his due, and he will hurt anyone to get it.

This starts to pick up around the 40-50% mark, and becomes filled with a lot of action and some ghostly energy.
At one point a character says that the situation feels super “Wes Craven”, to which I say- kind of?
I am a horror fanatic, so I think thats quite the statement. And we should probably leave Wes Craven out of this.
But I can see the modern twist on the classic teenage slasher theme coming through in several aspects of the story.
This gives it some bonus points in my book, because I do like those vibes.

Another selling point for me has to be the romantic subplot.
There is some sapphic romance going on here, with the main characters Sundae and Lia- who also spend much of the story working together to survive and take down the ghost.
This, I liked!
A fun and romantic twist on the typical “best friends teaming up to catch the killer” thing that we see a lot in stuff like this.

Overall, the plot of this book has a lot of potential.
Though, it was a bit difficult for me to see past the sexualization that I mentioned at the beginning of this review.
I think with some minor tweaks to this story and its marketing, it could be pretty decent.

Thank you to Netgalley, Disney Publishing Worldwide | Disney Hyperion and author Codie Crowley for providing me with the eARC of “Body Count”, in exchange for my honest review.
Publication date: May 05, 2025

[billie ⊹ ݁₊ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so excited for this!! but it was completely different than what I thought it was going to be. This felt weirdly really young? like how it was written felt so young, while reading it, it was confusing thinking who this book was for.

I never really started to care about the characters or the story, I was just kind of waiting for it to end. Special thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the e-arc! I wish I had liked this because on paper it sounded so much like something I would like! (It also sort of reminded me of those Fear Street movies on netflix!)

[Elyse Schroeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review!
Have you ever wondered what would happen if your childhood boogeyman made a return to try and ruin your prom, your love life, AND - well - your life as a whole? If so, this is the book for you! Crowley makes Sundae's story gripping from start to finish. There's never a dull moment, and it kept me wondering what would happen next. The characters were so relatable, and even featured some jerky high school jocks (because, let's be real, what school doesn't have those?). And the title kind of being a double pun? LOVE IT!

[Keysha]

Excited!

[Trish · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book is incredibly cringey. over sexualized teenagers? no thank you. absolutely zero formatting? no. wtf.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

BEGGING teachers to read this book before adding it to their library. I would not count this as YA.

[Shae Bentley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️ - Body Count was an enjoyable read and delivered some fun, campy slasher horror. The story follows Sundae, who returns to Wildwood, New Jersey for one last post-prom beach weekend with her friends, years after making a deal with something monstrous there as a child. Unsurprisingly, going back is a terrible idea. The monster she left behind, Holly Jolly, hasn’t forgotten, and he fully intends to collect what he believes he’s owed. Holly Jolly was such a ridiculous villain, a dead doo-wop singer granting wishes through pieces of saltwater taffy, but I kind of loved how weird that was..?

The pacing kept me interested for the most part. It moves fast, the tension builds well, and there are some pretty gruesome moments that really lean into the slasher side of things. I also loved the creepy boardwalk setting and the nostalgic summer horror vibe. I really enjoyed the sapphic romance between Sundae and Lia too, it was one of the strongest parts for me and added a bit of heart to the story.

I listened to the audiobook and found it really easy to follow, even with a single narrator. Krystal Hammond did a great job giving each of the main characters their own distinct feel, and she especially brought Holly Jolly’s voice to life, which made those scenes even more entertaining.

My only real issue was that I think I might just be too old for this one. Even with the characters being 18+ and some more mature scenes included, the writing still felt very young and heavily focused on high school drama, which pulled me out of it a little. The plot was also a bit silly at times, which didn’t always land for me. It was campy, bloody, dramatic, and an entertaining read, even if it wasn’t fully for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for the ALC.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

It was both oddly slow and fast paced. It's entertaining and fun enough to keep me locked in till the end. It honestly felt like one of those early 2000's teen horror comedies. The dialogue both cringe (in a way that WORKS and was actually funny) while being snappy and sarcastic. Kind of a bit like a Diablo Cody screenplay. Not really one of those books you need to think too hard with, just crack it open and enjoy the ride.

My complaint is that some of the themes and topics feels like it should be marketed as adult or new adult rather than young adult but what do I know. I think once this releases I'm going to give it another go because it DOES feel like at least a four star read for me, but it was hard to focus because the quality of the arc was a nightmare for my terrible eyes. I really wanted this one so bad I suffered through a PDF lmao

Thank you to Disney Hyperion and netgalley for the arc.

[Melissa Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Codie Crowley is a Horror Writing Queen!! This was one of the best books I read this year. I fell in love with her first book Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch and I learned that I loved her writing style. In her new book she brings the best form of campy horror movies to the page. Codie is now my instantly add to cart author. Not only did I get to meet her in Salem, MA but she signed my copy of HLVB. But back to the Body Count loves! This book will keep you hanging on your seat! I couldnt put it down, the need to know what happens next will have you in a choke hold. I fell in love with Sundae and Lia. I want a book two!! This message is for Codie only haha: when I was reading Body Count all I could picture was you as Sundae and your voice in my head as I was reading for her character! I love you and your writing!!

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️

I love horror novels for girls! This was so fun!
The setting really sets this story apart from most because there aren’t many thrillers that take place on a vibrant beach. The boardwalk/motel descriptions also add a nice pop of colour to the otherwise dark storyline. The use of saltwater taffy was also a really nice touch. I will say, however, that I wish the story had just a little bit more build up, because it felt like the story peaked a little too early with how fast and chaotic everything was right from the beginning of the book. The chaos was very entertaining though! There was almost never a dull moment!

Ty NetGalley for the early access x

[Alenna Burleson · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this story we follow Sundae. When she was a child her and her mother had to go on the run from her abusive father. Winding up in a motel, Sundae comes face to face with a creature that grants her wishes. When she’s all grown up her and her cheerleader friends make it back to that town, but Sundae still has her debts to pay.

This book was genuinely a blast! Sundae’s character was so teen coded I absolutely loved her and her friends. This whole book felt like teenage jersey shore mixed with horror it was such an amazing time.

There were scenes in here that were so just out there and creative that this made it such an immersive and gripping story!

[Cristina Casas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC from Disney Publishing, all opinions are my own.

Codie’s latest book is perfect for fans of Jennifer’s Body and the CW’s Nancy Drew.

I think while some people might find Sundae to be a difficult character, I really liked her. I also loved Lia & her friends.

I do think the plot could have used some sureing up. I had a lot of questions about the monster, it felt very thrown together but perhaps there was something I was missing not being from New Jersey.

This was a great intro to absurdist horror like Chuck Tingle’s works, but lacked the strong messaging. It was super fun though!

[chelle_reads_books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Codie Crowley has done it again! They say the second book you write is the hardest but she delivered another absolute bombshell. I loved how seamlessly we jumped to different time frames. It was a really beneficial to see what happened to Sundae 7 years ago vs what’s happening now. I loved the true pure friendships in this story too. It’s not often we read about women lifting up women! Now I just wonder, is he gone for good?! He had no where left to hide but in horrors you never really know. Thank you so much Netgalley for this early readers copy!

[Tiffani · Rating 2 out of 5]

actually, ended up DNFing this about 20ish% of the way through. very overly sexualized for TEENAGERS, was immersive reading for a while and the beginning was super scary and I was looking forward to something different, but it fell flat... QUICK. this book has no business being categorized as YA it should be in adult... ultimately when a supposed "teen novel" starts talking about characters genitalia in gross detail, I check out.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

~thank you to Disney/ Hyperion publisher, and the author & NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review~

Not what I was expecting going into this. But this was a good read. Super vivid, all the details. It felt more like a fantasy type book (or supernatural) than a horror book, although it was a little creepy. & it ended well which is a plus.

[BookishKB]

🩸 Body Count🩸

📖 Bookish Thoughts
I’ll be sharing my full review closer to publication date.

🖤 What to Expect
• YA queer horror
• Prom weekend
• Slasher energy
• Wish gone wrong
• Monster bargain
• Boardwalk setting
• Final girl
_ _ _

📅 Pub Date: May 5, 2026
📝 Thank you to Disney Hyperion and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

[Kate | Date With A Thriller · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not YA, book peeps…competing for a slut cup? And that’s just one example. New Adult, perhaps. But I would not recommend this to a teen. And this imprint is Disney? 😳

This book was just all over the place. I probably should have just DNF, but per usual I wanted to stick it out to see if it got better. I had a hard time staying engaged with the book and could have cared less about the characters. Super disappointed because I was excited to read this one and the premise sounded good. And it takes a lot for me to rate less than 3 ⭐️s.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney (still shocked at that) for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review. Wish I had better things to say about this one! 🫠

[Jessica Gleason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Codie Crowley knows how to have fun. Body count is a wild ride, complete with pool-dwelling evil spirits, wishes gone wrong, and a whole heap of chaotic mayhem. The fact that Crowley was able to intertwine a sapphic love story of some kind is really just icing on the cake. If you enjoyed "Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch" give this one a go too. Crowley brings that same creativity and energy to an entirely new tale in "Body Count."

[Brittany Paty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did really enjoy this book! I would say that in terms of being YA, I would proceed with caution if giving as a gift. It does have some more explicit language and sexual content than Codie’s debut, but that wasn’t a turn off for me. I enjoyed the flow of the story and how even though it started somewhat slow, it had pieces in each chapter to keep me interested in where the story was going. The beginning feels a little more world building and “how we got here”.
I really enjoyed the cast of characters and the vintage vibes of the world this story is set around. Again, Codie weaves a multi-faceted tale with paranormal, murder mystery, 1950s theming, etc. and it is a style that I find refreshing and I am the target audience for this.
I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC reader copy as a gift and cannot wait for its official release in May!

[Brian Shevory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many thanks to Disney Publishing Worldwide, Disney Hyperion, and NetGalley for allowing me to read Codie Crowley’s wild Wildwood horror novel Body Count. I was so excited to find a horror/slasher book that takes place in Wildwood, NJ. Although Wildwood has evolved over the years and celebrates its 1950s heritage, it will always be the kind of gritty, tough alternative to the staid, Victorian (and boring) summer vacations of my childhood spent in Cape May. There was usually one day out of our trips to Cape May where we got to go to the Wildwood boardwalk, and it was always the highlight of my summer vacation. Everything about Wildwood was so alive and thriving compared to Cape May—the rides, the delicious boardwalks food, the people, the crazy t-shirts, the talking tramcars! Wildwood is still a fun place where I take my kids, but there always seemed to be a darker side, like something under the surface that I could feel was so different in Wildwood than Cape May. We usually visited during the day because my parents were afraid to be there at night, and it was usually after some kind of kids fight erupting on the boardwalk or a stabbing that induced further fear. However, Wildwood was also the site of one of my most memorable fears when I was a child. In fact, I wasn’t even sure if this place really existed or if it was some kind of nightmare that seeped into my consciousness, but after doing some internet research, I discovered that the Whacky Shack was a real place, and even if the scenes depicted in the ride were with dolls and mannequins, it seemed real to my 5 year old self. Maybe my older cousins took me on the ride because I know my parents would never go with me, and I was too young to go on my own. However, I was haunted for years by what I saw in the Whacky Shack, and the last sight riders see, a hand coming up from the toilet, was forever seared in my brain. Codie Crowley’s Body Count harkens back to these Wildwood days of fear and terror lurking underneath the boardwalk or tucked away at the ends of the pier. It’s fitting that Lia, one of the main characters, stays at the Blue Velvet motel, owned by her aunt, since the book has a Lynchian feel where things don’t exactly seem right in Wildwood. Like Lynch’s classic film that examines the underbelly of a typical American town, Crowley’s book also peels back the surface of the island where memories are made to see what kind of evil and violence is lurking beneath the surface. It’s a fun and clever premise that anyone whose visited Wildwood will appreciate. Even if they haven’t had the opportunity to visit Wildwood, this is still a wild and creative idea for a slasher that haunts the two female protagonists, Sundae and Lia, as they are both enchanted by the spirit of a mysterious doowop singer, Holly Jolly, who drowned in a motel pool after losing his opportunity for fame in a tragic diner fire.
There’s a lot to like about Crowley’s book, from the young protagonists who battle sexism and harassment down the shore after the prom to the inventive kills that the malevolent spirit of the boardwalk enacts to fulfill their need for human life. While we first encounter the spirit as Holly Jolly, the doomed doowop singer, in the motel pool when Sundae is younger, there are other very Jersey-centric kills that happen. I loved that Crowley used these kinds of reference points but also made it a point to incorporate some of the Weird NJ stories from the Wildwood area for the kills. For example, one of the forms that the spirit takes in the book is a giant shark, just like the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916 that inspired Jaws. Another one of the forms is Tuffy the lion, which I didn’t even know about until one of the characters reveals that a lion was used in a stunt show in Wildwood in the 1930s. Tuffy eventually had enough, got loose from its sidecar, and ran wild on the boardwalk, killing a tourist and terrorizing beach goers. Crowley includes some other stories from Weird NJ deaths that provide the boardwalk spirit with a means to terrorize and kill all of the teens visiting Wildwood after their prom. It’s inventive and a great tribute to how weird NJ is. I also really liked the characters in the book. The story is primarily told through Sundae, a senior from North Jersey who returns to Wildwood despite her misgivings from an earlier encounter with Holly Jolly, another form of the boardwalk wish-master spirit, in the pool of the motel where she spent the summer with her mom after they left her abusive father. Lia, the lead singer of Morticia, heads down the shore to play a show at her aunt’s motel and diner. For Lia, this show is a shot at redemption after an earlier disaster opening for a popular band in Philly when she seemed to suffer from doubts and stage fright, running off the stage before her band’s set began. Lia’s exit from the stage in Philly was a little unclear, and her bandmates, Edison and Dallas, seem to hold a bit of a grudge against Lia for squandering their opportunity for more exposure. Nevertheless, they trek on to Wildwood, looking forward to playing a show for the seniors going down the shore. Although the book has strong female protagonists like Sundae and Lia, I loved Edison and Dallas. They were fun characters who made many references to horror movies throughout the book. It was cool to see how the different events and kills in the book were allusions to other great horror films from the 80s and 90s. Furthermore, I loved the Wildwood references throughout the book. There’s a great scene on the Ferris Wheel, and one of the first wishes that Sundae wishes for is not to have to pay for anything so she can have a hermit crab, a classic living souvenir for any kids visiting the Jersey shore. I also liked that Holly Jolly, the doomed doowop singer who Sundae first encounters at the bottom of the motel pool, represented Wildwood’s doowop history. He’s a creepy figure, who like Morticia, Lia’s band, squandered his one opportunity at success when the concert venue he was going to perform in burned down. As a result, his ghost haunts the motel pool where he drowned himself, creating a great urban legend. I was a little unclear if Holly Jolly’s chance at success was a result of making the cursed wishes, but he eventually becomes part of the spirit that haunts the boardwalk. Additionally, there’s a sign in the motel pool that warns swimmers not to open their eyes under the water, and as Sundae finds out, this is to prevent swimmers from seeing Holly Jolly and being invited to make a wish with his saltwater taffy. The boardwalk spirit/genie becomes kind of like a Jersey Shore Pennywise, drawing on the horrors of Wildwood, emerging during disasters and feeding off the evil lurking under the boardwalk. It takes different forms and terrorizes the youth of Wildwood who are just looking to party and have fun.
While the book is a wild and inventive ride, there’s some questions I had about the events and execution. As I just mentioned, I wasn’t sure if Holly Jolly was just as tempted by the spirit for his chance at fame and the fire was like the price he had to pay for his opportunity. We don’t learn too much about Holly Jolly, except from some background exposition form one of the characters who works with Sundae’s mom early in the book and from the lyrics to Holly Jolly’s song. Also, while Morticia seemed like a great and realistic fictional band, Holly Jolly’s song lyrics, which are repeated throughout the book, didn’t really sound like a doowop song. The lyrics are dark and ominous and sounded more like a dark folk song, like a folk horror song. I thought the lyrics were cool and fit with the tone of the story, but they don’t seem to work as a doowop song. Also, there are these images that pair with Holly Jolly’s lyrics throughout my ebook copy. It was unclear what the images were and why they appear. I wish there was more explanation about them—what they mean and their relation to Holly Jolly and his haunting of Sundae. I loved the strong female protagonists in the book, but I wondered about Lia’s breakdown during her concert in Philly. It’s never really explained, but Lia seems to also be unsure of why exactly it happened. Maybe it’s because she’s at the end of adolescence, struggling with her identity and unsure of who she really is. While Sundae seems more empowered and assured of her identity, Lia seems to struggle with her sense of self. I wish that this element of Lia’s identity was explained a little more. I was also a little surprised that this was listed as a YA book. It’s more of a subversive YA book, where the characters engage in the kind of debauchery that is often a part of senior week at the Jersey Shore. I felt like this was probably more appropriate for emerging adults, like people in their 20s who maybe recently emerged from this period of their lives. It’s also probably a book I would have read in high school, since it has elements of It and other great slashers, but there’s a lot of sex, drugs, violence, and rock-n-roll that some parents might find objectionable for their kids. Even though I loved learning about the Weird NJ stories interspersed throughout the book, they were often revealed by a character telling another character about these backstories. For example, with Tuffy, one of the characters reveals this story to tell about how visitors to Wildwood have a probability of getting attacked by a lion on the boardwalk. We also learn about the Jersey Shore shark attacks in this way. I wonder if these kinds of revelations and connections might have worked better in a different narrative approach, like maybe from old news reports or articles dating from the time. This might give some more depth to the forms that the boardwalk spirit takes on. I wanted to learn more about the whaler, the candystore keeper, and the railroad worker, all forms that kill characters in the book. They just kind of appear, and the connection to the spirit is tenuous and ambiguous, making it harder for readers to see the connection. Finally, I’m just wondering how a book set in Wildwood doesn’t include any tramcars. I would have thought there would be some mention of tramcars on the boardwalk. Nevertheless, Crowley crafts a creative story that uses Weird NJ history, but I wish that this history, real or not, could be explored a little more and readers could learn more about the nature of the events and maybe how they are tied to the evil lurking under Wildwood. Overall, though, I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read this book. Body Count was a fun ride that made me ready for the summer, excited to visit Wildwood and learn more about how weird NJ really is. Recommended!

[Mairéad Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly highly recommend. I was so lucky to get this as an ARC from the NCTE conference. This book was such a fun read. A 3 wishes story with a horror twist. I’m not usually a horror/thriller reader but the cover and description drew me in. I keep describing this to people as super campy, which puts such an interesting twist on the terror aspect. I enjoyed this the whole way through and have been recommending it to every and anyone!!

[Kate Connell · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

Pure lesbian chaos. What if, by wishing you had asked out that hot girl that was flirting with you... you accidentally release a killer ghost hellbent on vengeance against her? That's the dilemma Lia and Sundae face in this novel.

Sundae stayed in Wildwood as a young girl, when she and her mother were fleeing her abusive father. One nigh Sundae met a being in the pool that said it could grant her three wishes. After he first wish, a hotel employee and friend dies, but Sundae is too young to connect the dots, the second wish leads to another attempted murder before Sundae and her mom get out of dodge yet again. Years down the line, Sundae and her friends are going back to Wildwood for their prom weekend, making her nervous of what ghosts may arise. The weekend starts out tame, with Sundae and her friends focused on their hookup game and having fun, and Sundae meeting Lia, a cute singer for a band playing at the motel. But when a third wish is finally made by someone Sundae knows, all hell is unleashed upon Wildwood, and no one at the Coral Cove Motel is safe. Can Lia and Sundae save themselves and their friends? & More importantly, will they get a second date?

Very Gen Z Mean Girls humor, I can easily picture a film version of this, but the cringe may not be for everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this novel.

[Blaiz Ferrel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/4

This book felt like a fever dream of lesbian, kick-ass, chaotic horror. I honestly don’t even know how to fully describe it except to say it was creepy, wild, and completely addictive. I could not put it down and I had a good time.

I will say, I wouldn’t classify this as YA for younger teens. Definitely not 12–15. There’s a lot of sex talk—these girls even have a “Slut Cup” competition for the highest body count of the weekend and win a Slut Crown. As an adult- How fun is that?! 🤫🤭 For my 12-year-old? Absolutely not.

Codie Crowley gives you gore, queer chaos, beach-town dread, and a monster that feels like it’s always breathing down your neck. Sundae was such an interesting character to follow as she’s forced to face the thing she’s been running from for years…and the Jersey Shore setting adds this gritty, neon-lit edge that I loved. Truly a creepy little gem.

Sundae Valentine once made a deadly deal with a monster lurking in a motel pool—and she still owes him a final wish that will cost her life. Now, returning to the Jersey Shore for prom weekend, she tries to drown her fears in parties, rides, and a girl who’s impossible to ignore. But the monster hasn’t forgotten. And he’s ready to collect…no matter who he has to kill along the way.

[Hone · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Review copy courtesy of RBmedia, Codie Crowley, and NetGalley.)

2.5 ⭐

Listen, YA horror is my JAM. When I hit a good one, I’m all in. I thought I’d found that in Body Count: eerie setup, strong hook, and a main character I was ready to follow straight into the dark. About 15 minutes in, though, it pivots. Horror? Yes. YA? Absolutely not.

Let me be clear: even if I could afford pearls in this economy, I wouldn’t clutch them over the mention of sex in teen fiction. Sanitizing YA into something that doesn’t reflect actual teenage experience is stupid. Teens think about sex, talk about it, experiment. They make messy, risky choices. That belongs in the book when it serves the story.

That’s not the issue.

This does NOT feel like a YA book with YA characters. They’re incredibly college-coded. Sundae’s interiority is hyper-fixated and explicit, written to provoke: thinking about her clit, trying to hook up in a bathroom, sleeping with multiple people over a single weekend. Her characterization becomes almost entirely libido-driven: who she’s fucked, who she wants to fuck, how many people she needs to fuck to win the “Slut Cup.” The whole thing feels like a wild Spring Break, not “prom weekend,” and would have worked much better as a New Adult title.

Also, I was never able to tell if the book took itself seriously. Is it satire? For satire to work, it has to be legible. It doesn’t need to shout “OI! I’M SATIRE!”, but the seam should be visible by at least halfway. Otherwise we’re just throwing interpretations at it.

Is it meant to subvert the BS slasher trope of “pure girl” lives/“slutty girl” dies? That would be smart feminist horror, if the execution supported it. It doesn’t. And I genuinely can’t suss out the author’s intent: condemnation of the manosphere, gender norms, purity culture? It could be any of them.

What I landed on is this: any meaning I’m finding is coming from me and my personal bag of feminist themes, not the text. I don’t think Body Count actually knows what it’s trying to say.

The female rage also feels somewhat performative. Sundae recounts what happened with Holly Jolly at 11, how the cops didn't believe her, and a therapist reframed her memories as trauma. She calls it mansplaining. The thing is, there’s real evidence for institutional erasure of girls’ testimony. Lean into that; don't shrug at it with the closest word you have at hand. Calling it ‘mansplaining’ trivializes the point.

When her cheer squad is wiped out, the story wants the reader to see this as kindling for Sundae’s rage. The problem is the friends were never built as individuals, but an easily forgettable collective. The narrative asks you to feel loss it never earned.

Crowley’s rage shines stronger elsewhere. The “I’m not like other guys” jock (intellectual on the surface, possessive and entitled underneath) lands sharp, especially with his disgusting “Taming of the Slut” plans. He’s a piece of shit, just like the jock who touches Sundae without consent—different flavors, same rot. That anger this provokes lands far harder than surface-level beats like the “no pockets” frustration.

The romance is… odd. Sundae and Lia go full bore schmoopy immediately and stay there. I love Lia. I wish I’d gone to prom with Lia at eighteen. But from Sundae’s POV, it’s just another moment that feels unearned. Why does Sundae like her? What happened to the Jersey Shore conquest checklist? We’re not shown what makes Lia stand out enough to make her girlfriend material when everyone else was just sex.

My biggest disappointment was with the horror. It starts so strong. The first third? I was in it to win it. Visually unsettling, with a fantastic villain concept: a dead, wish-granting doo-wop singer, people’s lives as currency, creepy jukebox, real urban legend energy. Then it starts to lose shape. He accumulates minions, a shark, a tiger, late-stage lore—and trades all the cool specificity we’d built up for “nebulous evil does evil things.” That’s one of my least favorite kinds of scary.

Where Crowley does excel is in action and imagery. The set pieces are vivid, and the final stretch delivers on momentum as they face off against the minions and the Big Bad.

Audio-Specific 🎧: 9 hours, 42 minutes. Krystal Hammond absolutely makes this book. Slightly breathy, age-appropriate, and excellent with the horror aspects. She adds real flavor to the narrative. 1x is definitely too slow with somewhere between 1.25x–1.5x being the sweet spot. 10/10 performance, looking forward to hearing her narration in future books!

📌 TL;DR: Strong concept, messy execution. The feminist framing promises more than it delivers, the horror loses its shape, and this is absolutely NOT a YA—but it IS one of the most discussable 2.5⭐ books I’ve read.

[Get Your Tinsel in a Tangle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Body Count opens with Sundae Valentine casually carrying the world’s worst childhood memory like it’s just a slightly embarrassing middle school phase, except instead of bad bangs, it’s a literal monster who gave her three wishes and is now circling back like a collections agent from hell. And she’s like, what if I simply… go to prom at the exact location where this all happened? Queen behavior. Absolutely unhinged. I love her, I fear for her, I would not trust her to plan a road trip.

Sundae is messy in that very specific way where you know she’s been through it, but instead of processing anything, she just doubles down on vibes. She’s partying, flirting, chasing distraction like it’s cardio, and meanwhile the universe is tapping her on the shoulder like, “hey, remember your death debt?” And she’s like, “not now, I’m winning the Slut Cup.” The commitment to denial is honestly inspiring.

And the setting? Obsessed. This whole book feels like neon lights, cheap alcohol, and the kind of humid beach air that makes everything feel slightly cursed even before the murders start. It’s giving summer slasher. It’s giving “someone is absolutely going to die between the funnel cake stand and the Tilt-A-Whirl.” The vibes are so strong you can practically hear distant screaming over a pop playlist.

Now let’s talk about this monster, because sir??? The visual is doing everything. Silver coin eyes, rusty saw teeth, lurking in shadows like he pays rent there. Disgusting. Horrifying. Iconic. But also… I spent a solid chunk of time like, okay but what do you actually want beyond vague menace and aggressive murder? You’re terrifying, yes, but your mission statement is a little “just trust the process.”

The romance fully snuck up on me like a jump scare with feelings. Sundae and Lia have this soft, charged, slightly awkward chemistry that feels so real it almost clashes with the absolute carnage happening around them. Like people are actively dying and they’re still having these quiet, electric moments, and I’m sitting there like… oh no. Oh no, I care. This is how they get you. This is how slashers hurt you.

But here’s the thing, this book is juggling tones like it’s in a high-stakes circus act and occasionally drops one directly on your head. One minute it’s campy, self-aware, kind of ridiculous in a fun way, and the next it’s dark, brutal, and very not joking. Sometimes that contrast works beautifully, like Jennifer’s Body energy where you’re laughing and horrified at the same time. Other times it feels like tonal whiplash and I’m just sitting there blinking like, wait, are we being goofy or traumatized right now? Pick a lane. Or at least install a seatbelt.

And we do need to talk about the “YA” label because… this is the most “are you sure about that?” YA I’ve read in a minute. These teens are doing things that made me pause like a concerned aunt at Thanksgiving. It’s very much older teen energy, and if someone handed this to a 13-year-old thinking it was a cute little horror romp, that child would come back different.

That said, once this book hits its stride, it goes feral in the best way. The second half? Locked in. We are running, we are screaming, we are making decisions that would absolutely get you killed in a horror movie, and I was having a great time watching it all spiral. It becomes that kind of read where you’re stressed but also fully entertained, like watching your friend text their ex.

And underneath all the glitter, gore, and chaos, there’s actually something real about consequences. About how you can’t just out-party your past or flirt your way out of a deal you made when you didn’t understand the cost. Sundae’s whole arc is basically “what if your worst mistake came back with teeth,” and that lands harder than I expected in between all the blood spray.

So yeah, this is messy. It’s loud. It’s a little all over the place. But it’s also fun, sharp, and occasionally hits you right in the feelings when you’re not looking. 3.5 stars, and I mean that with affection and a slight side-eye.

Whodunity Award: For Making Me Deeply Suspicious of Every Motel Pool and Every Bad Decision I’ve Ever Made at Night

And thank you to Disney Publishing Worldwide and NetGalley for the ARC, truly nothing says magical escapism like a prom weekend body count and a demon who will not let things go.

[Brianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Body Count (2026) is a campy, girlypop supernatural slasher that promises queer feminist horror. When Sundae Valentine was only eleven years old, she was granted three wishes. What she didn't know was that each wish came with a Faustian bargain she wouldn't be able to easily escape from. Now seven years later, she's back in Wildwood for prom weekend, the home of Holly Jolly, the grant wishing monster, and this time neither her nor her friends might make it out alive.

What I loved most about this book was the accurate portrayal of the "otherworldly" jock who encompasses the fake politically inclined man child with barely concealed fragile masculinity. In fact, I think Crowley did a great job highlighting how awful boys/men are, especially with this trope. I liked how carefree and bad ass Sundae was in the story and I loved seeing that in conjunction with Lia, another character we get to meet in Body Count.

I enjoyed how unapologetically queer this book is, too. As a pansexual myself, I was glad to read about a main character who identified the same as me. And even more so, I was glad to see that she was surrounded by other queer characters as well. I also really loved the narrator, Krystal Hammond, who did a great job with the voices of the characters. It was distinct enough to differentiate from other voices and Krystal brought the story to life in a way that kept me listening.

I don't shrink away from accurate portrayals of teenagers in fiction, so the casual slut references and mentions of sex didn't bother me. I vaguely recall what it was like to be a teenager and I had come across a few friends who were similar to Sundae and her friends in terms of the hyper-sexuality. For that reason, I won't say that this doesn't feel like YA. We were promised queer feminist slasher, but unfortunately, a lot of the commentary in the book feels pretty juvenile.

I loved the villain up until it started to get complicated. I don't want to spoil the book by going into depth on Holly Jolly, but I was hoping for that one sinister monster that was promised to us in the synopsis. Holly Jolly wasn't actually the monster that Sundae made the deal with, instead it was some shapeless thing that used wishes to steal those who made one's skin. Then that monster had several "minions" which is kind of a cool concept had I gone in expecting that. Not to say it wasn't an enjoyable twist, because it was. But I would've preferred if we got some urban legend type sh*t with Holly Jolly and that jukebox. Technically, there are signs throughout the story, if you pay attention, particularly in the flashback chapters, that hint at the outcome. But I was still hoping for more with Holly Jolly overall. In terms of the body count (haha), it was relatively high and I'm not just talking about The Slut Cup.

However, when people died, I didn't really care or root for most of them. Of course, I expect that when it comes to slashers (whether I'm reading or watching them), because it's impossible to give backstory and meaning to every single person on the page. Still, even the romantic lead felt a little flat in areas. The romance was cute and if this weren't a YA book, I'd make a comment on how they fall in like a little too quickly. But I know teenagers so I'll leave it at that.

Still this story was a fun read with quirky comedic timing and sweet moments, but I’d stay away from the salt water taffy. And I recommend for anyone who likes the opposite of doomed yuri

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for providing me this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Hyperion for the ebook copy of Body Count by Codie Crowley.

📝 Short Summary

Years after barely escaping a monster in Wildwood, Sundae Valentine returns for one last beach party before graduation. But the thing she thought she escaped has come back, and this time the debts owed are far from over.

Review

I really enjoyed Codie Crowley’s previous book, so I was honestly really excited going into this one because the concept sounded so good to me. A sapphic slasher at a beach party with a monster lurking around Wildwood? Absolutely yes. And overall, I did enjoy this book even if I ended up having a few mixed feelings about it.

First of all, the atmosphere was one of my favorite parts. There’s something about beach horror and boardwalk settings that always works for me because it creates this weird contrast between fun summer nostalgia and danger lurking underneath everything. Wildwood felt grimy, chaotic, eerie, and just slightly off in the best horror way. The whole party atmosphere mixed with the looming monster threat gave the story a strong slasher energy throughout.

I also really liked Sundae as a main character. She feels messy, emotional, defensive, traumatized, and honestly exhausted in a way that worked for me. You can tell she’s carrying years of fear and unresolved trauma from what happened to her as a child, and I appreciated that the story did not try to make her perfectly likable all the time. She felt flawed and believable.

The monster itself had some genuinely creepy moments too. I liked the idea of debts needing to be repaid and the lingering feeling that no matter how far Sundae ran, this thing never fully let her go. There’s a very classic horror movie setup here that I think a lot of slasher fans will probably enjoy.

That said, I do think the pacing was a little uneven for me personally. The middle section slowed down more than I expected, even though I still read the whole thing in one sitting because I was invested enough to keep going. It never fully lost my attention, but there were moments where I wanted the tension and horror to escalate faster.

I also have to be honest that I really do not think this should be marketed toward younger teens. The themes, situations, and overall content felt heavier and more mature than what I personally associate with younger YA horror. That doesn’t make it bad at all, but it definitely surprised me while reading and made me question the age category a bit.

One thing I did enjoy though was some of the dialogue because there were random moments that genuinely made me chuckle. The characters had this chaotic teen energy that sometimes felt very real, especially during the group interactions and party scenes. Those moments helped balance some of the darker parts of the story.

Overall, I think this was a solid slasher style horror with a fun premise, strong atmosphere, messy characters, and some creepy moments that really worked. It didn’t completely blow me away the way I hoped it would, but I still had a good time reading it, and I’ll absolutely keep reading Codie Crowley because I do like her writing style and horror concepts a lot.

✅ Would I Recommend It?

Yes, especially if you enjoy horror with slasher vibes, creepy monsters, beach town settings, queer representation, and chaotic friend group energy mixed with darker themes.

[Kay Russ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh Body Count, where do I begin? Starting out, I had hopes for this book. Within the first chapter you are plunged into a mystery surrounding a young girl, Sundae, and the ghost of an ill-fated doo-wop singer. The fast pacing had me hooked and I was excited for what was to come.

We then jump to 7 years later, Sundae is now a senior in high school on her way to spend a weekend on the Jersey Shore with her cheerleading squad and the boys of the school’s football team. It’s at this point I realized this book would take the shape of a teen slasher and I was thoroughly on board for that.

But then the reader learns about the “Slut Cup.” The Slut Cup is a secret competition Sundae and all of her fellow cheerleaders are competing in for the weekend, it’s simple: whoever has the highest body count, aka the most sexual encounters with different people, by the end of the weekend wins the honor of being the group’s biggest slut.

The concept of the Slut Cup really took me out of the story. I find it really hard to believe that an entire cheerleading squad, or any large group of friends, would unanimously agree to anything, never mind a sex competition. Not one of these girls had a steady partner, or was ace, or abstaining for any number of reasons? I, as the reader, am to believe all of these high school students are sexually and emotionally mature enough to not slut shame each other, to not fight over shared partners, to not let jealousy drive them? It’s a hard sell. Instead of having different perspectives, the cheerleading squad act as a homogenous group of cheerful sex positive and supportive friends to Sundae. This seems to be their only function in the story, and while it’s nice to see glimpses of supportive femme friendships, it came off as unintentionally misogynistic to leave these secondary characters so simplistic.

Sex is definitely a major theme in this book, it goes beyond just references and gets pretty explicit at times. I wouldn’t have had an issue with this if not for the fact that these characters are teenagers, and high schoolers. I had assumed this book was adult, and was floored to find out it’s actually being marketed as Young Adult. I feel this does a huge disservice to kids who trust in YA to be a safe genre for them. The repeated over sexualization of teens in this story perpetuates a tired “everybody’s doing it” narrative that lacks nuance. Sure, some teens are sexually active, and reclaiming the word “slut” can help people take back their power, but these themes in this specific story are not explored in a way that shows care for the target audience. I really think this book would have been better if it focused on college aged characters and was marketed as New Adult at least.

There were elements of the slasher I thought were a lot of fun, and some less so. But overall it felt as though at every turn the Slut Cup was there to rip me out of the story.

[Nicole Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Disney Hyperion for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Codie Crowley’s “Body Count” is a blood-soaked, chaotic, and unapologetically feminist take on the classic slasher with a supernatural twist and a sapphic heartbeat pulsing underneath all the gore. This upper YA (though I also can consider this a New Adult) horror story embraces both camp and carnage as it explores sexuality, trauma, and revenge through the intertwined perspectives of Sundae and Lia.

At its core, “Body Count follows” Sundae, a girl who once made a deal with a demon in exchange for three innocent childhood wishes, each of which came with devastating consequences. Now, years later, that same demon is back to collect what he’s owed, leaving a trail of blood, bodies, and chaos in his wake. Alongside Lia, a musician who may be on the verge of repeating Sundae’s mistakes, she must confront her past and the monstrous masculinity that lurks both within the demon and the world around her.

Crowley doesn’t shy away from violence or sexuality—two forces that often intertwine throughout the book. Sundae’s unapologetic embrace of her sexuality and the story’s exploration of slut-shaming and toxic masculinity make it a sharp, if at times uneven, example of “feminist horror.” The sapphic romance between Sundae and Lia adds a softer counterpoint to the carnage, grounding the mayhem in moments of intimacy and resilience.

The story’s pacing is intense. Once it hits the halfway mark, it explodes into a nonstop sequence of grotesque, vividly written action scenes that read like a neon-soaked fever dream. Crowley’s descriptive prose and knack for dialogue make the characters feel alive (and, often, painfully doomed). The vivid imagery of carnival settings, demonic hauntings, and revenge-fueled chaos immerses you in an atmosphere that’s both gruesome and strangely exhilarating.

Still, “Body Count” isn’t without its flaws. Since it’s subjective, the humor may feel cringy or forced at times, and the tonal shifts between dark comedy, gore, and heartfelt reflection can feel jarring. The villain’s backstory occasionally strains logic as I wanted more development of who he really was as that was really unique.

Despite its uneven execution, “Body Count” stands out for its ambition and voice. It’s a bold, bloody, and bizarre slasher that wears its feminist themes on its sleeve and revels in horror’s messy, transgressive power. Crowley’s writing shines brightest when it leans into its darkly comedic, self-aware energy.

Overall, “Body Count” is a wild and gory ride with heart and bite. It’s part feminist manifesto, part haunted carnival from hell. “Body Count” doesn’t always hit the mark, but it’s impossible to look away from the spectacle.