In the same niche as Camp Damascus, the conversion-therapy-as-horror genre. Similarities abound, even down to the senior class quarry jumps, which doesn’t indicate any co-opting of plot points but simply how ubiquitous this experience is, the same script across rural America, where any deviation from the script means there will be Consequences. A key plot point involves a gender-swapped/gender-neutral production of Grease, which is both fun and thematically relevant. Chuck Tingle nails the horror bits more effectively, but Parker nails the family/friends emotional dynamics very well. I’m glad that both exist.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.