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alifromkc1907's review against another edition
4.0
Read more at http://rainbowreviews.wix.com/reading free or on Instagram @RainbowReviewsKC
Gut Instinct Rating - 5
Story Line - 5
Writing Style - 4
Characters - 4
Excitement Factor - 4
Believability for type and topics - 5
Similarity to other books - 3
Cover art - 3
Title Relevance - 3
When Garrett's parents think he's out of control, they hire transporters to pick him up in the middle of the night and take him to Camp Lake Harmony. Lake Harmony is basically boot camp for "troubled teens." Lake Harmony is hell. And because Garrett is only sixteen, he'll either have to figure out how to please the masters for early release, wait until he's 18, or... try to escape a top-security prison for teens.
You may like this book if you like the following sub-genres:
Mental Abuse
Physical Abuse
Reform Camps
Coming of Age
HOLY SHIT seems to be the best phrase to describe my experience with this book. I said it numerous times, and wrote it once at the very end following the reading of the afterword. (Insert: HOLY SHIT! here.) I would've loved to have given this book a 5-star, but I had some issues, mostly minor... but the title really wasn't pleasing. We don't really get the idea that this is boot camp (which is why I didn't categorize it as a boot camp, but a reform camp) until close to the end. I would've much rather the title been Lake Harmony: Reform Camp or something other than Boot Camp. It sounds more like a military story as opposed to a reform camp, which is what Lake Harmony is. The cover art didn't really flatter me either since majority of the book, the apparel requirement for Garrett, is flip flops. Having a military-grade boot there is only applicable to a small part of the book, so I wasn't real pleased with that either. Two three's for art and title brought the book down from a 4.29 to a 4 (not that it's a horrible rating, but it was enough to drop the score from 4-stars to 4.5 stars).
The characters were really concrete, but they were almost too concrete. I felt like there wasn't a lot of variance in the characters. And maybe that's the reform camp setting talking to me, where everyone is expected to act a certain way, but had it not been for Mr. Sparks, Sarah, and Pauly, this would've gone down to a 3. Everyone was so similar, so it could become tiresome if you're someone who needs lots of color in their books. But, with the addition of these three characters, I think we saw the three levels of staff members and outside acceptance, as well as the three levels of level-one-campers. (That will hopefully make more sense once you've read the book.) There was a lot of changes for Garrett, which likely saved this from being a 3, or less. We saw a lot of personalities come out of Garrett, including the way he thinks, which I thought was the most valuable component to this story.
This book was so believable, it was unbelievable. And I can't/won't/don't want to say anything else, but... this definitely makes sense when you're reading.
This book, sadly, is similar to other books. I think I've read 2-3 books this year that have a very similar plot line. It doesn't make it a bad book, but the less unique something is, the more we are tied down to re-reading the same story with a few different characters. I think the aspects of this book were probably more deliberate. The author seems to really research his characters before he fully unveils them, which I think is fantastic (it lead to me not even being able to read Give a Boy a Gun by him, but this book was happily more catered to my reading needs). So in the case of this book, the characters made this book different from the others I've read. Sure, there's a hero, and a bully, and the "loser," and the girl (or the guy... in this case, it's a girl). All these things are applicable, but the way in which they were discovered, discussed, and displayed were different from the rest.
The writing style was fine. I wasn't overly impressed with anything here or there. It would've probably been given a 5 if there weren't paragraph-breaks to break up the story within the chapters, but that's not the end of the world. It wasn't a challenging read, and at times, I felt like it become too repetitive. I maybe would've been more interested in a diary perspective in place of some of the things that were routine in the story line. But again, it didn't break the book. The book was still powerful and exciting (most of the time, again... given the repetitive nature, sometimes you could doze out of a few pages).
Gut Instinct Rating - 5
Story Line - 5
Writing Style - 4
Characters - 4
Excitement Factor - 4
Believability for type and topics - 5
Similarity to other books - 3
Cover art - 3
Title Relevance - 3
When Garrett's parents think he's out of control, they hire transporters to pick him up in the middle of the night and take him to Camp Lake Harmony. Lake Harmony is basically boot camp for "troubled teens." Lake Harmony is hell. And because Garrett is only sixteen, he'll either have to figure out how to please the masters for early release, wait until he's 18, or... try to escape a top-security prison for teens.
You may like this book if you like the following sub-genres:
Mental Abuse
Physical Abuse
Reform Camps
Coming of Age
HOLY SHIT seems to be the best phrase to describe my experience with this book. I said it numerous times, and wrote it once at the very end following the reading of the afterword. (Insert: HOLY SHIT! here.) I would've loved to have given this book a 5-star, but I had some issues, mostly minor... but the title really wasn't pleasing. We don't really get the idea that this is boot camp (which is why I didn't categorize it as a boot camp, but a reform camp) until close to the end. I would've much rather the title been Lake Harmony: Reform Camp or something other than Boot Camp. It sounds more like a military story as opposed to a reform camp, which is what Lake Harmony is. The cover art didn't really flatter me either since majority of the book, the apparel requirement for Garrett, is flip flops. Having a military-grade boot there is only applicable to a small part of the book, so I wasn't real pleased with that either. Two three's for art and title brought the book down from a 4.29 to a 4 (not that it's a horrible rating, but it was enough to drop the score from 4-stars to 4.5 stars).
The characters were really concrete, but they were almost too concrete. I felt like there wasn't a lot of variance in the characters. And maybe that's the reform camp setting talking to me, where everyone is expected to act a certain way, but had it not been for Mr. Sparks, Sarah, and Pauly, this would've gone down to a 3. Everyone was so similar, so it could become tiresome if you're someone who needs lots of color in their books. But, with the addition of these three characters, I think we saw the three levels of staff members and outside acceptance, as well as the three levels of level-one-campers. (That will hopefully make more sense once you've read the book.) There was a lot of changes for Garrett, which likely saved this from being a 3, or less. We saw a lot of personalities come out of Garrett, including the way he thinks, which I thought was the most valuable component to this story.
This book was so believable, it was unbelievable. And I can't/won't/don't want to say anything else, but... this definitely makes sense when you're reading.
This book, sadly, is similar to other books. I think I've read 2-3 books this year that have a very similar plot line. It doesn't make it a bad book, but the less unique something is, the more we are tied down to re-reading the same story with a few different characters. I think the aspects of this book were probably more deliberate. The author seems to really research his characters before he fully unveils them, which I think is fantastic (it lead to me not even being able to read Give a Boy a Gun by him, but this book was happily more catered to my reading needs). So in the case of this book, the characters made this book different from the others I've read. Sure, there's a hero, and a bully, and the "loser," and the girl (or the guy... in this case, it's a girl). All these things are applicable, but the way in which they were discovered, discussed, and displayed were different from the rest.
The writing style was fine. I wasn't overly impressed with anything here or there. It would've probably been given a 5 if there weren't paragraph-breaks to break up the story within the chapters, but that's not the end of the world. It wasn't a challenging read, and at times, I felt like it become too repetitive. I maybe would've been more interested in a diary perspective in place of some of the things that were routine in the story line. But again, it didn't break the book. The book was still powerful and exciting (most of the time, again... given the repetitive nature, sometimes you could doze out of a few pages).
htank's review against another edition
4.0
Very raw story, although still very good. It can be a bit rough to get through because its not a happy story.
bxermom's review against another edition
5.0
My son wanted me to read this book. He read it quite a while ago but it is still one he talks about. After reading it, I can see why. Strasser has written a book about a topic that many of us know about, but don't pay any attention to. After reading this book, maybe you will.
Garrett is 'kidnapped' in the middle of the night by Lake Harmony transporters. His parents are sending him to boot camp to modify his behavior to what they deem acceptable. The book follows his journey while there.
An excellent book.
Garrett is 'kidnapped' in the middle of the night by Lake Harmony transporters. His parents are sending him to boot camp to modify his behavior to what they deem acceptable. The book follows his journey while there.
An excellent book.
kitvaria_sarene's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful book - but the ending was not what I would have wanted...
Don't get me wrong it's a GOOD ending, just not what I love...
15-year-old Garrett finds himself handcuffed in the back of a car trying to make sense of why he is being sent to a facility for troubled teens.Strasser describes the horrifying violence and injustices experienced by teens sent to a disciplinary boot camp
Don't get me wrong it's a GOOD ending, just not what I love...
15-year-old Garrett finds himself handcuffed in the back of a car trying to make sense of why he is being sent to a facility for troubled teens.Strasser describes the horrifying violence and injustices experienced by teens sent to a disciplinary boot camp
sel_na2's review against another edition
dark
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
rebekel89's review against another edition
dark
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
browncharlotte18's review against another edition
4.0
I have to admit for a school book I really enjoyed this read. That’s not to say it was a light read at all. The book definitely deals with heavy stuff such as child abuse.
Garrett’s character spoke to me as I feel for the most part I related to his personality. He’s a really smart kid that feels very misunderstood by his peers. So he finds solace with older people. One being Sabrina, his teacher. His parents horrified by the relationship send Garrett to a boot camp called Lake Harmony.
From there we really see his character develop and change, not in the best ways let me tell you. By the end I was frustrated by his choices and knew it was the inevitable. From the first page I guess you could say it’s pretty predictable, but you kind of hope it doesn’t end up happening.
If it hadn’t been assigned reading in school I know I wouldn’t have read this book. I definitely recommend giving this one a try if you’re not sure. The writings definitely very simple but easy to get into.
Garrett’s character spoke to me as I feel for the most part I related to his personality. He’s a really smart kid that feels very misunderstood by his peers. So he finds solace with older people. One being Sabrina, his teacher. His parents horrified by the relationship send Garrett to a boot camp called Lake Harmony.
From there we really see his character develop and change, not in the best ways let me tell you. By the end I was frustrated by his choices and knew it was the inevitable. From the first page I guess you could say it’s pretty predictable, but you kind of hope it doesn’t end up happening.
If it hadn’t been assigned reading in school I know I wouldn’t have read this book. I definitely recommend giving this one a try if you’re not sure. The writings definitely very simple but easy to get into.
mairio's review against another edition
2.0
What the hell was that for an ending??
I had the hope he could escape, but no he goes back and at the end their brainwashing programm worked!
I'm so furious about this book right now. (also while reading it I felt this anger towards that freaking insane place of a boot camp >.<) I felt the need to punch every dick there in the face..
I mean WTF!
I had the hope he could escape, but no he goes back and at the end their brainwashing programm worked!
I'm so furious about this book right now. (also while reading it I felt this anger towards that freaking insane place of a boot camp >.<) I felt the need to punch every dick there in the face..
I mean WTF!
moserstopheles's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
sad.
happy's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0