The Counselors by Jessica Goodman Goldie Easton attends a prestigious summer camp, not because she’s rich, but because she gets free tuition due to the benefit that her parents work there. However, Camp Alpine Lake has been dubbed as a summer camp for spoiled brats and rich kids by the local “townies” at Roxwood. When Goldie’s best friends, Ava and Imogen, arrive at summer camp, Goldie gets the feeling that they are both keeping secrets from her. But Goldie has a secret of her own, one that could ruin the reputation of the person she loves, even if they betrayed her. However, Ava, Imogen, and Goldie are determined to keep camp the safest place and to have this summer as a way for them to deeply connect once again. But all of that logic goes down the drain as Goldie’s ex-boyfriend has seemingly drowned at the lake despite being the best swimmer in Roxwood. While it is labeled as an accident, Goldie feels as if there is foul play involved. But is she ready to confront her own secrets, as well as the ones that her best friends and summer camp keep?
I’ll cut to the chase- this book made me suffer. In a bad way. I’m not sure if there is good suffering, but this definitely wasn’t it. The plot felt stupid and the whole book was just talking about how spoiled all rich people are. There were many aspects of the story that weren’t even solved- such as Ava’s relationship with her father, Imogen’s acting career, Meg’s relationship with Levin, and many more. I also hate how the author tries to portray Ava’s character as just a spoiled rich girl. It’s annoying how every single chapter is dedicated to hating on Camp Alpine Lake (what kind of name even is that) because of all the prestige it offers despite Goldie defending it immediately after. It went like this: “Camp Alpine Lake is for LOSERS who are rich. But I love the camp because of everything it offers!!” The contrast just made me sick and it repeats literally every three pages or so. The characters sucked and there were too many to remember. Goldie herself was the worst main character because of her dependency to Heller (her ex-boyfriend) and how she signed away her ENTIRE life and reputation for just $20,000. This book resembled 90-day fiancé more than it resembles an actual mystery or thriller book.