Member Reviews
This was so fun! It got me reading outside and knocked off a few books from my NetGalley TBR. Linking my favorite arc review of July below.
I really enjoyed taking part in Camp! It was a fun way to spend my summer. I didn't read as many books as I wanted, but there's always next year!
Already marking up my bingo board—it’s great to see how much I’ve already read this year as I check off the boxes! It was hard to pick a review, but I had a lot of fun revisiting the reviews I've written again :)
This was so fun and was a great way to share my NG reads on my bookstagram. I really hope that this goes on next Summer as well!
What a fun way to get a reading challenge going for the summer!
This was a comprehensive, handy welcome pack with lots of opportunities to engage with others on social to share what we're reading as well.
This was such a fun idea. I hope to see more events like this, maybe during holiday season. I do wish it had been more integrated into the app though, as I did forget about it a few times.
Love this idea! The media packet with bingo board, social media templates, etc looks fun. I look forward to participating!
Editing to add— Thank you for the fun interactive parts to meet new book friends on bookstagram and play Netgalley bingo! Look forward to coming to Netgalley camp next summer!
What a fun experience. The welcome pack was laid out very easy so you knew what to expect each week and gave you your boards for games. I'll keep an eye out for next year in
This was a fun activity, it encouraged me to read more new to me authors. I hope this can done every season; similar to the Kindle challenges.
The welcome packet itself was very easy to use, with lots of activities to complete.
The good:
-The concept
-I love me a bingo card
The bad:
-For people who don't do digital journaling, the packet itself is EXCEEDINGLY unhelpful on the how-to of some of its events. It says to "download and play Camp NetGalley Bingo," but since the packet's available in the NetGalley app, it feels like a mixed message, especially for people who use the app exclusively.
The ugly:
-The art. Half of it looks realistic and the other half does not, which drives me up a wall. The color palette is just as bland as the Reading Journal. Maybe they're meant to be together? Which brings me to...
My suggestions:
-Make the Camp pages part of the reading journal (which is what I'm doing)
-31 days of mini-events laid out so we can plan
-A more sensible bingo–either make everything attainable in 31 days OR open "camp" (bingo) through the full summer OR explicitly say you can double up on squares since it's only one month
-Make the camp less social media-based, or more social media-based, either one; either we should be treated like we are solo readers, or make the cabins have a real online presence so campers can interact, not this in-between that suits no one. Bookstagram is a concept, not a reality; treating it like a reality without making it more concrete and accessible is not helpful.
Want more suggestions? Hire me 😁
Smallhope and Pennywise, the mysterious time travelling bounty hunters of the St Mary's and Time Police series, are back with an origin story. I loved learning about how the pair met and came to be partners in crime, and also seeing a lot of the infamous escapades of past adventures from their perspective. The storyline is fast paced and unrelenting, making this an easy and enjoyable read that grabs the reader from the start, enticing them with stalking peacocks and complicated families, and not letting go.
If there's one thing that Jodi Taylor excels in, it's making loveable and villainous characters and this story is no different. Amelia and Pennyroyal are a great dynamic pair, similar in many ways in their loneliness when first they meet, yet coming to mutually respect each other and grow together. They're a bit morally grey, taking no prisoners, but they're good at their core. Pennyroyal remains as enigmatic as ever though. The same cannot be said for the villain of the story, who I eagerly waited in anticipation for their downfall. And when it came, it did not disappoint.
I wouldn't really recommend reading this if you're unfamiliar with the St Mary's and Time Police series as this is filled with spoilers for those stories. However, if you're wanting to jump in feet first and aren't bothered about the previous books, this might be a good introduction to these characters.
I always know I'm in good hands with Jodi Taylor, who never lets me down in providing a rollicking good time
A fun and informative back that made the camp NetGalley event easy to understand and do. Well explained and very clear. Made for a great month of reading.
This was my first year attending Camp NetGalley and I thought it was so cool. I liked the bingo card and was excited when I could mark things off the card. I thought it was fun that we could choose what bunk we wanted to stay in based on our favorite genres. I liked that NetGalley provided a reading journal. It helped me keep my thoughts in one place and made writing review easier. I do wish we had the reading journal at the beginning of camp. I would love to see a holiday camp in the future. We could have a bingo card that has different holiday themed prompts for holiday books.
My entry into the Talent Show is linked.
This was a great start to encourage those to be interactive on NetGalley- would like to see in future how the ideas develop and continue
I was so excited to jump back into another adventure in Finlay’s crazy life. Book 4 in this hilarious and fast paced series did not disappoint! Finlay and Vero are once again swept into the world of organized crime involuntarily and this time the shenanigans have them running all over Atlantic City trying to piece together a who done it involving two bodies in a hotel room, locating a stolen vehicle and an overweight weiner dog name Kevin Bacon. This latest installment is fast paced and hilarious. I laughed the whole way to the end and am now anxiously awaiting for book 5.
Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.
I actually wish I could have participated more, but my work schedule got so bad I wasn't able to pay as much attention to this. I did really like the NetGalley bingo and the challenges around posting book covers related to different themes. More of that kind of stuff please!
I likes the idea of Camp NetGalley but I forgot about it easily as the month went on. It would be easier to participate if it was integrated into the NetGalley app somehow.
What an incredibly fun challenge! Who doesn’t want to up their reading/reviewing game when the dog days of summer are upon us? Lounging by the pool, driving to a road trip destination, or just escaping the heat on the couch in the AC- Camp NetGalley was the perfect summer companion. Thanks, NetGalley!
Camp NetGalley was such a fun interactive way to participate with others on a platform we often share! I will say it sometimes felt a bit “forgettable” as I didn’t find myself remembering to come back and check in much. The hype was great and I couldn’t wait to join. I’d definitely participate again but wish there were more check ins along the way to keep me coming back!
This was such a fun summer activity. I was not able to participate in everything, but was encouraged to raise my percentage by 2 points.