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justinkhchen's review
2.0
2.5 stars
Hysteria that went nowhere, The Lifeguard has been sitting on my TBR for awhile, waiting for the day when I was craving some nostalgic vintage YA horror—sadly it didn't quite deliver.
With its isolated island setting and the appealing, if VERY on-the-nose concept of a lifeguard being a potential serial killer, it was incredible how boring The Lifeguard turned out to be; I found the killer on the lose plot very one-noted (rinse and repeat of the female protagonist witnessing something, and no one believes her), and the misdirection basically ineffective (everyone was a suspect except for one character who had no flaw—guess how that went down). Richie Tankersley Cusick's melodramatic writing was at times charmingly campy (exactly what I was seeking), but also choppy and annoyingly disorienting—finding myself re-reading paragraphs not realizing which dialog belonging to whom, and when the scene has changed.
The kitschy vibe was there, but unfortunately The Lifeguard just didn't engage (aside from a few chilling chapters from the killer POV). I loved its old-school cover art, just wished the content inside was equally compelling.
Hysteria that went nowhere, The Lifeguard has been sitting on my TBR for awhile, waiting for the day when I was craving some nostalgic vintage YA horror—sadly it didn't quite deliver.
With its isolated island setting and the appealing, if VERY on-the-nose concept of a lifeguard being a potential serial killer, it was incredible how boring The Lifeguard turned out to be; I found the killer on the lose plot very one-noted (rinse and repeat of the female protagonist witnessing something, and no one believes her), and the misdirection basically ineffective (everyone was a suspect except for one character who had no flaw—guess how that went down). Richie Tankersley Cusick's melodramatic writing was at times charmingly campy (exactly what I was seeking), but also choppy and annoyingly disorienting—finding myself re-reading paragraphs not realizing which dialog belonging to whom, and when the scene has changed.
The kitschy vibe was there, but unfortunately The Lifeguard just didn't engage (aside from a few chilling chapters from the killer POV). I loved its old-school cover art, just wished the content inside was equally compelling.
owls_rainbow's review
4.0
Another great twist ending! I admit although he was weird I didn't suspect the two obvious suspects but the actual suspect surprised me!
florenceandmary's review
4.0
All the dramatic, cheesy and nostalgic feels. Like rewatching an episode of a teen drama you know and love. This was a fun quick and easy read.
sharongrigg's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I know I loved Point Horror as a kid, but maybe I should have left well alone. Didn't enjoy it as much now, shame 😞
stagasaurus's review
3.0
I read an interview with the author where she says she got given the title, strapline and cover. So she had to make their be three lifeguards or there would be no mystery.
Reminds me of: Sunset Beach on a dark day.
"It was probably just a practical joke" moment:
"You probably just imagined it" moment: Seaweed in the bedroom, sharks, dead bodies. Your average run of the mill
Innocent victims?: Beth will need counselling.
How blindingly obvious?:Oh gosh, it had to be Justin. He was the only nice one.
Plot holes / Unfinished plot lines: Can we just talk about how oddly ALL these families grieve.
Inappropriate happy ending: really don't remember ending
Reminds me of: Sunset Beach on a dark day.
"It was probably just a practical joke" moment:
Spoiler
Wet footprints in the bedroom. Honestly, you are sharing a house with four men. Get used to it."You probably just imagined it" moment: Seaweed in the bedroom, sharks, dead bodies. Your average run of the mill
Innocent victims?: Beth will need counselling.
How blindingly obvious?:Oh gosh, it had to be Justin. He was the only nice one.
Plot holes / Unfinished plot lines: Can we just talk about how oddly ALL these families grieve.
Inappropriate happy ending: really don't remember ending
liamunderwood's review
3.5
After recently taking a deep dive into my childhood by revisiting Welcome to Dead House, I decided to alternate between reading a Goosebumps book and reading another childhood favourite of mine - Point Horror. Most Goosebumps books are somewhat memorable, for various reasons, whilst there are really only a couple of Point Horror books that I distinctly recall. Take The Lifeguard, for example - I definitely remember reading it before, but I remembered literally none of it. Even upon re-reading it now, none of it came back to me. I think it's possibly because Goosebumps has more of a fantastical element, whilst Point Horror - if memory serves correctly - usually have more of a mystery whodunit element to them.
I actually rather enjoyed reading The Lifeguard. I don't typically overanalyze as I read (or perhaps I'm just not particularly savvy), so the mystery element did somewhat work for me. I mean, I certainly had my suspicions who the killer was, but Richie Tankersley Cusick managed to utilise at least one good red herring that had me doubting. However, on the flipside, there is one annoying trope that Richie Tankersley Cusick overuses - other characters not believing our heroine, Kelsey. The first couple of times are somewhat excusable, but it gets real tired real fast.
I did like that The Lifeguard is basically an '80s slasher movie in book form, complete with the creepy old guy who tries to warn the teens that they are in imminent danger but they all laugh it off and ignore him. This was a fun read and although light on actual horror, still rather enjoyable!
3.5/5
I actually rather enjoyed reading The Lifeguard. I don't typically overanalyze as I read (or perhaps I'm just not particularly savvy), so the mystery element did somewhat work for me. I mean, I certainly had my suspicions who the killer was, but Richie Tankersley Cusick managed to utilise at least one good red herring that had me doubting. However, on the flipside, there is one annoying trope that Richie Tankersley Cusick overuses - other characters not believing our heroine, Kelsey. The first couple of times are somewhat excusable, but it gets real tired real fast.
I did like that The Lifeguard is basically an '80s slasher movie in book form, complete with the creepy old guy who tries to warn the teens that they are in imminent danger but they all laugh it off and ignore him. This was a fun read and although light on actual horror, still rather enjoyable!
3.5/5
mnmetje_mcclain's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
gwendolyn_kensinger's review
3.0
What a ride. Great summer read from the point horror series.
You know by the title, cover, synopsis, basically everything about this book it screams the lifeguard is guilty, but there are 3 lifeguards and the author did a great job of shifting blame around between the three of them that I never knew which lifeguard was going to be the guilty party.
Kelsey and her mom are invited to spend the summer on Beverly Island with Eric, Kelsey’s mom’s new boyfriend, and his 3 kids (Beth, Justin & Neale). As soon as Kelsey and her mom, Marjorie, step off the ferry they know something is wrong just by the look on Eric’s face. Beth is missing! She’s been missing for 3 days and they’re frantically searching for her. Somehow the gravity of Beth’s disappearance didn’t really feel as high stakes as I thought it would. Maybe because it’s a relatively small island and they were searching for 3 days already. By the time Kelsey and her mom get there there’s not much they can do to help. Kelsey ends up meeting another girl her age and they start hanging out over the coming days. Kelsey is somehow still spooked about Beth’s disappearance and strange things start happening. She finds a note that Beth left behind that leads Kelsey to believe that Beth knew someone was after her. Then one afternoon Beth and Donna stumble across a dead body, but when they call for help the body is no longer there. So strange things keep happening but for the most part Kelsey keeps them to herself so she doesn’t cause anymore panic or worry. Eventually they call off the search for Beth thinking she went out into the water and an undercurrent got her. As the reader though we know that one of the lifeguards is to blame. I love getting a peek into the killer’s mind.
So which lifeguard is it? Is it even a lifeguard? I’ll never tell.