Exit Stage Death by Ava Eldred

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✦ BLURB ✦

Livi Campbell’s summer to-do list is simple:

1. Have the best final summer at Camp Chance.

2. Prove to her parents that acting is an acceptable career choice.

3. Smash all her rehearsals and get the lead in the senior showcase.

But when a fellow camper shows up dead under mysterious circumstances and Livi finds a note suggesting all is not as it seems, she must team up with her camp-mates to catch the culprit before they kill again.

Enter Juliet, the social media influencer with everything to prove; Aaron, the nepo baby who isn’t sure he wants to be in Hollywood at all; Daisy, the inexperienced newbie trying to find her place; and Sam, the leading man who broke Livi’s heart last summer.

The players are in place. The stage is set. Curtain up.

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✶ PRE-READING ✶

I went into this with Camp Rock as my only frame of reference for music camp culture, so I expected drama, talent rivalries, and a high-gloss teen summer vibe. I was curious how the mystery element would integrate with the performative setting - and whether it would lean more Mean Girls or One of Us Is Lying.

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✶ POST-READING ✶

As I thought... The heightened emotions of summer camp + creative ambition make for a compelling backdrop. Livi’s desire to prove herself feels real and urgent, and the ensemble cast hits the right mix of archetypes and depth - particularly Juliet and Aaron, who each subvert first impressions.

It surprised me by... How organically the murder mystery blends with the camp setting. It’s not just a “teen sleuth” subplot - it disrupts everything, reshaping friendships, rivalries, and even the performance schedule. The social codes of Camp Chance become part of the tension, and Livi’s investigation is as much about self-discovery as justice.

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✦ RECOMMENDATIONS ✦

Book Recommendation: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is the OG in the current trend of teen investigators. It's part of a series, and the author also has unrelated books with a similar feel.

TV or Movie Recommendation: Camp Rock and its sequel might not have murders to solve, but for that feeling of a place that is its own world, it can't be beat.

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✧ VIBE CHECK ✧

🎨 Colour palette: Burgundy velvet, spotlight white, deep stage black

🎧 Soundtrack: “No Way” from Six the Musical, Billie Eilish’s “you should see me in a crown”

🌦️ Season: Late summer - when the air is thick with heat and expectation

💭 Mood: Spiraling tension with an undercurrent of self-assertion

🌸 Scent: Sweat, hairspray, and stage makeup under the ghost of pine trees

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★ TAROT CARD PULLED ★

The Tower – Pandora’s Box (The Storyteller’s Tarot)

In this version of The Tower, a vibrant chest lies open - Pandora’s Box - unleashing skulls and shadows into the air. It’s not destruction for shock value; it’s revelation, irreversible and raw. Once Livi starts asking questions about the death at Camp Chance, there’s no going back. Secrets explode into the open, relationships shift, and the safety of the stage is stripped away. Like Pandora, Livi must face what’s been released - and decide what to do with the truth that remains.

Exit Stage Death publishes on the 5th of June, 2025. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.