☀️☀️1/2
Dead of Summer
Jessa Maxwell
Publication Date: July 22nd, 2025
Atria Books
288 Pages
Amazon | Goodreads | Bookshop.org
Genre: General Fiction | Mystery & Thrillers
This was my first read by the author, and I wasn’t overly impressed. Don’t get me wrong, two and a half stars isn’t a terrible book, but nothing about this thriller wowed me. This is the typical woman who comes back years after her friend disappears. While there, another disappearance occurs, so she and the creepy loner investigate. Is anyone else getting tired of this trope?
I liked the multiple points of view because they built suspense well, and the author wrote a fast-paced narrative. I enjoyed the descriptions of the island and could feel the tension between the characters. Unfortunately, as the story moves forward, the plot twists are just too clichéd and overdone. Anyone who’s read a lot of thrillers will find the reveal very predictable, and most will figure it out before the end. The characters are typical, and I had a hard time feeling invested in what happened to them. The ending felt rushed and was tied up a little too neatly for my liking.
I would recommend this as a beach read, as you don’t have to think too much, and the book is fairly short. I read it in a couple of sittings. Enjoyable enough for what it is, but it doesn’t quite deliver the shocking suspense (an eerie and twisty mystery) its premise suggests.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
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