Haunting and delightfully gothic -- Lee Mandelo's debut has been lingering in my mind even since I closed the final pages. I have somewhat complicated feeling about Summer Suns, as it tackles a horror/mystery plot, characters processing grief over a complicated (somewhat toxic) friendship, and a budding queer romance in a context enmeshed in the hallmarks of masculinity all at the same time, with somewhat uneven success. In summary: it's an ambitious undertaking. It’s one big book of adult boys making bad decisions, raw and messy. Summer Sons is gorgeously written, but at times a little too opaque and indulgent in the flaws of the characters. The romance plot was promising, but it understandably takes a back seat to the grief/horror plot and ends on rather shaky foundations -- I would be hesitant to even classify it as a "happy for now" ending. I find myself hoping for a sequel to wrap things up a bit more, but I believe this was intended to be a standalone. All in all, this was a delightfully spooky and complex read -- I gobbled it down in one sitting and stayed up far too late to finish it. I would definitely read more by this author, but will refer to the content notes when recommending Summer Sons to others.

There are horror novels and then there are actual horror novels that throw you off balance. Being from the Southern Appalachian area, I already know there's ghosts and creatures we don't talk about if we want to keep our sanity. Combining the bloodthirsty nature of both Appalachia and academia makes for one hell of a ride!

It's a supernatural horror book about those awful young men my son watches on YouTube! Unsettling, anxious, and very satisfying - a general delight.

This book was such a HUGE horror disappointment. And the fact that it was supposed to be a Queer Horror epic? Nope, not in my book it wasn't. Waited forever to delve into it.....and it was a waste of time. I thought about dnf'ing it at 56% and decided to finish it anyway. Why?
Sorry. Skip it.

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo, when I saw the cover and read the synopsis I believed this would by right up my alley, and it kinda was. Alley adjacent I’ll say.

I wanted so desperately to enjoy this read but there was a lot pushing me away. Stories woven from the tapestry of old families and old money are fascinating. The depths folks will go to maintain a history of power, captivating. Unfortunately Summer Sons skirts around what I felt was the most interesting angle of the narrative, concerning Andrew, a young man looking into the suicide of his best friend. But his intentions don’t come off as all that heartfelt or sincere. He just has this generic mopey vibe, that feels less “I just lost my best friend” and more “Nobody understands me, leave me alone.” His investigation sort of walks and talks in circles as he shrugs off anyone interested in helping, until answers are handed to him.

But this is also where the books really starts to hook me, two thirds of the way in. Summer Sons was very nearly a DNF, probably would have been if I it weren’t a book-party. I am glad that I kept going, for sure. The end is solid and featured a little more of the lore that I was looking for. More of the Old/Family history would have held me a little tighter. Mandelo’s writing is solid, it’s just the narrative that didn’t hold me.
Check it out though, others seem to be getting a bit more out of it.

Personal entertainment value 2/5

The narrative in Summer Sons was compelling and the characters likeable. I would have a hard time selling to people in my store, who tend to be older— they might find it difficult to relate to. That said, I would still handsell this book to anyone from ages 16-26. Thouroughly enjoyed, thank you for the arc!

A lovely lyrical queer mystery dripping with Southern Gothic aesthetics. Delicious moments of pining meet meditations of grief meet a promising mystery hook that has wonderful payoff by the end.

I recommend this one. It's a good book and everyone should read. Of course I would love to have this book in my bookstore.

I had trouble with the beginning of this book due to the format of the eArc, however, the book picks up and all you need are more words. The story was creepy, the beginning of the story had so many little things up in the air that made sense eventually. Eddie, though very much dead from the very beginning, had a strong presence. I loved Andrew because he reminded me of Ronan Lynch,. I loved this book enough to get my own copy.

Lee Mandelo’s Summer Sons is an elaborately wrought queer story that blends gothic, horror, and mystery, but which is crippled by repetition, glacial pace, and unlikable characters.
Summer Sons was one of my most looked-forward-to books of the year. The sales copy, which bills the book as queer Southern gothic, was somewhat misleading. The book tells the story of Andrew, who is grieving after the death of his best friend, Eddie, and trying to learn how Eddie died—Eddie’s death is believed to be a suicide by everyone except Andrew. Meanwhile, Andrew is haunted by ghosts (and has been after a traumatic event years before, like Eddie), and something that might be Eddie is pursuing him.
That description is the book I wanted to read. Instead, I got lots of meandering self-pity, repetitive conversations and internal dialogue, and an agonizingly slow crawl of a book, all in the company of unlikable (and insignificant) people. The writing, which was pretty but, in places, too dense / symbolic / abstract / unclear, didn’t help anything.
Recommended for readers who enjoy stories about coming of age, accepting who you are, unlikable characters, academia, racing, and ghosts.

I finished this book a long time ago, but I forgot to write a review about it on NetGalley. I am not really sure what I liked about this book and what I didn't like because this book is kind of unmemorable to me now. I can't tell you if this is going to be a favorite of yours, but what I can say is that it was enjoyable when I was reading it and it will probably not be a memorable read.

I can't believe I am so behind on the times, but I finally sat down and read Summer Sons. Now to take a few minutes to review it, as Lee Mandelo's writing deserves that much!

Andrew and Eddie were the best of friends. You'll notice the past tense in that statement. Eddie had to head off to continue his education. That shouldn't have been the end of the friendship. It wouldn't have been had Andrew had any say in the matter.

Unfortunately, Eddie's apparent suicide stops his plans in their tracks. Now Andrew is determined to get to the truth behind Eddie's death, even if that means handling a macabre inheritance and other...concerning details.

“Scrolling on his phone passed the time as he fought to tamp down the swelling tide of memories and miseries.”

Summer Sons is an intense horror read, perfect for this darker Tor line. Seriously guys, don't make the same mistake I did – read this book when it is nice and sunny out. As opposed to dark, dreary, and right before bed. Yeah, mistakes were made.

I think what made Summer Sons all the more chilling for me was how slowly it burned. That gradually growing sense of fear and horror got to me. Don't get me wrong – I loved every minute of it. I just also happened to pay an emotional toll in the process.

That's not all that hit me about Summer Sons because apparently, Lee Mandelo pulled out all the stops. There is something so painfully human about Andrew's situation – losing a best friend and trying so hard to hang on to whatever scraps remain, including a mystery that needs solving. It hurts.

Thankfully, there are good moments to balance those harder moments, including my favorite trope – the found family. I love it, and I hope you guys do as well because it plays a huge part in this book.

What an absolutely spooky and chilling read! I loved every second I spent within the pages of this book!

I liked the setup/buildup a lot, but began to lose engagement at the last third of the book. I thought it would be more heavy on the gothic/horror elements than it ended up being; so perhaps it was a matter of reader expectations.

⭐⭐⭐.5/5

TW: Suicide, Discussions of Suicide, drug use, greif.

Andrew and Eddie have been close for a long time. After Eddie's parents died, Eddie was adopted by Andrew's parents. They became inseparable. Inseparable until Eddie goes away to college and turns up dead six months after, having died of an apparent suicide. Andrew isn't convinced Eddie would have ever done that, so he goes to the College Eddie was attending and becomes a students under the same professor and meets all the people Eddie had been hanging out with before he died. Andrew is determined to uncover the truth.

This books is a whole lot of fever dream with ghosts in every chapter, and a ton of drug use that makes you wonder what is really going on at times. Both Eddie and Andrew can see ghosts, and there is a strong presence of dark things lurking where we least expect it. One of my favorite things about this book is how much ghost action we actually get.

This book is a new adult, LGBTQ+ thriller with a Male/Male romance. There are tons of adult scenes in this and even a scene that goes through the process of what it's like to die from suicide with all the graphic details that are attached.

This book's pacing is EXTREMELY slow and patience is key to getting through this. If you are looking for a slow burn ghost story with curses, witchcraft and other dark things, I think this would be a book you would enjoy. The storyline and the progression of the story can be agonizingly slow, but you do get a ghost I'm every chapter.

I did love the ghost aspect, but the slowness of this book almost made me DNF it a few times. It took forever for the story to really pick up. I did love the characters though, especially Sam. Sam was a strong supporting character that Andrew was really close to.

I loved the ghosts and how this story was written in all the visceral detail of spooky effectiveness.

I finally got around to Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo and I have to say I'm really glad I read this one! It's a mixture of horror, dark academia, and southern gothic, so it would've been a perfect fall read (of course I waited until winter!)

This story addresses loss, grief, and racism, so please be aware of content warnings for discussion of suicide, murder, institutional racism, and the type of slow burn horror that could give one nightmares. There's also plenty of alcohol and drug use in this one.

Although I didn't find any of the characters terribly likeable, I did find the relationship between Andrew and his deceased best friend Eddie very compelling. If you've ever had an extremely close "ride or die" type of best friend, it's very easy to understand and feel Andrew's grief. In this story Eddie's death literally haunts Andrew and it's absolutely heartbreaking.

If you're looking for horror with queer rep and haunting writing, I'd highly recommend picking up Mandelo's Summer Sons! This is a beautifully written debut!

This is a book that long after you finish it'll push at you. Thinking of the writing and the imagery, and the way it all unfolds.

This is a story about denial.

This book was not for me 🤷‍♀️. It was atmospheric & conceptually very cool- I loved the occult vibes and undercurrent of tension. Unfortunately, I hated the protagonist, and most of the side characters. I also felt like the interesting aspects of the magic system weren’t explored enough, and the miserable inner workings of the characters brain were explored too heavily. I think some readers will probably love this, but alas.

Thank you so much Netgalley, Macmillan & Tor/Forge for this eArc!

This book was amazing, LGBTQ+ and I enjoyed it immensely. I definitely recommend this book and I suggest adding it to your Fall TBR. I gave the book 4.5 stars and I don't give such high ratings easily.

This was such a difficult read for me. It was written in a way that was confusing and didn’t keep my interest. It felt all over the place. The supernatural elements to the story is what made me continue reading. It felt way too long for what it was and the characters all seemed to blend into one.