I had a lot of high hopes for this, but I’m mostly just confused, now that it’s over. I like the twist at the end, but there was basically zero set up. Even if the characters themselves couldn’t be fully aware of the truth, I think there needed to be more hints to the reader that something was off. Without any clues, the second half was just extremely confusing until the very end.

Pitched as Rebecca meets The Haunting of Hill House, Summer's Edge is a queer horror/thriller about a group of friends returning to a lake house the summer after their friend died there. And it was SO good! Slow building tension, super toxic relationship dynamics, and a creepy, possibly haunted house.

The first half of the book is told through the perspective of Chelsea who spent the last year in an out of mental hospitals and is possibly an unreliable narrator. She's there with her ex-girlfriend AND her ex-boyfriend, while they are still mourning the death of his (the ex-boyfriend's) twin sister the year before. And then there's his best friend who his sister had a thing for, and the friends current girlfriend. It's messy and complicated, a book dealing with grief, toxic friendship, and privilege. I don't want to say too much more, but this book totally worked for me. It's a perfect summer-time horror novel. I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Summer's Edge was one of those books I really struggled with because the storyline and the plot was incredibly interesting and sinister... But the characters just ruined this one for me. It had such great elements of horror that certainly reminded me of The Haunting of Hill House and I Know What You Did Last Summer but the drama with the characters felt like a bad high school play to be honest. I enjoyed the creepy house and the lake, the weird supernatural stuff going on and of course the mystery of it all. There were times where I was a bit confused too because the book jumps around so much, but the author does a great job wrapping up everything at the end. I actually really loved the ending and the plot twist and it worked with the story really well! There were definitely some horror movie moments too, I just wish the character vibes felt like less high school drama and didn't go into so many details about said drama. Overall this was definitely an original read with some great horror elements!

I will update the review with a link to our blog closer to publication date.
I'd like to thank the publisher Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing and netgalley for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I don't even know what to say or what to believe in anymore.

This was one of the first books I read on supernatural stuff, and horror (I know this was very little horror, but as someone who barely reads or watches horror (Read: Has never read or watched horror before) it was scary.)
And it was amazing.

I really enjoyed every aspect of the novel, and I did not see the ending coming.

I realise I am being very random, I shall now start the review.

Plot:
The plot sounded intriguing to me from the very start. It was sort of chilling, not gonna lie, but it was like so, so, awesome. Just awesome (If you can't tell, I'll tell you- my brain's short circuiting from the awesomeness of this book.) There's also the twist, which I did not see coming. I did predict a part of it, but I did not predict everything. I could not have.
It does seem a little confusing after a point of time, but it's the good kind of confusion, the one which makes you want to read more!
It's also fun to see how easily the author sets the story over a span of three years, using only three nights. It's very difficult to pull it off, but Dana Mele pulls it off!

Characters:
All the characters weren't majorly likable, but fret not! I believe that was the way it was supposed to be! You still sympathize with some of them though, and that I think was the beauty of the characters.
The rep was also amazing, with a bi and lesbian MC, and it did not seem forced at all.

Writing Style:
This was where I was sold. The writing was descriptive, something I don't ordinarily enjoy, but it was just so well written! I knew from the very first chapter that even if I ended up hating the plot and the characters, the writing style would not let the book fall below three stars.

So, yes, I recommend this book 100%! Do check for trigger warnings though, and I don't recommend it to teens under 15.

As soon as I heard about this book, I was excited. A sapphic thriller about friends revisiting their yearly summer cabin, even after the tragedy that killed their friend there last summer? Sign me up!! As soon as I was approved for this arc, I was desperate to dive in (even if it’s not quite summer yet). And I’m so glad I did!

Reading this book felt like a blur, in the best of ways. I lost track of time, of the world around me, and focused in on only on the story in front of me, of the twisted games these friends played on each other, of the secrets they kept hidden. I found myself getting increasingly absorbed into the story, obsessed even, as the story wove on and on and the weight of all these secrets became heavier and heavier.

I saw another reviewer say that this is a book where you have to trust the process and where the story will end up, and I have to fully agree. There were moments where I just had to let go and follow the book, even through my confusion as the story continued to warp around me, and that’s honestly a hard thing to do sometimes. I wanted to piece things together, but without any idea of the bigger picture, I was just lost. But in the end, I trusted the story, and I’m so glad it did. That final moment of clarity, of realization, was worth the confusion, and made better because of it even. (I’m being intentionally vague here because this is a story worth reading without spoilers, just so you can feel the full punch in the gut it brings by the end).

This is one of those books where I want to just list everything I loved, but can’t without spoiling too much and giving it all away. So I’m just going to ask you all to trust me, and give this wonderful book a shot, because it’s honestly worth the trip.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher of this novel for the E-Arc copy. I am rating this book based on my own personal opinion and was not given anything in return. I am not leaving a entire review because I read so many at a time that I physically cannot right now. #SummersEdge

This is an early contender for one of my favourite books of the year. The more I think about it, the more I fall in love with it and it stays on my mind.

Summer’s Edge has cemented Mele’s status as a must-buy author for me. The way she blends the central mystery with the fraught relationships between characters and those ominous snippets of another narrative in alternating chapters was something so special. Right from the opening, I walked right into her trap and she had me snared. It was such an atmospheric and horrifying opening, effectively setting the scene and giving you the necessary context for the events that are about to unfold. Mele’s writing was tense, descriptive and effortlessly engaging. I could not tear myself away. I had to know every last devastating secret and my god, there are plenty of them. That additional narrative voice that occasionally crops up in between chapters was genuinely chilling and added a creepy element that sent shivers up my spine.

I knew from People Like Us that Mele is a hurricane of a writer, particularly when it comes to immaculately plotted mysteries. Even with this, I was left shocked by plenty of what unfolded here. To be honest, I’m still reeling from those twists. It was so, so well-paced and intense. The construction of this is labyrinthine and completely upends every last one of your expectations. Every time you think you have it figured out, trust me, you have not. This is a must-read for any YA mystery lovers, with plenty of layers and a killer instinct. I don’t really want to give anything away, as I think you should discover the maelstrom Mele has in store for yourself. Simply put, this book is bloody brilliant.

Summer’s Edge is not a book I will not be forgetting any time soon.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Quite frankly I enjoyed it. All the suspense, twists and mystery throughout was delightful.

a taut, well plotted mystery. characters could've used a little more development, there were some minor plot holes, but i overall enjoyed it!

Thank You NetGalley and TBR and Beyond Tours for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

"Summer's Edge" by Dana Mele follows five estrange friends who return to the summer lake house where their friend was murdered on that anniversary where this goes wrong.

I would give "Summer's Edge" by Dana Mele because, 1; I loved the LGBTQIA+ rep 2; I loved all of tension but 3; for me this got really confusing for me and I could see what was going to happen miles away which just ruins the book for me.

I like it i enjoyed but it was too long of a book and could have been shorter and didnt need all the extra pages. I felt a little boted in the beginning and felt the need to dnf it but glad i made it through.

I Know What You Did Last Summer meets The Haunting of Hill House in this story about friendship, betrayal, secrets, murder, and the one house that is at the center of it all. The story follows a group of friends:

Emily- twin sister of Ryan, best friend, hopelessly in love with Chase and a vindictive streak like no other, hates Mila for dating Chase

Ryan- twin brother of Emily, outcast of the group, best friend of Chase, hopelessly in love with Chelsea, hates Kennedy for stealing Chelsea

Chelsea- on and off girlfriend of Kennedy, broken, has been in a hospital and getting rehab since the incident, lies constantly, naive, had a short fling with Ryan

Kennedy- rich, has seen dead people and spirits since she was a child, on and off girlfriend of Chelsea, protective of her and jealous of the thing between Chelsea and Ryan, best friend of Chase

Chase- golden rich boy, good at everything, manipulative, best friend of Kennedy, loves Mila, has lots of flings, willing to do anything to get away with his secrets

Mila- shy but has claws, girlfriend of Chase, dislikes the friend group except for Chase (she is not their friend, she was just the guest/girlfriend Chase brought to the house)

Two unforgettable summers, the first is a summer fueled to catch on fire that ends in tragedy and in death. A death that impacts everyone that was there and now one year later the group receives an invitation to the house again and they all come... but this time someone is out to find out who really was responsible for the incident last summer and which one of these friends was the actual killer. Secrets come to light and the events unfold from three perspectives- Emily, Chelsea, and Kennedy, but only one of them is true. Who is the killer? What dark complicated secrets and sins have these friends done to each other? Truly a fun a twisty read, it definitely lives up to the I Know What You Did Last Summer meets The Haunting of Hill House vibes and it is the perfect mystery thriller with a splash of ghost and hauntings!

*Thanks Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This book started out great for me! and then. . . I kinda did not understand where it was trying to go.
What I liked in this book - LGBT+ representation, the spirits/ghosts & tarot cards(I just read all your hidden gifts so it gave me that vibe!), the different characters
What I didn't like - the weird time loop?
It just felt very confusing from the first POV change. I didn't understand who was dead or not. I still don't. But if you like weird paranormal YA books with LGBT+ characters, I would recommend.

HOLY CRAP THIS BOOK!

Listen, quite frankly, I was super excited for Dana Mele's first book and gave it two stars. This book though, this book deserves all five of the stars I'm giving and frankly I would give it like 200 stars if I could.

This is a "trust the process" book. You're gonna think you know what's going on then get confused, but when it all comes together it is glorious. You may have a moment where you think you've figured it out - I know I did - but you probably only figured out a small piece of the puzzle.

The atmosphere is immaculate. This book made me so uneasy. The characters are so perfectly flawed, and the friendships are messy in the way only teenage friendships can be.

This is perfect for fans of: 90s teen horror, haunted cabin stories, and Tiffany D. Jackson level twists.

Chelsea, Ryan, Chase, and Mila arrive at Kennedy’s family lake house one year from the date of Emily’s death. On that day, the house burned to the ground with Emily trapped in the attic, but Kennedy’s family has just finished rebuilding an exact replica on the very spot where the old one stood. Most of the group has summered at the lake house for the past ten years, so there are lots of old and new grudges, relationship drama, and friend fights that need to be navigated. When a set of tarot cards that clearly represent each of the teens start creepily appearing around the house, and a game of Truth or Dare gets really scary, the group starts to wonder if Emily is haunting them, and why. Narrated in turn by Chelsea, Kennedy, and Emily, as each voice takes over, new clues are slowly revealed. The atmosphere is where this novel shines, as there is clearly something wrong here that you can’t quite make out. Unfortunately characterization isn’t as strong as other aspects of the writing, so keeping up with who is talking and when gets confusing as the story twists and turns. Some of this is probably purposeful, and it all makes sense just a few pages from the end, but it might take a patient reader to get there.

I don't typically read ghost stories, but if I had to get myself into a ghost story I'm glad it was this one. If you read and enjoyed We Were Liars, you will love this one. I, however, did not like WWL at all. I did think Summer's Edge was a lot better. The characters were a little more palatable. The narrator shifts so far into the book were tough to get used to, but at the end I see what the author was doing. I thought the ending was *chef's kiss* good. I did see part of the twist coming from pretty far away, but the author still got me with part of the twist.

Read if you like:
>We Were Liars
>Pretty Little Liars
>I Know What You Did Last Summer

*Thank you to Simon and Schuster, Netgalley, and the amazing Dana Mele for this early review e-arc*

OH. MY. GOD. This book!!

This is a story about a group of friends meeting up at a lake house a year after one of the friends died, but as the night goes on, secrets are revealed and to sum it up--nothing is really as it seems.

The pacing of the story is super fast and the chapters all leave you wanting to read more! I couldn't stop reading.

We get a few different points of view and that helps reveal step by step what's going on and look at it from different sides of the coin. It's really well done and it just makes you want to know what will happen and what is this secret all the characters are keeping.

The atmosphere of the book is haunting and there's a supernatural side to it which I found fascinating.

The ending blew my mind and it's probably my favorite part, when it all starts to come together! I thought I knew and I thought it would be in the same vein of another book I read before and it wasn't. It left me so surprised but at the same time grinning from satisfaction, and thinking YES, this is genius!

It also deals with themes of grief and toxic dynamics and friendships and that's something I'm always up to because I feel they are very real themes.

I can't recommend it enough and i'm obviously buying every thriller Dana Mele ever comes up with!

5 freakin' stars!