Hadley Island was once inhabited by friends Alice, Orla, David and Henry. One night Alice went missing. Since then, Orla and David have moved off island to their careers. Only Henry lives there now in self-imposed exile. Years later, Orla returns to clean out her parent’s beach home so it can be sold. That same summer David returns to the island with his girlfriend Faith, and with the friends all on the island, whispers and questions begin again about Alice. This is a complex book about friendships, manipulation, flaunting of wealth and position and dark secrets about what happened to Alice. Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the eARC. My review of this twisted mystery is my personal opinion.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this free copy of "Dead of Summer."

This is an enjoyable mystery suspense beach read... although it might make you creeped out if you're on an island.

Orla and Alice grew up together on Hadley Island and waited every summer for the wealthy to visit, especially their friend David. But when they were 15 years old, Alice disappeared.

The islanders suspected that local eccentric Henry was involved and he's still carrying that stigma 12 years later when Orla returns to the island to sell her parent's house.

So the Hadley Island locals are surprised and wary when David also returns for the summer with his new fiancee who looks remarkably like Alice.

Synopsis: Years after a girl disappeared on an isolated New England island, her friend Orla returns to search for answers.

Thoughts: I am a big fan of Jessa Maxwell’s writing, but this is my least favorite of her books so far. I love the summery yet eerie island setting, the multiple POVs and the fast-paced storyline - it all adds tension and and suspense to an otherwise somewhat predictable mystery. I still found the book enjoyable as a quick read summer thriller, great for a Summerween beach read. A note on the audio: I love a full cast audio and enjoyed each pov having its own narrator.

Read this if you like:
🛶 missing person
🛶 small town
🛶 atmospheric setting
🛶 multi pov

Dead of Summer promised a juicy locked-room thriller with old money secrets on a remote New England island—and while the setting delivered, the story didn’t fully land for me. The pacing was slow, the twists were easy to spot, and the characters lacked the depth I wanted. If you’re craving a true edge-of-your-seat thriller, this might not scratch the itch—but as a quick popcorn read with strong summer vibes? It works. It might be a case of this author being perfect for many, not quite right for me as I was frustrated by her last book in terms of pacing, predictability, and struggling to believe the end.

Rich people behaving badly, plenty of twists, and an island/beach/summer setting. It’s also full of small details (like a red beer, I’d never heard of this before) that lend authenticity to the setting and characters. This is a bingeable book that doesn’t disappoint once it ramps up!


Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this arc!

If she had her way, Orla O’Connor would never have returned to Hadley Island. When she was a teenager, her best friend Alice disappeared from the island. But this summer, Orla is back to help clean out her parents’ house—leaving her to spend the summer reliving memories next to Alice’s now vacant home.

Faith can’t believe she’s finally going to her boyfriend David’s family’s summer island home. David should have proposed by now but Faith is convinced some time on Hadley island would do the trick. But when she gets to the island, Faith realizes there may be a lot more going on than she ever thought.

Henry hasn’t left the island, let alone his house, since Alice disappeared. Accused of Alice’s disappearance, Henry keeps his distance from most of the islanders (even if no charges were filed). Keeping a distance doesn’t mean Henry isn’t using his telescope to keep an eye on the goings on of the island—including the shadows creeping around at night.

Welcome to a sinister summer! I’ve enjoyed Maxwell’s prior two books and this one was equally as good! I thought I knew where this story was going but was pleasantly surprised by the ending.

This book was an easy, fast-paced read. It was just good. Not near as good as the author's previous work. Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

"3:14pm. The Clarkes have returned. Will be keeping a close eye on them."

Orla hasn't set foot on Hadley Island in a decade - not since she graduated high school and her best friend disappeared. This summer is different. She returns and finds another childhood friend has returned and David has arrived with a woman on his arm. The local gossip is hot this summer and even more is at stake when another local teen goes missing.

DEAD OF SUMMER by Jessa Maxwell is a slow burn (emphasis on the slow and the burn), multi-POV mystery.

This book features short chapters, which helped the story move along at a clip, despite the actual roll-out of the mystery being laid out very slowly. While I found the characters intriguing, I didn't feel like I really got to know them all too well, making it a bit more difficult to empathize with them.

That being said, there are some really heartbreaking moments and some very strong "rich people behaving badly" sentiments running throughout that I couldn't help but salivate over whenever I came across them on the page.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to Jessa's next novel!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the early copy for review - out July 22!

I could not get into this book. Unfortunately, it was just not the right story for me to be reading at the time.

3.25/5
Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

A very atmospheric read for sure - I loved the descriptions of the New England island life. The characters felt a little shallow as in I couldn’t truly connect with them, which made the ending twists a little flat. Did expect some of the twists but a decent summer read overall.

This was fine...but I much preferred this author's last "cozier" novel, The Golden Spoon. This was just a bit predictable but also a bit boring despite the setting. I was hoping for more of a thriller or more cozy but it wasn't either.... I still will try more from this author because there is a lot of potential in her books.

Dead of Summer comes out next week on July 22, 2025 and you can purchase HERE.

The ring box was hidden deep in his suitcase, in the folds of a light blue James Perse shirt. Faith Ellis's stomach twists as she picks up the little velvet dust bag stamped with curved gold font: Cartier.
The shower is going in the en suite and she tiptoes over to it, peeking around the bathroom door to be sure he can't see her. Through the fogged glass she can make out the tanned blur of David's back. She's safe for now. He'll stand like that for a while, his head bowed, letting the water pour over him.
The shower is his "thinking time."

Orla, Faith and Henry tell this atmospheric tale of a woman gone missing from her island home and her friend who wants answers. Alice and Orla were BFFs until Alice began to change and then she disappeared. Now, years later Orla is back as is David the rich boy from her youth. David's girlfriend Faith is intrigued by the mystery but what about Henry? He saw and knows more than the others but he's a loner. Faith is an intriguing way to pull out the story as she's the outsider with a clearer perspective. Alice's story might seem familiar and the twist predictable to fans of this genre but Maxwell is a good storyteller. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A good popcorn read for summer

Orla returns to her hometown after the disappearance of her best friend, Alice. All is not what it seems as new events seem to mirror what happened to her friend so many years ago.

This was an intriguing story and kept me engaged wanting to know what was going to happen. While I did guess the ending, it was a fun ride to be on letting it all play out.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC for this book!

A fun summer thriller that doesn't do anything very new or exciting, but is entertaining enough that I was able to enjoy my time with it. The setup and middle of the book were steadily paced and engaging, but I found the ending rushed and a little all over the place. Still, I always like a book that knows what it is and doesn't try too hard to be anything else.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

4.5 stars!

Ah, the sweet anticipation of a new book release! Having thoroughly enjoyed the author’s previous work, I approached this latest offering with high hopes—and let me tell you, I was not disappointed! This author’s writing is a delightful blend of cleverness, precision, and deliciously twisted plots that keep you guessing until the very last page.

Years after her best friend Alice vanished from Hadley Island, Orla O’Connor returns to the remote New England island to clean out her family’s beach house. The island stirs painful memories, especially as local gossip surrounds her every move. Orla encounters David, her childhood crush, who is back with a new girlfriend, complicating her feelings. Meanwhile, Henry, a local man suspected in Alice's disappearance, remains holed up in his home, haunted by the past and witnessing strange occurrences. When another person goes missing, Orla, David, and Henry become embroiled in a chilling mystery that will affect them all profoundly.

Enter Orla and her childhood crush, David—two characters so unlikable they could give a cactus a run for its money. They hail from vastly different backgrounds, which only adds to the intrigue. On the flip side, we have Faith and Henry, the charming characters who balance out the narrative with their relatable warmth. As we navigate through everyone's perspectives, we’re whisked back in time, piecing together the story like a jigsaw puzzle.

I must commend the author for masterfully withholding the juicy details until the final moments. The ending? A jaw-dropper! I was utterly flabbergasted by the main twist, especially considering how skillfully the subtle clues were woven into the narrative without giving anything away.

The setting is vividly described, and having spent some time in New England myself, I felt as if I were transported back there with every turn of the page.

If you’re a fan of gripping reads filled with toxic friendships, lies, and deceit—along with a few unexpected revelations—this book will have you turning pages faster than you can say “plot twist!” So, clear your schedule, because once you dive in, you won’t want to put it down until you unravel this captivating mystery!

Thank you, Atria, for the digital ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Mysterious murder(s), mysterious island, and twists abound! This is the perfect Summer beach read! I really enjoyed it!

3.5 overall!

I really enjoyed Maxwell’s previous books and was excited to get my hands on her new one! I was intrigued from the start and I definitely flew through it. I loved the multiple POVs and how everything intertwined and came together at the end. I did enjoy one POV over the others though, but the short chapters did help with that. It was definitely slow at the beginning half and really didn’t pick up for me until part 3. This one did kind of fall flat for me and there were a few good twists, but others were predictable.

Even though this one wasn’t my favorite Maxwell book, it was still a quick summer thriller to read by the pool! If you like multiple POVs, the rich being the rich, and a small town mystery, then I recommend this one for you!

2.5 Stars

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.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc and Simon Audio/Libro FM for the ALC.

This was a pretty good thriller. It definitely held my interest. I would say though that I did not enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed "I Need You to Read This" by Jessa Maxwell, which was a book that I finished in under 24 hours. I am not sure why I did not like this book as much as that one. Perhaps it was the characters? One might say they aren't particuliarally likeable. (I especially found it hard to connect with Henry).

As for the audiobook, I liked the narrators (Mia Barron, Ferdelle Capistrano, and Tim Lounibos), but like I stated above with the book, I found it hardest to connect with the character of Henry (I found this narrator's voice to be a little too "gruff" for my taste).

Overall, this was another fun and thrilling read from Jessa Maxwell, but not my favorite of her books (so far).

It took me awhile to get into the story. The beginning just didn’t hold my interest. Then things did pick up about half way through the book.
Dead of Summer is a summer thriller mystery with the setting in a New England island called Hadley Island.
For me, all the characters were not easy to like.
There were a few twists that I didn’t see coming.
Perfect reading for your summer/beach reading.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.