What a great read! Thank you for the arc!!
I loved the way the book and characters pulled me in and keep me compelled to keep reading. The plot twists had me by surprise, I didn’t have them figured out at all.
Will highly recommend to friends!
Thank you again

Thank you, NetGalley, for this uncorrected eproof ARC of 'Dead of Summer' by Jessa Maxwell - expected release date of 07/22/2025

ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Typical trope...A well-off teenage boy commits a crime, daddy saves the day but son comes home as an adult, with a girl the family doesn't like/trust, and the son's skeletons come out of the closet. Pretty predicable but a quick read, wasn't drawn out, and it was well-paced. Nothing too exciting happened but it wasn't a terrible read.

Suspenseful and engaging. While the ending felt a bit childish, I would still recommend since it kept me guessing throughout the book.

I thought this was a good read, centered on Orla, who returns to the remote island where she grew up to clean out her parents' house to be sold. Orla hasn't been back to the island since she was in high school and her best friend Alice disappeared. Meanwhile, her childhood crush, the very wealthy David, is also back for the summer with his new girlfriend Faith. Told in both past and present tense, the book sets out to delve into what really happened to Alice all of those years ago and what is going on with the inhabitants of the small island.

The author did a great job at making me feel like I was right there with these characters; the descriptions of the mansion, the isolated home where Henry lives, Alice's abandoned home, are very atmospheric without being so detailed that they take away from the action. I really liked seeing different perspectives of the same situations from the various characters in the book- this added to the mystery. There were some genuinely creepy parts as both Orla and Faith try to figure out the mysteries that the island has been holding. I liked the end of the book and thought it contained some good twists, albeit some causing me to have to suspend my disbelief a bit.

Overall, this was an engaging read that I'd recommend to those who like psychological thrillers, not to mention reading about remote islands. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jessa Maxwell has fast become an automatic read author for me, and this title did not disappoint! I absolutely love her writing style, it’s the perfect pace for me. I couldn’t put this one down, I loved the alternating points of view AND timelines. I was very surprised at the end, I didn’t see any of the twists coming. Great book, absolutely recommend.

Shady rich people! Small town secrets! Intersecting stories!

Dead of Summer was a perfect summer read. It has all the elements to keep me reading. I wasn’t a fan of the authors last book but tore through this one in 2 sittings.

I have somehow read several books in a row about girls with shady pasts marrying into messed up uber rich families but this one is the one I enjoyed most.

I enjoyed the interspersing of different timelines and POVs. I felt it was somewhat predictable but it took nothing away from the enjoyment of reading it. I think some of the plot lines got a little murky sometimes and I felt like I maybe missed something earlier on — so I think those could be a bit more fleshed out. That being said, the short chapters and cliffhangers kept me wanting to read on to see what happened next.

The author really knows how to play tug of war with your head about how you feel about certain characters. Makes for a fun ride. 10/10 would recommend as a light popcorn thriller read.

Told from multiple viewpoints, this dark thriller by Jessa Maxwell was a quick read and kept me guessing until the end!

This was a good book for me, even with a few flaws. None of the characters were entirely likeable with the exception of Henry. He was quirky, flawed and very human. The scenario of New England wealth is overused and tired along with poor little woman who has a questionable past who manages to find a rich boyfriend who is incredibly flawed. Way overdone and not that interesting. Overall though this was a pretty good story with a ton of backstory and some interesting moments.

This will be a great beach read for summer 2025! Bit of a slow burn to start but picked up and was hard to put down around 40%. Short chapters with changing POVs. Kept me entertained and guessing the whole time. Loved the ending and how it all came together

Dead of Summer was a quick read, one I finished in a day.

I thought Maxwell gave vivid descriptions that helped to immerse the unsettling ambiance of the island, giving it that chilling atmosphere. The story is told from multiple perspectives, but still easy to follow.

Orla has never given up on her childhood love David, David has returned with his new love Faith, and Henry is watching them all from a distance. The question is, how do they all mesh together?

I felt that where the novel excelled in setting and suspense it somewhat faltered in plot predictability. I did not have it 100% figured out, but could see the loopholes. Even with this downside I still enjoyed the read and would recommend if you are looking for a quick pace story.

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

I felt like something was missing in this book. While the ends all tied up nicely there wasn’t really much feeling involved. How did nobody realize who the villains were for all those years in such a small town? It just wasn’t very realistic to me. The twist really wasn’t even all that shocking to me. My one favorite part was that Henry got the happy ending he deserved.

This book was so good that it kept my attention the entire time. The ending surprised me, and the characters kept me entertained throughout. The writing was great and flowed effortlessly through out the whole thing.

I so glad I gave this author another chance, I did not love her debut novel The Golden Spoon, so I skipped on her sophomore release. But the cover of this one and the premise sounded really great so I gave it a try and I’m so glad I did.

Dead of Summer is the perfect mix of summer vibes, rich people behaving badly, mystery and mystique, a dirty past all colliding into one fun thriller! I think the author did a really good job of balancing everything and plotting it all out. And bonus points for it being realistic! I hate those thrillers that just make you roll your eyes because they would never ever happen! The twist at the end is really great, I did figure it out, but not until about the 85% mark. So clever!!

This will make a perfect summer thriller, add this one to your list!

I received a free digital copy of Dead of Summer from the publisher and NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this book and cannot recommend it enough!!! Just the most enjoyable reading experience. Maxwell is such a talented author.

Despite not that much actually happening in the story, this slow burn of a mystery set on New England island was readable and enjoyable. The author does a great job of making some of the characters very unlikable. I saw some of the twists coming but was taken by surprise at times. Overall a great beach read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I usually love a good multiple POV story—it adds layers and perspective that make a book feel more immersive. Dead of Summer by Jessica Maxwell definitely had the potential for that, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite land for me. The story was too short to really give each character the depth they deserved. With so many voices and so little time, I found myself wanting more from each of them—more background, more emotion, more connection. The premise was intriguing and the pacing was solid, but the emotional impact just didn’t hit as hard as it could have. I wanted to feel for these characters, but I never got the chance to truly know them.

This was pretty good it kind of took a while for the bang to come Geoffrey was very unlikeo and I really wish fairy was not so gullible orla was very sneaky but it was pretty good over all

This is my third book by Jessa Maxwell and I have enjoyed them all! Dead of Summer is her newest, which will be out in late July of 2025 and it’s a fast-paced thriller that would be great to read on a beach (or an Island, like the book’s setting!)
There are multiple POVs, which I love, and the book tells a dual story in a flashback about the mostly privileged people who live on Hadley Island for the summer. In the flashback story you read about teenaged friends Orla and Alice, and their interactions with the rich boy David, which dramatically culminates in Alice’s drowning and the whole island’s belief that old timer Henry had something to do with it, though it was never solved.
In the current timeline, David is home for the summer with his glamorous almost fiancé, Faith and things are definitely not what they seem. This book unfolds slowly but never drags, and we learn a lot about each of the characters and the impact that Alice’s drowning had on them and how they are all trying to forget. There are some fun twists and turns and a satisfying ending.
Overall I enjoyed Dead of Summer a lot and recommend it to anyone who likes mysteries and thrillers. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the free advanced e-copy in exchange for my review

Dead of Summer is an atmospheric, slow-burn thriller that pulls readers into its chilling mystery and complex characters. Orla’s return to Hadley Island to uncover the truth about her best friend’s disappearance is captivating, blending suspense with emotional depth. Maxwell masterfully builds tension with dark secrets, mysterious disappearances, and an eerie, watchful island setting. The multiple perspectives keep the plot engaging, though the pacing may feel a bit sluggish at times. Overall, it’s a compelling, twisty tale that keeps you guessing until the end.

4/5 ⭐️

I really enjoyed this book! I was invested in the characters and learning more of their background stories. The story follows 3 main points of view and it’s all woven together nicely. I enjoyed the twists and the ending!

It’s a bit slow to start because it’s setting up the story.

Get ready for the July release because it’s a really great thriller beach read!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.