I really enjoy Jessa Mexwell’s thrillers - the settings are unique and her female main characters are always relatable. I love when a character is self-aware enough to recognize when they’re doing a dumb, dangerous thing.

The overall mystery here was interesting. A murder in a small town is news for eternity. Of course newcomers to the island would immediately be filled in - and captivated by the mystery of it all.

I was frustrated by the pace: the first half of this book was so slow because we had to introduce three main characters and establish their relation to the island, but we got a lot of filler - Orla’s cleaning of her house? Faith’s exploration of the estate? Henry’s snooping? We got so much of it that the first half draaaaaaaged. But at 50% on the dot - the plot kicked in. I read the whole second half in one sitting.

Overall this isn’t my favorite of her books but the mystery and the twist are a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jessa Maxwell, and Atria Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a fan of Jessa Maxwell’s previous works and came into this with a lot of anticipation but ultimately left disappointed. The pace of this book was fairly uneven - as things slowly pick up pace, it often halts to a painfully slow speed. The alternating narration and a cast of unlikable characters made this even more frustrating to read.

Orlas best friend Alice disappeared 10 years ago on Hadley Island. She returns to the island to care for her childhood home and lay ghosts to rest. Her wealthy friend David and his new girlfriend also return. Their lives collide and deadly secrets are revealed.
This was a great book that kept me guessing and I can’t wait to read her others. Thanks NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC that will be released July 22, 2025!

Good summer mystery! I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read by Jessa Maxwell, she’s turned into an auto-read for me.

Dead of Summer is a mysterious warm weather read told through three perspectives: Faith, Orla and Henry. Their perspectives collide over the course of one Summer on Hadley Island, off the rugged coast of New England.

Faith comes to Hadley with her new boyfriend, David, feeling like this could be a big step towards them taking their relationship to the next level.
Orla is a Hadley native, who spent many Summers palling around with David when the two were younger. Henry is the perspective who seems the most disconnected from the circles the two women circulate in. How is he going to fit into it all? That was a big question for me.

The majority of the mystery involves a girl named Alice, who was Orla's best friend. She disappeared one Summer night a decade ago, never to be seen again. When Orla returns to the island, to prep her childhood home for sale, the location brings back a flood of memories. She can't stop thinking about Alice and feels compelled to dig up the truth surrounding the night she disappeared.

As luck would have it, David is there for the Summer, along with his new girlfriend, Faith, and for good or bad, Orla and David end up reconnecting. Meanwhile, Henry is sitting back, watching it all. He's surprised to see these faces from the past reappearing. It floods him with memories too; unpleasant ones. When another teenage girl disappears, Orla, David and Henry find themselves pulled into another mystery, so similar to the one that has haunted them all for years.

Dead of Summer is one of those stories where I was really dialed in initially. I loved meeting the various perspectives and getting established in our setting of Hadley Island. I live on a small island off the coast of Massachusetts, that is a desirable Summer resort location, so I found Hadley Island, and the kind of families discussed, very relatable. I think Maxwell did a great job of developing that and creating interesting back stories for each of our main characters.

I also enjoyed the initial roll out of the mystery. Unfortunately, the further it went along, as more and more of the puzzles pieces started to fall into place, the less compelling I found it. As the truth starts coming out, it felt like a let down. The climax wasn't as exciting as the build, because for me, the truth wasn't as high stakes as I was anticipating. It's really hard to explain what I mean by this without spoiling anything, I just feel like the build was so good and the end was just sort of middle of the road.

With this being said though, I can often be a nit-picky bitch and I can see that this is overall a good story. This would be a great book to take on holiday, or to the beach. It's a fairly quick read, and depending on your state of mind, this could be the perfect read for you. Jessa Maxwell has a ton of talent and I know I'll be picking up more of her work, even if this one didn't quite knock it out of the park for me.

Thank you to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate it so much!

This was a quick read. Faith is thinking that Daniel, her very rich boyfriend, is going to propose to her at his families island mansion. She's enjoying living the life of a wealth and is looking forward to getting engaged. Then she starts seeing a different side of Daniel and after meeting his father and some of the locals, she's questioning whether that is really what she wants. I enjoyed the ride.

~ THRILLER ARC REVIEW ~

Erie island. Dark secrets. Mysterious disappearance. Under 300 pages. What more could you want out of a summer popcorn thriller?!

When Orla arrives back at Hadley island 10 years after her best friend’s disappearance, secrets that have long since been buried start to resurface. Faith, the girlfriend of David Clarke, son of the most prominent and wealthy family on the island, starts to do a little more digging when another girl goes missing. Henry, the islands recluse, likes to watch from afar all the happenings on the island… there is nothing wrong with that… or is there?

I loved all the different POV’s in this. It kept me guessing until the end! Though parts are a bit predictable, there were still plenty of twisty little turns and fun secrets to uncover.

4 ⭐️ because I love how quick and easy it was to read. It felt atmospheric, dark and twisty, exactly how I love a summertime thriller to be. Originally I was leaning towards 3.5 ⭐️ but the last 30-40% or so had me so intrigued I couldn’t put the book down!

Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books and author Jessa Maxwell for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own!

I found this book to be an enjoyable read. The story kept me engaged from start to finish and had some moments that really stood out. Overall, it offered an entertaining reading experience.

Orla has not returned home in a decade, since her best friend went missing without a trace after graduation. Now, she is back to help her parents sell their house and memories are stirring. At first Orla starts to feel watched, but when another person on the island goes missing, she must ban together with some of the people she has been avoiding and see if she can solve the island's mystery once and for all.

I am a sucker for books set in New England and this was no exception. The short chapters and fast pacing has this book a super quick read, There were some predictable twists, but I loved the atmosphere and eerie feel of the island. I enjoyed the writing style, but I wish there was more character development, especially for Orla. None of the characters felt likeable or relatable.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Hadley Island is full of rich tourists, eclectic locals, and, of course, lots of secrets. Fifteen years after her best friend's disappearance, Orla O'Connor is back on the island to clean out her family's home. Despite the decade and a half that has passed, rumors still swirl about Alice's disappearance and Orla's sudden appearance. Everywhere she looks, she's reminded of Alice and what happened that Fourth of July weekend. Faith is visiting Hadley Island for the first time with her soon-to-be fiancé, one of the island's wealthiest citizens. What Faith believes will be a relaxing time away quickly turns into something stressful. She can sense that the family is hiding something, and they may be connected to the island's dark past. When the family decides to host their first Fourth of July party since the event, everyone is on edge. Something isn't right about this family, especially now that another young girl has gone missing.

This was such a fast-paced read! The chapters were short and kept you moving through the story quickly. However, it did take a long time to pick up. I think the action came around 80%, so I'm not sure if I missed something or... I wanted to love this one so much, but it just didn't live up to the hype of her previous books. If the story started to pick up earlier, and there were a few more twists, I think this easily would have been a 4-star read for me. There were a few twists I didn't see coming, but of course, a few were obvious from the start. Overall, this is a quick summer read that will get you out of a reading slump!

A chilling atmospheric thriller that kept me turning pages from start to finish!

Dead of Summer delivers exactly what you want from a summer thriller—mysterious vibes, beautiful coastal setting, and enough suspense to keep you guessing. When Orla returns to Hadley Island where her best friend Alice disappeared a decade ago, old secrets and new dangers emerge.

Jessa Maxwell's atmospheric writing is stellar, perfectly capturing the isolated New England island setting. The multiple POV structure with short chapters creates incredible tension—I was flying through the pages and literally screaming when chapters ended on cliffhangers!

This is a slow burn thriller in the best way possible. The pacing allows the mystery to unfold naturally while building that delicious sense of dread. Perfect beach read that will have you questioning every character's motives. This was my first Jessa Maxwell novel, and it definitely won't be my last! Thank you to NetGalley, Jessa Maxwell, and Atria Books for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Very atmospheric! Also very of-the-moment with rich people cavorting on private islands with a "let them eat cake" vibe. \

I also really enjoyed the Gothic element of the young fiancee being brought to the island. But is she as innocent as she seems? Is anything as it seems?

The only downside for me was that I thought the narrative structure was a little too complicated. There were three narrators (I guess four if you count The Salty Crab, which is a restaurant) and a past-present element. This made it hard to find my footing and rhythm in the story. I feel like this story wanted to be told from Faith's POV and maybe Alice's in the past?)

But an interesting book and I remain a fan of the author!

This was a solid psychological thriller with some good twists. It is told from the POV's of Faith, the girlfriend of David, a wealthy summer islander; Orla, who grew up on the island and is coming back to clean her parents' home before they sell it; and Henry, a man who was ostracized years ago, suspected of killing Alice, Orla's best friend. Over the summer, their worlds collide, slowly revealing the secrets of the past. I found myself engaged in the lives of these 3 people throughout the book, enjoyed the dark twists and the unexpected ending.

The absolute perfect beach read thriller for me. Loved the multiple POV, the mystery of Alice and how it all played out. It felt slightly too convenient at one point but that was forgiven because the writing just wouldn’t let me put this down. Extremely readable and overall really enjoyable.

Dead of Summer is a slow-burn mystery set on the eerie, secluded Hadley Island, where secrets from the past are still very much alive.

Ten years after her best friend Alice disappeared, Orla returns to the island to pack up her family’s beach house. But things aren’t quiet for long. The locals are still whispering, and strange things start happening—especially next door in Alice’s long-abandoned house. Meanwhile, Henry, the reclusive neighbor who hasn’t left his home since being accused in Alice’s disappearance, spends his days watching the island through his telescope… and he’s starting to see things that shouldn’t be possible.

Orla’s childhood crush David also returns with his wealthy, snobby father—and his too-perfect fiancée, Faith. And when another girl, Gemma, suddenly goes missing, past and present collide in unsettling ways. The mystery unfolds slowly, revealing how deeply everyone is still affected by what happened a decade ago.

There were elements I really enjoyed: the claustrophobic setting, the long-lingering suspicion, and the contrast between the rich summer people and the locals (the regulars at The Crab bar were a fun highlight). Orla’s backstory and emotional arc gave the book some heart. But overall, the pacing dragged for me. It’s a very quiet thriller, and while I appreciated the atmosphere and tension, it didn’t quite hold my attention throughout.

Still, if you enjoy character-driven mysteries with island vibes, slow-building suspense, and a touch of small-town gossip and guilt, this might be worth a read.

4.25/5 stars rounded down

Thank you Atria Books for the advanced reading copy!

I was soooo hooked on this book from the beginning -- I read it on a very busy trip and couldn't devour it like I wanted to, but definitely picked it up whenever I could spare even just a few minutes.

I love when books have multiple POV's, and, in this one, these POV's sometimes included flashbacks, which is super enticing to me. There were a handful of characters and, at first, I couldn't tell how they were connected, which is my favorite guessing game. For the first half of the book, I was mainly drawn to Faith's chapters, but, as the story went on, the others pulled me in all the same.

While I did predict a few things early on, there were a slew of surprises and twists that I would never have guessed, and the story's development was fun to read. I really enjoyed the plotting of this story, and the atmospheric setting certainly sped things along!

I am definitely drawn to Jessa Maxwell's writing, after enjoying this one and I NEED YOU TO READ THIS. I MUST go back and read THE GOLDEN SPOON -- ASAP!

After reading and enjoying The Golden Spoon, I was excited to dive into a new book by the same author. Unfortunately I don’t think it worked out for me.

I think one of the bigger issues for me was pacing. I was expecting a faster paced thriller, and it was more of a slow burn. I also felt that there were some continuity errors here and there that confused me. The characters were unlikable, and even Faith (who I wanted to like) made some choices that just frustrated me.

There were things I did like about this book. The New England setting felt perfect for summer, and bonus points for it being on a remote island. It felt very atmospheric while reading, and definitely creeped me out at times. The “rich people behaving badly” trope can be hit or miss for me, and I’d say it was mostly a hit.

This would be a good book for someone in the mood for a popcorn thriller. I think I just went in with different expectations.

Welcome to Hadley Island, a small New England island of bungalows and one surviving Gilded Age mansion. It’s nearing the 4th of July weekend and we have three main characters:

Faith, expecting a marriage proposal from wealthy boyfriend David (he of the mansion). She’s meeting his Wall Street bully-bro probably-as-evil-as the-tabloids-say father Geoffrey for the first time and not feeling friendly in-law vibes.

Orly, currently a struggling artist, hasn’t been back for 12 years, shortly after her teenage friend Alice went missing without a trace. She’s cleaning out her parents’ summer place before it gets sold. David was her summer crush a dozen years ago during the tumultuous Alice-went-missing days.

Henry, a retiree confined to a stilt home he designed on a satellite island (the Rock). He’s still using a telescope to watch the residents and tourists of Hadley Island. He was considered the chief suspect in gossip regarding Alice, but no evidence ever confirmed that.

Of course, everyone has secrets that will be revealed and will eventually converge in order to resolve a bigger mystery.

I found the characters well-developed (with poor Faith being the most likable once she realizes David is a feckless slave to his bossy father’s whims). But it’s not until past the midpoint does another person go missing which finally revs up the action and helps pull puzzle pieces together. I’ve read author Maxwell”s previous thrillers — she really excels at creating multi-faceted characters who have both good and bad sides to them. We get to figure out which ones will have the better angels on their side. I was totally engaged until the end — this would make a great beach read. 4.5 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Henry has green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): YES Indigo is too dark a color for hydrangeas; they can be blue and some lighter purple, but indigo is usually a dark purple, closer to black.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

Dead of Summer by Jessa Maxwell is a highly recommended atmospheric mystery full of soap opera vibes and characters with questionable integrity.

Orla O’Connor's best friend Alice disappeared from Hadley Island, presumed drowned, at age 15. Now Orla is returning to the New England island a decade after leaving to clean out the family's home to prepare it for selling. Next door is the decrepit, abandoned house where Alice lived which brings up memories and increases Orla's anxiety over being on the island. Even being on the island starts the gossip up again. It doesn't help that her old summer crush, David, is back at the Clarke estate with a girlfriend.

Faith knows she is lucky to have met her wealthy boyfriend David Clarke. He has invited her to spend the summer at his family's enviable estate on Hadley Island and she is sure he will be proposing to her soon. Once there, however, David seems to be working with his father all the time, leaving her to wander around the island on her own. She also hears about Alice's disappearance and is curious about what happened.

Henry Wright is a retired recluse who lives on his own island. He hasn't left his island since Alice disappeared because he was accused of being involved with her death. Now his hobby is watching the island through a telescope and recording all the activities he observes in his logs. He's been noticing and taking note of some strange things lately.

This is an entertaining melodramatic novel full of unlikable caricatures of different types of people you've seen before: tortured friend; status seeking young woman who is an outsider; privileged, wealthy son of a tyrannical father; potentially creepy peeper. Now takes these different types of characters and put them on an island where an extremely wealthy man has an estate and likes control. Have some characters behave badly. Give the young outsider some curiosity and provide some clues, town gossip, and another missing girl. Finally, add a few twists.

The narrative unfolds at an even pace and the island setting provides an isolated, atmospheric setting that can feel ominous. Henry observing events from afar assists in creating the foreboding tone. Chapters tell the story through the points-of view of Orla, Faith, and Henry. There observations worked together well to propel the plot forward. It's not a ground breaking novel, but it held my attention to the end.

Dead of Summer is a good choice for those who like New England island settings and soap operas. Thanks to Atria Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

First of all, I absolutely adored this cover. It’s beautiful and creepy and completely grabbed my eye.

I’ve read the authors previous books, so I knew to expect a slow-burn sort of mystery with a twisty ending, which this was. I appreciated getting perspectives from multiple characters which rounded out the story well. For me the strongest part was the atmosphere and setting — it was easy to get caught up in the island as it was so vividly written.