🌅 Dead of Summer - Jessa Maxwell

3.25 ⭐️ - This book delivers exactly what it says it will. It’s a summer thriller with twists, turns, secrets. It has short chapters and quick storylines. I was into it but I wanted to be wrapped up in the story more than I was. If you’re looking for a quick thriller, this could be it, but unfortunately for me it wasn’t memorable.

Thanks Netgalley and Atria Books for the early ARC! This one’s out now!

Enjoyable but not my favorite Maxwell book. I think last summer's was better and more engaging. This was predictable.

Big thank you to Atria books for the early copy!

If you're a fan of the disappearance trope, you will love this book. While it doesn't follow the trope down to a T, it does follow an outline set out for those types of books and while it's not a bad thing, it's been seen before. The plot was fast-paced with multiple POVs and a cast of characters that had tension written between them that was so well done you almost felt like you were a part of it at times. The plot twists and shocks were probably easy to see coming if you looked hard enough, but I found them enjoyable still and actually really liked how to ending wrapped up.

This is an easy read you could take to the beach or poolside and devour in one sitting. It was fun, fast-paced, and easy to get through. I'd recommend to any thriller loving friend and anyone just dipping their toes into thrillers.

I am always excited when I see a new Jessa Maxwell thriller, but unfortunately I did not like this one as much as the others. I had to DNF around the 25% mark. The story felt like I’ve read it before and it was hard to find a good rhythm while reading. Others reviews say the pacing picks up in the second half but I had to stop reading for now. Will definitely still pick up her next one though!

Dead of summer is a great summer popcorn thriller. It was an easy read that I felt like I got through pretty quickly. I really enjoyed the multiple POV's and the characters were over all likable. The twists in this one were good and I enjoyed the way the story played out even though it was a little predictable. I was looking forward to reading this book, but it didn't quite live up to the expectation that I thought it was going to. It was still an enjoyable read that I think is perfect for the summer time. It was really atmospheric and loved the setting on the island.

Overall, this was still an enjoyable and easy read to take the edge off if you just want to escape into a world where rich people are behaving badly and a tense atmospheric setting.

Dead of Summer invites readers to Hadley Island, a secluded New England locale that feels alive with whispers of past secrets. Maxwell’s evocative descriptions make the island practically a character in its own right. The story unfolds through the eyes of three principal characters: Orla, Faith and Henry. Dead of Summer is undeniably atmospheric, with a rich sense of place and morally layered themes. It’s a satisfying summer mystery—perfect for readers who enjoy slow-burning suspense, coastal settings, and social critique more than high-octane thrills. Strengths of the book include its vivid setting, thematic depth regarding class and victimization, and a compelling premise. Some of the less desirable elements of the book would be the uneven pacing, occasionally predictable plot, and characters who may not resonate with every reader. If you pick this up expecting a beach-bag thriller dripping with moody charm and tension, you’ll likely be pleased—but don’t expect a groundbreaking or shockingly twisty ride.

I just finished Dead of Summer by Jessa Maxwell, and it was exactly the kind of atmospheric, fast-paced thriller I love. The remote New England island setting felt vivid and a little claustrophobic, and the multiple POVs—Faith, Orla, and Henry—kept me hooked as the mystery unfolded. The short chapters made it easy to fly through, and while I guessed some of the twists, the tension and summer vibe kept me turning pages late into the night. A perfect, eerie beach read.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC! I loved the old money, power struggle, and secrets in this book! Reading this book felt like watching a movie with how immersive it was.

I found this to be a fun and quick read. I enjoyed the multiple POVs and thought the characters were quirky and engaging. The plot and twists were intriguing. While I had a sense of how the story might develop, I still enjoyed it.

Thank you, Atria books, for sending me this ARC.

Pub Date Jul 22 2025

As always, all thoughts are my own. ✨🖤

3.5⭐️ rounded down

Not my favorite thriller ever, but fast-paced and from multiple perspectives. The first 75% locked me in but the last 25% got really confusing and jumped quickly between present and past often leaving me saying “huh?” because I didn’t know what timeline we were in.

I didn’t predict the ending right away, though so that’s a highlight!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thanks to Atria for my physical ARC and to S&S for my gifted audiobook copy. All thoughts are my own.

Read If You Like
🏝️ Isolated island settings
#️⃣ Multiple perspectives revealing hidden truths
⏳ Past & Peesent Timelines
🧐 Who Dunnit
💰 Rich People & Bad Vibes

Ten years ago, Orla’s best friend Alice disappeared from Hadley Island, a secluded summer haven off the coast. Now, Orla reluctantly returns to the island to help her parents prepare their old home for sale, but the landscape feels haunted by memories and unanswered questions.

Across the island, Faith— girlfriend of the son of one of the island’s powerful families—navigates her own unease as whispers of the old disappearance resurface during their summer vacation.

Meanwhile, Henry, once the island’s outsider and prime suspect in Alice’s unsolved disappearance, still lingers on the fringes, observing and remembering.

When a new disappearance shakes the island, the past and present collide, unraveling secrets that have been buried for a decade.

This is a moody, gripping thriller that blends slow-burn mystery with a locked room setting. It captures how the past lingers in isolated places and how secrets ripple through generations.

Unfortunately it felt like a bit too much happening and too many perspectives and to me felt like it needed another round of editing and to remove a POV or two that didn’t add to the storytelling as much as I’d have hoped.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★ ★ ★ ★
𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪:

This is the PERFECT summer read! Secluded island, secrets, lies and dark pasts with rich people were the key words that drug me into the book and I didn’t want to leave it, I’m a big sucker for all the things that this book is. This fast paced read will have you turning pages so fast and giving those loud sighs mixed with piercing side eyeing haha. The writing is great, I enjoyed the type of characters we have in here and New England was the perfect backdrop for this. If you love multiple POV, this is your book as well, you’ll never have read something with such manipulation by characters before. I’m going to leave this review just here like this because this is something you need to read to understand the chaos that is everything that happens here. SO GOOD!

𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: Rich People, Twisty, Secluded Island, Multiple POV, Secrets & Lies, Thriller, Fast Paced

Large thank you to our Author, NetGalley as well as Atria Books

I enjoyed this book. It had good cliffhangers and a different plot. I enjoyed the characters as well

A suspenseful and relevant thriller!

Faith Ellis moved to New York City from Oklahoma and shed her backwater ways, striking up a friendship with the worldly Elena. Soon, she is in a relationship with David Clarke, scion of billionaire Geoffrey, and is given a coveted invitation to spend the summer at the family’s estate on Hadley Island. Elena takes her on a shopping spree and coaches her on how to blend in with the 1%.

On their first morning, Faith finds an engagement ring hidden in David’s luggage and is overjoyed, but she soon becomes uncomfortable with how much Geoffrey controls David. Then she learns David was friends with Orla and Alice—island residents—during his formative years and that Alice died during the Clarke’s annual Forth of July party. Henry, a local man who hasn’t left his house since the accident, was implicated.

Orla, who hasn’t been on the island in years and who is harboring secrets of her own, is back to pack up her parents’ house so they can sell it. Meanwhile, Geoffrey announces he’s holding another July 4th party—the first since Alice’s death.

With rumors abounding and David’s personality undergoing a change under the influence of his father, Faith’s curiosity drives her to dig into the past. When another young girl goes missing, though, past and present collide.

Fittingly, the book is told through three points of view and includes numerous flashbacks to the summer of Alice’s death.

I had an affinity for Faith since she shares my last name and home state, even though I’d love to have had more of Faith’s backstory. While I thought she was independent and scrappy and understood her desire for security, I also felt sorry for her that she felt she had to put on a mask to succeed in her relationship.

Orla, too, found success through masking her true self, and I thought her origin story was fairly interesting as was her teenage friendship with Alice which soured through ambition and lust.

Even if some resolutions were a little too convenient, the ending was satisfying, and I enjoyed the book.

This is a fun summer thriller! Multiple POV and fast pacing kept the story moving. The reveal was a bit predictable, but I still enjoyed the book and would read more from this author! Thanks for the opportunity to read!

The multiple POVs did not work for me on this one. Especially at the beginning, none of them peaked my interest or enthusiasm enough to be excited to continue. It felt like nothing was happening and there was a lot of over description of minor details

Absolutely loved the old money vibes of the majority setting as well as the multiple POVs and timelines. And unreliable narrators—need I say more?!! I was actually pretty surprised by some of the plot twists in this one and the justified ending was just oh so satisfying.

I definitely recommend this short, page turning thriller!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

I have read all of Jessa Maxwell's books as eARCs and so I was honored and thrilled to receive this one.
"Dead of Summer" was a great summery thriller that definitely left me guessing. I really enjoyed how the book switched perspectives and flipped between current events and past. There was just something about this one compared to Maxwell's others that didn't hit quite the same. The story seemed a bit less developed and a bit more unbelievable. Overall, a fun summer thriller that will keep you reading.

Jessa Maxwell has done it again! Loved this book and all the twists, even though some were predictable. Jessa Maxwell’s writing has a way that hooks you and doesn’t let go till the last page. This was a fun, popcorn book for the summer time. Love all her books and can’t wait to read the next one! Thank you Jessa Maxwell, NetGalley and Atria Books for this digital copy.

It took me a little while to get into this book, but then it hit a certain point and I couldn’t put it down. I love it when a mystery/thriller dangles little bits of information everywhere that you can’t figure out why it’s relevant and then all of a sudden it’s the most important part of the book. Jessa Maxwell has a wonderful talent in making all those small details tumble into a delightful reveal. This book had me stumped for a long time, and when we learned what actually happened I couldn’t believe it. If you like kind of creepy stories set on an island about murder then this book is probably for you.

✨This ARC was provided by Atria Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.✨