Dead of Summer is the perfect popcorn thriller with summer vibes.

Orla hasn’t been back to her childhood home on Hadley Island in a decade. She has been avoiding the secluded New England island as she doesn’t want to revisit repressed memories of her teenage best friend, Alice, who vanished without a trace. Orla and Alice planned their entire lives around each other, down to moving to NYC to become artists. Unfortunately, Orla feels guilty that she got to live the life Alice always wanted.

David, a childhood friend of Orla and Alice’s, returns to Hadley Island every summer. This year he brings his girlfriend and so-to-be-fiancée, Faith, with him. Faith was expecting a 2-month long vacation of sun, sand, and romantic dinners, while David’s father had other plans for him. Finding herself alone and bored, Faith starts digging into the past of Hadley Island.

The idyllic setting of the remote Hadley Island is gorgeous and eerie at the same time. Multiple POVs allows for the tension to build while secrets are slowly revealed, and we found out what exactly happened to Alice all those years ago. Despite some predictability to the story, I found it to be a quick page-turner and highly recommend for your next beach read!

Don’t forget to grab your copy on July 22, 2025!

Thank you Netgalley and Atria for my ARC!

I was excited to read this but it just didn't land for me. I figured out the mystery quickly and kept waiting for a more engaging story.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

This is a super twisty, engaging mystery set on a summer island enclave. Most of the characters were pretty unlikeable (mainly the Clarke family and Faith at times) but I was still invested in just how dark they ultimately were. Very dark, it turned out. I liked the addition of Orla as both one of the main points of view and a somewhat unreliable narrator. She clearly played a role in the disappearance of her best friend Alice but what role? And how did Alice end up in so much trouble? I did figure out the final twist fairly early on but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book. I really liked how the author wove the ending together and it was a satisfying conclusion. Thanks to Jessa Maxwell, Atria Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 rounded up. I've read Maxwell's other work and usually get left feeling like I can't figure out the plot until she takes me there at the twist, but this one I feel like I solved far too early, specifically for Faith's best friend twist. I did find though that there were certainly some Pretty Little Liar's elements with Alice disappearing and Orla living with some form of regret for helping to cover it up. David and his father were very eerie and I felt like the smaller rich town premise was really fun, I just can't place how much more I wanted in terms of Alice and how she managed with the hush money more?

I've enjoyed the author's prior books, so was excited to get an early copy of Dead of Summer - and it didn't disappoint! This book was moody and twisty, but still an easy read. It wasn't my favorite of hers and I didn't love most of the characters, but I was still entertained and wanted to see where things were going. I dropped a star because I guessed a couple of the big twists, but overall, this book was still enjoyable! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

A perfect summer read. It was slow-paced for me but enjoyed the multiple POV's, the twists and turns and the setting.

Perfect thriller to read in one sitting.

Orla O’Connor returns to Hadley Island for the first time in ten years, hoping to quietly clean out her family’s beach house before it's sold. But the island is still haunted by the disappearance of her best friend Alice, and the locals haven’t forgotten—or stopped whispering. As Orla reconnects with the past, Faith, the girlfriend of Orla’s childhood crush David, begins to dig into the island’s secrets, while a reclusive local named Henry watches everything unfold from his telescope. When another person vanishes, the mystery resurfaces and pulls all three deeper into the island’s dark history. I wanted to like this book, and while the writing was solid, the story just didn’t land for me. It felt like not much happened until the end, and I was left wanting more suspense and development throughout.

Orla returns home to sell her parents home. She is also returning to the place where she lost her best friend many years ago. Are people still talking about it? Turns out the answer is yes....

Coastal mystery/thriller easy read a good summer or beach book to have with you. I didn't like this as much as her past books but was still entertained and wanted to see where the story went. I want to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoy the plot and characters of the previous two Jessa Maxwell novels. While the writing was still good in Dead of Summer, I struggled to connect with the characters this time. None were very likable, and the plot was almost too simple in a few ways. I liked the setting a lot, as it reminded me of home. But it didn't much matter who killed Alice because the family was too over-the-top, so ultimately, I wasn't rooting for anyone in particular. That said, I did immerse myself in the book and really like the author's other works.

If you're into moody coastal vibes and small-town secrets, this one's for you. It follows Orla, who heads back to her family’s house on a remote New England island ten years after her best friend vanished without a trace. The place is full of gossip, ghosts, and complicated old crushes. Between a reclusive neighbor seeing weird stuff through a telescope and another person suddenly disappearing, things spiral fast into a creepy, twisty mystery. It definitely kept me hooked, but I didn’t give it five stars because some of the twists felt a little too predictable. Still a fun read!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC of Dead of Summer

3.5 stars

This was a fun little popcorn thriller and a great read while sitting pool (or beach) side.

Set on a secluded coastal island, this story centers around Alice and Orla, neighbors who grew up and were inseparable. They found themselves spending every summer with David, a powerful billionaire's son. One summer, Alice falls in the ocean, never to be seen again. Years later, Orla returns to the island to sell her family's home (and get to the bottom of Alice's disappearance). David is also home for the summer, and this time he has brought along his girlfriend, Faith, for the ride.

This story was told in multiple POVs (Faith, Orla, and Henry) and the twists were enjoyable, albeit somewhat predictable. I really enjoyed the seclusion of Hadley Island and the introduction to several of the locals and getting the background into summers at the island. The conclusion is a slow burn, so you'll have to stay engaged with the story in order to get to the good stuff, but with short chapters and an entertaining story you shouldn't have any problems with that.

A solid thriller, but the twists were pretty predictable. I loved the remote island setting, and the backdrop of rich people behaving badly over their summer retreat. I thought the characters were well developed, even the secondary island resident characters (they totally made me want to move there). I think with a bit more editing, this one would have been more twisty and less predictable. But.....this would be a perfect read for the poolside this summer!

Ehhhh, this story was okay - not quite as good as Jessa's two previous books.

I think the key to the story was her overall writing style. That helped because most of the characters were not likeable.

We had unreliable narrators and I'm not sure - something just didn't give it the pizazz her previous books had.

This is a fun summer mystery and if there were half stars, I'd give DEAD OF SUMMER three and a half stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for an e-copy of DEAD OF SUMMER to review.

I rate DEAD OF SUMMER three out of five stars.

I predicted almost everything that happened in this book. From the beginning, it came across as highly predictable. If not for Maxwell's engaging writing, I would have given up on it once I started putting pieces together. Because of that engaging writing, I was hoping that at some point, my predictions would have been proven wrong, but sadly, that wasn't the case.

I hate that I could predict everything, as that ruined the experience for me. But I do have to say that if you or someone you know wants to start reading mystery stories, this would be a good one to try.

Dead of Summer is Maxwell's third novel and also the third book I read by them, and it is not my least favourite. :(
Which is a huge bummer. I do love the mystery island + mystery people trope, but I simply did not vibe with it.
As I sensed with Maxwell's two previous books, Dead of Summer is a very atmospheric book., which is always a great thing to happen. It's easier and more entertaining to feel immersed in the story.
However, I did not care for the characters or for the big mystery of it all. What's more, I found this book to be not as enganging as her two previous novels. Those books read so fast, but this one? It was kind of a struggle. This mystery is way too slow, and adding the fact that I didn't connect or relate to anyone, I simply failed to care about it.
I'm sure other readers will enjoy it much better than I did.

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books, for this ARC.

I loved this twisty thriller. perfect for sitting on a dock reading thebenitre day away, which is exactly how I read this one!
thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

My summer just got a whole lot spookier…
And suspenseful.

I just devoured "Dead of Summer" by Jessa Maxwell and my mind is officially blown. Seriously, if you're looking for a book to haunt your beach days (in the best way possible, of course), this is it.

A gorgeous, isolated New England island, a decade-old disappearance, and enough secrets to sink a superyacht.

Orla, is back on Hadley Island to clear out her family home, and let's just say the island's giving off some major "things are about to get weird" vibes. Her childhood best friend, Alice, vanished here years ago, and everyone's still whispering.

Enter David, Orla's childhood crush, back with his impossibly perfect new girlfriend, Faith. Faith thought she was in for a summer of romance, but instead, she's stuck on an island where the "fun" involves investigating old disappearances.

Bless her heart.

And then we have Henry, the local recluse who's been watching everything through his telescope since Alice went missing.

Honestly, get yourself a hobby, Henry, but also... don't stop. We need your intel!

When another person vanishes, these three get tangled in a mystery so eerie and twisty, you won't know who to trust. I'm talking "sleep with one eye open" levels of suspense.

Jess’s Maxwell weaves a web of intrigue that will have you second-guessing every character, every motive, and probably your own sanity.

If you're into atmospheric thrillers that keep you guessing until the very last page, grab "Dead of Summer." Just don't blame me if you start side-eyeing your neighbors on vacation.

one thing jessa maxwell does right, is writing her settings so well that the reader is fully immersed in the story, let's get that straight. i felt the heat from the sun. i heard the chatter in the beach side restaurant. i saw the yachts floating in the turquoise sea.

this is not a thriller, let's get that straight. i would argue this is along the lines of a cozy mystery based purely on how slow moving the plot is. it took me 4 days to finish a less than 300 page mystery. it was not a page-turner like her other 2 books. the last 20% is where i finally felt hooked, and things started making sense. there was a twist that made perfect sense that i did not see coming at all. i wish more time was dedicated to the ending, and fleshing out all the fine details that concluded the mystery.

THANK YOU to atria, the publisher and netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

📚 ARC BOOK REVIEW 📚

Dead Of Summer By Jessa Maxwell
Publication Date: July 22, 2025
Publisher: Atria Books

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
(Rounded Up To 5⭐)

Huge thanks go out to Atria Books and Atria Thrillers for sending me this #gifted book as a part of their Atria Influencers program -- and to NetGalley for this e-arc -- in exchange for my honest review!

📚MY REVIEW:

Dead of Summer is the PERFECT thriller for those hot and hazy days of summer! This atmospheric thrill ride was a brilliant slow burn that had my heart pounding as plotlines came together and secrets were revealed.

The book is told in alternating chapters from 3 POVs: Faith, Orla, and Henry. Off the New England coast and accessible only by ferry, Hadley Island is one of those places where tourists flock during the summer months and where gossip & rumors run amuck with the locals year-round. As we get to know our main characters, it's clear that secrets exist with each of them -- and it becomes apparent there are some huge secrets surrounding the tragic disappearance of a local teenage girl 15 years ago. But what happened to her? And how are the 3 MCs connected?

Maxwell's upcoming release was a fast read that was easy to fly through in one sitting. I appreciated the underlying tension that existed for every character in a different way and I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen! This book was divided into 3 parts, and as the third part of the story began, I thought there was NO WAY this could be wrapped up and all these secrets would be revealed before the book's end. Boy, was I wrong! The twists in this one had me STUNNED -- and I gave some slow claps at the book's conclusion.

A lavishly wealthy family. Summertime on a New England island. Missing teenage girls. A town recluse who inhabits his own small island. Secrets. Betrayals. Regrets. Mystery. Dead of Summer is the perfect combination of all of this -- and definitely my favorite Jessa Maxwell yet! Don't miss this one from Atria Thrillers when it comes out July 22nd!

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