Dead of Summer is a compelling read for fans of atmospheric thrillers and mysteries. Alice’s disappearance hangs over the reader throughout as you wonder what happened and who was involved. Maxwell’s ability to weave tension and intrigue into the fabric of a seemingly idyllic setting makes this novel stand out. There were some interesting twists, though some were predictable. That didn’t take away from the book, though, and I think readers will enjoy the unfolding of events and consequences.

Quick and easy read. Very atmospheric, new author for me. Will definitely read more. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

3.75⭐️

Overall, I enjoyed it. It was a “fluffy” thriller or popcorn if you would like. I enjoy the multiple POV format as you get all the perspectives. At only 288 pages it’s a very quick read that you can do in one sitting.

It takes place on an island in New England. So as I sit here on an island in New England reading this it did give all the right vibes. It’s also raining here which I think k was the perfect way to read this as it gave closer vibes. It was a bit predictable but if you’re looking for a quick read to get those thriller feels, this is a great choice. I will say it does have a very YA feel to it so keep that in mind…


I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary eARC from Atria Books through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

I've loved Jessa Maxwell's previous books, but I had a hard time getting into this one. The island setting is fantastic, with lots of tension between year-round inhabitants and summer residents/guests. Some of that conflict stems from a long-ago incident which is dredged up again when a wealthy young man returns with a new girlfriend. I really liked the premise of the book, but the fact that every single character is so unlikeable was a challenge for me. The ending was unexpected, but the resolution fizzled quickly. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC and the opportunity to provide an honest review.

3.5 for me !

Follows a girl who’s friend passed away years ago and now feels like she’s haunting her every second of everyday. Goes back home to try to get her family home ready to sell, sees her childhood crush and brings back all the memories of her, him and her best friend. Plus his creepy rich dad, and new girlfriend.

Idek, honestly the ending half was not bad at all. It was fucked up and if you know me you know I love me a fucked up story but the leading up to it I was not amused.

Honestly there were so many POVS between orla, faith, Henry, David, tbh I don’t even know who was who for a while. I didn’t care for the characters, until the end and realizing what actually happened. I slightly cared then.

But still it was okay, pretty average for me but slightly confusing on a lot of the first half for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and atria for the Ebook in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts were my own !

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was my first time reading Jessa Maxwell, and overall I really enjoyed Dead of Summer! The writing was engaging, and the setting had a strong atmospheric pull that kept me turning the pages. I appreciated the pacing and character dynamics, which felt authentic and immersive.

While some plot points were a bit predictable, that didn’t take away too much from the experience—the story was still satisfying and had a few well-placed twists. I’ll definitely be checking out more from this author in the future!

Recommended for fans of suspenseful summer thrillers with moody, immersive vibes.

Boring and predictable! I loved the authors previous book so I had high hopes for this one. The characters could have had better development.

Thank you netgalley and publishers for this ARC. i loved the summer vibes, but did feel that the story fell a little flat for me. average read!

Book/Story: ⭐️⭐⭐.5 (rounded down)
Book Cover: ⭐️⭐⭐

Trigger Warning(s): Murder
Sexual Assault/Grooming
Death Of Spouse
POV: Multiple, Third Person
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Burn: 🔥🔥.5
Safe or Dark: Darkish ️️️
Release Date: July 22, 2025

Quick Take Review 💥:

A fun popcorn thriller with quick chapters that’s easy to get through.

A slow burn that takes a while to get going but gets intense once it does.

Characters have very little depth and little to no development.

Predictable and far-fetched at times, but still an enjoyable read.


In Depth Review 👇


Plot/Writing 📄:

Orla O’Connor left Hadley Island after graduating high school to escape the trauma of her best friend Alice disappearing without a trace and never looked back. Years later she has finally returned, only to clean out her family’s home before it gets sold. She hopes to avoid memories the island and her best friend’s abandoned home are stirring up. Orla is finding that easier said than done when David Clarke, her childhood crush, returns with his new gorgeous girlfriend, Faith.

Faith Ellis just knows that David is going to propose as soon as the couple gets to Hadley Island, but from the moment she steps foot on his family’s estate, she feels like an outsider. Her summer of fun and hopefully romance is constantly being interrupted by David’s business conversations with his father that seem to last from sunup to sundown. With nothing else to do, Faith dives into Hadley Island’s past and the investigation surrounding Alice’s disappearance. But what if the things that she finds are less than desirable?

Henry Wright has been a local of Hadley Island his whole life and has become a recluse since Alice vanished, never leaving his home. This gives him endless amounts of time to spend on his hobby: using a telescope to spy on the island inhabitants. Henry finds himself shaken up by Orla’s return and soon starts seeing shadowy figures walking along the beach late into the night, and just as odd, a light starts turning on in the upstairs of Alice’s long-abandoned family home.

When another Hadley Island resident disappears, Orla, Faith, and Henry all find themselves tangled up in a creepy and twisty mystery that will leave them all never feeling the same again.

This is a slower-burn read with short chapters. Jessica Maxwell’s easy and engaging writing makes this book a breeze to get through. However, despite all the twists and turns, this book has a thin plot and is a popcorn thriller at best. Which is fine! I love a good popcorn thriller to take to the beach!

<i>Main Characters 👫:</i> 

Orla O’Connor - I didn’t mind Orla’s character, but for being one of the main protagonists, she was just kind of there for me. I didn’t find myself feeling strongly one way or the other about her. At times I enjoyed her, and other times I found her to be insufferable. However, one feeling was never stronger than the other.  Her obsession with David was a bit played out and concerning at times. I did find her lacking a lot of depth. 

Faith Ellis- I didn’t particularly care for Faith. She was very needy and superficial. She only cared about the finer things in life. However, considering the background she came from, I can sort of understand why she was like that. Just like our other FMC, Faith lacked depth as well as character development. 

Henry Wright - Henry was a good ol' recluse who shut himself out from the world. He was odd and quirky. A bit of a wild card, if you will. I really enjoy Henry’s character. I feel that his character had the most depth and levels out of the three of them. I found him to be endearing.


Side Characters 👫:

David Clarke – He was just like his father, a pretentious ass. He was Jerk Jr.

Geoffrey Clarke – He was such a jerk. That’s it; that’s all I thought about him.

Pros 🙂:

1) I enjoyed that this was a twisty, engaging read with short chapters. It made it easy to get a lot read in one sitting.

2) The writing was simple and straightforward. It wasn’t overly flowery, and the prose wasn’t unnecessarily heavy. I appreciated that.

3) The twists and turns throughout the book were well done. Some were predictable, but that’s alright. This was still a fun and twisty ride! The one I didn’t see coming from a mile away was (view spoiler) Although not horribly pivotal to the plot, my eyes still nearly popped out of my head from getting so wide at that reveal!

4) Henry’s part in the story gave off huge Rear Window vibes. Which I LOVED since Alfred Hitchcock is one of my favorite directors.

5) It seemed to me that all the characters were suspects in Alice’s disappearance. They were all involved in the whodunit. That was so interesting, and I was here for it!

6) Each chapter cycled through Faith, Orla, and Henry’s perspectives. I really enjoyed the back-and-forth. I liked constantly being in a different person’s head every chapter or so instead of being stuck in one for a good chunk of the story.

7) All three of our MC’s stories and perspectives intersected smoothly. They were never jumbled or confusing. They all played off one another nicely.

8) The overall atmosphere of the story is great. Jessa Maxwell executed the creepy, tight-knit community, secluded island vibes very well. 

Cons 😟:

1) I figured out one of the huge twists incredibly early on in the book (view spoiler) While I was disappointed that I guessed such a huge part of the story, this discovery didn’t ruin the entirety of the story for me.

2) The timeline often changed mid-chapter with no warning. We would be following the present storyline before being abruptly pulled into the past without any buildup. You just sort of figured out that you were back during the time Alice was still alive simply because she was there. The transitions could have been done in a much smoother way.

3) Too many secrets were kept from the readers. All of the characters had thoughts that were clearly about something that occurred in the past, but we’re never let in on any of them. I believe there is a way that Maxwell could have slowly clued us into what those thoughts meant/were about without giving too much away and keeping some of the mystery.

Other Thoughts 💭:

I really like how Maxwell played on the fact that Orla was still very much attracted to David after years of not seeing him and vice versa. It was believable and really shows how no matter where you go in life there is always that once person that impacted you so deeply you never forgot about them.

All the characters had very different voices. I think the author did a good job of making each of them so different personality wise. I know that can be difficult to do since I’ve read many stories where some of the main character seem like carbon copies of one another. Hats off to Jessa Maxwell for executing this so beautifully.

Although being rushed, a bit far-fetched and ridiculous the ending was satisfying enough. I walked away from the book feeling as if thing concluded as they should have.

<i>Favorite Quotes 💕:</i> 

 “You can never account for what people will do when they are allowed to just follow their impulses.” 

“It’s a great mystery of the world how the rich seem determined to make themselves miserable.” 

<i>Final Verdict ⚖️</i> 

This popcorn thriller was entertaining and engaging enough for me to recommend it to friends and other readers. 

<u>Dead of Summer</u> will receive a nomination to get accepted into Nicole's Reading Hall of Fame but just won’t quite make it. 

 As always, please remember that reading is subjective, and that’s what makes it so great. 😊 
 
I would like to thank Atria Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book. 
 
This is my voluntary, unbiased, and honest review.

3 for 3 with Jessa Maxwell’s thrillers! I loved The Golden Spoon, I Need you to Read This was one of my favorites of last year and now Dead of Summer is another winner for me!! Told in multiple POVs, the story follows Faith, who is joining her ultra rich privileged boyfriend at his family’s estate on Hadley Island. But this summer excursion is not at all how she imagined- he’s constantly working and always tense.

Meanwhile, a secondary story is being told following Orla, who has also come back to the island for the first time since her best friend Alice disappeared when she was 17. Then another young girl goes missing at the beginning of the summer. What follows is a heart pounding, thrilling ride full of suspense, mystery and intrigue.

I could not wait to pick this book up every day and see what was going to happen. I love how Jessa is able to transport you to the setting of her mysteries- I love her writing and have never been disappointed. Pick this up for your beach vacation and plan to get lost in the story.

I only made it 15% in. The first page grabbed my attention, and then it went downhill from there. I am so disappointed, as her first book was great. After looking at my reviews for her previous books, I noticed that I did not like the second book as much as the first. I felt that at 15% in, there still wasn't a clear plot, and the characters were disjointed.

Dead of Summer by Jessa Maxwell is a moody, atmospheric mystery with a great setup—a summer camp reunion, an isolated island, and long-buried secrets. The setting pulled me in right away, and I liked the shifting perspectives as the story unraveled.

Some twists felt predictable, and a few characters could’ve used more depth, but the tension and pacing kept me turning the pages. It's not groundbreaking, but it hits the right notes for a summer thriller. Solid 3.5 stars from me—worth reading if you enjoy slow-burn mysteries with a strong sense of place.

This book provides the perfect atmosphere for a summer read. It is a bit of a slower burn but you get just enough tidbits of information to keep you going. Lots of secrets to keep hidden and the drama that comes along with that. It’s a good popcorn thriller that I think people will enjoy.

I LOVED this book! I was so excited to get it, as I read Jessa Maxwell's previous book and still think about it a year later. This is the perfect summer thriller and I will be recommending it to everyone!

This book had everything I love in a summer mystery—an atmospheric setting, complicated characters, and a chilling sense of secrets buried just beneath the surface. Returning to Hadley Island, Orla O’Connor is forced to confront the disappearance of her best friend Alice, a decade-old tragedy that still haunts the community. From the first page, the story pulls you into a web of gossip, suspicion, and long-held grudges.

3.5 rounding up.

This one is set in a little island in New England. I pictured Oak Bluffs the entire time I was reading it. The story is told from three points of view. We have Faith who has seemingly escaped her humble past and troubles and started to blend in to society life. She thinks she’s about the seal the deal to this life when her boyfriend from a wealthy family invited her to his posh family home. When she arrives though she finds that she doesn’t know him as well as she thought she did. Then we have Orla. She never quite recovered from her best friends murder (I mean who could?). After her short lived success in NYC she finds her self back on the island for the first time in years, but everything feels wrong. Finally we have Harry. He’s been a lonely shut in since he was accused of murdering Alice, Orla’s best friend, but he’s innocent … or is he? He doesn’t leave his home, but he always knows what’s going on in town. He’s always watching…

I really enjoyed this one! Definitely a fun and quick popcorn thriller, but unique enough to hold its own in a genre that has been tackled from every angle. I enjoyed the multiple points of view and the narrating characters. Weirdly though for some reason I don’t feel like the title fits the actual book.

Thank you Atria Books via NetGalley for this eARC. All thoughts expressed in this review are my own.

Dead of Summer is a quick and easy popcorn thriller set in a gossipy coastal town full of secrets and rich people drama. The twists were fine, the setting was fun, but it didn’t leave a lasting impression. A solid weekend or beach read if you’re in the mood for something light and dramatic! I look forward to reading more of Jessa Maxwell’s work!

Publishes July 22nd and follows a decade old disappearance that took place on a small island in New England. Orla hadn’t been home since her best friend vanished all those years ago, but when her childhood home needs to be prepped for selling Orla returns to Hadley Island. Meanwhile, old friends are also making an appearance on the island including Orla’s childhood crush David and his stunning new girlfriend Faith.

This story is told in multiple POVs and two timelines. Past timeline covers leading up to the disappearance of Alice and present day timeline is the characters reconnecting and the discovery of the truth of what happened to Alice all those years ago.

Throughout the bulk of the story we’re following Orla and David’s girlfriend Faith as she experiences stepping into the world of a man with a haunted past.

While this book does focus on a few wealthy characters I didn’t care for, the overall story was quietly intriguing. More of a slower paced drama, the subtlety of the story weaved in an intriguing yet unassuming mystery.

I thought this book was pretty good. It kind of reminded me of the show the perfect couple based on elin hilderbrandt’s novel.

While the story didn’t blow me away by any means and I was able to guess a major twist, I still was satisfied with the resolution of the story. 3.5

This was a slow burn, sultry mystery steeped in money and secrets. It did feel like a disproportionate amount of the teasers, red herrings, and action came in the last 25% of the book, so you definitely have to stick around to get to the meat of the story. It probably wasn't as big of a hit for me because I didn't really connect to or relate to any of the characters, but the mystery kept me guessing and reading. A great summer read, as the title suggests, but didn't love it quite as much as Jessa Maxwell's first two stories.

Thank you to Jessa Maxwell, Atria Books, and NetGalley for the ARC of Dead of Summer.

I loved this atmospheric thriller! It has multiple POVs to keep you engaged and really helps you feel like you know these characters. This book really threw me for a loop and while I did finally guess the ending, it took me a little bit to get there. This book was a bit of a slow burn, it takes some time to really set the scene and get you familiar with the characters. I still think this was a really great summer read and rate it 4 out of 5 stars!