On New England's Hadley Island, the elite gather to vacation in the summers. There are also a few long-term residents living on the island. One summer a decade ago, a teenager went missing and was thought to have drowned, the body never found. The story is told from multiple POVs where we get snippets from each perspective on what really happened the frightful summer. I really enjoyed the multiple perspectives and each character was easy to differentiate between. The ending was unexpected and jaw-dropping. This is definitely more of a slow burn, which I tend to not enjoy as much, but found this one to be page turner.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I had a hard time staying interested in this story. At times it dragged and it was predictable. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

The perfect summer read!! Dead of Summer was an enjoyable read with just the right amount of creepy, spooky vibes to keep things interesting. I had fun following the twists and turns, even if some of them were a bit predictable. While it didn’t completely surprise me, it still held my attention from start to finish. If you’re in the mood for something eerie but not too heavy, this is a solid pick. I’d definitely recommend it to fans of light thrillers or those looking for a quick, suspenseful read.

I was really looking forward to this one after receiving an invite to read it, but alas.. it was 'meh'.

•Very predictable - the attempt to lead the reader down other paths did not work on / for me
•Dialogue between characters - very shallow, odd conversations that didn't flow well
•Rushed the story - there could have been a lot more depth to all the different angles taken in this story.. but deep situations for the characters were casually skimmed over

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected pub date listed as July 22nd, 2025.

I have read all of Jessa Maxwell's thrillers so far and she has done it again. This is more of a slow-burn mystery than a fast-paced thriller. It was so interesting finding out the motivations of the characters and what actually happened on Hadley Island.

I enjoyed #deadofsummer. I enjoyed #thegoldenspoon more but still found #deadofsummer to be a good read. I appreciated the multiple POV and the red herrings Maxwell throws our way. I did see one of the twists a mile away but no matter. I also appreciated that everyone had a secret to hide.

P.S. Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC.

Hadley Island in New England is where this story takes place. Orla is returning there to clean out her childhood home while also being forced to face her traumatic past on the island. Faith is excited to take it easy on the island all summer as the girlfriend of David Clarke, a mega-rich guy from the island’s most elite and snobby family. Secrets emerge, old mysteries pop back up again, what could go wrong?!

The good- this book was atmospheric! I could feel the Hadley Island summer heat and the tension between characters. The bad- the plot was slow and boring at times! The characters were mostly flat and dull, with the exception of a side character named Henry who actually seemed multifaceted.

I really liked her previous book The Golden Spoon but this felt mediocre. It might fit the bill if you’re in the mood for summer mystery that isn’t too scary or intense! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the early digital copy.

This one is much more of a slow-burn mystery than a thriller. It explores coming-of-age in a small-town; wealth, power, and corruption; and friendship dynamics. I'd say it's equally plot- and character-driven. If all of that sounds interesting to you, then you might like this one. While I didn't connect with it as deeply as I wanted to, I was still very much engaged and interested in where the story was going and getting answers.

3.5 rounded up

The book overall was interesting. The plot had me asking questions and trying to connect the dots and figure out what was going on. The pacing felt slow at times. One page we would know who the character is talking about but then on the next page it’s as if the character doesn’t know, having some inconsistency in the script.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a compulsive read with multiple layers due to the multiple points of view. It was well written and the anticipation of trying to figure out what happened years ago had me holding my breathe.

This story took awhile to draw me in, but once it did I could not put it down. Faith is going on a trip with her boyfriend to his family's mega estate on Hadley Island. Once she arrives, she starts to notice inconsistencies in his behavior and interactions with his family and those who live on the island year round. Throw in two mysterious locals and trying to figure out how they are connected to David Clark and they mysterious disappearance of a local years ago is what propels this novel. This is packed with suspense and trying to find out who is telling the truth and who is telling the bulk of the lies.



Thank you to the publisher for providing this ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review,

Haunting tale of a New England summer. This is a moody thriller to give you a different kind of summer read.

🏝️ T W I S T E D T U E S D A Y review 🏝️ featuring “Dead of Summer” by Jessa Maxwell!

Hadley Island used to be THE place to spend the summer, especially as a teenager. All the locals knew one another and were friendly neighbours, but quickly turned on each other when a teenaged girl (Alice) goes missing and is never found. Now the island is riddled with gossip, rumours and accusations of what really happened from over a decade ago.

Orla O’Connor has returned to the island after staying away for so long. She is only back to pack up her parent’s house and get out of there for good. It doesn’t take long for the island to grasp her with its claws as she starts to spiral back to the past and all the painful secrets and memories she has kept hidden for far too long about Alice.

Orla notices that her old teenaged crush David is back on the island as well. He has just as much of a past with Alice as she does, and just as many secrets. When they reunite on the island, David doesn’t seem too happy to see Orla and reminds her to keep the past in the past 🤐!

The nightmare of their past comes back to haunt them and the island when another teenaged girl goes missing. What follows is the haunting discovery of what can happen when the lies we tell ourselves quickly become the story we live by …

Thank you kindly to @jessamaxwellauthor @atriabooks @simonschusterca @netgalley for my #gifted advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review. This book releases on July 22, 2025!

"Years after her best friend mysteriously disappeared from a remote New England island, a young woman returns in search of answers in this atmospheric and scintillating thriller from Jessa Maxwell, nationally bestselling author of the "deliciously entertaining" (Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author) The Golden Spoon.

Orla O'Connor hasn't been to the isolated New England enclave of Hadley Island since she graduated from high school a decade ago. As a teenager, her best friend Alice disappeared from its shores without a trace - but with plenty of rumors.

Now, Orla returns to her family's beachfront home to clean it out before her parents sell it. The island and her best friend's house next door, abandoned after her family left in grief, are stirring up memories she would like to avoid. Then there are the locals, always gossiping and watching Orla's every move. Worst of all, David, Orla's childhood crush and son of a wealthy Manhattan family, is back for the summer with his new, impossibly pretty girlfriend, Faith.

Faith suspects that David is going to propose but as soon as she settles into his family's sprawling Hadley Island estate, she feels out of place. She anticipated a luxurious summer of fun and romance, but David is never around - lured into business conversations with his entrepreneur father from dawn to dusk. With nothing else to do, Faith begins to investigate the island's dark past, curious about what really happened to Alice all those years ago.

Meanwhile, local Henry hasn't left his house since the young girl went missing, in an attempt to let the accusations against him die down. Except they never have. For years, Henry has had an endless supply of time to pursue his only hobby, watching the island from his telescope and recording the activities of its inhabitants. But Orla's return has shaken him and lately he's been seeing strange things: shadowy figures walking on the beach in the middle of the night and a light on in the upstairs window of the long-abandoned house of the missing girl.

When there's another disappearance on the island, all three find themselves pulled into an eerie and twisty mystery that will haunt them for the rest of their lives."

I mean, wasn't the mystery already haunting two of the trio?

This was a fun popcorn read with a wealthy family full of secrets and summer island vibes. Though it was a little slow and predictable, it was still enjoyable. I had higher hopes for this book, but it would be a great poolside and summer read.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Atria publishing for the ARC!

When I say I devoured this book… the perfect little thriller mystery for summer, I literally didn’t want to put it down. I loved how it was three POV’s, that were intertwined. I really didn’t guess what the ending would be which is always a sign of a good mystery! I can’t wait for more from Jessa!

DEAD OF SUMMER gets all the points for the New England setting and devious wealthy family. The downfall is the pacing. It's very slow until at least the 84% mark. While most of the plot was predictable, I can see readers enjoying it for the summer thriller island vibes.

A great fast paced mystery that has a few twists and turns. Some of which I saw coming and come I didn’t. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for read and review

A wonderful mystery that casts a light on the dark side of wealthy families. Set in a shore town with a fairly closed community, the death of a teen shatters the town. Years later, we learn what actually happened on that fateful day. There are so many twists to this tale, along with surprising revelations, that I was continually reassessing the circumstances of Alice's death. The author did a great job of weaving the clues into the story, but I was still surprised at the end! Thank you to SS Atria Books for the courtesy copy of this book that managed to keep me at the edge of my seat! This was a book that drew me in from the start, had me second guessing the characters, and I was still surprised!

Orla hasn't been back to the isolated New England enclave of Hadley Island since she graduated from high school a decade ago. The time when her best friend, Alice, disappeared without a trace. Now she returns to her family's beachfront property to clear it out.
Worst of all, David, her childhood crush, is also back with his new girlfriend, Faith. Faith believes David will propose on this holiday to the island but it isn't the summer romance she expected. With nothing else to do, she becomes curious about the disappearance of Alice and we see their lives intertwine.
I love a complex mystery and this one had lots of unexpected twists and turns, keeping me intrigued. The writing was brilliant and while this was my first by the author, I look forward to more.