Orla O’Connor left Hadley Island behind after her best friend Alice disappeared without a trace. Now she’s back on the island to get her family home ready to put on the market, and she’s not the only one back on Hadley this summer. David, a wealthy New Yorker and Orla’s teenage crush, is on the island with his new girlfriend Faith. As business meetings with his condescending father occupy more and more of David’s time, Faith finds herself at loose ends and starts digging into the mystery of Alice’s disappearance. Meanwhile, a reclusive local observes all of the island’s happenings through his telescope. When another young woman disappears, is history repeating itself?

This simmering, atmospheric summer mystery is perfect for reading poolside (or oceanside, like I did). At less than 300 pages and with three POVs and short chapters, the pages flew by as the layers of secrets on Hadley Island got peeled back. If you love a missing person story with coastal New England vibes and rich people behaving (very) badly, you’ll want to tuck this one into your beach bag!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me an advance copy of this book.

One of my most anticipated summer thrillers! I initially thought it may be aligned with the TV show of the same name and it wasn't but it was still really good. You have to check this one out.

This had me feeling so uneasy for the first half of the story and the pace was well done throughout. I love an island setting for a summer read and this one didn't disappoint. In my opinion, this is another great read from Jessa Maxwell!

Small island town, missing girls, a rich family, and secrets. Lots of secrets. Told through the point of view of three characters, Faith, Orla and Henry. And how their stories connect with a web of secrets that come to light in a short summer spent on Hadley Island. This is a quick read for those that are looking for a summer mystery. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

This was SUCH a pleasant surprise. I wasn’t a fan of I Need You To Read This but the synopsis for this one had everything I love so I had to give Jessa Maxwell another chance. I’m so glad I did - I absolutely loved this book.

The setting of a remote island where everybody knows everybody always sucks me in.

Atmospheric, eerie, satisfying - slightly hard to believe at some points but that truly didn’t take away from the story for me. Loved it!!

4.5 ✨
thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.
Hadleys Island has many secrets hidden. Orlando hasn’t been back to her former island home since graduating. The disappearance of Orla’s best friend, Alice, still haunts the inhabitants of the island
I liked the characterization in this book, as the plot twists with a surprising ending. Definitely a good beach read with it’s summer island setting.

This one took me a little bit to start getting into all the different character POV and how they connected to the story. But once I did I found myself intrigued as to how things would play out for all of them.

Even though it was a thriller novel and there was a lot of discussion about a young girl disappearing and possibly being murdered, the vivid descriptions of the island and the beaches, especially in flashbacks when Orla and Alice were young and happy, made me long for a vacation and dipping my toes in the sand.

Tension did slowly build throughout the novel, which was well paced. And it of course culminated at a party. The end took some good twists and turns, some of which I predicted and some I didn’t. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Vivid, immersive, and downright hypnotic, Dead of Summer brought Hadley Island to life as if I was watching it unfold on a screen. From the small town setting to the atmospheric vibe, I fell head over heels for the perfect plotting and dynamite characters. You see, while the start might be considered a slow burn, the rollout of the long-buried secrets and mysterious, dark past kept my eyes glued to the pages until a handful of reveals had me gasping with glee. With three distinct POVs leading the way, the deep sense of foreboding had me holding my breath. And when it all finally came out? Well, it was neither too much nor too little, but perfectly plausible in all of its horrifying truth.

As for the characters, they ran the gamut from unlikeable in the extreme to oddly endearing even if highly suspicious. Complete with plenty of quirky individuals who loved to gossip, the red herrings abounded in this evocative small town. Then there were the wealthy vacationers who were the epitome of rich people behaving badly. As sides were chosen and dastardly deeds were revealed, there was no end to the number of people who had my side-eyeing suspicion out in full force. After all, there was a calculating edge throughout this addictive tale. Perhaps Maxwell’s best book yet, I was won over hook, line, and sinker as the tension increased and the lies were exposed. After all, memorable is an understatement for this page-turning stunner.

All said and done, despite being somewhat predictable in terms of the twists, I couldn’t have loved this book more if I tried. Ominous and twisted, I knew something big was coming, but didn’t have a clue what it could be. Did I guess a few of the twists just a tad bit early? Well, yes…but that didn’t ruin this one even a little. After all, with a fast-paced second half and a doozy of a conclusion, everything about this one delivered in spades. The family drama was intense as were the secrets, but it was the easy flow of the novel that had me transported straight into the plot. A chilling tale of deception, manipulation, and some truly evil schemes, you have to get this book now no ifs, ands, or buts. Rating of 5 stars.

SYNOPSIS:

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.

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

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ARC provided by Atria Books.

Years after her best friend mysteriously disappeared from a remote New England island, a young woman returns in search of answers.

Orla O’Connor has not 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 has not 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 has 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 is 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 really thought I was going to love this one. The plot was almost too simple in a few ways. It was pretty predictable and had a lot of plot holes. You are just left off with so many unanswered questions. I struggled to connect with the characters and none were very likable. I think character development would have benefited from some more depth. But the setting and cover though. The isolated island feels eerie at times, which completely suits the main theme. And the remote, gloomy New England island made an ideal setting for a suspenseful summer thriller. I just wanted more from this book. It could have been so good and so dramatic. I think I have just learned that Jessa Maxwell books are not for me since I did not like her previous book either, but this one did sound really good, so I gave it a shot. Dead of Summer is definitely perfect for a beachside escape and perfect for a summer thriller but nothing groundbreaking.

Such a good quick summer thriller. Loved the different points of view from the different characters and how it all tied together in the end. 3.5/5

I wanted to love this book so much more than I did. It wasn’t a bad book at all but also wasn’t a great book.

It’s a quick easy read for sure and a perfect summertime book, but other than that is where it fell flat.

The twists I was able to predict, the characters I couldn’t really relate to which led to not really rooting for any of them either.

I’m a huge fan of Jessa Maxwell books and will continue to be, this one just missed the mark for me.

I really enjoyed this one. The pace was steady, and I was vested the entire time. There was a twist at the end that I had a feeling about, but once confirmed, I was still blown away at how it all ended. It is told from multiple POVs, which in this case I thought helped both in providing perspective as well as keeping some things a mystery from the reader. It is worth noting that the audio was excellent, and with a full-cast narration by Mia Barron, Ferdelle Capistrano, and Tim Lounibos, I recommend listening if you can. Overall, I loved this one and definitely recommend it. Dead of Summer is my favorite book that I’ve read of hers so far.

Thank you to Atria Books #partner and Simon Audio for the copies to review.

With their adult lives just beginning, best friends Orla and Alice's plans for a future in New York's art scene are crushed when Alice is presumed dead after a sudden disappearance, forever changing the lives of the locals on Hadley Island. Fingers are quickly pointed at Henry, a peculiar older man who'd been rumored to spy on young women. But with no body and no solid evidence, no arrests are made. He and his wife retreat to the retirement home he built for them, away from the island and the accusations, but still close enough that he could keep an eye on the comings and goings on the island through his telescope.

Ten years have passed since Orla left the island, but she returns to help clean out the beachfront property for her parents to sell. Memories of her past are unavoidable, and become all too real when she sees David, a wealthy island local and her former love interest, who was also there the night Alice disappeared. Seeing him with his new girlfriend, Faith, stirs up emotions she hasn't yet faced.

Faith feels like a stranger in her boyfriend's family's home, not sure whether or not she truly fits in with this family. David is constantly off with his father for work, leaving Faith to explore the island and chat with the locals. Her unease grows the more she learns about the place her boyfriend grew up, and the behavior he's displaying around his father is at odds with the man she fell in love with. Money, secrets, lies; who can be trusted? When another young woman goes missing, the past is brought back to the surface, and the mystery of what happened that tragic night will finally be uncovered.

This story is told through alternating points of view: Orla's, Henry's, and Faith's, which is something I enjoyed. However, the book features a lot of tropes quite popular in the thriller genre, leaving nothing shocking or new within its pages. That would be fine if the characters had depth and the plot didn't have holes, but it dragged on, and the twists were quite predictable. It's not the worst book I've read, but it's not going to impress someone who reads a lot of thrillers. It's a good, quick read for the beach or to take on vacation, but it likely won't leave a lasting impression.

3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an eARC of this novel!

Orla is just trying to move forward with her life. She's been tasked with clearing the family vacation cottage in preparation for selling it. But the minute she steps onto the island, she feels the pain and emotion of so many years before, when her best friend, Alice, who lived next door, disappeared and was never found. Orla feels like she's the only one who cares. Other characters get drawn into the storyline as their lives converge with Orla's. When another young woman disappears, they will investigate, following clues that seem to mimic Alice's disappearance.

Jessa Maxwell does an excellent job of building an atmosphere of Orla's grief and her determination to finally know what happened.

1⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy of Dead Of Summer.

Orla has not been back home since she graduated from high school. That was around the same time her best friend Alice disappeared. Now ten years later she is back. Being back has stirred up a lot of old memories and when another person goes missing she wants answers.

For being a short read this really dragged on for honestly nothing in my opinion. This was so predictable and did not really give me any thriller vibes.

This one was kind of a mixed bag for me. I went into Dead of Summer super excited - it had all the things I love in a mystery: a cold case, a creepy island setting, and messy past secrets coming back to the surface. And to be fair, the atmosphere really delivered. The isolation of Hadley Island, the constant feeling of being watched, and the unease that lingers over everything- it gave off that perfect slow-burn, beach-gothic vibe.

I liked that the story was told from three different POVs: Orla, Faith, and Henry, but I did struggle with the timeline jumps. The book switches between past and present a lot, and sometimes I had to stop and figure out when I was, which pulled me out of the story more than I’d like.

As for the mystery itself... I wanted a little more. Some of the twists were too easy to guess, and while the plot had its creepy moments, it didn’t totally shock or surprise me. That said, I still enjoyed watching everything unfold, and it definitely got darker than I expected by the end.

It was a decent read. Not a new favorite, but if you’re in the mood for something atmospheric and twisty with a hint of nostalgia and long-buried secrets, it’s worth a try.

My copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Atria Books for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the gifted copy of this book.

Dead of a Summer is a quick, bingeable popcorn thriller that has underlying dark themes. While the twists were fairly predictable, I was intrigued watching them unfold.

Orla returns to Hadley Island for the first time since she was a teenager to help sell her parents’ house. Upon arriving to the island, she discovers her childhood friend and longtime crush David is also on the island with his new girlfriend. As the summer progresses, long buried dark secrets come to light and they will all never be the same.

Told in multiple POV’s, this book is a classic New England summer thriller with rich people behaving badly that makes for an entertaining beach or poolside read.

I was really hankering for a twisty summer thriller, and so I was excited to read this book with a simmering and slightly sinister cover. Unfortunately, Dead of Summer fell flat for me. I never really connected with the characters and found them characterized superficially as "good" or "bad" without much nuance. The twist at the end could be seen a mile away even without the sprinkled breadcrumbs along the way.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I was obsessed with the premise of this book. Overall, it fell a little flat. For a less than 300 page book, it seemed to drag on. I did like Faith’s POV but I had a hard time with Orla’s.

Orla and Alice were best friends and next door neighbors when they grew up together on Hadley island. They loved to draw and dreamed of college in New York where they could pursue their art. Sadly, Alice disappeared one summer day and it is believed that she drowned. After having a successful career as an artist in New York, it is twelve years later and Orla has returned to Hadley Island to clear out her family’s summer home as her parents want to sell the place. It’s painful for Orla to be there but she hopes to get through it quickly.

David Clarke is the son of billionaire Geoffrey Clarke who has a summer mansion on Hadley Island. He enjoyed spending his summer with Orla and Alice. Orla had a huge crush on him. This summer he is back on the island with his girlfriend, Faith, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Alice. Faith grew up with very little and is hoping that David will propose to her.

Henry is an older man who lives in a home on an island nearby the town. He was thought at one time to have murdered Alice but there has been no body found to prove it. Since that time, he has not left his home but uses a powerful telescope to spy on all of the people of Hadley Island keeping logs of their actions.

There is tension when Orla and David meet up again as it seems one of them is hiding some serious secrets. Will the truth come out and the long time mystery be solved?

Wow! This book is very twisty and kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat. It’s not until the very end that all is finally revealed and what a reveal it is. Enjoy!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.