4.5 rounded up

I really enjoyed THE GOLDEN SPOON when I read it two years ago, so I knew I'd enjoy this one and I did! I've definitely added another autobuy author😊

Orla O'Connor's best friend, Alice, went missing when they were teenagers. They both grew up on the isolated island of Hadley off the New England coast. They both had dreams of leaving the island and living their lives in NYC together. Orla made it off the island and hasn't been back in years. She finally returns at the request of her parents to clean the house so they can sell it. The house is right next to Alice's, and all the memories come rushing back along with all the gossip from the locals. Her childhood crush, David, is also back for the summer with his gorgeous girlfriend, Faith. David is the son of an extremely wealthy Manhattan family, and she hasn't seen him since Alice disappeared.
Henry hasn't left his house since Alice's disappearance. He was the one who was accused, but he is innocent. He watches the residents of the island through his telescope and is distressed by Orla's return. When another girl goes missing, Orla, Faith, and Henry will do whatever they can to find her.

Told in the multiple POVs of Faith, Orla, and Henry, this book was incredibly entertaining. I was fully invested in the story from the very first page! There was lots of drama and secrets. There was an engrossing mystery, and I was intrigued by the rich people behaving badly. The island off the coast of New England made a great, atmospheric, isolated setting, and I loved getting to know the characters. If you're looking for a totally bingeable summer popcorn thriller, this is the one for you! I highly recommend it!🩷

thank you netgalley for this arc!! my first jessa maxwell book was “the golden spoon”, so i had nothing but high expectations for this book. and it didn’t disappoint!! i love a book with multiple povs and past mysteries that don’t make sense until the end.

Maxwell’s latest is a thriller told in multiple points of view. Faith has been invited to spend the summer at her boyfriend’s estate on swanky Hadley Island. Oral is returning to the island to finally sell her parents’ home after fleeing years ago after her best friend disappeared. And Henry watches it all from his house just off the coast. This is the perfect beach read, though there were a few internal inconsistencies.

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 a mysterious, dark past kept my eyes glued to the pages until a handful of reveals had me gasping with glee. Told via multiple POVs that kept me mostly blind to the truth, 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 somewhat suspicious. Thanks to the small town feel, there was a whole host of quirky individuals complete with plenty of gossip. 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 absolute understatement for this page-turning stunner.

All said and done, despite being somewhat predictable all things considered, I couldn’t have loved this book more if I tried. Ominous and angsty, I knew something big was coming, but didn’t have a clue what. Did I guess a few of the twistsdidn’t ruin this one even a little. After all, with a fast-paced second half and quite the doozy of a conclusion, even the characters, who were all finely layered, 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.

Thank you to Jessa Maxwell, Atria Books, and NetGalley for my complimentary digital and physical copies. All opinions are my own.

I love Jessa Maxwell’s books. I’ve read them all. Dead of Summer was a fun, thrilling page turner. However, it wasn’t my favorite. I just think I’m not personally for the rich, old money lives on an island type of thriller and that’s okay! I still enjoyed it to find the final plot twist which had my jaw on the floor by the way.

We have 3 POV’s. Faith, Henry and Orla. Orla grew up on the island when her friend Alice went missing and was presumed dead when they were teens, although her body was never found. Faith is dating David who grew up with Orla and invited Faith back to his childhood home for the summer. Henry is the town’s outcast that everyone swears is a weirdo and had something to do with Alice. Now another girl has gone missing and it’s a race against time to find her, but see who had a hand in both disappearances. I truly had fun and couldn’t put it down. The final plot twist will leave you gagged.

Thank you Atria for an early copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wellp, I didn’t love this book. It was kinda slow burn in the beginning, but still smooth reading somehow, kinda hard to explain. I really liked the characters, I thought they all had really interesting personalities and I was drawn in by that. The setting was also awesome! Quirky small island where everyone knows everyone and everything! Isolated scenery is always great for a thriller! I didn’t love the plot. I’m not sure how to articulate exactly why it wasn’t working for me but, it was just missing a lot of stuff I guess. I think this was a mid thriller for me, not bad at all but not especially exciting either. I think and I have seen, a lot of people really enjoy it though so I wouldn’t say this is a definite pass, it’s worth a try!

This was a great summer thriller. The multiple POVs really tied the whole story together and kept me on the edge of my seat. I guessed one of plot twists but most of them I never saw coming. Continuously interesting and engaging.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the opportunity to review this ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Dead of Summer by Jessa Maxwell is a fast-paced, atmospheric thriller that had me turning pages with sweaty palms and a pounding heart. Seriously—this book triggered my claustrophobia in the best (and worst?) way. The setting is so vivid, it felt like I was trapped on the island right alongside Faith… watching, waiting, and wondering what on earth was going to happen next.

The story follows Faith, who finds herself swept into a whirlwind romance with wealthy, charming David. He invites her to spend the summer at his family’s remote summer estate—because that’s always a great idea in a thriller, right? But things quickly take a turn from romantic to unsettling as Faith begins to uncover layer upon layer of long-buried secrets. Everyone is hiding something. Everyone.

Faith’s resemblance to Alice, David’s long-dead childhood friend, adds a deliciously eerie element to the story. Why bring Faith here? What really happened to Alice? And what’s the deal with Orla, David’s childhood bestie who clearly has her own motives? Oh—and let’s not forget Henry, the creepy island local who literally spies on everyone from his telescope perch. (Yes, I was screaming internally.)

The story moves fast—like, blink and you’re at the next twist. The tension builds with each chapter, keeping me on the edge of my seat and questioning everyone. Is it a ghost story? A psychological mystery? A whodunit? Honestly, it’s a little bit of everything—and I loved that.

Why not five stars? I wanted a little more depth from the characters and just one moment to breathe—but maybe that breathless pacing is part of the charm. If you’re a fan of thrillers with gothic vibes, rich-people secrets, and remote-island suspense, Dead of Summer is the perfect one-sitting read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Dead of Summer by Jessa Maxwell is a fast-paced, atmospheric thriller that had me turning pages with sweaty palms and a pounding heart. Seriously—this book triggered my claustrophobia in the best (and worst?) way. The setting is so vivid, it felt like I was trapped on the island right alongside Faith… watching, waiting, and wondering what on earth was going to happen next.

The story follows Faith, who finds herself swept into a whirlwind romance with wealthy, charming David. He invites her to spend the summer at his family’s remote summer estate—because that’s always a great idea in a thriller, right? But things quickly take a turn from romantic to unsettling as Faith begins to uncover layer upon layer of long-buried secrets. Everyone is hiding something. Everyone.

Faith’s resemblance to Alice, David’s long-dead childhood friend, adds a deliciously eerie element to the story. Why bring Faith here? What really happened to Alice? And what’s the deal with Orla, David’s childhood bestie who clearly has her own motives? Oh—and let’s not forget Henry, the creepy island local who literally spies on everyone from his telescope perch. (Yes, I was screaming internally.)

The story moves fast—like, blink and you’re at the next twist. The tension builds with each chapter, keeping me on the edge of my seat and questioning everyone. Is it a ghost story? A psychological mystery? A whodunit? Honestly, it’s a little bit of everything—and I loved that.

Why not five stars? I wanted a little more depth from the characters and just one moment to breathe—but maybe that breathless pacing is part of the charm. If you’re a fan of thrillers with gothic vibes, rich-people secrets, and remote-island suspense, Dead of Summer is the perfect one-sitting read.

📚Read if you love:
• Gothic summer vibes
• Unreliable characters
• Creepy island settings
• Thrillers that don’t quit

This was a perfect beach read. Quick paced, thrilling and hard to put down! It was not my favorite Jessa Maxwell book (the golden spoon still has that spot!) but it was still a wonderful read!

I’m giving this a 3, and it pains me because I’ve read Jessa Maxwell’s other books and liked them, but this one just didn’t resonate with me as much. The big reveals weren’t really that surprising to me because I had already figured them out. Some of the characters are straight up bad parodies of villains.

This author is capable of a much better plot, and I still will check out her next novel in the hopes that I will like it more. As it stands, I’m just disappointed in this one.

The plot is certainly on point with current US news, though!

My thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Now this is what I’m talking about!

I just finished watched We Were Liars on Netflix and when I started reading this book I already had the perfect backdrop in mind. This was the perfect summer thriller – quick and easy to read and it honestly had me guessing most of the way through the book. While I did figure out some of the ending, there were definitely some surprises that caught me off guard.

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

This novel bounces back and forth between the current and the last summer that Oral, David and Alice were together. Now, if you know me, you know I absolutely adore multiple POV stories – they always say that there is more than one point of view…and when you have two long term island residents (Orla, who has been living in NYC for the past several years and Harry, a recluse on an island off shore who was blamed for Alice’s death) and an outsider (Faith) telling the story, you know its going to be good.

This is my first read by Jessa Maxwell, but the ride was phenomenal and I will definitely be back for more! This book is out now and well worth the read!

I love a New England summer beach thriller, and this one checks all my boxes. Who-done-its set on remote islands with a relatively limited cast of suspects (which I did not guess FYI) are some of my favorites, and this is the perfect toes-in-the-sand binge thriller. Once you start swiping pages or listening, you’re going to need to know.

4 stars
This book served as a great palette cleanser. It is short, to the point, and kept me flipping pages. I could not ask for more. It's not the best thriller I have ever read but I enjoyed it.

Faith's boyfriend David has invited her to a summer trip to Hadley Island. David is from a very wealthy family and his father Geoffrey has over the island residents. On this island, Faith and David bump into Orla, a childhood friend of David's and that brings up memories of a girl named Alice who went missing years ago. Although her body was never found, the islands "creep", Henry, has been blamed for her disappearance. Ostracized by the people of the town, Henry and his wife live isolated on a hill and spy on the townspeople with a telescope to make them feel like they still belong to a community.
One day, another girl named Gemma goes missing from the restaurant she works at. Will Henry be blamed again for her disappearance or will Faith be able to find out the truth about what has been going on on the island and solve the mystery behind Alice's murder?

Although it was definitely predictable, I enjoyed this thriller. I loved the multiple POV's and the characters. It is a quick popcorn thriller that worked great as a palette cleanser for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this complimentary e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This didn’t super work for me. While it was atmospheric and the premise intrigued me, all the characters were fairly one dimensional and I didn’t think all the different threads came together well. It was a very quick book and I thought the pacing was good, but it was predictable and I felt bored too many times for such a short story. It might make a good mindless beach read, but not much more.

Given how much I liked I Need You to Read This, I was pretty let down. However, I’ll still give her future books a shot despite this one not being a hit for me!

Thanks you Atria and Netgalley for this ARC. Dead of Summer comes out tomorrow

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC.

Give me multi POV or give me death!!!

No for real, I love multi POV and Dead of Summer did it so well. This book was atmospheric and enticing. I loved it.

Ooh this book was so good! I LOVED the way it was constructed with different POVs and some past flashbacks. The storytelling was so good, gentle and intriguing until you get deeper and deeper into the secrets and the veneer wears off, just as Faith is realizing it at the same time. I love seeing a strong smart women doing whatever she needs to survive and taking care of herself first and foremost. There were so truly horrible characters and ones that tugged at your heartstrings (IKYKY). I wasn't all that shocked by the ending, but it worked so well in the way the story went that it wasn't a problem and it honestly felt cathartic.

This is the perfect beach read with its short length and fast pace. The story grips its claws into its reader right off the bat. Told from multiple perspectives, we are thrown into a summery atmospheric small town where everyone knows everyone and the judgment is abundant.Two of the characters I both liked and disliked, one I liked and felt such sympathy for, while the rest I despised, making it more intriguing and wishing for their downfall. The ending was a bit anti-climatic but still worked for this story.This was more of a popcorn thriller for me, but it's just what I needed at the time. Three and a half stars.

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

Loved how it started & enjoyed the three POVs. Unfortunately the ending wasn’t nearly as climactic as I was hoping, and ultimately landed flat.

This one just wasn’t for me. From the beginning it kinda dragged and the pacing didn’t really pick up until closer to the end. By then I wasn’t that invested and struggled to finish but I still saw it through. I couldn’t connect with the characters and a lot of it felt too predictable. Overall it just wasn’t my vibe. But if you’re into a slow burn mystery that takes its time to unfold, this one might hit better for you.