This young adult horror story is just in time for Halloween, yet it also clings to summertime vibes. The author doesn’t hide that the fictional Anchor’s Mercy is based on Provincetown, Massachusetts, yet somehow transporting the story to Maine makes sense, creating a mysterious Cabot Cove-like town filled with mysteries. Instead of your typical zombie apocalypse, readers are introduced to almost Borg-like coral, seeking to link with humanity. The ending is ambiguous, lending itself to a possible sequel of what happens to the survivors, as well as how the rest of the country and world react when they find out what really happened after the hurricane.

Ollie Veltman and his mother haven't been on their island home of Anchor's Mercy in almost a year. While his mother received cancer treatment on the mainland, Ollie disconnected himself from former friends, his boyfriend, and neighbors. But now his mother is in remission and they're back on Anchor's Mercy, where Ollie has to face the pain he caused the people he left behind…

And the monstrous oceanic plague transforming locals and tourists alike into eldritch horrors.

Part monster movie and part exploration of community, The Dead of Summer really got my attention with a fresh combination of original storytelling, great character building, and an intriguing mystery. The story is fast-paced, creepy, and somehow still full of heart, which should be no surprise if you've read The Honeys or any other books by author Ryan La Sala.

The Dead of Summer takes place in interwoven “before” and “after” timelines. The “before” timeline takes place as Ollie returns to Anchor's Mercy, befriends a solo tourist named Adam, and tries to make amends with his childhood best friends, Elisa and Bash, before the whole world around them goes to hell. The “after” follows Ollie as he's being interviewed by a PhD student on a medical ship. It's all told through interview transcripts, notes, and photos, which makes for a very immersive reading experience.

Ollie isn't a perfect main character, but he is an interesting one. His motivations aren't always super clear and like most teens, he's not the most rational. But he's fierce and loyal and interesting. The secondary characters around him also bring a lot to the story. Elisa's hot temper wore on me a little but as a Portuguese gal myself… I get it. Of course, I have to shout out Wendy Pretendy, a locally famous drag queen who gets shit done and might just be keeping the whole community together (even before the breakout.) The story also does a great job exploring the upheaved relationship between Ollie and his mother.

The story has another great character: Anchor's Mercy itself. Inspired by Provincetown, MA, La Sala creates a vibrant, multi-layered LBGTQ-inclusive community with celebrations and secrets worth safeguarding. He also inserts some really smart commentary on the effects of tourists and their entitlement on small, tourist-dependent communities.

The Dead of Summer feels like a monster movie horror of old— not gory, but chilling and suspenseful. This is book one, so it lays some great groundwork for the main mystery without giving too much away. Naturally, there's a definite cliffhanger that leaves you needing answers about what's happening to these characters and their community!

The Dead of Summer was one of the more fun books I've read in a while, and I can't wait for more people to read it!

hauntingly dazzling read—equal parts eerie, campy, and heartfelt. La Sala blends horror and queer identity into something you won’t be able to shake.

Ryan La Sala, HOW DARE YOU. How dare you write a creepy, suspenseful, unhinged horror mystery that I, a known fraidy-cat, could not put down, and sobbed actual (human) tears. I truly enjoyed this book, the characters are wild, and fantastical, and lovable, except the ones who aren't. The kids are kids-- true, relatable, whip-smart, and still do dumb stuff. And oh how I bawled. And laughed. And wanted to peek through my fingers as I covered my eyes to hide from the horrible predicament these poor kids found themselves in. I am generally not a horror fan (see aforementioned fraidy-cat tendencies) but I am a big Ryan La Sala fan. My only complaint is that now I have to wait for the sequel.

Ryan La Sala is at the top of his horror game with THE DEAD OF SUMMER. The book is dual POV with starting with Ollie two days before disaster strikes Anchor’s Mercy and nothing is the same. We follow Ollie as he navigates attempting to survive what can only be described as an oceanic zombie contagion. Then we jump to an unnamed POV of a scientist in present day (starting several weeks later) who is interviewing Ollie aboard a naval hospital ship and trying to piece together exactly what happened. I adored Ollie’s sarcastic but full of heart tone and humor. He learns and grows a lot as he fights to survive and save those he loves. The cast of side characters is amazing! There are drag queens galore and the best puns that had me cracking up.

I’m itching to get my hands on book 2 because I need to know how this story ends! Will Ollie and his friends survive? What will become of Anchor’s Mercy?! The pacing in this one is fast and I binged it in two days. This one is perfect for those of us wanting fall to start but not quite ready to give up on summer.

This book surprised me in the best way. I picked it up expecting a spooky summer thriller, and while it definitely delivered on the eerie, atmospheric horror (hello, creepy island + coral plague 👀), what really hooked me was the emotional depth.
Ollie is such a layered character flawed, grieving, and trying to reconnect with his past. I loved the way the story wove between timelines, interviews, and personal memories. The queer rep is solid and feels natural to the story (not just a checkbox). Also, the setting of Anchor’s Mercy is chef’s kiss isolated, beautiful, but full of secrets.
Why not 5 stars? Some characters felt a little underdeveloped, especially for their age. The pacing lagged a bit in the middle, and since it’s the first of a duology, the ending doesn’t tie everything up which might frustrate some readers.
Still, if you like your horror with heart, your characters messy and real, and your stories soaked in summer dread, The Dead of Summer is worth the read.

THE DEAD OF SUMMER is Ryan La Sala's latest young adult horror novel. As usual, it's highly inventive and heavy on queer themes and characters. The concept is original, and the plot has many twists and turns to keep it exciting. The framing device works well to create intrigue. The evocative prose serves to create excellent atmosphere and immersion in the story, though it occasionally gets in the way of clarity about the action happening on the page. Overall, a great read! It has a satisfying enough ending while also dangling a cliffhanger to lead to book two.

First of all, I'm sorry for putting this on your radar now because how dare this novel end on a damn cliffhanger and make us wait for book #2?!!
Second of all, why isn't Anchor's Mercy real?! I definitely want to visit an isolated pristine island off New England known for it's drag queens 👑
I mean, it sucks the locals are getting mysteriously sick, but the tourists can't know because that's where the money comes from. Ollie is a returning Townie back for what his mom is insisting will be "The Best Summer Ever" after being gone while she was treated for cancer. Ollie's summer is off to a good start; he meets a cute guy in the ferry home and his mom is in food spirits. Unfortunately, Anchor's Mercy's vibes are all off and Ollie gets in a fight with his mom right away...then some weird plague arrives and everything changes. Can he survive? Can he save his friends? What happened to the drag queens at drag brunch? What the hell is going on? I won't answer those questions because you need to read this book, but just know something strange is going on and the gays will be OK. Well, maybe not the gay lawyers, but 🤷🏻 alas. This YA horror is a fantastic return to that good freaky queer stuff the author has going with The Honeys. Read The Dead of Summer or weep... actually don't weep because your tears might be deadly.🦞🌊🐚

The Dead of Summer by Ryan La Sala
Publisher: Scholastic
Genre: Horror, YA
Format Read: Physical & eBook

Vibes:
The Dead of Summer by Ryan La Sala is book one of a new YA Horror duology that takes place on the fictional island of Anchor’s Mercy. The story centers around Orlando “Ollie”, who is returning home after a long absence. Unfortunately, strained relationships with his former friends aren’t the only things waiting for him when he gets there: a supernatural plague is rapidly spreading, and his return turns into a fight for survival.

The story bounces between the future and past, layering clues between recovered journal pages, recordings, and Ollie’s first hand account. There is light body horror, and the atmosphere is ominous throughout.

Tropes:
❥ Fight for Survival
❥ Queer resilience
❥ Found family
❥ Unreliable Narrator
❥ Mysterious illness

Thoughts:
This was deeply imaginative, disturbing and inspiring. I never highlight my books, but there were so many quotes that stuck with me, especially the passages about grief. Grief of both physical and mental loss, the past, and expectations for the future. I loved the exploration into Ollie’s relationships with his hometown friends and the aspects of found family. La Sala’s wit is woven throughout this book, and is a welcome reprieve from more gruesome portions. If you enjoy horror with an emotional undertone, you will love this as much as I did.

After a year away from the island so his mother could fight her cancer on the mainland, Ollie is finally returning to Anchor's Mercy by her side. However, that year has left him with more questions than answers. Why do so many islanders keep getting sick and dying the way his mom almost did? And why is there an emergency medical ship docked in the harbor when everything seems to be swimming along like normal for the island's busy season?

This book was so disconcerting! I didn't find it as absolutely horrifying as The Honeys, but I was sucked into the story pretty quickly. I felt an odd mix of reluctance to stop reading and digging into the conspiracy of Anchor's Mercy, while also eager to look away from the parasitic creatures that rapidly burst across the island. The blended narrative (Ollie's POV chapters and the scientist's study notes) was intriguing, but I felt a little more guided in this book, whereas La Sala's last novel hits you like bricks. It made for quick reading, but I also reached the end of the novel feeling like I had already been hand-held towards the big revelations.

I'm rounding a 3.5/75 stars up to a four! I am eager for book two and some answers to my many questions, but so far, things have been a little more predictable than I would like.

First off, many thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this book as an eARC! I greatly appreciate it!
This is my third time reading a Ryan La Sala's work, and I loved this, as expected! I really liked Ollie and his relationships with Gracie and Bash and Elisa, and that twist! I didn't see it coming, but it made perfect sense, as the best twists always do. My only real complaint is the pacing seeming all over the place, but that's not too big an issue. Just the epistolary chapters slowed everything down. Interesting and necessary, but still.
Four out of five stars to The Dead of Summer!

ANOTHER MASTERPIECE BY RYAN LA SALA!!! i LOVED The Honeys and this did not disappoint. I will read anything he writes. The story is fun and addicting and i just can’t get enough!!!

4⭐️

This was a fresh take on a zombie outbreak surrounding the importance of your found family. Everything taking place on an isolated, queer friendly island known just as much for its Drag Queens as its possibly involvement in a government cover-up made this so much more interesting. I loved the close knit relationship between all the townies and how even when their lives were in danger so many of them were willing to help the tourists after the even happened. The look at grief and loss and the pain of preparing for that loss was beautiful and the way the Suds stayed so close even when Ollie was pushing them away really cemented the fact that your found family means so much. The cliffhanger this left off on was so great and I can't wait to find out what happens next!

I did feel like Ollie, Bashar and Elisa read a bit young for what they were supposed to be. The Suds were supposed to be finishing their high school career but a lot of their reactions felt more like younger teenagers and it made since why the 'adults' didn't include them. I also had a lot of questions about the introduction of some characters but I'm hoping those will be answered in the next book!

Thanks Netgalley and PUSH for providing this ARC to me!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I have been a fan of Ryan La Sala's horror since The Honeys. This book might be even better in my opinion. While Beholder wasn't my favorite, this book made a comeback and shined for me. I really liked our MC Ollie. We see him struggle with the weight of his Mother's cancer and about how he abandoned his old life and friends. The community where they live seems so nice and I always wanted to be in a place like that. Where friends are so close and neighbors become family. I love seeing that in novels. I also really liked Bash and Elisa. They were truly ride or die for Ollie.
Sam seems to be the outlier here and I have my theories about him. He just so happened to show up randomly right before shit hit the fan? Plus we never saw him die. I hope he comes back in the second book and my theories are correct.

Willy was such a stand up character. I also thought it was cool how much drag and drag queens seemed to be attached to the island. Willy and Wendy helped so much with the chaos. Also, this book had me crying. There were a few parts I was holding in my tears. Like what the heck. My emotions were so high during this.

Now getting to the horror. This was an interesting body horror novel mixed in with aquatic horror. Toxic corral that mutates it's victims and makes them turn into monsters? Say less I love it. The design of the monsters and the way they operated was really cool and unique. I hope we get to learn more about them in the second book.

Out of all of Ryan's books this might have been my fave? Like I was so engaged from start to finish. Plus there were so many good plot twists! I can't wait for the next book! The cliffhanger and questions have me reeling.

Dare I say this is my favorite book of the year...? With a cast of relatable characters that fill your heart with love and joy, and told in a unique style unlike any other multi-POV book I've read before, this is La Sala at his boldest and most breathtaking. The descriptive language and eerie scenery is full of a vividness that made me look at the coral wallpaper in my bathroom in an entirely different light, probably forever! I'm so happy to have another queer horror to be able to recommend wholeheartedly. I am SEATED for the sequel. Scholastic are asking me to please go home and rest since it hasn't even been written yet, but I'm simply too seated. :-)

For fans of <i>The Last of Us, What Moves the Dead, The Thing</i> and <i>Hightown</i>, this outbreak-based queer horror novel centers around Ollie and his relationship to his home, the tiny gay island paradise slash tourist trap slash one-time site of a mysterious chemical spill, Anchor's Mercy. When Ollie left Anchor's Mercy a year before the events of the book, he knew two things: his mother was going to die of cancer, and he would never return home with her again. But his mom miraculously survived, and so they're headed home for what she keeps calling the "best summer ever." Ollie's relationships with everyone--his friends, his family, the drag queens at Scary Mary's, and even his mom--have suffered. He's not looking forward to what should be a happy homecoming. And, just as he starts to pull his life back together again, a mysterious outbreak tears the town apart. If Ollie wants to survive, he's going to need to lean on the people around him more than ever.

Ryan La Sala, the devious king that you are!! This book is so excellent and twisty, I almost hate to describe it. Perfect as both a summer beach read OR to curl up with during spooky season. La Sala has populated this book with an incredible cast of fully-realized characters. The horror elements are terrifyingly vivid. I felt I was holding my breath along with Ollie, Bashar, and Elisa through entire passages, and I ended the book with my jaw firmly on the floor.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ryan La Sala, & Scholastic for providing me this ARC! I really thought this book was interesting!! The twist of the book did catch me by surprise!

It’s not a book i would normally choose for myself but i was pleasantly surprised while reading it! I be joyed getting to know all of the characters in this book, and getting to understand them throughout the course of the book! I love any good queer representation in a book and this YA book did not disappoint!

I am very excited for the sequel, I am so excited to read more by this author!!

This was the third book I've read in the last month or so that was just set-up for a future book. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, STOP WRITING ENTIRE BOOKS THAT ARE JUST PROLOGUES. You can write trilogies, duologies, series, whatever that continue a story or a theme that ACTUALLY tell a complete story. This didn't do that. It offered some closure on some plot points, so it wasn't a complete waste of time, but there was no real resolution. The cynic in me feels like it's a ploy to sell another book.

This felt like watching The Last of Us, or anything else based on a video game. The protagonists move from level to level, villain to villain, scenario to scenario with essentially the same battle happening each time until they reach the final boss (which will happen in another book). If that's your thing, you'll have fun here. It mostly frustrated me, despite the strength of La Sala's writing.

this premise was so interesting! i was really hooked during the interview sections, but i felt the pacing was off during ollie’s narrative at times! the imagery & descriptions of musicality were beautiful! the jury is out if i’ll read the second one, YA is sometimes a tough read for me!

First of all, can we talk about how gorgeous this cover is?!? Definitely one of my all time favorites! 😍

Went into this blind and found it to be an awesome and unique take on zombies!! Did not see the twist coming!! I do wish we got to spend a little more time getting to know the characters and the island before the outbreak, but all in all it was a great read! Definitely recommend to fans of YA horror, body horror, and zombie/outbreak stories! 👏

Thank you to NetGalley, Scholastic, and Ryan La Sala for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review!! ❤️ Looking forward to book two!