I got so excited thinking this was the whole book, but it’s just a sample. Can’t wait to read the whole thing!!! I can’t really post a review since I only got a few pages though :P

Ollie's return to Anchor's Mercy is a homecoming—and perhaps something much, much worse.

I could have sworn that I'd read something by La Sala before, but...well, I checked, and to the best of my knowledge I haven't. So this was an intriguing first look: a few quick chapters at what promises to be a twisty story, with elements of horror and queer love and perhaps a bit of science fiction. (I'm reminded somewhat of "Wilder Girls" and am curious whether that sense holds throughout the book.)

The book opens into a standard YA love story, but it quickly becomes something much darker: it is clear that all is not well in Anchor's Mercy; it is clear that all has been not well in Anchor's Mercy for quite some time. But what that means, exactly, remains to be seen in the rest of the book. I'm guessing that this will be a fast-moving one, and if I was only neutrally interested by the thought of another YA summer island romance, I'm very intrigued by whatever experiments are going on in the rest of the book. Likely one for those who enjoy a bit of weird in their reading, a bit of twist, a world off its kilter.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing this preview through NetGalley.

Whattttttt!!!!! I need more of this story it was a tease to just give me those small chapters lol this is going to be a fun exciting page turner I lived what I read so far

This sampler was a great little sneak peak into the story and I am definitely excited to read it! It's got an interesting hook and I can't resist a horror book so this definitely will be on my TBR!

Thank you NetGalley for the Sampler.

This was a good start to a mystery! La Sala sets up the relationship between Ollie and his mom and his personality very well. Both were changed because of cancer and sets up their disconnect and familial dilemmas. The mystery about the sickness spreading about the island is also very intriguing, especially when we get a glimpse into the future and what is happening to the island.

The only issues are technical. I’m pretty sure the text was supposed to be on the paper images but they were so we got random paper images throughout and they didn’t make sense. And there was a conversion issue because since the text was supposed to be on the paper images (I think) some words were missing letters so it was hard to read.

Well. I wish I had realized this was a sample because I'M DESPERATE FOR MORE!!! This is going to be SO good and I need the whole thing RIGHT NOW.

The Dead of Summer by Ryan La Sala is an excerpt from his forthcoming novel of the same title. This excerpt provided the perfect tease to this book, and I would recommend audiences to check out the excerpt or wait for the full novel. Thank you to NetGalley for the sampler.

This chapter sampler had me hooked! I cannot wait for the full length novel to be released. I'm already intrigued by the characters, as well as Ollie's complicated relationship with his mother and friends. What is the mysterious illness on Mercy's Anchor? Is everyone truly dead? Or have they become something else? September can't come fast enough to get the answers to these questions!

Thank you to NetGalley and PUSH for the opportunity to read this sample of the newest Ryan LaSala novel.
Unfortunately, a good 10% of this sample is dedicated to how this story came about/promotional praise for the book and we really only get to experience the first chapter about our MMC Ollie and his mother. She is defining character I am not interested in reading further. After that there is a jump to a PhD student writing about a contagion that infected Ollies hometown. Honestly there just wasn’t enough in this sample, I know this is supposed to whet your appetite but this actually did the opposite for me.

"We do not end, we echo."

I read a small sampler and now I am so excited for this one! First, this cover is gorgeous.

The story appears to be told through different mediums. My small sampler gave a few torn out journal pages along with typical novel chapter narrative. I'm not sure the other forms in the story, but I'm excited to find out. In the small bit I read, I loved Ollie's voice - the anxiety of a sick mom suddenly deemed healthy and the fear of it all happening again. I loved Gracie's sayings and sweet "live, laugh, love" lines but I also loved Ollie's reluctance to lean in to it.

And who was that mysterious boy on the ferry?

This was a great start. I can't wait to read more!

@NetGalley and Scholastic- You all CANNOT made me want to add more to my tbr, yet here I am. Finishing a sampler and asking for the full book because it was so fun!