School outcasts-turned-detective duo, Kerry and Annie, are BACK – and after solving last summer’s menstrual murders, they’re now known as The Tampon Two. (Kerry is uncomfortable with this level of attention, Annie is refreshing her follower count every two seconds.)
When they attend the Festival of Fame, it’s the chance to meet their favourite feminist influencer IRL – along with a host of social media stars, including a tiresome prankster Timmy, super-glam beauty vlogger Celeste and Mystic Millie, who makes very vague predictions.
But then one of the influencers ends up dead.
The festival goes into lockdown, Annie is delighted that she and Kerry are trapped in a yurt with celebrities – Kerry is more concerned that there’s a killer among them. Will the Tampon Two find out who it is before they strike again?
Kate Weston is an ex-stand up comedian and the author of four YA murder mysteries, as well as her adult debut thriller You May Now Kill The Bride, which was published in 2024. Her most recent YA book, feminist thriller Murder on a School Night, was shortlisted for the YA Book Prize 2024. Kate has also been been a semi-finalist for Funny Women and New Comedian of the Year, longlisted for Comedy Women in Print and the Branford Boase, and nominated for the Carnegie Medal. Kate lives in London with her partner and adorable cat Angus.
While I normally really enjoy YA books, this one wasn’t quite for me. It was a cosy murder/mystery – and I was genuinely interested to see who the murderer was, and their motive – but I was not enamoured of the characters, nor the setting (an influencers festival). Perhaps I am just too old, but a bunch of vapid self-promoting influencers, who perpetually document every facet of their lives through the ‘ReelLife’ app on their smart phones, is not really my cup of tea. The story is told in the first person by Kerry, a 17 year-old would-be investigative journalist. She is the most sympathetic of the characters – intelligent and shy – but goes all wobbly when around the ‘Adorable Adonis’ influencer, Dougie Trainor. Kerry is dragged into the festival by her best friend, Annie. Annie initially wants to expose the influencers for their pretentiousness, but really wants to become one, with as many followers as possible. She is fixated with ReelLife, and always wants to be in the middle of everything. I am not sure why Kerry puts up with her. Kerry and Annie both consider themselves to be feminists (saying ‘good vulva’ is hardly feminism 101), and hope to meet their hero, influencer Winona Philips. They solved a murder in the previous book (which I haven’t read), and when the first body appears, they immediately throw themselves into this crime/mystery. While the setting was unique, much of the plot appeared formulaic. The police are stereotypically useless, and Kerry and Annie managed to accuse every other character in turn – only hitting on the real culprit once all others are found to have genuine alibis – or are dead. It is quite likely that I have missed the whole point of this book – it might be a parody of youth fixation with fame and social media. Or, it could just be a fun YA cosy murder/mystery. There are a lot of positives, and most other reviewers really liked the book. My opinions are probably the outliers. It is worth a read, and you can make up your own mind. I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not influenced by either the author or publisher.
Lowkey forgot we were in a murder mystery because I was too busy clocking Annie to fuck for wanting Celeste BAD
Feel like it started a little slow for me, but once the first body was found things picked up well - the ending wrapped it up nicely, if a little predictable, but for a fun, quick YA mystery it was absolutely perfect
In the highly anticipated sequel to Murder on a School Night, best friends Annie and Kerry are shocked to find they have yet another murder to solve. After the events of the previous book, both girls are dealing with their reputation as the girls who caught the menstrual murderer. The girls, also known as the Tampon Two, join a festival full of influencers that quickly becomes a crime scene. Kerry must prove that she has what it takes to become a serious reporter for the local paper while Annie battles her desire to become social media famous.
While the story was entertaining and engaging overall, there were quite a few issues that I was unable to ignore when it came to the writing. Keeping in mind the target audience for the book, I understand the syntactical and linguistic choices made; however, the attempts to use modern slang fell flat, like the use of terms such as “iconic,” which just seemed a bit unnatural and forced. Additionally, my personal preference in any media, not just books, is to avoid any pop culture references as they can greatly age the work. While Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” is both trending and relatively new (2019), including references like this immediately make the book seem dated and therefore not relatable to some readers. On a positive note, I loved the themes and discussions that Murder on a Summer Break brings to light. Similar to the incredibly feminist first book, this sequel delivers promising conversations about our obsession with fame and popularity and the issues it can create in your life. I would even argue that spending more time on this theme than the somewhat stereotypical murder plot might have made the book more enjoyable for me. Filled with sex-positive and feminist messaging, I can always rely on Weston’s works to evoke conversations on complex topics. That being said, the feminist messaging felt a bit superficial to me as Kerry and Annie regularly use statements like “good vulva” as a way to communicate that they are feminists. Despite my grievances with the book, I think young readers looking for positive female friendships, a murder mystery, or even a discussion on influencer culture may enjoy Murder on a Summer Break.
Murder on Summer Break releases on September 10th, 2024.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank SparkPoint Studio, NetGalley, and HarperCollins for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
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MURDER ON A SUMMER BREAK is another funny, feminist riot of a murder mystery, set at the most ridiculous camping festival you can imagine.
This is another very funny book from Kate Weston. The situations are ridiculous, but so believable for influencers - the fake sets, the money grab sponsorships, the seance. Kerry and Annie react exactly as you'd expect teenagers to do so - one is star struck, another feels left out, and neither manages to keep cool.
The influencers themselves are a good snapshot of the more worrying parts of influencer culture. There is the lad culture guy with his blatant sexism and harassment being acceptable, the male "feminist", the engineered advertising of products everyone behind the scenes know are bad, the non-apologies, and beyond. The book pokes fun at them as a way of critiquing these aspects of the business.
The book also explores the tensions in friendships and romances with distance and the lure of fame. Annie very much wants to be an influencer and gets sucked into the festival and celebrities. Scott is away on band tour, unable to find time to speak with Kerry. This leaves Kerry with only the group chat with Colin and Audrey at times, and the book explores that frustration as friends seems to drift away and ignore you for something new and shiny.
I don't know if there will be another book, but it feels like there's space for more adventures, this time in their final year, trying to juggle A-levels and murder solving!
Holy shit. I just finished it, reading for almost five hours. I was hooked. But i was soo mad at Scott because i thought he was ignoring Kerry but i couldn’t help but smile at the end.
And Dougie? I trusted him and he does that. But it also shows what fame does to one, going as far as killing your co workers and friends.
But don’t get me started on Winona. Since the first book „Murder on a School night“ she’s been the biggest idol for Annie and Kerry. I cannot imagine the feeling of almost being killed by your idol. But Annoe always kept it funny, even in the faces of death when she was just excited to see Winona.
But as for Annie, i was genuinely mad when she always left Kerry alone just to hang out with Celeste (before we knew Annie liked Celeste). Like, there’s a murderer running around and you leave your best friend alone? I thought it was crazy that Kerry didn’t tell Annie that Scott „broke up“ with her and it was also a bit sad that she didn’t have her best friend to comfort her, instead Kerry was comforted by Dougie, the murderer (one of them) and they almost kissed. (Thank you Kerry for keeping a clear mind).
Overall 5/5 ⭐️ It was such a fun read and i also really loved the first one so going back into that world just felt great after a reading slump.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
After solving a series of murders in their hometown of Barbourough (in Murder on a School Night), best friends Kerry and Annie are now known as Tampon Two and while Annie is ready to get in the most ridiculous situations to attract more followers on social media and become an influencer, Kerry would rather stay in the shadows, but the journalist in her is always ready to report. The Festival of Fame has arrived in Barbourough, organized by Heather, the most popular girl in school, once their enemy, now their (sometimes reluctant) friend, and some of the most famous influencers are there for a weekend of events. Annie is super excited but, somehow, she manages to start a prank war with the most famous (and obnoxious) influencer who then is found dead with a condom on his head. While the police thinks the death was somehow an accident, Annie and Kerry are convinced that it’s murder and that it may not be the only one of the weekend so they start investigating.
I loved Murder on a School Night, but Murder on a Summer Break is even better and a brilliant sequel. Annie and Kerry have grown (although Annie’s obsession with popularity is as strong as ever) and I really like the character of Kerry, from whose perspective the story is narrated. She is smart and, with her determination, her humor, and the way she admits her flaws, she kept me glued to the pages and made me laugh out loud as I was reading.
The plot is intriguing and well-developed with the right balance of mystery and humor. I am keeping my fingers tightly-crossed that this is not the last book, because I really need more of these hilarious and fantastic Kerry and Annie adventures.
A huge thank you to Electric Monkey and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of the novel.
A satirical story of murder and women’s rights, that doesn’t take itself too seriously; but still makes a point. Two points actually - spend time with Kerry and Annie and you are just as likely to be bumped off (not by them of course, they are lovely teenagers really) and secondly, read the two books and decide for yourself (happy vulva day; am I allowed to say that as a guy?). What would the police do without Kerry and Anne, school pupil amateur sleuths and women’s rights champions. Annie is ready to be the next big influencer (proudly shouting we are the ‘Tampon Two’ at and Kerry wanting to be a news reporter (but really quite happy to be out of the lime light). They solved the Menstrual Murders, (hence Tampon Two) and now find themselves with dead bodies galore. You know what comes next? A little bit of mayhem and a lot of laughs. Thank you to Farshore and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine.
⭐ Book Series Review ⭐ . 𝕋𝕚𝕥𝕝𝕖 : Murder on a School Night🩷 | Murder on a Summer Break💛 𝔾𝕖𝕟𝕣𝕖 : Mystery-Rom-Com 𝔸𝕦𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕣 : Kate Weston ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 : ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
𝕄𝕪 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 : Have you ever laughed while reading murder mystery novels? Well, this duo definitely makes you do that 😉. This book series turned out hilarious and interesting while making me connect pretty well with one of the two main characters. The first half of both the books were pretty normal and slow with teenage/ high school drama and besties conversations. But once they hit the murder mystery plot, the books got me addicted until the murderer got revealed. The author's narration style will definitely make you suspect every character 😂. I personally enjoyed book 1 more than book 2 as it had a balanced storyline of investigation and romance. Beginners can definitely pick these two!
This was a good read, though some of it passed me by as this isn’t aimed at my age group, I’m definitely too old to get some of the influences meanings But the murder mystery was good and well written and I couldn’t leave the book until I had read to the end to discover who the murder was. This has everything a teenager reader will want in a book, it has modern terms and modern technology. The characters were good and well planned out, and it cleverly shows us the different types of online influencers there are now, it also shows us that it is not a nice world to belong to. This will be very popular with readers 13+
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 stars) A fast, funny, and fresh mystery that doesn’t take itself too seriously—in the best way.
The writing is sharp, full of chaotic energy, and genuinely entertaining from start to finish.
It’s a quick read that balances mystery and humor really well, with a plot that’s just wild enough to keep you turning the pages without needing a detective’s IQ to follow along. If you’re into satirical whodunnits with a Gen Z twist, this totally delivers.
Not a life-changing read, but definitely a fun one. Perfect for when you want something light, clever, and just a little bit unhinged.
Influencer based Very British Very funny The girls are back and they are still a mess
Read this in print. This was such a romp! The voice in this book feels like Angus, Thongs & Full Frontal Snogging which is a compliment. It feels very YA in the best way and I love their friendship but also the influencer parts of this felt both timely and insane at the same time. This series is a lot of fun - even though Annie's desperation to be popular can be grating - and I cannot wait for their new outing.
To be honest I liked it more than the first one as it had more twists and more unexpected areas like the thing with Scott and jenn pulled me in and I was sitting g here like "and look at all we did for him last book". And I like kate weston and this series as they have a more casual outlook on a murder mystery. But I prefer a more spooky, mysterious or more of a build up. All good tho. I wouldn't read again but expect another book bc surely this can't be the end.
While reading I figured out I was reading a sequel.
The book was okay but there were some things I didnt really like. In my opinion the writer was trying to hard to make the characters seem like teenagers. They said and did things that made my whole body cringe…
I did however like the plot twist, I did not see it coming that Dougie was involved. I did about Winona though
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
annie was a bad friend, probably wouldve liked it more if i read the first book but i didnt know there was one, made me cringe but sometimes in a good way, SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!
!!!!!! guessed the killer within the first few chapters, but not the second one till near the end, overall 3 stars because the plot was good
I’m sorry but this one wasn’t for me at all there was no humour or anything that kept me intrigued to read or continue this one the more I kept going the more bored I was becoming that occasionally tired and not interested I loved the r mystery concept and Annie and Kerry but there was no humour that I wanted it to be funny but this one wasn’t Weston’s best tbh
Honestly the story was really good but the characters were so different from the first book and hardly any of the original side characters were in it, it was like when actors can’t be in a movie it was really strange. It could’ve definitely been a standalone with the characters just having different names cause that’s what it felt like tbh. Ending was good I guess
3,5 stars. Not quite as good as the first book in my opinion. Annie really isn't all the likable, and I think my favourite character ended up being either the dog or the beauty influencer... Not the best sign.
3,5 stars. A funny light murder YA read. Read it in two days and had a blast with laughter because the story is so over the top but touches a few issues people today have with all of social media. What's real and what is not?
This book was absolutely amazing! I had very high expectations after the first book, but this one still managed to surpass them. I love the characters as they are so relatable, and the story kept me on the edge of my seat. I never would’ve guessed that plot twist at the end!
I’m still not the biggest fan of these characters but listening to this on audio definitely made it more bearable. I think the plot itself was pretty fun though, with those influencers.