Summer's Never Over

by Darby Bozeman

In this addictive dual-timeline debut novel, a woman confronts her past at the remote Southern summer camp where the tragic death of her fellow counselor may not have been an accident after all.

Five years ago, Greer left her family’s summer camp in the mountains of Georgia and vowed she’d never return. An idyllic season had turned into a nightmare after a mysterious Phantom began stalking the camp—and ended with Greer’s friend and fellow counselor dead. Losing Steph shattered everything, and Greer’s been fleeing from the grief ever since.

But then Greer’s mother dies, and Greer finds herself back at Dread’s Cove, surrounded by the people she was closest to that intense summer. Two ex-boyfriends—one a childhood sweetheart, the other the guy she's never gotten over—and old friends. Including Margo, Steph's best friend.

Greer and Margo didn’t leave things on the best of terms. But now, Margo needs her. Margo never believed that Steph’s death in that horrific fire was an accident—and she’s on the trail of an explosive secret Steph took to her grave.

Greer has to make a choice: keep the Cove’s secrets and her own, or finally face the truth about that summer.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Adult

368 pages, Paperback

Expected publication June 9, 2026

About the author

Darby Bozeman is a Portland, Oregon native who moved to Georgia for grad school a decade ago and thinks she can now officially call herself Southern. When she’s not reading or writing, she loves acting in community theater, discussing pop culture, and going out to buy coffee even when she could very much make it at home. She lives in Knoxville with her husband, Bryan, and their cat, Claude. Find her at @darbyboze and darbybozeman.com.

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for early access to this book in exchange for my honest

I love a good dual timeline and this one was done so well. The pacing felt intentional and sharp, slowly layering the past and present in a way that kept me constantly questioning what really happened. Every reveal felt purposeful and I was genuinely on edge waiting for the next piece to fall into place.

The atmosphere was one of my favorite parts. A remote Southern summer camp in the mountains of Georgia is already such a strong setting, but Bozeman made Dread’s Cove feel vivid and alive. I could practically smell the campfires and hear the lake water. It felt nostalgic in the best way. The friendships especially hit home for me. There was something so relatable about that stage of life, being 22 (🎶idk about you but I’m feeling 22 🎶), surrounded by friends, thinking the future is wide open and your biggest worries are fleeting summer dramas. That nostalgia made the darker elements land even harder.

The suspense was fantastic. The slow burn mystery surrounding Steph’s death and the Phantom stalking the camp created such an uneasy undercurrent. I appreciated how the tension built gradually rather than relying on constant shock value. Bozeman clearly knows how to craft a story and control the emotional beats. The grief, the complicated friendships, the unresolved feelings with old loves, it all felt layered and human.

If I had one critique, it would be the final twists. They did not completely work for me. I read a lot of thrillers each year, so I admit I can be hard to surprise, and I wanted just a little more punch from the ending. Even so, the journey getting there was incredibly engaging and I was fully invested the entire time.

I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who loves atmospheric thrillers with emotional depth, summer camp nostalgia, and secrets that refuse to stay buried.

[Cassidy]

Thanks to Berkley for offering me this ARC through NetGalley! Summer's Never Over by Darby Bozeman comes out on June 9, 2026.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories about people returning to the home they swore never to go back to and finally being forced to face up to old secrets and lies are a dime a dozen. I've read hundreds of them, but this premise still intrigues me somehow. SUMMER'S NEVER OVER is this kind of novel. Greer, our heroine, is the heiress to an elite summer camp empire that she must decide how to deal with after her mother's unexpected death. After a fire on-site killed her camp BFF, she was so traumatized that she hasn't been back in five years. Not surprisingly, Greer is a sympathetic character and, while she's not exactly the warm and fuzzy type, she's likable in a quiet way. The issues she's dealing with are interesting; I wanted to know how she was going to tackle them. While I didn't find Stephanie or Margot to be particularly appealing characters, I did want to know how the former really died and what, if anything, the latter had to do with it. That mystery sucked me in and kept me reading. The Big Reveal (or, reveals plural) really didn't surprise me, but I also didn't totally see them coming, which is always a bonus in a mystery/thriller. I whipped through SUMMER'S NEVER OVER in a day-ish because it's engrossing and I didn't want to put it down.

My biggest beef with the book is that it skips over a lot of details about the camp—how it functions, how everyone on staff is connected, why so many people live on-site when the camp is only open for a few months every year, why it's so famous and attractive to the wealthy, etc.—that left me feeling a little confused and ungrounded. I also had to keep reminding myself that the characters in the "Then" chapters are supposed to be college graduates, not high schoolers, because they talk and act like immature kids. They are not very convincing as reponsible young adults worthy of being put in charge of hundreds of children from rich and famous families. I also wasn't totally on board with the identity of Stephanie's killer since there aren't a lot of clues, really, that point to them.

In spite of those irritants, I mostly enjoyed SUMMER'S NEVER OVER. It's tense and propulsive, which kept me turning pages. I didn't love the characters, but I was invested enough in them that I wanted to know what was going to happen to them. The book is undeniably depressing, but it does end on a hopeful note. So, yeah, I liked it for the most part and would read more by Bozeman.

If I could, I would give this book 3 1/2 stars; since I can't, I'm rounding up.

If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for strong language, violence, and mild sexual content

[Corinne’s Chapter Chatter · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

Do I judge books by their covers? Absolutely. This one caught my eye instantly on NetGalley and the second I saw “summer camp” in the description, it became an immediate request. Huge thanks to Berkley for approving my complimentary copy ahead of publication so I could give my thoughts. Bonus? It also popped up on the PRH Audio platform, so I—as one of their influencers— was able to read this as an immersion read, which ended up being the perfect way to experience it.

It did take me a while to fully settle into the story. The first half moves slowly with a lot of back-and-forth between the past and present timelines, and while the setup is important, it definitely could have benefited from a tighter edit to get the momentum going sooner. That said, there was still enough intrigue to keep me invested, especially paired with Carlotta Brentan’s narration, which helped carry me through the slower sections.

Once the story finally clicked into place, though, I flew through the second half. The pacing picked up significantly and suddenly I didn’t want to put it down. Interestingly, I found myself leaning more heavily into the physical read during that back half, with the audio supporting rather than driving the experience. One thing the immersion read highlighted was that some of the prose had clearly been polished between the eARC and the final audio copy. The final version felt noticeably tighter and smoother overall.

I really enjoyed how the dual timelines eventually wove together. While I guessed several of the twists fairly early on, it was still an entertaining ride getting there. And while this is technically adult fiction with characters in their late twenties, it carries a strong YA energy throughout. The FMC openly acknowledges how emotionally stunted she is because of her past experiences, which made some of her choices feel much more believable. As someone who loves YA, that worked well for me, but readers who struggle with emotionally immature protagonists may have a harder time connecting.

In the end, this was a slow-burn summer mystery that rewarded my patience with a much stronger second half, compelling atmosphere, and a finale that finally delivered the momentum I’d been waiting for.

[Ed Rabinowitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the Berkley Publishing Group for this advance reader’s copy, in exchange for an honest review. “Summer’s Never Over” is scheduled for release on June 9, 2026.
When I hear a book title like “Summer’s Never Over” I conjure images of teenage summer romances that continue to bloom beyond Labor Day. And there is some romance, or a return to romance, in this novel.
But there’s also murder, family secrets, and – unfortunately – some not-so-great writing.
As the story opens, Greer is returning to her family’s summer camp, Dread’s Cove, located in the mountains of Georgia. She left the family’s legacy five years earlier vowing she would never return. A fire that pretty much destroyed the camp and the death of Steph, her friend and counselor, drove her away. But now, following her mother’s death on the eve of the rebuilt camp’s reopening, Greer returns.
So do a familiar (to Greer, at least) cast of characters, including Chelsea, the childhood friend who grew up with Greer at the camp; two former boyfriends; and another former counselor, Margo, with whom Greer has had a lukewarm relationship. As the memories of that tumultuous last summer bubble to the surface, Greer must navigate around suddenly revealed family secrets while guarding her own.
Written from Greer’s perspective across two timelines, the storyline has promise. But the characters are flat. They’re not likeable. And the dialogue between them seems more suited to people still in their teens rather than adults in their mid- to late-twenties. That, for me, was a problem. Because in a story with relationships at its core, I want the dialogue between them to add to, not subtract from, the narrative.
I certainly didn’t dislike “Summer’s Never Over.” The untangling of the mystery is interesting, though the Epilogue is totally predictable. With a little more depth to the characters and some punchier, non-cliché dialogue, it would be more easily recommendable.
Three stars.
And you can read all of my reviews at my Raised on Reading (www.raisedonreading.com) book blog. New reviews posted every Monday.

[Katie Englehart · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐ | Summer’s Never Over by Darby Bozeman

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story follows a dual timeline—past and present—centered around a group of camp counselors and the mysterious death of one girl in a fire at the end of the summer. In the present, Greer and another former counselor revisit the past to uncover what the girl had been searching for before she died.

I’ll start by saying this is a relatively short book, but it took me longer to get through than expected. The first half felt very slow, and while things were technically happening, it didn’t feel like the story truly picked up until after the halfway point.

Character-wise, I struggled a bit. Greer, the FMC, had a very “poor me” perspective throughout much of the book, and at times it came across as her distancing herself from the people she grew up with in a way that felt dismissive—especially toward her best friend, Chelsea. It had that very specific early-20s “I’ve outgrown everyone” energy, which made it harder for me to connect with her.

Her dynamic with Steph was also frustrating at times. Greer seemed deeply invested, while Steph was consistently dishonest, which made parts of their relationship feel one-sided and, at times, difficult to watch unfold.

The mystery itself does build toward a major twist at the end, but for me, it didn’t fully land. The reveal involving Wes felt a bit disconnected from how his character was portrayed throughout the story. Given that he was consistently seen as the “good guy,” it was hard to reconcile that shift without more foreshadowing or suspicion from others along the way.

That said, the ending does provide resolution—justice is served, and Greer steps into a new chapter of her life, taking over her mother’s camp. The emotional threads are tied up in a satisfying way, even if the journey there felt uneven.

Overall, this was a solid read with an interesting premise, but the pacing and character dynamics made it harder for me to fully connect.

[Mary Taber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Berkley-Penguin Random House for allowing me the opportunity to read and give honest feedback about this book.
To say that this was an “unputdownable” book, would be an understatement. The pacing was excellent and as each chapter unfolded, new secrets were revealed. Told in a series of flashbacks, the reader learned about what happened both before and after “the fire.” The story took place in a highly successful summer camp, and there were many similarities to the summer camp that I attended as a child and then as a counselor. My camp experiences did not include exciting happenings such as a fire or murder, however.
The main characters were Greer, the narrator and daughter of the camp director, Anita Olson. Greer’s friends and fellow counselors included Chelsea, Steph, and Margo. There were the love interests Wes and Trevor, and they worked in the kitchen and the waterfront respectively. Rig and Val rounded out the head staff, assisting Anita with the running of the camp.
While the fire played an important part of the story, the apparent murder did too. One of the counselors, Steph, did not come out alive from the fire and was presumed dead. Why did she die, and what was she looking for? As the book progresses, we discover that her mom had been at the camp when Steph was a baby. Why was her mom there and what happened to her?
Many unanswered questions, that are answered with each chapter. The plot was fast-paced and loaded with twists and turns. This is a keeper!

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a thing for mysteries about summer camps. That out in the middle of nowhere feel, teens and early 20s on the cusp of adulthood taking a summer off from the real world. And Summer’s Never Over gets those things right. But, it also never rose above the average, the nothing special category. Part of that is that the four main characters felt two dimensional.
Two new camp counselors arrive and shake up the dynamics of the old hands. By the end of the season, one of them is dead, burned up in a fire that consumed the camp. Now, five years later, the camp is due to re-open. But just before, the camp owner and mother to one of the main characters dies. This forces her daughter, Greer, to finally return. The rest of the folks from that summer are also there.
The book is told in the oh too overused dual timeline, both told from Greer’s POV. Greer obviously hasn’t moved on from that fatal summer. “For years now, I’d been drowning. The guilt was a gaping, bottomless chasm, threatening to pull me in and never let me resurface.” That writing example also gives you an idea of the melodramatic nature of the book, which includes a “Phantom” roving the woods during that earlier summer and scaring everyone.
None of the four main female characters are likeable. Jealous, petty, unstable. There are girl crushes that felt more appropriate for preteens. The book moves along predictable lines but the ending threw up plenty of red herrings to keep it somewhat interesting.
My thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for an advance copy of this book.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

"But now, as she stood in front of me, I could feel the desperation. It rolled off her in waves, palpable."

3/5 stars.

What I liked:
1. the setting in a summer camp was terrific. You've got the woods and camps always seem fraught with danger, not to mention creepy.
2. although the "I'm returning to my past to find out who murdered..." trope is kind of tired, I think Bozeman does a good job with turning it into something a little new.
3. some real good twists coming at you by the end that sort of make up for #1 below.

What I Didn't:
1. see above quote. I found the writing to be a bit juvenile at times, and Greer ("Little G"? really) to be an immature drama queen. To wit: "Maybe it was the old-school, Southern girl in me, but I wanted some admission of his feelings or intentions before I just let him hold my hand in the dark." Okay, you're in your mid-20s and have standards about hand holding?
2. Would like to have seen/experienced more of Greer's mom, Anita, as well as the other adults. They are mostly shadowy figures until the end.
3. Didn't really get the obsession with Stephanie and Margo. Was it b/c Greer had grown up isolated at the camp? That set up also struck me as a little weird, and would've liked more background. See above drama queen/immature.

Overall compelling, but not my favorite read of 2026.

NOTE: I received an advance reader copy of #summersneverover through my membership at @bookbrowse.

[Anna J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Greer left her families summer camp in Georgia five years ago after a fire destroyed most of the camp and her best friend, and fellow counselor was left dead. She left and said she wouldn't return as she was devastated after loosing Steph and has been carrying guilt around with her ever since.

Now, Greer's mother dies and she must return home to the camp. Greer is an only child and now heiress. She is glad her old friend Chelsea is there and organizing things. She is surprised that so many old friends come back to camp for reopening. Steph's best friend Margo is a writer and is back to do a story on the camp and find out what happened to Stephanie as she doesn't believe it was an accident. You get dual time lines from Greer's perspective past and present.

It was interesting to relive her old camp days and all the petty drama between counselors. The stories of the Phantom haunting the grounds were creepy but as a kid I think every camp had these stories passed down year after year. Steph came to camp with a purpose to find out what happened to her mother as this was her last known location.

Greer digs into the past but she discovers that her mother had secrets she kept from her. She may not know all these people as well as she thought she did.

[Courtney S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summer’s Never Over and I’ll never get over this book 🩸🏕️

When I saw @thrill.me.chill.me.reads get a PR package for this camp thriller… you know I was jealous. So naturally, I ran to request the ARC.

The NetGalley gods chose me, and I didn’t hesitate to dive in.

Summer camp
Mountains of Georgia
A mysterious phantom
Family secrets
Suspicious deaths

I was ALL in.

Five years ago, Greer left her family’s summer camp after a season that turned into a nightmare. A phantom stalked the camp… and it ended with her friend Steph dead.

Now Greer is back at Dread’s Cove after her mother’s death, surrounded by old friends, old flames, and a past she’s been running from.

And Margo? She never believed Steph’s death was an accident.

Secrets don’t stay buried at camp… and neither does the truth.

Release date is June 9th (literally the day before my birthday… meant to be). Go ahead and plan on grabbing a copy with me 👀

Forever a camp thriller girlie, and this one delivered. I’ve read a LOT in this genre, and this one kept me hooked the entire time.

I had no idea who to trust or what anyone’s motives were 😮‍💨

[Jenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oof. This was engaging and the plot was good. But the writing? Not great. This is a book about people in their late 20s.coming back to the summer camp they worked at when they were in college. But the entire book felt firmly YA. The characters act like teenagers. There are so many mixed metaphors here, it was ridiculous. Some of the characterizations were off as well. The best friend that the MC grew up with, for example. (See, I just finished this book this morning and I can't remember her name. Was it Darcy?) Anyway, she's supposed to be the best friend, but they don't act like it at all. Through any of the book until the end. They come off more as people who grew up together and know each other well, but they aren't friends. 🤷‍♀️. Still, the story here was good, it could just do with some major editing and rewrites before it's actually a good story.

[Danielle Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC of Darby Bozeman's debut novel Summer's Never Over. I knew from the start this book was going to be great. Something or someone terrorizing a summer camp called the Phantom? Sign me up! The back and forth between the past and present was done so well, it felt puzzle pieces being put together as we learned more about what really happened that summer and on the fateful fiery night. The characters were very interesting and had a lot of depth, even the ones who weren't alive anymore during the "now' part of the book. The suspense never felt cheap, it always kept me going and interested. As many thrillers as there are and I've read, I wasn't sure who or what to suspect or believe throughout, the clues didn't give too much away throughout. This is a perfect summer read. 4.5/5 stars for me!

[Sherrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 Stars

The hook for this one is a summer camp with a murder mystery. While I did enjoy this book, it did drag for me at times, and it read a little young-ish.
Being in Greer's head the entire book was a little repetitive, and I would have loved another perspective. I would also have loved a little more focus on the camp itself and Greer's mom as a more developed character. I was very confused as to why a summer camp would demand so much media attention and attract such a high-end clientele. The twists were many, and some were a bit surprising. However, the end didn't land for me as I had hoped. I do think this author did a good job and has promise, so I hope to read something else from her in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley, Book Browse, and Berkley for the advance e-book!

[Helen Beesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summer’s Never Over is written in the spirit of God of the Woods and those spooky stories told on a hot summer’s night over a campfire. With that said, Darcey Bozeman is still able to throw in some thrills and chills and moments the reader won’t see coming. The ‘phantom’ isn’t easy to figure out and you get treated to some spooky, sweltering, lightning filled forest southern nights as you try to figure it out! Throw in some teenage angst, love of your life romance and you have a fine read! Thank you to Bookbrowse.com, NetGalley, and Penguin Publishing for the free ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 underwhelming stars

It took me MUCH longer to get through this than I had hoped for. Usually a week is the longest it will take for me to read an interesting book. It took 5 long weeks. Mostly, because I'm not connecting with the characters or storyline. The first half of the book is pretty slow and overall, it mostly feels YA due to the behavior of the young adult characters. I wasn't quite expecting the romantic aspect, but it makes sense to the plot. I do love the Georgia setting, and I believe this author is local to my city (how cool is that?!)

Thank you to the publisher and the author for providing me an ARC through NetGalley.

Expected publication date: June 9, 2026

[Reader R · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very light read that I finished in one sitting. The writing is well paced enough to keep you interested, but the characters came across as little flat to me. There's no one I had any strong feelings about. Even though the central characters were early to late 20's, they behaved more like teenagers. I felt that the author leaned a little too heavily on the romance aspect of the novel, but that seems to be what sells to today's readers. The ending was somewhat of a dramatic stretch, but it all ends happily. It was a fun read nonetheless.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Berkley Publishing Group, for providing the copy of Summer's Never Over by Darby Bozeman. What an amazing debut, and I’m already waiting for Bozeman’s next book. I loved the camp setting in the past, with the drama of the young campers, scared and titillated by the Phantom, and the relationship angst of the counselors. The present timeline started slowly, but got interesting as the secrets were revealed. Some of the things that happened in the end were surprising and great, except for the one thing I was hoping wouldn’t happen that did! 4.5 stars rounded up to 5!

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love, love, love thrillers set at a summer camp, so this was an automatic request for me. (Also! That cover!) Dual timelines are almost never my thing, but this one worked really well by creating tension in both the past and the present narratives. If you're looking to channel peak summer vibes or just to escape for an evening, I highly recommend this book.

[Shabella Gutierrez-Mclean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this as an arc from NetGalley. All of my review is 100% my own thoughts. I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed that this had a dual timeline. That kept me engaged. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the book as well. The premise behind the book was really good too. The plot twist had me shocked though. Good suspense book.

[Ande Pliego · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that feels like August sun on your skin and spooky nights by a crackling fire, Summer’s Never Over lives up to its nostalgic title. A must-read for anyone chasing that high of a sparkling summer on the lake—or the spine-tingling chill that awakens after sundown.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a slow burn dual timeline mystery. The story starts slow and builds until the end. There are several mysteries in the book and the author does a good job of weaving clues into the story. Good weekend read!

[Gaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars A nice, easy read for the long, warm days of summer. This book read more like a YA book than a book for an adult. At times, the repetition and wordiness felt like the writer was simply filling up pages.

[Emma Coffey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

This was a quick summer read! I don’t think it will be very memorable for me but it was enjoyable and a good thriller/mystery vibe. Made me want to go to a summer camp!

Thank you to Berkley for the advanced copy.

[Ashley Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

one word: YES

READ 👏🏼 THIS 👏🏼 BOOK

[Tyler Hancsak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twisty, thrilling, and a down right FUN summer camp mystery. Lots of drama, lots of story building, and a twist that was so fun! I love a summer camp thriller and this one did not disappoint!

[Caitlin Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited for the concept on this and thought it was really intriguing! I love a summer camp setting and a mysterious past. Unfortunately this one just wasn’t for me as I just couldn’t get into it. Maybe it will be for you!

[Jessie Rae ☾]

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I only got 15% into this before i put it down.


I loved the whole concept of this book, it's just the writing style just wasn't doing it for me.
the writing style felt so flat and made the characters feel really bland to the point where i didn't care what happened to them (in my opinion).

[Darby Bozeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 STARS!!! (yes I wrote this) (please buy it)