Summerdale

by David Jay Collins

Four gay men. Four addictions. One landlord from Hell. Welcome to Summerdale, the first novel of an LGBTQ+ horror trilogy set in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood. Mr. McGreevy, the charismatic landlord of Summerdale, enables and isolates his tenants until the only place they feel safe is inside his house.

Throughout the series, addiction is used as a metaphor to confront issues in the gay community including racism, misogyny, substance abuse, and domestic abuse. Summerdale is the first novel of the trilogy.

267 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 2, 2018

About the author

David is the author of Gaybash (LGBTQ+ fiction), the Summerdale trilogy (LGBTQ+ horror), and Single & Cooking (LGBTQ+ romance). David lives in Chicago.

Follow David on Instagram: @davidjaycollins

Reviews

[Sharon]

DNF - page 52 (17%)

Unfortunately, could have used a bit more editing - I found a number of lines to be very repetitive and it started to bog down the story.

[William Bitner Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summerdale
By David Jay Collins

Genre - Fiction
Category - Gay/Horror/Suspense/Thriller
Pages - 278
Publication Info - Blurb, November 14, 2018
Format - Paperback
Rating - 🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈

I was so excited when I read the synopsis for Summerdale by David Jay Collins. It was like two of my favorite genres finally together in the same pages, a gay horror! I’m happy to say that I was not disappointed. This is more like four short stories which take place at the same location, Summerdale House in a Chicago neighborhood. Written in four chapters, with each chapter being dedicated to a new character and tenant of Summerdale House along with landlord and mysterious and eerie personality Mr. McGreevy. Each new character has some issue they are dealing with and Mr. McGreevy is more than happy to feed their need for whatever flaw, addiction or compulsion each character has. As a matter of fact it seems that Mr. McGreevy feeds on their need to need him in one way or another. I really enjoyed the timing and buildup with each new chapter as we find out more and more about the mysterious, odd and somewhat sociopathic Mr. McGreevy. This is a wonderful beginning of what I’m sure will become a must read series, with book two due October 2019. This is my second read by David Jay Collins and I am so looking forward to following him and his work in the future. Highly recommend if you are looking for a special kind of horror that will have you on the edge of your seat and turning pages with eager anticipation of what’s happening next.

From the back cover: Four gay men. Four addictions. One landlord from Hell. Welcome to Summerdale, the first novel of an LGBT horror series set in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood. Mr. McGreevy, the charismatic landlord of Summerdale, enables and isolates his tenants until the only place they feel safe is inside his house.

Throughout the series, addiction will be used as a metaphor to confront issues in the gay community including racism, misogyny, substance abuse, and domestic abuse. Summerdale II will come out in October 2019.

About the author: David Jay Collins lives in Chicago. Gaybash is his first novel, available on Kindle and Audible, as well as in paperback. Summerdale, the first novel of his LGBT horror series, is also available.

Other work by David Jay Collins: Gaybash, and Northerly Island (A Short Story).

[Vivi · Rating 3 out of 5]

An event with the author really helped me think more about the story in the entirety rather than singling out the chapters separately. It also helped me appreciate the little intentional things David put in like the mug sayings, I will definitely be going back to flag those! I do wish there was more build up from the early chapters since the last few pages are where things really come together and some answers are given.

[PT]

“His phone oinked” genius

[Mike Pruim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book from the author at a street fest and I appreciated that the story took place at various Chicago neighborhoods and locations and that the characters were LGBT. However, the book is formatted into 4 sections focused on different characters and I couldn’t help feeling like I read the same story 4 times. Each character struggled with different inner demons and the house represented their handling of them via the mysterious Mr. McGreevy — but they all seemed to interact with him in the same cheery, somewhat unrealistic manner. I wish that the characters were connected so that it would tie all of their stories together better.

The ending also seemed to come out of nowhere within the last 15 pages or so…why did the final character get such a cinematic story arc while the others had no sense of closure? It made the other’s stories fall a bit flat by comparison. I did not feel very invested in the final character and didn’t connect to him at all because I’d spent the majority of the book reading about other people.

Small comment, but it bugged me the way the sensual scenes used the word “penis” repeatedly. It made it feel very formal and clinical and lacked the kind of erotic nature that I think was intended.

Overall, I think the book had a decent concept with creative writing and unique character perspectives, but the book just fell a bit flat for me. I wish all the stories could’ve been more intertwined and that the interactions with Mr. McGreevy were more varied.

[Gary Buce · Rating 5 out of 5]

David’s book was an awesome read and I look forward to Summerdale II. Reading about each of the 4 characters you can see the same path in individuals you know, see or work with everyday. The book is written really well and keeps your attention throughout the book. The book is a definite must read.

[Sarah]

I didn’t particularly care for the structure or style of this book, but the premise is fun and I enjoyed reading something local by a local author.

[Mathew Watkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is almost an anthology as opposed to a novel. Four different characters live in the Summerdale house at four different times. These stories are framed by the landlord of the rooming house. I found the characters somewhat difficult to empathize with - horror works when the characters make the same choices as the audience, putting us in their place. The main characters of Summerdale are exaggerated versions of the Deadly Sins: Envy, Gluttony, Sloth, and Lust/Love. The ending was less of a twist and more of a very fast reveal of a scene that left me more than a little confused. I definitely want to support gay writers telling gay stories, but for me, this book had me wanting more.

[Jordan Bolker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t ever read horror novels, like ever. But I’m a fan of supporting local LGBTQ+ authors so I gave this a shot. I like that it’s told in 4 different perspectives and I’m excited to see what happens next! It looks like the sequel picks up where it left off from the characters’ last memories. It was the right amount of creepy and scary without it being too much. Though it definitely paints a picture. I’m also from Chicago so I love the references to all the spots in Chicago. Can’t wait for the next one!

[Tim Mack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Borrowed this from my library’s horror section, wasn’t really sure what to expect. It held my interest for long enough to finish it, but it was just kind of…meh? There are four characters, but you only get the final story of one. And the author never references the three others again. There is one recurring character throughout (other than Mr. McGreevy), but not in enough detail. Didn’t hate it, but I don’t think I’ll read the sequel.

[heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book from the author at Market Days this year. I like the concept of the story, but at times things felt a bit disjointed. It's a pet peeve of mine when writers use the same descriptive words over and over again - and this book poked at my nerves in that regard. Not sure if I'll pick up the rest of the series.

[Kaylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whew, it's a rough go to hate almost every single character - literally zero sympathy for all except David. (That's a me problem - I have to have a somewhat-likeable main usually...)

All 4 chapters feel like standalone stories (though obviously they have common threads). Each is a bit of a different style of writing, which I appreciated a lot -- same voice, but different atmosphere.

[Aaron Eischeid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Episodic slow burn that captures the spirit of the northern side of Chicago as well as slowly creeps under your skin as the horrors of each presented characters' addictions slowly consume them via an evil lurking in the very house they live in. Cannot wait for more!

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book directly from the author at Market Days in Chicago. The story takes place near our neighborhood. I’m halfway through and can’t put it down! I love the writing and the story. It’s a trilogy and I already bought #2. Can’t wait for the third book to come out!

[Monica George]

I didn’t know what to expect but this was a fun read. A lot of hatable characters that made me feel a bit conflicted over how they were treated. Lol

As someone who has lived in this neighborhood, the architectural descriptions were perfection.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The characters in this book had great stories. What a fun play on their stories to use the genre of horror to feed on their addictions. As a Chicago native, I also enjoyed the references to the city.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the overall concept, but the characters stories didn't connect at the end the way I thought it was building up to. Felt disconnected.

[Sandor Molnar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book. The way it's formated I was eager to see how the author tied it all together. I kind of felt like I was reading an RL Stein book, whom I love, so this was an enjoyable read.

[Mason · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the concept of the book and the characters were well done. I wish the book had come together more by the end. The ending felt unsatisfying to me. still a good read.

[Hannah Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought this at a street fair in Chicago, absolutely loved it. Mysterious, gruesome, sexy, frustrating. Could be a little redundant but seemed like it was purposeful for pacing and suspense.