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Summer's Edge
Emily Joiner was once part of an inseparable group—she was a sister, a best friend, a lover, and a rival. Summers without Emily were unthinkable. Until the fire burned the lake house to ashes with her inside.
A year later, it’s in Emily’s honor that Chelsea and her four friends decide to return. The house awaits them, meticulously rebuilt. Only, Chelsea is haunted by ghostly visions. Loner Ryan stirs up old hurts and forces golden boy Chase to play peacemaker. Which has perfect hostess Kennedy on edge as eerie events culminate in a stunning accusation: Emily’s death wasn’t an accident. And all the clues needed to find the person responsible are right here.
As old betrayals rise to the surface, Chelsea and her friends have one night to unravel a mystery spanning three summers before a killer among them exacts their revenge.
A year later, it’s in Emily’s honor that Chelsea and her four friends decide to return. The house awaits them, meticulously rebuilt. Only, Chelsea is haunted by ghostly visions. Loner Ryan stirs up old hurts and forces golden boy Chase to play peacemaker. Which has perfect hostess Kennedy on edge as eerie events culminate in a stunning accusation: Emily’s death wasn’t an accident. And all the clues needed to find the person responsible are right here.
As old betrayals rise to the surface, Chelsea and her friends have one night to unravel a mystery spanning three summers before a killer among them exacts their revenge.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published May 31, 2022
113 people are currently reading
10431 people want to read
About the author
Dana Mele
4 books407 followersDana Mele is a Pushcart-nominated writer based in the upper Hudson Valley. A graduate of Wellesley College, Dana holds degrees in theatre, education, and law. Dana’s debut, PEOPLE LIKE US, was published in 2018 and shortlisted for the 2019 ITW Thriller Award for Best Young Adult Novel. A second YA thriller, SUMMER'S EDGE was published by Simon & Schuster in May 2022.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 790 reviews
November 7, 2024
Summer days spent at the lake with friends; the stuff hazy, sun-soaked dreams are made of.
Everyone is young, good-looking, scantily clad, there's a ton of food, drink and drama. Making memories, that's what it's all about. Both good and bad.
For Kennedy, Emily, Chelsea, Chase and Ryan, summers at Kennedy's family lake house were their thing. They've been friends for so long and their summer days together serve as an anchor for their relationships.
As the friend group ages circumstances do become more complicated, however. Like the year that Chase, Emily's long-time crush, brings a new girlfriend, Mila, into the group. That summer doesn't end well.
In fact, in ends in Emily's tragic death and the lake house burning to the ground.
A year later, the house has been painstakingly rebuilt; an exact replica. With the house ready for occupants once again, the friends have been invited to reunite at the property on the anniversary of Emily's death.
From the very start you could cut the tension with a knife. It runs thick amongst this group. Everyone is second guessing if they should even be there.
Additionally, Chelsea begins having haunting visions. She's seemingly the one who has suffered the most mentally since last summer and it is extremely challenging to be back at the lake. The guilt is overwhelming for her.
Making matters worse is the fact that the boys are at each other's throats and Kennedy's constant need to play the consummate hostess is pushing her to the edge.
Eerie events begin to plague the group almost immediately, leading to an accusation that Emily's death was no accident. It seems someone else is on the property with them and that person is seeking revenge.
Will the friends be able to work together long enough to solve the mystery of what happened last summer before it's too late?
Pitched as The Haunting of Hill House meets I Know What You Did Last Summer, this YA Supernatural Thriller was uncomfortably addicting from beginning to end.
I have read from Dana Mele before and while I enjoyed People Like Us quite a bit, I would classify it as a fairly standard YA Mystery/Thriller. Summer's Edge is many things, but standard is not one of them.
This story took me completely by surprise. It's like I went in expecting a burger and fries, but what I actually received was a perfectly prepped Wagyu steak with truffled fingerling potatoes.
I was going along, all was well and then it took a sudden right turn. I was surprised, but pleasantly so, thinking okay, I didn't know this was going there.
Then we took turn after turn until I was questioning everyone and everything I had read previously.
It was reality-warping. I can't believe how hard I was questioning myself.
I love that Mele was able to surprise me. It was cleverly-plotted and the writing was truly next level. I loved how it made me think. The narrative really plays off the assumptions we make as Readers.
My final thought was, wow.
In addition to the clever plot, disturbingly accurate toxic friendships and spooky scenes, the atmosphere was exactly what I was hoping for.
The perfect creepy summer read to keep you up late at night and possibly fearful of swimming in the lake or going out on the boat. Take from that what you will.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, for providing me with a copy to read and review.
This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and it didn't disappoint for a moment! Highly recommend!!
Everyone is young, good-looking, scantily clad, there's a ton of food, drink and drama. Making memories, that's what it's all about. Both good and bad.
For Kennedy, Emily, Chelsea, Chase and Ryan, summers at Kennedy's family lake house were their thing. They've been friends for so long and their summer days together serve as an anchor for their relationships.
As the friend group ages circumstances do become more complicated, however. Like the year that Chase, Emily's long-time crush, brings a new girlfriend, Mila, into the group. That summer doesn't end well.
In fact, in ends in Emily's tragic death and the lake house burning to the ground.
A year later, the house has been painstakingly rebuilt; an exact replica. With the house ready for occupants once again, the friends have been invited to reunite at the property on the anniversary of Emily's death.
From the very start you could cut the tension with a knife. It runs thick amongst this group. Everyone is second guessing if they should even be there.
Additionally, Chelsea begins having haunting visions. She's seemingly the one who has suffered the most mentally since last summer and it is extremely challenging to be back at the lake. The guilt is overwhelming for her.
Making matters worse is the fact that the boys are at each other's throats and Kennedy's constant need to play the consummate hostess is pushing her to the edge.
Eerie events begin to plague the group almost immediately, leading to an accusation that Emily's death was no accident. It seems someone else is on the property with them and that person is seeking revenge.
Will the friends be able to work together long enough to solve the mystery of what happened last summer before it's too late?
Pitched as The Haunting of Hill House meets I Know What You Did Last Summer, this YA Supernatural Thriller was uncomfortably addicting from beginning to end.
I have read from Dana Mele before and while I enjoyed People Like Us quite a bit, I would classify it as a fairly standard YA Mystery/Thriller. Summer's Edge is many things, but standard is not one of them.
This story took me completely by surprise. It's like I went in expecting a burger and fries, but what I actually received was a perfectly prepped Wagyu steak with truffled fingerling potatoes.
I was going along, all was well and then it took a sudden right turn. I was surprised, but pleasantly so, thinking okay, I didn't know this was going there.
Then we took turn after turn until I was questioning everyone and everything I had read previously.
It was reality-warping. I can't believe how hard I was questioning myself.
I love that Mele was able to surprise me. It was cleverly-plotted and the writing was truly next level. I loved how it made me think. The narrative really plays off the assumptions we make as Readers.
My final thought was, wow.
In addition to the clever plot, disturbingly accurate toxic friendships and spooky scenes, the atmosphere was exactly what I was hoping for.
The perfect creepy summer read to keep you up late at night and possibly fearful of swimming in the lake or going out on the boat. Take from that what you will.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, for providing me with a copy to read and review.
This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and it didn't disappoint for a moment! Highly recommend!!
July 28, 2023
UPDATE: ARCS are in the world! Yay! And time to hide under a rock.
But this would also be a good time to make a list of trigger warnings! This is what I've come up with, but if anyone ever reads the book and finds something I've missed, please feel free to add in the comments, or message me on my website to let me know:
This book contains murder, blood, references to (past) suicidal ideations and involuntary admission to a psychiatric hospital, trauma related to the death of a friend, a description of a dead animal (a rabbit), references to drowning, poisoning, fire, fear of sharks, and falling.
_______
It looks like my book description disappeared! So I'm adding the one from PW:
Pitched as The Haunting of Hill House meets I Know What You Did Last Summer, the YA supernatural thriller centers five estranged friends who return to the summer lake house on the anniversary of their friend’s death. But when unexplainable events begin happening, the group suspects there's an uninvited guest in their midst—one intent on revenge.
I'll be adding updates here as pub date gets closer!!! I could not be more excited for this book. It's...well, you'll see.
But this would also be a good time to make a list of trigger warnings! This is what I've come up with, but if anyone ever reads the book and finds something I've missed, please feel free to add in the comments, or message me on my website to let me know:
This book contains murder, blood, references to (past) suicidal ideations and involuntary admission to a psychiatric hospital, trauma related to the death of a friend, a description of a dead animal (a rabbit), references to drowning, poisoning, fire, fear of sharks, and falling.
_______
It looks like my book description disappeared! So I'm adding the one from PW:
Pitched as The Haunting of Hill House meets I Know What You Did Last Summer, the YA supernatural thriller centers five estranged friends who return to the summer lake house on the anniversary of their friend’s death. But when unexplainable events begin happening, the group suspects there's an uninvited guest in their midst—one intent on revenge.
I'll be adding updates here as pub date gets closer!!! I could not be more excited for this book. It's...well, you'll see.
May 12, 2023
The problem is that the living and the dead aren't meant to mix.
The problem is that I think the line has begun to blur.
Summer's Edge was pitched to me as "The Haunting of Hill House meets I Know What You Did Last Summer", and let me start off by saying that's actually an excellent pair of comps for this title. The book has the same "secret individual seeks revenge for a death with a suspicious story" vibes as the latter, with the bizarre, topsy-turvy feel of the former, all set in a lake house that often feels as though it has a mind of its own. If you're looking for an eerie YA thriller/horror tale this summer, Summer's Edge has you covered, and I think a lot of readers are going to be very enraptured by the twists and turns within these pages.
Unfortunately for me, there were a lot of elements of this story that did not work for me, with most of them boiling down to the writing and editing. I read an eARC of this, so hopefully these issues were fixed by the time the final edits went to print, but I found some glaring continuity errors (such as a character destroying an item on one page, and then having it in his hands, unharmed, two pages later) and there were some unlikely scenarios that I couldn't quite suspend my disbelief for. While some of those scenarios are somewhat explained later, avoiding tying up those loose ends struck me as incomplete and a missed opportunity to make this book a lot more solid than it was.
While I won't give any spoilers for the twists or the ending, I will say that I saw it coming, and while it was a trope I've enjoyed in many other pieces of media, I didn't love its execution here. That said, there were some redeeming qualities in a few of the characters and many quotable, creepy lines that I enjoyed (especially in the "in-between" short chapters in the first half of the book), and the atmosphere of the lake house was immaculate. Overall, Summer's Edge wasn't a story to write home about and I was a little relieved when it was over, as I think it dragged on a bit too long, but I'm still happy I read it and think it will be a big hit with a lot of summer thrill-seekers!
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.
✨ Representation: Chelsea is bi/pan (not specific); Kennedy is sapphic (unknown if lesbian or bi/pan)
✨ Content warnings for:
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July 11, 2022
I struggled with this book because it was difficult to tell the characters apart. Their voices were so similar. The book is divided into three parts, each with a different narrator. Honestly, in the first part, I kept forgetting whose head I was supposed to be in. Chelsea, Kennedy, someone else? The middle-ish was slow, and I ended up skimming after the halfway point. Though confusing at times, I think everything did come together in the end. I think? Borrowed from the library.
May 14, 2022
Pitched as Rebecca meets The Haunting of Hill House, Summer's Edge is a queer horror/thriller about a group of friends returning to a lake house the summer after their friend died there. And it was SO good! Slow building tension, super toxic relationship dynamics, and a creepy, possibly haunted house.
The first half of the book is told through the perspective of Chelsea who spent the last year in an out of mental hospitals and is possibly an unreliable narrator. She's there with her ex-girlfriend AND her ex-boyfriend, while they are still mourning the death of his (the ex-boyfriend's) twin sister the year before. And then there's his best friend who his sister had a thing for, and the friends current girlfriend. It's messy and complicated, a book dealing with grief, toxic friendship, and privilege. I don't want to say too much more, but this book totally worked for me. It's a perfect summer-time horror novel. I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Content warnings from the author: "This book contains murder, blood, references to (past) suicidal ideations and involuntary admission to a psychiatric hospital, trauma related to the death of a friend, a description of a dead animal (a rabbit), references to drowning, poisoning, fire, fear of sharks, and falling."
The first half of the book is told through the perspective of Chelsea who spent the last year in an out of mental hospitals and is possibly an unreliable narrator. She's there with her ex-girlfriend AND her ex-boyfriend, while they are still mourning the death of his (the ex-boyfriend's) twin sister the year before. And then there's his best friend who his sister had a thing for, and the friends current girlfriend. It's messy and complicated, a book dealing with grief, toxic friendship, and privilege. I don't want to say too much more, but this book totally worked for me. It's a perfect summer-time horror novel. I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Content warnings from the author: "This book contains murder, blood, references to (past) suicidal ideations and involuntary admission to a psychiatric hospital, trauma related to the death of a friend, a description of a dead animal (a rabbit), references to drowning, poisoning, fire, fear of sharks, and falling."
June 26, 2020
I read an early version of this as a CP and it was SO GOOD I itched to tell people about it, and that's how you know a thriller is good! I cannot wait to read the publication version and 5 star it all over again :)
June 30, 2022
This book is a bit hard to rate, but I´ll end up with a two-star rating, because I simply didn´t enjoy it for the most part.
This book is a little bit over the place, I don´t know if I´m more frustrated for having finished and seeing all the plot holes but also the possibilities this story had, or if I´m frustrated that I just didn´t drop it. In any case here it goes.
One thing that I really struggled with, was that the characters don't feel fleshed out or have their own voices, everyone reads the same and there are three different narrators in total and that is one thing I really dislike in books, I think the author could have worked better in bringing more unique voices to each one so they could feel a little separated from each other and not have the same voice. Another thing was that the writing itself did not suit this story at all, apart from having a very raw and draft kind of tone, this story would have benefitted so much from a more atmospheric and descriptive story.
Another point that lies tied with the writing, is that the first narrator of the book paints a very different picture from the other though, and although that works as a plot point, in terms of writing it made first chunk (about 50%) really feel different from the rest both thematically and in tone, and I keep thinking that if I never pushed through I wouldn´t know the rest of the story that is so different, and also the first part was really a slog. I couldn´t tell one character from another (what´s up with Chelsea and Chase these names are so similar) and their relationships to one another, and there seemed like the story wasn´t going anywhere, and it was so dragged it really bummed me.
Then we have a major shift in point of view and the paranormal aspect really comes into play, and I loved it. I love this plot simply putting it. I just felt that if the writing was different, and the character construction in the first part of the novel was different, I would´ve loved it so much, I would´ve cared so much more and that is really a bummer. One thing I have to say about this is that there are so many book comparisons made when marketing a book "this is a mix of y meets x" and in my experience most of the time it really is just a stretch or a pure market card and not really anything to deal with the story but in this case, they weren't lying. What really bums me is the amount of wasted potential that could have made this story great.
I really thought if I should rate this a 3 star since I really did enjoy this plot aspect, but here is the thing: more commonly books have flaws in the plot, you feel like things could be different, if there was a different choice or path, if things ended in another way. Fewer times, the book has an excellent plot but such poor writing that you just can´t overlook it. This is the case here. I really wish I could give this one a higher rating, but I just can´t. The overall reading experience left me more pissed of than not, and a plot/plot twist cannot be the only thing holding a book when everything else sucks.
There was more revelations at the third part in the novel with another pov change, this narrator was the one I cared for the least and also these chapters felt more jumbled and messy than the previous ones. Again, I enjoyed the twist, but I just really didn´t care about the character or like the writing.
Like I said earlier, this was a difficult one to rate. I had numerous problems with it that I cannot overlook, but it wasn´t a complete waste, when you analyze it like this.
↠ 2 stars✨
This book is a little bit over the place, I don´t know if I´m more frustrated for having finished and seeing all the plot holes but also the possibilities this story had, or if I´m frustrated that I just didn´t drop it. In any case here it goes.
One thing that I really struggled with, was that the characters don't feel fleshed out or have their own voices, everyone reads the same and there are three different narrators in total and that is one thing I really dislike in books, I think the author could have worked better in bringing more unique voices to each one so they could feel a little separated from each other and not have the same voice. Another thing was that the writing itself did not suit this story at all, apart from having a very raw and draft kind of tone, this story would have benefitted so much from a more atmospheric and descriptive story.
Another point that lies tied with the writing, is that the first narrator of the book paints a very different picture from the other though, and although that works as a plot point, in terms of writing it made first chunk (about 50%) really feel different from the rest both thematically and in tone, and I keep thinking that if I never pushed through I wouldn´t know the rest of the story that is so different, and also the first part was really a slog. I couldn´t tell one character from another (what´s up with Chelsea and Chase these names are so similar) and their relationships to one another, and there seemed like the story wasn´t going anywhere, and it was so dragged it really bummed me.
Then we have a major shift in point of view and the paranormal aspect really comes into play, and I loved it. I love this plot simply putting it. I just felt that if the writing was different, and the character construction in the first part of the novel was different, I would´ve loved it so much, I would´ve cared so much more and that is really a bummer. One thing I have to say about this is that there are so many book comparisons made when marketing a book "this is a mix of y meets x" and in my experience most of the time it really is just a stretch or a pure market card and not really anything to deal with the story but in this case, they weren't lying. What really bums me is the amount of wasted potential that could have made this story great.
I really thought if I should rate this a 3 star since I really did enjoy this plot aspect, but here is the thing: more commonly books have flaws in the plot, you feel like things could be different, if there was a different choice or path, if things ended in another way. Fewer times, the book has an excellent plot but such poor writing that you just can´t overlook it. This is the case here. I really wish I could give this one a higher rating, but I just can´t. The overall reading experience left me more pissed of than not, and a plot/plot twist cannot be the only thing holding a book when everything else sucks.
There was more revelations at the third part in the novel with another pov change, this narrator was the one I cared for the least and also these chapters felt more jumbled and messy than the previous ones. Again, I enjoyed the twist, but I just really didn´t care about the character or like the writing.
Like I said earlier, this was a difficult one to rate. I had numerous problems with it that I cannot overlook, but it wasn´t a complete waste, when you analyze it like this.
↠ 2 stars✨
July 15, 2022
Easiest 5 stars I gave this year!
"Do you know what I think about the truth? I think truth breaks people. It twists them in knots until they snap. It turns them against one another. Truth is a poison, and we treat it like an antidote."
Ladies and gentlemen, I present you the queen of creating unlikable characters with their toxic friendships and relationships, who you still, for some reason, deeply care about—Dana Mele!
I loved her novel "People Like Us" and had to wait for an eternity to finally read this one. But it was totally worth it.
"Summer's Edge" blew my mind.
It's hard to explain what exactly was so amazing about this novel without spoiling it, so all I'm going to say is: This is how you write a ghost story! You don't use ghosts to help cover up plot holes. Not use them as excuses for every illogical/impossible event. Not make them copy/paste sad ghosts who need help of the living to tell the world story of how they were killed, nor angry ghosts who want revenge.
No, you do what Dana Male did and scramble readers' brains.
Just...pick up this book and see it for yourselves!
And question for those who read it: any thoughts on the epilogue??
"Do you know what I think about the truth? I think truth breaks people. It twists them in knots until they snap. It turns them against one another. Truth is a poison, and we treat it like an antidote."
Ladies and gentlemen, I present you the queen of creating unlikable characters with their toxic friendships and relationships, who you still, for some reason, deeply care about—Dana Mele!
I loved her novel "People Like Us" and had to wait for an eternity to finally read this one. But it was totally worth it.
"Summer's Edge" blew my mind.
It's hard to explain what exactly was so amazing about this novel without spoiling it, so all I'm going to say is: This is how you write a ghost story! You don't use ghosts to help cover up plot holes. Not use them as excuses for every illogical/impossible event. Not make them copy/paste sad ghosts who need help of the living to tell the world story of how they were killed, nor angry ghosts who want revenge.
No, you do what Dana Male did and scramble readers' brains.
Just...pick up this book and see it for yourselves!
And question for those who read it: any thoughts on the epilogue??
May 30, 2022
ohwhatthefuck
read my review on reads rainbow
Rep: lesbian mc, bi mc
read my review on reads rainbow
Rep: lesbian mc, bi mc
February 10, 2022
How far are we willing to go for the people we love- and how quick are we to abandon them for our own sake? These are some of the many questions Summer's Edge poses in this dark thriller/drama.
Overview:
👍 Who-Done-It
👍 Co dependent destructive friend group
🆗 Sapphic romance
🆗 Bisexual love triangle
👍 Multi POV
👍 Non linear storytelling
♥️ Gothic drama
Summer's Edge is at its heart, a young adult gothic. A book meant to leave an impression to those who love the genre and possibly frustrate those who don't.
Chelsea and her friends have been close for a long time, until the night one of them, Emily, burns to death in her girlfriend's lake house. In that moment, their lives and friendships shatter. A year later, their friend group returns to the lake house, rebuilt down to the last detail. As they revisit the last year, it feels like someone is sending them cryptic messages about the incident; about what REALLY happened that night.
This is a slow, understated book that does not give you too much at once. It's long conversations and a slow burn reveal of the nature of these characters and their relationships with each other. Summer's Edge feels like a love letter to traditional gothic storytelling- it isn't trying to give you an explosive moment. Rather, by the end of the book, the creeping feeling of realization comes in. Those small moving parts all tie together for a twist that leaves you feeling strange and hollow.
The storytelling in non linear, told more or less between two timelines by three different girls; however, it is not confusing or hard to follow. The story follows the teens meeting back up at the lake house, and later goes into the past the year that Emily died.
the characters themselves are all fairly un likable by design. all of them are messy, troubled teenagers with a spot of darkness to them. If you've read the adult gothic author Rachel Hawkins, it is a lot like her work.
I have to be honest, I was rooting for the villain most of the time. I did not particularly support any of the main characters in the book, though they were all extremely interesting as people. I particularly liked Emily and her twin Ryan. Emily's past POVs were exceptional and the hi light of the book for me. She was such a fascinating character.
I has one character whose POV I didn't love (Kennedy), but ultimately came to appreciate as it provided much needed context for the book. I also did not like the main romance very much; although I do not know how much you are really supposed to. I hard a hard time buying it, but the individual characters themselves were pretty cool.
Summer's Edge is a spooky treat for fans of darker YA. I devoured it, and I recommend it for patient readers who can enjoy an easy to read, slower moving tragedy.
Overview:
👍 Who-Done-It
👍 Co dependent destructive friend group
🆗 Sapphic romance
🆗 Bisexual love triangle
👍 Multi POV
👍 Non linear storytelling
♥️ Gothic drama
Summer's Edge is at its heart, a young adult gothic. A book meant to leave an impression to those who love the genre and possibly frustrate those who don't.
Chelsea and her friends have been close for a long time, until the night one of them, Emily, burns to death in her girlfriend's lake house. In that moment, their lives and friendships shatter. A year later, their friend group returns to the lake house, rebuilt down to the last detail. As they revisit the last year, it feels like someone is sending them cryptic messages about the incident; about what REALLY happened that night.
This is a slow, understated book that does not give you too much at once. It's long conversations and a slow burn reveal of the nature of these characters and their relationships with each other. Summer's Edge feels like a love letter to traditional gothic storytelling- it isn't trying to give you an explosive moment. Rather, by the end of the book, the creeping feeling of realization comes in. Those small moving parts all tie together for a twist that leaves you feeling strange and hollow.
The storytelling in non linear, told more or less between two timelines by three different girls; however, it is not confusing or hard to follow. The story follows the teens meeting back up at the lake house, and later goes into the past the year that Emily died.
the characters themselves are all fairly un likable by design. all of them are messy, troubled teenagers with a spot of darkness to them. If you've read the adult gothic author Rachel Hawkins, it is a lot like her work.
I have to be honest, I was rooting for the villain most of the time. I did not particularly support any of the main characters in the book, though they were all extremely interesting as people. I particularly liked Emily and her twin Ryan. Emily's past POVs were exceptional and the hi light of the book for me. She was such a fascinating character.
I has one character whose POV I didn't love (Kennedy), but ultimately came to appreciate as it provided much needed context for the book. I also did not like the main romance very much; although I do not know how much you are really supposed to. I hard a hard time buying it, but the individual characters themselves were pretty cool.
Summer's Edge is a spooky treat for fans of darker YA. I devoured it, and I recommend it for patient readers who can enjoy an easy to read, slower moving tragedy.
November 6, 2024
I am still speachless of what happened! This was amazing. The plot was phenomenal and unpredictable! It was like the haunting of hill house but better in a way.
December 9, 2022
holy fuck. rtc!
August 10, 2022
Rounded up to a 1.5
I just never got into this book properly. Going in I thought it’d be a revenge slasher, then the paranormal aspect came in, which I actually liked. Kennedy’s perspective was my favorite and her dynamic with the house and it’s ghosts. But everyone in the book is just the WORST.
They are so annoying, something spooky and supernatural would happen then they’d have pages long talks about how they’ve been betrayed by someone, undercutting any tension built. The story felt very character driven and I never thought that could be a bad thing, but I would have liked a more of a concrete plot. It kinda felt like messy teen drama with ghosts in the background.
I read the whole thing hoping for it to pick up, but it sadly never did.
I just never got into this book properly. Going in I thought it’d be a revenge slasher, then the paranormal aspect came in, which I actually liked. Kennedy’s perspective was my favorite and her dynamic with the house and it’s ghosts. But everyone in the book is just the WORST.
They are so annoying, something spooky and supernatural would happen then they’d have pages long talks about how they’ve been betrayed by someone, undercutting any tension built. The story felt very character driven and I never thought that could be a bad thing, but I would have liked a more of a concrete plot. It kinda felt like messy teen drama with ghosts in the background.
I read the whole thing hoping for it to pick up, but it sadly never did.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2022
While I could not put this book down, I found parts of the storyline confusing and choppy. I had re-read several chapters quite a few times in order to grasp what was actually happening. I found it hard to follow, as the author switched the character who was ‘speaking’ in one chapter to another character in the next without a smooth segue.
I question whether I would recommend it to someone.
I question whether I would recommend it to someone.
June 15, 2022
I liked the destination but the journey was tortuous and confusing. I might’ve enjoyed this a bit more if it was edited differently. I like a non-linear timeline and multiple POV but it did not work here at all, it just felt a bit sloppy. The book is broken up over 3 summers, each narrated by a different person but each character read the same. Overall, not an enjoyable reading experience and not one I would rush to recommend.
This one has pretty good reviews so I might just be an outlier 🤷♀️
This one has pretty good reviews so I might just be an outlier 🤷♀️
June 30, 2022
WOW! The first 40% was amazing. Seriously excellent. However, the majority of the book, you know the last 60% of the book, was not it. Very slow and confusing. I skim read the last 40% or so and still understood what the ending was all about. SO much potential and yet it fell short for me.
August 25, 2022
Thought it would be a 5 star ended up being the worst this year. I hate this book. I don’t even remember most of it and I finished it five minutes ago. Characters suck and plot sucked and predictable.
June 5, 2022
**spoiler free!
“Feasts are for weddings and funerals, greetings and goodbyes.”
→ 4.5 stars
okay there’s not a lot i can say without spoiling what happens, but this was AMAZING. all the twists were so shocking and i didn’t see any of them coming, and i definitely spent at least 30 minutes staring off into space because i was so shocked??? the only reason why i didn’t give it 5 stars is because the ending got a little bit confusing, but other than that i loved this so so so much. this was one of my most anticipated reads in 2022, and it definitely did not disappoint AT ALL.
i feel like it’s kinda difficult to explain the plot since this book is so intense and crazy, but just trust me when i say it’s definitely worth reading. it reminded me of the haunting of hill house and we were liars, so if you’re a fan of either of those you’ll probably love this :)
also, i really loved the lesbian and bi rep! it wasn’t a huge part of the story since this book wasn’t really about relationships, but that was the main relationship so it made me really happy that that was added :)
overall this was VERY well done and i will definitely be reading more books by this author in the future!
→ trigger warnings
**this list was created by the author on their goodreads, i did not come up with this!
“Murder, blood, references to (past) suicidal ideations and involuntary admission to a psychiatric hospital, trauma related to the death of a friend, a description of a dead animal (a rabbit), references to drowning, poisoning, fire, fear of sharks, and falling.”
“Feasts are for weddings and funerals, greetings and goodbyes.”
→ 4.5 stars
okay there’s not a lot i can say without spoiling what happens, but this was AMAZING. all the twists were so shocking and i didn’t see any of them coming, and i definitely spent at least 30 minutes staring off into space because i was so shocked??? the only reason why i didn’t give it 5 stars is because the ending got a little bit confusing, but other than that i loved this so so so much. this was one of my most anticipated reads in 2022, and it definitely did not disappoint AT ALL.
i feel like it’s kinda difficult to explain the plot since this book is so intense and crazy, but just trust me when i say it’s definitely worth reading. it reminded me of the haunting of hill house and we were liars, so if you’re a fan of either of those you’ll probably love this :)
also, i really loved the lesbian and bi rep! it wasn’t a huge part of the story since this book wasn’t really about relationships, but that was the main relationship so it made me really happy that that was added :)
overall this was VERY well done and i will definitely be reading more books by this author in the future!
→ trigger warnings
**this list was created by the author on their goodreads, i did not come up with this!
“Murder, blood, references to (past) suicidal ideations and involuntary admission to a psychiatric hospital, trauma related to the death of a friend, a description of a dead animal (a rabbit), references to drowning, poisoning, fire, fear of sharks, and falling.”
May 16, 2023
SUMMER'S EDGE
Dana Mele
WHAT THE HECK? This goes one way until about midway and it makes a U-turn and goes backward. WTF? I read it all, but at one point I had to ask myself what was going on. I had reached almost what I thought was the end with one POV and then turned around and started over with another POV.
I started this blind as a bat so I had no idea what was going on really... I mean I didn't expect any ghost or supernatural anything (quite a disappointment). The characters were absolutely terrible people and not one of them was worth saving... in fact, the boat should have sunk and the house burned down and that should have been the end!
If these were high school students, they should have had more parental involvement cuz these kids are the worst kids ever.
2.5 stars
Happy Reading!
Dana Mele
WHAT THE HECK? This goes one way until about midway and it makes a U-turn and goes backward. WTF? I read it all, but at one point I had to ask myself what was going on. I had reached almost what I thought was the end with one POV and then turned around and started over with another POV.
I started this blind as a bat so I had no idea what was going on really... I mean I didn't expect any ghost or supernatural anything (quite a disappointment). The characters were absolutely terrible people and not one of them was worth saving... in fact, the boat should have sunk and the house burned down and that should have been the end!
If these were high school students, they should have had more parental involvement cuz these kids are the worst kids ever.
2.5 stars
Happy Reading!
July 14, 2024
Absolutely LOVED the concept for this book, but unfortunately the delivery just didn’t do it for me. If you’re a fan of We Were Liars, check this one out!
Read in my latest summerween video:
https://youtu.be/a4KtC5Li11o?si=zEcP-...
Read in my latest summerween video:
https://youtu.be/a4KtC5Li11o?si=zEcP-...
August 4, 2025
popped the fuck off with an absolute BANGER
June 4, 2022
Summer's Edge is a 5-star read. It was unpredictable and that's an important trait I seek in the novels I read.
July 16, 2023
Een heerlijke vakantie van een hecht clubje van zes vrienden, wordt opeens één grote nachtmerrie.
Een verschrikkelijke brand zorgde ervoor dat er nog maar vijf overbleven.
Één jaar na deze gebeurtenis, krijgen de overgebleven vrienden ieder een mysterieus kaartje voor een reünie om terug te komen naar het huis aan het meer, die inmiddels weer opgebouwd is nadat het is afgebrand. Dit besluiten ze te doen, om hun overleden vriendin Emily te eren.
Maar dan gebeuren er wel hele vreemde dingen, die ze niet kunnen verklaren en allemaal naar Emily lijken te wijzen. Ze denken elkaar zo goed te kennen, maar niks is wat het lijkt en iedereen lijkt zijn eigen geheim bij zich te dragen.
Wat is er écht op de nacht van het ongeluk voorgevallen, en was dit ook echt een ongeluk of speelt er veel meer dan dat?
Een paar weken geleden ontving ik een mystery pakketje van Blossombooks; hier zat het eerste deel (het boek is opgedeeld in meerdere delen in verschillende perspectieven) van ‘De laatste zomer’ in! Ik was zo excited dat ik er gelijk in begon, en kon hem ook echt niet wegleggen.
Voordat ik het wist was ik al bijna klaar en toen begon ik toch het ergste te vrezen; er zat een GROTE cliffhanger aan te komen.
De afgelopen weken zat dit boek daarom ook erg in mijn hoofd, en dacht ik er vaak over na wat er precies speelde en wat deze mysterieuze gebeurtenissen nou kon veroorzaken.
Vandaag viel dan eindelijk het volledige exemplaar op de deurmat, je kan vast wel raden wat er toen gebeurde. Ik liet zowat alles zó uit mijn handen vallen en begon met lezen. 😂
Het verhaal had me gelijk al in zijn greep en ik zat er weer heerlijk in. Ik zat direct weer op het randje van mijn stoel, want ik moest en zou weten wat er nou exact aan de hand was.
Let me tell you, het einde zag ik TOTAAL niet aankomen en las dat hele stuk met open mond.
Wat ben ik toch dol op dit soort verhalen; duister, mysterieus, vleugje paranormaal en bom vol twist en turns. Het grimmige, mysterieuze sfeertje wordt al perfect neergezet in het begin van het verhaal en heeft je echt hooked waardoor je het niet weg kan leggen.
De personages zijn erg interessant, maar zoals ik al eerder zei; iedereen lijkt wel een geheim achter te houden en je hebt geen flauw idee wie je nou wel of niet kan vertrouwen. Persoonlijk ben ik hier echt dol op en voel ik me zelf net een detective om te achterhalen wie wat heeft gedaan.
Kort samengevat; dit boek is een echte pageturner die je niet weg kan leggen!
4/ 4,5 ✨
Een verschrikkelijke brand zorgde ervoor dat er nog maar vijf overbleven.
Één jaar na deze gebeurtenis, krijgen de overgebleven vrienden ieder een mysterieus kaartje voor een reünie om terug te komen naar het huis aan het meer, die inmiddels weer opgebouwd is nadat het is afgebrand. Dit besluiten ze te doen, om hun overleden vriendin Emily te eren.
Maar dan gebeuren er wel hele vreemde dingen, die ze niet kunnen verklaren en allemaal naar Emily lijken te wijzen. Ze denken elkaar zo goed te kennen, maar niks is wat het lijkt en iedereen lijkt zijn eigen geheim bij zich te dragen.
Wat is er écht op de nacht van het ongeluk voorgevallen, en was dit ook echt een ongeluk of speelt er veel meer dan dat?
Een paar weken geleden ontving ik een mystery pakketje van Blossombooks; hier zat het eerste deel (het boek is opgedeeld in meerdere delen in verschillende perspectieven) van ‘De laatste zomer’ in! Ik was zo excited dat ik er gelijk in begon, en kon hem ook echt niet wegleggen.
Voordat ik het wist was ik al bijna klaar en toen begon ik toch het ergste te vrezen; er zat een GROTE cliffhanger aan te komen.
De afgelopen weken zat dit boek daarom ook erg in mijn hoofd, en dacht ik er vaak over na wat er precies speelde en wat deze mysterieuze gebeurtenissen nou kon veroorzaken.
Vandaag viel dan eindelijk het volledige exemplaar op de deurmat, je kan vast wel raden wat er toen gebeurde. Ik liet zowat alles zó uit mijn handen vallen en begon met lezen. 😂
Het verhaal had me gelijk al in zijn greep en ik zat er weer heerlijk in. Ik zat direct weer op het randje van mijn stoel, want ik moest en zou weten wat er nou exact aan de hand was.
Let me tell you, het einde zag ik TOTAAL niet aankomen en las dat hele stuk met open mond.
Wat ben ik toch dol op dit soort verhalen; duister, mysterieus, vleugje paranormaal en bom vol twist en turns. Het grimmige, mysterieuze sfeertje wordt al perfect neergezet in het begin van het verhaal en heeft je echt hooked waardoor je het niet weg kan leggen.
De personages zijn erg interessant, maar zoals ik al eerder zei; iedereen lijkt wel een geheim achter te houden en je hebt geen flauw idee wie je nou wel of niet kan vertrouwen. Persoonlijk ben ik hier echt dol op en voel ik me zelf net een detective om te achterhalen wie wat heeft gedaan.
Kort samengevat; dit boek is een echte pageturner die je niet weg kan leggen!
4/ 4,5 ✨
April 28, 2022
As soon as I heard about this book, I was excited. A sapphic thriller about friends revisiting their yearly summer cabin, even after the tragedy that killed their friend there last summer? Sign me up!! As soon as I was approved for this arc, I was desperate to dive in (even if it’s not quite summer yet). And I’m so glad I did!
Reading this book felt like a blur, in the best of ways. I lost track of time, of the world around me, and focused in on only on the story in front of me, of the twisted games these friends played on each other, of the secrets they kept hidden. I found myself getting increasingly absorbed into the story, obsessed even, as the story wove on and on and the weight of all these secrets became heavier and heavier.
I saw another reviewer say that this is a book where you have to trust the process and where the story will end up, and I have to fully agree. There were moments where I just had to let go and follow the book, even through my confusion as the story continued to warp around me, and that’s honestly a hard thing to do sometimes. I wanted to piece things together, but without any idea of the bigger picture, I was just lost. But in the end, I trusted the story, and I’m so glad it did. That final moment of clarity, of realization, was worth the confusion, and made better because of it even. (I’m being intentionally vague here because this is a story worth reading without spoilers, just so you can feel the full punch in the gut it brings by the end).
This is one of those books where I want to just list everything I loved, but can’t without spoiling too much and giving it all away. So I’m just going to ask you all to trust me, and give this wonderful book a shot, because it’s honestly worth the trip.
Reading this book felt like a blur, in the best of ways. I lost track of time, of the world around me, and focused in on only on the story in front of me, of the twisted games these friends played on each other, of the secrets they kept hidden. I found myself getting increasingly absorbed into the story, obsessed even, as the story wove on and on and the weight of all these secrets became heavier and heavier.
I saw another reviewer say that this is a book where you have to trust the process and where the story will end up, and I have to fully agree. There were moments where I just had to let go and follow the book, even through my confusion as the story continued to warp around me, and that’s honestly a hard thing to do sometimes. I wanted to piece things together, but without any idea of the bigger picture, I was just lost. But in the end, I trusted the story, and I’m so glad it did. That final moment of clarity, of realization, was worth the confusion, and made better because of it even. (I’m being intentionally vague here because this is a story worth reading without spoilers, just so you can feel the full punch in the gut it brings by the end).
This is one of those books where I want to just list everything I loved, but can’t without spoiling too much and giving it all away. So I’m just going to ask you all to trust me, and give this wonderful book a shot, because it’s honestly worth the trip.
June 7, 2022
Definitely comparable to We Were Liars but better and more aggressive. The characters were honestly written well and I enjoyed the writing style. I finished this completely so quickly too. There’s just some small things in here that confused me and so for that it loses a star. Was really good, just didn’t blow my mind.
May 31, 2022
this book was so fucking trippy
December 8, 2024
Summer's Edge was a very interesting story. And the turn it took was not what I was expecting.
Pure brilliance.
Full review to come...
Pure brilliance.
Full review to come...
July 5, 2022
This one caught me COMPLETELY off guard. A really great mystery for the summer!
July 31, 2024
this kinda sucked, huh.
2⭐
“the invitation is never the revenge, kennedy. the revenge is what you’re invited to.”
- the story had an interesting premise, it being the only reason i decided to read the book in the first place. but the plot itself disappointed me.
- im not here to explain the plot, bcs i dont have the energy or willingness in me to do so.
- in the beginning, it was very slow and the characters were excruciatingly annoying.
- but then, suddenly, it felt as if the entire storyline of an average murder mystery somehow happened within the first 50% of the book, which really confused me since like, what would the rest of the book have to say then?
- way too confusing like pls pls pls if u wanna write a murder mystery, then make sure to bring clarity because that is crucial
- out of nowhere, after the 50% mark, we started following another character's pov two years back. and then, after the 70% mark, we started following yet another character's pov the previous year. and THEN, at the end, we go back to the present again. i repeat, this is too freaking messy and unorganized for it to be a really good book.
- the characters were SO ANNOYING OMLLLLLL. i swear on my life i have never met more annoying, cringe and angering characters before. LIKE EXPLAIN TO ME HOW ALL OF THEM WHO ARE SO ARROGANT SOMEHOW MANAGED TO BE BEST FRIENDS FOR YEARS???
- also i totally get how the ghost idea was supposed to be unique or whatever but an idea is only unique WHEN YOU DO IT PROPERLY AND EXPLAIN IT CORRECTLY SO AS TO NOT CONFUSE YOUR READERS
- plus the writing was kinda boring for a murder mystery
- like everyone knows that if youre writing a murder mystery, the least it has to do is CAPTIVATE YOU OR KEEP YOU ENGAGED BUT NOOOOOOO THIS BOOK JUST COULD NOT DO THAT
- the ending was the most underwhelming thing in history of underwhelming YA murder mysteries
- all throughout the book, i was just waiting for it to end. that on its own says a lot about the book, doesn't it?
“attics are places for secrets. attics are places to hide. attics are places to set traps for creatures that creep inside.”
--------------------------------------
༶•┈┈୨pre-review୧┈┈•༶｡
tomorrow is the last day of july. tomorrow i will write this review and two others. tomorrow i will update my 2024 on goodreads. oh and also this book sucked get ready for a hate review ppl <3
2⭐
“the invitation is never the revenge, kennedy. the revenge is what you’re invited to.”
- the story had an interesting premise, it being the only reason i decided to read the book in the first place. but the plot itself disappointed me.
- im not here to explain the plot, bcs i dont have the energy or willingness in me to do so.
- in the beginning, it was very slow and the characters were excruciatingly annoying.
- but then, suddenly, it felt as if the entire storyline of an average murder mystery somehow happened within the first 50% of the book, which really confused me since like, what would the rest of the book have to say then?
- way too confusing like pls pls pls if u wanna write a murder mystery, then make sure to bring clarity because that is crucial
- out of nowhere, after the 50% mark, we started following another character's pov two years back. and then, after the 70% mark, we started following yet another character's pov the previous year. and THEN, at the end, we go back to the present again. i repeat, this is too freaking messy and unorganized for it to be a really good book.
- the characters were SO ANNOYING OMLLLLLL. i swear on my life i have never met more annoying, cringe and angering characters before. LIKE EXPLAIN TO ME HOW ALL OF THEM WHO ARE SO ARROGANT SOMEHOW MANAGED TO BE BEST FRIENDS FOR YEARS???
- also i totally get how the ghost idea was supposed to be unique or whatever but an idea is only unique WHEN YOU DO IT PROPERLY AND EXPLAIN IT CORRECTLY SO AS TO NOT CONFUSE YOUR READERS
- plus the writing was kinda boring for a murder mystery
- like everyone knows that if youre writing a murder mystery, the least it has to do is CAPTIVATE YOU OR KEEP YOU ENGAGED BUT NOOOOOOO THIS BOOK JUST COULD NOT DO THAT
- the ending was the most underwhelming thing in history of underwhelming YA murder mysteries
- all throughout the book, i was just waiting for it to end. that on its own says a lot about the book, doesn't it?
“attics are places for secrets. attics are places to hide. attics are places to set traps for creatures that creep inside.”
--------------------------------------
༶•┈┈୨pre-review୧┈┈•༶｡
tomorrow is the last day of july. tomorrow i will write this review and two others. tomorrow i will update my 2024 on goodreads. oh and also this book sucked get ready for a hate review ppl <3
October 28, 2024
DNF 52%
Wat een slecht boek, ik word er totaal niet mee ingezogen.
De verhaallijn is veel te vaag. Liever starten aan een ander boek.
Wat een slecht boek, ik word er totaal niet mee ingezogen.
De verhaallijn is veel te vaag. Liever starten aan een ander boek.
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