I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

It makes me rate it so I'll hit the middle ground (even though I like it more than that)
I wrote it, so I liked it, of f course.
I downloaded this NG copy so I could see how the book looked on my Kindle. I was 100% satisfied.

-GR

Allow me to preface this with a little full disclosure: I am a fan of Glenn Rolfe, have been for a little while as his fiction, for the most part, clicks with me (one novel needs a reread in it’s final form.) We’ve also been social-buddies for a handful of years. Since my first Rolfe read, The Haunted Halls. So my opinions could be considered a bit biased, and that’s ok. I’ve long said that I an not a critic, I am a fan. An author has already won me over when I crack that spine. At which point I can only be lost. With that being said, Until Summer Comes Around is my favorite Glenn Rolfe Horror since Blood and Rain (my go-to GRH recommendation,) and it is quite nice to have Glen back in my TBR line-up.

Set in an idyllic North Eastern summer tourist destination, young Rocky finds the bite of first love... and a different kind of bite altogether as he comes of age, sees the world in a different light, and looses a bit of innocence. All under the hypnotic glow of the midway neon.

Coming-of-age yarns are addictive by nature. They remind us of the glamour and excitement of our youth, long before we’ve hit or fallen well past our prime (speaking for myself only, you all are still gorgeous, wink.) They remind us of a time when anything was possible. So, take that sub-genre, wrap it in an amusement park setting (ala Adventureland) and spice it up with some gritty Near Dark-ish style nomads and you’ve got me in your back pocket. I belong to you, whisk me away.

And Glenn does just that. For 8ish hours or so I was in that north-eastern town, catching some rays, watching some coeds. Killing time on the rides waiting for sundown. Feeling youthful again, if but for a moment. It’s a little pinch of magic.

What can I say though? I dig Rolfe’s style, I relate to his characters. The music his populace listens to is the music I listen/ listened to. They speak how I speak. Odd, imaginative. Outcast by nature, but not by purpose. I knew this going in. I am a Glenn Rolfe Horror... you know, without the creatures.

Entertainment value, 5/5

Have you ever wondered what if the movie “The Lost Boys” was a book and was gorier, scarier, featured better protagonists and supporting characters? Well, Glenn Rolfe got you covered. “Until Summer Comes Around” is one of the best coming of age books ever written and also it puts a new spin on the old vampire tale. Simply an engaging and nostalgic tale of growing up in the mid-80s.

I knew this was going to be the book for me right from the outset. I mean, like as soon as I “cracked” it (as much as one can crack open an e-book). The dedication reads:

“For all the Lost Boys out there.
Thou shalt not fall.”

Anyone who knows me even a little bit probably knows that I am a wee bit obsessed with The Lost Boys. Well, more specifically with a mulleted and extremely attractive Keifer Sutherland (who would never again be that kind of hot – unlike his extremely beautiful father – but I digress).

So, Until Summer Comes Around centers around a teen boy named Rocky who is facing a summer without his best friend/cousin Axl. See, Axl is going to visit relatives in England, leaving Rocky the whole summer to wander the boardwalks of their New England tourist town all by himself. But just before Axl leaves, Rocky meets November, and instantly develops a crush on her the likes of which nobody outside of their teens would probably understand. But November’s got a secret – she’s a vampire. And her brother Gabriel is not amenable to his little sister mixing it up with humans.

I think that Rolfe did some really interesting things with vampire lore. And they aren’t gentle or sexy, which I’m 100% here for. Instead, they’re terrifying monsters – but not all of them are necessarily evil. I don’t know, there’s just a lot of really fun stuff going on here.

The Epilogue is the only thing that I didn’t love completely, and that was just because it reminded me that I had basically forgotten that Axl even existed right up until that moment, and things didn’t play out super well for him in the end. I think I felt a little guilty.

Anyway, this coming of age vampiric beachside pier-horror novel is a PERFECT SUMMER READ. If you haven’t read it, I have to insist that you fix that as soon as possible. It’ll bring you back to your summers as a child – all cotton candy, ferris wheels, and that pure, crystalline terror that seems to be unique to children on the cusp of adulthood – you know the one – like, the whole world is out to get you, there’s monsters around every corner, but you know you’re too old to run away from it, so you have to have that super rad gearing-up montage before you hop on your bmx to go confront the things that go bump in the night.

I REALLY loved this book. It gave me a chance to live out a bit of my own Lost Boys dream for a few hours, which I’m never going to complain about.

From books to film and TV, nostalgic horror has been all the rage of late, and Until Summer Comes Around [Flame Tree Press, May 2020] by Glenn Rolfe is comfortably at home in the genre. In fact, if Lost Boys, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the Kristy Swanson flick), and Stranger Things had a fangy baby and put on paper, it might be this book—and that’s some high praise.

Set in the summer of 1986 in the Maine beach town of Old Orchard Beach during its annual tourist wave, Until Summer Comes Around is a tale as old as time: boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boy discovers girl is a vampire and her bloodthirsty and slightly batshit (vampire pun!) older brother is sucking the town’s population dry. Unbeknownst to anyone, a refreshingly dysfunctional family of vampires have come to OOB alongside the flock of faceless summer tourists, and one of them is just a little, er, hungrier than the others. He’s also very not cool to see his younger sister getting cozy on the beach with a boy.

Okay, so maybe it’s not actually a tale as old as time, but there are enough classic summer-love elements—and on-point references to an 80s timeline—in Rolfe’s When Summer Comes Around to give the novel the sort of swoony, surreal realism that makes a well-written flashback setting so immersive. The voices of the characters ring true, as do their emotions when what should be fun summer days devolve into a real-time nightmare sequence of disappearances, murders, and a whole lot of heartache for everyone involved. And, though the main protagonists in Summer are fifteen-year-old teenagers, Rolfe pulls no punches with the gore, balancing out all that sappy summertime passion with enough blood spatter, decaying corpses, and maggots—yes, maggots!—to successfully swerve right out of the possibility of Summer being anything less than a true horror story.

While Rolfe’s ability to convincingly pen a teenage summer romance of a decade bygone is sufficient enough to drape that familiar old feeling of shoulder-padded nostalgia atop your shoulders, it’s his take on classic vampire tropes that sets Summer apart. Despite the romantic element of the story, there’s no sun-sparkling teenage angst or smooth, Transylvanian seduction here (though there is the much more accurate, slightly bumbling approach to first love, because we’ve all been there). Likewise, there’s no garlic-fearing, crucifix-welding dependency on tried-and-tried vampire tropes, and the only references to coffins, black wardrobes, and poetic monologuing range from tongue-in-cheek to outright sardonic and are never to be taken seriously. Rolfe’s vampires are much more human, and much more…relatable…which only serves to up the ante in his coming-of-age-vampire-horror.

If you’re looking to go back in time to fall in love with a monster…Until Summer Comes Around is your next read.

Another perfect summertime read. Great coming of age story complete with vampires and young love. Quick read.

Even when I rate a book 5/5, very rarely do I feel it was a perfect book. And perhaps I just picked this one up at the right time, or perhaps some elements spoke to me more than they would others, but honestly, I feel Until Summer Comes Around is as close to perfect as it gets.

The story takes place in a coastal tourist town, complete with a boardwalk, arcade and carnival rides. Each summer the town in inundated with visitors and this year, which just happens to be in the early 80's, is no different. Rocky wants nothing more than to spend the summer getting his driver's permit and hanging out when friends and family. But then Rocky meets November and his world stops. Rocky is clearly headed for his first love but will this love end is tragedy? November is vacationing with her mother and brother, Gabriel and November holds a secret of her own, one that may tear the whole town apart.

As I mentioned, this book takes place in the 80's which just happens to be near and dear to my heart. It is complete with pop culture references such as Van Hagar (those of you that were there will understand the name) and Europe. I also happened to love so many of the characters. Rocky is bordering on becoming an adult but is still in the awkward teen phase. I loved the family dynamic in the book. Rocky's mom and dad were protective, but not smothering. His older sister was sometimes annoying, but also was one of Rocky's closest pals. Then you had November who wants nothing more than to have a normal summer without Gabriel ruining it for her. Which brings me to Gabriel. Gabriel is everything I want a monster to be. Ugly and ruthless and not afraid to get his hands, or in this case his teeth, dirty. There's no glamorous side to Gabriel and I'm grateful for that.

So while I kind of want to shy away from the comparison, I am going to go there. Until Summer Comes Around has a STRONG Lost Boys vibe. Which in the end, was fine with me. No the story is not the same, but a lot of similar elements are there. And for a child of the 80's who absolutely loved The Lost Boys (and yes, Keifer in all his badness was my favorite character), it's easy to see what this novel spoke to me so much. If you are looking for a great summer horror read, look no further. And while there is a romantic element between Rocky and November, don't let that scare you away. It's the sweet first-love, coming-of-age kind of romance and not the insta-love, all in you face type of romance. I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future.

Also, I have to say that even though it was already a 5/5 read for me, the author gets extra points for having Rocky listen to the Purple Rain soundtrack when his heart was breaking. Go Prince!

‘Until Summer Comes Around’ is the latest book by Glenn Rolfe.

When fifteen year old Rocky Zukas meets a mysterious dark-haired girl named November, his world is forever changed. The young couple falls under the spell of summer love, but not everyone approves. November s brother, Gabriel, is the keeper of the family s secret, and big brother is always watching, growing more sinister as his bloodlust gets the best of him. Directing his attention to Rocky s family, Gabriel aims to make sure little sister knows who is in charge.

Reminiscent of the 80’s cult classic ‘The Lost Boys’, which I absolutely loved and had on VHS. ‘Until Summer Comes Around’ was a book that I gobbled up in one sitting (pardon the pune).

Set in the 80’s in a small seaside town of Old Orchard Beach which thrives with strangers. We join teenage Rocky who falls in love with the mysterious and exotic Summer who distracts from the embarrassment of a back brace as well as keeps him company whilst his best friend goes to England for the summer holiday.

Summer makes Rocky forget his fears and brings out a new happiness in him, but sadly Summer is too good to be true. She’s a vampire on vacation with her older brother and mother. Summer has a heart and doesn’t want to kills humans but her brother Gabriel is ruthless and leaves a trail of bodies and missing people behind him.

As the death count rises, the town becomes on red alert and we see multiple narratives from the story as different people interact with Gabriel and they all make for gory and terrifying reading as they all meet their demise in horrifying circumstances.

Right from the start, this book is a gruesome and unsettling story with an interesting mix of characters. I loved Rocky with his love for 80’s power ballads and how Summer struggled with morals and mortality. Scenes with Gabriel were interesting and surprisingly funny as he played the cliche vampire card with sleeping in a coffin and he toyed with humans made for shocking reading. I also enjoyed how vividly Glenn wrote, with the descriptions of the fun fair and the beach, I almost felt I was there with Rocky as he strolled the pier with Summer.

A horror classic that’s riddled with blood, drama and teenage love, ‘Until Summer Comes Around’ is a rollercoaster of terror that kept me gripped until the final page.

You can buy ‘Until Summer Comes Around’ from Amazon and is available today from good bookshops

Until Summer Comes Around is a classic vampire story, set in the summer of 1986 in Old Orchard Beach, Maine.

15 year old Rocky spends his summer wandering the beach and it’s arcades, but then he meets the beautiful November. A typical summer romance, except November is a vampire and her brother, Gabriel is hellbent on bleeding the local population to feed his addiction….and the bodies pile up.

These vampires are day walkers, the sun doesn’t bother them (no they don’t sparkle), but they prefer the night time. This reminded me of The Lost Boys due to its setting. It this is different as these vampires are on vacation.

When Rocky finds out what November is, his heart is broken…..but he needs to protect his family from Gabriel and needs her help.

This is a dark and violent coming of age drama, albeit a very bloody one. Great characters and a gripping, fast paced plot make this a must read for any fan of vampire fiction. I loved it in all its toothsome glory.

Thank you to The publishers, the author and NetGalley for an eARC of the book. This is my honest, unbiased review.

The year is 1986. Rocky, a full-time resident in a beach town, is about to turn 16. Right before his cousin and best friend leaves for a summer in England, Rocky falls to the heat and meets the beautiful November. Only November isn't any ordinary girl. Her and her family are visiting for the summer, and have a small affliction - they are all vampires. But while November and her mother content themselves with rabbits and small creatures, her brother Gabriel as developed a taste for humans. And his addiction to their blood keeps growing...

What a lovely story of young love, peppered with blood. A lot of blood. This is such a great summer story - a couple kids, hanging out at the beach, eating fried dough and playing in the arcade before going for a dip in the ocean. It brought back found memories of family vacations as a kid. Except the vampires of course. The story moves a long a good pace and the ending was perfect. Definitely recommended!

UNTIL SUMMER COMES AROUND is the first book that I have read by Glenn Rolfe and one I highly recommend!

‘When fifteen-year-old Rocky Zukas meets a mysterious dark-haired girl named November, his world is forever changed.’

I really like the 80s nostalgic setting; the Lost Boys vibe with the family dynamic like that of the characters in Silver Bullet— Loved It!

I can definitely relate to Rocky, the main character, as I too have severe scoliosis and wore a back brace in High School.

Unfortunately, mine was not easily hidden under my cloths—think of the kind worn by Michele in Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion. Yep, I too had to wear it twenty-three hours a day and hated every minute of it!

Thank you, NetGalley and Flame Tree Press, for loaning an eBook of UNTIL SUMMER COMES AROUND in exchange for an honest review.

The latest release from Glenn Rolfe, Until Summer Comes Around, was a blast to read and I loved the ride. I’ve been reading Glenn’s work for years, and dig what he’s doing. His characters are filled with heart. I always get pulled into their world, rooting for them all the way until the end. Glenn Rolfe can take a horror theme I’m not a fan of and make me love the story. I’m not big on werewolves or vampires, but I loved his werewolf story, Blood and Rain. Here, in Until Summer Comes Around, I loved the twist he put on vampires. 

I love the call backs to a song or music group that fit the time and place of his stories. It’s part of his style I know I'll find when I pick up one of his books. Until Summer Comes Around has plenty of blood and guts, suspense and mystery. Glenn Rolfe also does a fantastic job with coming of age stories. His ability to capture that specific, and sometimes torturous, age is spot on. Rocky is at that age of everything awkward. When he meets November his summer and upcoming sixteenth birthday show promise. I’m confident you’ll love this story as much as I did. Their summer adventure was just what I needed to get my mind off the pandemic.

This will be a summer that Rocky never forgets. He is about to turn 16, get his driver's license, fall in love for the very first time, and find out that monsters are real.
This coming of age Vampire horror is set in the 80s in a touristy beach town in coastal Maine. Rocky is expecting a long boring summer since his cousin/best pal is going away, but meeting November changes everything. At first Rocky is so enamored of her that he barely notices that her arrival coincides with all the missing person posters going up. First love and raging hormones have a way of making a teen turn a blind eye to all else, and the only thing more dangerous than being unaware of evil, is when evil becomes aware of you.
This is the author's best work so far and if you are looking for a summer read with a lot of bite I highly recommend this.

Don’t you just love a sweet and innocent coming of age story? Yeah, neither do I. If you love your coming of age stories to be full of blood, guts, and a creeping dread, then absolutely pick up Until Summer Comes Round. It blasts you with those feel good eighties summer vibes – the feeling that summer would never end. It just has that bonus of vampires and the spilling of blood. There is so much packed into this novel written by the immensely talented Glenn Rolfe. Every word has been deliberately chosen and they come to life with such a sinister prevalence that you feel the need to look over your own shoulder.

I knew that this book was going to be a hypnotising work of art. I picked up my kindle, took a deep breath and lay my trust in Rolfe, although he might just scare the brown stuff clean out of you, he will give the experience of a lifetime. He won’t let you down. Until Summer Comes Round is like being reintroduced to an old friend – if Michael Myers was the benchmark for friendship. The plot promises to reel you in, hook, line, and sinker with his narrative of an addictive plotline which is tainted with evil, blood and a resounding feeling of fate.

This superb vampire tale is set in 1986 in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. Rocky, our protagonist has previously enjoyed spending his summer days hanging around the arcade and blowing money on junk food with his cousin Axel. Nothing exciting ever takes place in their quiet town. Just once he wishes something would liven the place up, well you should be careful what you wish for.

Fast forward to a serious case of sun stroke and a mysterious girl named November. There a mutual attraction and they seem to have a lot in common. The same music tastes and a penchant for all things geeky. They spend a lot of time together, swimming, larking around and eating junk food, its too good to be true. Not only are they only in his beach town for the summer but November, her brother, Gabriel, and their mother are harbouring a horrific secret – They are vampires.

Glenn Rolfe captured so accurately the feelings and emotions of what it is like being that age. We see elements of denial, love, anger, and change. We can’t fight against the raging storm these emotions pull at and the author doesn’t try to. The human side of his characters bring the reader inexorably closer to the story – the words reach out to us, looking for a connection.

Until Summer Comes Around is extremely character driven, and its raw compulsive nature is visceral. The author has nailed the complicated nature of human beings and the evil of supernatural beings. Two stories interweaved that ramp up the adrenaline. Gripping from the very start and I was more than happy to open the door into this sinister world and experience everything it had to offer.

UNTIL SUMMER COMES AROUND is a compelling coming-of-age with a "disabled" protagonist (severe scoliosis) and his summer encounter with a beautiful girl who happens to be...inhuman. Although the plot and action are riveting, I give praise to author Glenn Rolfe's talent at characterizations. As he has proven time and time again, he gets inside his characters' psyches, knowing them perhaps better than they know themselves (although protagonist Rocky and first-love November are both quite self-aware).

If you've been around my blog before you'll know I read a ton of Flame Tree Press novels. This was my first by Glenn Rolfe, though I do have The Window lined up.
Usually Flame Tree Press is heavy on the horror, violence and gore, though they do have a chunk of Scifi/SFF I haven't gotten into just yet.
Because of this I entered into Until Summer Comes Around with some preconceptions but this particular novel is a complete change of pace from what I've come to expect.

Set in the 80s, before I was born but probably the time period I love to read most, Until Summer Comes Around tells the story of young teen Rocky and his first love, November the vampire. Side note- I adored that character name!

I described it on twitter as an adult version of Twilight in the 80s and I have to admit at first I struggled. This novel is tame compared to others published by FTP. Yes there is violence and a little gore but mostly its just a really sweet story.
I rolled my eyes at the romance to start with and honestly thought I'd have to force my way through, but Rocky and his family were so endearing I actually found myself falling a little in love too.

I would have liked a little more of Gabriel the antagonist, his backstory felt lacking and as the only fear factor, whilst he was powerful, he could have been more.

As always I enjoyed the small town America setting and the nostalgic vibes of a time before overbearing technology. Overall the novel was a cute coming of age. Not what I expected but a pleasant surprise none the less.

4.5 stars
This story offered a lot of nostalgia for me, not only with the time frame but the overall vibe that made me think of the movie The Lost Boys. Glenn Rolfe does a wonderful job with character development and building suspense....and when the s*** hits the fan, it really hits hard (which is what I like!!). If you're looking for a great coming of age story that just happens to incorporate violent vampire related deaths, then look no further. A huge thank you to Netgalley, Flame Tree Press, and Glenn Rolfe for sending me an ecopy.....and I can't wait to read more from Glenn Rolfe in the (hopefully) near future!

Rolfe’s new novel is a real summer treat full of heart, intrigue and characters that gives the novel a sense of enjoyment and wonder.

Until Summer Comes Around is one of those rare finds that really captures the imagination and yet has a mystical quality that is deeply rooted in reality. Encompassing a late 1980’s aesthetic that works very well within the confines of the story.

The characters are richly woven and developed creating a three dimensional platform for each. They are truly heart felt and their quest in life is harrowing and emotional. The relations between the characters are deeply moving and the reasoning for their predicaments is well handled. Even the evil characters are well flushed out.

The plot is extremely well done and yearns the reader to keep reading to its magnificent conclusion. The story is a cross breed of horror, mystery and self discovery and this mix works very well. Rolfe has really outdone himself with a story that is richly woven.

Overall, this is an incredible read and thoroughly enjoyed every page and word. I could not put this novel done and highly urge all people who love a classic story to give this a try. Richly textured plot and characters, a great summer read that grabs the reader’s full attention and the emotional depth of the ending really lends itself for this to be a true fire winner. The review is quite difficult as people really need to experience this without any spoilers but I really urge this to be read as you will not be disappointed.

Thanks to Netgalley and Flametree Press for sending this my way! Really appreciate it.
Glenn Rolfe has been a favorite of mine since I first read 'Land of Bones.' To this day the story 'Simon' has stuck with me and even yesterday I was thinking about it as me and my son went for a walk and the rain had brought worms out to play. His book 'The Window' was one of my favorite reads of 2018 and at the time I called it a 'future classic.' It was really outstanding.

Now, Rolfe returns with his 80's inspired coming-of-age story, which I was excited for since it was announced.

What I liked: Am I becoming a softy in my advanced age? It hit me somewhere in the middle of this book that I loved Rocky and November's love story. I wanted her to be at the pier each and every time he went looking for her! The story is super straight forward; it's summer, Rocky's best friend Axel heads to England with his family, leaving Rocky bummed about what to do. Then he sees an out-of-towner. They connect and then carnage ensues. The absolute highlight for me was these two falling in love. Rolfe nailed that young-love pining that comes from the magic of knowing you only have two months together.

What I didn't like: I'm tapped out on Vampires, which is hilarious because two of the four books I'm reading at the time of writing this are about Vampires. I also found I've fallen out of enjoyment of the rash of 80's pop culture reference heavy books, movies, and TV shows. Maybe blame it on 'Stranger Things' and the abomination that was 'IT Chapter 2.' Saying that, I knew what I was getting into with the synopsis and that this was set in 1986.
On the other side, I found Rocky's parents to be throw away characters, so when one of them became involved near the ending, I didn't have any connection or sorrow over it.

Why you should buy it: Rolfe is a fantastic writer and this definitely captured the feeling and essence of young, summer love. This could've been set in any decade really and the spark that Rocky and November caught would make for a stellar read. I loved seeing their arc and how it progressed as things played out.
Definitely one you all should check out!