This book! This book had me reeling! It had me guessing the entire time and at no point was I right lol. I absolutely loved Dana’s last book, People Like Us, and she did not disappoint in this one either! So let’s see if I can gather my thoughts and tell you just how much you need to go read this!

This book is duel timeline and multiple POVs. I’m always nervous about duel timelines, but this one was done well. At no point did I feel confused or lost – at least as far as knowing who’s POV I was in and which timeline. I loved the way Dana used the different POVs – how they provide little hints and details throughout that you don’t even realize are hints until the end. It was also a really satisfying ending – again one I had never suspected!

I read this right after my friend Mel (@TBRBeyond) and she told me I had to read it right away so we could discuss the ending. She also warned me that I had to push through even when I felt confused. That left me wondering what she was talking about. As the book continued I eventually realized what she meant. Things that I thought were true were being thrown on its axis and I LOVED IT!

The characters were an interesting friend group. As we learn more and more about each one individually and how they each work together, you start to realize there are secrets – some known to others, some not even the POV knows. I think that was the fun part – the fact that we could tell that someone was off – something was being kept from the POV we were in. I couldn’t put it down and I would have finished it in one sitting, had it not been 3am (I only had 1 hour left and it was so tempting!!!!).

I don’t know how else to convince you to read this book. It had the perfect amount of twists and turn, the perfect amount of drama! If you enjoyed Dana’s other book, you’ll definitely want to pick this up. If you haven’t, well then go read it lol. I think if you enjoyed books like Little Monsters by Kara Thomas or The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich then you’ll enjoy this one!

Summer’s Edge is a book that I have no idea how to rate. I think I’ve ultimately settled on calling this book a 3.75 (something not possible to notate with WordPress’ star block). I was thoroughly enjoying the first 1/3 of the book until I suddenly felt like the story was becoming too convoluted and nonsensical, making it hard for me to follow what exactly was going on. It felt like I was reliving my experience of reading The Taking of Jake Livingston—a book I rated 2 stars because all it did was confuse the heck out of me while being incredibly grotesque. By the time I was 2/3 into the book, I was convinced I was going to be rating this 3 stars. Right when I thought I was set in my rating and enjoyment level, a twist occurred (one that not entirely unexpected), the narrator changed, and I was suddenly back to enjoying myself. How do you rate a book like that?

The entire cast of this book are unlikeable and unreliable, but that is the whole point. The reader is constantly forced to try and piece things together themselves, questioning everything they’ve read up until that point. Unlikable characters is usually something that makes the reading experience unenjoyable for me, but somehow the execution in this novel made it work. If you’re looking to pick this up, you’ll have to be ready to adapt to this aspect of the plot and accept that you’re not always going to be able to rationalize and understand the events that are occurring. Suspend your disbelief, sit back, and enjoy the ride.

This book is delightfully creepy and honestly might keep me up tonight and even though it’s a YA it has the thriller power of a full adult book like Riley Sager. I was bamboozled by the plot line from the very first page, and isn’t that exactly what you want from a thriller/mystery?

Chelsea and her friends keep real serious secrets from each other, and a year since Emily died they are finally reunited by a mysterious force that wants a reckoning for her death. Who killed Emily? There are too many questions and not enough answers for these kids – but someone out there knows the truth and will stop at nothing to see it come out.

Loved the characters, loved the plot line, loved the setting – who doesn’t love a creepy house by a lake where dark events have transpired? It’s iconic!

And just look at this cover??? Magnificent. Creeptastic.

Seriously go pick this one up if you fall in the category of mystery lovers or just someone who doesnt want to sleep at night for some reason? I don’t know, I’m not here to judge

**Thank you to Turn the Page Tours and Simon and Schuster for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

Summer's Edge was an interesting YA horror thriller read! The story is told from three different points of view and dual timelines but it was still easy to follow along. The characters themselves are troubled, messy and sometimes a little dark teenagers! Ha sounds like all teenagers right! The pace is slow but there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you entertained! This is the kind of book that takes a patient reader. It's kinda like baking you add all the ingredients and then wait for it to cook and in the end you get a yummy treat! Well that's how this book is you get all of the twists turns and information and then it all comes together in the end! It's a good book to kick off the summer with!

Summer’s Edge is an incredibly fast paced and twisted YA thriller that has I Know What You Did Last Summer vibes meets The Haunting of Hill House. The book starts with our friend group coming together the summer after a devastating fire killed one of their best friends, Emily, at the lake house they visit every summer. They have each handled the loss in different ways and are coming together for the first time since Emily’s death to honor her memory. There are hidden betrayals and complex dynamics within the framework of these longtime best friends and this delicate balance is further damaged by strange events that have them questioning what exactly happened to Emily last summer.

Besides the compelling mystery of trying to figure out exactly what is happening in this story the constant drama and unfolding of secrets among the friend group kept me glued to this book. Paired along with the friends and the sinister things that keep happening is also the well done supernatural element of this story. This is such a well done gothic tale that takes the stories of three summers and flawlessly weaves them together for an explosive ending.

This book took me on a ride that I could never had predicated going in. The story seems to be steadily going in one direction and then suddenly we twisted in a different direction and I was completely and wonderfully confused. I don’t think I have ever had a WTF moment in a book and I love that Mele trusted themselves and the reader enough to pull the story in a such a wild direction. I also feel like once you go through some of the twists that the ending might be fairly obvious but I was so addicted to this story that I just kept flying through the pages and never came up for air long enough to actually think it all through. Which I’m thankful for since the ending was a surprise and I could just fully enjoy watching it all unfold.

Summer’s Edge is a book that demands to be read quickly. It has everything that is needed for the perfect summer read and has the gothic summer vibes that will hold you over until the spooky season.

Honestly, it was the mention of The Haunting of Hill House that caught my eye, and this sounded like a perfect creepy summer read that just might cause goosebumps.

Long-time friends with a tradition of spending a summer weekend at a lake house, an abundance of secrets, several betrayals, and eerie happenings inside the house. I read this in two days over Memorial Day weekend and couldn’t put it down.

The story begins with the friends meeting at the lake house one year after Emily’s death. It hasn’t been an easy year for any of them, and they’re all in various stages of grief. Some are still looking for a person to blame. I had a love/hate relationship with these characters – sometimes I felt sympathy for them and all they were experiencing, and other times I was so annoyed with their narcissistic tendencies and manipulations I wanted to reach into the pages and knock some sense into them.

With a few different POVs, I began to notice inconsistencies in the story that frustrated me. Was this a mistake (I had an ARC)? Was the character an unreliable narrator? Exactly what were we dealing with? Close to the end things clicked, and I figured out what was going on. The twist, although not original, is clever and something I didn’t suspect in early chapters.

A perfect summer setting, tarot cards, heated accusations, ghosts, complicated relationships, and revenge add up to a compelling beach/lake read. Grab a chair, some sunscreen, and a drink and settle in with this YA supernatural thriller.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I devoured Summer’s Edge in one day, completely gripped by the story. At the beginning I thought the premise was interesting and I was enjoying the tension-building and hints that everything was not was it seemed on the surface.

First let’s talk about relationships! For someone who isn’t the biggest fan of love triangles this book managed to include a bunch in the BEST WAY! Jealousy and tension and I LOVED the commentary on not putting other women down in the regard. So refreshing!!! With both a lesbian and bi MC, it was nice to see the causal representation and how it worked in the dynamic of the group with no issues. Everyone seemed to want the person just outside their grasp.

However, romance is definitely not at the forefront of this story. There are important discussions on grief, friendship, toxic friendships, and loyalty that really added depth to what could have been just another YA thriller (trust me it was NOT) the supernatural twists were just enough to shake things up but the author also kept the story grounded. I have to admit at some points I was out loud asking “wait what???” I literally didn’t know who to trust— Unreliable narrators all around. The twists and unexpected reveals? Wow! I was so so so satisfied with the ending! This was the perfect creepy atmospheric read with emotional depth and lots of shocking turns! This book will definitely be haunting my thoughts for a while.

This had just everything I love!

Friend groups that were once solid but are now deteriorating. Unreliable narrators. Secrets and lies that you have to parse through in order to find the bigger picture. Haunted houses. Unexplainable things happening. Strange timelines that are difficult to understand until you reach the end.

This book was just amazing. The style of writing kept me guessing until the absolute end. You get so far into this book and you’re wondering where can it go from here? This book was just spooky enough to seat that love of horror that I have and twisty enough to fill that love of mystery/thriller.

I often find that the ending of a book can totally make or break my overall enjoyment. I am very happy to say that Dana Mele ended this book absolutely perfectly. I don’t think I could’ve asked for a better ending. Do I think this is some piece of incredible show stopping literature? Not exactly. But that doesn’t take away at all what I felt from this book. And that was just overall enjoyment. I want this to be a movie or a television series.

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 [book:People Like Us|35356380] 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!!

Told through varying viewpoints and timelines, Summer's Edge gives us the story of this core group of friends and how they've overcome something very traumatic. As the blurb promises, there are betrayals, and it seems like everyone is keeping a secret. Mele starts with a death and unwinds the past to bring us there, with secrets along every step of the way.

This was a quick and easy read for me. When I thought I had things figured out, the author waved a finger, silently telling me she was not quite done. Then I was at the point where I didn't think I even understood what was going on. But, it was a brilliant way to tell the story. There are so many secrets, and it's hard to tell whose point of view is the one you can trust. I liked how the story unfolded in a non-linear fashion and enjoyed the varying viewpoints that helped to give us such a twisted story. This is an enjoyable race to the finish read.

The premise of this book seemed very interesting. I really wanted to like this book as it was a thriller, but I found it very hard to keep my attention. I wished I had found the characters more interesting.

This thrilling novel is propulsive and exciting, with unreliable narrators and twists and turns, you will not be able to put it down. The characters are relatable and the situations are believable. Great summer read!

Summer’s Edge has a great whodunit setup with a supernatural element but ultimately fails to deliver a cohesive and strong narrative. The initial 1/3 of the book is engaging and fun, narrated by Chelsea in the present. Recently released from a mental health facility, she continues to experience guilt over Emily’s death and distrust of her friends, making her a sympathetic protagonist. I love murder mysteries where everyone seems equally suspicious and each time I felt like I was sure one of the members of Chelsea’s friend group was the killer, another piece of evidence would surface causing me to suspect someone else.

The middle section details the summer two years past and is narrated by Kennedy, whose family owns the lake house. Perhaps even more intriguing than discovering the turn of events that lead to the house fire is the way in which characters are presented vastly different through Kennedy’s perspective. While Chelsea is completely sympathetic in the first third of the novel, she is often shown as immature through Kennedy’s narration. Emily is somewhat romanticized by Chelsea but could be quite cruel and calculating as Kennedy describes to the reader.

The third part, narrated by Emily during the past summer right before the fire, and then returning to the present is where my enjoyment of the novel took a dive. While my interest began to wane during the middle, the climax of Summer’s Edge took a turn I was sincerely hoping it wouldn’t. I won’t say much at the risk of providing spoilers, but the twist was definitely not my cup of tea. While it didn’t exactly feel out of left field, I don’t think the author provided enough clues throughout the text for readers to reasonably come to the conclusion before the fact.

I’ve seen several 4+ star reviews of Summer’s Edge already, so take my criticisms with a grain of salt. I consider myself a reader whose rating of a book can really depend upon its conclusion and I think I would have enjoyed the novel much more as a whole had the twist been different.

I’d still recommend this title to readers looking for a clever murder mystery with toxic and complicated friendship dynamics. I also appreciated the queer rep because thrillers deserve LGBTQ+ representation too!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for review. Summer’s Edge is out 5/31!

I liked that this book gave you a little bit of everything. A lot of haunting along with themes of grief, romance, friendship, mystery and secrets. The thrills actually kept me entertained until the end. Some of the reveals were a little ... much. But it kept me wanting to see what would happen next.

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.

When I read that this story was a combo of I Know What You Did Last Summer, and The Haunting of Hill House I knew that this was a book I had to read.. and let me tell you it DELIVERED... Summers Edge was everything I was hoping for and so much more.

We start the story off with our group of friends arriving at the Lake House, they are all coming together after a tragedy that happened in the same spot last year, One member of the group was killed in a fire... everyone is trying to cope with what happened, and this leads to some interesting dynamics... As we're going along in the story it definitely gave me I Know What You Did Last Summer vibes, our group is coming together and everyone is hiding something... you think you can guess where the story is going...Then at about the halfway point, we get to see what happened in the last couple of years at the Lake House.... and the story takes on a whole new twist that I loved. I already knew this was going to be a 5-star book before we got to the twist, but this just pushed it right into favorite of the year...

I can't wait to see what else Dana Mele is going to come out with next!

This is a YA novel with the sort of set up I love. Five friends have reconvened a year after the death of their close pal Emily. The scene of the death, a beloved lake house in Upstate New York, was burned to the ground. The house has literally risen from the ashes as it has been meticulously rebuilt to an exact replica. As they arrive it is clear that the friends share toxic relationships, trauma and trust issues. There are unreliable narrators, trauma, blood murder and suicide ideation. Clearly someone else is in the house intent on revenge

This is a sapphic thriller and sometimes hard to follow. The pacing is fast and the tension is high and truly the ending makes it all worthwhile. If you love a revenge story, estranged friends reuniting, or just vacations gone wrong, Summer's Edge is for you!
#Simon&Schuster #NetGalley

Disclaimer: I received this arc and e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Summer’s Edge

Author: Dana Mele

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3.5/5

Diversity: Queer character and MC

Recommended For...: young adult readers, thriller, mystery, LGBT, paranormal, horror

Publication Date: May 31, 2022

Genre: YA Thriller Mystery

Age Relevance: 14+ (language, death, grief, involuntary committal, underage alcohol consumption, arson, murder, romance, animal death, animal gore, PTSD, suicidal ideation, sexual content, gore, drowning, violence, drugging)

Explanation of Above: The book contains some slight cursing and shows of death, arson, murder, drowning, and drugging. There is some slight blood gore and violence with fights. There is grief, PTSD, and involuntary committal shown and mentioned in the book. There is a lot of underage alcohol consumption. There is slight romance and slight mention of suicidal ideation. There is one scene that shows an animal death and blood animal gore, both to a rabbit.

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Pages: 325

Synopsis: 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.

Review: For the most part the book was pretty thrilling. The book reminded me a lot of Until Dawn and I Know What You Did Last Summer, but with a more horrific twist. The book had a lot of good twists and turns and for the most part it had a great premise. The world building was fairly well done and the book is definitely one that will keep you intrigued throughout.

However, I felt like the character development was very poor. The book didn’t explain everyone’s motives well and they just weren’t well formed. I also thought the book was confusing, which I think can be a good plot device, but wasn’t well executed in this book. While I know now about this friend group, in the beginning there are just too many things off about the group and it can deter readers from continuing the book. I think if the twist was shown earlier in the novel and then played with a bit more, than it wouldn’t have been so off-putting in the beginning. The book also had a great deal of an info dump at the end and I didn’t like that. I think if the flashbacks were scattered more throughout the book then it would have worked better.

Verdict: It was ok.

This book took me totally by surprise. I sat down and, despite having to read it on my phone (which I hate), I read it in practically one sitting. The characters were complicated and you could see the tangled web of history straining between each of them from every moment.

Chelsea is set up to be an unreliable narrator, but she felt so genuine and made you want to root for her. Especially once she begins to seriously suspect anyone and everyone else. And then we slip into Kennedy’s brain, which is where things got interesting.

I always love it when a thriller asks “but is it ghosts?” and it does, in fact, involve ghosts. But the ghosts are much more complicated than they appear, which I appreciate even more.

And when we hit our first major twist, I was totally caught unawares. If I’d had a physical book, I would have been flipping back through previous sections to check for warning signs. That is the sign of a good twist to me.

Unfortunately, the timeline and pacing got very confusing in the final act and the story ended up losing quite a bit of momentum as we finally learn all the answers - because there’s quite a bit of explanation involved, and the whole time it feels like you’re being lied to.

Still, this one was an overall pleasant surprise.

2.5 stars

The premise sounded good, but I didn't enjoy the execution as much as anticipated. I found the book quite confusing. There was a good twist at the end, but it truly seemed to come out of nowhere with no prior set up to clue the reader in. I've never read anything by this author, and I'm not sure if I'd check out future books or not.