Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for a free audio copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Emma Rosenbaum's debut novel is the perfect summer read, packed with everything I crave in a beach read: terrible (but fascinating) people, a mysterious death, secrets galore, wealth, affairs, and so much more. I was completely hooked!

The title, "Bad Summer People," is absolutely perfect. If it piques your interest at all, grab this book immediately! It's a compelling blend of multiple interwoven stories, and none of the characters are quite what they initially seem. Jen, who surprised me at every turn, quickly became a favorite.

The setting of Salcombe is practically a character itself. Rosenbaum's choice of a more remote and isolated location perfectly heightened the insider/outsider dynamic and ratcheted up the tension. I also found it intriguing that Salcombe's main attractions—the country club and tennis courts—were rather run-down, especially considering the wealth of the community. These details added depth and texture to the story, vividly painting a picture in my mind.

The audiobook, narrated by January LaVoy, was the ideal summer listening experience. LaVoy's performance brought the characters to life, adding another layer of mystery and intrigue. This story has all the makings of a binge-worthy Netflix series!

It's hard to believe "Bad Summer People" is a debut. The writing is wonderfully executed, rich in detail, with well-developed characters and plot lines that kept me thoroughly engaged. I can't wait to see what Emma Rosenbaum does next!

4 Stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #macmillanaudio #badsummerpeople #emmarosenbaum

A great read for the summer. Drama, gossip, mystery. Really loved the setting at Fire Island and that its actually a real place! I felt like I was involved/right in the middle of all the drama. The characters got a little tiring toward the end (the reason I didnt rate it higher). But overall would recommend for a beach read!

Emma Rosenblum’s Bad Summer People was such an entertaining read. It’s set in a wealthy summer community on Fire Island, and it’s packed with secrets, scandals, and messy relationships. The characters are the kind you love to hate—self-absorbed, dramatic, and full of flaws—but that’s what makes it so fun.

The writing is sharp and witty, and I found myself laughing at how ridiculous and relatable some of their antics were. The twists kept me hooked, though I’ll admit the murder mystery wasn’t the main focus—it’s more about the drama between the characters. If you’re expecting a serious thriller, you might be a little let down, but if you’re in the mood for a juicy, gossipy story, it’s perfect.

It’s not a super deep book, but it’s definitely entertaining and would make a great beach or vacation read. I had a blast reading it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys dark humor and character-driven drama.

These people were all a bag of lying dicks! This was a wild ride and I was totally here for it! I can't wait to see what Emma Rosenblum comes up with in her next book!

Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum is a wickedly entertaining and sharply satirical novel about the dark secrets and tangled relationships simmering beneath the surface of a privileged summer community. Set in an exclusive Long Island beach town, the story follows a cast of wealthy, morally questionable characters whose lives collide in dramatic and often hilarious ways. Rosenblum’s writing is razor-sharp, blending biting humor with a keen eye for social commentary. The mystery at the heart of the story—centered around a suspicious death—adds a layer of intrigue that keeps the pages turning. With its deliciously messy characters and quick-paced drama, it’s the perfect Summer read!!

1. This is bad
2. It is summer
3. There are people

So, unlike Beach Read, no one lied. However, this is the biggest pile of rich white people problems I have ever read.

You know how some white people get mad when another BIPOC book is written, even though it's probably 0.01% of the industry? And say they can't relate? Well, I can't relate...

🎧 Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio

The characters weren't good people; however, I couldn't empathize with any of them in any way. The many characters are way too flat and uninteresting even though they are greatly interested in themselves and what everyone else is doing.

I wanted to love this book so much. I was excited to read it. But I really ended up not being as into or intrigued by the story. I love books about unlikeable people so that wasn't a problem. I think this book suffered from too many characters and it just did not grab me. I forgot I was reading it for a week which never happens.

Another case of rich people doing bad things and getting away with it, but with tennis! I typically don't love books that switch POV every chapter because first of all there are too many characters to keep straight and you don't get as much time to connect with the characters. I didn't love the story but really enjoyed all the tennis and how the characters took it more seriously than Wimbledon.

Bad Summer People follows multiple extremely rich characters as they spend their summer vacation on Fire Island. They are all terrible people and the reader follows as these terrible people are… well… terrible lol. But although they all spend every summer on Fire Island together this summer is different. This summer ends in a murder.

This is a classic rich people behaving badly story. I’ve seen it compared to The White Lotus a lot but I’m not able to comment on that. I’ve never seen that show. But I think everyone knows what I mean by “rich people behaving badly.” It’s fun to see. They’re the kind of characters everyone loves to hate. I did enjoy that. It was entertaining and fast paced. I know a lot of people read just for lighthearted entertainment and a fast paced story so I’m sure people like that would LOVE this book.

But unfortunately the entertainment that came with rich people being terrible was the only thing I enjoyed about this book. It’s promoted as a mystery but the mystery and murder are very much afterthoughts in this book. And that would be completely fine with me if Bad Summer People weren't labeled as a mystery/thriller. I think the writing was just alright and the plot wasn’t very interesting. I don’t have any huge complaints. I just don’t think it has much to offer overall.

I don’t think there’s any need for anyone to run off and read this book. I won’t actively advise against it but I don’t think Bad Summer People has anything interesting or exciting to offer anyone as a read. And ESPECIALLY not as a “mystery.”

There is a distinct hierarchy, with the people, who have family ties to Fire Island going back generations, leading the posse. There are observers who watch and lurk, others who feel it is their business to regulate relationships and disseminate the interactions they observe. Affairs are happening, business deals failing and bitchy bullying aplenty. We know from the outset that someone has died by the end of the Summer sojourn, but who that person is and how their death has come about remains a mystery until the end.

The novel really does have a lot of characters to keep tabs on, although the main players do rise to the surface and capture the reader’s attention. The number of people who amble through the pages does, nevertheless, feel a little daunting and it can be a pressure to keep track of them all. In then main, they are unpleasant folk to spend time with, although her depiction of the people is savvy and sharp. To be honest, the author creates a very unattractive scenario, thus, quite why the New Yorkers fall over themselves to spend their time competitively jostling with their neighbours for a whole Summer season is really beyond me.

There is a good sense of place in the story and I read this novel on the beach in a day, and that was a great way to enjoy this story.

This is a domestic suspense novel full of people we love to hate. There are very few redeeming qualities for these people who are privileged and all have secrets. Was I interested? A little. It's hard to not get drawn into the world they live in. The writing is good and I'd read another by this author. The narration was great and made it easier to stay in the moment of the book!

New Review:

Bad Summer People
By: Emma Rosenblum
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5/5)

First of all, thank you to @netgalley for the free copy!

Bad Summer People was such a wild ride! The story is set in Salcombe, Fire Island. It follows a group of upper class families that vacation there every summer. They own huge Summer houses, obsess over tennis, and have an insane amount of scandals along the way. One scandal in particular, involving a dead body, proves that their lives aren't as perfect as they all make them out to be.

I enjoyed this one! I actually listened to it via an audiobook from Netgalley. Most of the characters were extremely unlikable, although that was entirely the point. It was a fun Rollercoaster ride and a good summer read!

#badsummerpeople #emmarosenblum

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ALC of "Bad Summer People" by Emma Rosenblum. I love a good beach read, and this fit the bill. Vacation and a dead body that everyone seemed to have some connections around. I appreciate good writing that involves going back in time to see what led up to the events our characters find themselves in. There is ALWAYS more to the story and these characters sure lived up to it..

I absolutely loved listening to Bad Summer People. Once I wrapped my head around all of the characters and their connections with each other, it felt like I was listening to the a salacious tale of the top 1%. While this would make a perfect beach read, I think it might be even better for the winter blues. I can’t stop recommending it!

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this audiobook.

BAD SUMMER PEOPLE was a pleasant surprise. I'd say it was comparable to Ashley Audrain's THE WHISPERS in terms of drama, neighborhood intrigue, classist behaviors, and twisty surprises. These people are rich, pretentious, competitive, deceptive, and frankly pretty interesting to spend the summer with. This book by Emma Rosenblum hit the mark for me-- so did the narration. I listened to a conversation with the author and fellow novelist Chandler Baker, and while Emma is lesser known, she definitely wrote the better book in 2023. This is what CUTTING TEETH and Jamie Day's THE BLOCK PARTY were trying to do, only this one worked.

BAD SUMMER PEOPLE was such a fun summer read with all the secrets, lies. and drama.

I absolutely binge read this in one sitting, and found myself completely immersed into the story of the rich behaving badly.

🎧The audiobook was great, and I loved the narration.

WHAT TO EXPECT
-rich behaving badly
-debut
-multiple POVs
-domestic drama
-summery vibes
-Tennis

*many thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

I had trouble getting into this book. I wanted to like it but couldn't quite get into the characters or the storyline. Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the ARC.

I usually love rich people drama, but this one didn't really do it for me. I think I didn't love the rich people cheating drama. Or just maybe there just weren't enough good people in this one to make up for all the bad. I don't know the reason for not loving it as much as I was expecting. But it was a fun read either way.

I absolutely love this rich people behaving badly story! Hot, sexy rich people can’t help by hook up with others and despite the consequences, they continue to get into sticky situations. I personally don’t mind reading about unlikeable characters. We find out early someone dies, but it’s not until the end that we find out who. And I literally gasped when we got to that part!!

Fire island was a hot location for summer books this year and this was a stellar example.

Thank you to @flatiron_books for this incredible summer book and debut novel.