Truly! Bad People.
Sun, Tennis, Sex and Murder!
Story moves along quickly as each characters POV is told. Rich People pretending all is good with their Frenemies, life long Friends and Afffair partners. These insecure, Cheating, gossipy, needy, and bored people have problems. Including someone capable of murder.

Bad summer people was a great summer read targeting the rich “summerers” at any bougie summer town.

Affairs, backstabbing, abusing the help….a dead body. Creating personas that are summer only. Desperation and a bit of depravity….it kinda had it all.

There was not a character I found redeeming though. The title didn’t lie.

I liked it and it was great for summer mind candy.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Sam and Jason spent every summer on Fire Island when they were growing up. Sam’s parents owned the house in Salcombe, but Jason went with him every year. Jason wouldn’t have been able to afford it without Sam, and since Sam’s parents were getting divorced, so he could use the friend.

Now they’re adults, living and working in Manhattan most of the year and spending summers in Salcombe. Jason has his own house with his wife Lauren, while Sam has his parents’ house with his wife Jen. They spend summers on the beach, with the kids in camp and the nannies keeping an eye on them the rest of the time so the parents can drink and gossip. Salcombe is a small town, so everyone knows everyone else, and someone always knows the secrets.

It used to be that the most drama Salcombe saw in the summer was the women’s doubles tennis tournament. But this summer is different. Sam is struggling with a situation at work the he doesn’t think he can share with Jen. Jason can barely look at his wife, but Lauren doesn’t mind as she’s looking at someone else.

Add in handsome new tennis pro Robert and Sam’s ex-girlfriend Rachel, and sparks will fly on Fire Island. There is lying and infidelity, cheating and stealing, and someone even ends up dead.. But how did this cozy small summer town become so dangerous?

Bad Summer People is a novel about adults gone wild. All the pent-up stress of the winter months come bursting out as families gather on Fire Island. Author Emma Rosenblum hit the ground running with this debut novel about privilege and power. Told by a multitude of characters in the town, this story comes together like a puzzle, with that last piece not slotting into place until the very end.

I listened to the audio book of Bad Summer People, read to perfection by master narrator January LaVoy. She provided a different voice with each new character and brought these people to life. I will admit to struggling with this book somewhat. I mean. it’s right there in the title that these are bad people. But I was a little surprised at just how bad some of them were. I think I just needed one person to be good, to pin my hopes on, and it was just really hard to find anyone in this book who deserved the lifestyle these people got to enjoy. It is a fun summer read, but I also had to take breaks to remember my humanity. Read with caution, and maybe with cocktails.

A copy of the audio book for Bad Summer People was provided by Macmillan Audio through NetGalley, with many thanks.

It’s summertime on Fire Island, where New York’s elite spend the summer season. From memorial til Labor Day, they descend upon the island to get away from their busy lives. With a routine of cocktail parties and tennis matches, the islanders quiet summer turns chaotic when a body is discovered. Who on the island would even be capable of murder?

Bad Summer People is about, you guessed it, rich people behaving badly in the summer. It’s a trainwreck in the best possible way. Barely any of the characters in this book are likable. They all have flaws, secrets, and drama. I love the pettiness of the women and if I’m being honest, would have loved the book to just be from the women’s perspective. The men are all on the border of being charming but are also the absolute worst.

Rachel Woolf, Jen and Sam Weinstein, and Lauren and Jason Parker are our main characters, almost every character we meet narrators some portion of the book. While I loved the extra drama and cattiness, since I primarily listened to the audio, I took me a bit to get the hang of who was who and who was married to who. If you don’t like a ton of narrators, maybe skip this one.

I was addicted to the drama (give me all the scandals) and would have given this 5 stars, but I felt the ending dragged on. This is a perfect summer/ beach read and anyone who loves reality tv drama, this book is for you!


Bad Summer People is out now. Huge thank you to Flatiron Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books.

QUICK BITS
•Rich people problems
•Multiple POV
•Domestic
•Slow burn

REVIEW
Well, this was an enjoyable and intriguing read, even if it feels a bit misrepresented as a thriller or mystery.

It really felt more like popcorn fiction meant to be read on the beach, being happy for once not to be rich as you see wealthy people make horrible choices.

With every chapter I found myself surprised as another characters POV was introduced, by the end the story must have been told by over 10 perspectives.

Normally I find the sweet spot for multiple POVs is somewhere between 2 to 3, but in this case it wasn’t overly confusing and made it quite a quick and dynamic read.

Overall, I would recommend this to readers who want the pace of a thriller without reading something overly dark or suspenseful. Think chicklet domestic fiction.

RATINGS
5 Characters
6 Atmosphere
7 Writing Style
6 Plot
5 Pace
9 Intrigue
9 Enjoyment
1 SOS Bonus
TOTAL= 47+1= 48/14= 3.43

1.00/5.00 SOS Rating
--I think I was most surprised that this actually led to some sort of thrilling type ending. Although enjoyable for me, the thrill is quite nonexistent until the 75% mark.

3.50/5.00 Rounded Rating

Thank-you to netgalley, macmillan audio, and flatiron books for this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

A good beachy read of rich people behaving badly. If you want a book that you won't want to put down, this is it. So much fun

Do you enjoy reality TV about the worst kind of rich people? This book is filled with a hoard of insufferable, unlikeable, vapid characters that would make a casting director froth at the mouth. I pushed through it but I need to stop reading books that are rich people problems and nothing more. The audiobook narrator deserves an award, but I cannot think of anything else redeemable about the book. This is really disappointing because I was hoping I would have a love-hate relationship with the titular bad summer people as we head into the season but instead had an abhor-hate situation. Thank you to NetGalley for the audio ARC!

small town + BIG drama
- rich ppl probs but at a beach town
This was full of gossip, unlikeable characters, and stuffed with motive from every person! I enjoyed how the story unfolds in different parts and through multiple POVs.
I felt “Big Little Lies” in the summertime vibes and would love to watch this as a limited series.
I liked experiencing this through audio but could also see myself enjoying this as my poolside summer read!


Thank you Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC!

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. this book was a fun summer read that had me gasping with how it ended. I recommend it for those looking for an easy breezy read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. The audio expired before I was able to listen to it but I was able to read it and enjoyed the story. It was full of gossip, twists and turns. A fun summer read!

This was such an addictive beachy thriller! I was so invested in all the affairs and gossip, I needed to know the who, what, when and why! And there were some interesting twists near the end.

Love, love, love this summer read! The drama!! Oh how I loved the drama! I don't typically listen to audiobooks, but I really enjoyed this one! I look forward to reading more from this author.

This book was an unexpected delight. With only a short prologue hinting at something sinister to come, the story follows two couples as they return to Solcombe, Fire Island for their summer vacation filled with tennis lessons, reacquaintance, and deceit. It seems everyone in Solcombe is hiding something, and has been for some time, but this summer it all comes to a head with the introduction of Robert, a tennis instructor with a penchant for infidelity and swindling. Yes, someone is going to die this summer; the questions are who, and why?

At first I had trouble believing this was classified as a mystery/thriller, as it seemed to be mostly about lying and cheating spouses. It was difficult to figure out who, if anyone, was a likable character, especially when we're treated to the POV of pretty much every character in town. But the spicy relationships and dark twists of character kept me intrigued all the way to the conclusion. I'll admit, the main reason I requested this book was for January LaVoy's narration, and she did not let me down. Every character is distinct and nuanced, making it easy to follow who is who.
Strong recommend. Thanks to Emma Rosenblum, Flatiron Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is like Real Housewives meets Desperate Housewives and I loved it! This is a great book for anyone who likes trash TV and watching other people's drama. This book includes affairs, embezzlement, murder, tennis tournament drama, mom fights, and more! Definitely a guilty pleasure read for me! For those who read the synopsis and think it will be a thriller or murder-mystery it is not; its more of a train wreck where you know how it ends and cant look away from how it happens.

Somehow even though all of the characters are terrible people, I was rooting for them all...

I listened to the audiobook version and highly recommend; the narrator was great! I listened to the whole thing in a day or two.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing an eARC of this book!

A juicy drama about BAD SUMMER PEOPLE.

I really enjoyed this one, by Emma Rosenblum and narrated by the reliable January LaVoy. It was the perfect book to listen to throughout a busy, stressful work week.

Perspective trades between various members of an exclusive summer community on Fire Island. All of them have likable qualities, but most (all?) of them also have aspects just begging to be judged. While there's a body found in the prologue, I'd recommend this one as delicious contemporary fiction, not a mystery thriller.

I didn't personally love the ending, but I really enjoyed the ride there.

Bad Summer People - This title really sums it all up. There isn’t a character in the book that is morally sound. I found everyone to be terrible and completely unlikable.

I really liked Emma Rosenblum’s writing style and would consider reading more from her in the future (this is her debut novel). I think, for me, it mostly came down to the subject matter. Reading about wealthy New Yorkers’ summer drama and infidelity isn’t my jam. From the book synopsis, I expected the story to have more of a mystery element, but it wasn’t written that way.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for the advanced listening copy.

Small town vibes with rich people behaving badly. Gossip, infidelity and lgbtqia representation.
It was the perfect beach read. Tus kept me engaged from page one.

Set in a Fire Island enclave, this book describes the interactions among the wealthy, close-knit residents throughout a summer. At the very beginning, we're told that a child has found a body, but don't really know the circumstances until much later in the book. The bulk of the story relates to the affairs, spousal arguments and difficulties among friends. Given the book title, I assume this is the author's way of poking fun at the rich who live in such exclusive communities. While it could be a good "light" summer read/listen, I didn't find it particularly stimulating and found myself just shaking my head at the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This book is completely delicious - Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum is a ROMP. An engaging and terrifying (in a fun way!) debut set on an exclusive little haven on Fire Island filled with bad bad people. This is dark comedy peppered with bits of reality and true dissection of the human experience. Couldn't recommend more highly - perfect to read on the beach.

January LaVoy's narration was fantastic - I listened to this in less than 24 hours because it was so fun and entertaining.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC - Bad Summer People is out now!

I cannot think of a better title for this book. It has awful human beings with too much money, who do not like each other, are involved in affairs, have endless secrets, and add to that a mysterious death. This is everything I look for in a fun summer read and more! And January LaVoy did a phenomenal job with the narration. It's hard to believe this is Rosenblum's debut novel. I devoured this guilty pleasure read and look forward to her future projects. Make sure you throw it in your beach bag... you will not be disappointed. A huge thanks to the author, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.