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.

Bad Summer People was like reading a reality tv show. Rich people going to their summer houses and behaving badly, whilst taking others down with them. As I was reading this, the Fitzgerald quote, “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy – they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made,” immediately came to mind.

It was a fun, indulgent, summery read with a dash of death. This book doesn’t focus heavily on the murder until almost the very end, so don’t expect too much on that front. I was completely fine with that, as reading about these hilariously awful people was entertainment enough for me.

The audio helped me zoom through, though at the beginning, I was a bit confused on keeping the characters straight, as I felt the narrator could have changed the voices up a bit more to help us keep POVs straight. Nonetheless, after the first few chapters, I was able to sort it out.

Thanks so much to Macmillan Audio for the review copy!

Yes, all the people in this novel are terrible people. They lie, cheat, steal, are total elitists and through their privilege
all over the place. However, the book is such a fun mystery and so readable, I couldn't stop listening. While they're all pretty unlikeable, I found myself fascinated by all of the characters. This is a great beach read with a few twists I didn't see coming.

This is a PERFECT beach/summer book. Full of twists and turns, and witty banter between characters. I loved the narrator and the story!

I had so much fun with this. It’s not more or less than it promises - it follows a bunch of bad people through their summer, and there’s a bit of a mystery that imo isn’t all that important but is fun to wonder about through the book. Everyone is the worsttt but in a pretty fun way. I do think the book is a little harsh on the unmarried woman character in a way I didn’t appreciate a few times, but she’s the worst too, so it doesn’t feel totally inappropriate.
cw: if infidelity is a no for you, definitely don’t pick up this book. The majority of the bad behavior is from cheating on spouses.