Who doesn’t love a book about Summer and getting away for vacation! This book was cute with the perfect amount of small town suspense and scandal. I love how it started with the finding of an unidentified body but we don’t discover who it is or better yet who did it until the end of the book. The characters were well developed and the narrator did an excellent job.

3.5/5⭐️
Pub day: Today!

This is a great summer mystery option that will transport you to a small beach town where you’ll find a heap load of drama and a bit of infidelity among the uber wealthy. Even though I liked very few of the characters this was quite an entertaining read. With the combination of unexpected events, a super competitive tennis tournament, and a mysteries death, this is one that I can see a lot of people enjoying!

At 9 hrs and 23 mins this isn’t a terrible long audiobook, and for those of you with scribd I saw it’s on there today. I actually flew through it in one days time so that should tell you just how absorbing it was!

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the #alc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Great title. Captivating cover. January LaVoy did an awesome job narrating.
I wouldn't call this a thriller. Think more dramatic, maybe suspense, like Big Little Lies - summer town, rich people, gossip and deception. Little revelations each chapter that lead to the main big "event".
A great quick beach read that is intriguing, but forgettable. There are too many characters and they are too similar and their situations were almost identical, in my opinion. There were times I got lost with what was happening between who.
Overall, I would definitely recommend if anyone is looking for an entertaining read.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the arc.

I feel like this is going to be THE book of summer!

Thank you to @booksparks for my gifted copy as part of the #src2023 campaign🤍 all thoughts are my own.

Synopsis:
None of them would claim to be a particularly good person. But who among them is actually capable of murder? Jen Weinstein and Lauren Parker rule the town of Salcombe, Fire Island every summer. They hold sway on the beach and the tennis court, and are adept at manipulating people to get what they want. Their husbands, Sam and Jason, have summered together on the island since childhood, despite lifelong grudges and numerous secrets. Their one single friend, Rachel Woolf, is looking to meet her match, whether he's the tennis pro-or someone else's husband. But even with plenty to gossip about, this season starts out as quietly as any other. Until a body is discovered, face down off the side of the boardwalk.

Thoughts:
This book was such a fun read. It was full of drama and had plenty of infidelity, murder, backstabbing, gossiping and scandals. It is marketed as a mystery/thriller but I would say it is more of dramatic suspense if you want to get specific.

Likes:
All of it. The story was intriguing, it was full of chaos and summer vibes. It was all the drama I hope to never have in my life 😅

Dislikes:
One thing that might deter you from reading it is the multiple POVs as there is a lot of main characters but I personally found it easy to follow once I got through the introductory stuff.

Overall I am recommending this to everyone. This is a strong debut and I cannot wait to see what the author has in store next! If this is on your TBR or you’ve read it, let me know what you think in the comments 😍☀️🌊⛱️

The idea of this book is interesting. A murder takes place in the idyllic summer setting of a resort island and we find out the main players, the victim, and of course the killer. But the first 75% of the book is building up these various characters, none of whom are likable, before any action happens. It's just such a slow burn and the payoff isn't really worth it. It ends up just being a bit boring, even if it gives you that wonderful sense of being somewhere beautiful and wealthy all summer. It's okay, just nothing particularly compelling.

3.5 stars

Gosh, I really enjoy reading some summer centric books! This was such a fun one to kick off my summer reading. As a competitive person, I really appreciated how seriously the women took the end of summer tennis match. The ending left me wanting a little more but I had so much fun listening to this one. The narration was fantastic and she really captured the nature of all the characters. You can be sure that this book is aptly named because it is full of "bad" people!

4.25 stars - I enjoyed it! This was such a fun summer book to kick off the season with! This is the epitome of rich people problems, and I ate it up! This one should be read on the beach with a drink in hand because it is full of gossip, juicy secrets, and adults behaving badly. I loved the atmosphere of Fire Island of a summer escape for Manhattan's elite. There were a lot of stories to keep up with, but it felt manageable and I was able to keep tabs on the drama unfolding easily. The narration was done especially well if you're looking for a sharp and sizzling debut to sink into this summer!

Wasn't the best book but I did finish it. Reminded me of reality TV which I really am not a fan of.

I loved the concept, I hated the characters. I’m not one that enjoys being wrapped up in the 1%s vapid mind games, and honestly that’s exactly what this entire book was. Everyone hated everyone, backstabbing and treating everyone like garbage. My absolute number one most hated “plot point” in a book is cheating, and this book had it in spades. Everyone was cheating on each other and they were all so dang proud of it!
I did not see the actual death coming. We start the book by finding a body, and the entire story from there is filling in the blanks of how that came to pass. So, 1) I didn’t figure out who the body was, and 2) I didn’t figure out who it was that did the deed to get the body there. That piece gains the book some points.
The writing was good, the storyline was okay, the characters were dreadful (for me personally) but they were put together well. Every piece of description brought the story into even more vivid detail, so there’s another plus point.
I give it a 3/5, and I’m sure others will really enjoy this one if they don’t have the same hang ups I do. Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Get ready to add this to your summer reading list, Bad Summer People is set on Fire Island, full of people behaving badly, and a dead body. Jen and Lauren run the Island every summer, and are good at manipulating folks to get what they want. Their husbands Sam and Jason are longtime childhood friends but all is not as it seems here either, as they have plenty of secrets and grudges. This summer starts off just like any other, until the body is discovered, and then it all starts to come undone.

Y’all know books like this are right up my alley, and I loved all of the creeping and hiding and manipulating that ensues once the body is found. This is a quick read and the audio is fantastic as well, narrated by one of my favorites, January LaVoy, you can’t go wrong listening to this one either. This is more of a drama than a thriller, however I thoroughly enjoyed this one and the ending did not disappoint.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC to review.

𝐁𝐚𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞
𝐁𝐲 𝐄𝐦𝐦𝐚 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐦
𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝟓.𝟐𝟑.𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 ​​𝒪𝓊𝓉 𝒮𝑜𝑜𝓃!

Thank you @booksparks and @emma.rosenblum for a tour spot and a gifted book. #SRC2023 #BooksAndRec

Escape to Fire Island and get lost in the lives of these wealthy friends behaving very badly.

Sam and Jason are childhood friends whose families have summered on Fire Island for years. Now they bring their wives and kids to the island. And their friend Rachel hopes that this summer is the season she lands someone -even if he’s already got a ring on his finger. Everyone has brought their baggage to the island - and I’m not talking suitcases!

It first appears that this is a story of betrayal, infidelity, lying, and backstabbing, in the first degree. Seriously, you have to keep up with who is bedding who. But then someone winds up dead!

This is a decadent summer read! I love reading about other people’s drama and missteps - (just don’t want that nastiness in my life) - and 𝐁𝐚𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 delivered.


🎧Thank you @macmillan.audio for the complimentary audiobook which was fantastic.

Emma Rosenblum sets the summer reading bar high with her novel "Bad Summer People." I've been recommending this book to everyone I know.

With an electric opening and a cast of entertaining characters, readers will get swept up in the salacious details of this disastrous summer in affluent Fire Island.

Even with just one narrator for the audiobook, instead of a whole cast, Rosenblum made sure to give each character their own voice.

When I first started read Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum I could not get into the story. I did not care for the characters and their way of living and being. Their problems seemed trivial and problems occurred because of what they did to themselves. However, I stepped back from the novel for a little and returned with a different frame of mind. I then began to just enjoy the story as a fun, summer beach read and enjoyed it much more. While I still did not like the characters exactly, I enjoyed the summer vibes that came with reading this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum is a lot to take in. As others have said, there are a lot of characters to keep track of. I take notes when reading, but still, there are over 10 people that we hear from, and almost 20 mentioned throughout. After some time, I was able to (mostly) discern who each person is but had to reference my notes often.

The first chapter is Lauren, and she almost ruined the book for me. I am not a person who needs to like the characters I read about, but there is something about how pretentious and vapid she is initially that made me dislike her. I was scared everyone would be like her, and while they weren't that much different from her, none got under my skin as much. I couldn't stand how everyone was bragging about their money and/or tennis game, nor hearing about it every chapter.

I rate Bad Summer People 4 stars. I enjoyed the mystery and relationships but could do without the excessive details about insignificant things.

January LaVoy did her best to have a distinct voice for all of the main characters. She is very enjoyable to listen to.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ALC.

Fire Island is the exclusive summer island for the rich and dramatic. But nothing can top this summer’s drama… a mysterious death. No one on the island can claim being a good person but who among them is capable of murder?

If you need a break from the beachy rom coms this summer, this might just do the trick. Lots of secrets, infidelity, and well just rich people behaving badly in general. It reminded me of The Hunting Wives. I did get lost a few times with all the characters. But about halfway through I finally got everyone straight.

Spice level: 🌶️🌶️/5
Audiobook: 🎧🎧🎧🎧/5

This book was just not for me. It was slow paced and about rich people and their problems. I just can't get invested in people who are fueding and cheating over their second homes and private schools.

Bad Summer People is a delicious story of secrets and deceit among a group of rich people, who are summer “friends”. The story follows the different characters within this group, showing points of views from each to allow insight into the secrets that’s are otherwise unseen. It was cleverly brought together, allowing the reader insight while simultaneously trying to “solve” the “what next” pull of the story.

If you are a suspense, mystery, thriller reader, who loves reading stories about rich people behaving badly, this book is for you! I really enjoyed this one.

I listened to the audiobook, which had a narrator who did a fantastic job. I listened at 1.75x speed, which is my normal speed.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this advanced audio copy.

A great debut and summer read. Rosenblum hits a home run in this ultimate beach-read thriller. Bad people doing lots of bad things---it's such fun for the reader!

The wealthy people in New York who are tired of The Hamptons (or can't afford the summer house they want there) flee to Fire Island in the summers. In particular, they go to Salcombe. And it is ruled every summer by two women-=Jen & Lauren. Jen and Lauren seem to have perfect lives, but the surface is very thin.

One summer a dead boy is washed ashore and the reader is treated to a look back upon the events that lead up to the discovery of said body.

The audiobook was excellent and made for a perfect escape while driving and doing day-to-day chores--January LaVoy was a perfect choice as a narrator.

I hope to read more wicked reads from Ms. Rosenblum. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced listening copy of this audiobook.

The elite residents of Salcombe, Fire Island are often up to no good - and Bad Summer People dishes the TEA! There's infidelity, scandal, unhealthy competition, backstabbing... even murder. Who dies? And which one of these snobs is the murderer? It appears they all have motive. 👀

Wildly entertaining from start to finish! January Lavoy's narration is extraordinary, as always. I am such a sucker for the "rich people behaving badly" trope and this beyond delivered! 👏🏻

Part drama, part mystery/thriller.

Highly recommend, especially in audiobook format. Great debut! Can't wait to see what Rosenblum writes next.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC. This was a riot! Loved every second.

Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum
Narrated by: January LaVoy
Rating: 4 stars
Pub Date: 5/23


Bad Summer People by Lee Mandel is a riveting debut about the lives of wealthy families vacationing on Fire Island. The story follows Jen Weinstein, Lauren Parker, and their husbands, Sam and Jason, as they navigate the ups and downs of summer life in an exclusive beach town.

What starts out as a typical summer season quickly takes a dark turn when a body is discovered off the side of the boardwalk. This sets off a chain of events that left me guessing until the very end!

I was initially drawn to this book expecting a thriller but was pleasantly surprised to find it was so much more. It was intriguing and dramatic, full of dark humor and salacious details about every person on the island. Rosenblum's writing is gripping, and she expertly weaves together a complex web of infidelity, backstabbing, and murder that is both engaging and entertaining.

One of the things I enjoyed most was the cast of nuanced characters, each with their own secrets and motivations. Rosenblum doesn't shy away from exploring the darker sides of human nature, and there are a lot of villains here.

I listened to the audiobook, and January LaVoy did an amazing job bringing the different characters to life with distinct voices and personalities. Overall, I highly recommend Bad Summer People to anyone looking for their new guilty pleasure.
Read if you like:
*Summer vibes
*Big Little Lies
*Rich people problems
*Multiple POV
*Tennis

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for my gifted ALC.