Friends, lovers, and everything in between with some raunchy hoe-down play is what you'll find in this newest piece by Emma Rosenblaum.
It all begins with two friends Jen and Lauren and their husbands Sam and Jason.
As the story moves forward we learn all the horrible traits each of these individuals possess with especially when a new guy Robert comes into town to play tennis.
Affairs are rampant. People are jumping ship literally and figuratively.
There's plenty of anxiety inducing moments from suicide to MIA to everything in between with the multiple affairs.
When everything goes offline it becomes a crazy time of arrests and stolen funds with plenty of whispers and gossip mills.
The point is nobody just falls off a cliff and nobody just dies randomly.
Someone is hiding something and someone knows the truth.
This was an ok read but nothing that tickled my fancy in terms of thriller reads. It had some hair raising scenes but nothing one can't handle.
Thank you to Emma, the publisher Macmillan Audio, netgalley for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.

This is a sudsy domestic drama peppered, full of terrible summer socialites. Entertaining but slight, needed more suspense and unpredicatability

“But it was hard to feel like there were real life consequences for his actions in this place, it wasn’t anything at all like real life.”

Bad Summer People is a character-driven, scandal-filled, beach read set on Fire Island. As readers, we follow over a dozen characters for the duration of a summer, connecting the dots of their current and past secrets.

Perhaps it is my mistake for going into this story blind, I chose it based on the cover and a desire to jump into something compelling and summer-y but I didn't realize this was a "thriller" until I looked at the Goodreads description. Up to about 70% in, I was enjoying it strictly as an intertwined fictional exposé. More like a drama-filled look at the affluent. However, the last quarter of the book is wild, the multiple-perspective narration was great at this point in solving the mysterious happenings of the town.

This is a strong debut and I will definitely read future work by Emma Rosenblum.
The narrator was excellent and made it easy to binge this story in only a few days.

3.75/5 stars. I expect to see this start circulating Bookstagram heavily this summer. Recommend it for readers who love a beach read on NYC's privileged families, tennis fans, and readers who like stories where almost none of the characters are good people.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishing team for an advanced Audio version of the story!

I really enjoyed this book, other than the huge issue of the murder. The summary of the book notes that a dead body is found on the beach, yet that doesn't happen until 80% in -- at that point it is a spoiler. I was so looking forward to a mystery about awful rich people, but I didn't get that!

In the (fictional) town of Salcombe, on (the very real) Fire Island, rich New Yorkers flock to summer. As is usually the case, the town full of bored, rich people is full of scandals. Everyone has a secret they are hiding.

I just didn't click with this. I expected unlikeable characters (the title alone clues you into that), but I assumed there would be some mystery involved- it starts off with a body being discovered in the prologue. But the dead body is relatively minor incident. Instead, you have the day to day drama of annoying, rich people.

January LaVoy narrates the audiobook. She is always one of my favorites.
But I am not sure I can recommend the audiobook. Part of me says choose the audiobook as her narration is the best thing about this book. But there are SO MANY CHARACTERS. The story is told through about a dozen different POVs. I still am not sure who a few people are and why they were relevant to the story. You also instantly get hit with all the characters, so if you are listening to the audiobook, it is very overwhelming.

If you like reading about a bunch of vapid rich people's lives, you will enjoy this. If you are looking for some sort of mystery, pass this one by.

I received an audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- listened on audio-set during summer on Fire Island fills of secrets. I really enjoyed the multiple points of view and did not expect the twist at the end. This was a fun listen and would definitely recommend.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

The title says it all. This book is about “Bad Summer People.” A group of rich, white folks go out to the Hamptons and there’s not a good one in the bunch.

While this one is listed as a thriller, it was light on those elements to me. Instead, the book was more about the interconnected relationships of the characters and how those eventually come to a head.

Each chapter was told by a different character, and while I appreciated the attempt to give a different person’s perspective on the narrative, I felt like each chapter went back too far to propel us forward.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced listen.

Just not for me. It could never capture my interest and I was a bit lost from the get-go. Too many characters, none of them are all that likable. I'm sure this book will have some fantastic reviews, unfortunately, it just didn't click with me.

Every summer, affluent couples and families make their way from the hustle and bustle of New York City to the quaint-yet-exclusive town of Salcombe on Fire Island. As the summer heats up so do the secrets and affairs, all leading up to an end of season bombshell: the murder of one of Salcombe's own. Told in multiple points-of-view over the course of the summer, Bad Summer People is the perfect summer read for lovers of drama and gossip--think White Lotus meets a small beach town.

This was a fun, easy listen (I received an audio format) that held my interest for the majority of the book. The atmospheric vibes mixed with the friendenemies storylines made for a great dive into the start of my summer book reads. There were A LOT of POVs--some voiced only once that felt kind of randomly thrown in and unnecessary. Although the author did a great job of individualizing each narrator, I could have probably done without 2-3 of the narrators. I also felt like had this book ended around the 85-90% mark I would have enjoyed it even more--it started to feel a bit drawn out. Overall, a fun read and would read other books from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC. Bad Summer People is set to be published May 23, 2023.

So. Much. Drama. The affairs, the lies. This had multiple POVs and it was super hard to follow. Perhaps it would have been different if I had the actual book, but the audio book was difficult to keep up with, The narrator was really good though and kept things lively.

Bad Summer People is right... because all the characters in this book are bad, but entertaining! The book spans a Summer with affluent vacationing families on Fire Island, NY. The plot begins with the discovery of a dead body and then we go back from the beginning of the Summer to see how it all unfolds. I like this plot device because we're left to guess the identity of who is ultimately going to be killed. I do think this felt more like a domestic drama/mystery instead of a thriller so don't go into it expecting a big *thrill.* But there's multiple affairs, scandals, deceit, and plenty more to keep you entertained. This would be the perfect book for the beach or poolside this Summer. I listened to the audiobook and it was excellent as well. The narrator did a great job. It did get a little confusing at first trying to learn all the new characters and who was married to each person but I eventually got it.

I recommend adding this one to your Summer TBR!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me access to the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Fire Island is a little slice of heaven. It’s not too far from NYC and yet a world away. It is a barrier island that’s a wonderful escape from the heat of a NYC summer. You’d think that being in such a lovely place would bring out the best in people and yet people are who they are regardless of their location. Liars are going to lie, cheaters are going to cheat and players are going to play, but murder? A group of summer regulars head to for the summer and we discover how truly awful, manipulative, devious and unlikable they all are. Well written and an quick easy listen (or read) about terrible people doing terrible things.

This was exactly like I expected it to be. A summer island of the obscenely rich and elite and their families, full of tennis, affairs, and a murder to cap off the summer. What else would be expected?

Bad Summer People is a light read filled with unlikeable, flawed, self centered characters. I honestly didn’t like any one character. Some I felt sorry for. Most I despised. Yet I couldn’t stop listening. I wanted to hear that every character never found redemption never saw the error of their ways. I was amused, and captivated by all of those self centered flawed characters.

Bad Summer People was promoted under the mystery and thrillers umbrella. There is not enough of either for my tastes. Instead, I'd characterize it as melodrama. The book opens with a child discovering a body—unidentified to the reader until very late—but that's the last we hear about the murder until the end. There are alternating chapters from various characters' points of view, with more than one chapter devoted to each character, no matter how minor (decidedly more for major characters). Just for reference, we're still just meeting and digging deep on all the wretched players almost halfway through the book. Any one of these could be the victim or the killer. There's too much repetition—partly because of the multiple points of view, but also because the story is superficial. The ending was decidedly anticlimactic.

The title and cover were enticing. Narrator January LaVoy is experienced and talented. I bumped the rating a smidge just for her. [2.35⭐]

If you like dishy stories about entitled, rich (or not), vapid, scheming, greedy, narcissistic, cheating people—or any combination of these—this might be a great beach read for you. If you were here for mystery or thrills, you might want to keep shopping.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for the audio ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review. Publication is expected May 23.

It's Desperate Housewives on Fire Island in this sun-soaked, soapy domestic drama that is surprisingly a debut! It's a domestic neighborhood drama up there with the best of them. I loved the atmosphere of the summer getaway and the group of people we followed throughout this particular summer.

At times, I felt there were too many narrators as we hear from nearly everyone at some point, but it was really interesting to hear the perception of events from all sides. When I got a little mixed up on who someone was, I just made a note of it in my mind and it clicked in the following chapters what was going on. It was worth it for the juicy details.

We're following a group of adults, 30's to 40's, who vacation yearly at Fire Island. They're wealthy and its their escape. Many have been coming since childhood, some married into this. Everyone has something to hide this summer. Though they're civil, there's an undercurrent of suspicion, deceit, gossip, and betrayal. They're not idiots but some choose to look the other way.

What happens on Fire Island stays on Fire Island so as the summer draws to a close, we recall from the prologue that not all of our frenemies are going to make it. The survivors are more than ready to head home as this summer has been exhausting. They're ready to put this behind them and the island keeps its secrets, even if that means a higher body count.

Unlike Fire Island though, this book keeps some of its secrets until the final moments.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen and review. The narration was wonderful.

Who doesn't love to delve into the lives of rich people behaving badly? A group of wealthy friends meeting up at their summer houses on the beach already leaves ample opportunity for drama, but throw in a shady tennis instructor, and a loopy neighbor and there's sure to be added excitement. This book is a wild ride - affairs, competition, and even an accidental??? death. Buckle up for a good time!

I was instantly drawn into this book. At first it was harder to know the couples but I caught on soon. Man they sure were crazy with all the affairs. I really enjoyed this author's first book and I would for sure read another.

The best reich people problem books are the ones where you hate everyone but are still drawn in. So many things are happening at once, but it’s not overwhelming. I loved that the perspectives shift to some of the side characters too, really fleshes out the whole story. A very enjoyable domestic thriller/beach read.

I was excited to read a beach-themed book about gossipy rich women. This was a slow burn - like trying to boil a pot of water on low heat kind of burn. It had great potential but moved so slowly that I lost interest. I did finish it but the end left me feeling “meh”.