Riley and her friends are going on a beach trip for July 4th. They need to escape from their lives as college looms and the anniversary of a friend’s death is coming up. Unfortunately, their fun is interrupted by a hurricane. When it’s time to evacuate though, some of their friends aren’t answering their phones, and they can’t leave without them. Forced to ride out the storm, they try to make the most of their situation with partying, haunted house stories, and an Ouija board. Then more of their friends go missing, and they start to wonder if the those stories may be real after all. This was a YA mystery/ thriller reminiscent of Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine books. Readers will not be able to put this book down until the last page, and while some questions are left unanswered, the ending is mostly satisfying.

Mean Girls meets Scream! What a twisty, turny, unputdownable read!

Riley arrives on Palm Key Island with her rich friends who she struggles to fit in with financially and the whole dramatic saga begins!

A hurricane coming soon traps the group of unlikable teens on the island and when a body and a haunted house combine with the group of teens, you know things are about to get crazy.

Rektok Ross has written a great thriller that is fast moving, quickly paced, and has really quality character development in my opinion as seen through Riley's evolution in the story.

If you're looking for a quick, easy read that you will be flying through the pages on, look no further!! I highly recommend Summer Rental and will be going back to read her previous book, Ski Weekend!

Thanks to the author and Netgalley for a gifted copy of the book for review!

Summer Rental is a fast-paced slasher thriller that's hard to put down. Described as 'Mean Girls meets Scream', this book has you jumpy from 1/2 of the way through, and the description is 100% accurate. We follow a group of teens off to celebrate July 4th at a summer rental house at Palm Key Island. Riley (Rhi Rhi) is our protagonist and is unnerved from arriving at the house for various reasons. Each character is keeping secrets,some way bigger than others. A hurricane is headed their way, and with two of their friends missing, the group don't want to leave until they return. They hole up in the house to wait out the storm, and soon, a body turns up. Tensions rise within the group, and nobody knows who they can really trust. I loved the vibes of this book - nostalgic Screem vibes, and Rektok Ross did a fantastic job at making this book visually come to life, and I could see it playing out like a film! If you love Scream and Mean Girls you really don't want to miss this book!

Cheat Sheet Story
You know how there is that one summer you would always remember? Well, to this group of friends… this is it. The 10-Squad (Nia, Cam, Val, Riley and Blake) rented a house for their vaycay. Their itinerary to party and have fun is ruined because of a strong hurricane but there is something bigger than the storm, because the house that they rented is actually a crime scene of one of the most gruesome serial killers in FL and Val, is missing.

🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪 5 knives rating

Honestly, I like this book better than Ski Weekend. Ski Weekend was good and I liked it but DAMN THIS ONE IS BETTER. It really reminds me of those 90s 00s slasher films.

⚠️TW ⚠️There is a mention of suicide[ and how it happened] and bullying.

The author has a note at the end about where to seek help about suicide and bullying. Thanks, Atty. for that.

I rarely read YA but if Rektok Ross wrote it, it is a must read. 😂

Btw, BELATED HAPPY PUB DAY!!!!

Rektok Ross, is back and has done it again!

Last year I was lucky enough to be chosen for a book tour for Ross' debut, Ski Weekend. Ski Weekend was fantastic and had my pulse racing and heart pounding! Well, she just outdid herself with Summer Rental.

I don't know if this is a trend but the debut was a wintery read, the sophomore book is a summery beach reach, will book 3 and 4 have spring and fall themes? There is a lot to be done with the fall and spooky season. I will definitely be keeping my eye on this, I would love to see if my hunch proves correct.

Ive become a fan of the trapped room sub genre in thrillers without even realizing it. There is something about the chaos and the way people turn on each other when they are riddled with anxiety. Summer Rental had no shortage for friendship drama and leaked secrets.

Once again, Ross has left my jaw on the floor begging for more. If you're looking for a fast paced thriller (perfect for summer) pick up your copy of Summer Rental, now! I can't wait to see what y'all think.

Teaser:

Mean Girls meets Scream in this heart-pounding psychological thriller about a group of friends stranded on an island with a serial killer on the loose.

Riley March and her friends are headed to ritzy, remote Palm Key Island for one last blow-out party weekend before college. It’s the vacation of a lifetime: beautiful beaches, epic nightlife, and hot guys like Riley’s crush—superstar soccer player Sebastian Ramos. There’s just one catch. Everyone on this trip is hiding something. Riley is hiding her past in order to fit in. Sebastian is hiding his feelings for Riley. And someone is hiding what really happened to Jordyn Chang, a classmate that mysteriously died last summer.

Things take a dark turn after one of their friends goes missing, and a hurricane cuts the group off from civilization. Trapped inside their rental house, a killer stalks them one by one. No one is safe. Everyone’s a suspect. As the body count rises, Riley and her friends will have to confront the secrets they’ve been keeping if they want to stay alive…

I enjoyed this book! The mystery is intriguing and I enjoyed this book until the very end. The author did a great job of crafting a good mystery. 10/10 would recommend
*Special thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for allowing me to read a copy of this book prior to publication*

This book in 3 words: Chilling. Twisty. Quick. 

This is my second book by Rektok Ross (Liani Kotcher) and there's just something about her storytelling. The writing always feels like it's high stakes and you find yourselves gripping the book (or Kindle). Summer Rental takes us to a bougie summer house where Riley, our FMC, and her friends have a party weekend before college. Of course, things are never that easy, and things quickly take a turn. 

I loved the contrast between Riley and her affluent friends. It's much more than "not having the same amount of money" as others and presented itself in interesting ways. 

Couldn't guess the ending, WHICH I LOVED. I can't ask for more than that. This is a quick thriller with all of the right vibes. 

Summer Rental immediately made me turn on I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (one of my faves).

📚Book Review📚

Title: Summer Rental by Rektok Ross
Format: NetGalley eArc
Pub Date: 13 June 2023
Rating: 3 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Description:

Review & Thoughts:

I was immediately drawn to the cover on NetGalley. Then I saw that it was described as Mean Girls meets Scream! I loved the remote setting; cut off from the world because of a huge storm. The weather was like a character in its own right.

One of the main things I didn’t like about this book was the highly toxic friend group. Yes, it was described as Mean Girls but my God nobody seemed to care about anyone. Why are you having a house party when there is people missing from your friend group? I don’t think there was one character in this book that I liked or connected with. There was no loyalty amongst them at all.

When the killer was revealed, I disliked how they gave a detailed description on why they did it and what they would do next. It left no mystery. Even before everything was revealed, it was highly predictable and obvious.

I found that the ending was rushed. It felt very choppy. I honestly did not care about the characters towards the end. I had to really focus on finishing the
I loved the Authors Note at the end about Bullying.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC for an honest review.

#SummerRental #NetGalley #irishbookstagram #irishbookstagrammer #bookreview

This was a great fast paced thriller read with some horror elements thrown in, I read it in one sitting I couldn't put it down I HAD to know, it gave me slasher movie vibes and I loved it, it kept me guessing and had lots of twists, highly recommend, this was my first book by Rektok Ross but won't be my last!

I absolutely loved this book! An anticipated weekend getaway with friends takes a quick turn and leaves the reader guessing who did it the whole book. Twists and turns the whole book left me guessing until the very end!
A must read!!

I highly recommend Summer Rental by Rektok Ross for fans of psychological suspense thrillers. Horror fans will likely enjoy the story as well. Trigger warnings for people who had had friends commit suicide, that topic comes up and is important to understanding the characters. I’m a sucker for good vacation stories and haunted houses, so this work did a nice job of combining those concepts together in a way I hadn’t necessarily seen before. If you’re having doubts because you’re afraid it may seem to YA, I would still encourage you to give it a try because it’s worth a read and it’s short enough that it might not take very long for you to get through it.

Summer Rental is the perfect read for the beach or pool!! the character build up is there and it is so great! if you love 90's and 00's slasher movies this is your book!!
Could not put it down because I needed to know EXACTLY what happen next! Retook Ross is killing LOL this thriller scene for me!! Can't wait to see what else she'll write!!

Summer Rental is a solid thriller that falters just a bit in the third act. Riley and her friends (who just happen to the ‘it” girls from their school) are on their last summer break before college starts in the fall and they will all go their separate ways. They’ve got a rental house in Palm Key and plan to make it a vacation to remember. Unfortunately something is off. Riley has seen a mysterious stranger in a rain slicker outside and supposedly the house they are renting was the site of some grizzly murders and is now haunted. And now even more things are going wrong with two of their friends disappearing and a hurricane rapidly bearing down on them. The set up is solid, and I enjoyed getting to know Riley and learning how she became friends with the mean but popular girls. And the beginning of things going wrong was well done. I just thought the story faltered a bit toward the end. There wasn’t anything particularly wrong with the story and I definitely enjoyed it, my issues was that I pretty much saw the ‘twist’ coming from a mile away. That’s necessarily a bad thing as it’s a solid story, it just didn’t hold any real surprise for me so it was a rather predictable thriller. That being said, as I said I liked it and if it were made into a movie I’d definitely watch it. I’d like to thank Ic13 Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Summer Rental.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R1EGXKJ6YNXFKQ/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

A perfect thriller that I read in a single day!!!

The blurb itself was quite interesting and that was why I chose this book. But after reading this book, I was speechless.

The story is about five girls who recently graduated, on a vacation in Palm Key Island. They were all extremely rich, popular and arrogant, except for the protagonist, Riley March. Coincidentally, it was also the death anniversary of their former friend, Jordyn who committed suicide. The vacation becomes their worst nightmare when one of them goes missing.

This book was so thrilling to read. It gave strong chilly vibes. For half of the book, we see the friends enjoying in the island. They are introduced and we get to know about their personalities. But then, a storm hits and the friends are stranded on the island with a killer on loose.

This book had suspense, horror elements, and psychological aspects, making it a perfect mix of varied genres. I highly recommend this book, especially for those who enjoy closed cabin thrillers.

The blurb says "MEAN GIRLS meets SCREAM", and it certainly delivers. "Summer Rental" by Rektok Ross is a nerve-shredding psychological thriller that kept me in suspense right up to the last page.

Riley March and her mean friends rent a house for the weekend of the 4th of July on Palm Key Islands to celebrate their high school graduation. It is their last getaway before they all go to different colleges and part ways. No one talks about the elephant in the room: the death of their classmate a year ago.

All of them have secrets, including Riley, and someone will go to great lengths to uncover those secrets. Riley successfully hides her past to fit in with the rich and spoiled girls: the twins Cam and Val, Blake, and Nia. She is less successful at hiding her crush on another classmate, Sebastian.

Pretty soon the much-anticipated vacation turns into the vacation from hell. Some of Riley's friends go missing, and it turns out the house has a bloody history. The plot thickens when a hurricane hits the island, preventing them from leaving. To make matters worse, a murderer is on the loose, and they find themselves in his crosshairs.

Haunted house, spooky atmosphere, and spine-tingling suspense make this an exciting read. I disliked most of the characters except Riley and a couple of others. I found her a bit naive and lacking in backbone, and I was glad she developed one toward the end.

I love books with messages. The themes of bullying and toxic female friendships are woven throughout the pages, enriching the story. Being popular isn't the most important thing; it's just smoke and mirrors. Real friendship doesn't come with a price tag. Real friends don't bully you or make you feel bad about yourself. They accept you as you are, and this is an important message for young adults to grasp.

I immensely enjoyed the story immensely and highly recommend it. The plot moves along at a good pace, the writing flows easily, and just when you think you've figured out who is the murderer, everything is flipped upside down. The book was a page-turner, and I flew through it - it definitely had the right amount of suspense to keep you wanting more.

*Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

*The review is posted on my Blog, Goodreads, and Amazon.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Author for providing me with a copy of this book for my review.

Reading Summer Rental felt like being brought back to my early teenagehood when I first truly started exploring my fascination with horror and thrillers specifically. It reminded me of watching I Know What You Did Last Summer during a sleepover with my best friends on a warm July night. This book was also reminiscent of Bodies Bodies Bodies, a horror movie with a similar premise.

The storyline captivated me, I had to keep reading to discover what happened next. We follow the unravelling interpersonal drama at the core of a group of spoiled kids as they arrive at a summer rental. Riley's recent change in her socioeconomic standing is the reason the recent graduates find themself in a rental instead of the luxurious hotels off the island. The threat of a looming hurricane forces the friend group to shelter in place. Despite a rocky start to their vacation, it seems these friends could still find a way to salvage their stay. All is well again until Riley finds a body. The situation quickly turns to chaos. Secrets are revealed, and people are betrayed. Who will survive?

Nostalgic 90s Christopher Pike vibes!!!
Instantly I loathed the main characters (minus Riley) They're the epitome of rich, spoiled, and entitled "kids" we all love to hate. Typically I can predict the ending/killer. This one had me guessing wrong on who!
Will definitely read more by this author!

Nothing beats the slasher horror movies from the 198os and 1990s. There is an element to them which blends a creepy story with eerie music, overacting and a cast of good looking youthful individuals trying to stay alive. This book reminded me of all of the above.

School is out and a group of friends are headed to Palm Key Island to party. It's supposed to be all about the beach, the drinks, the hookups! But when one of them goes missing and inclement weather traps them all in the rental house, things become scary and fast. someone among them is a killer.

As tensions rise, secrets are being hidden, peoples true colors come out. Sprinkle in the fact it is the anniversary death of one of their classmates, everyone starts to distrust and suspect everyone.

The beginning of the book was a little slow but allowed for great character development. Once the story picked up, it was a whirlwind. I was anxious, claustrophobic and screaming in my head for them to not make stupid decisions lol

The novel gets quite graphic & the ending, although predictable, still had great shock value.

4 stars -- Huge thank you to Netgalley and Ic13 Books for the digital advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Summer Rental is out tomorrow and it is such a fast paced, quick read. I really enjoyed it. We know I’m a thriller girlie through and through so this was one I knew I had to pick up. So glad I did. A couple freshly graduated girls go for a weekend away. Little do they know they are heading into a hurricane and a home apparently haunted by a serial killer. The girls are so fake to each other and are your typical high school mean girls except for Riley. The guys really made me laugh even with their privilege. Except for Jon, he is a real weirdo which is understandable since his sister committed suicide one year ago. I think the talk of mental health issues was well done and I didn’t realize this would have LGBTQIA+ representation but thought it was incorporated in a meaningful way.

I really enjoyed the writing style as well as the story as a whole. I definitely didn’t see the killer reveal coming. And I loved the ending. I will absolutely be picking up Rektok’s other novel now.

The book description wasn't kidding when it stated this book was "Mean Girls" meets "SCREAM”. That reeled me in, and I am happy to say that I was hooked! It also had "I know what you did last summer" vibes as well. I loved SCREAM and enjoyed the horror survival tips in this book from SCREAM (and other horror films) i.e., never say "I'll be right back", etc.

It says gripping in the title, and it certainly was!

Riley March and her group of "friends" are in the remote Palm Key Island for a last hurrah before they go their separate ways to attend the colleges of their choice. They are there to party, tan, flaunt their bikini bodies, and hook up. Riley's crush Sebastian Ramos and his group of friends are there as well. This is going to be the vacation of a lifetime!

But they all have secrets. Some of the secrets are bigger than others. Secrets can be deadly.

Fun in the sun turns into danger as the group ignores the hurricane warnings, friends disappear, and they become cut off. Their dream trip has become a nightmare!

Woohoo! This was such a gripping and intense read. I was blown away. I loved the trapped feeling of this book. When the hurricane was looming, they were trapped not only by the raging storm but also by the danger that awaited inside the house as well. Nowhere and no one was safe. I loved the tension, the danger and horror in this book. This book also touches on bullying, fake friends, toxic friends, deception, and loss.

Talk about being glued to the pages. I loved the SCREAM vibe in this book and tried my best to pin down the killer. Dripping with atmosphere, blood, and tension, Summer Rental: A Gripping Psychological Thriller is a killer book!!!

A bloody good book that is captivating, atmospheric, and gripping!