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A review by ahartfullofbooks
I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I’m a huge fan of the 1990s slasher series I Know What You Did Last Summer, and finally got around to reading the YA novel.
Important to mention that the book was originally published in 1973 but was also re-released and updated in 2010 to make it more relatable. I kept getting thrown off by mentions of Starbucks and Cell phones when I knew this was published in the 70s, unaware that I was actually reading the re-released updated version.
This was a very simple, very quick read and one of the rare occasions where the film was better. The characters are very stereotypical with a fast and rather simple narrative that makes the twist at the end very obvious. I had fun reading this but only because I love the films and really wanted to compare and read the original source material.
If you’re looking for a good slasher or a good thriller I would 100% look somewhere else. Even with the odd updates, this book feels very dated and there is not real danger since everyone miraculously always works out, which makes the story very flat.
Important to mention that the book was originally published in 1973 but was also re-released and updated in 2010 to make it more relatable. I kept getting thrown off by mentions of Starbucks and Cell phones when I knew this was published in the 70s, unaware that I was actually reading the re-released updated version.
This was a very simple, very quick read and one of the rare occasions where the film was better. The characters are very stereotypical with a fast and rather simple narrative that makes the twist at the end very obvious. I had fun reading this but only because I love the films and really wanted to compare and read the original source material.
If you’re looking for a good slasher or a good thriller I would 100% look somewhere else. Even with the odd updates, this book feels very dated and there is not real danger since everyone miraculously always works out, which makes the story very flat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Infidelity, Grief, Car accident