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A review by abbeyroad1410
Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Not every book can be one of the best books that you read, and this one was good, but probably not one I will re-read often.
The biggest thing that I enjoyed about this novel was the fact that the mystery relates to who died rather than who killed the person. I think the author, Emma Rosenblum, does a great job playing with this unique angle. There are many moments where characters are at the scene of the death and readers are forced to wonder if this is when it happens. It kept me hooked right up to the point where someone actually died.
One of my biggest critiques is that after the death, the book is extraordinarily slow. Readers also think they know what happened, so until I got to the epilogue, I felt like I was reading end of book fluff for about thirty pages. Until that point, the pacing of the book had been fairly average which felt nice. I wish it had kept that momentum through the ending.
My other large issue was that it was very difficult to keep track of all the characters. So many characters have chapters told from their perspective. One character was so irrelevant to the plot that I forgot that she existed until she was briefly mentioned again in one of the last three chapters. Yet, she has a chapter from her point of view. I almost wish the author had chosen 4-6 characters to use repeatedly instead. It feels like that would have been the right amount for the novel.
Overall, I think the book was good. Readers would especially like it if they want to feel visceral hatred for rich, white people with too much time and money for a little less than 300 pages.
The biggest thing that I enjoyed about this novel was the fact that the mystery relates to who died rather than who killed the person. I think the author, Emma Rosenblum, does a great job playing with this unique angle. There are many moments where characters are at the scene of the death and readers are forced to wonder if this is when it happens. It kept me hooked right up to the point where someone actually died.
One of my biggest critiques is that after the death, the book is extraordinarily slow. Readers also think they know what happened, so until I got to the epilogue, I felt like I was reading end of book fluff for about thirty pages. Until that point, the pacing of the book had been fairly average which felt nice. I wish it had kept that momentum through the ending.
My other large issue was that it was very difficult to keep track of all the characters. So many characters have chapters told from their perspective. One character was so irrelevant to the plot that I forgot that she existed until she was briefly mentioned again in one of the last three chapters. Yet, she has a chapter from her point of view. I almost wish the author had chosen 4-6 characters to use repeatedly instead. It feels like that would have been the right amount for the novel.
Overall, I think the book was good. Readers would especially like it if they want to feel visceral hatred for rich, white people with too much time and money for a little less than 300 pages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Infidelity
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Classism, and Sexual harassment