A review by drakaina16
Cruel Summer by Wesley Southard

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I ran the gamut of emotions with Cruel Summer. It's no secret from the blurb that a large part of the book centers around domestic violence and child abuse. Huge trigger warning for that - it's rough. The book is extremely well-written and gave me actual real-world anxiety, as the ending could have been taken from one of my actual nightmares. The ocean is scary anyway and Wesley Southard has managed to make it even more terrifying. 5 stars
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