I Know What You Did Last Summer meets The Haunting of Hill House in this atmospheric, eerie teen thriller following an estranged group of friends being haunted by their friend who died last summer.
Emily Joiner was once part of an inseparable group—she was a sister, a best friend, a lover, and a rival. Summers without Emily were unthinkable. Until the fire burned the lake house to ashes with her inside.
A year later, it’s in Emily’s honor that Chelsea and her four friends decide to return. The house awaits them, meticulously rebuilt. Only, Chelsea is haunted by ghostly visions. Loner Ryan stirs up old hurts and forces golden boy Chase to play peacemaker. Which has perfect hostess Kennedy on edge as eerie events culminate in a stunning accusation: Emily’s death wasn’t an accident. And all the clues needed to find the person responsible are right here.
As old betrayals rise to the surface, Chelsea and her friends have one night to unravel a mystery spanning three summers before a killer among them exacts their revenge.
Honestly, it was the mention of The Haunting of Hill House that caught my eye, and this sounded like a perfect creepy summer read that just might cause goosebumps.
Long-time friends with a tradition of spending a summer weekend at a lake house, an abundance of secrets, several betrayals, and eerie happenings inside the house. I read this in two days over Memorial Day weekend and couldn’t put it down.
The story begins with the friends meeting at the lake house one year after Emily’s death. It hasn’t been an easy year for any of them, and they’re all in various stages of grief. Some are still looking for a person to blame. I had a love/hate relationship with these characters – sometimes I felt sympathy for them and all they were experiencing, and other times I was so annoyed with their narcissistic tendencies and manipulations I wanted to reach into the pages and knock some sense into them.
With a few different POVs, I began to notice inconsistencies in the story that frustrated me. Was this a mistake (I had an ARC)? Was the character an unreliable narrator? Exactly what were we dealing with? Close to the end things clicked, and I figured out what was going on. The twist, although not original, is clever and something I didn’t suspect in early chapters.
A perfect summer setting, tarot cards, heated accusations, ghosts, complicated relationships, and revenge add up to a compelling beach/lake read. Grab a chair, some sunscreen, and a drink and settle in with this YA supernatural thriller.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I’m traveling today, so I may be slow to get to comments. Bear with me.
Books and Such 
The Hill House comparison caught my eye, too. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the book.
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Loved the Netflix series. I’ve watched it twice but would do it again.
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My daughter and I watch it together when we visit each other. It’s one of the few programming choices we agree on. Though, lately, it’s been a lot of Disney movies. (A four-month old gets a lot of joy out of the music. Who would have thought that of someone so young?)
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great review, Teri. Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks, John!
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😊
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Reblogged this on NEW BLOG HERE >> https:/BOOKS.ESLARN-NET.DE.
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Thanks for sharing, Michael!
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Always with a great pleasure and many thanks for your work, Teri! xx Michael
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Sounds awesome. I’m a fan of the unreliable narrator or twists I didn’t see coming (whichever it turned out to be)! Happy travels!
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It gradually became apparent what was going on, but it sure had me scratching my head for a while, Priscilla.
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This does sound super creepy and thrilling. I can definitely see it giving me chills at various points in the story. It sounds like an excellent holiday weekend read!
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This is what I was reading when that stupid spider bit me. But it was a perfect summer poolside read, Tessa.
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Sounds like an interesting read. Thanks for sharing, Teri!
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Thanks for stopping by, Jan – have a great weekend!
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This sounds very good. Nice review!
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Thanks, Wendy! It sure kept me glued to the pages.
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It seems like Dana Mele planned the plot on purpose but tied all the pieces to give a satisfactory ending. Thank you for sharing your review, Teri!
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That’s exactly what she did, Miriam. The confusion was intentional – and believe me, I formed all kinds of theories – and then everything fell into place by the ending. Sure kept me guessing!
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I know how it goes, Teri! I usually do the same!
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I noticed a few editing errors in the blurb and added to your review, makes me think I’ll pass on this one. The cover is cool, though.
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It’s not a cover I’d have chosen to go along with the book, but it’s eye-catching. Thanks for visiting, Jacquie!
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Hi Teri, so did you end up enjoying it or not so much?
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Although I didn’t care for some of the characters, I enjoyed the story, Robbie. It kept me guessing.
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Ok, good to know.
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