Summer’s Edge
Dana Mele
Genre: Young Adult Horror
Publishing Date: May 31, 2022
About the Book
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.
Content warnings: murder, blood, references to (past) suicidal ideations and involuntary admission to a psychiatric hospital, trauma related to the death of a friend, a description of a dead animal (a rabbit), references to drowning, poisoning, fire, fear of sharks, and falling.
Book Links
Goodreads
Amazon
Bookshop
B&N
Book Depository
Indigo
Indie Bound
About the Author
Dana Mele is a Pushcart-nominated writer based in the Catskills. A graduate of Wellesley College, Dana holds degrees in theatre, education, and law. Dana’s debut, PEOPLE LIKE US, was published in 2018 and shortlisted for the 2019 ITW Thriller Award for Best Young Adult Novel. A second YA thriller, SUMMER’S EDGE, is forthcoming from Simon & Schuster in Spring 2022, followed by TRAGIC, a graphic novel retelling of Hamlet from Legendary Comics.
Author Links
Website
Twitter
Instagram
Goodreads
My Thoughts
Told through varying viewpoints and timelines, Summer’s Edge gives us the story of this core group of friends and how they’ve overcome something very traumatic. As the blurb promises, there are betrayals, and it seems like everyone is keeping a secret. Mele starts with a death and unwinds the past to bring us there, with secrets along every step of the way.
This was a quick and easy read for me. When I thought I had things figured out, the author waved a finger, silently telling me she was not quite done. Then I was at the point where I didn’t think I even understood what was going on. But, it was a brilliant way to tell the story. There are so many secrets, and it’s hard to tell whose point of view is the one you can trust. I liked how the story unfolded in a non-linear fashion and enjoyed the varying viewpoints that helped to give us such a twisted story. This is an enjoyable race to the finish read.
Favorite Quotes
“Silence is worse than the cruelest words, because it leaves room for hope, even when logically, there is none.”
“But the missing is so wrapped up in hurt, it’s impossible to untangle.”
“When you have it, you take it for granted.
When you don’t, it’s the only thing you think about.”
“Only the expendables leave the cabin in the woods. The ones who didn’t bother to read the script.”
“But it isn’t the world outside that really scares me. It’s what I’m walking away from.”
“It only takes five seconds to look away, to stop paying attention, and secrets start spreading like rot.”
View the full tour schedule and check out the other stops on the tour at:
TBR and Beyond Tours
Rae's Reading Lounge 
So glad you enjoyed this! It sounds exciting and mysterious.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!
LikeLike