Member Reviews

I really enjoyed this book about a whole group of horrible people! It's not usually my genre and a bit unrelatable but a fab bit of escapism from unreliable narrators!

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Almost all of the characters in this book are objectionable and still I loved it! An intrigue filled tale of affluent new yorkers and their summer vacations on Fire Island - very gossip girl-y with a hint of murder!

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I devoured this brilliant treat of a novel in two sittings! A true how-the-other-half-lives thriller, with characters you'll love to hate, in a gorgeous setting. I could practically smell the sea air and taste the martinis, watching the gossipy, badly behaved characters get up to all sorts.

And if you've ever had a thing for hot tennis coaches, this is also one for you! An absolutely perfect holiday read!

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8-year-old Danny Leavitt first discovered the body. This was the first murder victim in Salcombe on the Island of Fire.
He couldn't wait to tell his friends about it. His parents were not happy that their son found the body. His father wanted to sue everyone and extort a large amount of damages.
The whole story promises to be interesting, and this was only the beginning. I was wondering who the victim was.
The first chapter, I met was Lauren Parker.
I found out about the scandal that happened at the school where her children study. I was horrified. Lauren dreams of summer. She would like to lie on the beach, read a book and forget about her problems. Like this character, I also dream of a warm summer. We have something in common. Together with Jason, they will raise two children: seven-year-old Arlo and five-year-old Amelia. Their children have a nanny from the Philippines, Silvia. Convenient parents. She takes care of their children for them. Is this a good solution? They bought a house in Salcombe on the Island of Fire in the Atlantic Ocean. They live there only in the summer. It must be fantastic to have your own holiday spot. I will envy them.
By reading the book "Bad Summer People" you will learn the history of the town of Salcombe. Interesting information. I thank the author for that.
Another character is Robert Heyworth.
He has always been interested in tennis.
By reading this book, you will find out what his life was like. You will also find out how it happened that he found himself in the town of Salcombe on the Island of Fire.
Another character is Rachel Woolf. She is forty-two years old. Rachel can't get her life together. She loves to have fun. She is single and childless. Is she satisfied with her life? Judge for yourself as you read this novel. She has a flat in Manhattan and a house on Fire Island in the town of Salcombe. This character loves tennis. Robert became her trainer.
He caught her eye. Will something spark between them? I didn't like this character.
There's something about her that repels me. The author has described this character very well.
Another hero is a young bartender from Salcombe, Micah Holt. He sees and hears more than anyone realizes. He loves to learn the secrets of others. Micah is homosexual.
Another character is Jason Parker. He is Lauren's husband. He hates his best friend Sam. Why? I didn't like this character. A slippery guy. He regularly cheats on his wife. Did he ever love her?
You will find the answer to that question in this book.
Another character, Silvia Mabini. She is fifty-two years old. She is the nanny of the Parker children. Silvia sees more than she says.
Another character is Beth Ledbetter.
She feels like a victim. She knows that no one likes her because of Rachel.
Is she right? She plans revenge on Lauren.
Why? This is an interesting thread.
Another character, Sam Weinstein. We meet him in a rather awkward situation for him. Is he another bad person from the Island of Fire? He is Jen's husband.
It's worth taking a closer look at this character. He is Jason's best friend.
While reading this book, I had the impression that every character is evil and has a lot behind his ears.
Another character, Paul Grobel.
Paul worked in music, at Atlantic Records, in marketing. He loves Emily madly. Is he a snob like the other heroes? He and his rich wife will raise two children: four-year-old Hayden and six-year-old Dash.
Jen Weinstein is another character.
She is a total fraud. She's had it since she was little. I don't like this character because she's very toxic. You won't want to meet her. She and her husband Sam have three children.
This book is the perfect script for a Netflix series. We have a lot of characters here that both like and hate each other.
There are quarrels and have misunderstandings between them.
They are all connected by the Island of Fire and the small town of Salcombe. Our characters have homes there, to which they come to every summer.
They spend their entire holiday here.
A nice escape from everyday life.
I read the book "Bad Summer People" very quickly.
It drew me in from the very beginning.
Even with so many characters, I didn't get lost in this book. I am very pleased with it. I would love to come back to this book at some point.
I invite you to meet all members of the Yacht Club.

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I had very divided feelings about this book. For a while I thought it would only merit 3 stars, as I didn't enjoy any of the characters, which, although well written and horribly believable, seemed the kind of people with which I could not empathise. After a while I realised that this was quite on purpose!
BUT - then the story started to get quite engaging, and there were plenty of delightful twists, a lot of 'whodunnit' with an increasing list of possible characters. The mere fact that it kept my nose down in the book would warrant 5 stars. Average therefore 4 stars.
A great literary novel it is not, but a really fun beach read - oh yes!

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This was a lovely view of the idyllic resort for the wealthy to spend their summers in. All it proved was that money does not buy happiness!. The shenanigan's of the residents made fun and light hearted reading and demonstrated that emotions and friendships made as children were not always as they appeared later on when the youngsters had grown up. It had a surprise ending which added to the story. The characters were well described as was the surrounding scenery, The residents covered a wide gamut that added to the story as all could relate to them.

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I really enjoyed this book, and I sped through it. Though none of the characters are particularly likeable, I found it very engaging and the multiple perspective narration helped with this. I enjoyed seeing events from different people's viewpoints, and though I did guess the end, I thought it was a good pay-off.

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I loved this book ,set om Fire Island where the rich and bored enjoy their Summer playing tennis, meeting up with old friends and generally doing nothing .The story starts with a body being found and the book gradually reveals what led up to this .Full of great characters that I wouldn't like in real life ! plenty of secrets ,gossip a great mystery thriller ,great fun ,proving that money doesn't necessarily make you happy .I liked the very good surprising ending .A great holiday read .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

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I enjoyed reading this book, it was well written and I will certainly be interested to read more from this author.

I found the plot to be engaging and the interest built up by the gradual revealing of secrets and personality traits of the different characters.
Another aspect I enjoyed was the unique way some of the secrets were revealed by the Bartender. It was also very effective to use individual chapters to reveal more of a character’s story, whilst tying everything together very neatly.

There was a lovely sentence that I would like to quote which I found very amusing;
“she didn’t need a therapist, she just needed someone to help her carry all this cheese”.

Overall a book I would recommend. Many thanks to



Gradually building secrets and revealing character traits
Unique way to reveal some secrets through bar tender
Like different chapters for different characters and their viewpoints
Good quote She didn’t need a therapist,she just needed someone to help her carry all this cheese”
Overall a good book that I recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley and publishers Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for
allowing me to have a copy for review.

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Firstly, a big thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the ARC and the opportunity to read this fantastic book.

I LOVED this. This is my kind of book. A story riddled with drama, gossip, and rich people desperate to protect their reputations and ‘perfect lives’. I loved to hate the majority of these characters, but I also felt sorry for them. So many of them were deeply unhappy and sought some form of love and attention from places they shouldn’t really stray to.

I love a prologue and an epilogue and this one had both; bonus points for that. The prologue got the story rolling, gripping me straight away and the epilogue really shocked me. I thought the story was over and done with, but no, there’s always one last secret to spill.

I like that some chapters focused on individual characters, especially minor characters like Micah, Silvia, and some of the ‘side couples’. These chapters exposed some of the characters for who they really are, and gave some other perspectives of the main characters. I also like that the book is split into parts – I always think this is a good way to structure a book.

Ultimately, for me, this book is top tier. It will be a great summer read – you get pulled into the drama and chaotic lives of the rich, and you get to watch it all spiral out of control. Greats characters, great setting, a great story. Fabulous.

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They really are very Bad Summer people! A group of totally unlikeable, rich, privileged white Americans spend their summers on Fire Island where they play competitive tennis, have parties and barbecues on the beach, drink, carry on affairs and gossip. Things come to a head one summer when a dead body is found near one of the dangerously high boardwalks. The novel explores the events leading up to this, and the full truth is not revealed until the last page of the book. This is very well-written and compelling to the point of not being able to put it down. The relationships, not the murder, are the focus of this, so it is not a thriller or murder mystery in any sense. However, it is highly entertaining. The only character who comes off well (or at least slightly better than the rest) is Micah. The one small criticism I would make is that there are too many named characters who only have a background role, and I found this a little confusing.

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A bit White Lotus, a bit Aperol-spritz fuelled gossip session with a friend - Bad Summer People is great fun and I've not doubt it will be a hit this coming summer. I found it funny, voicey and enjoyed the moments of schadenfreude. Not a thriller but it is a page turner.

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FROM THE COVER📖

The families on the island have been vacationing here for years; the Weinsteins, the Metzners, the Grobels -
and unlucky in love Rachel Woolf.

Outsiders aren't welcome. That is except for Robert, the handsome new tennis coach, who some people are going out of their way to make very welcome . . .

But the problem when everyone knows everyone is that secrets can't stay secret forever.

And when a body is found face-down beneath the boardwalk, they realise that maybe one of them is worse than they thought . . .


REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I devoured this stylish and darkly comedic novel , this is a story of what's lurking under the surface and boy does it deliver

Told in first POV from many characters all of which are more and more horrible as the next but they are written with such quick smart wit you can’t help but like them. They are bitchy, gossipy and full of sass. These characters set among the well plotted story that opens with a murder/accident the story that follows is what happens in the lead up to this, giving what is a brilliant piece satire with smart relevant observations on society a mystery thrilling edge. And all this before we even get to the setting of fire island, loved this it was pure classic mystery but in a modern way. A classic beach read with a deeper meaning, mystery and darkly funny…LOVED IT

Think white lotus meets Liane Moriarty…note to publishers please make this into a Tv series…

This is a intriguing, smart, read full of gossipy, naughty fun, dark humour rammed packed with sun-soaked secrets, outrageous scandals and with wit dripping from each page it makes perfect beach reading… just add a dry glass of white wine and sunscreen…perfect holiday

Thank so much for ARC this made summer come early on a cold wet January

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3.5 stars


95% of this book feels like a big gossipy session with a friend.
It's fun, and scandalous, and all about the people you really don't like.
To be fair, they're not likeable.
It's not quite what I was expecting from the blurb, but I very much enjoyed what I got.
A great page turner, that had me glad I was not rich with an island home.

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Bad Summer People is truly the book of my dreams! I've been dying to read this ever since it was announced, and it delivered even more than expected. I thought the author's deft handling of so many perspectives was masterful and the tennis angle was so much fun. I can see this playing out brilliantly as a limited TV series. I can't wait to read more from this author!

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I requested this novel as it was marketed as a thriller/mystery and it definitely isn’t either.

I enjoyed this book regardless, a witty and funny insight in to the summer people.

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Thought that this was going to be a murder/thriller. Got that mostly wrong. Essentially described the lives of very rich, self-centred people who bother far too much about what other people think about them. None was likeable. All were certainly nowhere as squeaky clean as they tried to imply. Murder on more or less page one, events leading up to it for the next <insert large number> pages, the death, a few more pages and the end. Not badly written or anything but a light beach read if you like that sort of back-biting, gossipy rich folk stories. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

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Classic literature it ain’t, but if you’re looking for great fun and a rollicking read, I can highly recommend this book. Take it on holiday, ignore your partner and children, and enjoy.

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The description seemed promising but this ended up not being for me. I struggle with books where there's nobody to enjoy or latch onto. Everyone here was unlikeable but not in a fun way, plus we follow so many different characters. Overall it wasn't the thriller I expected. If you want some low grade, rich folks scandal then maybe this is for you.

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Loved this book.I thought it was going to be a thriller rather than chick lit and that nearly put me off but i kept on reading and it was infact a chick lit.A must for anyones summer tbr

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