When I read The Summer House, I had just put my mother in the hospital. Usually, when that kind of stress is going on in my life, I can't keep my brain focused on a novel. You know - when you read the same paragraph 10 times and you realize you still don't know what you just read? The Summer House did not do that to me! I was able to take a break from real life for a bit, and completely immerse myself in one of Keri Beevis' greatest novels. Thank you, Ms. Beevis', for giving me the breaks that I needed! This is another winner!!!!

I read one of Keri’s books – The People Next Door – in 2021 and it was excellent, I really loved it and found it such a page-turner! So I was really looking forward to reading her latest release – The Summer House.
The story begins in 2005, with a very unsettling prologue, then we move forward to the present day. We meet Lana Hamilton. Following her grandmother’s death, Lana and her twin brother Ollie have inherited her home, Mead House, where they spent most of their childhood.
Seventeen years earlier, Lana and Ollie’s sister Camille had been murdered there, aged nineteen. Lana is now clearing the house in North Norfolk, so it can be sold. Unsurprisingly, neither her nor Ollie want to live there, with all the terrible memories.
Most of the characters seem a bit suspicious. There’s Ollie’s fiancée Elise, who he’s only known a couple of months, yet they’re already engaged. There’s George Maddox, the creepy caretaker and gardener of Mead House and there’s Xavier ‘Xav’ Landry, who was Ollie’s best mate from childhood and Lana’s first love. Now he is an artist, but is quite reclusive after his brother Sebastian was jailed for Camille’s murder. Sebastian had been Camille’s boyfriend at the time.
Could it be that Sebastian didn’t kill Camille, but someone else did? Someone who is free to kill again?
And when Lana finds Camille’s secret journal, what will she discover? …
As always with Keri’s books, you’re straight into the action and want to keep reading, to find out more. Lana is the only character I really liked from the start, so I was definitely on her side. Everyone else seems suspicious and your mind comes up with all sorts of theories…
It’s all wonderfully twisty-turny so you never know quite who to trust and you just want to keep on reading to find out the answers to all those questions!
A really clever, intriguing, compelling read!

Lana and Ollie are responsible for cleaning out their grandmother's house, but when they come across the journals of their dead sister; who was murdered 17 years earlier. What they thought happened may now be wrong.

This is a great read, full of twists and suspense I could not put this down. Beevis writes giving atmosphere and tension to every chapter; by the end, I was sitting on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happens next.

This was a narrative full of family drama, romance, murder, mystery and second chances. I highly recommend this read for anyones to be read pile.

Keri Beevis returns following The Sleepover with her latest multi-layered suspense thriller, THE SUMMER HOUSE—a twin sister and brother return to their grandmother's home after her death, and the dark secrets of the past unravel.

As the book opens, it is 2005, and we are privy to some dangerous games. Someone by the initial "G" has written instructions for Camille. She is promiscuous with flaming red hair. The opposite of her sister.

The letter had instructions about what to wear/and not to wear—to meet at THE SUMMER HOUSE, a private part of the garden far from the main house (The Mead House). This was not romance but addiction and obsession. Who is this lover? Or is there something more sinister at play luring her here? Motive?

There is a chair, a blindfold, a red scarf, a heart pendant with a ribbon, and another note. She fears they are going to cross the line. Realization follows; she is strangled and murdered. Her former boyfriend, Sebastian, is charged and in prison.

Flash forward to the present day; Lana Hamilton is returning to Mead House following the recent death of her grandmother, Nana Kitty. She and her twin brother, Ollie, are charged with cleaning the house and putting it on the market for sale. The three had lived with their grandmother after their mother died of cancer.

It was seventeen years since their sister Camille's murder. She was only nineteen, and the twins were two years younger.

Main Characters
The Hamiltons:
Lana: twin
Ollie: twin (London) former best friend of Xav.
Camille: older sister murdered
Nana Kitty: Grandmother of the three and owner of Mead House and The Summer House - Dead (from a fall. Accidental or pushed)?

Xav: former boyfriend of Lana. Artist.
Sebastian: brother of Xav.
Charged with the murder of Camille.
Former boyfriend. In prison.
Lana's testimony put him away.
Joanna: mother.

Supporting characters: All horrible
Elise: fiancee of Ollie
George Maddox: caretaker/gardener
Barney: George's uncle
Derek: George's older stepbrother
Bree: lesbian. Mechanic.
Friend of Sebastian & Xav

The Palmers:
Trudy: daughter. Art gallery owner. Dispised her.
Doc Palmer: Agnus: father to Trudy.
Former doctor. Retired. Stroke/dementia. Disgusting man.

During cleanup, Lana discovers some disturbing journals of her sister, leading her to suspect Sebastian was not the murderer.

Next is a series of menacing events—someone knows she is getting too close to learning the truth of that night. The journals are now missing, she gets hit by a car and then drugged and put in her trunk for dead.

Her former boyfriend, Xav, comes to her rescue. No Hamilton is safe with a killer on the loose determined to take down this family in a race against time. Everyone is collateral damage.

While I enjoy Keri Beevis' books and am a big fan, THE SUMMER HOUSE was not my favorite. Yes, there were a lot of twists and red herrings—however, due to the number of characters (way too many), there was not enough overall character development, too much evil and bad things, and not enough balance with the good. I did not care for any of the characters. NO humor.

I understand the author needed the characters for red herrings and was especially creative with the "G" initials to throw you off.
The setup was clever.
The first part pulled me in.
The middle seemed to drag and drag.
The last part was more action-filled for the showdown.

However, the main concern was you need to "suspend your disbelief for the sake of enjoyment."

When the killer is revealed, no way - if you go back to the original event. Also, I did not connect with ANY of the characters. I was not invested in any of them.

They were mainly evil, narcissistic, delusional sociopaths: selfish, with envy, jealousy, greed, and classism. Revenge, obsession, blackmail. Some were disgusting and the actions were over the top bordering on horror.

The only two somewhat likable were Lana and Xav, who were more concerned over Lana's safety and hardly ever talked about getting Sebastian out of prison and the damage to his life. So again a disconnect here.

However, I am looking forward to her next book!

Thank you to #BoldwoodBooks and #NetGalley for a gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pub Date: March 6, 2023

Once again Beevis has written a great thriller and I enjoyed it immensely. I have nearly read all of this author’s books and have yet to be disappointed (no pressure there then, Beevis!).

Starting with a flashback to the horrific night that Lana will never forget, Beevis starts the book with a bang. Seeing how Lana’s eldest sister was murdered in the summer house sets the tone for this mystery, as Lana returns to the family home after the death of her grandmother. Faced with the mammoth task of sorting through Mead House with her useless brother, Lana soon discovers a secret journal that belonged to her sister, revealing long-buried secrets. Suddenly, that fateful night doesn’t seem as clear, the perpetrator unknown and threats are made to Lana. Who really was behind Camille’s death? Is the right person in prison for the crime?

What I liked about this story were the gradual clues that readers discover about Camille and her behaviour patterns. She is fondly remembered as being a bit of a wild girl, but the discovery of the journal means that Lana and Ollie see their sister differently. Returning to Mead House after so many years opens up the memories of the disturbing night and I liked how there are random chapters that provide an insight into the real murderer’s thought processes. It’s definitely adds an extra chill to the story.

Like so many of Beevis’s books, there is a thread of romance that weaves through the story. Lana used to have a relationship with Xav… except that since Xav’s brother was imprisoned for Camille’s murder, it’s of no surprise that this relationship has completely disintegrated. Yet, Lana and Xav’s paths increasingly cross and I loved seeing how feelings are rediscovered. This made a great juxtaposition with Ollie and his fiancée, Elise, who I had great pleasure in disliking! I did chuckle about how Lana behaved to her future sister-in-law and think I would have been just as exasperated by Elise’s selfish and demanding ways.

This was a fast-moving thriller that reached a dramatic climax. The flashbacks to 2005 added another element to the story and had me scratching my head even more. With just a few clues from the journal, I found myself suspecting every character whose name could be linked to Camille’s diary and I enjoyed how Beevis’s subterfuge was so effective. Knowing I was unlikely to be accurate in my predictions just made this story more immersive and I relished in reaching the final revelations.

Another satisfying read from Beevis and a great example of great mystery writing. I think there is only one other book that I have yet to read by this author and am certainly confident it will be just as good. If this is a writer you have yet to discover, then get moving and start off with this enjoyable murder mystery.

With thanks to Boldwood books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Twins Lana and Ollie return to Mead House, their family home, to clear it out after their Nanna Kitty has passed away. They are reluctant to return as their elder sister Camille was murdered in the summer house there. Their visit is particularly difficult for Ollie as he was the one who found their sister’s body and although he had lots of therapy, it still haunts him to this day.

During their childhood the twins were best friends with Xav and later Lana became romantically involved with him. Neither twin is keen to rekindle their relationship with Xav, not only was his brother Sebastian found guilty of Camille’s murder, but Lana’s witness statement was also the main evidence to put him in prison.
Despite only knowing her a short while, Ollie has recently got engaged and has brought his fiancé with him to the house. As the twins begin clearing out the house they discover their sisters secret journal, hidden away as she didn’t ever want anyone to read it. As Lana reads the sick and twisted things that Camille had been involved in, she starts to doubt Sebastian’s guilt and vows to find out the truth. But somebody is not happy with Lana looking into the past and is on a mission to stop her once and for all.

This book has everything I love in a thriller. It’s fast paced, gripping and although I wanted to hurry up and read it to find out what happened, I wanted to read it slowly as I didn’t want it to end. Keri has an amazing talent, and you can’t help but get sucked into her books. I LOVED this book and would thoroughly recommend it.

I have read a few of Keri Beevis' novels before and I really enjoy her writing style, for me its gripping and not too complicated which is what I want when reading a book.

This book is great, brilliant and interesting characters and such a good storyline, I finished this novel within 3 days which is good for me.

We meet Lana and Ollie who are twins but have a strained relationship over the last few years as their sister Camille was murdered many years ago at the house that they resided in with their grandmother Kitty. Kitty has passed away and the twins meet up at her house Mead House to sort through Kitty's belonging and sell the house. At Mead House is where Camille was found murdered, she was discovered in the summer house on the property by Ollie and it has tainted him ever since. Camille's murderer was brought to justice by Lara many years ago when she spotted Camille with her then boyfriend Sebastian. At the time, Lara was in a relationship with Sebastian's brother Xav and obviously their relationship ended due to the fact that Lara put his brother in jail, and he has hated Lana and Ollie ever since. Upon clearing out Camille's old bedroom Lana uncovers a secret diary of Camille's and she is not too sure that Sebastian is actually the murderer. Lana is then thrust onto a journey of finding out who actually killed Camille and she is reunited once again with Xav. I don't want to give too much away but I was gripped reading this novel.

Its a perfect read if you like a good thrilling and gripping read.and I give this novel 4.5 starts out of 5. Thanks to NetGalley, Keri Beevis and the publishers for allowing me a ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I've been a huge fan of Keri's books since I read her first one and this one was no disappointment. They pull you in from page 1 and keep you hooked til the end.

Her writing is addictive and I know with each release its going to be a good one. Already on countdown for the next one.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Summer House was a beautiful place to visit and meet others. Until it became a scene of horror and a family breaking.
This book was very good and teasing with inbetween chapters to keep the reader invested.
Enjoyed that the characters had lots going on and filled out.
A good read.

Wow!… Tense and captivating… Full of twists and turns and shocks!… Raced through it, eager to find out the ending – which was just brilliant!’

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review this The Summer House.

This one took me a while to read, the storyline just never really grabbed my attention. The synopsis sounded great but it wasn't as dark or twisted as I'd hoped. The starting chapter was compelling and exciting but after that it tapered off quite quickly.

The characters I felt lacked depth, and the murderer was quite obvious early in the book.

I gave this a 3 star rating as it was written well, but just wasn't as gripping as I wanted it to be.

The Summer House is a gripping page turner which kept me on my toes and constantly changing my suspect list. WOWZA! This book was fantastic!

Twins, Lana and Ollie, have returned to Mead House after their grandmother's death. They knew going back was going to be difficult. Their grandmother, Kitty, had recently died and the home was also where their older sister, Camille was murdered in the Summer House on the property. Talk about a double whammy. Plus, Ollie has brought along his never-mentioned-before finance who happens to be a major who-know-what. She does not save that drama for her mama; she unleashes it for all to enjoy (or not).

While going through the home getting it ready for sale, Lana finds her sister's hidden journal. As she beings to read, she realizes that her sister had shocking dark secrets. After learning some 'truths' about her sister, Lana begins to question what she saw the night her sister was murdered and if her testimony sent an innocent man to jail. The man in jail, was her then boyfriend’s older brother. Is he innocent as he always claimed? If he didn't kill her sister, then who did?

Wanting to know the truth, Lana being looking for answers....

Talk about juicy! Boy did this book keep me on my toes. There was never a dull moment, the book never loses momentum and becomes even better with each page. This book has a little bit of everything that I enjoy in a book - family dynamics/drama, first love, revenge, secret romance, murder, suspense galore, second chance romance, a great mystery, and an engaging plot. Woohoo!

This book was well written and full of likeable and unlikeable characters. I loved the suspense and the looming danger in the last part of the book. Like the characters, I began to wonder who could be trusted. I was glued to the pages doing my own super sleuthing and finger pointing.

I can't wait to read what Keri Beevis writes next!

As the expression goes “ you can never go home”……….or never should go home…. because there may be someone there who hasn’t forgotten or forgiven a long past infraction.
   Lana and twin Ollie return to the family home to ready it for sale after their grandmother died. The house comes with its share of vivid memories long repressed but that come back with a vengeance. Their older sister was murdered in the estate's summer house and a friend of the family was charged with the murder. In a small town it is hard not to face their past on every corner; people did not forget what that trial and accusation did to two families.
   There is a love story woven in the book and at times it is hard to comprehend how could evolve with the past history of the couple. Not everyone is so forgiving as you discover details, long forgotten, are revealed.
   An interesting mystery that keeps you guessing till the end.

This book definitely held my attention. It's filled with twists and turns and parts where your draw drops on the floor. Being new to the thriller genre I found that I really enjoyed reading this one. I'd deffo recommend

Before writing my review, I want to thank NetGalley, Keri Beevis, and Boldwood Books for gifting me the ARC of THE SUMMER HOUSE! It was such a privilege to read this before publication. And I appreciate you trusting me with an honest review.

Another fantastic novel from Keri Beevis! I loved it!! Wonderful character development and fantastically haunting story! I especially liked the relationship between Lana and her brother, Ollie— tenuous in the beginning, but through tragedy, that relationship grew and evolved into what it once had been. And I loved the characters of Lana and Xav, both hurting from the same tragedy, but in very different ways. This book had me reading well past my bedtime, anxiously turning the pages to find out how it would all end!

This book was super suspenseful and wonderfully written. I do love her writing style. Great transitions from the past to present day as we learn, through slow but growing suspense, about the horrific circumstances that have shaped our characters’ present lives. Loved the twists and the subtle clues the author left her readers like breadcrumbs, leading to an incredible reveal and conclusion! Just wow!!

And I have to add I love her dedication to her cats. So incredibly sweet!

When Lana turns up at her grandmothers house she expects to be alone so she is surprised when she hears laughing and other noises coming from her bedroom bat in hand she goes into the room only to find a naked lady who is she eventually find out is there at her brother Ali‘s invitation she was unaware her brother Ollie was coming in Avon more shocked when he introduces the naked woman it is his fiancé. Even though his fiancé is a real b,,,,, Lana daughter best to keep the piece because she’s just happy her twin is there after all he is the only family she has left. The head of sister named Camille but her boyfriend Sebastian choked her to death or did he. At the beginning of the book we learned that George the caretaker of kitties property is the one who really strangled Camille even though her boyfriend Sebastian is in jail for the crime. Soon after arriving wanna goes to town to see about selling her grandmothers art work and she instantly runs into her ex-boyfriend‘s Zev she is shocked to see him but by his attitude she knows he still hates her for telling the police his brother killed her sister put circumstances will force them together and his attitude will soften. While Lana is hanging out in the room she finds her sister‘s journal her secret journal not the diary she kept with her hopes and wishes with something that sells her deepest darkest nastiest meanness most violent secrets she named the man who she says she is totally in love with and loves all the things they do but because she only gives him an initial Lana starts to believe the wrong man may be in prison. It seems the more she looked into it the more dangerous things become and can Lana find out the truth and live to tell about it? This book was so good I really enjoyed this book and I like the new Gothic teal to these thrillers I’m really loving them. There really was no point where I was rolling my eyes I was shaking my head this was really a credible downright awesome thriller! I received this book from BoldwoodBooks and NetGalleyg but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review

4.5 Stars
I stayed up till 2 AM to finish the novel!

Lana and Ollie have returned to the Mead House after the passing of their grandmother. Neither one wanted to return after the brutal murder of their sister, but they needed to clean out the house before putting it up for sale. While cleaning, Lana found her sister's hidden journal. Inside held secrets and maybe even answers to who was truly behind her murder.

It was an engrossing story that I didn't want to put down. There were a few hints and foreshadowing to kind of see where the story was heading. But I love the way the author chose to link everything together. Also, the reveal of G. - mind-blown!

Highly recommend!

***A big thank you to NetGalley, Keri Beevis, and Boldwood Books for graciously sending me the ARC to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

This read was so engaging I read it in one sitting, puzzling over who murdered Camille 17 years ago. Ollie and Lana have returned to their home where their sister had been murdered to sell the family estate after the death of their grandmother. So many possible murderers and motives are introduced that it truly becomes a well planned who dunnit with so many twists and turns along the way. Each character introduced has questions that make you immediately suspect them. I kept changing my guess over who was responsible for the horrific murder. What an amazing web Keri Beevis plotted out…bound to confuse even the savviest reader.
Her incredible writing placed me right in the thick of the action and had me closing my eyes in fear with my heart pounding scene after scene after scene. Of course that was hand in hand with a heart warming love story reigniting between Lana and her Xav.
This is not your average thriller but a well planned and executed top notch read. Well done Keri Beevis.
My utmost appreciation to Keri Beevis, Boldwood Books, and NetGalley for affording me the heart pounding apprehension I felt as I raced through this incredible arc of this soon to be published book. I will be sharing this title with everyone I know. Looking forward to reading more from the very gifted author.

This book was just okay for me, It kept my attention but overall I felt a little bored reading it. I didn't really care for the character development and title being "the summer house" feels out of place as although the book is centered around this summer house it feels insignificant to the story as a whole. This book left me wanting more.

Another fantastic thriller by Keri Beevis! Engaging story and characters, a mystery to keep one guessing till the end, and full of twists and turns. I had a great time reading this gripping thriller.

From start to finish, this book is full of suspense and keeps you guessing till the end. It's a Keri Beevis novel so it goes without saying that storytelling is fantabulous. Twists and turns are plenty and be warned, so are the red herrings. So, play detective at your own risk!

We have a shocking turn of events in the second half of the book. I was shocked when the killer's identity was revealed. I never thought they could be capable of killing someone. It's not just Camille's murder, you see. When Lana finds the secret journal, she has no idea that her life is also in danger.

The only niggle I had with the story was the ending of one of the side stories - particularly the one involving Ollie's girlfriend. Though she had a pretty significant role throughout the story, the ending - not so much.

The Summer House by Keri Beevis is an engrossing, suspenseful, and gripping thriller. Highly recommended!