I didn’t vibe with this book. I saw the cover and essentially judged the book by its cover and it didn’t work in my favor. I wasn’t a fan of the choppy writing. I got to about 20% until I had to DNF it. Someone who is able to read through this style of writing may enjoy this but I unfortunately didn’t.

I loved this book and think it's fantastic for fans of R.L. Stine. In fact, it reminded me a lot of Stine's Goosebumps and a tv show called Riverdale. The cheeky retro themes, character interactions, and story are perfect for young adult readers. I loved the setting of Paradise Falls and Snaxtime and could see this turned into a teen movie. I would absolutely recommend this to any young reader or fans of campy horror.

Shoutout to the artist for the phenomenal cover art!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read Demon Summer - @rantsofayat

This book was an overall 4⭐️’s for me. You HAVE to know going into this book that it is written for middle school/highschoolers. It’s a super easy read, I finished it in less than two hours, and it was a great palette cleanser.
This book felt like the 80s without it being set in that timeline. It also felt like a B horror film with all the over the top graphics that also felt like it wasn’t over the top. I know it felt like RL Stein meets an 80’s Zombie film. It had several great lines! I highlighted a few!! Thank you NetGaley for the ARC! If we get this at my bookstore, I will definitely be recommending it to several kids who love and thrive on everything spooky!! 👻🧟‍♂️

I tried, but this book is so bad I dnf’d at 10%.

Writing books as one long advert is a terrible idea and someone needs to stop these people.

This was a wild throwback for me, it felt like I was reading an R.L Stine Fear Street book or a Christopher Pike novel back in the 90's.
It felt as though it was really set back in the 90's but obviously newer, the format the characters and the style of writing were perfect for that alone I'm giving it 4 stars, if I was re-reading a Fear Street book it wouldn't get that.
If there is a second book for Snaxtime I would happily read it, no wait I would probably be first in line to get a copy because it was 'totally' awesome!

I had the absolute best time reading Demon Summer by J.J. Buffet.
A crazy and wild YA thriller with dark humor.
The story was absolutely engaging and the work that went into the settings was noticeable and superb.

This book was an absolute blast from start to finish. It grabbed my attention immediately and didn’t let go. I read it in one sitting, completely hooked by the nonstop, entertaining chaos. The gore and violence were over-the-top in the best way, with plenty of shock factor that had me laughing out loud. It gave serious B-horror movie vibes—campy, cheesy, and so much fun, which is exactly what I was hoping for. The brief mention of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a fun bonus, giving it an extra nostalgic, supernatural edge. Plus, the cover is fantastic. If you’re a fan of wild, blood-soaked horror with a dark sense of humor, this one delivers.

Thank you @snaxtimeusa for the gifted copy! You’ve got a new fan now. 💀🔥

Look at the cover of J.J. Buffet’s Demon Summer and what doing you think? If you’re like me your brain is shouting ‘the 80s!’ No I’m not saying the book takes place in the 80s, but it has the feel of the horror books and movies of the 80s. And as someone who has very fond memories of that decade I enjoyed the heck out of it. Sure its not going to win any literary awards, but this is just simple fun escapism. It all starts when Zane inherits a house and moves to Paradise Falls, taking a job at Snaxtime. When he and his coworkers find an old book with some ancient recipes, little did they know the chaos they’d end up cooking up. Yeah, I know it sounds kind of cheesy, and honestly it is. And yet that is exactly the appeal. This story screams B-movie…in all the best ways. Just go into this one know that this book isn’t going to change your life. You won’t find deep meaning within. As I said, this is pure escapism, and sometimes that’s exactly what you want and need, especially these days. 3.5 stars (rounding up to 4) Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/demon-summer-j-j-buffet/1146831511?ean=9798991489003&bvnotificationId=7b9c3424-0955-11f0-9cdf-0e0a05b94525&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=gmail.com#review/341216098

Zane is an orphan who inherited a house in paradise falls from an estranged great uncle. He begins working at fast food place called snaxtime and comes across mysterious book from the founder of the fast food restaurant. In which he finds recipes that can be used to create magical and more flavoursome food. However things go wrong when he and his work colleagues tries to do an cleansing ritual and end up summoning a demon who's hungry for fleash.

This definitely gave off Buffy the vampire slayer or Riverdale vibes with the summer break, supernatural monster mayhem and potential end of the world. I absolutely loved the vibes this book gave, it was fun and felt more modern than some of the fear street or goosebumps books. The cover is stunning and reminds me of an old horror film poster.

However the pacing felt odd in spots and it felt predictable in areas and it felt a bit too fast towards the end. Not to mention a potential plot hole? As I was a little confused with the ending

Overall an enjoyable read and would recommend for those who enjoy reading R.L Stine and for those who liked the coming of age supernatural tv shows.

This short novel felt like Stranger Things and Goosebumps combined, with a lot of retro 80s vibes and a lot of pop culture references!
The plot is cheesy, but it's a fun quick read. Not a ton of meat on the bones, but def had the vibe of eating candy and watching a horror movie.

WOW WOW WOW, Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC. I loved this story. It was original and something I didn't expect. The story had a strong plot and great characters. I didn’t expect the twists which sometimes can be predictable.

I received an ARC of Demon Summer through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I love the cover and admittedly I judged a book by its cover, and learnt my lesson. I was excited to read it because as others have stated this book is an unserious thriller with retro vibes and a fast-paced storyline, but I found the plot predictable and lacking in tension. We follow Zane, an orphan, who has recently inherited a house from his great uncle and moved to Paradise Falls. He begins working at Snaxtime where he meets a group of friends and quickly forms strong relationships. The group then comes across a strange journal, belonging to the original creator of Snaxtime and a local legend, Harold Snaxton and in-turn accidentally unleash a man-eating demon…. It’s a fun set up… but the characters lacked development, and the dialogue was unnatural and robotic.

A fun romp that will make you hungry with all the crazy food throughout this read that feels much more like a movie! The characters feel like they’re simultaneously from any of your favorite retro flicks while also feeling as if they could hang out with the Scooby Doo gang and eat those comically huge sandwiches that defy logic. The world they run around in, Paradise Falls, is great. I’d visit a Snaxtime fast food joint if it ever existed. And the zany plot of this book keeps the reader engaged, definitely a fun little novel!

Really different and fun book, quick paced and an easy read, the twist at the end was unexpected and really good however it did feel a little rushed. Never the less I enjoyed it.

First, LOVE the cover art! This book was a fun, classic horror read. Not too scary, it had a good 80s/90s vibe with its storytelling.

This short novel felt like Stranger Things and Goosebumps combined, with a lot of retro 80s vibes and a lot of pop culture references!

The first chapter pulled me in, it sets up an eerie, paranormal story and shows a very real threat set back three hundred years ago before then jumping to the present, where the story then follows Zane as he moves to Paradise Falls and gets a job at popular fast-food chain Snaxtime. There he meets his new friends Star, Dexter and Jake. At first it has all the teenage summer vibes, with lake swims and fireworks and s'mores, but the book quickly takes a dark and even gory turn when the gang returns to Snaxtime and find an old book which was once owned by Snaxtime founder Harold Snaxton, from there things get weird in the best of ways.

The plot is silly and cheesy, but it's equally highly entertaining and comedic. Don't go into this expecting something overly scary or developed, because this book isn't either. It's short and simple, fast paced and rushes through things to give readers the full classic cult 80s paranormal atmosphere. I enjoyed the demonic elements and the main threat, Demonika. The gang's friendship was cool to see, and I really liked the shocking twists at the ending, I truly didn't expect them!

The ending seemingly wraps up everything until the epilogue surprises readers with a classic 'it's over...for now' kind of twists, giving a nice nod to a loved trope in horror.

4/5 🌟

See what happens when a demon is dimwittedly brought into the world by a group of friends and now it’s their job to send her back to her cage or the world will be shrouded in darkness for forever..
This book for sure has an awesome cover that for blends 90’s B movie vibes with R L Stine set plot.
I wouldn’t say this book was necessarily bad but it was just so cheesy and sometimes straight up dumb. The characters were pretty basic and I was more interested in knowing more about the demoness than these group of friends.
It was fast paced but i feel like it would have been better slowed down and filled out more and been a full length novel.
I would give this book 3⭐️. Being bumped up from 2.5⭐️ based on the cover alone. For sure will fade into the background of this genre and quickly forgotten.
I am super thankful to be given the opportunity to read this book early, thanks to the folks at NetGalley and the publishing house. I would for sure recommend reading it if it appeals to you. You could Have a completely different opinion than me and that’s OK.

This book 100% matches the cover lol it was a fun unserious thriller. It felt like I was reading the book version of scream. I have no regrets picking it up. It was an enjoyable quick read.