It’s summer time on Fire Island, where New York’s elite spend the summer season. From memorial til labor day, they descend upon the island to get away from their busy lives. With a routine of cocktail parties and tennis matches, the islanders quiet summer turns chaotic when a body is discovered. Who on the island would even be capable of murder?
Bad Summer People is about, you guessed it, rich people behaving badly in the summer. It’s a trainwreck in the best possible way. Barely any of the characters in this book are likable. They all have flaws, secrets, and drama. I love the pettiness of the women and if I’m being honest, would have loved the book to just be from the women’s perspective. The men are all on the border of being charming but are also the absoluet worst.
Rachel Woolf, Jen and Sam Weinstein, and Lauren and Jason Parker are our main characters, almost every character we meet narrators some portion of the book. While I loved the extra drama and cattiness, since I primarily listened to the audio I took me a bit to get the hang of who was who and who was married to who. If you don’t like a ton of narrators, maybe skip this one.
I was addicted to the drama (give me all the scandals) and would have given this 5 stars, but I felt the ending dragged on. This is a perfect summer/ beach read and anyone who loves reality tv drama, this book is for you!
Bad Summer People is out now. Huge thank you to Flatiron Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books.
