chris_reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Drug use, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Alcohol, Death, Racism, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, and Violence
Minor: Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, and Homophobia
caelysium's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Murder, and Sexual content
Moderate: Slavery, Racism, Torture, Toxic friendship, and Drug use
Minor: Homophobia and Misogyny
frantic_vampire's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I am…unwell over this book. This was just fucking fantastic and I’m honestly at a loss for words for this review. Summer Sons is one of the absolute best books that I think I’ve ever read and I just want to scream about it. It’s this mix of dark academia, paranormal hauntings, and queer longing that had me hooked from the very beginning. Everything about this book was feral and unhinged and tinged with the sticky restlessness of a southern summer. And I could read about Andrew and Sam and Riley endlessly. This book is one that will haunt my dreams for a long time to come and I can’t recommend it enough. This is the easiest five stars I think I’ve ever given a book. I’m just gonna excuse myself now and go scream about it into the void…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Drug use, Gaslighting, Racism, Violence, Vomit, Classism, Eating disorder, Gore, and Grief
Moderate: Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical trauma, and Racism
stuckinatimeloop's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
the characters and their dynamics and relationships are great. i don't really get the plot, maybe it's not my genre.
but sam and andrew. i loved Sam's development. and riley is just amazing.
but sam and andrew. i loved Sam's development. and riley is just amazing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Sexual content, and Death
jessnrusso's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book was not scary, not thrilling, full of alpha men who don't want to feel feelings and instead drive fast cars and do drugs. Every dialogue scene went nowhere and was just pointless to me. I felt so bored. It was also set in a school setting with the main character somehow in grad school, though he barely went to any classes and didn't even care to be there. So why? The whole premise just didn't make sense to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Grief, Alcohol, Death, Drug abuse, and Drug use
alouette's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
i needed months to process how good this book was. the intimacy of every moment made it feel so real that i just needed to breathe after, listen to some of the wonderful playlists the author shared, and thank them for the experience.
the idea of the person you built your life around being gone, rethinking your whole relationship with them, the mystery of their death being so dark and twisted, it was all very well-crafted. one of the first mysteries where i haven't wanted to speed through to find out what happens, because the characters and other plot beats are so gorgeous and fascinating that it would be a mistake to go too fast. the dialogue is also so cleverly funny, even in the most tense moments! i don't even mind that andrew was a basic white boy at first, by the end of things he had my heart for how real and flawed he was, and the way he was just barely learning who he was as his own person. the book too had its flaws, such as the depth of some characters and being a bit overly sensual at times, but i adore it regardless.
the idea of the person you built your life around being gone, rethinking your whole relationship with them, the mystery of their death being so dark and twisted, it was all very well-crafted. one of the first mysteries where i haven't wanted to speed through to find out what happens, because the characters and other plot beats are so gorgeous and fascinating that it would be a mistake to go too fast. the dialogue is also so cleverly funny, even in the most tense moments! i don't even mind that andrew was a basic white boy at first, by the end of things he had my heart for how real and flawed he was, and the way he was just barely learning who he was as his own person. the book too had its flaws, such as the depth of some characters and being a bit overly sensual at times, but i adore it regardless.
He was going to take that 'maybe' to his grave.
i'll likely have more to say upon rereading, which i will definitely be doing. also, the narrator's deep southern accent was SO PERFECT. this was my first real southern gothic and i'm so glad for it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Death, Grief, Blood, and Drug use
Moderate: Sexual content
kal517's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Homophobia and Drug use
Minor: Kidnapping
brianna_moye's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Blood, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
perkyanda's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
If you like horror dark academia mystery southern gothic chaotic bi energy death magic, all with a trans character who it literally does not matter is trans and who you can’t tell is trans til it just happens to come up, I cannot recommend Summer Sons highly enough. The only thing that could improve it are more female characters but then it couldn’t be a book that is largely about male relationships. And it has one of the BEST scenes with a female character who is otherwise unimportant I’ve seen in a long time.
And it’s spicy at points which was NOT expected in a, well, horror but not horror but horror ok mystery maybe maybe suspense? Is dark academia even a genre or just a sub genre or a blend genre I don’t fucking know book
And while I normally don’t actually love spice in normal books and was surprised at the level of detail it didn’t feel gratuitous it felt extremely relevant to character development bc repression and male friendship and sexuality is a big part of the book
Honestly this book is just a sweltering mess of OH MY GOD GO TO CLASS and DO YOU WANT TO GET YOUR DUMB ASS MURDERED TOO and IF YOU TALKED ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED which I guess is a big part of why it has to be about idiot boys instead of idiot girls, even though as an idiot woman I prefer reading about idiot girls. But anyway, these idiot dirt bag druggie boys are adorable and I want to give them all a good talking to. But hey really excellent book about male friendship and relationships and the blurry (ha!) line between homoeroticism and brotherhood.
And it’s spicy at points which was NOT expected in a, well, horror but not horror but horror ok mystery maybe maybe suspense? Is dark academia even a genre or just a sub genre or a blend genre I don’t fucking know book
And while I normally don’t actually love spice in normal books and was surprised at the level of detail it didn’t feel gratuitous it felt extremely relevant to character development bc repression and male friendship and sexuality is a big part of the book
Honestly this book is just a sweltering mess of OH MY GOD GO TO CLASS and DO YOU WANT TO GET YOUR DUMB ASS MURDERED TOO and IF YOU TALKED ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED which I guess is a big part of why it has to be about idiot boys instead of idiot girls, even though as an idiot woman I prefer reading about idiot girls. But anyway, these idiot dirt bag druggie boys are adorable and I want to give them all a good talking to. But hey really excellent book about male friendship and relationships and the blurry (ha!) line between homoeroticism and brotherhood.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Grief, Sexual content, Blood, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Death, Drug use, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Cancer, Classism, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Racism
Spicykhea's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Drug use, Blood, Death, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, Murder, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Racism, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Cursing
Minor: Deadnaming, Slavery, Terminal illness, and Transphobia