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
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
minella's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Alcohol, Blood, Drug use, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent and Homophobia
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
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
Spicykers_tin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Torture, Alcohol, Confinement, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide
Moderate: Racism and Homophobia
Minor: Slavery and Transphobia
alphabetseeds's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Sad boys, fast cars, and hauntings that'll drip cold and went from your bones even through summer heat.
The first half is slow and simmering, as Andrew, the protagonist, finds that the inheritance left to him by his dead best friend Eddie in Nashville is not the inheritance he expected and certainly not one that he wanted to receive alone. His whole life has been tangled up as an "and", and the first half of the book is spent with Andrew grabbling with 3 emotional gut punches: 1) Eddie lied to him, 2) Eddie didn't kill himself, and 3) the people who Eddie called friends might have something to do with his death. He's also grappling with a secret fourth thing - that maybe he and Eddie were more than just best friends.
Andrew's resistance to his new life is like digging heels into the ground, but while I found his lack of forward momentum a little frustrating, it was entirely justified and necessary to set up the events of the second half. Andrew's former life confronts him in Nashville, then everything shifts.
The academia portion of the book takes somewhat of a backseat to the car races and summer-soaked partying but it's nonetheless equally important. Mandelo points out the inherent racism prevalent in academic institutions and doesn't need to beat it to death - it's obvious and plain to see, both in the novel and in real life. A certain character finally getting on the road to justice was a satisfying cherry on top for the ending.
One other thing that I liked is that as Andrew and friends became more involved in the murder mystery plot, I was still unsure who could've been responsible up until a major piece of information is revealed, and then I still wondered if maybe everyone was in on it together. However, I don't read much horror or mystery, so take that with a grain of salt! The ultimate conclusion does veer towards full-on cartoon villainy, but I really didn't mind. Mandelo's eloquent writing still kept me hooked even through these more trope-y scenes.
Finally...
The first half is slow and simmering, as Andrew, the protagonist, finds that the inheritance left to him by his dead best friend Eddie in Nashville is not the inheritance he expected and certainly not one that he wanted to receive alone. His whole life has been tangled up as an "and", and the first half of the book is spent with Andrew grabbling with 3 emotional gut punches: 1) Eddie lied to him, 2) Eddie didn't kill himself, and 3) the people who Eddie called friends might have something to do with his death. He's also grappling with a secret fourth thing - that maybe he and Eddie were more than just best friends.
Andrew's resistance to his new life is like digging heels into the ground, but while I found his lack of forward momentum a little frustrating, it was entirely justified and necessary to set up the events of the second half. Andrew's former life confronts him in Nashville, then everything shifts.
The academia portion of the book takes somewhat of a backseat to the car races and summer-soaked partying but it's nonetheless equally important. Mandelo points out the inherent racism prevalent in academic institutions and doesn't need to beat it to death - it's obvious and plain to see, both in the novel and in real life. A certain character finally getting on the road to justice was a satisfying cherry on top for the ending.
One other thing that I liked is that as Andrew and friends became more involved in the murder mystery plot, I was still unsure who could've been responsible up until a major piece of information is revealed, and then I still wondered if maybe everyone was in on it together. However, I don't read much horror or mystery, so take that with a grain of salt! The ultimate conclusion does veer towards full-on cartoon villainy, but I really didn't mind. Mandelo's eloquent writing still kept me hooked even through these more trope-y scenes.
Finally...
Spoiler
I sure hope that Andrew and Sam can work it out, at least for a little while. Their relationship was explosive in a variety of ways and I was totally captivated. Ugh. My heart.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Suicide
Moderate: Drug use and Animal death
Minor: Homophobia and Racism