Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - Summer Sons

Adrew was a bit frustratin the start, he came to investigate his best friend's death, yet isn't willing to ask simple questions.
There are no girlies and no girlies logic as well 😔
The characters grew on me though, and I enjoyed the angst and the haunt, wish the ending was more satisfying

Content Warnings

jessnrusso's review against another edition

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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.

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minella's review against another edition

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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

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kal517's review against another edition

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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

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kers_tin's review against another edition

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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

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alphabetseeds's review against another edition

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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...

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

khea's review against another edition

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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

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