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A review by kristins3
The Summer that Melted Everything by Tiffany McDaniel
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
Incredible book. I can’t believe this was a debut. Tiffany McDaniel particularly writes sibling love and relationships well - these parts hit the biggest emotional spots for me and I will definitely be reading more by her
I also thought it was an interesting incorporation of the devil scare stuff from the 80s. I basically only know about that from books set in the 80s, but it does seem to come up a lot
There were places where I hated Sal myself, particularly when he shot Granny (I know it’s a mercy kill but I have a really hard time with dog death justified or not) and when he explained what he’d said to Grand. I know he’s just a kid and didn’t mean for that to happen, but I somewhat irrationally blamed him in part for the death of a character I particularly loved.
The final scene with Sal was absolutely brutal and made even more tragic in light of the possible backstory that was revealed later. I don’t understand how Autopsy defended the mob, even if he did believe in representation for all. Tbh I doubt the court would have allowed it anyway given his relationship to Sal
I appreciated the ambiguous ending and thought it matched the tone of the book well
Vibes: To Kill a Mockingbird and A Prayer for Owen Meany
I also thought it was an interesting incorporation of the devil scare stuff from the 80s. I basically only know about that from books set in the 80s, but it does seem to come up a lot
There were places where I hated Sal myself, particularly when he shot Granny (I know it’s a mercy kill but I have a really hard time with dog death justified or not) and when he explained what he’d said to Grand. I know he’s just a kid and didn’t mean for that to happen, but I somewhat irrationally blamed him in part for the death of a character I particularly loved.
The final scene with Sal was absolutely brutal and made even more tragic in light of the possible backstory that was revealed later. I don’t understand how Autopsy defended the mob, even if he did believe in representation for all. Tbh I doubt the court would have allowed it anyway given his relationship to Sal
I appreciated the ambiguous ending and thought it matched the tone of the book well
Vibes: To Kill a Mockingbird and A Prayer for Owen Meany
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Hate crime, Racism, Suicide, and Murder