A review by eleasofia
Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

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? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

this book is not something i typically read, i'm not really interested in horror and supernatural things, but i enjoyed it nevertheless. the horror/ supernatural elements are important to the story but not too prominent. the writing in general was good, nothing crazy poetic or beautiful, but definitely not simple, and sometimes clever and funny. the pacing felt a bit off to me. the first half of the book felt quite slow and i feel like it could've been a bit shorter/ more condensed. it was always compelling enough for me to keep reading though, so really not a major complaint from my side. the story itself was somewhat predictable, but i was interested and wanted to figure it out, and it took me a while to get what's going on, so it was worth a read. the characters were not super memorable or special to me (clichés dominated: fast cars, drugs, skipping classes etc.), but interesting and/ or likeable enough that, once again, it was worth reading. the book deals with some very heavy topics, mainly grief and loss, but also repressed sexuality and eventually coming to terms with it, so it might really not be for everyone. it did not make me overly emotional, though. overall, i definitely enjoyed it and it's a general recommendation from me, but i doubt i'll ever re-read it.
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