None of them would claim to be a good person, but who among them is capable of murder?
The families on the island have been vacationing here for years: the Weinsteins, the Metzners, the Grobels – and unlucky in love Rachel Woolf.
Outsiders aren’t welcome. That is except for Robert, the handsome new tennis coach, who some people are going out of their way to make very welcome…
But the problem when everyone knows everyone is that secrets can’t stay secret forever.
And when a body is found face-down beneath the boardwalk, they realise that maybe one of them is worse than they thought…
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I loved reading Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum. The story is told from multiple perspectives, gradually introducing the reader to the lives and personalities of each character and, ultimately, revealing their secrets. I loved this element of the book, reinforcing the idea that “you can’t judge a book by its cover”. This book would likely appeal to fans of Liane Moriarty and Marian Keyes. Neralie, SA, 5 Stars
Twisted, intriguing, addictive, and fun! This was a great read. It didn’t take me long to read because I was hooked from the start. The characters are all great and each chapter is usually based on one so you get a great understanding of who they are. This book was different and fresh and had a great plot! Just when you think you worked out what happened you get another twist leaving you stunned. An enjoyable romp with rich people! Ray, WA, 5 Stars
A great light read that kept you wondering the whole time how it was going to end, who died and how. Perfect holiday reading. Cassie, TAS, 5 Stars
I was really excited to read Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum. This was such a fun read! The characters were written in such a way that it was easy to not like them for all their deceit and cliquey behaviour! It was almost like watching the rich, popular, gossipy kids from school that have not managed to grow up into decent well-behaving adults! It was easy to be drawn into the storyline and be caught up in each individual’s drama while watching the ripple effect through the holiday community. With the self-indulgent behaviours, it was easy to see that any of them could potentially have become ‘the body’ that was found in the prologue. Definitely a great book to read while relaxing with a glass of wine or in the bath (or both)! Michelle, TAS, 5 Stars
What could happen? Well, what couldn’t? A group of wealthy people all together in one place. They all gathered as couples, friends, and families, although many had their pasts entwined. The number of characters at first made it a bit daunting, however as I went along, it all made sense. I found myself not judging their flaws but trying to understand them. They all appeared to have it all: money, great careers, a fabulous holiday home, and of course the tennis club. The club was a pivotal story in this book – it wasn’t made up of top tennis players, but rather competitive rich people, who loved tennis, gossip, and the tennis coach. A wealthy person needs to let off some steam! As I read along, I thought, I know what’s going to happen, who and why, but I was wrong. I love a good ending. In all an enjoyable read. Would recommend. Cheryl, VIC, 5 Stars
I really enjoyed reading this intriguing story. It was an insight as to how the other half lives. Kathleen, NSW, 5 Stars
Quite a romp right from the beginning, unexpected as the characters are mostly rich, pampered and very self-indulgent. The book gallops on, full of secrets and schemes … who is going to betray whom next? Then there is “the body”! A long twisted analysis keeps the reader guessing right to the end. Loved this book, didn’t want it to finish. I will certainly follow the author. Dorothy, NSW, 5 Stars
This book takes the reader on a riotous journey through a summer spent on a “rich people’s retreat” of an island. Sit back and relax as you work out who is cheating with who, whose work life is on the brink of disaster, and who is questioning their choices and future direction. Oh, and don’t forget the mysterious death thrown in to keep things interesting! The perfect novel for your own weekend getaway… I definitely recommend you spend a little time with these Bad Summer People. Lee, ACT, 5 Stars
Bad Summer People is a captivating mystery thriller full of wealth, lust, and backstabbing. In the small town of Salcombe on Fire Island, wealthy New Yorkers flock to the small town to spend their summers. Lauren and Jason Parker and their friends Jen and Sam Weinstein have been going to the island for decades; due to their long-standing return every year Lauren and Jen like to take control and manipulate people who visit so everything works in their favour. When a body is discovered off the side of the boardwalk, the town is filled with gossip about who did it. Will everyone’s secrets come out? Who can trust who? Will they catch the killer or was it just an accident? Emma Rosenblum has done a great job in creating an exciting roller coaster of events; one that will keep readers turning the pages from start to finish. She is adept at creating characters that readers will connect with, relate to, root for, despise. Apart from the wonderful storytelling skills, Emma demonstrates great mastery in the art of creating biting suspense and excellent prose, and the ability to stir strong emotions in readers. If that isn’t a hallmark of a great author, I don’t know what is. Any reader who loves a great murder mystery filled with betrayal should pick up Bad Summer People. This is an extraordinary debut novel, and I will certainly be keeping a keen eye out for more works in the future from this talented author. This is a book that I can highly recommend. Melissa, SA, 5 Stars
A really entertaining, enjoyable book that held my interest from cover to cover. Kathleen, NSW, 5 Stars
Scandal, gossip, backstabbing, and murder. Wow! This page-turner is set in the exclusive Hamptons-style location of Fire Island. One of my favourite parts of this book was the tone. The pages are littered with dark humour and each of the characters is more devious and underhanded than the next. The first few chapters are more slow burn as we are introduced to the cast, then the pace picks up and you can’t help but become an unblinking voyeur to the scandalous, often spicy, lives of Fire Islands ‘elite’ inhabitants. The atmosphere of suspense was palpable throughout and Rosenblum has a way of turning everything on its head just when you think you’ve got a grasp of what’s going on. An amazing debut! Alexandra, NSW, 4 Stars
Reality television in book form; if you love a good gossip, this book is for you. Told from the point of view of every character, this book is a look into what lives might really be like behind the facade people present to the world. The characters on the surface seem to have lives to be envied but behind closed doors that could not be further from the truth. No one will make it through the summer unscathed; some won’t even make it out alive! Love the unique way this story was told from multiple points of view. Would highly recommend. If you ever wished you had someone else’s life, this book will make you think twice! Melanie, WA, 4 Stars
I really enjoyed this book! A story about rich people playing naughty in their summer beach homes. A book well-written, with a pleasing pace. The characters are all well-developed and believable. I couldn’t stop turning pages, staying up later than I should have! My only criticism would be that I felt the prologue was unnecessary – it was a bit of heavy-handed foreshadowing. But for anyone looking for an easy, pleasing, holiday read – I would highly recommend Bad Summer People. It’s a great debut novel. Clare, NSW, 4 Stars
I really enjoyed this summer thriller and felt immersed in the story alongside all the characters. This book does feature quite a lot of different characters but once you work out who is who, it grips you. I enjoyed how the chapters were from the POV of so many different people because it gives insight into what everyone is experiencing and sometimes if it’s just one or two characters telling the story, you miss out on that. This is a perfect summer beach read with an intriguing whodunnit storyline. I loved the gossip and scandals within this wealthy group of friends and I feel if you enjoy easy-to-binge beach reads you will enjoy this thriller. Karis, WA, 4 Stars
Deception is the key theme to this book. Everyone is deceiving someone in some way. It’s a character-driven book with a main cast of 4. Jen and Sam, Lauren and Jason. They go to Fire Island for their annual holiday. I really enjoyed this book. Suzanne, NSW, 4 Stars
Bad Summer People was a really engaging read, with the many personalities of Salcombe’s residents shining through. I really enjoyed the way the story moved through the timeline, with different perspectives added in, helping to build the atmosphere. The suspense built well, with a bit of guessing as to who was responsible up until the end. Having the different characters perspectives aided this as they were also adding in their own views. The setting was well written, with the locations easy to picture. I could almost draw a map to watch where the story unfolded. I could see this becoming a film as the suspense and bird’s eye views of the elite at rest would definitely translate well. A very enjoyable book, and one that would be a great addition to a beach bag. Jodie, WA, 4 Stars
I was hooked from the start when in the first few pages a body, whose identity is not revealed until much later, is discovered on exclusive Fire Island, where New York’s elite spend their summers. Suspense builds as the flaws and foibles of the main characters are revealed chapter by chapter, providing multiple motives for murder. I devoured this page-turner, wanting to discover whose body had been found and who killed them. While the characters weren’t particularly admirable, it was engrossing reading, as this wealthy, entitled, but entertaining beach community partied, played tennis, and bedhopped their way through summer. Undercurrents between them increase until tensions explode. Kind of a cross between the Bold and the Beautiful, Primates of New York and a modern-day Agatha Christie. Kim, VIC, 4 Stars
This book started off a bit slow and it was difficult to keep up with who was who with so many different characters being introduced. It definitely got better and had a level of suspense, which kept me hanging trying to predict whodunnit. The story centres around two couples, who have spent every summer together on Fire Island, a cesspit of rich, self-centred snobs who are all trying to outdo each other and have nothing more than superficial relationships with each other. Predictably they all have something to hide and the gossip is rife. This is a good read for those wanting a fast page-turner. Bree, NSW, 4 Stars
A gripping beginning leads you into a twisted tale full of secrets and lies. It’s one of those stories where everyone’s lives are so intertwined that you couldn’t really guess what was going to happen next, but you knew it was going to be bad! Really enjoyed it and found it hard to put down. Karla, VIC, 4 Stars
Gripping read! You want to hate the characters but they are addictive… Their obsession with tennis is fascinating and infuriating. I couldn’t help but keep reading this book! It’s a solid fiction read. Melissa, QLD, 4 Stars
Secrets, lies, deception, lust, and desperation. Bad Summer People has it all. The haves and have-nots are all vying for something in their lives and not really finding it. It is a book that I couldn’t put down and it keeps you wanting to find out what happens and that we are all lonely one way or another. Joan, VIC, 4 Stars
Perfect holiday reading or great just to snuggle in and read on a wet day, Bad Summer People is the novel you didn’t know you needed to read. Edgy, smart and filled with secrets, this is a page-turner for those who love Malibu Rising. Jessica, QLD, 4 Stars
Moneyed, entitled people behaving badly are always fun to read about. Bad Summer People is an addictive novel filled with a cast of flawed yet interesting characters, many of whom are difficult to like! Bad Summer People is written from multiple viewpoints, giving the reader a titillating ‘fly on the wall’, somewhat voyeuristic, experience of knowing the thoughts, actions and motivations of each of the characters. A most enjoyable read. Charlene, WA, 4 Stars
Emma Rosenblum’s Bad Summer People is about people who think they are good, who are ultimately up to no-good. This is a quirky book from multiple points of view with a lot of gossip, innuendo, whispers, adultery and backstabbing… not to mention a little bit of murder. Fire Island sounds exactly like what it is: it is an island community who don’t like outsiders, and you don’t burn bridges between neighbours and community. Its residents and holiday inhabitants feed off the superiority they have in their private community, taking notes and watching each other, fiercely guarding secrets that ultimately boil over. This is a book that will captivate your interest, and the plot and character twists will equally keep you enthralled. Marlene, NSW, 4 Stars
Bad Summer People was a great read even though each character was unlikeable from the beginning to the end of the book. The story moves along nicely, with lots of topics explored… infidelity, secrets, theft, and even a death! The author takes us into rich people’s lives and shows us that wealth doesn’t necessarily equate to happiness. There were a lot of characters to keep track of but the book definitely captures the reader with lots of twists and turns and a completely unexpected ending. It was an enjoyable page-turner. Ilona, VIC, 4 Stars
I did enjoy this novel, although all the characters were annoying. I think we really only got snippets of each character and I would have liked to read more about them. It’s basically how the wealthy live and their summer holidays at their beach houses playing tennis and drinking cocktails. In the first few chapters, I got annoyed at how many times Salcombe was mentioned. I couldn’t put the book down. Renae, QLD, 3 Stars
Bad Summer People was not quite what I expected. It took a bit of time to get into the story, but it improved as I progressed into the book. It was not an in-depth, gripping read, but turned out to be a lighthearted, somewhat tongue-in-cheek study of people. Fay, VIC, 3 Stars
The message from this book is money doesn’t make you happy. The couples in this book lived selfish, indulgent lives. People complicate their lives with their wealth. Give me a life where I appreciate what I have worked for. This is not a book I would normally read but thank you for the opportunity to read it. Kaye, VIC, 3 Stars
Lots to enjoy with this story of rich people who summer on Fire Island, New York. Initially framed as a murder mystery (who died and who did it?), really it’s about scandal in a community that can’t get away from each other. The summer inhabitants of the Fire Island community all play tennis all the time and do lots of rich people party things with lots of drinking. It’s a nice, quick, easy, and rewarding read that I’d recommend for people who like entanglements and awful people. White Lotus needs to watch its back! Richard, VIC, 3 Stars
Welcome to Fire Island, USA. And, in the exclusive summer haven of Salcombe, you will meet a collection of truly awful, shallow people who spend every summer together. Did I enjoy it? Not really. Too many egocentric people occupying their own universes. Not my world, not my people. Jennifer, ACT, 2 Stars
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