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A group of friends fight to choose their own fates in this trope-savvy, self-referential young adult thriller from the acclaimed author of Their Vicious Games , about a demonic force that acts according to horror movie rules in the spirit of the Scream movies. Devon is always being left behind by her genius twin sister, Drew. At this point, it’s a fact of life. But Devon has one last plan before Drew leaves for college a whole year early—The Best Summer Ever. After committing to the bit a little too much, the twins and their chaotic circle of friends learn why you don’t ever mess with a Ouija board if you want to actually survive the Best Summer Ever, and soon find themselves being hunted down by…a demon? But while there’s no mistaking the creeping, venomous figure is not from around here, their method doesn’t feel very demonic at all. In fact, it’s downright human—going after them in typical slasher movie kill order. And that means Devon, the blonde, is up first and her decade-long crush, Yaya, is the Final Girl who must kill or be killed to end the cycle. Devon has never liked playing by anyone else’s rules though, not even a demon’s, and the longer this goes on, the more she feels Drew and Yaya slipping away from her even as she tries to help them all survive. Can they use their horror movie knowledge to flip the script and become the hunters instead of the hunted? Or will their best summer ever be their last?
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Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this! All thoughts and opinions are still my own.
I absolutely fell in love with Joelle Wellington's debut and couldn't wait to get my hands on this next novel from her. While I didn't love this one quite as much as that last book, this was still a damn good time.
It's a campy, twisted, nostalgic take on classic horror. If you love classic horror and a tongue in cheek play on those tropes, this is definitely one worth checking out. Plus as always, Joelle Wellington tops it off with a sapphic romance.
Just like in her last book, I love how far she pushed the horror elements. She definitely doesn't hold back on the darkness or themes - which I love. But with the campy backdrop of classic horror, it's perfectly accessible for teens or scaredy cats like myself.
I personally love Joelle Wellington's take on YA horror. I think it's fun, timely, and just twisted enough to keep me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. I can't wait pick up her 2025 release!