Summer Sons

This book was emotional, engaging, and very well written. The characters felt real, and the story kept me interested from beginning to end. I loved the atmosphere and the way the emotions were described so naturally. It’s the kind of book that stays in your mind after you finish reading it. Highly recommended.

I gave four stars on this one. It wasn't a bad read, but it wasn't that good either. Was long winded when it really didn't need to be long winded. The protag was a really confused man that confused me no end on why he was confused. Andrew was, and dare I saw it? A bit toxic. A bit queer. And yes, he was in mourning for his 'friend' after all thats happened. He was still toxic AF. Riley? I think... he was Transmasc? I was confused on the writing there on him over that. Sam? He could of been an amazing character over Andrew really. Again: Toxic, calling Andrew 'Princess' when there really wasn't a need to call him that. There was drug use. Fast cars whtn didn't really appeal to me, but the lack of writing on said fast cars didn't... ring with me at all. The haunting on the other hand? It was gripping. Terrifying. But yet? It felt lacking. Del? She was so damn rude. Then got more rude after therapy to Andrew. And he was just like -shrugs- over everything like he just didn't care. Went in this book for something that would make me read it again in the future. I've read it once and I'm over it.

This is a book that I pre-ordered last summer because the synopsis absolutely gripped me and the cover was BEAUTIFUL but (in a shocking plot twist that surprises nobody) it took me almost a year to pick it up. Part of me wishes that I had read this at school when it was first released since it has a very ~dark academia~ vibe that I didn't really expect going in and the haunting, ghostly nature of the story would've been a good spooky season read, however, I almost think that reading this outside in summertime on a gloomy day was almost better. It took me a while to get invested in the story, but once I hit the 50 or 60 page mark: I. could. not. put. this. book. down. (The bonfire scene is what hooked me). This book is a reflection of its promotional tropes to a tee and the vibes were messy, chaotic, somber, reflective, hazy... the best of everything the ~unhinged, queer, twenty-something~ genre has to offer. This is a vibe that I love on paper and love about 50% of the time in practice and what really separates the good ones from the bad are the hook and the themes; in other words, the plot point that sets the story in motion. A murder mystery? You got me. Supernatural curses? Yep, I'm here. Surprisingly nuanced insights into academia's problematic nature? Sign me up. I loved the vast representation in this book from a trans-masc character with ALL the best lines, a cast of troublemakers who won't stand for homophobia (and might be a little *flicks wrist* themselves), poly…

I really like the story, the idea of a haunting spark of a lost loved one, and a powerful family curse as tempting as it is terrible. But the writing has so many errors and cringey moments that it kept taking me out of the story. That being said, support queer authors, give this book a shot. Maybe it’s up your alley.

“Edward said that his research was spurned by his own, how did he describe it, spooky childhood experience in the hollers…” No one was supposed to know about those childhood experiences, and “spooky” didn’t begin to cover the horror crawling out of his memories like an oozing swamp. As kids Andrew Blur and Eddie Fulton are inseparable. From swearing blood brotherhood at age eleven to applying “for the same graduate program” to work on the same thesis, “friends meant nothing in comparison to what [Andrew] and Eddie were to each other.” Subsequently, Andrew is demoralized when Eddie leaves for college early and refuses to allow Andrew to join him right away at Vanderbilt. More puzzling, Eddie gets a housemate, Riley Sowell, when Eddie does not need the money from another to help with the rent, having inherited a fortune from his deceased parents. Most shattering, however, is the fact that Eddie allegedly commits suicide while at college before Andrew arrives. It is a death which overwhelms Andrew, one he refuses to believe, and he becomes determined to get to the root of the truth of what happened to his best friend who has left his fortune to Andrew. SUMMER SONS (2021; 384 pp.) is the first novel by writer and critic Lee Mandelo and it is being heralded as a successful Southern gothic tale of the supernatural and much more. Mandelo quickly establishes the tenor of SUMMER SONS as Andrew, filled with grief, makes clear to university officials his intention to carry on…