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Bad Summer People: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Emma Rosenblum (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 13,987 ratings
Editors' pick Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
See all formats and editions

NATIONAL BESTSELLER * Emma Rosenblum's Bad Summer People is a whip-smart, propulsive debut about infidelity, backstabbing, and murderous intrigue, set against an exclusive summer haven on Fire Island.

"This roiling beach community satire serves up wicked, clever fun that is White Lotus sharp." —Kevin Kwan, New York Times bestselling author of Crazy Rich Asians and Sex and Vanity

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF SUMMER 2023: Bustle, ELLE, Cosmopolitan, PopSugar, Bloomberg, Vogue, and more!

None of them would claim to be a particularly good person. But who among them is actually capable of murder?

Jen Weinstein and Lauren Parker rule the town of Salcombe, Fire Island every summer. They hold sway on the beach and the tennis court, and are adept at manipulating people to get what they want. Their husbands, Sam and Jason, have summered together on the island since childhood, despite lifelong grudges and numerous secrets. Their one single friend, Rachel Woolf, is looking to meet her match, whether he’s the tennis pro—or someone else’s husband. But even with plenty to gossip about, this season starts out as quietly as any other.

Until a body is discovered, face down, off the side of the boardwalk.

Stylish, subversive, and darkly comedic, this is a story of what's lurking under the surface of picture-perfect lives in a place where everyone has something to hide.

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  1. Print length
    257 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Flatiron Books
  5. Publication date
    May 23, 2023
  6. File size
    2135 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
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  10. See all details
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  1. Women always complimented each other’s shots, gave supportive advice, told each other how cute they looked in their outfits. But just below the surface, they all wanted to kill each other.
    Highlighted by 269 Kindle readers
  2. She didn’t need a therapist. She just needed someone to help her carry all this cheese.
    Highlighted by 250 Kindle readers
  3. “Happiness isn’t always what you think it will be,” said Jen. “At least that’s what I tell my clients.”
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From the Publisher

Bad Summer People Emma Rosenblum

Bad Summer People Emma Rosenblum Kevin Kwan quote

Bad Summer People Emma Rosenblum Lucy Foley quote

Bad Summer People Emma Rosenblum Chandler Baker quote

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

An Amazon Best Book of May 2023: Bad Summer People is the sharp, funny, juicy read you didn’t know you needed. We loved this Big Little Lies-with-attitude meets Real Housewives of the One Percenters (I made it up—you’re welcome) whodunit, set in an elite summer enclave near Fire Island. It’s a world of million dollar plus bayfront homes, yacht clubs, and tennis pros. Bad Summer People lives up to its name, gleefully showing wealthy residents at their worst, with their backstabbing, one-upmanship, infidelities, and gossip. Oh, and murder. When a local woman is found dead, face down by the boardwalk, the main concern is what it will do to property values. Running a distant second is the question of who did the deed. And there are plenty of suspects. Rosenblum starts with a delicious set up—readers will love to tut at these people and their shenanigans—and she rides it like a bike, Sperry boat shoes perched on the handlebars, to a deeply gratifying conclusion in this stylish who's-guilty pleasure. —Vannessa Cronin, Amazon Editor --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

Review

"A novel of family and romantic foibles, with a murder mystery thrown in to boot―juicy in more ways than one." ―Vogue.com

"A smart, slyly observed take on power and privilege."―Town & Country

"Come for the twisted murder mystery and stay for the guaranteed drama amongst the group." ―ELLE

"The Real Housewives has nothing on all these families' personal drama." ―Cosmopolitan

"A beach-book blockbuster....[Rosenblum's] debut novel has it all: wealth, gossip, unhappy husbands and even unhappier wives, infidelity, still more gossip―and murder...Expect to see it on beach towels up and down the Eastern Seaboard." ―Bloomberg

"[A] seductive summer debut." ―PopSugar

"[A] scintillating debut... Wickedly entertaining." ―Publishers Weekly

"A delicious, dishy trip of a novel." ―Bustle

"A heck of a beach read." ―Kirkus (starred review)

"Rosenblum is a master of understated social satire, and her gift for capturing human follies and the dark, emotional depth of her characters through artfully rendered details make Bad Summer People a seriously compulsive read." ―Shelf Awareness

"This roiling beach community satire serves up wicked, clever fun that is White Lotus sharp. Emma Rosenblum gets to the comic heart of these nasty, nasty people. When I say she is unsparing and they are dreadful I mean it as the highest compliment. It is sinfully good like a summer cocktail you want to keep refilling. I found myself laughing out loud as I read and staying up way too late with this fabulous book.” ―Kevin Kwan, New York Times bestselling author of Crazy Rich Asians and Sex and Vanity

"I am 100% invested in all the petty (and not-so-petty) drama of the delightfully messy residents of Emma Rosenblum's Fire Island. I like my beach reads either twisty, steamy, or funny and―lucky me―this was all three. Bad Summer People will absolutely be the book I push on all my friends this summer." ―Chandler Baker, author of Whisper Network and The Husbands

"Like a tidbit of gossip flowing by on the sea breeze, Bad Summer People is irresistible. Funny, sexy, and scary, it made me eager to eavesdrop but glad not to be entangled in the vacation scandals dreamed up by Emma Rosenblum in her juicy debut." ―Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, New York Times bestselling author of Bittersweet and Fierce Little Thing

"Bad Summer People is a great summer page-turner packed with sun-soaked secrets, outrageous scandals and salacious gossip. Its cast of gloriously terrible one-percenters and the caustic wit dripping from each page make this a perfect rich-people-behaving-badly beach read. Loved it!" ―Ellery Lloyd, New York Times bestselling author of The Club

“Delicious: such gossipy, naughty fun. Cancel all plans while reading―I inhaled this darkly hilarious book over one weekend and resented everything that kept me away from it." ―Lucy Foley, bestselling author of The Paris Apartment

--This text refers to the hardcover edition.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0B9KX783V
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Flatiron Books (May 23, 2023)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 23, 2023
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2135 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 257 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1250887003
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 13,987 ratings

About the author

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Emma Rosenblum

Emma Rosenblum

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Emma Rosenblum is chief content officer at Bustle Digital Group, overseeing content and strategy for BDG, including Bustle, Elite Daily, Romper, NYLON, The Zoe Report, Romper, Scary Mommy, Fatherly, The Dad, and Inverse. Prior to BDG, Emma served as the executive editor of ELLE. Previously Rosenblum was a senior editor at Bloomberg Businessweek, and before that a senior editor at Glamour. She began her career at New York magazine. She lives in New York City, with her husband and two sons. She is the author of Bad Summer People and Very Bad Company.

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
13,987 global ratings
Dramatic thriller!
3 Stars
Dramatic thriller!
@ReaddrinkandbeMary☀️ 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲☀️BAD SUMMER PEOPLE 🎧🩵𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: contemporary/thriller𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 3.5 ⭐️💫📖 272 pages𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗷𝗶𝘀: 🎾🔪😮💔💸🏖️🥳𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: 5/23/2023Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the #gifted ARC!This was a fun, juicy read! Fans of DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES and ONE OF US IS DEAD will flock to this one!The narrative hooks readers from the beginning, as the story kicks off with a shocking discovery that rocks the entire community. From there, the plot thickens with every twist & turn, leaving readers yearning to untangle the tightly woven threads of intrigue.Told from multiple character POV’s, prepare to be gripped by the tantalizing web of scandal that unfolds in this contemporary thriller that combines tennis with the sizzling gossip of a seemingly idyllic, wealthy neighborhood. With its enticing blend of secrets, infidelity, & shocking revelations, this novel kept me guessing.The author weaves a complex tapestry of characters, each harboring their own hidden agendas & questionable pasts. At the center of the story is the prestigious tennis club, a hub for the neighborhood's wealthy elite. As the residents rally around their beloved sport, beneath the pristine surface lurks a seething undercurrent of jealousy, betrayal, & deceit.While I did feel that some plot twists felt slightly contrived, & a few character motivations could have been explored further for a more satisfying resolution, this was an absorbing read that will leave you questioning the lengths people will go to protect their secrets & desires.𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:🎾 tennis😯 scandal🔪 murder💔 infidelity#BadSummerPeople #mystery #scandal #infidelity #thriller #contemporary #drama #adult #bookaddict #whattoreadnext #botwxbs #bookcollector #booksaremylife #booksonbooks #cozycorner #booksparks #audiobook #arc #netgalley
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Top reviews from the United States

Brenna Marie Graham
4.0 out of 5 stars Everyone is hiding something
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2024
Verified Purchase
It was a really good read it wasn't too laborious. It was a quick paced read that Only fell a little annoyed because everybody had a chapter. To make up for that there was the vantage point that was told about a similar event from that individual. It was a nice whodunit? And just when you think you know what's gonna happen to who, you find out you don't.
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randya
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun summer read
Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2024
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Characters were captivating. Not particularly likable people but good story with some twists. The setting was part of the story/plot. Added to the book. Good fast read
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MV
3.0 out of 5 stars bad people is an understatement
Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2023
Verified Purchase
I know I gave this a 3 but it really is more like 3.5. I enjoyed the structure of the multiple perspectives. The drama in everyone’s lives and how entangled they all were. It was a good read. Didn’t see the last part coming.
One person found this helpful
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carilynp
4.0 out of 5 stars Twisty, engaging, can't put down book that brings the heat, the fireworks & is THE summer book!
Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2023
Verified Purchase
These people are naughty by nature. They can’t seem to help themselves. Maybe it’s something in the bay surrounding them. Or the freedom they feel when they arrive at their beach houses, their kids are in camp or frolicking in the sand, mom and dad are hitting tennis balls, and as time passes slowly they get it on with people other than their spouses.

Sam and Jason, best friends, big shots in Manhattan, who’ve been coming to the fictional town of Salcombe on Fire Island since they were young boys, now with families and luxurious houses of their own. Their beautiful wives, Jen and Lauren, aren’t exactly friends, more like they tolerate each other. Rachel inherited her parents’ home, grew up with the guys and is as devoted as ever to her tennis game as she is to gossip. Robert is the new hottie tennis instructor at the yacht club whom all the ladies are buzzing about hoping he can help improve their game for the upcoming tournament, the highlight of the season, that takes competition to a new level.

It's not only sun, sand, and tennis these folks are after during their summer respite, and it doesn’t take a G&T to loosen them up. Many came ready for some extra-marital action. With no cars on the small island, they’re pretty adept at sneaking around. Eventually their mischievous behavior is going to catch up with them. It’s just a matter of time before we find out who’s really bad. Enough to commit murder.

Grab this twisty, engaging, and can’t put down book. It brings the heat, the fireworks, and is just the summer book you’ve been looking for.
6 people found this helpful
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M J
5.0 out of 5 stars Great!
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2024
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Loved the way the story was told by each of the people involved. Very enjoyable read with an interesting ending.
One person found this helpful
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Sock Knitter
3.0 out of 5 stars Over rated
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2023
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I think CBS really over rated this book. Just another pile of stories about people who cheat with little depth to any story line. Not sure my library will welcome the donation. If you want to read it i suggest borrowing a copy rather than purchasing. It's not a book you would go back and reread sometime later. Easy to put down or just stop in the middle.
One person found this helpful
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BooksAreWings
2.0 out of 5 stars Plotless and unsatisfying....Not worth your time. Even beach time.
Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2023
Verified Purchase
Disclosure: bought the book because I love Fire Island and wanted to read a novel set there, plus, all the rave reviews. Let me save you the time I just wasted.

Wow, what a disappointment! Sure, Bad Summer People gives an overview of life in one of the preppiest towns on FI, Saltaire (here called Salcombe). Other than that...nada.
This is one of those books where every character is despicable: arrogant, posturing guys; vapid, wealthy women; desperate social climbers (everyone).
BSP opens with the discovery of a body and then jumps back in time several months.The first 3/4 or so of the ENTIRE BOOK is waiting to find out who died (the cleverest part of this book is the teasing of possible murder every time a character is walking home alone- unfortunately all cleverness stops there).
There is literally zero further plot. People gossip, do bad things, drink a lot. There's a lot of brand name dropping (not in the fun way), and weirdly ageist/misogynistic stuff like describing 35-year-old women as "well-preserved" and milking a sad, desperate singleton character who's all of 42. (Admittedly the author is pretty savage on the guys as well.)
There is no whodunit here, no suspense, and basically no fun. (Also no copy editing - the grammar is messy to the point of atrocious.) The ending is as meh as meh can be.

This is not the entertaining beach read it's sold as; it's a quick and boring slog through the world's dullest mean beach town. You are better off with a frosé and a tabloid than Bad Summer People.
17 people found this helpful
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Rose
4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely a beach read.
Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2023
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This kept me entertained throughout even though it’s a pretty shallow story. Many, many characters and all with flawed personalities. Not sure so many people were needed and it did prove a bit confusing at times. I think the author was trying for some exciting twists at the end, but they fell flat. More like one-upmanship than actual plot twists. The author’s use of “button-down” to describe everyone’s shirts drove me crazy. Not sure why the author was so in love with that word—it proved distracting. Recommend as a beach read, because it was a quick read with little substance.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Hana
3.0 out of 5 stars Longwinded story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 13, 2023
Verified Purchase
I felt the story fell apart in the middle, but I finished the book in a hope it would take an unexpected turn or have an interesting twist. Unfortunately, I found the ending disappointing. It seemed farfetched and unimaginative.
2 people found this helpful
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LadySausage
5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating summer read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 6, 2023
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Didn’t know what to expect but really enjoyed the writing style, plot and the interconnection of the characters. Super.
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