Sam and Jason spent every summer on Fire Island when they were growing up. Sam’s parents owned the house in Salcombe, but Jason went with him every year. Jason wouldn’t have been able to afford it without Sam, and since Sam’s parents were getting divorced, so he could use the friend.

Now they’re adults, living and working in Manhattan most of the year and spending summers in Salcombe. Jason has his own house with his wife Lauren, while Sam has his parents’ house with his wife Jen. They spend summers on the beach, with the kids in camp and the nannies keeping an eye on them the rest of the time so the parents can drink and gossip. Salcombe is a small town, so everyone knows everyone else, and someone always knows the secrets.

It used to be that the most drama Salcombe saw in the summer was the women’s doubles tennis tournament. But this summer is different. Sam is struggling with a situation at work the he doesn’t think he can share with Jen. Jason can barely look at his wife, but Lauren doesn’t mind as she’s looking at someone else.

Add in handsome new tennis pro Robert and Sam’s ex-girlfriend Rachel, and sparks will fly on Fire Island. There is lying and infidelity, cheating and stealing, and someone even ends up dead.. But how did this cozy small summer town become so dangerous?

Bad Summer People is a novel about adults gone wild. All the pent-up stress of the winter months come bursting out as families gather on Fire Island. Author Emma Rosenblum hit the ground running with this debut novel about privilege and power. Told by a multitude of characters in the town, this story comes together like a puzzle, with that last piece not slotting into place until the very end.

I listened to the audio book of Bad Summer People, read to perfection by master narrator January LaVoy. She provided a different voice with each new character and brought these people to life. I will admit to struggling with this book somewhat. I mean. it’s right there in the title that these are bad people. But I was a little surprised at just how bad some of them were. I think I just needed one person to be good, to pin my hopes on, and it was just really hard to find anyone in this book who deserved the lifestyle these people got to enjoy. It is a fun summer read, but I also had to take breaks to remember my humanity. Read with caution, and maybe with cocktails.

A copy of the audio book for Bad Summer People was provided by Macmillan Audio through NetGalley, with many thanks.