The Dead of Summer by Ryan La Sala

The Dead of Summer

Ryan La Sala

Scholastic Inc. · Hardcover · September 16, 2025

A heart-pounding thriller told in a mix of narrative voices and found documents from the bestselling author of The Honeys, perfect for fans of Tiffany D. Jackson, E. Lockhart, Karen McManus, and Rory Powers!

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Who it’s for
An island thriller where fractured friendships, local illness, and something long-sunken meet in a storm.
Themes
Secrets and illness in a community, Survival amid rising horror
Pacing
Fast

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For older readers: The House of Now and Then, If You Tell, Night Watcher

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About this book

A heart-pounding thriller told in a mix of narrative voices and found documents from the bestselling author of The Honeys, perfect for fans of Tiffany D. Jackson, E. Lockhart, Karen McManus, and Rory Powers! Two Days Before Ollie Veltman is finally coming home to the quaint island of Anchor’s Mercy after a year away while his mom battled cancer.

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It should be a celebration -- his mom is cancer free, and she’s determined to have the best summer ever -- but Ollie’s (now ex) best friends think he abandoned them, and he’s returning with a lot of questions. Because for a place that’s perfect on the surface, a secret rots below the waves. A secret that could explain his mom’s illness, and the illness of so many other locals. Ollie’s desperate search for the truth turns life-or-death when a storm descends upon the island. In its wake, a long-sunken horror rises . . . Three Weeks After Ollie is being held in isolation aboard a military hospital ship in the harbor. They say he’s a survivor, but they only know half the story. The truth is more monstrous than Ollie ever believed, and he suspects his saviors aren’t here to save anyone. Only Ollie can stop what's coming, but that means getting back to Anchor’s Mercy before it vanishes, taking with it everyone he has ever loved.

Beneath the Surface

An island thriller where fractured friendships, local illness, and something long-sunken meet in a storm.

Come here for

  • A supernatural mystery rooted in a seemingly perfect island
  • A tense mix of narrative voices and found documents

Expect

  • A story split between two unsettling points in time
  • A turn toward survival as buried horrors surface

Where it sits

YA Horror72%
YA LGBTQ+56%
YA Supernatural Thrillers35%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • YA Survival Stories
  • YA LGBTQ+
  • Thrillers & Suspense
Authors
Ryan La Sala
Publisher
Scholastic Inc.
Published
September 16, 2025
Format
Hardcover
Theme
Secrets and illness in a community · Survival amid rising horror
Reading lane
YA Survival Stories