Kristin's Bookshelf

Slasher Summer
by E.L. Chen
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.5)

It’s a story we all know and love… expected, and yet – not.

Slasher Summer follows Carrie as the FMC, who has more than a little in common with (that) Carrie, who makes a mistake in high school that haunts her.

Every character leans fully into their role (intentionally cliché roles I might add): jock, cheerleader, goth, nerd, preppy … and yes, just about everyone gets their comeuppance.

But here’s what surprised me – Chen’s writing is beautiful. Like, almost poetic. She creates vivid scenes that you can picture to perfection in your mind. Not something you typically expect from a slasher book. The scenes are so vivid it honestly feels like you’re watching a movie play out.

You get everything you want from a coming-of-age slasher: ridiculous deaths, classic tropes, sharp one-liners, and plenty of red herrings.

Was it predictable? Yeah… a little.
Did that make it any less fun? Not at all.

Or maybe it wasn’t predictable… maybe I’m just that good. 😏