THE SUMMER WE FORGOT

Teens become embroiled in a murder investigation when their science teacher’s body is discovered at the camp they all attended.

Two summers ago, Darby Wallis and her ex-boyfriend, Morgan Rhodell, broke up after Morgan betrayed her. In the aftermath, their friend group drifted apart. But everything else about that summer is a blank, including all of them having been counselors at Camp Choctawhatchee under the supervision of their former science teacher, who mysteriously disappeared. When his body turns up in the present, the teens enter a nightmare of accusations, interrogations, and blackmail. To clear their names, they must recover their memories, but whom can they trust when seemingly everyone in their picturesque Florida town is keeping secrets? In alternating first-person chapters interspersed with police transcripts, Darby and Morgan reflect on family and each other as they investigate—and try to stay alive. Darby’s desire to rebel against her good-girl image and perfectionist parents inspires sympathy, as does Morgan’s grief over his mother’s death. Unfortunately, a somewhat overstuffed plot risks desensitizing readers to its thrills. One twist requires considerable suspension of disbelief, and a revelation comes too late to have much impact. Most secondary characters are underdeveloped save for a troubled boy with ADHD; even Darby’s best friend, who’s cued as having some Japanese ancestry, is seldom portrayed as more than a supportive sidekick. Darby and Morgan default to White.

Despite an intriguing premise, thrills fizzle against a convoluted plot.