- Genre: YA, Queer Horror
- Published by: PUSH
- Publish date: September 16, 2025
- Number of pages: 400 pages
- Author’s website: https://www.ryanlasala.com/
- Support local! Buy the book on BookShop!
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. 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.
Rating: 5/5
I loved this book! From the island setting, the vibrant characters, and creepy coral-like parasite of a monster, the descriptions of this books were so visceral with high imagery. Ryan La Sala has created a unique monster with these coastal creatures that take over human bodies by drowning them and taking over their host. It gave me the vibe of The Last of Us but through a queer, Disney Channel lens.
Other things I loved about this book:
- Main trio of characters that have grown up together called the suds: Ollie, Bash, and Elisa
- There’s a map and found articles that made this read even more immersive
- Funny moments that added levity and reprieve from the horror and grief
- The timeline and following the mystery through the scientist was a clever way of organizing the book and I loved how we followed along to figure out what the creatures are, how they came to be, and how to stop them.
When starting this book, I didn’t realize it’s a series! This ends on a cliff hanger and I will be impatiently waiting for book 2.
Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? I’d love to know!
I received an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book from @coloredpagesbt. Thank you to the tour, @ireadya, @theryanlasala for the gifted copy. This has not impacted my rating and this review is voluntary. #TheDeadofSummerTour #coloredpagesbooktours
Musings by Michelle 