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I Know What You Did Last Summer

by Lois Duncan (Goodreads Author)

3.48 of 5 stars 3.48 · rating details · 4,847 ratings · 376 reviews

Some secrets just won't stay buried.

They didn't mean it. They didn't mean to hit the boy. There was a party, and it was an accident...that wasn't who they were. They were pre-law, a football player, bound for New York. No one could know, so Barry, Julie, Helen, and Ray swore one another to secrecy. But now, a year later, someone knows. Julie receives a haunting, anonymous...more

Paperback, 224 pages

Published October 5th 2010 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (first published 1973)

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Sep 03, 2007 Karschtl rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: movie, darkish, children_teenie, read-in-2005

Four kids drive home after a high-school-party, everyone - including the driver - a bit intoxicated and tipsy. Then happens what always happens in such situations: an accident on a dark road. They knocked over a young boy, riding with his bicycle. For fear of the police they don't administer first aid but instead do a hit-and-run.

One year later - they've almost forgotten the incident - they're reminded of it via mysterious letters. Someone outside of their circle seems to know their dark secret....more

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Oct 03, 2012 Adrienne rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really loved this book. It kinda has the same story line as the movie Scream. I like that it gets into the story really fast and doesn't drag out unnecessary stuff in the beginning and it doesn't drag out the ending either. It's kind of like the whole story is the climax. The language was a little weird though, because this book was originally written a long time ago and the author recently rewrote it and tried to make it more modern. It has some parts that seem like they didn't go with the re...more

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May 20, 2013 Enrikue rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER by Lois Duncan is a good book in which I rated at a 4.

The reason i rated this book so high was because it was always entertaining and you never knew what was going to happen and it always kept you on the edge of your seat and wanting more.

As far as the plot goes it is kind of confusing but once you read the whole book it starts to fall in place like the main conflict which it tells you about in the beginning of the story eventually comes back to get them...more

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May 02, 2013 Life Between Coffee Spoons rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was unaware that the movie was based on a book until my youth materials class had me read a controversial novel and this one was on the list. While several sources said it was vastly different from said film, I actually found it to be more similar than the movie gets credit for. Four friends accidentally hit a kill a boy riding his bicycle one night after drinking and smoking pot. They call the police but keep going, not revealing their identities. A year later, they begin receiving notes and...more

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Mar 13, 2013 Cole Kurchak rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In this book a person named Julie gets a note that says "I Know What You Did Last Summer", talking about the year before when Julie, Ray, (her boyfriend) Helen and her boyfriend, Barry, had accidentally killed a kid named David after driving home from a party for Ray and Barry graduating high school. Barry doesn’t believe that the note is real and thinks it’s a prank. Now Julie has a new boyfriend named Bud. Helen was at a hotel pool and met a kid named Collie that got out of the army when she’s...more

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Oct 05, 2012 Mckenzie Meador added it · review of another edition

Revenge
By McKenzie Meador
I Know What You Did Last Summer
By Lois Duncan
Published by Bantam Doubleday Dell Books For Young Readers

Lois Duncan strikes again with one of her famous horror books called, “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” Julie, Barry, Ray, and Helen recently graduated from high school. Last year, they did a very terrible thing that they made a promise to tell no one. The catch is, someone knows, and that someone wants revenge.

The first evidence Julie receives indicating that someone...more Revenge
By McKenzie Meador
I Know What You Did Last Summer
By Lois Duncan
Published by Bantam Doubleday Dell Books For Young Readers

Lois Duncan strikes again with one of her famous horror books called, “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” Julie, Barry, Ray, and Helen recently graduated from high school. Last year, they did a very terrible thing that they made a promise to tell no one. The catch is, someone knows, and that someone wants revenge.

The first evidence Julie receives indicating that someone knows is a letter that arrives in the mail without a return address or anything else. It only has her name in big letters. And inside that letter is something that will change her life. The note says in big block letters “I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER.” After showing the group. They think it’s someone playing a joke on them like had happened in the past. However, a couple of days later, Barry is shot! Eventually, Barry’s family believes that Helen was the one who called and asked him to meet her outside where he was shot. Read the book to see what the revenge seeker has in store for the group and the shocking reveal.
My opinion of this book is absolutely fantastic. I would definitely recommend this book to any who are interested in horror and mystery. I love the fact that this book was also made into a movie. Now since I’ve read the book, I can determine what is different and compare the book to the movie and what I liked better. Another reason I thought this book was enjoyable was that I love the author Lois Duncan. I love how she changes points of view so that we can see the opinions of the other characters, and what they think of the situation. I also love the fact that she concludes every chapter with cliffhangers, leaving us wanting to read more just to see what’s going to happen next. I am also a huge fan of mystery books, which is why I love this book so much.
The theme to this book is some secrets refuse to stay hidden. I agree with this theme because I have witnessed when this has happened. If you have a secret that you have been hiding for a long time, the temptation to tell someone the truth eats you alive. Also, a lie can change you into a totally different person just like one of the characters in the book. Julie was a happy, bubbly cheerleader and was in every club available, until that one day when the group promised to keep the one thing they did a secret. She dropped out of everything and became a loner. Although she tried her best to do well in school so she could get accepted to a college far away from her city, it was just so that she wouldn’t have to endure the accidental tragedy anymore.
Lois Duncan has written many other books. I’ve read several of them and I thought they were all fantastic. Some her of the books that I read include Stranger with My Face, Locked in Time, and They Never Came Home. Some other books that she’s written are Daughter of Eve, Don’t Look behind You, and many others. So if you are interested in horror, mystery, and suspense, then this is the author you’re looking for.
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Jan 23, 2012 Grace rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I realized most of my friends borrowed books that are totally different from what I read. I decided to try out a book that seemed scary. The book “I Know What You Did This Summer” was the first book that I saw so I chosed it. “I Know What You Did This Summer” is a book about four friends that accidently killed a boy during summer and gotten away with it. They thought everything was over but the boy’s brother knew what had happened and wanted revenge. In this book my favorite quote was the conver...more

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Dec 30, 2011 Lyndsey Rushby rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya

Being a massive lover of horror films, I was quite excited to read this book. I don’t read a lot of horror books or books that have been made into films in general, just because of the worry of being let down but I was prepared to give this one a go. As much as I wanted to like it though, I just didn’t.

Characterisation was pretty weak from the very beginning. In the film, Julie James is quite likable because it seems like she has a head on her shoulders and actually has some morals but the book...more Being a massive lover of horror films, I was quite excited to read this book. I don’t read a lot of horror books or books that have been made into films in general, just because of the worry of being let down but I was prepared to give this one a go. As much as I wanted to like it though, I just didn’t.

Characterisation was pretty weak from the very beginning. In the film, Julie James is quite likable because it seems like she has a head on her shoulders and actually has some morals but the book doesn’t show her the same way. Before the main event, Julie is as much of a partygoer as the rest of the characters, obviously only out to have a good time. What I liked about her in the film was that it was clear how much she cared and felt guilty about what happened but only a glimpse of that was shown in the book. For once, I think the film version actually did something better.

Other characters, like Helen, also didn’t impress me. Again, in the film, although she is a beauty queen, she comes across as quite strong and being able to fend for herself pretty well. The book shows Helen as a whiney, needy girl who can’t see that she’s being used. A high school drop out, basing her whole life on her looks, is not a good role model for anyone even though she was shown to be handling herself quite well at times. Barry was annoying as he was in the film, being self centred and arrogant didn’t do him any favours whatsoever. Ray was one of the characters I actually did like a little bit but I think that was mainly because I had Freddie Prince Jr. in my head the whole way through the book.

As for the plot (minus some changes), it moves the same way that the film does. The four main characters are all thrown back together after their actions of the previous summer are found out and the trouble begins. The thing that I love most about the horror genre is the tension. Although you can generally see bad things before they happen, the mystery is always there but not in this book. Even though I did already know what was going to happen, there was no tension at all. The excitement wouldn’t have been there had I not known what was going to happen. I was really disappointed with this aspect of the book and while it did read a little more like a thriller, it wasn’t that thrilling either.

Unfortunately, I don’t have anything to good to say about this book and I really wish I did have. I wanted to like it so much but due to hating most of the main characters from the start, I couldn’t get into it.

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Nov 12, 2011 Kristine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: novel, read-for-class, realistic-fiction, young-adult

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Oct 06, 2011 Hazel rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I opened this book with a good idea of what to expect, having read many other books by Lois Duncan. They're all a fantasy-horror-mystery mix with a chilling feel. And they always manage to creep you out, however slightly.
This one wasn't creepy. There was some mystery, but it only made you think a few times, and absolutly no fastasy. It started out rather exciting: Four kids, all of whom had this big secret. There was no telling what the secret was, but obviously it was something illegal and deep...more

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Mar 22, 2011 Amy Y. rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-2011-advisory

"I Know What You Did Last Summer" is about these 4 teenagers named Barry, Julie, Ray and Helen had all coped with one little secret they had tragically kept for their whole summer. As things began to clear up, Julie recieves a threatning message... Immediately, Julie knew that someone has figured out her secret, a deadly secret. Julie and her friends undergo obstacles to find the messenger and put a end to their nightmares. They need to outsmart the killer before all of them dies before they eve...more

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Mar 09, 2011 Lindsey Dice rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER by Lois Duncan
Reviewed by Lindsey Dice

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER by Lois Duncan was a very descriptive novel. In fact, it was too descriptive. The characters were pretty true to life and most of the time believable. I didn't like how the author changes the characters different points of view, it was really confusing.
I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER takes place in a small town in North Carolina, off the Atlantic Coast. Four teenagers- Helen, Barry, Julie, and...more I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER by Lois Duncan
Reviewed by Lindsey Dice

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER by Lois Duncan was a very descriptive novel. In fact, it was too descriptive. The characters were pretty true to life and most of the time believable. I didn't like how the author changes the characters different points of view, it was really confusing.
I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER takes place in a small town in North Carolina, off the Atlantic Coast. Four teenagers- Helen, Barry, Julie, and Ray- who were quite tipsy were at a beach party. They decided to leave, which was obviously a stupid idea. Four teenagers who were drunk, you could just tell something bad was going to happen. Anyway, while on their way home, Barry, the drunkest of them all, wasn't paying attention to where he was driving. Then all of the sudden, he hit a little boy on a bike. Ray called 9-1-1 thinking that Barry would turn around to go help the little boy. But Barry, being a dumb, selfish teenager just kept driving.
So, about a year later Julie, the preppy little cheerleader receives a note in the mail. The note reads “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” And of course, she starts freaking out. Barry tries to calm her down by telling her that it's just a joke. But Julie is such a drama that she just keeps freaking out about it.
About a week later, Collie Wilson moves into the same apartment as Helen. That very same day, the newspaper clipping of the accident is taped up on her door. Now, Helen starts freaking out. It was pretty obvious who put the newspaper clipping there, but Helen isn't the brightest crayon in the box, so she didn't figure out who put the note there until the end of the book.
Then, Barry gets shot. Earlier that day, he received a phone call from a mysterious person. The person told Barry to meet them on the football field at midnight. In my opinion, that wasn't the smartest move. Because if some strange person called me and told me to meet them in a dark place in the middle of the night, I defiantly would not do it. So anyway, he becomes paralyzed from the wait down. Which I think serves Barry right, because anybody who leaves a little boy on the side of the road to die deserves to be punished like that.
As the story goes on the real blackmailer is revealed. But it was pretty obvious throughout the whole book who it was.
Overall, I would have given the book a three star rating. It wasn't very suspenseful and you could tell what was going to happen next. Lois Duncan should have explained the characters emotions a little bit better. Also, the author added a lot of detail through the whole book and then at the end she stopped adding detail and it left me with a lot of unanswered questions. Other than that the book was really good. But in all honesty, the movie is better than the book.(less)

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Mar 07, 2010 Marcus Simon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is about some teenagers that went camping but the bad thing that happened when they were coming back home for their trip, there was a little boy on a bike who drove on the road. And the kids were drunk when they were driving so they didnt see him. So the teenagers hit the little boy on the bike, and they did kill that little boy. They made a pact to never tell anyone about it or ever bring it up again. It was working to, until this one little note that changed their lives forever.On th...more

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Feb 24, 2010 Sarai rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-fiction

from Amazon: By tvtv3 "tvtv3"
I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER is a story about a group of four high school students who are involved in a hit and run accident which ends up killing a young boy. Speeding down the road late at night after hours of partying, the group strikes a young boy on his bicycle. Instead of stopping to help, the group drives to the nearest phone and makes an anonymous phone call to the police to report the accident. The group makes a pact not to tell what happened. The event...more

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Aug 07, 2009 ch rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

!!WARNING THIS WARNING CONTAINS A SPOILER THAT THIS BOOK WAS MADE INTO A MOVIE.!!

Hopefully you didn't just read that. For those of you who were smart enough to skip that spoiler you can now read in confidence knowing that you will not be told that the book was made into a movie. You will live in happy naivety thinking that the book is a self-contained form of media in which this narrative lives. Unfortunately, you will be wrong.

Since I have neither read the book, nor seen the movie. I can safely...more

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Aug 02, 2009 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kids-lit

I think they made this into a movie a few years ago, which looked really scary, even though I don't remember the book being scary at all. I read this in 8th grade, as did EVERYONE I know. We passed the book back and forth from class to class in the hallway, each reading a chapter at a time. The cover was pink and purple, not sure if this is the correct edition. Each chapter was told by a different character, and that was the first time I had encountered that style. I remember we all were guessin...more

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May 11, 2009 Uriel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I Know What You Did Last Summer

This book is about 4 teenagers, Helen Rivers and her boyfriend Barry William, Julie James and her boyfriend Ray, who win a weekend trip because Helen had won the beauty pageant. They go party to a beach and when they are heading back home, something happened. Barry was drunk and dropped his liquor and distracted Ray, which caused him to hit a fishermen. Instead of calling the police and ambulance, they decided to keep it a secret because they thought it would ruin...more I Know What You Did Last Summer

This book is about 4 teenagers, Helen Rivers and her boyfriend Barry William, Julie James and her boyfriend Ray, who win a weekend trip because Helen had won the beauty pageant. They go party to a beach and when they are heading back home, something happened. Barry was drunk and dropped his liquor and distracted Ray, which caused him to hit a fishermen. Instead of calling the police and ambulance, they decided to keep it a secret because they thought it would ruin there life in college. So they all hid him somewhere and left. A year later, Julie returns to college and is being haunted by images of the fishermen going after her, which is why she has been doing poorly at school. Then, she gets mail in her mother’s home saying, “I Know What You Did Last Summer”. Julie freaked out and called Helen. They both went to go talk to Barry, since he fills no guilt from the incident. Barry suspects that Max send the letter, but then found out that Max has been killed by a man wielding a hook, where they also ran over Barry. Julie and Ray go visit him, where Helen was also there waiting for them. They do a quick research about the incident and find out that a guy named David Egan had murdered his girlfriend accidentally in the same place where Ray ran over the fishermen.
The next day, it is Helen’s contest of the beauty pageant, excited, but mostly frightened that the fishermen might come and attack her. Barry tells her he is going to be there for her to protect her, but during the contest, Barry is attacked from the back and he gets murdered. She then escapes to her sister’s store Elsa, thinking she might be safe there, but the fishermen was there and kills Elsa. Helen then goes out downstairs and she see’s the fishermen. He grabbed her and killed her too. Then Julie begins to run and tries to jump off the boat but they are too far away from the dock. She flees down inside the boat and locks the door. Ben starts trying to open the door so she runs into the fish storage room, filled with ice cubes. She finds the corpses of Barry and Helen in the ice and screams in horror. Ray comes aboard and saves Julie from Ben. The chase ends with Ben getting his hand chopped off by the pulley, and then thrown overboard. Another year later, Julie is back to college, where the fishermen’s body is still missing. She gets another letter, but it was an invitation. But she then see’s in her shower room saying, “I Still Know” and the fishermen’s shadow appears.

to me this book is very interesting even though it was scary but still amazing. i would think that readers would love to read this book unless they are not afraid of the dark. Because it was a little creepy reading in the dark and it like if some one was wacthing you while reading a book. But I knew that it was fiction. (less)

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Apr 21, 2009 Mike rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Lois Duncan’s I Know What You Did Last Summer was a nonstop thrill ride. From the first chapter to the last, I was captivated by the chilling story involving a group of teens who accidentally killed a boy.

This book was about four teens that were partying one night and hit a young boy. They were drinking and decided to keep the whole incident a secret, until they begin to get threatening messages form an anonymous person. They went their separate ways after the accident, but now they must unite t...more

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Feb 09, 2013 Eden rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-to-buy

Julie, Ray, Helen and Barry have all tried to move on, to forget about what happened. But it seems that what happened the previous summer can't be erased. Julie is the first to realize this when she receives a letter that says: "I know what you did last summer."

She can't believe that someone knows what happened and the others can't either. They try to find explanations, but they realize soon that there is none. Someone knows what they did and they could all be in danger.

I know there is a movie b...more

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Jun 28, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, thriller

Back in the day, 30 years ago or so, I looked forward to that pulpy catalog from Scholastic each month. It was such a treat to buy a book. It was through Scholastic I discovered Lois Duncan. And let me tell you, "Summer of Fear" scared the bejesus out of me! I know I read other Duncan books, but "Summer of Fear was my favorite.

Fast forward another 20ish years and I watched "I Know What You Did Last Summer" on cable. I must not have paid attention to the credits because I didn't realize it was ba...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Carelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

I Know What You Did Last Summer (200 pages), by Lois Duncan, is a young adult novel. This book revolves around four teenagers that accidentally ran down and killed a little boy. Rather than going to the authorities and report the accident, they all made a pact to keep it as a secret and not tell anyone. A year later, after they all moved on from what happened last summer, they were suddenly reminded of the accident. One day, Julie, one of the four teenagers, receives a note saying: “I know what...more

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Nov 22, 2012 Kayla added it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

I Know What You DId Last Summer

By Lois Duncan

A Book Review

It only takes an instant to realize that anything can happen . Four teenagers learn this the hard way while coming back from a high school party in the book I Know What You Did Last Summer. Barry,Julie,Ray and Helen were enjoying each others company late one evening. The summer freedom controlled the minds of these young individuals. Perhaps that and alcohol determined the tragic events that occurred that evening.
The road was dark an...more I Know What You DId Last Summer

By Lois Duncan

A Book Review

It only takes an instant to realize that anything can happen . Four teenagers learn this the hard way while coming back from a high school party in the book I Know What You Did Last Summer. Barry,Julie,Ray and Helen were enjoying each others company late one evening. The summer freedom controlled the minds of these young individuals. Perhaps that and alcohol determined the tragic events that occurred that evening.
The road was dark and winding no one in the car was focused on the road. Smack, a little boy on a bicycle lay on the ground, they hit him. The four made a decision not to tell the police, risks were too high, they had been drinking and none of them were of age. A pact was made, no one would ever know about what happened late that evening.The clique went on through life, everyday trying to forget the night the boy was killed.
It was almost a year later, all four have almost moved on from the events that happened the previous summer. Suddenly they are reminded of the thing they are constantly trying to get away from, notes are found indicating someone knows what they did last summer. Will the group find out who this unknown freak is before things get bad?
Lois Duncan uses many different themes to pull together a fabulous murder mystery, I Know What You Did Last Summer.
“So she closed her eyes, and when she opened them again the paper was still there in her hand with the short sentence printed on it- ‘I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER.” (Duncan, pg. 9) The theme of mystery in this book always leaves you wondering, constantly wanting more. Although the topic is not that big the relationships in the story add to the plot, how the friends cope with what has happened.
For anyone who wants a creepy story that will leave you wanting more, this is the book for you. Its a quick easy read. Its definitely worth your time. I rate this book a four out of five stars only because its like others in its category.
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Sep 28, 2012 Eleana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think it was a good book because it kept me wanting to read more. It starts to get a lil confusing in the middle but then it starts to clear everything up. The author gave much detail in describing what happen to everyone. This could be a true story. I think it was a good book also because it was a mystery and i love mysteries. I think it should have never turned into a movie.
The story is about 4 people who hit a little boy on a bike on there way home. There is someone who knows about what the...more

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Dec 04, 2011 Lena Hillbrand rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: see review

This book was similar to a lot of other YA horror I've read. Too similar, maybe. It just didn't catch my attention like the other book I read by this author. Although it was okay, nothing about it stood out as terribly original. It seemed like I was reading one of the Christopher Pike books I loved so much as a kid. And although Duncan's book Stranger with My Face grabbed me and held on with the great suspense she built, I didn't feel it with this book. However, it was a quick, easy read that I...more

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May 10, 2012 Wayne Simmons rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Readers expecting a novelisation of the infamous 90s slasher of the same name may look elsewhere: this is a YA book. And an old-school YA at that. The premise is the same: 4 teens involved in a hit and run begin to receive ominous messages a year later, and the character names may be the same, but that's where the similarity ends. A fish hook slasher this book ain't.

The original book was written in 1973 and my main criticism is that the author tried a half-arsed attempt at updating the story fo...more

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Feb 22, 2011 Kirsty (overflowing library) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: review-books

I picked up this book worried about what I might be letting myself in for. I saw the film adapation a while back and didn;t think it was all that great. I am pleased to say it was nothing like the book at all and I really enjoyed it.

The book is similiar to the film in that a group of 4 friends are involved in covering up a fatal accident they had been part of a year or so previously. The group have since started to receive mysterious letters and taunting amongst other things as the story progres...more

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Nov 22, 2012 Kaylee rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: y-a-mystery, suspense, also-a-movie, y-a-horror

On a clear, starry July night, Julie James and her friends are coming home from a barbeque when they accidently hit and kill a ten-year-old boy on his bicycle. They discuss what to do and fear gets the best of them. They make a pact to flee the scene and forget the tragedy ever happened. One year later, just as they four teens have gotten their lives in order, they begin receiving notes and clippings related to the incident. Someone knows what they did and that someone wants revenge.

This is my...more On a clear, starry July night, Julie James and her friends are coming home from a barbeque when they accidently hit and kill a ten-year-old boy on his bicycle. They discuss what to do and fear gets the best of them. They make a pact to flee the scene and forget the tragedy ever happened. One year later, just as they four teens have gotten their lives in order, they begin receiving notes and clippings related to the incident. Someone knows what they did and that someone wants revenge.

This is my second time reading this novel and I have to say I like it a little less on the second pass. Lois Duncan is one of my favorite young adult authors, and the story is still very gripping and suspenseful – but some of the writing was a little clunky in places. Words were repeated awkwardly within the same sentences, details were repeated over and over again (Helen’s been dating Barry for two years, the fact that the four teens made a pact), and stories are told multiple times from different characters. I also felt the ending was a bit rushed and nonsensical – did the villain actually think he/she was going to get away with it? So many loose ends are left that the police would find out the bad guy’s identity in no time. I also wish there was an epilogue so I could find out what happened to the kids after the final confrontation.

Julie and Ray are the only likable characters as they are the only ones who really seem to feel badly about what happened. Julie’s personality changed completely, as she cut social ties, dropped from the clubs and cheering squad, and began hitting the books like crazy. The guilt has weighed heavily on her both physically and emotionally. It appears to have affected Ray strongly as well. Helen seems to only care about herself, her relationship with Barry and her looks. She is very self-centered and despite being a beauty queen, she has very low self-esteem. She also can’t see Barry for what he is, a two-timing jerk who is willing to put her life and the lives of Ray and Julie in jeopardy to cover his own hide. He uses her as a showpiece because he can claim he’s dating a local celebrity.

There are a few secondary characters as well, such as Elsa, Helen’s sister, who is described as fat, dumpy and sullen – her appearance making people dislike her. (Ray even thinks this when he first meets her, “Never had someone’s appearance made him dislike them before.” Way to dump on the heavy-set people, Duncan…) Elsa’s attitude is what bothered me – she seems to hate her little sister and take pleasure in Helen’s every mistake, although this is somewhat understandable because it’s clear Helen is the favorite daughter. There’s a scene in Helen’s family home where her mother tells Elsa not to eat any more potatoes because she doesn’t need to gain any more weight. That’s an awful thing to say to your daughter! No wonder Elsa’s attitude is so negative and depressing!

Mrs. Cox, Barry’s mother, made me want to reach into the book and punch her out. She’s one of those controlling mothers who think no one is good enough for their boy. When a distraught Helen tries to visit Barry in the hospital, Mrs. Cox is unreasonably mean to her and acts like she’s nothing. She is so domineering she actually wants her son to have a life-long injury so she can keep him by her side for the rest of her life.

The villain in the novel is NOT the fisherman – so it bugs me a lot that his image is on the cover of the book. I know the publishers are trying to lure fans of the film to read the book, but these fans will be sorely disappointed. This isn’t a novelized slasher, it’s a story of suspense and mystery. The villain in the novel is a lot more sympathetic than the fisherman, having a very good reason for wanting revenge.

Overall, this is a very different story from the one told in the film. If you’re a fan of the films, you’ll probably be disappointed. It is a decently written suspense/mystery novel, if a bit dated, and a quick, yet enjoyable read despite its flaws.
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Nov 04, 2012 Alex Schuman rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It is a novel written by Lois Duncan. It is a great book that always makes you want to keep turning the page. It is a fiction mystery about a group of high school friends, Barry , Julie, Helen, and Ray. They went to a state park one night. On the way home, they hit and killed a teenager on a bike. The group decided to drive away from the scene They all thought that they were in the clear, until they received a letter saying " I know what you did last summer".
The main idea of the book is teachin...more

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Oct 25, 2010 Brianna Robinson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I know what you did last summer is a classic mystery that I think we have all heard about, It is a simple story about four teenagers who have an accident one summer night, they make a pact to never talk about it again, and they never do. But one day Julie recives a letter in the mail that reads 'I know what you did last summer', and the mystery starts from there.
I think that it was a pretty good book, but it is not one of the best mystery books that I have read. It is a classic mystery, and that...more

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Jul 12, 2011 Marina rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Plot:
A group of teenagers returning home from a party late at night accidently run over a boy riding a bicycle. In panic they try to decide what to do, which results in a pact of never mentioning the incident to anyone. A year later a note arrives at the house of one of the teens that was in the car saying " I know what you did last summer". The group of teens get back togather to figure out if the note may mean the murder of some sick prank someone is playing on them. When things turn from bad...more

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About Lois Duncan

Lois Duncan (born Lois Duncan Steinmetz, April 28, 1934) is an American writer and novelist, known primarily for her books for children and young adults, in particular (and some times controversially considering her young readership) crime thrillers. Duncan's parents were the noted magazine photographers Lois Steinmetz and Joseph Janney Steinmetz. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but gr...more Lois Duncan (born Lois Duncan Steinmetz, April 28, 1934) is an American writer and novelist, known primarily for her books for children and young adults, in particular (and some times controversially considering her young readership) crime thrillers. Duncan's parents were the noted magazine photographers Lois Steinmetz and Joseph Janney Steinmetz. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but grew up in Sarasota, Florida. Duncan started writing and submitting manuscripts to magazines at the age of ten, and when she was thirteen succeeded in selling her first story.

Duncan attended Duke University from 1952 to 1953 but dropped out, married, and started a family. During this time, she continued to write and publish magazine articles; over the course of her career, she has published more than 300 articles, in magazines such as Ladies' Home Journal, Redbook, McCall's, Good Housekeeping, and Reader's Digest. After her first marriage, which produced three children, ended in divorce, Duncan moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to teach journalism at the University of New Mexico, where she also earned a BA in English in 1977. In 1965 she married Don Arquette, and had two more children with him.

Duncan is best known for her novels of suspense for teenagers. Some of her works have been adapted for the screen, the most famous example being the 1997 film I Know What You Did Last Summer, adapted from her novel of the same title. Other made-for-TV movies include Stranger with My Face, Killing Mr. Griffin, Don't Look Behind You, Summer of Fear and Gallows Hill.

In 1989 the youngest of Duncan's children, Kaitlyn Arquette, was murdered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, under suspicious circumstances. Who Killed My Daughter? relates the facts and conjecture about the still unsolved case. Duncan is now completing work on the sequel to that book, The Tally Keeper, which picks up Kait's story where the first book leaves off. It's under option as the pilot for a TV series.

The 1971 children's book Hotel for Dogs was released as a theatrical movie in 2009, starring Emma Roberts. That book has now been republished by Scholastic along with two sequels, News for Dogs (2009) and Movie for Dogs (2010).

Follow Lois on Twitter: http://twitter.com/duncanauthor
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“aloud she said why not you ray you were involed in this as much as the resst of uswhy is it that bud never tried to do anything to you ?his armed tighted around her.'he knew the worst thing for me was a world without you” — 10 people liked it

“she thought ray i'll never see ray again there was a time she looked into those green eyes and said i love you so long ago he'll never know i still do” — 4 people liked it

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7886313-i-know-what-you-did-last-summer?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344269079l/7886313.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7886313-i-know-what-you-did-last-summer?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan[/url]

I Know What You Did Last Summer

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