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Summerwork
Not yet published
Expected 9 Jun 26Set in a single sweltering summer, the story of two traumatized teenagers picking up the pieces of their lives in the wreckage of a bizarre gothic mansion.
Seventeen-year-old Leo Arceneaux has been raised by his mother and uncle, having lost his father in a shockingly random murder when he was two. Connor Rigby is the teenage daughter of a wealthy lifestyle influencer. She has no idea who her father is. As summer begins, Leo and Connor both find themselves in a small town in rural Minnesota, living in the rundown grandiosity of Connor’s mother’s family’s estate. Rigby Mansion is a secluded gothic monstrosity that Connor’s mother is slowly renovating without ever actually being present. Leo is there as a summer landscaping laborer, working to pay off a debt to his mother and uncle, and Connor arrives shortly after, having left behind wreckage of her own and looking for a place to lie low away from her mother.
Connor and Leo soon find themselves in an unfamiliar but intense relationship—not simply a summer romance but something that feels important and somehow tied to the combination of this particular blazing-hot summer and this weird house in the middle of nowhere.
When an accident on the estate’s grounds reveals the bones of two long dead people, Leo and Connor become obsessed with the couple buried beneath the fountain. Neither of them can say exactly why, but they’re sure that somehow these two corpses are tied to the to whatever comes next in their lives.
Seventeen-year-old Leo Arceneaux has been raised by his mother and uncle, having lost his father in a shockingly random murder when he was two. Connor Rigby is the teenage daughter of a wealthy lifestyle influencer. She has no idea who her father is. As summer begins, Leo and Connor both find themselves in a small town in rural Minnesota, living in the rundown grandiosity of Connor’s mother’s family’s estate. Rigby Mansion is a secluded gothic monstrosity that Connor’s mother is slowly renovating without ever actually being present. Leo is there as a summer landscaping laborer, working to pay off a debt to his mother and uncle, and Connor arrives shortly after, having left behind wreckage of her own and looking for a place to lie low away from her mother.
Connor and Leo soon find themselves in an unfamiliar but intense relationship—not simply a summer romance but something that feels important and somehow tied to the combination of this particular blazing-hot summer and this weird house in the middle of nowhere.
When an accident on the estate’s grounds reveals the bones of two long dead people, Leo and Connor become obsessed with the couple buried beneath the fountain. Neither of them can say exactly why, but they’re sure that somehow these two corpses are tied to the to whatever comes next in their lives.
- GenresYoung Adult
208 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication June 9, 2026
2 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of SUMMERWORK by Carrie Mesrobian in exchange for my honest review.***
If literary fiction for young adults is a genre, then that’s how I’d classify SUMMERWORK.
A well-written yet slow-paced slice of life, SUMMERWORK didn’t hold my interest. Usually I finish an ARC in a day, two days max. I slugged through this in a week, only finishing because NetGalley allowed me to preview this book.
I don’t think most teen readers will gravitate to SUMMERWORK or if they do that they’ll finish it, but I’m sure the book will find an audience or it wouldn’t be published.
If literary fiction for young adults is a genre, then that’s how I’d classify SUMMERWORK.
A well-written yet slow-paced slice of life, SUMMERWORK didn’t hold my interest. Usually I finish an ARC in a day, two days max. I slugged through this in a week, only finishing because NetGalley allowed me to preview this book.
I don’t think most teen readers will gravitate to SUMMERWORK or if they do that they’ll finish it, but I’m sure the book will find an audience or it wouldn’t be published.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Young Readers Group, and Carrie Mesrobian for the advanced copy!
We follow the dual perspectives of Leo and Connor, two young teens caught up in a web of mysteries in the Rigby Mansion estate. Leo Arceneaux is sent to work at the estate to financially make up for his father's wrecked vehicle, while Connor Rigby is staying at her mother's estate.
Unfortunately, I don't think this novel was for me. The pacing of the story was off at times, and I couldn't connect with their character enough due to the lack of insight behind each one.
Perhaps if you enjoy a book on young love or a summer romance, this might be geared towards you!
We follow the dual perspectives of Leo and Connor, two young teens caught up in a web of mysteries in the Rigby Mansion estate. Leo Arceneaux is sent to work at the estate to financially make up for his father's wrecked vehicle, while Connor Rigby is staying at her mother's estate.
Unfortunately, I don't think this novel was for me. The pacing of the story was off at times, and I couldn't connect with their character enough due to the lack of insight behind each one.
Perhaps if you enjoy a book on young love or a summer romance, this might be geared towards you!
February 24, 2026
Thank you, Penguin Young Readers Group/ Dutton Books for Young Readers, for the advance reader copy.
This is a short book which talks about a girl and a boy meeting under unexpected circumstances.
It is their story of having small talks, sharing whatever they want with each other and have some of the best moments together.
The writing is very accessible.
However, I feel like the story was going nowhere and it happens to be a slice-of-life kind of read.
It is a very summer vacation young love first experiences kind of short read.
This is a short book which talks about a girl and a boy meeting under unexpected circumstances.
It is their story of having small talks, sharing whatever they want with each other and have some of the best moments together.
The writing is very accessible.
However, I feel like the story was going nowhere and it happens to be a slice-of-life kind of read.
It is a very summer vacation young love first experiences kind of short read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews