Summerween Book Recs: Stage Frights & Scene Stealers

Cue the spotlight. Someone’s going off-script…permanently.

Spooky season is here early and we’re opening Summerween with three twisty, high-drama tales where the stage is set for murder. From summer theater camp to isolated filming locations to an island unraveling at the seams, these stories explore the blurred line between performance and reality. Secrets will surface. The bodies might, too.

Stay tuned over the next month for weekly recs of upcoming books!

Showstopper

by Lily Anderson
Published by: Henry Holt & Co. (BYR)
on September 30, 2025
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
Bookshop
Goodreads

"A witty summer camp murder mystery where drama unfolds both on and off the stage . . . . In this love letter to theater life, the joy and passion derived from the art form shine through brightly." —Kirkus Reviews

TAKE YOUR FINAL BOW

The Ghostlight Youth Theater Camp isn’t the best program in the world, but to Faye, it’s home. Every summer since junior high, Faye and her friends have come together for a monthlong musical-theater intensive. For her last year before graduation, Faye’s finally ready to take center stage as her true Afro-Latina self and break out of her white-passing roles.

But as Faye steps into her spotlight, complications arise. Suddenly, she’s competing with her BFF for lead roles and distracted by the attentions of the new camp hottie. Even when the drama turns deadly, Faye remains determined to make this the best production the Ghostlight has ever seen. It must be a coincidence that the stagehands keep disappearing and having gruesome accidents, right? But dark secrets are hiding behind the scenes, and opening night might turn out to be a bloodbath.

Stage Frights & Scene Stealers

Showstopper by Lily Anderson

The Ghostlight Youth Theater Camp isn’t the most prestigious program, but for Faye, it’s home. This summer, she’s ready to take center stage as her true Afro-Latina self, finally stepping out of the white-passing roles she’s always been cast in. But when stagehands start having gruesome accidents, Faye realizes this year’s camp drama might be more murder than musical.

A sharp, funny, and bloody love letter to theater kids, friendship, and the chaos of putting on a show.

Tropes: summer camp, theater kid drama, stage rivalry, murder mystery
Pair it with: a handheld fan, a glitter-stained script, and one last bow.

Final Cut

by Olivia Worley
Published by: Wednesday Books
on October 28, 2025
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
Bookshop
Goodreads

The set of a low-budget slasher film turns into a real-life horror movie in this twisty, wicked blend of Scream meets The Reappearance of Rachel Price from Olivia Worley.

When recent high school graduate Hazel Lejeune gets the lead role in a slasher film, it feels like a dream come true. This is her chance to break into the industry, build her reel, and prove to her mom that this “gap year” can turn into a career. So what if it’s set in the nothing town of Pine Springs, Louisiana–the same place her father, the Pine Springs Slasher, was convicted of a series of murders fifteen years ago?

But when Haze arrives on set, she gets much more than she bargained for. The shoot is plagued by suspicious “accidents.” Mentions of her dad dot the entire script. And then, a gruesome murder shocks everyone to the core. Now, it’s clear there’s a real killer on set—one who's determined to finish the film at all costs. But is this merely a copycat, or is the wrong Slasher behind bars?

As the body count rises and reality blurs with fiction, Haze must unmask the killer before she becomes a real-life final girl…or before the killer flips the script and makes her the next victim.

Final Cut by Olivia Worley

A horror movie shoot in a remote mansion? Dream job. Until the cast starts turning on each other, the doors lock, and the production takes a deadly turn. A high-stakes mystery about fame, secrets, and survival with Bodies Bodies Bodies energy.

Tropes: murder on set, fame gone wrong, final girl
Pair it with: a flickering spotlight and one last take.

The Dead of Summer (The Dead of Summer, #1)

by Ryan La Sala
Published by: Push
on September 16, 2025
Genres: Horror, LGBTQIA+, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
Bookshop
Goodreads

Stephen King meets Holly Jackson by way of We Were Liars in this action-packed story of queer horror from the acclaimed author of The Honeys!

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 questions. Because for a place that's perfect on the outside, a secret rots inside. 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 dangerous than Ollie ever believed, and he suspects his saviors aren't here to save anyone. Only Ollie can stop what comes next, but that means getting back to Anchor's Mercy before it vanishes below the waves, taking with it everyone he has ever loved.

The Dead of Summer by Ryan La Sala

Ollie Veltman knows something is wrong on the island of Anchor’s Mercy. A glowing, deadly plague is rising from the ocean, and it’s infecting the vibrant queer paradise he calls home. Told in interviews, documents, and narration, this is a genre-defying descent into horror, history, and truth.

Tropes: island horror, queer community, body horror, mixed media
Pair it with: sea spray, sensory overload, and a warning you were too late to hear.

Up next week: Blood & Beasts – werewolves, vampires, and monsters who bite back…