The Dead of Summer by Heather Balog is a kindle scout book and a cute story. It is a coming of age story, a strange mystery, and a dead body. It isn't a bad story, just not what I hoped for. I did enjoy it, it is definitely worth the read. ( )

Kennedy and Lindy, though very different in appearance, are the best of friends. Lindy is slim and stylish, while Kennedy is plain and chubby—and is bossed around by Lindy, who plays the role of the bratty, rich, beautiful teenager in the story. During their summer vacation, a good looking hunk, Carson, chooses Kennedy over Lindy, much to Lindy’s dismay. Kennedy also has an agoraphobic mother and must do everything that needs to be done outside the house. One night, after sneaking out to see Carson, Lindy is locked out of the house and must crawl back into the house through the cellar window, where she makes a startling discover. From here on, the book moves in a new direction, with many twists and turns. I enjoyed reading this book. Seeing Kennedy grow as the story continued was fascinating and heartening. This is a good book for young adults. It has a good plot, some romance, some of the angst teenagers all endure, and little bad language. It can help the young adult learn some valuable life lessons. However, I enjoyed it also, so the book is definitely not just aimed at young adults. I received this through the Kindle Scout program to read and review. ( )