I KNow What you Did Last Summer , by Lois Duncan

 Savvy's Reviews

Not sure you want to dig into that new book? Let Savvy do the hard work for you! Here's her latest review!

#classicsrenewed

I Know What You Did Last Summer (1973) by Lois Duncan 

Classics Renewed

I read the original print of the classic 1973 thriller by Lois Duncan. “I Know What You Did Last Summer”. Being a fan of horror, this was a must add to my collection. The fact that I’ve gone this long without this book on my GoodReads shelf is honestly embarrassing. Let’s go over the facts before we get into the nitty gritty of the original print. 

This book was obviously adapted into a movie in 1997 starring half of the Scooby gang and the Ghost Whisperer. It was then rewritten in 2010 to give the novel updates such as cell phones that aren’t even used and a Starbucks meet up between two of the characters. Lois Duncan has publicly been against the movie adaptation since she saw it in theaters for the first time (because she was not invited in on the filming as a consultant or even as a guest).

Let me tell y’all. If you’re doing a book report on this one… you really cannot watch the movie to skate by. The differences between the silver screen and these yellowed pages stack up quickly throughout the first few chapters. 

While I agree this book was in need of an update in order to stay relevant, I believe this is a perfect example of updates gone wrong. I read the original publication of the 1973 edition but listened to the Teen Creeps Podcast where they compare the two editions of the novel. I highly recommend this podcast if you’re studying up on a book report or just genuinely interested in YA horror like me. It comes highly recommended from both myself and Mrs. Samantha. Here’s the link to this particular episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/teen-creeps/id1133865220?i=1000384709696 

On to the original 1973 print. This book lacked action for me and while it was a quick read, I struggled to keep my attention focused on the novel in front of me. That being said, this novel cannot be, in any way, compared to the movie adaptation which poorly represents the hard work of a classic author. There are such subtle insights into the characters’ minds that is rarely achieved in YA novels, especially thriller YA. But this alone could not carry the novel. This book was groundbreaking and terrifying in its heyday. Unfortunately, we are all just a little too desensitized at this point. 

That being said, I still recommend reading it if you can get your hands on the original text. It’s worth it for even just a look inside the old world of YA thrillers. If you’re a fan of horror, take an hour and read this through on a slow weekend. It’s worth it enough to say you know what you’re talking about when it comes to a cult classic like this one. However, this is a classic novel with a simple mystery that was poorly updated and left for dead on the side of a mountain road.

[If you like this review, or you've read this classic and want to share your thoughts with us, post it with the hashtag, #classicsrenewed]

Savvy B. is an avid Young Adult fiction superfan. 

Savvy's Reviews will be archived here, so you can catch up on all her thoughts on her latest reads.