Summerween 2026: Wrap-Up (+ Mini Reviews)

 

Hello, everyone! It's that time of year again. During this Summerween though, I didn't have much time, so I didn't commit to a big TBR. In fact, I completed the prompts with just two books, which I'll review in this post. 

However, you could argue that Pictures of You by Josh Malerman would count for Summerween 2026 as I did post my review during the week of the readathon and I finished reading it just a day before day 1. If you want to read my thought, you can read my review here. 

So, let's see which books I ended up reading and what did I think of them:

#1 It Lasts Forever and Then It's Over - Anne de Marcken

Who knew that a book about a zombie, grieving her previous life, the loss of her partner, and her humanity, would be this moving? It Lasts Forever and Then It’s Over had been on my radar for quite some time and Summerween was the perfect opportunity to finally pick it up. Even though it has some gruesome moments, it’s not horror – I would say that it’s more in the realm of speculative and literary fiction. And I loved every second of reading it.

This short novella was definitely one of the most impactful reads of the year so far. Our protagonist, unnamed, has to come to terms with not remembering her name, or the name of the you that seems to be the driving force of the story. Throughout the story, she reflects on the constant hunger she feels, her changed body, and mostly, retrieving the memories of you.

I understand that this book won’t be for everyone, but if you don’t mind it’s weirdness, you are in for a treat!

Summerween Prompts: Read a book in the dark or at night, Read a new to you author

My Rating: 4.5*

#2 Strange Houses - Uketsu

Should I make this a tradition? I read Strange Pictures during last year’s Summerween. So, it was an obvious choice to pick Strange Houses now (especially since one of the prompts asked for something pink on the cover).

I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical about this book, since I hadn’t really loved Strange Pictures. But fortunately, I didn’t need to worry as I enjoyed Strange Houses much more than Uketsu’s previous book, and it made me feel excited about the rest of the series (I think there is also Strange Buildings). Maybe it is that this time I went in with the right expectations and didn’t expect intense character building or a plot-heavy mystery.

This story begins with a house floor plan that has some weird elements. As the author starts to dig it up, more mysterious floor plans come to light – were these floor plans depicting murder houses? The final reveal was shocking and horrifying, albeit a bit far-fetched. I have to say that you can easily figure out who is behind all that, but not exactly why. But at the end of the day, I did enjoy my time with this book, which I read super quickly.

All in all, I believe that this is a quick and fun mystery book. If you go in with the right expectations, you are going to love it.

Summerween Prompts: Read a thriller or horror book, Read a book with pink on the cover, Read a book with less than 250 pages

My Rating: 3.5*

Here is everything I read during Summerween 2026!

What did you read for the readathon?

Let know in the comments below.