I Know What You Did Last Summer

By: Lois Duncan

Narrated by: Dennis Holland

Length: 4 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's Summary

They didn't mean it. They didn't mean to hit the boy. There was a party, and it was an accident... that wasn't who they were. They were pre-law, a football player, bound for New York. No one could know, so Barry, Julie, Helen, and Ray swore one another to secrecy. But now, a year later, someone knows. Julie receives a haunting, anonymous threat: "I know what you did last summer." The dark lie is unearthed, and before the four friends know it, they need to outsmart a killer... or they will be the next to die.

©1973 Lois Duncan (P)2010 Hachette Audio

Want My Money Back: "Updates" Ruin This Book

Who convinced the author to "update" this 1970s novel? It's not just that Vietnam becomes Iraq and the characters trade Cokes for Starbucks. References to contemporary technology are randomly inserted, and sloppily, too: giving the characters cell phones simply makes several plot points unravel. It's all a mess -- from the strange mixture of 70s and millennial slang to the bizarre juxtaposition of text messages, GPS and a throw-back communal hall phone. When I saw that this book was unabridged, my assumption was that I was getting an intact vintage novel -- not something dumbed down for a world that can't fathom life untethered from a cell phone.

Super Short, but entertaining

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I would have made it longer, and a little more suspenseful.

Any additional comments?

It wasnt a bad listen at all. There just could have been a lot more to it. I think I expected something a little longer and suspenseful because of the movie. Still, as usual, the book was better.

Great Class Novel

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The film didn't do this book justice. It (the book) is so much better. I have to remind my students that you can't start the book thinking about the movie, because it is so different. This gets the class engaged to what is in store.

Any additional comments?

This is a great book for struggling readers. It keeps them on the edge of their seats the entire time. My class has read it every year and even the ones who have to read it again are excited to find the clues they missed the first time.

Awful is too good a word.....

Downloaded this for a light beach listen. Horrible. Awful. Rotten. Stupid. I can go on. Nothing like the movie, other than the names. No one even dies.....though my ears bled.

A Quick But Engrossing Listen

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Entertainment value of this book is high. Also, I've heard the movie referenced for years & wondered what the buzz was about. It's not a book to change your life, but I kept listening every chance I had because it does draw you in.

Would you recommend I Know What You Did Last Summer to your friends? Why or why not?

I'd recommend it, especially to young people, which I'm sure is the target audiience. But even this 62-year-old grandma enjoyed it.

Have you listened to any of Dennis Holland’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is the first performance of Dennis Holland I have listened to. He had a good voice and presentation for this type of fiction.

Was I Know What You Did Last Summer worth the listening time?

Worth the listening time for me. Not so deep or complex that you can't be doing something else while listening. I enjoyed it.

Not a slasher but good in its own right

Know that the film adaptation of this novel is very loosely based off the novel. There is no fisherman with a hook hand killing teens.
The novel is more grounded in reality and has more to do with grief and how an event from the characters' past has shaped their present day lives.
It is good, but if you are looking for a fun slasher, this book is not it.

Great suspense throughout

Loved it! Ms. Duncan is a master at weaving suspenseful tales. I really enjoyed both the story and the audio performance.

First grade level!

I bought this book because it was advertised as a "sleeper". I could not get past the 2nd chapter with putting this in archive! It was awful.

Awesome Listen

If you could sum up I Know What You Did Last Summer in three words, what would they be?

Thrilling, Exciting, Enjoyable

Who was your favorite character and why?

I really liked Julie because she seemed like an honest good person that got mixed up in something terrible. She was strong and confident and deeply effected by the murder and you could always tell she wanted to do the right thing.

Have you listened to any of Dennis Holland’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is my first audio book and I followed along great with Dennis Holland and will be sure to find more of his readings.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

I know what you did last summer.

Any additional comments?

What is the book about?
Barry, Julie, Ray, and Helen are all driving around having fun as normal teenagers when the unthinkable happens to them. They make a pact to never tell anyone what they did and what they saw. A year has passed and now Julie is receiving odd messages. Messages that clearly shows someone knows their secret. The group of friends teams up to try and find out who knows what really happened.
What did I think of the book?
It's summer and I wanted to read a quick book that I had read before. Although the book isn't as thrilling and scary as I usually like my books to be it's a fun quick mystery that I've read over and over again just for fun. It's a classic in my bookshelf.

Good Story

I didn’t know this was a book when I watched the movie and was interested in seeing how close the story would be. The movie is completely different!! Like completely different there are minor similarities between the book and the movie but the book is so much better to me than the movie which is usually the case. Definitely work a read/listen I listened to the entire thing in one sitting.