I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan-Arquette
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Audience: Young Adult — Genre: Thriller — Sub-Genre: Psychological
Length: Audio: 04:53 | Digital: 201 pages — Dates Read: 09.11.25
Scare Level: ★ — Plot: ★ ★ ★



🕊️ ➞ Top 5 Tropes:

Dark Secret — Pact of Silence — Unreliable Narrator
Revenge Plan — Hooded Killer



🕊️ ➞ Synopsis:

Four teens fight to outsmart a killer who intends to avenge a young boy’s death in this suspenseful thriller that inspired the classic horror film.

After a party, four teens are in a hit-and-run accident that results in a young boy’s death. Unable to deal with the consequences, they leave the body behind and make an anonymous phone call to the police, tipping them off. The group makes a secret pact to bury the memory of that night and never speak of it again, but when one of the girls receives a note that reads “I know what you did last summer,” their dark lie is unearthed. With twists and turns at every corner, they’ll have to fight to stay steps ahead of a killer determined to make them pay.



🕊️ ➞ My Thoughts:

***Possible Spoilers below

So, I read Lois Duncan’s I Know What You Did Last Summer in preparation for watching the reboot with my sibling. Honestly? I was disappointed; however, I attribute this to having watched the film first.

Let me get the differences between the two out of the way, so get my thoughts out. Off the bat, the accident scene was different. For one, Barry was driving when in the movie it was Ray. Second, they didn’t hit a grown man — they hit a 10-year-old boy riding his bike, then left him for dead.



Thirdly, Julie was about to start her senior year of high school the summer of the accident, whereas in the film, she was about to begin college. The final HUGE difference was who the killer was and his method of harassment. The note and delivery of it to Julie remained the same, but the whole urban legend of the hooked man was fabricated for the film. Instead, it was the someone seeking revenge for that death instead of the attempt on their own life (per the film).

Okay, so my thoughts on I Know What You Did Last Summer, as I said, were disappointing. I’ll begin by saying I wish I had read this first, all those years ago, when I watched the film, because this book was a psychological thriller while the film was a slasher. My main disappointment was the lack of death.



Barry was shot, too, not slashed. AND he survived. Nobody died but the little boy.

Now, if I were to look at this as if I’d never seen the film, I still would’ve been completely wowed. I guessed pretty quickly who it was. What was a bit of a twist was who they’d been portraying to make sure their harassment stuck. Didn’t see that coming. Though I was suspicious of one, as their demeanor had flipped quickly on a few occasions.



🕊️ ➞ Conclusion:

To conclude, I believe that the fact I saw the film prior influenced how I viewed the book. While I can appreciate a good psychological thriller, I am human, so this was a meh for me. Now, if you enjoy revenge plots fueled by the need for justice, dumb teens getting what they deserve, and suspense, then this is for you!

If you’ve read I Know What You Did Last Summer, what did you think? Did you see that twist coming? Have you seen the film? What are your thoughts on the differences between the two? I can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

– ♡ L.B.

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