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What Happened that Summer

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What Happened that Summer

By: Laura Pearson
Narrated by: Simon Mattacks, Joseph Kloska, Antonia Beamish
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About this listen

A completely unforgettable story from the No.1 bestselling author of The Last List of Mabel Beaumont – perfect for fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid, Colleen Hoover, and Gabrielle Zevin.

You think you know what happened that day… But what if you’re wrong?

Everyone who was around in the 1990s remembers where they were when they heard that AJ Silver had died. In the summer of ’96, there was no avoiding the story that America's biggest teen pop sensation had plunged to his death on a rollercoaster at a family-run amusement park in rural England.

Now, 27 years have passed, and – even if you’re too young to recall the event – you’ve probably heard AJ Silver's songs topping the charts again. So what better time to take a forensic look at what happened that summer?

I’ve spent hundreds of hours interviewing everyone who was there that fateful day: workers, friends, family… the people who gained from his death, and the people who lost everything.

But you’re going to want to pay attention. Because I’ve found out a secret. One you’re all going to want to know… Perhaps it wasn’t such an accident after all?

A truly unique and unforgettable story, set in 1990s Los Angeles and rural England, with more twists and turns than a rollercoaster. You’ll be gripped!

I loved this! Fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid will devour it, then want to start it all over again, just like I did. Laura Pearson’s best one yet, and that’s saying something!’ Kate Storey, author

‘This book had me totally gripped. What a unique story, so well executed, so full of character. I really enjoyed it.’ Beth O’Leary, author

A masterclass in storytelling. The mystery is utterly addictive, the love story so tender and exquisitely drawn it makes your heart ache, and all set against a glorious backdrop of 90s nostalgia. I ADORED it. Laura Pearson is a must-read author for me and this is her best book yet.’ Clare Leslie Hall, author

I devoured What Happened That Summer. It’s a gripping, heartfelt read… I was genuinely sad to turn the last page!’ Emily Freud, author

Wow, what a read this was!… It’s so gripping that I’ve got bags under my eyes from one-more-chaptering into the night. But it’s more than just a gripping story – it’s full of heart too…. I absolutely loved it.’ Fran Quinn, author

©2026 Laura Pearson (P)2026 Boldwood Books
Family Life Friendship Genre Fiction Small Town & Rural Suspense Thriller & Suspense Exciting
All stars
Most relevant
So enjoyed this book. It’s a different style to others and the podcast format was really well done and great to listen to. I felt myself so invested in all of the characters and what happened to them. Loved the narration which really brought it to life!

When I first played the book there were issues with the playback and it kept stopping (another review said the same) but reported it to audible and they have now fixed it so you can listen and fully enjoy without interruption!

Loved it

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Great story but I really suffered with gaps in the audiobook and the remedy, as dictated to me by Audible customer service, didn’t work most of the time. I think I missed some needed bits. Sad.

Too many gaps

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Sadly, this audiobook has huge gaps in it from chapter 3 lasting up to 2 minutes meaning you miss lots of content.
I reported this and followed the advice from audible but it didn’t work.
Sadly this means I wouldn’t recommend this audible book but have purchased on kindle instead.

Huge gaps in the story meaning you miss out huge chunks

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