ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – What Happened that Summer by Laura Pearson

Posted on 2nd January 2026 By Nicola

What Happened That Summer by Laura Pearson will be published tomorrow (3rd January 2026) by Boldwood. I was the lucky recipient of one of the fabulous proof packages put together by Laura which you can see in the photo below – thank you Laura!

The level of detail involved with the promotion of this book is brilliant. There’s a website for AJ Silver, the teen singer who loses his life at the theme park, along with one for the theme park itself.

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 remembers where they were when they heard that AJ Silver had died. In summer 1996, 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 remember 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 with more twists and turns than a rollercoaster. You’ll be gripped! Order now!

What Happened That Summer is a podcast novel consisting of eight episodes. Presenter Danny Drake asks the question: what happened during the summer of 1996 that led to American teen singer and heartthrob AJ Silver losing his life at Birmingham theme park, Wildworld?

Wildworld was owned by the Hunter family and Danny interviews them along with AJ’s family and his manager/staff. In this way, the whole story unfolds, from how AJ shot to fame and the Hunter family’s difficulties, to the long-reaching effects of the events of that summer. Gradually the reader gets to see the whole picture of a spoiled teenage star and those who must orbit around him, and the people who believed that his visit would change their fortunes.

A narrative structure like this, with the story told in soundbites, could have left me feeling a bit disconnected from the characters but it absolutely didn’t as each one felt so fully rounded and so real and I was completely engrossed in their stories. From early on, when AJ’s manager is tasked with finding a theme park in the UK for him to spend the summer at, right up until the conclusion, I was totally hooked and didn’t want to put it down. The soundbite style gives it a fast pace and made it easy to keep reading.

What a book Laura Pearson has written with What Happened That Summer. I loved the podcast style, it has a tragedy and a love story, it’s a family saga and it has ‘I’m with the band’ vibes. Put all that together with the fun of the 90s theme park with rollercoasters, water rides and the good old pirate ship and this is a unique and utterly gripping read, a total triumph. In fact, it’s just crept in as one of my favourite reads of 2025.

Laura Pearson is the author of five novels. The Last List of Mabel Beaumont was a Kindle number one bestseller in the UK and a top ten bestseller in the US. Laura lives in Leicestershire, England, with her husband, their two children, and a cat who likes to lie on her keyboard while she tries to write.

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