I was first introduced to this author in her book titled Dearest Josephine. A fascinating, touching, love story that takes place in 1821 and 2021. It’s innovative, full of love, wit, and warms your heart. It made me want to check out this mysterious coming of age story I couldn’t resist reading.

The story begins with your basic teen group of friends that dabble at being intimate, making out, alcohol, parties, raging hormones, social awkwardness, heightened emotions, and physical changes all blended well with a unique summer came mystery. Things get crazy, and the kids join forces in hopes of finding out what happened to them. This talented author does a great job of capturing the difficult transition of growing up and the struggles of remembering, as they try to solve the puzzle.

The event took place at a summer camp where best friends Darby, Morgan, Eliza, Spooner and Cyrus go. No one (in this group of kids from a variety of backgrounds) can remember exactly what happened to them. They all get frightened and think the worst when the police discover a body floating in the water near the camp. They remember bits and pieces of the camp, but the rest is foggy. What had happened? They didn’t kill anyone, did they?

I enjoyed how the author sprinkled clues throughout this story, through several characters, so the reader could try to figure out who did what, along with the teens. Would they ever find out why this entire group of best buds have memory loss? It kept me guessing, why could they not remember?

I like how the story was told through Darby and Eliza’s POV’S, the author tackled a few tough subjects interwoven in a clever and unexpected mystery. Below are a few lines that give you a peek at a few themes.
” It’s okay to be broken – and your mistakes don’t make you less than or unlovable.”

Another theme that stood out was the fact that nobody is perfect, everyone makes mistakes. No one measures up to their Instagram posts! This author includes discussion questions to get your book club discussion rolling. There is much to talk about.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I requested and received a digital copy of this book by the publisher/NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network blog https://psalm516.blogspot.com/

The set up here is a decent one - a group of one time friends pulled apart by time and an experience that none of them remembers thrust back together by the reveal that they are connected to a murder. Of course they start their own investigation into what happened to them, an investigation that includes mysterious messages that at turns encourage them to find the secret and threaten their safety. So we have danger, friendship, even romance. The plot has enough action and keeps moving, doesn't dwell much on feelings or atmosphere. The problem is that the mystery has some logical leaps and pushes believably pretty hard. For a one-time read it isn't bad but it won't hold up to a repeat or even much of a close read.

I had high hopes for this book after loving Dearest Josephine by the same author. As always, the prose is beautifully written and the author's flair for words shines through. I enjoyed how the chapters are interspersed with text messages, notes, police interviews and the like, which added a layer of depth to the storytelling. There was a lot of suspense and I totally didn't guess whodunit.

However, the story was too much of a slow burn for me even if I did like the reveal and ending. Some parts felt repetitive. I also found it hard to relate to the characters, who came across as overly angsty. Some of the side characters such as Nikki could have been developed more too.

Overall, I enjoyed how everything came together in the end. What I liked best was the book's exploration of trauma, which I thought was intriguing but also well-handled. Can't wait to see what the author comes up with next!

I have not had the honor of reading Dearest Josephine (Its on my TBR now!) so this was my introduction to Caroline George and she did not disappoint!!

This truly was a crazy plot. When I read the blurb about it, I requested it for the sheer fact to see just how it would be handled and it was SO AWESOME!! Morgan and Darby were each other's ride or die....until a falling out causes them not to speak in nearly two years. BUT they are forced to face their pasts together. This novel was fast paced and had my palms sweating at some point! thank you so much for the ARC NetGalley and to the publisher!

I really like the concept of this book and I think those that like a little suspense/mystery will find it diverting enough. I do with the characters had been developed a little more than they were. Characters tend to sell me more than the plot does and this one felt a little lacking at times. Overall, a fairly good read.

Ok WOW. What a roller coaster of a book this was honestly. At first it was giving me major I KILLED ZOE SPANOS vibes with the unreliable narrators, but also THEY WISH THEY WERE US with the gaggle of teenagers attempting to conduct a low key murder investigation?!

Those comparisons definitely hold up, but I would note that there was so much going on in this story. Every time something was resolved, like three more mysteries came about. The characters seemed a bit immature to me, but they also were incoming high school seniors so that fits for their age.

TBH I liked the interwoven romance here between the two POVs and how it kind of played into the emotions of the case as well. I think this book was really easy to get sucked into and would recommend for YA thriller readers as a nice summer read!

Oh goodness. I will never not love a Caroline George book, but this book. Oh, this book. It gave me all the summer feels. It's the perfect book for any fans of Outer Banks. I love Caroline's beautiful prose that has me underlining and dog-earing favorite passages and pages.

The perfect summer read!

The writing style of this author is amazing. I adored it. I have not read her debut novel, but now I want to. This is a perfect murder mystery full of twists and turns, a fast moving storyline and some amazing characters.

I found that the characters could have been more developed, however I loved the concept and story of the book. I would definitely recommend this title to beginner readers in young adult wanting to read more thriller and mystery type of books.

Some memories are better left forgotten. But Darby Wallis wants to remember. She hasn't spoken to her ex-boyfriend for two years, and other people in their friend group struggle with challenges, too, especially after the body of their former science teacher is found in a camp marsh. What happened at that camp so long ago?
This book is filled with teenage angst and drama. I hated all that in high school, and didn't enjoy reading it now that I'm an adult. The romance was a bit touchy and handsy, too, which I get is normal, but it's not my preference.
The end tied up all the loose ends. Unfortunately, I gave up caring close to the beginning of the book and only finished it out of obligation to give a review.
I did really enjoy the discussion questions at the end. The author's team created thoughtful questions that help YA readers think.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine forgetting a whole summer? Imagine if it's not just you who forgot, but all of your friends too? That's what happened to Darby and Morgan.

Told in alternating POVs (Darby and Morgan) we go on a journey to figure out why these teenagers forgot their memories and how their teacher ended up dead.

I enjoyed the book but I felt the ending was rushing in a way. I wanted more of a why and after affects. The book kept my interest but I didn't love it 😕. As a movie I feel it would work better maybe? But forgetting your memories and then poof found out what happened felt rushed to me.

The Summer We Forgot
by Caroline George
Pub Date 08 Mar 2022
Thomas Nelson--FICTION, Thomas Nelson
Mystery & Thrillers | Teens & YA





I am reviewing a copy of The Summer We Forgot through Thomas Nelson-Fiction and Netgalley:





There are some memories better left forgotten.





Darby and Morgan haven’t talked in two years, and their group of friends had splintered. But after the body of their former science teacher is found in the marsh where they attended camp that summer. They soon realize they have more questions than they do answers, and they have even fewer memories of what happened.



Either no one remembers, or no one is talking.



The group of reunited friends suspects that a murderer is stalking the coastal highway 30A, they become desperate to remember what happened before the history that they can’t seem to remember, repeats itself.



Everyone has a secret.



As tensions rise and time runs out, Darby and Morgan begin to wonder if they can believe one another . . . or if they can even trust themselves.



I give The Summer We Forgot five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

I received a free e-copy of the book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I have previously read another book by the author in a different genre and was curious to try some more of their writing - this time in the mystery genre.

The story follows a group of teens who spent some time as camp councilors together two years ago but forgot the events of that summer. When the body of their teacher/camp leader is found, the teens try to figure out what happenned and the reason why they stopped being friends after that forgotten summer.

I liked the book quite a lot. The cast of characters was interesting to follow, each one having a unique personality which made them easy to tell from one another (that's often a problem for me in books with multiple main characters). The investigation was okay, though I can't tell I was on the edge of my seat.

The only dissatisfactory thing for me was the explanation for the amnesia. It seemed too anticlimactic but it worked just fine within the story the author was telling.

All in all. a pleasant YA mystery.

I requested this just for its cover - look at that beauty. And that it was a YA thriller which is one of my preferred genres.

The story was good, the characters were good but I had a pretty hard time getting into the story. There was a lot (and I mean a LOOOOTTTT) of teenage angst. I wonder even if any adult thinks so much.

The book is told from the perspectives of Darby and Morgan and I spent nearly 20% of the book thinking that both were boys. Around the 20% mark, I realized that Darby was, in fact, a girl.

I thought both their voices were too similar. I read the ARC with some weird formatting and I had to reread the first few chapters because I couldn't understand which chapter was whose.

Surprisingly, the side characters were fun and memorable. Wish I could say the same about the lead characters.

The book was not necessarily huge but it was so slow that it took me nearly a week to get through it. In fact, when the ending came, I was no longer even interested in who the culprit was. I was seriously bored and wanted the book to get over.

I loved the writing and the author's note at the end and that is the reason for my rating.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

Thanks to Caroline George, Thomas Nelson - Fiction, and Netgalley for the ARC.

Caroline George’s The Summer We Forgot has all the ingredients to my favorite kind of YA recipe. Teens with secrets and complicated friend groups, summer camp with an unspoken tragedy, and friendships that are tested. I loved George’s writing style, and I related to Darby’s character the most throughout the storyline. This was a fast read, one I couldn’t put down. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this one that I’m surely going to have to add the physical copy to my classroom bookshelf.

A very poor written book. A mystery told from two points of view. I was totally lost most of the time. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.

I'm not entirely certain exactly what I expected with this book, but whatever it was I am sure it's not what it was. I must admit that it took me a little it to get into the swing of the story. This was for a few reasons. First, there was some time to figure out who was who... and who was telling the story. It jumps back and forth between two POVs- Darby and Morgan. The formatting of the book didn't make it all that clear to me, and so it took me a few chapters to figure out there was more than one perspective and get that all figured out. I do think that perhaps this was merely a formatting issue in the advanced digital copy that I received, so may not be as troublesome in the actual finished copy. Either way, it certainly did cause some confusion for me in the beginning.

The storytelling took a bit of getting used to as well. It was at times almost a bit chaotic, especially in the beginning. While it took some getting used to, it actually was quite appropriate for this story. Losing pieces of memory would certainly make your thoughts feel chaotic, and it really helped me to relate to what the characters were experiencing. As a young adult novel, there may have been some aspects that I didn't quite relate to, and yet I found myself drawn into the story and unable to put it down.

Overall, I found it to be a very enjoyable read, and one that I would certainly recommend. I enjoyed it as an adult, and would say that older teens would enjoy it as well, though some themes may be a bit much for younger teens.

**I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

This one wasn't for me sadly. I found it started off pretty slow and continued to drag on. It also took me forever to figure out who was who. The chapters keep flipping between two different POVs but I didn't find it clear whose POV we were on.

Caroline George is a Young Adult author to keep an eye on! While many YA novels have become overly scandalous and immodest, Caroline once again blows the roof off of the house with her clean, youthful, captivating narratives! Gripping your attention from the opening police statement, The Summer We Forgot is a murder mystery perfect for teens that will keep you on your toes until the end!

“Still, if someone wants to forget you, they don’t hold on to a piece of you. He kept a piece of me.”
“There were girls, and there was her. There could only ever be her.”

Darcy and Morgan used to be best friends… Until he betrayed her. However, they weren’t the only ones affected by what happened two summers ago. Along with their relationship, their friend group was torn apart, each choosing their loyalties or drifting away completely. Separated by time and space, it’s not until their forgotten past is dug out of the marsh that they are reunited for a summer of secrets, danger, murder, and forbidden love.

“Two summers ago. A memory opens in my mind, a door creaking on its hinges to emit a ribbon glow. We are gathered on a dock, all of us, under a pitch sky, surrounded by inky water. We gaze at each other as we do now. And in that darkness, we make an oath.”

Will Darcy, Morgan, and their friends survive the summer, or will their lost memories cause them to do things they never thought they were capable of? Moreover, can their friendships be restored to what they once were, or will the truth cause an even greater divide of mistrust, hurt, and betrayal?

“Everyone here plays—or played—a role in my life. Their faces pepper my scrapbooks and social media feeds. They remember me like I remember them. We wrote a history book, then burned the pages.”

The Summer We Forgot is a beautiful, haunting homage to being a teenager. I think one of the conversations Darcy has with Morgan perfectly describes the feel of this book:

“High school is four years. Think about that. If you lived to a hundred, high school would only take up four percent of your life. No time at all. So, why does high school define a lot? Why do its memories weigh heavy?”
“Because we go into it not knowing who we are, and we allow others to tell us,” I say. “But now’s our chance to unlisten.”

When we’re young, we want to experience as much as possible. Summers, especially are the time for teens to make their mark on the world, but they rarely end without scars, mistakes, and regrets forming alongside the milestones. The Summer We Forgot is that kind of book.

Having a way with words I can only dream of having, Caroline George brought the story to life with her poetic descriptions, gripping plot twists, and showstopping one-liners — her talents shining on each page of this novel! Whether you’re on the beach soaking in the sun’s rays, or snuggled by the fire while it snows outside, The Summer We Forgot will transport you to a time where being young means everything is new, exciting and scary!

If you’re a fan of Outer Banks or One of Us is Lying, you’ll LOVE The Summer We Forgot!

*Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with a pre-release copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own!*

Oh my goodness this book had me on edge from the beginning. I loved everything about it. I'm familiar with the setting and the details and culture felt so accurate. From the tourists to the teenager's lives it was so real. It brought back all the teen angst and drama from parties and friendships and insecurities. I related so much and I loved how Darby thought like me as a teen and it showed how teens can be real and strong and fun, but still make wise choices-like not engaging in underage drinking.
The camp, if you've ever been to camp you'll love that aspect, the mystery, the lost memories, the beach life, the relationships. All of it. If you were ever a teenager or are one it is beautifully written.

"Crowds don't fix lonliness. I mean, the world could adore us, and we might still feel like the only people in it."

If you ARE a teen you may discover things that will help you navigate growing up as you read this one.
It's beautiful.
And funny.

Another favorite quote"
"You know, I read The Boxcar Children in elementary school, so I felt like I trained for this."

But it's also suspenseful! I stayed up til 1am finishing it because I was creeped out and had to know what happened. Loved this book so much!