How many of us once had a friend you literally thought you would have for the rest of your life but then shortly thereafter, you are smacked in the face with betrayal? I know I have, and it never gets easier.

Morgan and Darby were best friends but with a pretty drastic falling out they have not spoke in over two years. When once buried secrets start to come to light, these two girls are forced to face each other once again. As both girls reflect back to "that" summer they have no choice but to confront their past and the reason behind their separation.

This novel was a fun, fast paced, suspenseful thriller. I knew I was going to really enjoy this book early on and my interest and attention was captivated within the first couple of chapters. This book can be enjoyed as both a thriller and also as a young adult novel.

I highly recommend!

The summer we forgot alternates between the viewpoints of Darby – a girl that just wants to be good, and Morgan – who screwed up his relationship with Darby two years ago. This story takes us through the summer of two years prior – the summer that they forgot.

I feel like this book is trying to be the next “One of Us is Lying” but it fell very short. One thing that annoyed me was how repetitive it was. For some reason the author feels the need to reiterate the same thing over and over – for example the video of Darby in her black minidress is mentioned countless times. Also, I’m sorry but the mystery just was not that exciting. There was a murder – but it seemed like no one cared about the actual person that was murdered, or when their friend goes missing. No one seems worried at all. They only care about solving the mystery. This book just dragged on, it seriously felt like one of the longest books I’ve ever read. When I finally got to the “discovery” I felt disappointed because I already figured it out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Man, I love a good teen murder mystery! This one was written by a woman who seems to actually remember what it was like to be a teenager which is harder to find than you'd think! I had heard good things about her last book but I don't love historical fiction so I was excited to check this out. I was not disappointed. Lots of twists and turns and a more realistic and smart teenage life.

There were many things I really enjoyed about this story and many things I wish I had loved more. Overall this is a good mystery and the premise started strong for me. A group of camp counselors have lost their memories from a summer two years ago, after their teacher disappeared. Told in alternating point of views, the characters start to realize they are missing chunks of time and memory. I had moments in the book where I almost put it down because I felt like there were just two many holes, but I stuck with it and did enjoy the last 25% when revelations were made. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Hmmmm.. since the first chapter i knew this novel isn't my cuppa.. so many repetitiveness for every little detail, like the bins, Derby will keep going on and on for the chapters to come , and how the she described her mother just went wrong with me, and to he honest? She was just too annoying.. it felt like reading a YA minus the crime for a long time that i totally forget about it. I felt lost at a times with this book because some jumping back and forth is happening there you just don't know what actually is happening .. you just read, let it wash over your mind till you understand.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ☆☆☆☆.8
"𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘... 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝑰'𝒎 𝒂 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏. 𝑰 𝒅𝒐 𝒊𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝑰'𝒎 𝒂𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕. 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒔 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒔, 𝒔𝒐 𝑰 𝒉𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒊𝒕, 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆. 𝑰 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝑰 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆."

I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I started reading this book. I got into the book blindly. I was drawn in by the first chapter and decided to read further. When I read the chapter where the murder is revealed, I found myself gripping to my seat. I have no idea who the murderer was, which is a good thing because I've been hitting the next page to get to the end of the chapter to find out. Darby and Morgan were two of my favorite characters in the series. Their connection, their effort, and their ability to operate together as a team. I also loved the character development. It's as if I'm watching a movie, and reading this book made me think of the Outer Banks. The only drawback is that I get confused between Darby and Morgan's point of view at times. Overall, I loved this book! Excited for its pub date 🙆‍♀️🤸‍♀️

Thank you to @netgalley for this earc which will be published on March 8, 2022.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson--FICTION, Thomas Nelson for the arc of this book. I love YA books and I had high hopes for this because I read many YA fantasy books and this was a thriller so it was different. I had a hard time getting into the writing style and story. It was hard to differentiate between Darby and Morgan's POVs so that probably added to my difficulty getting into the story. Luckily, the story really picked up near the end, and the end was completely unexpected!

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love the setting of the novel as I live in the nearby area. The premise is good, and I think students will relate to the characters and the plot lines.

Camp friends and a summer they’d rather forget. And a murder. I have to admit as a 90s kid I was getting I Know what you did last summer vibes. But a cleaner read and I loved that. I was pretty much hooked from page one and finished the book in a day.

Synopsis - Darby and Morgan have not spoken to each other in 2 years, and their friends group has split. But when the body of their old science teacher is found, they have no answers, and no memories. New discoveries lead them to confront their past and their feelings.

I thought the writing style was really fun. It was full of drama and angst, and so engaging throughout! I felt like this was more of a plot driven story, and even though the author has emphasised on the relationships between all the characters (especially the protagonists), i didn't feel like it overshadowed the plot at any time. I love mysteries and thrillers, and this was a really good one.

Enjoyed the ride! It was full with secrets and turns, and I like it. The ending felt a little flat after those build-up moments, but overall it was a nice read for YA thriller fans.

Sometimes it just isn't the book for you. I understand that and feel kind of weird about rating it down but you have to understand this was SO not the book for me. It's all sticky summer and slow, slow, slow. I think I took more showers during the first half of this book than I normally do in a month.

I really enjoyed this atmospheric mystery/thriller that combined an intricate friend group, a lot of past history, and forgotten memories.

Stepping in to The Summer We Forgot I wasn’t sure what to expect but was pleasantly surprised by the collection of emotive details and mystery. Caroline George is a fantastic writer and I knew I’d like the writing, but I was curious how she would incorporate the mystery and forgotten memories.

It was so compelling and kept me turning digital pages late into the night as the mystery unraveled one secret at a time. The addition of rekindled romance, a creepy camp, and a reuniting of friends were like whipped cream & cherries on top of a mysterious fudge Sunday.

I definitely recommend this to fans to YA mystery/thriller. I would say it lands more on mystery, less on the thriller side but that doesn’t make it any less intriguing. You’ll feel immersed in the setting and will likely find yourself wanting to dip your toes in the ocean once all is revealed.

My rating: 4.5*

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Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy - all opinions are my own.

this book was giving very much outer banks especially the stupidity element
not a very clear differentiation between darcy and morgan's povs - i spend a lot of time either waiting for someone to say the character's name or just flipping to the front of the chapter again to remember who's pov we were in
so so outlandish??? like the pacing and believability of events was way too much for me
these kids acted like middle schoolers how am i supposed to believe they came up w the plan at the end
pacing was also very weird in terms of relationships and event escalation
also this is a super nitpicky thing but she used the word hyperventilated three times and each time it irritated me because hyperventilation occurs through a slow escalation not a sudden "everyone sat in shock. BAM. she suddenly hyperventilated." it was just so annoying to me nobody goes from silent to INHALE EXHALE WHEEZE WHEEZE in a millisecond

Thomas Nelson
Thank You for the chance to read this eARC!

She is one of me most favorite writers to date!
I need to read Dearest Josephine!

The Summer We Forgot by Caroline George

Mini Review:
This was, without a doubt, one of the most powerful and well-crafted books I have read in a really long time.
It gripped me instantly to the point where I couldn’t stop thinking about its mystery…
The writing was unique I relished it. I thought the author’s use of descriptive imagery was creative and applied with a gentle hand.
This book was so well crafted. Caroline does an amazing job of pulling the reader into Darby and Morgan's world.
The pacing was great and flowed very well.
All in all, this book was a fantastic read. I enjoyed the journey and everything in it. It's fast-paced, totally unpredictable, and one with a twist that will basically blow your mind.
I can't wait for more of Caroline! She is a fantastic author!
And this is one book that's going on my shelf.

Thank You again to the amazing publisher, NetGalley and beautiful Author form this ebook copy!

Okay, okay, so I am one of the very few who hasn’t read ‘Dearest Josephine’ 🙈 I don’t know why - not my usual genre I guess... But when I saw the blurb for this on NetGalley I HAD to read it! (Swipe to read the blurb for yourself - it’s a complete genre switch!) And now that I have read this one, I just might have to read Dearest Josephine!!!

So, fair warning, this is YA, and it is VERY YA! Plenty of teen angst and high school drama! But… if you don’t mind that (which I don’t!), it’s a very well-written thriller with a lot of ‘Outer Banks’ vibes.

It’s pretty gritty & the characters are extremely flawed. But I think that’s what makes the book so powerful. It’s such a great reflection on the struggles teens go through around identity and who they are and also how we respond to bad things that happen in our lives. And yes, somehow in a book jam-packed with suspense and all the teen overtones, she has found time for deeper reflection. And I love it.

I seriously rate this book so highly. It’s such an interesting concept, and I did NOT see ‘whodunnit’ coming! I did guess some of the peripheral details, but as to actually what happened I was clueless!

I feel like this is a book that teens will honestly resonate with so much! The character dynamics are just spot on! Caroline has perfectly captured the essence of being a teenager - the complexities and realities. And combine that with a really strong plot and I think any teen will be intrigued… and most adults too! And I’m realising how much I’m sounding like I’m reviewing something more literary, but this quite literally an action-packed thriller! But somehow it manages to be completely character driven at the same time!!

Recommend!!!

Thanks @tnzfiction and @netgalley for the ARC. I was only required to provide an honest review in return.

Caroline George's debut novel—My Dearest Josephine—floored me so fully and completely that it's by far one of my favorite 2021 reads...so I had no shortage of over-excitement for her sophomore release. And I'm oh-so-happy to say I loved this one, too! It has a different flavor than My Dearest Josephine, but I was just as swept into the story...and, well, let's just say I let any number of to-dos fall by the wayside in my desperate need to keep reading. The plot is packed with twists and turns, and I loved how in the midst of a fast-moving storyline, there's breathing room for wonderful character depth and growth. I was as reluctant to reach The End (because I just wanted to stay in that immersive storyworld!) as I was fully satisfied and delighted once I got there. Love, love, love this one and I can't wait to see what Caroline George writes next!

If you love true crime, mysteries, groups of friends, friends to lovers and mysteries with a number of unexpected twists, you will love this book! 🌞🏖🏕

This book in 3 words: Methodical. Twisty. Wild.

The Summer We Forgot features a group of friends, who were camp counselors 2-years prior, trying to navigate a murder and memory loss. It's quite the plot... your entire friend group knows something terrible happened but can't recall the details.

This teen murder mystery is told from 2 perspectives, Darby and Morgan. I thought the characters were the strongest part of the story. We get a deep look at both of the main characters and enough surrounding the tertiary characters that it feels complete and satisfying. I really liked Darby and Morgan... their vibe, tension, situation; it's all good. The characters also feel tangible and realistic like these are people you could know.

The plot is detailed and calculated. The author does a stellar job with different high-pace scenes. I thought the writing style was solid and I'd be interested in more books from Caroline George.

One of the strong themes is the idea of "good girl" or a "good kid" and that really resonated with me. We keep coming back to this idea of "good girls don't do that" and while it's frustrating, it's still a key part of societal expectations and norms. There were pieces of this story I found my younger self relating to... it's as frustrating and real as ever. This is an important theme present in these pages.

This book is a slow-burn... the beginning is honestly almost too slow. I found it dragging but I was interested enough to stick with it until it picked up. I'm sure many people will DNF this because it's so slow early on. All in all, this book was enjoyable and I recommend it.

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The why and the how of this fascinating thriller was amazing, shocking and foreseen. This was a fun, fast-paced read perfect to read in one sitting.