Dark Secrets ✔️
Thriller ✔️
Emotional scars ✔️
Fall in love with the wrong person ✔️
Forced Proximity ✔️

This is Katie Bishop’s debut novel, and I would have to say even though it was listed as a thriller, based on the cover I thought it was going to be a bit lighter! NOPE!!

Some of the topics were unsettling, the story gets dark at times, and I was not expecting the most of the content. Overall it was written well and kept me guessing.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's press for an e-book ARC of The Girls of Summer.

The Girls of Summer was hard and triggering to read at times, but I think it was a story that needed to be told. Stories like this can bring an awareness to a very real issue going on in the world. I really enjoyed this author’s writing style and I may have stayed up wayyy past my bedtime in order to finish this book in one night. I look forward to reading more from this author!

The Girls of Summer is a stunning debut!!

This new fiction title is a mix of My Dark Vanessa and The Lion's Den - one part coming of age story about one's trauma and other part fast pace-thriller. The writing was stunning! I definitely could not put it down in the end. I agree with other reviewers that at many times, Rachel (main character) is unlikeable; but at the same time, throughout the book, the main character deals with a lot of mental health and substance abuse issues and probably has issues with self-loathing. I appreciated seeing things from a new perspective.

I look forward to more from Katie Bishop!

The Girls of Summer was an atmospheric, heady story - dream-like at times, nightmarish at others. Rachel and Caroline are seventeen and backpacking for the summer through Greece when they travel to a less-visited area and get pulled into a web of drinking, dancing, and older men. When it’s time to head back to London, Rachel decides she is going to stay - because she’s in love with a secretive, charismatic older man, Alistair. What happened that summer stays with her, even 15 years later, as a married woman, and she still loves the man who left her behind. After coming into contact from other girls who were there, Rachel must decide if she wants to live in her memories or confront the truths of that summer long ago.
This was a tough read at times, but an important story - a story that is still relevant today. Older men who are predators going after much younger women and girls, treating them as disposable toys, manipulating their feelings and emotions, and influencing the rest of their lives.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Katie Bishop for the advanced reading copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.

A multi-timeline, suspenseful and captivating read set on a stunning Greek isle! Although it did start a little slow, I was ultimately hooked and couldn’t stop turning pages through the end. I love how the past affected the present and the characters then vs now. I would definitely recommend for fans of atmospheric mysterious reads!

This was just okay, but the “eh you can skip it” okay (2 stars) and not the “you’ll probably enjoy something about it” okay (3 stars)

This had a ton of promise and was lackluster all the way through. The “then” was slow and ambiguous in a way that was not remotely engaging. The present timeline was unbelievable- I did not believe that Rachel would act this way, although perhaps it’s because the characters are underdeveloped.

I’m sorry. Thank you for the ARC, St Martin’s Press. I really tried to like this.

This was a well written book but I was not a fan of the main character, Rachel. I thought this book would be a book about summer nostalgia. However, there was a non-consensual sex scene in detail that I didn’t like reading.
Please read other reviews because I know other people gave it higher ratings. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed are my own.

The Girls of Summer, by Katie Bishop

Short Take: The “stuff happening” to “wallowing in feelings” ratio is way off.

(*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*)

Duckies, I have been up all night with some nasty bug, so I’m going to keep this short, and hopefully, not too terribly cranky, but I make no promises on that front.

When Rachel was 17, she and her BFF Caroline took a girls’ trip to Greece, bumming around the islands, and living out the usual BFF dynamic of Pretty Popular Outgoing Girl (Caroline) and Quiet Bookish Sidekick (Rachel). That is, until the girls meet wealthy, worldly, and devastatingly handsome Alistair, who woos Rachel and sweeps her off of her underage feet.

After Alistair and the intensity of that summer, Rachel goes back to the UK, eventually settling into a quiet, respectable life with a dependable, respectable husband.

Needless to say, she’s bored to death.

As she begins to reconnect with her roommates from that summer, and Alistair, Rachel starts to realize that everything she thought she knew about what happened back then is not exactly true. As Secrets Are Revealed, Rachel has to find some way to reconcile the horrific truth of that summer with her shiny happy memories.

There’s a kernel of a good story there, but the problem is that we get all of it through Rachel’s perspective, and she’s frankly insufferable. When she’s not drowning in self-pity, she’s busily ignoring the feelings of everyone around her to put all of her energy into her single minded obsession with Alistair. It could be almost understandable as a 17 year old, but it’s way less cute when she’s in her 30’s. Even when all of the truth comes out, even when it’s been shoved repeatedly, blatantly in her face that Alistair is [spoiler], even when she’s ostensibly come to accept reality, we still get pages and pages of Rachel’s feelings.

It’s repetitive, it’s boring, and so incredibly selfish all the time, every minute, every word, every page. It’s impossible to sympathize with her at all. All I wanted the whole time I was reading was to grab the nearest crowbar and forcibly remove her head from her rear end.

That said, the story itself is pretty good, and the setting is by far the best part of the book.

The Nerd’s Rating: THREE HAPPY NEURONS (and a good long nap, please.)

What an amazing, emotional book. I was drawn into the story immediately and couldn’t stop reading. This is a must-read for all young ladies. It’s a very informative book. *this was a complimentary copy via NetGalley and this is my honest review*

Thank you St. Martin's Press and netgalley for an advanced copy of The Girls of Summer. This one started out a bit slow but as I came to know the characters and got the present and past worked out I did enjoy this book. I think that it might possibly not be for everyone - I caught myself thinking it reminds me a bit of #metoo with a bit of Epstein Island and while not exactly like My Dark Vanessa - it did have some similarities there. I understand that this is Katie Bishop's debut novel. The writing is excellent and I look forward to reading something else by this author in the future.

Rachel was only 17 when she and her friend, Caroline, took the summer to head to Greece where they could island hop and see the sights. They stayed at hostels and made friends with other girls traveling while sharing brochures on things they had seen.

While on a fairly remote island, they met up with girls at a bar where everyone danced and drank way into the night. Rachel met an older man named Alistair who invited them to a big party at a huge mansion on a hill. He said he was looking after the place for a friend. Rachel fell in love with Alistair while they again drank heavily. Rachel was supposed to return home soon, but decided to stay and worked at the bar where she could also continue her relationship with Alistair.

Now, at age 34, Rachel is married to Tom. However, she cannot stop thinking about Alistair. So, when they took a trip to the island where she had stayed, she found out where Alistair is and has arranged to meet up with him.

So many things in this book that made me cringe. First, I would never have allowed a 17-year-old girl to travel to another country to tour it and stay at hostels. Second, Rachel’s obvious uncaring attitude toward her marriage with Tom was cruel. I did not like her at all. How can a 34-year-old woman remain as naive as she was at age 17, or is she just living in a fantasy world? I realize that this book is a take on the Epstein scandal. What happened there was wrong, but I have to say that it takes two to tango. So, at what age does someone learn to take responsibility for themself?

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

So dark so chilling told in two timelines.Summertime a young girl being taken advantage of by an older man.Darkness follows her and now an adult who she is coming to terms with what happened to her all those years ago.Well written not a lighthearted read reminiscent of Dark Vanessa.#netgalley #st.martins books

Achingly poignant and at times hard to read because of the reality and truths of what so many women experience and live woven into the story. I’m not typically drawn to the thriller type books but the blurb for this one caught my interest.

It is such a heavy, sad story that I know I’ll be thinking another for awhile and is going to take some time to process through after finishing, but it was really well done. So well written and the pacing was just right, giving you just enough to maintain the tension and need to know the full story of what happened, and keep you hooked till the very end.

Told in dual timelines, this was a powerful story of powerful, dark and thought-provoking moments, even disturbing at times and was definitely not what I was expecting. It was more suspense/contemporary than thriller, in my opinion, so I wouldn't expect a big reveal, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

I thought the scenery was absolutely fantastic. I loved the Greek island setting and really thought it added to the immersive nature of the book. The author does a great job really building up the atmosphere for the story to happen.

Huge thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for my promo box and advance copy of The Girls of Summer. This is a super buzzy book for the summer and I am glad I got to read it early!
I was extremely impressed that this was a debut. Let me say that right off the bat. I feel like this one is a hard one for me to review. This is a very character driven mysteryish- drama. It’s not a thriller. At all. Which is okay. However, I think I expected something more nefarious and it was extremely realistic. I knew what was going to happen fairly early on. The atmosphere in the novel is wonderful. The author does a great job of transporting you to the Greek island.
It is told between past and present format. Part of my issue was I really disliked the present. It was slow and Rachel (the main character) is annoying AF. She is selfish and makes horrible decisions. I wanted more from the past and the group of girls that were pulled into this horrible situation. The author did a good job of showing us how viewing things through rose colored lenses can really manipulate a situation. I don’t want to say more so that the suspense is still there if you choose to read it.
I applaud what the author tried to do and the points she was making. I enjoyed it but, I didn’t love it. I feel like @scaredstraightreads said it best “Fans of Before We Were Innocent and My Dark Vanessa will enjoy this fast and furious read”. I will say I liked it better then both of those.

Don't go into Katie Bishop's The Girls of Summer thinking this is a summer beach read. It's so much more than that. It's about desire and control and consent. It's Rachel's story of finally finding her own power and forgiving herself. The Girls of Summer is an emotional, engaging read that is sometimes hard to work through, to know what's happening, to watch all unravel. It's raw, but it's also inspiring.

Thanks so much for the opportunity to review. Katie Bishop is a writer to watch.

I wasn’t expecting The Girls of Summer to be such a heavy read. It’s weird to say I “enjoyed” the book based on the content. This is a powerful story filled with intense topics that reminds me of the same vibes as My Dark Vanessa, Before We Were Innocent, and The Ingenue.

Bishop alternates between Rachel’s present day life and the abrupt re-exposure to her past that brings complicated memories hurtling back to her. I loved how these timeline shifts wove together. Each is atmospheric and filled with emotion. The reader is aware of the truth about Rachel’s past before she is and it breaks your heart at times to see the realization arrive. The pacing gives the story a slow burn quality, but the content kept my attention so solidly that I never minded this. Bishop’s writing is propulsive and with each new chapter I was invested in what would happen next.

I highly recommend checking trigger warnings on Storygraph before picking this one up.

A huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my gifted copy!

Rachel was only 17 when she spent the summer far away from home in Greece. Told in the Vennemann now, we see how Rachel was infatuated/in love with an older man, Alistair, and how the time she spent there with him, still controls her life today.
When the other girls who were part of her group, divulge their feelings about what actually happened on that island during that summer, Rachel needs to decide if her memories are actually accurate or if her younger self only saw what she wanted to believe. It’s a dark story, one that is centered around men with power and privilege, and the young girls who are caught up in their twisted games.
More than once, I yelled at my Kindle and at Rachel. She was young and naïve, so what happened to her in the then was understandable. I had a harder time seeing her so many years later still wearing blinders about what occurred on that island. However, it was a sad and tragic story,one without any winners.
Did I like how it ended? Yes and no. Rachel in the now was a hard character for me to like. I won’t say more since I don’t want to spoil the ending. 3.5 stars.

This one just wasn’t for me, I found the writing style to be a little too overwritten for me and I didn’t connect with the main character at all. She lacked maturity and growth over the course of the book and I just couldn’t get behind her.

he Girls of Summer by Katie Bishop ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Many thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ARC! Pub day is today! 🎉

Similar in theme to My Dark Vanessa and The Ingenue, this slow-burn, atmospheric read explores complicated topics of consent, power, sex, and memories. I’ve seen it touted as a thriller, but I would not call it that. Mystery maybe, contemporary fiction with a focus on recent ‘me too’ revelations, absolutely.

The past and present alternating POVs were well done and enhanced the book. The backdrop of the idyllic Greek islands contrasted with the tension that was created with the relationships. The characters, while not likable, felt like they stayed true to who they were, and their actions made sense. None of the revelations felt particularly shocking.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and kept turning pages to see what would happen next. If you’re looking for a fast-paced thriller with twists and turns, this is not it. However, if you’re looking for an atmospheric read that dives into ‘me too’ themes, this is it. Research triggers before diving in.