Member Reviews

Thank you to Katie Bishop, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of a digital advanced reviewer copy in exchange for an honest review!

PLEASE CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS PRIOR TO READING.

The book is told in dual timeline of Rachel when she was 18 and living in Greece for a summer and then in her 30s, married to her picture perfect husband Tom. Rachel, along with her friends are given a place to stay in exchange for working a bar for the summer from Henry Taylor. Alstair, Henry's right-hand man, is tasked with ensuring the girls are paid and giving them "extra work assignments." Alstair and Rachel develop a sexual relationship and Rachel is quickly falling in love with Alstair who is almost twice her age. In the "Now" timeline, the girls are given the opportunity to ban together and speak out about the abuse they endured, in hopes of putting Alstair away for good.

This book was the summer read I was looking for! The slow-burn pace of this book will keep you turning the pages to find out what will happen next. The content is dark and disturbing and will show the reader just how easily predators can manipulate the innocent. This book is so well written that I ate it up. Anyone that enjoyed My Dark Vanessa should pick this book up. My only criticism is that the last chapter went on for too long, attempting to wrap everything up.

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I had high hopes for this debut novel because of the atmospheric beachy location of Greece, and the dual timelines between present day and when the main character was 17 years old spending a gap year in Greece. However, the story really didn't keep me as interested and hooked from the beginning as I had hoped. I really did not enjoy the infidelity part of the story either, though it was probably needed to show just how severe the hold the older male character from her past still had on the main character's psyche and mental stability. I did like how the timeline went back and forth from present day to then, when the major plot points took place. It's worth a read, but not one that I will recommend for being excellent or highly engaging.

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Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: June 6, 2023
After taking a trip to Greece when Rachel was seventeen, she ended up staying on much longer than she originally planned when she met Alastair, the mysterious older man who made her feel special and loved. Twenty years later, Rachel still reminisces about her overseas fling, even though Alastair is long gone and the sand has long since been washed clean from her toes. But when she reconnects with old friends from that vacation, they force her to face her relationship with Alastair for what it was, and it upturns Rachel’s entire life as she knows it.
Katie Bishop’s debut novel, “The Girls of Summer” packs one heck of a punch. The novel starts going in one direction, with a gaggle of young teenaged girls traveling Europe before going away to school, full of hot summer nights and partying. But then, when you least expect it, it becomes something far darker and sinister. The relationship between Alastair and Rachel has creepy “My Dark Vanessa” vibes, and it won’t sit easy with readers, but if you can stomach it, you won’t soon forget this thought-provoking debut.
Rachel is the outcast of the bunch, the awkward seventeen year old who is trying to find herself by working overseas with her best friend. When the two girls get jobs at a bar on a Greek island, they are instantly smitten with the lifestyle and it doesn’t take long before Rachel falls for rich, entitled Alastair. Right away, readers will both understand the pull of Alastair, and will understand his despicable intentions while, at the same time, be rooting for Rachel, and screaming at her all at once. The characters are well developed, and the breathtaking scenery only slightly takes away from the destructive underbelly of the plot.
Each chapter is headed with “then” and “now”, putting the reader in the correct time frame. The entire story is narrated by Rachel, and told almost in reverse order, so the true details of her relationship only come to light when adult Rachel realizes them. Bishop telling the story in this way created a kinship with Rachel while building suspense through the slow burn of the plot.
“The Girls of Summer” is not the light, beachy read the cover and title implies. But it is also one that won’t be easily forgotten. Bishop’s debut has marked her as “one to watch”, and I’m eager anticipating her sophomore novel.

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As a teenager, Rachel spent a summer on a remote Greek island. She soaked up the sun, made new friends, partied, and fell in love. Alistair was twenty years Rachel’s senior and worked for a wealthy businessman. Rachel and her friends were soon invited to parties at the home of the illustrious Henry Taylor and found themselves in a vortex of alcohol, drugs, and dark secrets.

Fifteen years later, memories of Rachel’s experience that summer are rising up and threatening to consume her. She finds herself increasingly turning away from her husband and obsessing about Alistair and what could have been. But with her memories of the time she spent with him, comes all the memories that accompany them—darker and more explosive things than Rachel ever imagined.

When she reunites with some of the other girls from that summer, Rachel is finally compelled to consider everything that happened that summer, and that some things may have happened differently than she recalls.

The Girls of Summer is the haunting debut novel by Katie Bishop. It’s a compelling exploration of youth, power imbalance, deceit, consent, and the subjectivity of memory.

Bishop has done an amazing job of drawing the reader into the story. The world is well-crafted and the emotional impact palpable. That said, for a while I felt as though there was a bit of an emotional detachment in Rachel, but given what she went through, detachment is completely understandable. Even with the emotional distance and ambiguity that Rachel seemed to have at times, there was a powerful emotional punch at the end of the book. This is a deeply sobering book and left an impact on me.

I highly recommend The Girls of Summer. It’s available 6/6/23.

*I received a copy of from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

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A little bit cult-like, a little bit coming of age, The Girls of Summer is a thrilling beach read that takes readers on a dual-timeline journey to a secluded Greek island where the escapades of young backpackers feel like both a dream and a nightmare. Rachel was just 17 when she visited the gorgeous escape for a week with her best friend on a summer trip before their final year of school. There she discovers she too can be the main character, as she forms new friends and catches the eye of mature, handsome Alistair, a wealthy man living in a party mansion. The summer ends in tragedy, but sixteen years on and now married, Rachel looks back on that time fondly, like a dream. A visit to the island brings back feelings both good and bad, and it takes her back in time to Alistair, the spark so vividly alive inside her still. At a crossway in life, Rachel chooses nostalgia and as she revisits the past she soon discovers that her rose colored glasses have been lying to her.

Rachel is like all young teen girls, unsure of herself and not yet comfortable in her womanhood, brimming with confusion as others step into the world with confidence. Even as an adult, parts of that youthful naivety still battles inside her as she looks back at her time on the island. Who would she have been had things gone differently? We all question our choices, the what-ifs, and wonder where our paths would have gone, but Rachel decides to actually find out. We see the island through Rachel's young eyes, the parties, the friends, the feeling of maturity and adulthood as a man sweeps her off her feet. We see the island through her adult eyes, recognizing the lies and secrets that swam beneath the surface, seeing the conductor pulling the strings. Yet, like Rachel, we all want to frame things positively, at least until the truth really comes out. Rachel clings tightly to what she remembers, to the lust and joy she believes she felt, but the island's tide washes it all away.

I truly enjoyed The Girls of Summer, it felt like a glimpse into the stories we see on the media regarding Epstein and other party islands. More so, I loved the dual-timeline that offered readers a fresh perspective on the events, those of a fun and in love 17 year old and those of a mature adult. It's a story of innocence and naivety, power and control, and the strength of women when they bond together. It joins several other novels that touch on the #metoo movement, but with a fresh perspective and a story that sweeps you up.

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A slow burn that leaves you page turning…

Alternating between Then & Now this debut author left me feeling at first entranced much like our MC Rachel and then a sense of unease/dread started to creep in, a feeling of you want to look away but you can’t. I became invested in these girls of summer and the way Bishop delivered the feeling of your past haunting you and the power a relationship whether it’s friendly or passionate can have over someone and change them, for better or worse. Be aware there are some sensitive topics shared.

"That place has been my whole life. Everything I thought I knew about myself was constructed in those few months I spent within touching distance of the sea. Everything I am is because Alistair loved me."

A beautiful written novel!

Thank you St Martins Press for an advance copy!

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A teenage Rachel came to a Greek Island with her friend and promptly fell in love with a twenty-year-old Alistair. A summer romance that she is still clinging to 15 years later.

When her partner plans a vacation to the same island, Rachel is not too happy at first, but then reconnects with other girls from that summer and an ugly portrait of what actually happened back then emerges.

With issues of memory, consent, metoo, this kept me interested until the end!

NetGalley/ June 6, 2023, St. Martin's Press

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Wow!! I was utterly engrossed in this story from the very beginning. What starts off as a beautiful summer romance turns into essentially a nightmare. I could really empathize with the main character despite the fact she was so blind and naive in her youth, who isn’t? I devoured this book and really enjoyed it.

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Despite unraveling at a very slow pace, I was wrapped up in this story. I kept turning pages just to find out what was happening and what would happen. This is a beautifully written book. Not the biggest fan of the Rachel in this one, but I think that was the point 😅

Thank you NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for this advanced copy

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The Girls of Summer is a compelling story of how one summer of freedom can change the course of your entire life. Rachel and Caroline have been best friends for their entire lives. Caroline is outgoing and happy to take up all of the spotlight whereas Rachel has always felt lonely and introverted while longing to be seen as special. When they arrive on the Greek island for vacation Rachel is immediately taken with Allistair. Neither one of them seem to mind the age difference, surely an 18 year old and someone in their mid 30s have plenty in common right? But that was then. And now Rachel is the age Allistair was when they first met. She's married to Tom and she's happy... or she would be if she could just get over that first love and the summer that ended in tragedy that threatens to haunt her if she'll just allow herself to really revisit it. Because the thing is, not everyone left that Greek island alive.

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•The Girls of Summer 🇬🇷•

📚Genre: mystery
🤔Rating: 🍺🍺🍺.5(3.5/5)
#️⃣ of pages: 320
👯‍♀️ read if you like: descriptive summer settings, age gap tropes, strong female friendship
⚠️TW: human trafficking, drugs, abortion, rape, suicide
Publishing Date: June 6, 2023

👍🏼:
•this book quite literally makes you feel like you are IN Greece! The author does an amazing job with her imagery in creating a beautiful setting
•it is a very compelling story that is written in a way that you can’t wait to find out what happens
•love alternating past/present timelines

👎🏼:
•it was a pretty slow read at first. It really didn’t pick up until about 60%, which is pretty far IMO
•the age gap situation made me cringe 😬
•no major twists, definitely just a drama/mystery

Overall…
Overall, this was a well written novel. While I didn’t think it was great, it was a good read. I loved being totally transformed to this Greek island. I was very frustrated with the MC in this book & was really hoping to see more growth in her. The subject matter was pretty heavy & I’m sure there are unfortunately many people who can relate to this in some way or another.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review!

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Told over two time periods, The Girls of Summer is a beautifully written debut novel by Katie Bishop. I loved that this book transported me back to my early 20s when things were awkward but so exciting. I thought there was an ominous undercurrent throughout this whole novel that perfectly captured the age of the #metoo movement without being too triggering.

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The story follows Rachel, and is told in alternating timelines of “then” and “now.” Rachel (at age 17) travels with a friend to a Greek island and decides to stay longer after meeting an older man. Rachel (at age 33) is married to her husband Tom and living in London. They vacation to that same Greek island, and she finds out how to contact the man she was with when she was younger.

I have to say, parts of this book were horrifying to read. The worst part is, I am absolutely certain this has happened and is still happening even now.

I really enjoyed the writing style and thought the story was well written, though sometimes I wanted to shake Rachel for being so naive.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I thought this was a well-written debut, with great characterization and atmosphere. I was expecting more of a thriller-type story. It read more of a dark romance to me and begins slowly. Had I known that going in, I probably would not have read it. Now, having said that, I'm really glad I did read it. This is not a happy, fuzzy romance. I enjoyed Rachel. Yes, she was self-centered and annoying, but as I got more into the story, I saw the reasoning and began to sympathize with her. Told in dual timelines, Rachel is young, spending a glorious Summer in Greece, meets and falls for a much older man and is still dealing with the fallout years later. There is a dark side to the story. which was fascinating to me. I look forward to more from this author.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Katie Bishop and St. Martin's press for this ARC. All opinions are my own. I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Facebook, Instagram and other retail and social media pages upon publication.

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Thanks to netgalley for the chance to review this book.

What a great debut novel. Definitely was a captivating read and was able to finish it quickly. The dual story lines worked well with this novel and the characters were well written. I felt so connected and able to relate to Rachel. The author wrote about the dark/sensitive issues beautifully. You can feel the tension throughout the book as Rachel navigates her trauma and comes to terms with what really happened to her 16
Years ago. I felt so many emotions during this book !!

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I’ve started going into books without much knowledge ahead of time to avoid spoilers. Based on the title and cover, I expected a typical beach read. That’s not at all what you get, which worked for me as I enjoyed the darker themes at play in this one. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

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I really enjoyed the author’s depiction of female relationships in this book. The main character is generally unlikeable through most of the novel—not in a unlikeable female character way, which I adore—but in an annoying, grating kind of way which I don’t. but I like how the author conveyed internalized misogyny and how young girls can be groomed and manipulated. I wasn’t such a fan of how her naïveté extends into the present timeline, and how she lacks really any self awareness. But she does have a good arc, and I loved the author’s prose. This is a solid debut and I can’t wait to see what the author does next!

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How do I write about the experience of reading this phenomenal book. Initially I was annoyed with Racheal. She was so self-centered and so madly in love with an obvious creeper from her youth. But then as the story unfolds I realized she was traumatized and denying all of it in order to survive and cope. She was awful because she didn't know how else to be.
It was such an amazing reminder about how vulnerable young girls are and how they are targeted because they are easy to manipulate and groom. Usually we do not see justice.
I loved this. I will need a few days to recover.

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I'm not a big fan of duel timelines and while I really liked Bishop's writing, I didn't love the story. There's a lot going on and I thought the characters were well fleshed out, but nothing really hooked me and it took me a long time to get through it.

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This book was not what I expected it would be— and I don’t know how I feel about it. While the story had enough intrigue to keep my attention, I would encourage readers to approach this as a romance/contemporary fiction. From the description, I assumed this would be more of a thriller. However, the pacing is incredibly slow and the plot is your average romance (with hints of mystery sprinkled throughout).

Once I moved past my initial expectations. I found myself enjoying the book for what it was. The writing is excellent. I definitely found our narrator, Rachel, relatable in many ways. And I loved being transported to the Greek Isles, whilst reading.

I think, as long as readers know what they’re getting into before reading this story, they will enjoy it.

3.5 ⭐️

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