Thank you Netgalley & Macmillan Audio for an ALC of The Girls of Summer by Katie Bishop!

This one was different from my typical reads, which I enjoyed. Not a "thriller" for me, but more of a psychological suspense with a mystery, atmospheric element.

The book follows Rachel, who's been in love with Alistair for 15 years, despite being married to someone else. She was a teen when they met on a remote Greek island. And he was 20 years her senior. Rachel becomes obsessed with reliving the events of that summer - Eventually reconnecting with the other girls she spent her time with on the island. The way they remember that summer is a lot different from the way she recalls it, though. Rachel's been suppressing secrets for years - and it's time that they come to light.

This book grapples with serious topics and themes such as sex, power, consent, trauma - And takes us from Rachel's arrival on the Greek island when she was 17 to where she is now - A woman in her early 30s who still doesn't quite understand just what happened to her that summer. This one sure gets you thinking, which I appreciate.

I'm looking forward to seeing what this author comes up with next!

This book elicited so many feelings from me… not all what I expected to feel. I wanted to reach in the book and slap the FMC on more than one occasion but I do believe that’s what was intended so I have to say, well done.
I listened to the audio along with reading the digital version and the narrator, Annabel Scholey, is what really made the book for me. She was very in tuned with the emotions of the story.
This one is rife with sensitive topics so please check TW before you read.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the early review copies.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC audiobook of this title.

3.5 stars.
I thought the beginning was a bit slow and hard to follow, but once I got engrossed in the story I was really into it. I feel like I’ve read several similar books, so it wasn’t too original as far as I’m concerned, but I did think it was well done and well written.

As a mother of daughters, this book was SO hard to read.

We have teenage young women living in Greece, thinking they've found an amazing situation. But from my side you see that they are being manipulated and groomed. There is sexual assault and definitely gaslighting and mental abuse.

Alistair is SO good at his manipulation, that even 15 years later, married Rachel still fancies herself in love him.

It was a heartbreaking read, and not for everyone. But watching the women come together years later and see the men held accountable was satisfying.

Well written even though it was a difficult topic.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press for an ARC and MacMillan Audio for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Girls of Summer
By Kate Bishop
Narrated by Annabel Scholey
Macmillan Audio St Martin’s Press
Pub date June 6

On its surface this book is about innocent girls coming of age during a wild summer spent on the beautiful Greek Islands. But after the sunset, the dark underbelly of influence tempts them.

Told through the eyes of an innocent teen who believed she found her first love in an older man. Rachel perceives she is swimming in glorious adulthood as she is blinded by her infatuation with Alastair.

The subtle and not so subtle brainwashing and gaslighting that occurs is tough to read. It will break your heart seeing Rachel define her happiness through rose-colored glasses interpterting the actions of the men around her.

This eye-opening story mirrors Jeffrey Epstein’s horrific actions. It sheds light on how the innocent and impressionable can be complicit and how crimes like his can continue for so long.

This book might have been a little more impactful if more of the story focused on the courage of survivors and the ongoing fight for justice and accountability.

Overall this book elicited anger about issues of sexual abuse, power as well as continued empathy for survivors.

I was looking forward to a mystery/suspense (as this is marketed) set in Greece. Perfect for summer, right?

Nope, it’s all about the main character being groomed and then perpetually being in love with said groomer.

No thank you- I am not about lifting up this gross behavior.

This book was just okay. The description was so promising and made it seem like an intriguing book, that would captivate you. I found that the book was not very engaging. The end was interesting, but to be honest, the middle dragged for me. I liked the premise of the story, but the execution was not there for me.

Read if you like:
🔥 Slow Burn Plots
🔪 Thrillers
🇬🇷 Books set in Greece
🖤 Dark Romance Vibes

This book definitely starts with a slower pace but then picks up with suspense once Rachel has a chance meeting with a girl that she met 16 years ago when in Greece.

Then she was in love and obsessed with Alistar and these feelings have loomed over her for the last 16 years. Now she is married to Tom and this increases the suspenseful vibes as the past comes back and is shaping and looming over the present for Rachel.

I loved the moment from past to present as this really worked for this book and plot. And the narration was so well done! Definitely an enjoyable listen!

Thanks so much to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my review!

A bunch of girls get caught up in a Jeffrey Epstein-like situation in Greece and then years later prosecute the one guy that is still alive that of course the main character loves and got pregnant by but had an abortion. Of course one of the girls dies but that was sort of glossed over and not really a main plot point that the author could have done without. The main character was not likable at all and the whole book had this sort of "me too" theme that has been very played out. The author states at the end that everyone has tramas and she hopes this helped them since she started writing it during the pandemic. Overall, it wasn't terrible and I finished it but for me it was just OK.

2.5 stars

This book is well written and will work nicely for those who don't mind a slower-paced personal realization. It's also an important book that covers something that nearly all women readers (and many other readers) will either relate to personally or have experienced through close observation.

My trouble with this book is entirely personal. I found it too triggering, and I got incredibly close to DNF more than once. Again, this is purely based on the topical info, not on a stylistic choice.

Rachel, the m.c., is operating in the current timeline and in the past, when she was a teen islander. During her teenage years, she thought she was cool and special because of her (as any reasonable adult can see) entirely inappropriate relationship with a way older dude. That guy is a predator, but while readers can see that clearly, Rachel can't. As an adult, she has to grapple with what actually happened to her versus the narrative she created at the time. Again, this is a relatable story for many, and it may bring up unpleasant memories and/or realizations for readers, so those who are sensitive to this content (rape, sexual assault, grooming, etc.) may want to think twice before cracking this book that may sound like a breezy summer thriller but is anything but.

I'll give this author another shot but will be more careful about the content in my next round.

What begins as a summer affair between 17 year old Rachel and a much older Alistair develops into an ongoing obsession that ends in a reconnection and investigation into the reality of the situation. Was Alistair's love for Rachel all those years ago pure or did he have deceptive motives? As secrets are revealed the truth unfolds.

This book was an engaging slow-burn. It had me questioning reality throughout the whole thing. The dual-timeline was easy to follow and overall it was an entertaining listen.

Was this the greek island beach thriller I was hoping for? Not quite! Maybe if this were published 10-15 years ago, it may have been more impactful but the MCs naiveté about what happened to her became frustrating. I was definitely expecting more of a revenge story here and not just coming to terms with it. I'm glad I had this on audio though, it really helped me get through it!
Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this one!

This is a story about long after the girls of summer have gone.

I think it’s important to acknowledge that I went into this with entirely the wrong mindset- I definitely thought it was a mystery/thriller. It was not. As a contemporary exploration of consent & trauma bonding, it functions well & did a good job examining nuance…. And that made it really hard to read at points. I think if you’re looking to read something heavy, but with a beautiful backdrop and a satisfying conclusion this is a good choice.

Thank you so much @stmartinspress & @macmillan.audio for the e & audio copies, and the GORGEOUS box!

This is a slow burn. I’m usually not one to love a slow burn. I struggled a bit to get into this one. I think the narrator did a great job with the narration but i it was a bit to slow for me. I just wasn’t into the story and wanted more of a hook. I felt like she was just too obsessed with this dude and the past.

3.5 stars - rounded up cause this is a pretty excellent debut novel. The narration of the audio is great. Even with a duel timeline, it was easy to follow and well done.
I really enjoyed the atmospheric writing and alternating timeline of The Girls of Summer. Between London and this beautiful Greek island, I could genuinely feel this novel under my skin. It’s a slow burn, very moody.
For about the first half, though, I was so frustrated by Rachel (our main character and narrator for both timelines). 17-years-ago Rachel was SO naive, I couldn’t stand how she couldn’t grasp what was going on around her (I’m an old lady now- oh how quickly I forget how young and dumb I was long past the age of 17). Modern day Rachel was living in nostalgia and treating her sweet husband so poorly, I just wanted to shake her.
Then I started acknowledging the traumas Rachel endured during her past-POV. Naive or not, she’d gone through A LOT and her current day actions were definitely the result of blocking out her past and coping.
That said, even with justifications, Rachel frustrated me and this book should come with major trigger warnings. Think Jeffry Epstein. It's a good book, but be warned.

A woman must come to terms with what really happened to her as a teenager when she went on an extended vacation in Greece. The story comes full circle and she must confront her past in the most disturbing way possible. The author does a deft lob of handling a heavy topic and successfully illustrates how we don’t necessarily know that we are in an abusive or inappropriate relationship at the time it occurs. The narrator successfully translates this difficult topic with ease.

Unfortunately the story didn’t pull me in. It’s told in dual timelines and I was hoping eventually it would be engaging but for me it was a very slow pace read.
There are very well descriptions of the location and smells that can whisk anyone away but it just didn’t work for me.
The narrator, Annabel Scholey did a good job portraying the MC and other characters in the story. I enjoyed the tones and accent she used.

A very special thanks to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio for the ALC and St. Martin’s Press for the gifted book.

Thank you, St Martin's Press, for the gifted copy of Girls of Summer {partner}

Genre: Fiction
Format: 🎧
Audiobook Narration: ☆☆☆☆
Pub Date: 6.6.2023
Star Rating: ☆☆☆.5

Reviewing books like The Girls of Summer is challenging because the content is so alarming that I struggled to invest in the storyline fully.

I'm not sure what I expected when I started reading this book, but I had a difficult time reading along as 17-year-old travels to Greece (alone), begins seeing an older man who is so blatantly manipulating her, and ultimately unravels the rest of her life.

However, I did appreciate how the author showed Rachel through the years and how her younger years influenced her adult life. The book is a dual timeline, so the reader can put together the complete picture of Rachel's life. While I didn't love Rachel's choices regarding her husband, I also understood the author's reasoning for having the character make those choices.

Trigger warning: grooming, sexual assault, rape, drug use, adultery, and suicide.

I recommend reading The Girls of Summer if you liked reading My Dark Vanessa.

The synopsis for The Girls of Summer and taglines piqued my interest. I love supporting debut authors and felt that Annabel Scholey did a wonderful job narrating Rachel and her emotions. However; I could not connect to the plot/ storyline and did not finish this book at 63 percent. I was not interested in finding out what happened.

I really enjoyed this book! It kept me interested in the book the whole time, even though it wasn't necessarily a
"thriller". I liked the whole premise of the book and I felt the author executed the book perfectly.