First off, I think the cover is misleading. I expected this nice beach vacation with a lot of sun and that is not what happened. None of these characters is very likeable. They are all hiding secrets from each other; some even want to kill the others. They were selfish as teenagers and they are still selfish to this day. Also very naïve that none of these things came out before?? Plus, why is everyone so obsessed with Jules!?!? These people are not friends. They will throw anyone, even their spouse and children under the bus. The book was good. It def held my attention. I just didn't find anyone real believable or anything.

I was absolutely glued to this book. Heart pounding, constantly guessing who did what. The twists and turns were crazy! I had to know what happened.

This was an absolutely rollicking rollercoaster of a read - so much so that I devoured it within a day! I absolutely love the concept of novels about groups of friends who are probably still friends but more like acquaintances (or are just friends simply because as someone says in the book, University makes bonds for life). Chuck in a villa in France - bubbling with secrets from a trip 20 some years previous and you’ve got a corker of a novel.

Leah Mercer is one of my favourite authors, I love her books and she writes so well! This was an endlessly fascinating novel with so many different strands to it and characters that, honestly, weren’t the best (as in the best people) but it was still addictive and enjoyable.

This was such a good novel and I think it’s going to be a huge, huge hit. Leah Mercer never lets you down and is always a fab read.

This book is filled with twists and turns into the very end. It definitely an easy, easy fun summary! It is essentially a locked in mystery with flashback to the college days. Quickly, we learned that nothing is as it seems for the characters and one cannot guess what their true motivations are. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book!

Well written drama and a decent storyline.
A huge cast of characters which i found a little daunting to start with.
Great read for the beach.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

Ellie organises a reunion at a villa with five friends she hasn't seen since university 20 years ago. As long-kept secrets are revealed, relationships are tested.

I didn't like any of the characters as they were spineless and/or had evil intentions, and it was odd that they would agree to a reunion when none of them seemed to like each other. However, I did enjoy the drama, secret spilling and the ending.

Quick summer read. A great book to read at the beach with plenty of twists and turns. Looking forward to more by this author.

Thank you, NetGalley, Bookouture and Leah Mercer for this ARC.

I finished this book in one sitting, I have mixed feelings, it was good yet some parts were so unbelievable that I had to question what I was reading. The book kept my interest because each character had a secret and I had to know what their secrets were or I probably would have given up on it.

Let's talk about the characters, they were each annoying from the adults to the children. Well there was one child, Ahmed who had a reason to behave the way that he did and the others are typical teenagers. The adults on the other hand were just plain selfish! Each had their own secret with their own selfish motive. I mean I know we all have secrets and a reason for them, but this was a group of selfish people and their secrets had a negative negative impact on other's lives. Vannie and Henry were just evil people in my opinion, Jules was too dependent on Vannie and clueless as can be. A woman is coming to tell me that my husband got her pregnant, I would not be offering to give her child support, I would be demanding a DNA test! Ellie just seemed to be an insecure and jealous person and her poor husband, Safet was caught up in this mess. I think he may have been the only character that I somewhat liked.

That covers my thoughts on the characters, now let's talk plot. Interesting plot idea but too much going on and as i stated it, a lot of this book was so unbelievable. Interesting but unbelievable. There were parts that just made no sense and I would have given up if I wasn't so nosey and wanted to know what the secrets were.

This book is exactly why I don’t like school reunions things are never the same if you all meet up years later and trying to recreate old college holidays that you are seeing through rose tinted glasses is never going to work. In this book that’s what they are trying to do but all of these old friends are keeping secrets that no one expects and when an unexpected and unwanted guest arrives the truth about a lie so big it’s unforgivable could be about to spill out and destroy lies. This will keep you on the edge of your seat and is a great read for by the pool on your holidays.

This was a great thriller, full of drama.

It took me a little bit to get into it simply because there was a lot of characters all at once so for me personally it was hard to keep track of who was who.

Once I got into it I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
This is my first book I have read by Leah Mercer and will definitely be checking more out from them

I love this author’s thrillers; they’re extremely well-written with brilliant plots. I’m always gripped to the very last page.

A Uni friendship group goes to a villa in France for a weekend, but it’s not the first time they’ve been there. They were all there 20 years ago when they had a short break to mark the end of their studies. Ellie arranges the reunion trip and she’s there with her husband, Safet, and children, Victoria and Ahmed. Jules and her husband Harry have a daughter back home but Harry’s twin daughters from a fling are with them. Vannie has her girlfriend of 6 months, Nicola, with her and the only one missing is Frederick. There was mystery surrounding Frederick’s sudden departure from the first French holiday.

The weekend gets off to a good start but then they’re all surprised, especially Jules, when Frederick turns up. He goes with Jules to fetch some wine from an outside wine cellar but the door shuts behind them and it seems to be locked. This marks the start of the various secrets coming to light, and it seems as though none of the group can really trust each other.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

Wow this one is a real-page turner, which will make your heart race. The SECRETS, DRAMA, and ULTERIOR motives will keep you thoroughly entertained.

When six friends get together for a reunion, drama unfolds. They have returned to a French villa. A couple who once had a thing get trapped in a wine cellar. Was this intentional or something more sinister? What secrets come out between the friends. Along with couples their children are part of the reunion.
Ellie and Safet have a daughter Victoria (14) and Ahmend (11) who was adopted from Syria. Jules and Harry have 15-year-old twins and another daughter Ivy. Another couple is Vannie and Nicola. Frederick shops up even though in never RSVP. Tension as he has his own secrets with one of the friends. All of these couples have secrets and this holiday will be one no one will forget.

Another great family drama from this author full of suspense with secrets galore.

It took me longer to get into this book but that was because of all the different names and couples I had to remember.

A thoroughly well written read which I can thoroughly recommend. Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this brilliant ARC.

Omg thank you so much for letting me an early reader of this book!

I absolutely loved it and it helped me get out of the reading rut I was in! After 20 years secrets come to the surface and are revealed. I definitely didn’t see it come plenty of twists, secrets, betrayal and plenty of drama. 5 stars from me fantastic read!

“The Summer Reunion” is by Leah Mercer. I’ve read a few other of this author’s books, so I’ve come to expect some drama, fun, and a dang good ending. On those points, this book does not disappoint. It took me a while to keep some of the characters separated, but once that happened, it became quite an interesting ride of secrets, family drama, and friend drama. If you like suspenses reads where you’re taken on a bit of an interesting ride, this book may be one for you to pick up.

A tense and exciting thriller that keeps you guessing and turning the pages until the shocking ending, plenty of twists and turns. Brilliant!

Is is true that good books can't have enough pages and bad ones always have too many? In my opinion it's not. Good books have exactly the perfect number of pages. They are to the point and there is no time wasted in writing or reading unnecessary details that only pull the reader's attention away from the core of the story. 

In this book there was no beating around the bush. It is correct that quite a few secrets have been hidden for about 20 years, but as soon as one cat was out of the bag, the others followed rapidly.

You can fool yourself and believe you are lying and manipulating to protect someone dear, but in the end you have to admit that the only one you were really keeping safe, was yourself.

For me this was an absolute incredible book and I adored it.

I loved the fact that true love conquers all whether it's time, lies or fear that stands between you. 5 stars.

Thank you

Leah Mercer has created the perfect recipe for drama - friends on holiday - adults who have been close since college. As soon as each character is introduced, we learn they have a secret...or even two. Those secrets could lead to the end of marriages, friendships and maybe cause violence. Before long, the group is bickering and some flashbacks to college begin to shed light on some of the upcoming drama.

Super fun, dramatic and thrilling with a satisfying ending! If you like a dramatic reunion this is the book for you! #bookouture #thesummerreunion #leahmercer

What happened 20 years ago?
Secrets!
Suspense!
Twisty twists!
Family drama!
The Summer Reunion will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what is going to happen next!
Must read for fans of psychological suspense thrillers!
Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.