I enjoyed this book. Though it was a minor part of the book, I liked the weaving in of the true crime social media aspect - it feels very timely for today. While I wasn’t surprised by the ending and which characters were “bad” I found myself staying up late to finish the book and to see how it all unfolded and went down in the past flashbacks to the death.

This book was just okay for me. As other reviewers mentioned, I found the writing to be a bit juvenile. I won’t be thinking about this book for weeks to come, but it’s fine for what it is.

The various narrators were not reliable and it lent the characterization a definite mistrust in the plot. The central conflict was engaging and as a mystery the plot is suspenseful. However, I did not enjoy this novel as mulch as I’d hoped.

OVerall a good story told in alternating times. It centers around the death of a teen, and her sister, who was 6 at the time, and what she remembers about that day.
I did feel the first half of the book was a bit slow, and does take a bit to get into the story. I am glad I kept reading as the last half was more interesting and better paced.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

WOW! This book read like a drama miniseries, it’ll be like The Perfect Couple or Apples Never Fall someday.
I LOVE a murder mystery with interweaving plot lines. This one stands apart because we learned at the beginning what happened… but as the story goes on, we wonder, is that what really happened?! Details unfolded and my jaw was on the floor the whole last 25% of this book!
THANK YOU to Katie and SMP for the early copy!!!

3.5/5. I enjoyed this book but felt it was quite long and had a lot of moving parts with two timelines and several third person narrators.

What I liked:
-The setting of Cote D'Azur, especially in 2004 where we get to live in the world of the wealthy teens partying, which was reminiscent of Saltburn.
-I really liked the parts where Hannah was the narrator.

What I didn't love:
-The TikTok slang that will soon be dated and not particularly accessible to people reading this book five years from now.
-The middle dragged on a bit but it picked up once we got into Tamara's head.

Katie Bishop’s High Season is a gripping exploration of a 20-year-old murder case that continues to haunt its survivors. When media attention reignites interest in the murder of 17-year-old Tamara Drayton, her younger sister Nina, who testified as a child witness, begins to question her own reliability. As the story unfolds, readers are drawn into Nina’s journey of confronting past trauma while other key figures in the case reflect on the fateful night.

Though the story starts slowly, it quickly becomes unputdownable. Bishop seamlessly shifts between 2004 and 2024, crafting a narrative that remains clear and engaging. Written in third person, the novel provides depth to each main character, ensuring their perspectives shine. Just when you think you’ve pieced it all together, the second half delivers surprising twists and a powerful, emotionally resonant conclusion.

With strong character development, suspense, and a satisfying ending, High Season is a standout mystery.

“High Season” by Katie Bishop follows a twenty year old murder case of Tamara Drayton, a seventeen year old raised in an affluent family, who was murdered at their vacation home in a quaint beach town in France. Due to the murder’s 20th anniversary, the media starts digging into the case again and would like to interview key players in the case including the murderer Josie, who has finished her sentence.

Nine Drayton was just 5 years old when she had to testify as a witness to her older sister’s murder. As an adult she begins to question if she was a reliable witness as a 5 year old. This story will take you on Nina’s journey working through her childhood trauma as well as the other main characters recalling and discovering what happened on that fatal night.

For me, the story started a bit slow. But once it picked up more I couldn’t put it down. The story does jump between the year 2004 and 2024, but the author writes this in a very clear manner. This book is written from a third person point of view but still feels like each main player surrounding the incident gets their time to shine. The character development in this book is great for all the main characters. I thought I had most of the story figured out, but I hadn’t! The ride the author took me on in the second half of the story was great and pushed the boundaries on a great, but believable ending. I may have shed just a few tears in the final chapters, feeling empathetic for certain characters.

Truly a 4.75 for me, rounded up to a 5. I would recommend this to most, if not all, of my friends who like mysteries, thrillers, family drama, suspense, and women’s friendship stories. This book could truly fit into many subcategories and be enjoyed by many (as long as that audience likes books about murder that is)!

I’d like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with the ARC of the book for free in exchange for an honest review. It was a joy to read “High Season.”

Katie Bishop crafts a haunting and suspenseful tale in High Season, where the past and present collide in a web of fading memories and chilling secrets. As Nina seeks answers to her sister Tamara’s tragic death, the tension builds with each revelation, drawing readers deeper into the mystery. The atmospheric setting of the French Riviera adds a striking backdrop to the story’s dark undertones, while Nina’s journey to uncover the truth keeps you questioning every detail.

High Season is a gripping story about Nina the sole witness to her sister Tamera's' murder at only 5-years-old. Josie Jackson is the convicted murderer of Tamera and a 20th year documentary to uncover what really happened is underway. Thank you Katie Bishop for writing this book. What an excellent storyline! The chapters alternate between Nina, Josie, and Josies best friend Hannah to give there unique perspective of the events. I love how real this story feels and puts you in the chair of an armature true crime sleuth! Can Nina trust her own memory? This starts as an intriguing a slow burn and once the fire starts you can't put out or put this book down! Thoroughly enjoyable! 5 stars!

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

i think this was a pretty good book! it was a pretty standard story, nothing too unique or different, but it was still a good story and it was well written. I think the author did a good job

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Thanks Netgalley for a copy of this book. I loved this one. I really found it interesting that a 5 year old had testified to a murder that she saw 20 years ago. Is it believable? Did she really see anything? She’s doubting it 20 years later. I can’t imagine living with that guilt if you got it wrong. The character of Tamara was my favorite. Even though she was rich and popular with a famous mother, she still seemed like she was a good caring person.

One summer changes everything. Tamara Drayton was just seventeen-years-old when she was found dead in her family’s pool. She left behind a twin brother Blake and younger sister Nina. Nina was only six when she has to testify in the French murder trial. She accused their babysitter.
Twenty years later Nina begins to question her memories. Was she coached? False memories? A new crime documentary has been announced and this will force Nina to really thing back to that time. Was someone falsely accused or was it someone even closer to her?
A little long, but I enjoyed the novel.

A gripping tale. Young Nina was the sole witness in her sister’s murder trial at only five years old. Twenty years later she goes back to scene of the crime and begins to wonder if she really saw what she said she saw. Is it possible that the wrong person went to jail. The author does a very good job of showing us the different perspectives of three women affected by the crime interspersed with snippets of a true crime TikTok account. The book does a good job of keeping the reader on their toes regarding what really happened. It also offers a good critique of true crime content creation in the age of TikTok.

Nina was instrumental in putting away her babysitter for her sister's murder that she witnessed as a kid. As years pass and a new light is shined on the case Nina realizes that her memory is not as clear as it once was. Did the babysitter really commit murder?

Intense story of the death of Tamara and what happened that fateful summer Intense story of the death of Tamara and what happened that fateful summer twenty years ago. Nina was only five when her testimony puts Josie away in prison for the death of her sister. Told from all the major characters recollections and what was really happening under the surface. A fantastic read with great character development, in a fantastic location.
Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reading copy. Really enjoyed reading and giving feedback. twenty years ago. Nina was only five when her testimony puts Josie away in prison for the death of her sister. Told from all the major characters recollections and what was really happening under the surface. A fantastic read with great character development, in a fantastic location. Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reading copy. Really enjoyed reading and giving feedback.

Thank you NetGalley and Katie Bishop for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

High Season follows the lead up to filming a documentary on the 20th anniversary of Tamara Drayton's death. Josie Jackson was convicted of the murder after Tamara's then 5 year old sister, Nina, claims she saw them fighting at the scene of the crime. Now Josie has been released from prison for 10 years, and a documentary uncovering what really happened is in the works. Chapters show the past and present through the perspective of Nina, Josie, and Hannah and the truth is slowly revealed.

This was a great read! I thought how everything ended up coming together really worked. My brain was turning the entire time trying to figure out the truth of what happened; some things I was right about but just in the wrong ways! I genuinely really enjoyed this and the format of the book and reveal.

This was a good read. It does take a bit to get into and I did consider putting it down, but I'm so glad I didn't. This is a tale of a murdered girl, the girl who was in prison for the crime and the remaining family of the murdered girl. Namely Nina, the younger sister who was six at the time and the "witness", and brother Blake. Some twenty years later, a true crime investigator is looking into the crime and Nina, not trusting her memories returns to the scene. New witnesses come to light, and it turns out there is more to the story. The story is told in past and present, and the atmosphere is amazing. I forgot to mention, the setting is this family's vacation home in the South of France. You will really feel like you are there. I did wonder at the competency of the police department back then, as it appears they took the word of a six-year-old as the only evidence to convict another child and there did seem to be other witnesses and POV's, as is shown in the later investigation. I did think the story could have been sped up a bit, but overall, a good, suspenseful read. Perfect for the beach on vacation!

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 and other retail and social media sites upon publication day of August 12, 2025.

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

A tragic death at a party destroys the life of a teenager convicted of murder. A Podcaster reopens an inquiry into the case.

3.6
The first 3/4 of this book dragged unbearably, though it did redeem itself in the last bit. Overall, I'm not sure the destination was completely worth the journey.