I raced through this pacy thriller in two days and it was a wild ride. I had no idea where the author was taking me, but I knew I wanted to follow…..⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"One Dark Summer" follows Meg, a professional au pair who takes a job at Deben Manor in the English countryside. But not everything is as it seems: the manor is owned by her three cousins, and she is undercover as Margaret, the nanny, using this unique opportunity to uncover what really happened fifteen years ago. That was the summer she stayed at the house after her mother disappeared- the summer she killed a man.

The story is fast-paced and packed with twists and turns. I thought I had it figured out at 20%, then at 40, then at 60... and I was wrong every time. Of course, this is one of those cases where, if only people sat down and talked instead of being secretive and sneaky, things would get resolved much faster- but that’s not how it works in real life either.
As readers, we know what happened to Meg’s mom (not the full story, of course, but most of it), while nobody else does, and we eagerly wait for her to uncover the truth. When the last twist is revealed and everything is laid out, there isn’t a single loose thread.

Definitely a page-turner from Sarginson that had me hooked and reading well into the night.

my first read from this author and very much enjoyed. Megs mum walked out on her and her dad when she was very young and never contacted her and now, she wants to find out what happed to her, and she thinks it's all connected to one family Debon manor where her cousins live. and something happened to Meg there one summer. the 3 sisters are very close, and meg goes there as the new nanny, it's a very addictive and creepy read that will keep you guessing until the end

Thank you to the author and publisher for an ARC copy

From page one, you are on a suspenseful ride. You will engulf this story in one sitting. I truly thought I knew what was going on and then Part 2 started, rinse and repeat through the end of the book. Wow.

This book left me in shock. It started out as a slow burn but I am really glad I kept reading it. I liked the characters and really found myself becoming engaged with their stories. The twists had me open mouthed. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

This was such a great read! I love how fast paced it was and it kept me guessing. Perfect vacation book!

This book was completely different in that there are stunning twists and turns starting from the very beginning of the story. The author dives so deep into the character background, and really draws on the readers emotions at times. I really liked the story being told from multiple different character view points and different points in time. The family drama was crazy, but also had an underlying message that to be a family doesn’t require blood relation. A gripping read, couldn’t read it fast enough to see the end! Loved it!

“One Dark Summer” is by Saskia Sarginson. I found this to be a light mystery overall. The beginning was rather slow, but the pace picks up in the second half of the book. The characters were well thought out and I enjoyed them. I did find the time jumps to be a bit jarring - they weren’t smooth and lacked tying the past with the present. I think that if you’ve read other books by this author and/or like light mysteries, this book would be one to pick up.

After her mother went missing Meg spent a summer with her three cousins in Deben Manor. Now, years later she assumes a new identity and comes back to her cousins house in order to solve the mystery of her mother's disappearance.

Although I personally love a thriller with a dark, mysterious house in a center of the story and a family secret I hate to say I didn't love this book. The story is very slow, especially in the first half. It felt really choppy to me that there were constant jumps back and forth which felt very artificial. I feel that usually there should be something that brings the character to the past and here those kind of transitions were often missing. Those jumps were really pulling me out of the story. Another thing that I didn't love were multiple characters with different names. This made it more difficult to connect with them and the story.

The plot twists also didn't feel all that much surprising, I figured some things out before the story came to them.

The aspect I liked were actually the characters. Once I got used to the writing style and time jumps I really enjoyed how Meg, her mother and even the cousins were written and how they changed throughout the story.

Overall I would say it was an okay book, it did have it moments, but I unfortunately didn't end up loving it. I'd also wouldn't classify it as a thriller, it's a good mystery with some light suspense, but was missing the keeping you on the edge of your seat feeling.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC of this book.
#OneDarkSummer #NetGalley.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of One Dark Summer by Saskia Sarginson due to be published April 13, 2025.
Also recommended by Saskia Sarginson: Identical.
Meg knocks on the door of the large manor house where she is to be the nanny to two children. It looks like she remembers from when she was little the summer her mother went missing. Will her cousins recognize her, or will she find out exactly what happened to her mother?
Wow – this book had so many secrets, twists, and turns it was hard to keep up with all of them. It had me hooked from the beginning as it alternated between two timelines and revealed more of Meg’s life. What a great thriller!

#NetGalley #SankiaSarginson #BoldwoodBooks #OneDarkSummer

Written in multiple timelines and POV’s this is an easy read psychological thriller/ family drama. The book opens with a short prologue where an unnamed person is trapped in a metal box, if that doesn’t hook you I don’t know what will. The book then moves into the first of three parts.

Briefly, Meg goes back to Deben Manor where she was part of some terrible event when she was just 11 years old. She returns 15 years later, hiding her identity, as Margaret, a nanny to Ophelia’s two children, determined to fine out what happened to her mother. Ophelia is the eldest of her three cousins, the others are Clem and Thea. Meg’s mother just walked out on Meg and her father leaving her father struggling to cope which is when Meg went to stay at the manor. However, after the tragedy she returned to live with her father but she has never seen or heard from her mother since she left.

I thought this was a compulsive read and I finished it in one sitting. There were some good twists and turns, some of which I had guessed, but some I got totally wrong! There is a bit of a gothic feel to the book which I enjoyed and I thought the character development was good. All in all an enjoyable and entertaining read.

This book was not at all what I expected! I loved the back & forth between the past and the present. The ending was jaw dropping. I loved watching the story unfold with Meg. I will definitely be recommending this book and reading more by this author!

This is one of those crazy books that has you off-balance the entire way through! It begins with Meg returning to the estate where she grew up and will now be the nanny to young children. But there's something "off" about the house and its creepy hallways, attic where she hears noises, and her young charges who seem innocent enough but the adults seem to be hiding things. You may not want to read this late at night as you may hear voices from your own attic or have nightmares about family members who are keeping secrets!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Meg spent One Dark Summer with her three cousins when she was a child. Her mother had disappeared, and for reasons not entirely clear to her, her father chose to send her to stay with his sister. Flash forward 15 years and Meg is masquerading as Margaret the nanny to try to uncover reasons why her mother disappeared. I enjoyed the unexpected twists in this one, sad as some were. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

✨3 stars✨

I found this to be an okay thriller. I enjoyed the jumps in time while following different characters in order to work out the mystery.

However, the reveals fell flat for me and “plot twists” felt predictable.

I would recommend if you like this authors other books and it was a quick read but I just didn’t feel it as engaging as other thrillers that I have read.

I received an ARC from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

It took a few chapters for me to get into this book, but once I was in, I was hooked. This book had me double checking that all my doors were locked. I thought the ending was perfect as well.

Also Fred is just the perfect character.

I didn’t want to put this book down.. every page made me want more! Definitely put this on your reading list :)

In One Dark Summer by Saskia Sarginson, Meg was 11 when she was sent to live with her cousins over summer break because her father was struggling after her mother/his wife suddenly left one recent day, never to return. During that summer of getting to know her cousins and uncle, she tries to fit in but is left out more often than in. Then tragedy strikes the family one day and their lives are shattered. Several years later, Meg returns but goes by Margaret when she is hired by the oldest cousin as a nanny. Margaret is determined to piece together what happened in the walls of the manor that fateful summer.

Positives: The transformation of the characters - Meg, the sisters, even Meg’s mother. The sisters were an unknown on how they’d end up being as I read the book.

Struggles: Meg/Margaret’s first part was a bit slow, but then part 2 turned to her mother’s story and twist one happens. I don’t know that this is a hard core suspense/thriller. I would say more light suspense/mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the advanced copy. Opinions expressed are my own. This book will be published on April 13, 2025. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

#netgalley #arc #bookstagram #OneDarkSummer #SaskiaSarginson #BoldwoodBooks

This is a gripping thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish
The plot is filled with unexpected twists and turns, making it impossible to predict what will happen next.
The writing is both engaging and suspenseful, with well-developed characters that add depth to the narrative.
The pacing of the novel is perfect, with just the right amount of tension to keep readers hooked without feeling overwhelmed.
The setting is vividly described, creating an immersive atmosphere that enhances the overall reading experience.

'One Dark Summer' has a brilliant atmosphere that really sets the plot alight. The whole way through there was an intense, dark feeling to the book which only increased as the plot progressed. This kept me interested and hooked and meant I could not tear myself away from this for long. This also has surprises in it, one of them being this is told by multiple perspectives and in different timelines. As a result, the plot was more involved than I initially thought and I enjoyed discovering the different elements to the book.
The characters are fantastic too and support the plot brilliantly. This has plenty of dark secrets to uncover that will keep you guessing and keep your interest.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance copy.