The Summer Girls

Just turned the last page of Marissa Finch's captivating mystery novel, 'The Summer Girls,' and I'm thoroughly impressed. This 4/5-star thriller offers a meticulously woven plot with a refreshing focus on the evolving dynamics between the strong female leads, Eva and Maggie. The author crafts their characters with intricate detail, making their quest for justice feel intensely personal.

Finch's deft storytelling transports readers directly into the heart of each scene, ensuring we're as immersed in the action as the characters themselves. Unlike many other thrillers, 'The Summer Girls' maintains a clear and focused narrative by minimizing character clutter and superfluous elements.

While I pride myself on predicting plot twists, I must confess that the novel's climactic turn genuinely caught me off guard. This intriguing surprise, coupled with the unresolved elements of Eva's and Maggie's personal stories, leaves readers eager for the continuation of this series.

In conclusion, 'The Summer Girls' is an engrossing mystery novel that successfully balances suspense, character development, and unexpected plot twists. Perfect for readers who appreciate strong female characters and well-crafted thrillers.

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the copy of The Summer Girls by Marissa Finch. Don’t be put off because this book is so long. It moves at a fast pace and if the writing doesn’t draw you in the story will. I loved the writing style and it was an easy read. I liked how the red herrings were subtle and the reveal came as a big surprise. Maggie and Eva are great characters and I really look forward to the rest of this series. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were easy to love, and I found the story compelling. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Maggie has been approached by Eva, a journalist looking to tell Maggie's story on her podcast about a traumatic abduction that she suffered several years back. No one ever believed Maggie about what happened to her until now. That's why Maggie hesitantly agrees to meet with her. But Eva also believes that Maggie's captor never stopped hurting women and is actually a serial killer. She's been collecting evidence of women who went missing under similar circumstances and believes she can use what Maggie knows to complete the profile and uncover who the perpetrator is. At first reluctant to follow through with her interview, Maggie quickly changes her mind when she discovers that another local girl has gone missing. She and Eva agree to work together to investigate the current case and see if a serial killer truly is out there. But how much will the truth cost them?

I love taking a chance on a book by a new author and finding it to be better than expected. That's exactly the case with this story - I'm hooked. And as it appears this is a new series, I can't wait to read all the books to follow. The main characters are likable and relatable. They have a budding friendship that brings them closer not a sexual relationship or a 'will they, won't they' that comes with many of these thrillers and procedurals. It shows that you don't need that element to have characters that readers are invested in. This is an enthralling mystery that doesn't rely on mind-blowing twists, just good old-fashioned investigative work. Unlike that of the police in this story! This author has created an exciting duo that I'm sure will entertain readers for many more books to come.

Wow! Great book! I did not expect that ending!! Whoa! What a book! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one! This book had it all! It had high suspense, intrigue, action, murder, serial killer, kidnapping, mystery, great detective work, a fabulous who done it and a crazy ending that I definitely did not see coming! The storyline was so very interesting and had me glued to my Kindle! I highly recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me! Definitely don't miss out on this one!

Really excited about this book. It was an Absolutely phenomenal read. High will recommend to others to pick up as soon as it is released.

This was such an intriguing story! I loved how it sucked you in right from the beginning while the fast moving plot keeps you glued to the pages the whole way through. The readers meet Maggie, 6 years ago she was abducted and assaulted but managed to escape, however no one in her small town believed her story. All these years later, a podcast host, Eva, shows up on her doorstep after connecting her case with 10 more missing girl cases. Together they start to dive in to these disappearances, unearthing small town secrets and coming closer and closer to the true villain.

I love Marissa Finch's style of writing and how she takes you step by step with the characters through their own investigation, you feel like you are right there alongside them the entire time!

I’ve read several of this author’s books, and this is my favourite so far - well written with likeable characters, it grabbed me from the very beginning and didn’t let go until the last page! So pleased to see there will be a sequel released this year.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.