I only finished 25% of this book before deciding it wasn’t for me. This book seems geared towards fans of young adult novels, which of course is not a bad thing at all, but those types of novels are not for me. The writing was solid, but the text lacked character development (so far), and I personally don’t think I should have to get over a quarter of the way through a book to start caring about the character(s). I think I would have loved this text when I was younger— it’s just not for me as an adult. Therefore I would recommend this to fans/readers of young adult literature or teachers looking for texts to recommend their high-school age students. Give this a read if it sounds up your alley!

Maeve is recovering from illness with her parents and younger siblings in her mother’s recently inherited childhood home. During a long hot summer we are gifted a dual narrative of two stories: one of Maeve in the present and one of Ruth, her mother, in the past.

I liked this story. It was creepy, mysterious and enticing. The romantic relationships were unsettling and as a reader, you desperately wanted to intervene. I enjoyed the epilogue particularly as it felt very realistic.

The writing is good and the book is well paced. I’d definitely read more books by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

There was something a little bit creepy in this book with a seventeen-year-old girl and the man who once had a crush on her mother. It had me as an uneasy reader, but the more I read, the more I wanted to see the outcome. If you can get through the inherent creepiness of some of the relations it is an interesting read about repressed feelings and recovery. Definitely a unique story.

This is a simultaneous story of two dueling summers that connect in a genius way. The Ophelia Girls is a delightful book that measures masterful storytelling and insightful characterization. I recommend this book for anyone who likes a story well told.