This was such a tough one for me to give a rating to. I liked the character development a lot, although I think there could have been a lot more to Selene than what was shown. There were also a couple of moments that I didn’t see coming. But overall, I was looking for a juicy thriller full of secrets that would keep popping up throughout the novel, and I just didn’t feel like I got any of that.

There were many moments while reading where I felt that there was more of a focus on personal growth and renewal of relationships. There’s obviously nothing wrong with that, but since I was expecting a psychological thriller, I just kind of kept feeling like I was waiting for something more and was disappointed with the delivery. I was also convinced that there would be a shocking plot twist somewhere in the ending, but that never came either.

In saying all that, I enjoyed the writing style and the few secrets that were revealed definitely got my attention. I especially liked reading about Tansy and Selene’s friendship when they were younger. The power and manipulation that Selene held over Tansy was eerie and I wanted to hear more about that!

Overall, this book was fine but left me feeling like so much was missing. I would still recommend it to people who enjoy a novel with a few dark twists, but I wouldn’t say there was anything jaw-dropping about the story.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this eARC! I will be posting a review on my Bookstagram (@janinesbookcorner) closer to the publication date.

So I requested this ARC and was glad that I got this book. Though I was a bit skeptical about this book, to my surprise, I actually enjoyed reading this book!

Tansy is a counsellor at the university when her former best friend, Selene waltzes into her office one day, asking her to repay for a deed that they both have committed many years ago during the summer. Selene's daughter, Jupiter is attending the same university and Selene is convinced that her boyfriend, Colton is abusing her. Reluctantly, Tansy agrees to help her and soon, she discovers some dark secrets about Colton and at the same time develops a bond between her and Jupiter and a romance blossom between her and Zack, Selene's brother.

Initially, the first few chapters were a bit boring but gradually, the story got interesting. and intriguing as I kept continuing to read the book. Selene seemed to be a very complex character that as a reader, you don't know, if she is really telling the truth or not. Tansy is loyal and helpful and a likable character in my opinion. Jupiter, suffers just like any other domestic victims insecure though later on, she starts becoming stronger with the help of Tansy. The writing was engaging that the author did a good job of drawing the reader into the story, making the reader feel like they are also the part of the story.

Overall, if you like a bit of a family drama, then I would recommend this book--page turner and the few parts in the book can make you emotional and heartbreaking--worth four stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

This is a book of simmering secrets and past crimes that re-surface in the present. It isn’t one of those thrillers full of shocks and twists, but it’s a compelling portrait of a damaged woman who wreaks havoc in the lives of her loved ones.

College guidance counsellor Tansy is shocked when Selene walks into her office after she hasn’t seen her for 20 years. Once they were best friends, inseparable, until one terrible night when Selene came to Tansy’s aid and involved her in a crime that Tansy wants desperately to forget.

Now Selene has come to Tansy for payback. Her daughter Jupiter is a student at Tansy’s college, and she wants her to counsel her to leave her boyfriend Colton, as Selene believes he is abusing her and cutting her off from her family and friends. Tansy is reluctant to become involved once again in Selene’s wild schemes, but she is drawn to Jupiter and wants to help. She is also irresistibly attracted to Selene’s brother Zach even though she knows that getting too involved with this family could be a bad idea.

Selene is a vibrant, colourful character who leaps off the page – a woman you would love to hate but somehow don’t. Tansy is a likeable protagonist with a difficult moral dilemma. I could really relate to her struggle over the decisions she’s forced to make. The relationships between the characters are complex and make for interesting reading.

This is a slow burn with some mystery, some romance, some suspense. It’s very well written with some beautiful descriptive language. Don’t expect a shock every few chapters - it’s not that kind of book. But for me it was a very enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Twenty years ago, Tansy and Selene were inseparable friends. It's more of a toxic relationship that ended due to an event. Now, Tansy is working as a college counselor and Selene is back, demanding that Tansy should help her daughter from being gaslighted by her boyfriend. Well, Tansy doesn't want to have anything to do with Selene anymore so she ignores her but Selene started threatening her about that summer two decades ago...

The Summer We Buried is a slow-burn novel that picked up its pace in the second half. The story is centered on family issues, abusive and toxic relationships, and mental health. The representation of mental health issues and how a toxic relationship can influence us mentally were well done.

Unfortunately, the characters were lacking depth and were just unlikeable. Tansy and Selene irritated me while I can't connect with Jupiter. In addition, I wasn't expecting the romance in the middle of Jupiter's drama that felt unnecessary. There are also some plot lines that were left open at the end.

Overall, The Summer We Buried is an intriguing read despite my complaints. The story is solid and kept me hooked albeit predictable. Would recommend it to someone who likes slow-paced psychological thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jody Gehrman and Crooked Lane Books for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

The premise to this novel sounds good and I requested it based on my love for the authors novel prior to this one. Unfortunately, I didn't love this one quite as much. It was a solid novel that kept me interested and invested in the families story, even though the family was not totally normal. All the relationships in this novel were complicated, but nonetheless, I enjoyed the novel.

Much better than the first outing, but the bar was pretty low here. All I wanted from this book was for it not to have thinly-veiled racism and ableism, and I got that.
The plot was better, but overall there was just too much navel-gazing at the friendship between Selene and Tansy, and not enough actually moving things forward. And Zack and Selene were written in such massive archetypes that it made them seem less real.

I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend this to people.

Twenty years ago, Tansy fell under Selene’s charming and erratic spell, and they quickly became inseparable friends. After a shocking incident that ended up shattering their friendship, they ceased all contact with each other.
Now, Tansy is content working as an academic councillor at a small university and comfortably living on her ex-boyfriend’s property. Her quiet life gets disrupted again when one day Selene suddenly shows up with demands and threats if Tansy chooses not to help her. Eventually, Selene manipulates Tansy into aiding her, and their lives become entangled once again.

This suspenseful tale is slowly paced and told entirely from Tansy’s perspective.

Insta-love alert. And a steamy love scene. Both of which I could have done without. Readers who don’t mind insta-love/lust will probably enjoy it more than I did.
This book has a lot of intriguing twists and lies that go unpunished, but well worth the read. There is a lot of coercive, tormenting relationships that society tries to normalize and a true picture of how some may not see the invisible chains.
My only drawback was the slow burn at the beginning and just when I thought it was going nowhere...the web begins and ends with some intricate ways to keep you going.

A quick enjoyable 3.5 star read for me.

Tansy isn’t exactly thrilled when her old friend Selene arrives back into her life after 20 years. Tansy cut ties with Selene for a reason, and she doesn’t need the demons from her past to resurface now.

Selene believes her daughter Jupiter is caught up in a toxic relationship that she can’t escape from. Given that Tansy is a counsellor at the college her daughter attends, Selene feels Tansy is in the perfect position to help. Only problem is that Tansy doesn’t trust Selene and doesn’t want to let her back into her life.

The premise of the story is pretty good, and it definitely kept me intrigued but as a slow burn throughout it just took a little too long for anything to really get going for me until the last quarter of the book.

I really enjoyed the backstory of the characters as the truth of their friendship twenty years earlier started to unfold. Selene a strong, confident take to crap character, while Tansy who is ten younger was much more naïve and innocent when the unlikely pair became inseparable.

Domestic violence and violence against women is a strong theme throughout and I just got a little frustrated with Tansy’s lack of want to really do anything to help Jupiter out of her current situation, instead repeating the mantra that she needs to learn herself that the relationship isn’t right for her. I just found that a little irritating given that victims of abuse often struggle to leave of their own accord.

That’s just my opinion, maybe from a counsellor’s perspective her reaction was justified.

Overall, an interesting mystery read that I did enjoy.

Thank you so much to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this one.

This was my first time reading a novel by Jody Gehrman and she did not disappoint. I would love to recommend this book to those who enjoy a good psychological thriller as the book touches upon some aspects of the human mind that makes us pause to think about people's actions and the reasons behind them.

In full honesty, this was not my favorite read. It felt slow to catch on and I felt like I was dragging my feet. The story line and idea are very interesting and normally what I would not be able to put down, but something about the writing style just did not jive with me. The book was in no way "bad", just not my cup of tea! I really hope that more readers were able to connect with it!

Fabulous story that I could not put down. Would highly recommend to fans of this genre. Great writing, and I will look for more from this author.

Honestly, I don't know where to begin with this one. I seem to be in the minority here, but I did not enjoy this book at all. It dragged, and was SO slow! I honestly do not think this was a "thriller" at all, but more of a toxic friendship drama. I didn't have any issues with the author's writing style, that was totally fine, but the story was lack luster. I also didn't connect to any of the characters. Selene was well written, and you definitely got a dark, witchy, mysterious vibe from her. Tansy got on my nerves at some points. Jupiter, well, I just didn't connect with her. I am just disappointed because I really thought I'd love this one. This will not stop me from checking out more by this author in the future, though.

I have another new author to look out for more from thanks to The Summer We Buried, a terrific psychological suspense novel. Selene is back in Tansy’s life after twenty years and it’s an unwelcome turn-up. It brings back some very bad things. Namely, a murder that they covered up which Tansy has yet to come to terms with. And now, after two decades apart, Selene wants something from her old friend, and it means crossing a professional line. She wants Tansy to use her role as college guidance counsellor to win her daughter’s trust, share confidences, and then help break up her relationship with her boyfriend, saving her from what might be an abusive relationship. Tansy tries to straddle the line between maintaining her professionalism, looking out for the girl, repaying an old debt. But it’s not easy when her wild, impulsive, dangerous friend Selena has good sides, and Selena’s daughter and brother are both fast becoming like family to Tansy. I loved the characters in The Summer We Buried and the author’s style, so highly recommend this one. 4.5 stars.

A treat for psychological thriller fans....................................

The Summer We Buried by Jody Gehrman is, indeed, an excellent psychological thriller. The plot has some very sharp turns which keeps your interest. Reading it felt like I am on a rocky terrain, could not relax myself a bit. Every page brings you a fresh mystery and thrill which restrains you from putting down the book. The book, definitely, defines friendship and loyalty in a very dangerous manner.

I would, definitely give the book 5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for giving me an opportunity to read and review the book.

This was my first book by this author. While the book was ok, it just didn't keep me excited. It wasn't what I thought it was going to be.

I didn't like any of the characters. Tansy and Selene were not likable at all to me. There was such a huge age difference that I found it hard to believe they were "best friends." They had this big secret between them and then they were not friends any longer. I understand that would happen. Living in her ex-boyfriend's house while he is with another woman is also unbelievable to me. Women are way to petty to do that. lol When Selene comes back demanding help things start heating up again a bit.

This book did not give me the feels that I love in a book. It may just be me so do not judge it from my review. Read for yourself and determine if you like it or not.

Thank you #NetGalley, #CrookedLaneBooks for this ARC. This is my own true feelings about this book.

3/5 stars from me.

This was a slow-burn psychological thriller. It kept me intrigued, but it didn't really have a lot of twists or anything unexpected. I felt like the characters were well developed, even though I didn't really like any of them except for Zack. The women in this book - Tansy, Selene and Jupiter - are all pretty self-centered; those people just looking for relationship drama.

The author does a great job of building the suspense in this book and keeps you reading, so it was hard to put down. Overall, I enjoyed reading it even though I felt like something was missing by the end.

"Maybe everyone is complicated, and jumping into their mess is the price you pay if you don’t want to be alone."

The story started 20 years ago, with Tansy and Selene 18 and 29.. Their friendship blooming through shared secrets in the Summers and ends quite abruptly with a tangle of guilt of covering up a shared crime..
After 20 years, the dark end of the best summer of her life still haunts Tansy and when Selene shows up quite literally in her office asking for repayment, Tansy knows its not gonna end well.. Because try as she might, she will never get over the intoxicating and Moody presence of Selene Rathbone.


When I started reading the book, I did not think i will actually like it. The Blurb was intriguing enough, quirky hypnotic characters, long shared secrets and friendships.. But it didn't have a lot of mystery, it was obvious and probably overused.. But by almost 30% of the book, it didn't matter because basically it's not a thriller but it's a psychological minefield. The characters, their dynamics and everything happening around was not only hypnotic but also actionpacked and very engaging. All the characters were well written and interesting and i was invested in knowing more about their story. Even the slow burn which i usually hate, made for a perfect weekend gateway for me..

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the E-ARC

The Summer We Buried by Jody Gehrman is the story of a twisted past friendship that comes back to haunt the main character, Tansy. Tansy is in her late 30s and lives in Sonoma. She’s an academic counselor at the local college and loves her job. She lives in a small house on a huge property owned by her ex boyfriend. It is kind of awkward that she lives there considering he is with a new woman. However, they have continued their friendship. They used to be in an indie band back in their younger years that toured around the country.
One day when Tansy is at work, a woman comes in for an appointment that turns out to be life-changing. It is Tansy’s old friend Selene. Back when Tansy was 20, Selene was her best friend even though she was 10 years older. They worked together at a spa in the middle of nowhere. Something tragic happened and Tansy cut Selene out of her life. Now Selene Is back and claims Tansy owes her a favor. If she doesn’t help her, Selene threatens to tell the cops about what happened 20 years ago on that tragic night. Tansy feels trapped and doesn’t know what to do. Selene ratchets up the pressure and manipulation trying to get her way.
This book was a slow burn. I like the way that the tension slowly builds. I identified with the friendship because when I was younger I worked certain jobs where my coworkers were quite a bit older and we became close friends. I really enjoyed books that increase that feeling of dread as it goes on. Fans of thrillers or mysteries that have flashback scenes and stories of old friendships will like this book. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

THE SUMMER WE BURRIED
GENRE : Psychological thriller, mystery
Opposite characters or qualities attract each other. This was exactly the reason for the inseparable friendship of Selene and Tansy. Tansy was ten years younger than Selene and quite naïve while Selene on the other hand was quite bold and extrovert. But Selene by chance made Tansy a part of a crime without actually intending to do so. Not being able to handle this burden, Tansy parts ways from Selene. Twenty years have passed. Both Tansy and Selene have lost touch of each other.
Tansy is a college guidance officer now. She is doing well in her work. But incidentally she comes across Selene’s daughter, Jupiter, who is suffering from an abusive relationship with her boyfriend, Colton. After all these years, she finds Selene standing in her office to talk about her daughter whom they need to help come out from that relationship.
To get Tansy’s help Selene threatens her by saying that she would unravel the dark secrets of their past if Tansy refused to help her.
The characters are quite well developed. It’s a slow-paced psychological thriller. Rather I would prefer to call it a psychological mystery.
Even though the start was quite slow, I eventually started getting a grip on my characters. It is a unique read. The story is narrated from Tansy’s perspective. Events unfold themselves in the form of flashbacks.
The story is steeped in toxic relationship, negativity and abuse. But it really has some essence of buddy ro,mance.
(P.S: it has a steamy sex scene)
Ratings: 4/5

Tansy (main character) and Selene, a free spirited women 20 years older than Tansy, are close friends until a murder is covered up one summer night 20 years ago, which they have ties to. After that event, Tansy removes herself from the situation and cuts all ties to Selene.

Guilt ridden from that summer night, Tansy tries to redeem herself and 20 years later becomes a college guidance counselor. After 20 years passes, Selene shows up at Tansy’s home and demands that Tansy intervene in Junipers’ (Selena’s daughter) relationship with her boyfriend, who Selene believes is toxic and abusive.

While the story is a slow burn until about 30% thorough the book, it is worth the read till the end! The toxic/dark relationship that Selene has with Tansy was both intriguing and disturbing. Tansy has to navigate the situation with Juniper while attempting to remain ethical. The second half of the book was faster paced, which kept you want to know more and find out how everything was going to play out. There were several plot twists that you just don’t see coming!

***** I received an ARC from NetGalley, the publisher and the author, in turn for my honest review.