DNF at 10%

I started reading this because I was hoping for juicy drama and a rollicking mystery, but all I got was a ton of exposition that I didn't feel like wading through to get to the good stuff.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

I love young adult mystery thrillers. This one had a lot of twists and turns I didn’t see coming, and I loved the mysterious aspect.

I’ve certainly encountered YA mysteries that are more poorly plotted than this one, but I’m not sure I’ve slogged through one that was less engaging.

The TLDR of it is that this is just a boring book. But the real problem is that there just isn’t anything there to make you care much about what happens. The plot is a bit convoluted and so is the solve, but the issue is more that midway through the book, you find yourself not caring if it gets solved at all.

The characters are difficult to engage with largely because they’re so one-dimensional, but they’re also just not that likable aside from being generally inoffensive.

This book is described as having “lush prose,” which is about as inapt a description as you can get. The writing is competent, but the book has little atmosphere and little to engage the senses.

Perhaps the biggest issue, though? That would either be Darby’s ultra-creepy family with all this icky purity and be a “good” girl stuff, or the fact that a huge part of the plot hinges on asking the reader to buy into some really suspect pseudoscience.

There are a lot of good YA mysteries out there. You can skip this one.

This book was great! I did have to sometimes remind myself that these were young kids--young teens, even. I was not sheltered by any means as a kid, and this all sounded too young. I almost think it would've been more relatable if they were at least in their late teens or early twenties. Sometimes even the things they said and "wisdom" they possessed seemed too mature. I don't know any teens who think like that lol.

However, the story and writing were great once you got past the fact that they're practically babies.

I really enjoyed this novel! Caroline George's writing was very descriptive while also being easy to comprehend.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review...I requested this one because I liked the title and I liked the cover. Sometimes that backfires on me but I actually really liked this one. There were SO many secrets and so many different twists and turns that it was kind of hard to keep up sometimes but it kept me interested the whole way through...and somehow I didn't see the end coming. I would recommend it to anyone who likes to read mystery/suspense novels...nothing too crazy but very interesting and worth the read. It's kind of hard to do TOO much of a review because I don't want to give any spoilers. :)

I could not get into this book, ultimately it was not form me and I could not finish it. It may be one for other readers

Oh I love books where you're not sure who to trust or who is telling the truth. This was such a compelling read and I devoured it.

I’ve tried to read this one a couple times and I can’t get into. I’m going to sadly dnf 30% in.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for sending me an arc in exchange for my honest review.

This story had an interesting premise, and I thought it was going to be good. It held my interest for a while, and then the story seemed to lag. This one wound up not being for me.

I love a good YA mystery/thriller. It has been a while since I have read one so good and I have recommended this to everyone I know. This is also my first book from this author and I will be reading more. A broken friendship between Darby and Morgan that has lasted 2 years is challenged with the past haunts them and they are forced to deal with secrets from before. The constant mystery of the whole story until the end was so fun to be on. The romance that developed was a very pure romance, nothing too bad about it and was a sweet thing to see unfold.

**Disclaimer: I received a free advanced readers copy of The Summer We Forgot by Caroline George through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this opportunity.

The Summer We Forgot by Caroline George is a young adult mystery thriller.  It features a group of teens who worked at a summer camp a couple of years before the events of the book, but mysteriously they can remember no details about the summer.  They reunite after the discovery of their science teacher's body to try and figure out what happened that summer.  The book was published on March 8th, 2022.  I rated it 4 stars on Goodreads.


Here's the summary from Goodreads:

Caroline George once again transports readers with lush, evocative prose, leading them to ask the question: what happens when we can’t even trust ourselves?
Some memories are better left forgotten.
Darby and Morgan haven’t spoken for two years, and their friend group has splintered. But when the body of their former science teacher is found in the marsh where they attended camp that summer, they realize they have more questions than answers . . . and even fewer memories.
No one remembers—or no one is talking.
The group of reunited friends begins to suspect that a murderer is stalking the coastal highway 30A, and they must try to recover their memories as quickly as possible . . . before the history they can’t remember repeats itself.
Everyone has a secret.
As tensions rise and time runs out, Darby and Morgan begin to wonder if they can believe one another . . . or if they can even trust themselves.

I found the premise of this book very intriguing.  The concept of a whole group of teens forgetting the same summer was really interesting to me.  However, I will admit that it took me a while to get into it, and ultimately I had to listen to it as an audiobook post the release of the book rather than reading the eBook.  However, the audiobook was very good.  It's written in dual perspective and each of the perspectives gets a different narrator which really helped to make the story come alive.

The plot of this novel had a lot of layers.  As soon as I thought I had a handle on the mystery, there was another layer to the story.  It was really intriguing and I felt like it was really well plotted.  I wanted to know what was going to happen next, and I kept guessing and being proven wrong in my guesses.  It's very much a story of not knowing who to trust, and I really enjoyed that.

The characters were also really interesting.  I really enjoyed reading from Morgan and Darby's perspectives.  I also liked watching them reunite and reconnect and become a couple.  The romance was well developed despite all the bad things that were happening around them.

The novel is also really well-paced.  The author built a good amount of tension and didn't rush through while still structuring it in a way that kept you wanting to turn pages.  

If you are at all intrigued by the premise, I would highly recommend that you check this one out.  It's a well crafted mystery, and I had so much fun reading it.

First of all, I'd like to thank NetGalley and Thomas Nelson (publisher) for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I gave this book 4.2 stars.

Trigger and content warnings:

Mentions of child abuse, car accident, attempted rape (minor), memory loss (forced), statutory rape, kidnapping (hostage situation), mention of the death of a pet and blakmailing.

Summary:

Darby and her friends have distanced from each other in the past couple of years and they don't even seem to know why. However, certain recent events force them to understand what really happened that summer and why they seem to have forgotten everything from the moment they entered the camp as counselors at the request of their favourite teacher.

A wonderful coming of age YA contemporary thriller with several plot twists also focused on the importance of love and friendship, fighting for what matters and how much it means to have the support of those you love.

Character, plot or atmosphere driven?

Although I'm inclined to say this book is plot driven, both the story and the characters were well developed.

The plot made sense and, even if we percieve some aspects of it as improbable, they happen more commonly than you'd think. There are no untied ends, which makes the ending quite satisfying, aside from the ending of the story itself.

Romance was never the main focus, which I definitely appreciated, but rather interpersonal relationships themselves and how we deal with our own issues much better when we leave pride aside and can rely on those we love.

As this is also a coming of age story, character development happens along with the plotline.

Writing style:

This made the story an even easier read. There are multiple POVs, each with a clearly distinct voice and thoughts, which allows the reader to put the story together and never get confused on who's talking. I believe this is a hard skill and the author did it masterfully.

Every chapter begins with a flashback of police interviews made to each of the friends regarding the events that ended the camp, as part of the murder investigation. This is intermingled with the plot so nicely, it help clarify what happened, but never gives away enough before it should.

Who would like this book?

If you like thrillers, are not triggered by the TW above and love that romance is not the main focus of the story, being friendship a priority, this book may be for you.

I'd definitely highly recommend it.

Let me know if you read this or what you thought if you've already read it.

Cannot wait to hear your thoughts.

This was one that I just couldn't get into. I tried to read it and I tried to listen on audiobook. But I don't think I'm the demographic that this author was writing to reach.

Because I was unable to finish, I am unable to give a full review.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had begun reading this book several times before I was finally able to finish it this past week. I don’t think that is anything against the book I just wasn’t in the mood for a murder mystery I suppose.

A group of teens become camp counselors. 2 years later no one remember a thing and the teacher who hired them turns up dead. Do the teens not want to remember or did something bigger happen. I really liked that this felt like a very tight knit community and that all these former friends rekindled their relationship to try and figure out what happened at camp and what happened to them. I always enjoy the books where the teens end up doing way more of the investigating and solving the case. I also really enjoyed getting to see/ hear the police interviews. I think that added a lot to my enjoyment of this book. Definitely pick it up if you were ever a Pretty Little Liars fan, this is for sure a book you don’t want to miss.

This was plain boring and really not for me. The romance was dull and there was no chemistry between the main characters, and yet the romance was what took over most of the plot. The mystery, which was interesting at least during the first half of the book, was pushed to the back and very poorly executed in the end.
This just really was not for me, would not recommend.

This book started off well. The strange situation of an entire summer that everyone forgot was quite appealing (in a thriller sort of way).
We have two central narrators who have been torn apart by a misunderstanding that also divided their supportive friends. Each carries a secret that is all set to be revealed when one of their own goes missing.
I liked the overall narrative, but the back and forth did not draw me in. It confused me for the most part, although it was not hard to follow.
I am a little picky when it comes to books about teenagers just about to leave school. The town and their secrets draw a reader in, but my biggest peeve was the final flourish. The reveal was enough of a letdown for me personally that I could not enjoy the overall experience.
I would recommend this to readers of the genre, though. The cast is pretty eclectic, and their problems are quite diverse. I would not want to go into the details because the bulk of the narrative is the introduction of their individual histories and their own circle of family and friends. The interactions between the different spheres cause tension in the background.
Even if we do not have all the people narrating their own versions, how the book is ordered makes it feel that way.
I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Gosh this one was tense and brilliant. I love YA mystery and felt that this one really hit the mark.
I loved seeing all of the characters come together in the event of the mystery, and really enjoyed the writing style.

Haven't been able to read it. It does not have a reader-friendly format. I wish they fix it a bit because this book seems interesting.

This was another great story from the author of “Dearest Josephine”. Completely different! The mystery was interesting, and I couldn’t put it down!