This was a very interesting thing to read, especially as there were no real indicators as to who the murderer was and why the murder happened until the teens started remembering. The way the relationship between Darby and Morgan morphs from them being tense and filled with difficult feelings to them reconnecting and becoming friends once again is a great process that is refreshing to see, especially with so much media making the main characters get together very quickly, If you enjoy murder mysteries, this is definitely a great read for you.

Going in, this book reminded me of something in the realm of R. L. Stine books. I liked the small beach town and all the descriptions of how things smelled and felt. That made me feel really present in the story.

The simmering romance between Darby and Morgan was also really well done. I liked that it drove the story forward, though a couple times I was like omg, figure this out already, guys! Haha. Looking back I feel like it was pretty well done, though.

I think one of my pet peeves with mystery/suspense books is when adults do all the heavy lifting and kids solve the mystery in conversations with them. There were a couple of moments in the book where I would have liked to see Darby and Morgan play a more active role in collecting clues and piecing things together. They did make some major moves, though, so all the solving didn’t happen in dialogue.

I also thought the cast of friends was kind of big. There were a couple characters that I kept getting confused, and I wonder if it would have been better to combine two of them?

On the whole, though, I felt like the dynamics between the members of the group felt pretty realistic. I enjoyed reading the banter between them and the goofy things they did together.

All in all, I think this book was enjoyable. I think fans of ONE OF US IS LYING by Karen McManus will enjoy the murder mystery and friend dynamics of the book.

I was intrigued with the premise from the very start. Two years ago, this group of teens was at a summer camp with one of their professors. A grave thing happened but for some reason, no one in the group can remember that summer at the camp. All of their memories related to the incident are buried somewhere in their minds. Two years later, they're trying to recall back what happened after the professor's body was found in a marsh after disappearing.

There were parts of the story that I found slow but the mystery definitely kept me reading as I was also eager to find out the truth. I also loved the romance subplot between Darby and Morgan. I know it's not the focus but that was one aspect of the entire story I really loved! I did feel like some of the other main characters didn't have much bearing on the story, though.

This is definitely geared to a younger audience than what I typically read and I found the differences between this and an “adult” thriller were plentiful. I felt that this had a lot of high drama, but lacked well-developed characters and a sense of sophistication often found in the psychological suspenses I love so much. The plot held my interest at first but quickly became a little too far-fetched for my taste. The mystery aspect was decent and there were a few nice twists at the end, but, overall, not my favorite.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The middle school science teacher's body has been found, two years after he disappeared. The only people who might know what happened at camp that summer to lead to his death, can't remember any of it. Who erased their memories? What are they forgetting? Who is trying to make sure they don't remember?

I love a young adult thriller, so that captured my attention from the start (after the stunning cover, of course). The more I read, the more it gave "One Of Us is Lying" (Karen M. McManus) vibes, which isn't a bad thing at all (just a point of relatability). One thing I had issues with in the plot is the idea of seven teens all having the same memory lapse. I had to remind myself that it was fiction and that the brain is complicated. The way it was rationalized was a bit "out there," but not so far out that it ruined the novel. The twists were interesting too. I'm glad I stuck through to the end!

CW: physical violence, death, murder, stalker, blackmail, trauma

The authoress’ writing style was really enjoyable. In terms of being a good summer read for YA, I definitely think it fits the bill. There seems to be fewer and fewer books being put out in YA that are written for actual teens, but this one is perfect for that age range. You get summer vibes of teen friend groups and late nights sneaking out to get take-out all while there is a murder mystery bringing back together friends who fell out without realizing it.

There were a few things that felt a bit lacking for me, though I may be more picky since I don’t always read contemporary, and it’s hard to talk about it without spoiling the book. But plot wise, I felt there were certain aspects that could have been done better. And the whole “mystery” of the book the way things panned out in the end left me lacking and unsure of its realism. I really enjoyed the writing and the characters, they were realistic and relatable at times. But the reason it became a mystery fell flat.

"Nowadays the world tells people to live their truths, but what if we're not what we believe? What if we're the lies we tell ourselves?"

Caroline George has written another gripping, evocative story in The Summer We Forgot. I don't usually read YA fiction, but her voice, style, and ability to write such layered characters has made her a must-read author for me. This murder mystery follows a group of high school seniors whose lives were all turned upside down two summers ago, but they can't remember why. The story drew me in from the beginning, from the coastal setting on 30A to the friendships between the characters to the twisty, layered plot.

"We're part the lies we believe about ourselves and part the truths we forget."

This is a coming of age story that readers of any age can relate to, as we question along with the characters whether or not we will let our past mistakes define us. If you are looking for a clean, deeply moving story that blends mystery with romance and friendship, look no further than The Summer We Forgot.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

(1.25*)

The Summer We Forgot by Caroline George is a newly released young adult thriller that follows Darby and Morgan, who haven’t spoke to one another or their group for two years, but once the body of their former science teacher is found where they attended summer camp, they begin to realize that they have more questions than answers and even fewer memories…

Right away, there were a handful of things I noticed that I wouldn’t like (the repetitiveness on small details and not enough explanation on things that needed it), but I wanted to stay a little longer and see if I was just being petty or picky.

After I kept going on a bit after the beginning, I realized that the friend group is going to have this whole “I can’t remember” thing going on for awhile. It was getting pretty annoying (to me at least) that every once in awhile someone would just randomly remember a tiny piece, but not enough, over and over to the point where I couldn’t keep doing that. I’m sure eventually it picks up and more events to the story are remembered, allowing it to start flowing, but it wasn’t during the time I was reading.

I got to a little under 30% before DNFing it. I did not want to keep going and give it a bad review solely because of how I was feeling at the time of reading it, so I stopped earlier than I typically would before DNFing a book. A lot of people do seem to like this book though, giving it a high rating and/or a good review, so that just goes to show that I am one of the few who were not feeling it, and that is totally fine.


Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The best way I can describe this book is if Netflix's Outer Banks was set to a soundtrack of all Taylor Swift breakup songs. And I mean that in the nicest way. Also has strong "We Were Liars" vibes! Now that I have a finished copy I look forward to finishing it!

“Maybe what we remember determines who we become.” Page-Turning. Twisted. Unexpected.

The cover art for Caroline George’s new YA thriller The Summer We Forgot was eye-catching and the description given with the characters not recollecting what happened one summer at camp when a teacher turns up murdered in the marsh two years later was an unusual idea that left me wanting to hear more! The author did such an incredible job detailing the location of the book for the reader, that it made you feel as if you had a clear image of what was happening in each scene. I was a big fan of the storyline being told in the different character perspectives of Morgan and Darby narrating what happened leading up to the summer two years ago and that the timeline was told backward. I love when authors can pull this off and have you piece the puzzle together throughout the novel, dropping clues on every page. The author wrote the characters complex and relatable for any young adult reader who picks up her novel and gives them complete backstories. Included throughout the book are add-in text messages, police interviews, maps, postcards, and photos that give it a more life-like authentic feel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read an early reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a lot better than I expected. I struggled a bit to get into it at first but I quickly got wrapped up in the mystery. There were a lot of good twists and turns. I think this would actually make a good limited tv series.

Darby and Morgan were best friends turned crushes turned we-don't-talk-anymore. They had been all set to be camp counselors at their science teacher's summer camp, but then Dr. Horowitz goes missing. Police call it a cold case and everyone goes on with their lives. Two years later Dr. Horowitz's body is found and the police are back on the case. The only problem is that neither Darcy, Morgan, nor any of the other counselors can remember what happened that summer.

I was really digging this book for like the first two-thirds. The momentum was great. Darby and Morgan were interesting and had great chemistry. The "will they or won't they" tension was great. The story of missing memories was super interesting, and I was dying to know what really happened. However, when the big reveal came, I found it kind of lackluster. I love the atmosphere George created, the vibe of the beach just oozed through her pages. There were also a lot of memorable and quotable lines.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC. I liked this book.

Thanks to NetGalley,Thomas Nelson--FICTION and Caroline George. This book was well written. I was falling off the bad wagon of YA books because I was starting to feel too old for some of them. but this one was a good coming of age that brought the characters out and felt real. The memory loss aspect was well written. I really enjoyed the relationships with the characters and how issues were resolved. This was much enjoyed.

Thanks!

A group of friends who attended a summer camp, can't remember the experience. The two voices, Darby and Morgan's are indistinguishable. I had to stop and think about who was actually speaking numerous times. Difficult to have much character development when the voices don't indicate individuality.

Plot is...less than believable, and the style is disrupted in a number of ways, disjointed and ponderous, and too long.

NetGalley/Thomas Nelson
Mystery. March 8, 2022. Print length: 413 pages.

First off, this was my first novel by this author. It was a great coming of age story and kept me guessing till the end. It reminds us of our memories and what we treasure most while throwing in a murder mystery. The way the author wove the themes of the book into the storylines was so silent that it didn’t take away from anything major. All in all a great book!

Murder mystery, dual narrators, coming of age, and a beachy setting. So many of my favorite components all in one book! I could not wait to dig in.
The story, of a missing middle school science teacher, is told through the point of view of both Darby Wallis and Morgan Rhodell. Darby and Morgan, former best friends, are being interviewed by a detective about their former teacher and their past. If only they could remember it.
A bit of a slow burn for me but overall a good coming of age tale with mystery and an angsty yet deep friendship at the core. As someone who has visited this area in the past I really enjoyed the setting of the book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Four stars.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of this novel! This book follows a group of teenagers who can't seem to remember almost a whole summer of their lives - a summer when their science teacher was murdered. I struggled to get through this book, to be honest. It was far too wordy and could've been like 100 pages shorter. The author repeated things over and over again. In addition, whenever the narrator characters went into flashbacks, I sometimes had trouble distinguishing whether it was a flashback or not, which was confusing. I was interested in discovering what actually happened that summer, so I kept reading. However, there were too many characters for them to be well-developed and the book was too long.

I picked this book up because the description intrigued me. I like murder mysteries and I thought the memory loss angle by and entire group of people was interesting. First of all I like Caroline George's writing style. Her prose kept me interested and she has a gift of making her characters come alive. I enjoyed the relationships among the teens, especially that of Darby and Morgan - I always hate seeing a strong friendship end and wanted them to resolve their issues. The murder mystery was interesting, but the most interesting part to me was the memory loss for an entire group. I couldn't wait to see how in the world so many couldn't remember a thing about what happened that night.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson--FICTION through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on March 8, 2022.

Absolutely didn't love this, and I think it comes down to the book having to walk a line between being a real YA teen thriller and fitting the (unbeknownst to me) Christian publisher that's releasing it. The writing didn't really work as being from a teen's point of view, at least to me (an admittedly NOT teenaged adult), and some of the references seemed dated. Moreover, while the mystery was ok enough and engaging, the initial 'mystery' of why Darcy was ostracized and made fun of at school (at least by douchey boys) was bizarre and only makes sense give the Christian publisher context (I assumed it was leaked nude photos. It was...not.)

I was really excited for this read after immensely enjoying "Dearest Josephine," by the same author. Unfortunately, this one fell flat for me. The characters didn't really appeal to me or draw me in, and I was a little surprised at some of the content for being from a Christian publisher--I just expected more, or perhaps less, as the case may be.

It's also not one to read at bedtime (if you're curious, haha!)--for the mystery/thriller aspect.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.