4/5 ⭐️
This was super good!!
I really enjoyed the undercover revenge style plot! I also liked how the book explored abuse and how to help yourself when it comes to that kind of stuff.

Title: The Summer We Buried
Author: Jody Gehrman
Available: March 8th

Tansy was friends with Selene 20 years ago when the unthinkable happened and drove them apart. Tansy vowed to cut Selene out of her life for good. Now Selene is back and asking Tansy to help her daughter, Jupiter out of an abusive relationship.

Tansy has such an unhealthy relationship with Selene and it never ends even up until the end of the book. It shows what control people can have over one another. Overall, this one was a decent listen but not a book that will stay with me much.

I thought the narrator did a great job with this one, but I never felt fully invested in the characters and their story.

Thanks to @netgalley and @dreamscapemedia for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Summer we Buried by Jody Gehrman pulled me in from the very beginning. I love suspense stories that have unexpected twists. The author definitely delivered an intriguing and interesting story. The narrator, Emily Ellet was great performing this book. She really brought the characters to life with her voice. Thank you #NetGalley and #Dreamscape Media for allowing me to listen to this book! I really enjoyed it.

This story is full or twists and turns. Some you don’t see coming and some you can figure out before your told.

I felt like this story was a little slow and not very interesting at the beginning. I contemplated DNFing it. But then a twist I wasn’t expecting occurred and I stay wrapped up in the story and needing to know what happened next.

Overall a good story with some great characters!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for a copy of this audiobook. This is my honest voluntary review.

3.5 ⭐ rounded up

Tansy and Selene have a history together that involves a dark secret. Now 20 years later Selene is back and wants Tansy, a school counselor, to talk to her 18 year old daughter, Juniper, who she thinks is being abused by her boyfriend, Colton.
As Tansy tries to help Juniper she grows close to her uncle, Zach. Zach doesn't trust his own sister and urges Tansy to keep her distance.

Selene is very manipulative and rather annoying.
Zach was a delight.

Some chapters were awfully long ~ like one chapter was over an hour listen - how many pages does that equate to? Geez.

I am wondering if I missed something because I am not sure why Tansy's ex-husband was introduced into the story. I can't figure out what that bit added to the story.

Emily was an excellent narrator nearly nailing every character. I listened at 2x and it was the perfect speed.

I am happy with how everything played out in the end. This was my first time with this author and I'd probably give her a go again.

*Thanks to Netgally, Dreamscape Media and Jody Gehrman for the advance audiobook. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*

Selena and Tansy were great friends many years ago. After a disturbing event, Tansy cut Selena out of yer life. Now, Selena is back and wants something from Tansy. Selena will stop at nothing in order to help her daughter, including blackmailing Tansy.
I would class this book as a slow burn mystery rather than a thriller. I did love it regardless of that. There were a few too many coincidences for it to be truly believable, but again I loved it anyway. I was gripped right from the start and couldn't wait to see what played out.

I also listened to the audio versions of this book and thought the narrator did a great job.

Many thanks to netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the advance copy.

Oh hey Jody Gehrman, thank you for turning my head completely off of my shoulders, what did I just read?

What started out as a slow burn turned into a wild ending. I had to go back and reread it just to make sure I did not miss something. This book was jam packed with elements of surprise and twists at every corner. This had every key component of a suspenseful, psychological thriller.

Talk about lies? Holy, moly! There was no shortage.

As I read, I kept envisioning these characters in real life. If this book does not get picked up by Netflix, I would be surprised.

If you are looking for a book that will keep you on your toes, look no further. The Summer We Buried is sure to be a hit.

The Summer We Buried was provided by #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia as an advanced reader listen in exchange for an honest review. This is story about the power of binding experiences and how impactful single moments in life can be. I have so many things to say about this listen that I can’t say for fear of spoilage. The best summary I can offer is that this is worth your time – its poignant at times, creepy at others, a story of choices, a story of love and hate. #TheSummerWeBuried #JennReviews

Selene is one of those people who you may be okay with seeing once in a few years. How Tansy becomes wrapped up with Selene's family, though, is interesting.

AUDIOBOOK
The Summer We Buried is well written and engaging but I don't know that I would call it a thriller. MAYBE a slow burn, but more of a touching story.

Tansy lives a quiet life on her ex's property as a college guidance counselor. She seems stuck in a rut and unable to move forward, still tied to the many years that she was a singer in her ex's band.
Two decades ago Tansy had a strong, exciting, daredevil friend named Selene. Selene and Tansy were involved in a murder and Selene was never seen again.

Now she returns and her daughter attends Tansy's school ! She demand that Tansy see Jupiter and address Jupiter's dangerous romantic relationship or else! Suddenly Tansy doesn't really have a choice!

The situations are very contrived, but the writing was incredible and it was easy to like the characters and root for them. If you like a slow burn, college stories, old friendships that haunt you or just a bit of romance, then #TheSummerWeBuried is for you! #netgalley. #DreamscapeMedia

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Summer We Buried was filled with so much mystery. Seriously, I had no idea who to trust when it came to this family. Well, okay, I did trust one person but that's because our main character needed some love. As for everyone else? Well, I just waited for things to come out - like all their secrets.

In this, you will meet Tansy. She is just skating on through life until a blast from her past shows up. So, when that certain somebody is asking for a repayment, she just has to say yes. Selene was a very complicated person, but she would do anything and everything to help out her daughter. The main concern for her was her daughter's abusive boyfriend. Tansy was very hesitant to help her out but decided she needed to do so but on her own terms.

Things moved pretty slowly throughout this, but the pages just kept flying. It was definitely a slow burn kind of mystery that kept you on the edge of your seat. I was not prepared one freaking bit for all the reveals to come my way. Especially when we were inching closer to the last page of the book.

In the end, this was so freaking good and I'm so happy that I got the opportunity to read this. Definitely got me in the mystery mood and I can't wait for Jody's next book.

Reviewing
The Summer We Buried
By Jody Gehrman

Well this novel is said to be a thriller I personally would classify it as a slow burn. Readers get to know Tansy in her current day life but after 20 years it’s finally time to pay for the sins of her past. Suspenseful and intriguing with an added romance that readers may find to be more of an annoyance then a pleasant addition. Characters are well written but show very little development throughout the novel. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy slower suspense novels.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 Stars based on the fact that I love to see the character grow and there just wasn’t much of that here. R rating for graphic sexual content.

The Summer We Buried is an intriguing story that weaves together suspense and head games to create quite the twisted story.

What appealed to you the most in this story?

I know this is going to sound weird, but the toxic relationship between Tansy and Selene held me captive as I read. It created suspense and some surprises as I read.

Was this a mystery or thriller?

This was definitely a mystery that kept me guessing about Tansy’s dark past and her “big” secret that Selene was threatening her with. This did create suspense and kept me on the edge of my seat at times.

In the thriller department, this was more of a psychological thriller full of head games.

How was the audio version?

I alternated between listening to this book and reading it. Emily Ellet did a wonderful job breathing life into each character and giving them distinct voices. I found myself absorbed in her narration and right there in the story during my commutes to work.

Listening speed - 1.2How was the pace?

This is a slow burn buildup that kept me invested and wondering how everything would come together and playout in the end.

Do you recommend this book?

Overall, this book really does have it all - suspense, mystery, romance, and some excellent twists. It won’t disappoint!

Thank you, Crooked Lane Books, for this gifted copy and audio version in exchange for my honest review.

This was a story about the secrets in the ground.

This was an interesting one and I'm struggling a bit to rate it. It wasn't a bad book by any means, but elements of the mental health portrayal didn't land for me, and I think it impacted my overall enjoyment. I did feel the tension was well crafted, and I thought the ending was thoughtfully executed. Overall, if you're looking for a quick thriller with an interesting enough mystery element, I think this is a good choice!

Thank you so much Netgally & Dreamscape Media for the ALC! I really enjoyed the audio narration.

I have to say, that unfortunately I was disappointed with this book. It wasn't unbearable or anything, but I struggled and I felt the synopsis was a mislead of what I had hoped for. Although there is a constant simmer of suspense, thrill & tension, there was nothing that was a big revelation or "bomb" to me.
Tansy & Selene were close friends twenty years ago, but a summer of a murder caused strain on their friendship due to guilt of covering it up. Now Selene has come back and is blackmailing Tansy for repay. Selene's daughter, Jupiter, goes to the school Tansy is a guidance counsellor and Selene wants her to intervene Jupiter & her boyfriend as she believes he's abusive. But just what is the real truth behind Colton? Who is he really? Tansy may have got more than she bargained for both with Colton & Selene.
There was some steamy scenes, insta-love that was a bit too detailed for me. But I digress. Although the ending was satisfying, it was a bit too much of a very slow burn for me with certain scenes & aspects that felt un-needed to the plot.


Thank you to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for this ARC.
Release date: March 8, 2022

I give this 3 / 5 snowflakes! ❄️

When Tansy's past walks back through her door, she knows her former best friend isn't there to bury the hatchet.. Desperately trying to keep her past off a collision course from her future, Tansy knows she has to do whatever it takes to ensure the past stays behind her.

On its face this book seems super relatable. I think a lot of people are very different people than they were at 18 or 20 and wouldn't want their past self coming back to bite them. Had it just been the incident from Tansy's past, this book would have felt very real. However, the craziness that ensues in the present part of the book takes a sharp turn into implausible and unrelatable. Still a really strong book; good characters, well written, great narrator. Overall really good!

A story of friendship, conflict and mental health. How does one react when their friend is most in need of help? And really why is the truth? At story of loyalty and love mixed with really difficult decisions leaves the reader with a lot to chew on. Thanks to NetGalley for the read!

ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

“The Summer We Buried” is put forth as a mystery/thriller in which the past seems to come back to haunt the main character, Tansy (some of the names in the book just don’t work for me). Twenty years ago, Tansy and her friend, Selene, experience the dark side of a man named Rob, leading to a murder with a cover up.

In the present, Tansy has tucked that night away in the far reaches of her mind. She just wanted to move on. However, Selene appears, jumping back into Tansy’s life, along with her daughter, Jupiter (the name just pulls me out of the storyline), and her brother. Jupiter is college-age and just happens to be in the same college where Tansy works as a guidance counselor. Selena insists that Jupiter’s boyfriend, Colton, is abusing Jupiter, and she believes that Tansy mush intervene because she owes it to Selene. Is Jupiter really being abused? Can Selene be trusted? Will the past re-emerge? Will the past repeat itself? The answers to these questions can be found in this slow burn (I know everyone uses this, but it is completely accurate) of a book.

This book is a bit of a mixed bag for me. There are elements that fit the mystery/thriller category that sucked me in and took me for a ride. There’s an edge that’s present throughout the book, and the characters are standing on the precipice. The reader is left wondering who is going to take the leap and survive the events and who will fall, crashing and burning amidst the dark side of humanity. These components of the storyline are engaging. The characters are faced with hard decisions beyond those of everyday life. As the characters are flushed out as the book progresses, the reader is left wondering if the past will repeat itself and, if so, to whom.

Then there’s the other half of the book that just lost me. There a whole romance element with sex scenes that doesn’t actually add any value to the storyline. I’m not against having these sorts of scenes in a book, but I believe they absolutely must be relevant. In this novel, the scenes felt like just a throwaway and did nothing thing to move the storyline forward or otherwise advance the book. In addition, this slow burn was just a bit too slow for me. There were scenes that, in the end, had no value added to the plot. There was a lot of filler. This led me to a lot of boredom in different parts of the novel. Frankly, it burned so slow and had so much filler that I think it took itself out of the mystery/thriller category and entered the realm of general fiction. If the key storyline was pulled out and made into its own book, it would simply be a novella.

Finally, I must note that I was provided with an audiobook copy of this novel. Unfortunately, I wasn’t a fan of the narrator. She did a very good job with the variety of female voices and general narration. However, her male voices were just plain awful. To me, it sounded like I was watching an elementary school play in which a little girl was pretending to be a boy. It unfortunately just didn’t work for me.

Overall, I both liked and disliked this book. I by no means wish to turn readers away from this book, as it does have its good points. I believe this book would work well for an older young-adult reader (older being key due to the sex scenes) or fans of general fiction. I don’t think this would work for die hard mystery/thriller readers as it just doesn’t rise to the standards for same (well, my standards at least). If you fit in these categories, go ahead and read or listen to this book. I hope you enjoy it!

How far would you go? How much do you love your best friend? I LOVED this book. The storyline was a slow build but interesting. The audiobook narrator was great. Definitely recommend.

This was a slowly paced but suspenseful story! It explored some incredibly toxic relationships and the darker side of friendships which was quite captivating.

I found the general plot to be pretty intriguing and enjoyed the flashbacks between past and present. While some may view it as unnecessary in thrillers, I did enjoy the side romance storyline in this one!

Overall this one wasn’t truly mind blowing but I found it entertaining and was invested throughout!

3.5 rounded to 4 for goodreads