4.5 stars

This was a powerful read, a cautionary tale of men and power and manipulation and young women. Story is evocative of the Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking cases, except it's set on a Greek Island and not in the Caribbean. My only critique is that I would have liked a little more of a resolution at the end.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the digital ARC in return for an honest review.

Book Summary:

You know how first loves go. They hit you hard and fast. Sometimes you move on; sometimes, you don't. The latter is true for Rachel. She's loved Alistar for going on fifteen years now. Even marrying somebody else didn't help her get over that love.

The more Rachel delves into the love of her past, the more she realizes that things are not as idyllic as she once thought. Was this whirlwind affair really her own choice? And if so, how have so many others followed her same steps?

My Review:

Ooph. The Girls of Summer hits hard. Rachel's story often feels too real, which some readers will likely adore – while others will feel repelled. So keep that in mind before picking up The Girls of Summer.

The author (Katie Bishop) described The Girls of Summer as exploring the "gray area of consent." If that was her goal – she nailed it. Make of that what you will, but this book will certainly make you stop and think - for better or worse.
The Girls of Summer is a memorable, if slightly dark read. I think knowing that this could (and has) happen in real life made it darker for me. As such, I'm not sure that this book is suited for all readers.

Highlights:
Coming of Age
Thriller

Trigger Warnings:
Age Gap
#MeToo elements

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it didn't let me down - loved it! I saw it being compared to The White Lotus and I haven't seen it, but if that's true, I definitely want to check it out.

TITLE: The Girls Of Summer
AUTHOR: Katie Bishop
PUB DATE: 06.06.2023 Now Available

The Girls Of Summer by Katie Bishop is the perfect summer read that will transport you to Greece one summer - a summer when youth transforms to adulthood when Rachel meets Alistair twenty years her senior and what happened in the past in a dual timeline story. Katie Bishop writes a haunting story about female friendships and the allure of first loves - the characters are complex and one that will stay with you long after the summer is over.

This story was so much more than I thought it was going to be when I started it. I thought this book about a few girls enjoying some summertime fun was going to be a delightful, light read. The Girls of Summer is so much more than that.

Rachel and Caroline spent a few weeks backpacking on vacation and ended up on an island with other adventurous girls. This trip changes Rachel's world! When she becomes involved in a love affair with a handsome, caring man, her life will never be the same. So much drama! But is any of it real?

Fast forward fifteen years and she travels to the same island with her husband and slams headlong into her past. How is all of that going to be reconciled with her present?

The Girls of Summer is a dramatic, intense adventure that shines the light on women and the men who take advantage of impressionable young souls and makes us question if what we remember is actual fact or just what we want to believe. This was such a great read!

The writing is very atmospheric in this MeToo book and I enjoyed the setting. There is slow paced intrigue and some tension. I thought that the author treated the subject well.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

2.5 stars

I just didn't love this. I wasn't excited to pick it up, and found myself wanting to just go to sleep after a few pages. It's a definite slow burn and not really all that thriller-y. I enjoyed the setting and enjoyed the "then" povs a lot more than the "nows". I would definitely consider reading more from this author though!

Thank you st Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review

This was a slow burn, but I couldn’t put it down.

The book alternates between present day and the early 00s. Our main character, Rachel, now a married 30-something living in London, has been in love with Alistair for 15 years, since she met him in the Greek Isles one summer. Alistair is 20 years older than Rachel. Now, Alistair is living in London, and as Rachel reconnects with him, she also meets up with some of the other girls who were pulled into Alistair’s world with her all those years ago — and begins to realize her romance with him was anything but simple.

The depth of this book really surprised me, and I think the author deftly showed just how easy it is to be blind to the truth when you are fully consumed by a bad situation. Rachel’s reckoning of her time in the Greek isles is slow coming, but I found her journey riveting. This is a debut novel and I can’t wait to see what Katie Bishop comes up with next.

loved this romance and her trying to find love and finding herself. loved the friends and and the romance. I would read this author again. I really enjoyed the pacing and how the story and the character worked things out.

I was intrigued by the premise of THE GIRLS OF SUMMER, but unfortunately the execution fell flat for me. This is a slow burn story and unfortunately, I spent a lot of time waiting for something to happen and the suspense factor just wasn't there. The main character is also very unlikeable, particularly in the present timeline.

A bit of a slow burn and less of a fast paced thriller that I was hoping for. If you're into the slow build of a story you'll definitely enjoy this one.
Overall a good story & good read I'd definitely check out more titles in the future from Katie Bishop.

I enjoyed the premise of the book, and it kept my attention throughout. It felt slow in places, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story.

I had a bit of a difficult time getting in to this novel despite well crafted characters and engaging past/present set up.

I think your novel lacked a few surprises—which would have kept me dug in the entire way.

“The Girls of Summer” by Katie Bishop
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Published: June 6, 2023
I received this ARC copy of Girls of Summer from St Martins Press and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

WOW!! This was my first 5 star read of the summer and I completely devoured it! I was shocked to learn this is Katie Bishop’s debut novel and will certainly be following her. My one issue with the book is that it was marketed as a thriller and I don’t think this is an accurate genre and could see that being frustrating for readers.

Our book opens with main character Rachel and her best friend Caroline vacationing around the Greek Islands at only 17. Like most teenagers they are free-spirited and feel invincible, going out to clubs every night and making friends who are instant roommates. One night while at a bar Rachel, who admittedly is nothing special next to Caroline, stumbles into Alistar. He is an assistant to a mysterious, wealthy and powerful business man who seems to have captured Rachel’s attention immediately—for better or for worse.

The entire book is told from Rachel’s POV, in current day with her husband and a series of flashbacks she begins to have after they vacation to Greece. Now as a 30 year old woman Rachel begins to realize that maybe that ideal summer wasn’t exactly how she remembers it—but boy does it take her some time to reach this conclusion.

I don’t want to give out too many details because it would ruin the book and you truly need to go pick this one up for yourself!

Rachel and Caroline are on a Greek island-hopping vacation the summer before their A levels. Rachel, 17 years old, is groomed by a much older man, Alistair, and she falls for it hard. Caroline returns home on her own, and Rachel can’t believe her luck. She automatically finds a job at a bar and a place to stay in an old house shared by various girls. It’s painfully apparent to the reader that Rachel is on a perilous path as she hops carefree along the whims of Alistair.
As the summer days pass, Rachel is invited to a big party at the home of Alistair’s boss, Henry Taylor. Henry is a rich old man with lots and lots of rich old man friends. At this point, the reader is screaming out loud to her, “Don’t do it! Don’t go!”, or at least I was. This is when I know I’m loving a book- I feel strong emotions for the characters.
Katie Bishop has developed her characters so deeply that you will feel emotions about numerous uncomfortable subjects. The book deals with sexual abuse, underage sex, underage drinking, drugs, and suicide. Rachel’s innocent view of the world is stolen and as the book reveals from past and present timeframes, the damage is permanent.
Jump to the present, and Rachel’s marriage is in shambles. Out of the blue, one of the fellow teenagers she lived with on the island reaches out. Reluctantly, Rachel goes. The table is full of people who lived on the island together during one specifically difficult time. Rachel feels like it’s a trap and her first instinct is to flee, but in time, she begins to come around and finally realize what was done to her in her youth. It doesn’t help the healing process that she’s seeing Alistair again, but now he’s broke and lives in a rundown apartment building. And so, as they say, the plot thickens.
I feel like I’ve gone into too much detail but there's so much more to this story. This is Katie Bishop’s first book, and I think it’s superb. I hope she continues writing because I’ll gladly continue reading her work.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date was June 6, 2023, so get out there and buy your copy!

I was excited about this one, but overall didn't like the story or characters. Premise seemed exciting, but unfortunately didn't work out for me! Thank you, NetGalley!

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫
𝐁𝐲 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩
𝒪𝓊𝓉 𝒩𝑜𝓌!

An atmospheric coming-of-age story set on a Greek Isle, that recounts an affair between a teenager and an older man. Rachel, only 17 at the time, was blinded by the attention she received by Alister, a wealthy businessman. Jump ahead, and Rachel, now in her thirties, hears disturbing reports of what kind of man Alister truly was, and must reexamine her fantasy of their love affair. This took me a while to get into, but the ending is certainly worth it, as it drives home the point of how we look back at the past and our youth.


Thank you @stmartinspress for the gifted book and thank you @macmillan.audio for the complimentary audiobook..

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

Katie Bishop chimes in on the #MeToo movement with her debut novel The Girls of Summer. While pitched as a thriller, readers need to prepare themselves for a triggering and atmospheric slow burn read that reminded me of a hybrid between My Dark Vanessa and the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

The Girls of Summer is being marketed as a mystery thriller and I really didn’t feel that genre at any time while reading. This is a slow burn, atmospheric dive as Rachel bounces between present events and her memories from fifteen years earlier. I’d label it more contemporary fiction than anything. There were multiple points in the narrative where I struggled to sympathize with present-day Rachel, though. She’s clearly a victim, but there are instances in the story where I cringed at her behavior. Obviously a part of it is trauma and a clear stunt in her maturity due to her abuse, but another part of me found her immaturity and unwillingness to grow unforgivable for the sake of the other women trying to come forward. The plot also progressed painfully slow at times slowly building to a rather lackluster end.

With that being said, I liked the book for bringing awareness to the theme of consent. It is a triggering and hard read that delves into identity and memory as well as sex, power and coming of age. Our main protagonist, Rachel, was clearly victimized and as the story unfolds we see the lasting effects of her past grooming, relationships and trauma. For anyone wanting a read that specifically explores a fictional instance of the #MeToo discourse, this will be one I continue to recommend.

The Girls of Summer follows Rachel, a young girl on a whirlwind trip that ends when she falls in love with life on a Greek island. Told in Then and Now format, the reader is taken through that life changing summer when Rachel meets and falls in love with a much older man named Alister, who works for a very wealthy man named Henry Taylor. It is through examining the past that we learn that things aren't as Rachel seems to remember, and it has influenced the way her current life unfolds.

This was definitely a slow burn more than a thriller. The setting is told so well that the reader feels immediately transported to the Greek island with Rachel and all the other girls. That being said, it was rather slow at times. It was obvious that something bad was going to happen to all those young girls, and there are some trigger warnings that should be heeded, such as sexual assault/rape and human trafficking. This was an important story, however, and demonstrates that dangers that could potentially be out there for young women in foreign countries. It was eye opening for me, and rather shocking at times. It's sort of hard to stay that the story was good because of such tragic events that took place, however, it did keep me enthralled.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced reader copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.