This is a dark, slow-moving tale of men manipulating women. While I had the ebook, I chose to listen to this on audiobook and I think it didn't allow me to connect with the characters as much as I would have liked. I very much liked the author's writing style and will look for more from her in the future.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I had interest until almost half way through. The plot was unclear for more than I would have liked. I just couldn’t connect. Mainly with the main character Rachel, I even found her to be unlikeable at times. Thank you for the opportunity.

So this was not the book for me. I couldn't really follow the back and forth of the story and it didn't hold my attention. That is from a personal level.

I do however, feel that this book, tackled a lot of things in a very delicate and understanding way. Kudos for that!

I just couldn't jive with the book.

this one made my skin crawl. this book is dual timeline, told from when Rachel was 17/18 and than again when shes in her early 30's. She falls in love with an older man when she was young and when she goes back to greece later on, she realizes things were not as they seemed. this was addicting and so good.

17 year old Rachel and her best friend Caroline decide to travel to a Greek island the summer before college begins. There Rachel meets an older man named Alistair that she instantly feels drawn to. 15 years later, she returns to the island with her husband Tom, which stirs up memories that she has been keeping buried.

The story is told in multiple timelines of the present, 15 years ago and flashbacks of Rachel's past, which I think really enhanced the story. It's a very slow burn read, and I think that the pacing worked very well for the overall vibes of the story. The book focuses heavily on trauma, predatory behaviour, manipulation and the #metoo movement. I wouldn't say this is a particularly plot driven novel, definitely more character driven story. I was so invested in Rachel and all the trauma she had endured, and how she couldn't move past what happened on the island. I wasn't the biggest fan of Rachel overall, and the choices she was making as an adult... but I do understand that her trauma played a big part in those decisions. I also really disliked the way she treated Tom, he was so nice and loving to her and she was nothing but cold and rude. It just rubbed me the wrong way, and I don't think she really had much character development in the end either. I did read this debut all in one sitting, as the writing is easy to read and I did find the story to be addictive.

This was just ok to me. I was expecting for of a thriller, but got alot of mean girl gossipy vibes. It was still enjoyable. But not what I was expecting. i would reccomend this to adults who used to love pretty little liars.

I wasn't a huge fan of this one, unfortunately. It left me kind of lacking. I like the whole storyline/concept but found myself slightly bored.

This book started with an absolute bang for me. Totally pulled me in… but then it fizzled a bit.

🏛️ So when I first started this it felt a little ‘Bad Summer People’ a little ‘We Were Never There’ and I was all in on it. Then it just kept dragging a bit for me. What I did love though: was the brain food this one feeds the reader.

🏛️ What is consent? Is a consensual relationship when we are young, still viewed as consensual through our lens as an older woman? Or do we look back on some things we thought were ok when we were young and say hm… that was actually kind of weird. Should that man have been asking me out? Should my boss have said that?

🏛️ The author purposely wrote this a few years into the #metoo movement as an effort to further those conversations and keep us thinking about these topics. And for that, I thank her.

🏛️ Overall, I did enjoy the book and I am glad I read it. It’s just not my favorite ever. This came out over the summer— did you read it? Is it on your TBR? I ended up listening to it and I will say the audio was well done!

The Girls of Summer is about the group of teenage girls who go on vacation to a Greek Island. While there they meet this guy who invites them to a party. One thing leads to another and soon these girls are being used by these older men. This story takes place years later with Rachel, the main character, still obsessed with the man who used her. Her friends have all realized what really happened to them, but Rachel still believes they were in love.

While I didn't enjoy this book as a story itself, I can't deny what it does. This shows how easily it is to get caught up in situations without realizing what exactly is going on. Other than that point, I really don't have anymore opinions on this book one way or the other.

I did receive this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to author, publisher, and NetGalley for giving me this arc in exchange for my honest review. The girls of summer was a captivating read that hooked from me start to finish. I had to find out what happened from chapter to chapter. It also left me wanting to vacation to the Greek islands! Highly recommend.

🏝️For my first book of 2024, I hit a summer release from my Netgalley backlist. The Girls of Summer is a story of Rachel, a British girl who ends up vacationing before her A-levels on a secluded island. She decides to stay when she meets a group of girls who live together in a house and work at a local bar. The girls also work parties for the bar’s owner, Henry James who is rich and shady. Working parties means partying, getting drunk, sometimes doing drugs (not always by choice) and sleeping with Henry’s friends. Rachel is in love with Alastair, who is Henry’s fixer/ organizer. A tragedy happens on the island and Rachel’s bubble bursts.

The book switches back and forth between Rachel’s time on the island 15 years earlier and her present day — getting a divorce and reconnecting with Alastair.

This book has Jeffrey Epstein vibes mixed with a metoo revenge plot. It didn’t really work for me because I didn’t care about Rachel and the present day storyline was all over the place. Take this with a grain of salt, though, because my pal @onyourmarkgetreading has this one on her top 10 list of 2023!


Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book was a slow burn and very atmospheric. I had a really hard time getting into it. I loved the Greece setting, but this one is definitely not a light, beach read. It’s full of tension and at times uncomfortable and disturbing. I wasn’t a fan of Rachel and by the end I completely lost interest.

What first sold me was the cover for this book, as I had the opportunity to visit Greece and it took me back there. This was a fun and quick read, although it was pretty straightforward and the few twists I was able to guess right away. It was a great debut, and I am looking forward to read future books by this author.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

I didn't quite get what I was hoping for with this one. I knew it would be a bit of a difficult read, since the premise is about a 17 year old who falls in love with someone 20 years her senior. It takes place in present day, as Rachel is forced to reckon with, and rediscover, what really happened all those years ago when Alistair became her lover. But it fell between the lines of genres for me, not quite a thriller and not quite literary fiction. So I found it a bit muddied and not quite as sharp as I was hoping.

Well written but hard to connect with the main character. I did finish the book because the plot was interesting but I wasn't fully invested. I think I will keep an eye out for more from this author.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Rachel is seventeen and has decided to take time off from school to island hop with her BFF in Greece. When they land on a remote island, Rachel embarks on a love affair with Alistair even though he is much older than she is. She is head over heels in love and does not see the flags that are all around. Then, one day, everything crashes down and Rachel is left alone and confused. Years later, by chance, Rachel runs into one of the girls from the island and then memories, not rose-colored ones, start resurfacing and Rachel needs to reconcile what happened that summer.

The Girls of Summer feels like you are getting a look into what happened in the Jeffrey Epstein's island. There are a lot of difficult themes in this story, please take care of yourself.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC of The Girls of Summer! All opinions in this review are my own.

While I loved the setting and usage of time to hide secrets, the secrets that were hidden just made me sad. I thought this book would be more mysterious but you are able to pick up on what is happening way before the main character does. It's heartbreaking to see her fall back to it years later. Even though I didn't love The Girls of Summer, I would be curious to read the author's next book.

This was a very interesting book dealing with a tough subject and at times it was tough to read. The writing was good, but I don’t know if it was the style or what but I had hard time really getting into the story and I didn’t really care about any of the characters. The story is told in two perspectives past and present. Rachel has never truly recovered from the summer when she was 17 taking a vacation on a small island. But she doesn’t even truly understand what happened that summer and she is still struggling to manage the trauma she can’t even acknowledge. This book definitely made me think and I think it did accurately capture how easy it is for a young and vulnerable girl to slide in commercial exploitation of children.

Despite how well it was written, I could not connect to the main character as I hoped I would. The plotline was intriguing and kept me wanting to uncover more secrets. However, the difference between the main character as a young teen and her current age as almost non existent. I wished there was a little more growth in the character as she realizes her past as this book was publicized as a #MeToo movement story. As a debut novel, it was not awful and I would still be interested to see if the author writes more and how she will improve. Thank you for the ARC.

"The Girls of Summer" by Katie Bishop is a potent exploration of the complex and sensitive MeToo issue, skillfully navigating dark territories with compassion & understanding. The narrative follows Rachel's tumultuous first love with an older man, leaving her emotionally scarred for decades. The vivid portrayal of young women on a summer holiday, reveling in the illusion of maturity, creates an intense atmosphere. The lasting impact of their choices unfolds gradually, making the book difficult to put down. Despite their naivety, the characters are likable, and the author's adept storytelling ensures a compelling read. As a first encounter with Katie Bishop's work, this book promises not to be the last. A sincere thank you to NetGalley for providing the ARC; my review is willingly offered.