The Girls of Summer tells the story of Rachel, a teenage summer that changed her life, and the impact it has on her life some 15 years later.
The story is told in parallel timelines of when Rachel was a teenager, taking a gap year on a Greek island, and when she is in her 30's, struggling to decide if she should have a child with her husband. Struggling to decide if she can ever get over that summer, the man she fell in love with. And by man, I truly mean someone twice her age. I think a lot of people can relate to the coming-of-age Rachel storyline - she thinks she knows it all and
In the present-day storyline, Rachel needs to confront that summer and determine if it really was everything she thought it was at the time.
The Girls of Summer was a good book. It was more intense than I anticipated. It is an impressive book for the author's first, but I did feel a few times like I had missed a plot point (although that may have been intentional).
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This was like a 3.4-4 star book for me. I thought the story and characters was compelling, but at times the story dragged a bit, for me personally.

As with many books with two timelines, one of these was the clear winner and that was the story from Rachel's time on the island. The author perfectly captured that age when you're coming into your own, eager to make your own decisions even when you have a sinking sensation that they may be bad ones. The descriptions of the island were beautiful and the friendships between the girls well-described.

I thought the plot line from the past was well done, though a touch vague --I think that probably runs true to Rachel's experience though, when we're in a dangerous situation, we're often not able to recognize the clues around us. But she's SO clueless that the stakes aren't quite as high as they should be (for instance, I never felt like she was in any sort of danger.)

If felt like the present day storyline was a little weaker, with Rachel having not gained a whole lot of self awareness over time (unlike seemingly every other character around her.) It's hard to root for such a self destructive streak. )I suppose that makes for a better book though.)

Overall, this was fine read, and I would recommend it. It just wasn't a slam dunk with me, personally. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a tough book since as a reader and adult, you see it for what it is. Grooming, manipulation, sexual assault and rape. Not to say that this doesn’t or couldn’t happen to a person of any age. It’s a story about an impressionable and lonely young girl who is an easy target for a predator. So overall I liked the book but it was a tad slow moving and failed to completely immerse me and give me the emotional punch I craved. Obviously with the subject matter this will not be for everyone and there were a lot of TW which will be hard to stomach for some. It was a good debut and I’m looking forward to see where the author takes us next. 3.5⭐️

Read if you like:
🔥 Slow Burn Plots
🔪 Thrillers
🇬🇷 Books set in Greece
🖤 Dark Romance Vibes

This book definitely starts with a slower pace but then picks up with suspense once Rachel has a chance meeting with a girl that she met 16 years ago when in Greece.

Then she was in love and obsessed with Alistar and these feelings have loomed over her for the last 16 years. Now she is married to Tom and this increases the suspenseful vibes as the past comes back and is shaping and looming over the present for Rachel.

I loved the moment from past to present as this really worked for this book and plot.

Thanks so much to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my review!

Rachel is difficult to like, but I breezed through the book anyway. A solid debut for Bishop and inspires you to think on how memory actually operates

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

"The Girls of Summer" is a depressing book. The story alternates between the summer when Rachel was seventeen/eighteen and visiting Greek islands with her best friend, and the present day sixteen years later. During the summer in Greece, Rachel attracts the attention of an older man, Alistair, who manages a bar and other interests for an older man, Henry Taylor, including providing female companions for Henry and his business associates. Rachel is not used to the attention, as her male peers tend to gravitate to her more attractive, confident, and outgoing best friend, Caroline. Rachel becomes infatuated with Alistair and her infatuation combined with her naivety and obliviousness to what is happening around her presents ideal opportunities for Alistair to take advantage of her emotionally and sexually, and place in her situations where she is sexually abused by others, as are her friends and coworkers (as she extends her stay on the island to work at the bar that Alistair manages).

Present day, Rachel has a job she enjoys and a husband, Tom, who loves her and treats her well. However, she has become complacent in the marriage and does not appreciate what she has. She will discover that Alistair is living in London, just like her, and will arrange to see him, hoping to rekindle what she had with him, as well as the feelings of freedom and desirability from that summer. However, that will also bring to the foreground memories of the events that tainted the summer, and the aftermath of her return to England, forcing her to confront what really happened back then.

This was a well written book. Very interesting and suspenseful. There were parts where it was a bit slow, but I still enjoyed this!

This is an intense read and deals with very a very difficult situation and trauma. I was unprepared for the depth of the story when I started reading and it took me a while to get though it as a result. This is told in a dual time line with Rachel telling her story in the past and present. I was frustrated with Rachel for a lot of the book but I am sure I was as naive to what occurred on the island in the past. If you are looking for a heavy story that will evoke a lot of emotions, then this is a good recommendation.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

DNF @ 50%

I had a tepid interest in this story until about the 50% mark. The writing was pretty good, but I wasn’t a fan of Rachel, the main character. In the past chapters, she’s a bit selfish and naïve, which is fine considering her age. But in the present timeline, she is plainly unlikable. I could have done without all the lying and cheating.

And there is a depressing feeling throughout most of the story. The descriptions of summer and summer nostalgia maintained my interest for a while. But when a non-consensual sex scene occurred in detail, I decided I had read enough.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a widget via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story about long after the girls of summer have gone.

I think it’s important to acknowledge that I went into this with entirely the wrong mindset- I definitely thought it was a mystery/thriller. It was not. As a contemporary exploration of consent & trauma bonding, it functions well & did a good job examining nuance…. And that made it really hard to read at points. I think if you’re looking to read something heavy, but with a beautiful backdrop and a satisfying conclusion this is a good choice.

Thank you so much @stmartinspress & @macmillan.audio for the e & audio copies, and the GORGEOUS box!

I would have killed to go on an island-hopping adventure with my best school friend before I finished sixth form. Enjoying the summer, taking in the sites, soaking in the intense hot sun, and discovering new places and people. It sounds like a dream come true. Rachel and Caroline have been traveling through the Greek Islands since summer hit. When they decide to venture out to one of the lesser known, harder to reach islands. As soon as they step off the boat, they knew they have uncovered something special. They bump into some other girls that are already working at a bar to one of the richest men on the island. Caroline decides to go home to finish her last year. Rachel decides to stay on and work at the bar. Since she has fallen in love with Alister an older man. Who makes her feel seen and heard. There are always girls around, being driven up to her boss's mansion for parties, and to help keep his friends entertained. Rachel is oblivious to what is going on around her. Her eyes only on Alister, a crush, which turns into an obsession, that turns into a love that she cannot forget about. Even sixteen years later, when she comes back to the same island on holiday with her husband.

She cannot get Alister out of her mind, he is always there like a shadow. Following her every move and decision. He is the one that disappeared that night. Never contacting her again. Leaving her no closure or explanation as to what happened. When she bumps into one of the girls from that summer at the same bar, it all comes rushing back. She cannot get any of it out of her mind. You travel between Then to Now, rediscovering what occurred on that island years ago. Rachel just a piece of the puzzle. Which she is forced to face and to understand what truly happened that summer. There are many triggers found in the book, men praying on young girls for money.

This is a crazy, intense read that you know what is occurring. But you want to doubt it, you want to live in denial like Rachel. To only see the good in the man that she loved. Trying to decipher between lies and the truth. Thank you to Katie Bishop and St. Martin Press for my gifted copy of this fantastically written book.

I really enjoyed the atmospheric writing and alternating timeline of The Girls of Summer. Between London and this beautiful Greek island, I could genuinely feel this novel under my skin.
For about the first half, though, I was so frustrated by Rachel (our main character and narrator for both timelines). 17-years-ago Rachel was SO naive, I couldn’t stand how she couldn’t grasp what was going on around her (I’m an old lady now- oh how quickly I forget how young and dumb I was long past the age of 17). Modern day Rachel was living in nostalgia and treating her sweet husband so poorly, I just wanted to shake her.
Then I started acknowledging the traumas Rachel endured during her past-POV. Naive or not, she’d gone through A LOT and her current day actions were definitely the result of blocking out her past and coping.
That said, even with justifications, Rachel frustrated me and this book should come with major trigger warnings. Think Jeffry Epstein. It's a good book, but be warned.

This is definitely not my usual type of story, but the writing was so amazing I continued reading, and am very glad I didn’t miss out. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

A story of a woman struggling to remember if her teenage sun kissed summer in Greece was really what she thought it was.

When I started this book I was completely swept away by Bishop’s evocative descriptions of the Grecian coast. Her atmospheric writing literally had me smelling the sea and feeling the sun warm my face. In my early 20s a few girlfriends and I spent part of our summer on the Croatian coast, and aspects of this novel made me nostalgic for those late nights and carefree days. But then things in the story take a dark turn and I was glad my summer did not end the same way.

This is not a light read by any means so think twice before thinking “light beach read”. It’s thought provoking and well written yet hard to read at times. A slower burn that deals with some sensitive topics like consent, trauma, and sexual assault/exploitation.

I was very impressed that this was a debut novel and look forward to more by @katiebishopwrites!

4.5 stars

Thank you, St Martin's Press, for the gifted copy of Girls of Summer {partner}

Genre: Fiction
Format: 🎧
Audiobook Narration: ☆☆☆☆
Pub Date: 6.6.2023
Star Rating: ☆☆☆

Reviewing books like The Girls of Summer is challenging because the content is so alarming that I struggled to invest in the storyline fully.

I'm not sure what I expected when I started reading this book, but I had a difficult time reading along as 17-year-old travels to Greece (alone), begins seeing an older man who is so blatantly manipulating her, and ultimately unravels the rest of her life.

However, I did appreciate how the author showed Rachel through the years and how her younger years influenced her adult life. The book is a dual timeline, so the reader can put together the complete picture of Rachel's life. While I didn't love Rachel's choices regarding her husband, I also understood the author's reasoning for having the character make those choices.

Trigger warning: grooming, sexual assault, rape, drug use, adultery, and suicide.

I recommend reading The Girls of Summer if you liked reading My Dark Vanessa.

I had such high hopes. I didn’t love this one, but I am sure there will be plenty of people who will! Dual timelines, Greece setting, unlikeable characters.

The synopsis for The Girls of Summer and taglines piqued my interest. I love supporting debut authors and felt that Annabel Scholey did a wonderful job narrating Rachel and her emotions. However; I could not connect to the plot/ storyline and did not finish this book at 63 percent. I was not interested in finding out what happened.

Rachel and Caroline spend the summer in Greece. Both girls are in high school and so very young. Rachel falls in law with a man 20 years older than she is. Years later she is married and goes back to Greece. This book is told in dual time lines. I didn't enjoy this one as much as I wanted to. I ended up skipping parts. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

Full on honesty. I just…. I just didn’t like this one. 🫣

Ok, I read ‘The Girls of Summer’ by Katie Bishop hoping to be transported to a glittering sun soaked Greek island. What I got was cringe. In the beginning I was so interested in where this story was going but then I just wasn’t.

This book goes back and forth between 18 year old Rachel and Rachel in her 30s. She has been in love with Alister (15+ years her senior) since she was a teenager… eeeeeven though she has been married to someone else for awhile now (Don’t even get me started on that part). When Rachel was younger she ran away to Greece, made friends, fell in love… or so she thought. That Alister guy sucked. I mean CLEARLY. DID SHE REALLY NOT KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING?! I’d like to spoil it all, but I won’t. Message me if you’re interested! Either way, I just really didn’t like Rachel.

I was totally invested in the story and where it was going- so many secrets. BUT Rachel annoyed me so, so very much. I just wasn’t into it. I can’t explain it. I wanted more but also less, if that makes sense.

If you want to travel to Greece through a book… this isn’t the one.

Yikes. I know this isn’t the best review, but if you’d like to form your own opinion ‘The Girls of Summer’ is out June 6th. Thank you to St Martins Press for this early review copy!

Q. Where is your current book taking you? Right now I’m in a quaint cliff side town in the PNW.

🖤🖤🖤

Thank you so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this! I thought it was such a poignant and heartfelt novel. To find out this way a debut? Blown away. This was so good. I can't recommend it enough!