Despite unraveling at a very slow pace, I was wrapped up in this story. I kept turning pages just to find out what was happening and what would happen. This is a beautifully written book. Not the biggest fan of the Rachel in this one, but I think that was the point 😅

Thank you NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for this advanced copy

The Girls of Summer is a compelling story of how one summer of freedom can change the course of your entire life. Rachel and Caroline have been best friends for their entire lives. Caroline is outgoing and happy to take up all of the spotlight whereas Rachel has always felt lonely and introverted while longing to be seen as special. When they arrive on the Greek island for vacation Rachel is immediately taken with Allistair. Neither one of them seem to mind the age difference, surely an 18 year old and someone in their mid 30s have plenty in common right? But that was then. And now Rachel is the age Allistair was when they first met. She's married to Tom and she's happy... or she would be if she could just get over that first love and the summer that ended in tragedy that threatens to haunt her if she'll just allow herself to really revisit it. Because the thing is, not everyone left that Greek island alive.

•The Girls of Summer 🇬🇷•

📚Genre: mystery
🤔Rating: 🍺🍺🍺.5(3.5/5)
#️⃣ of pages: 320
👯‍♀️ read if you like: descriptive summer settings, age gap tropes, strong female friendship
⚠️TW: human trafficking, drugs, abortion, rape, suicide
Publishing Date: June 6, 2023

👍🏼:
•this book quite literally makes you feel like you are IN Greece! The author does an amazing job with her imagery in creating a beautiful setting
•it is a very compelling story that is written in a way that you can’t wait to find out what happens
•love alternating past/present timelines

👎🏼:
•it was a pretty slow read at first. It really didn’t pick up until about 60%, which is pretty far IMO
•the age gap situation made me cringe 😬
•no major twists, definitely just a drama/mystery

Overall…
Overall, this was a well written novel. While I didn’t think it was great, it was a good read. I loved being totally transformed to this Greek island. I was very frustrated with the MC in this book & was really hoping to see more growth in her. The subject matter was pretty heavy & I’m sure there are unfortunately many people who can relate to this in some way or another.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review!

Told over two time periods, The Girls of Summer is a beautifully written debut novel by Katie Bishop. I loved that this book transported me back to my early 20s when things were awkward but so exciting. I thought there was an ominous undercurrent throughout this whole novel that perfectly captured the age of the #metoo movement without being too triggering.

The story follows Rachel, and is told in alternating timelines of “then” and “now.” Rachel (at age 17) travels with a friend to a Greek island and decides to stay longer after meeting an older man. Rachel (at age 33) is married to her husband Tom and living in London. They vacation to that same Greek island, and she finds out how to contact the man she was with when she was younger.

I have to say, parts of this book were horrifying to read. The worst part is, I am absolutely certain this has happened and is still happening even now.

I really enjoyed the writing style and thought the story was well written, though sometimes I wanted to shake Rachel for being so naive.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was a well-written debut, with great characterization and atmosphere. I was expecting more of a thriller-type story. It read more of a dark romance to me and begins slowly. Had I known that going in, I probably would not have read it. Now, having said that, I'm really glad I did read it. This is not a happy, fuzzy romance. I enjoyed Rachel. Yes, she was self-centered and annoying, but as I got more into the story, I saw the reasoning and began to sympathize with her. Told in dual timelines, Rachel is young, spending a glorious Summer in Greece, meets and falls for a much older man and is still dealing with the fallout years later. There is a dark side to the story. which was fascinating to me. I look forward to more from this author.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Katie Bishop and St. Martin's press for this ARC. All opinions are my own. I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Facebook, Instagram and other retail and social media pages upon publication.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to review this book.

What a great debut novel. Definitely was a captivating read and was able to finish it quickly. The dual story lines worked well with this novel and the characters were well written. I felt so connected and able to relate to Rachel. The author wrote about the dark/sensitive issues beautifully. You can feel the tension throughout the book as Rachel navigates her trauma and comes to terms with what really happened to her 16
Years ago. I felt so many emotions during this book !!

I’ve started going into books without much knowledge ahead of time to avoid spoilers. Based on the title and cover, I expected a typical beach read. That’s not at all what you get, which worked for me as I enjoyed the darker themes at play in this one. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I really enjoyed the author’s depiction of female relationships in this book. The main character is generally unlikeable through most of the novel—not in a unlikeable female character way, which I adore—but in an annoying, grating kind of way which I don’t. but I like how the author conveyed internalized misogyny and how young girls can be groomed and manipulated. I wasn’t such a fan of how her naïveté extends into the present timeline, and how she lacks really any self awareness. But she does have a good arc, and I loved the author’s prose. This is a solid debut and I can’t wait to see what the author does next!

How do I write about the experience of reading this phenomenal book. Initially I was annoyed with Racheal. She was so self-centered and so madly in love with an obvious creeper from her youth. But then as the story unfolds I realized she was traumatized and denying all of it in order to survive and cope. She was awful because she didn't know how else to be.
It was such an amazing reminder about how vulnerable young girls are and how they are targeted because they are easy to manipulate and groom. Usually we do not see justice.
I loved this. I will need a few days to recover.

I'm not a big fan of duel timelines and while I really liked Bishop's writing, I didn't love the story. There's a lot going on and I thought the characters were well fleshed out, but nothing really hooked me and it took me a long time to get through it.

This book was not what I expected it would be— and I don’t know how I feel about it. While the story had enough intrigue to keep my attention, I would encourage readers to approach this as a romance/contemporary fiction. From the description, I assumed this would be more of a thriller. However, the pacing is incredibly slow and the plot is your average romance (with hints of mystery sprinkled throughout).

Once I moved past my initial expectations. I found myself enjoying the book for what it was. The writing is excellent. I definitely found our narrator, Rachel, relatable in many ways. And I loved being transported to the Greek Isles, whilst reading.

I think, as long as readers know what they’re getting into before reading this story, they will enjoy it.

3.5 ⭐️

this book captures very well what it feels like to be young and full of hope and longing, in this case for an older man who ultimately betrays her and the other young women who work for him. And how much it takes to really break through that romantic haze and see what the truth is. well written

This book was fine, not my favorite but not horrible. I had a hard time connecting with Rachel and found her attitude to be a bit grating (which makes me feel bad knowing she is a trauma victim). I also have a hard time reading about cheating so this might’ve always been a poor choice for me.

4.5/5 Thank you to Net Galley and the author for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting & unsettling coming of age story told in two timelines: Then & Now – 16 years apart.
Then:
Rachel and a friend spent a summer in their late teens travelling around Greece taking in the sun, sand, young fun and parties at the beach. That summer changed her life. She was young and naïve; perfect for Alastair, a controlling man 20 years her senior. She was convinced that it was love and didn’t see the controlling, abusive man grooming and trafficking her.
Now:
The manipulation, control, and sexual abuse by Alastair were so well done that the young, gullible Rachel didn’t even comprehend his betrayal years later. As the past informs the present, Rachel is having difficulties in her current relationship with a husband who is pushing to start a family. After searching him out and restarting an affair with Alastair, it takes some prodding from friends for Rachel to reappraise her first love. As the rose coloured glasses are removed and she looks at it from a middle-aged adult’s point of view, she reassesses the people and events from her past and struggles to accept the truth.

The writing is very fluid. Rachel’s thoughts and motivations are very well described; her youth, his power, and the manipulation of her consent. The reader follows along and it is easy to understand how Rachel feels and what she believes. This is a dark and cautionary tale all about perception and hidden betrayal.

This is a story that has stayed with me, well past the completion of reading. I recommend this book to women everywhere.

This was a no for me, I didn't love it. It's not one I would recommend and I didn't finish. 1.5 stars, it just didn't work for me.

𝑾𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔, 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔. 𝑾𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒈𝒐𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆. 𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍.

I'm not sure how to classify this book, but it doesn't really matter. I pulled in by both the lush descriptions of Greece and the heightened sense of nostalgia for a place I've never been but can recall just the same. Memory is a tricky, slippery thing. Do we romanticize the past, remembering it with a fondness that it doesn't deserve?

This certainly seems to be the case for Rachel, who visits the Greek Islands as a 17-year-old with friends and ends up staying, altering the course of the rest of her life. She falls in love with Alistair, a man 20 years her senior, and spends her days on the sun-soaked beach and her nights working at a bar. But her fond memories are tinged with the inkling that something was wrong the entire time. She remembers being asked to do favors for Alistair's boss, and she remembers the haunted expressions on her friends' faces after doing the same favors. When she returns home, humiliated and alone, she tries to forget Alistair and moves on, marrying another. Fifteen years pass before Rachel reconnects with her friends from that summer, and when their recollections don't match hers, she becomes obsessed with finding out just what happened on that island.

With the vivid descriptions of the setting intermixed with snippets of mythology, I was absolutely transported to this fictional world. My heart broke for Rachel when she realized that the past was not as she had remembered it: 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒍𝒆, 𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌, 𝒂 𝑪𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒂. 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒔. 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒖𝒔.

I am so grateful to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy of this stunning debut. THE GIRLS OF SUMMER will publish June 6, 2023.

I requested a digital copy in order to sample the prose on my phone (since I don't have a eReader) before requesting a physical copy for review. My review will be based on the physical ARC I read (if I qualify)

I was excited to read THE GIRLS OF SUMMER based on the description, but unfortunately I DNFed at 30%. The premise itself is interesting, but the pacing so far has been incredibly slow. I also don't like Rachel -- which is fine, because not all characters need to be likeable, but the bigger issue is that I don't care enough about her to continue reading to find out what happened/happens to her. I will say, though, that the setting is really well-developed, and the "Then" chapters that take place in Greece were my favorites for that reason.

Readers who appreciate slower books might have more luck with this one than I did.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing a review copy.

The Girls of Summer
Katie Bishop
3.5⭐️

Blurb: Rachel and Alistair’s life-changing summer love affair on a sun-trapped Greek island has consumed her since she was seventeen. But as Rachel becomes increasingly obsessed with reliving the events of so long ago, and reconnects with the other girls who were similarly drawn to life on the island, dark secrets about her first love affair begin to rise to the surface.

The Girls of Summer was Bishops debut novel although it didn’t necessarily read like one. I was intrigued by the premised and the island setting. The writing and characters were well done. I found Rachel incredibly naive (past and present) which made it a little hard for me to connect with her as much as I wanted to. The dual timelines kept me engaged even though there were a few times the story seemed to drag a little. I kept waiting for a twist that just didn’t happen. All in all it was a like not love for me on this atmospheric tale but I do look forward to more from Bishop.

Read if you like;
🇬🇷Now/Then Timelines
🇬🇷Dark Tales
🇬🇷Greek Island Setting
🇬🇷Mysterious Thrillers

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