I wanted so badly to enjoy this thriller / coming of age story, but I found all of the characters (except Jules!) to be so utterly unlikeable that I wanted to jump into the pages and tell them all to wake up & get ahold of themselves!

Caroline and Rachel spend a summer traveling the Greek islands together. When Rachel meets the mysterious Alistair, she finds herself falling in love and staying on the island, much to Caroline’s dismay. Rachel gets a job at a bar and moves in with a few other girls, spending her nights partying and doing anything to make Alistair happy. But where does she draw the line? And how do her decisions that summer affect her life now?

Flipping between past & present helped keep me interested in this novel, and the ultimate need to find out what happened to Rachel and her island friends end. Additionally, this book should consider coming with a few warnings, however, I don’t know how to share said warnings without spoiling plot points.

Great Read. Thanks for sending it my way! Another lovely book from Nancy Thayer! It keeps your interest the whole way through! 4 STARS

Can't believe this was a debut! I thoroughly enjoyed how each character was fleshed out and that both timelines kept my interest equally. That's not an easy thing to achieve.

“The Girls of Summer” is a debut novel by Katie Bishop. Let me start by saying that this book is not a light summer beach read - it’s dark, like “My Sweet Vanessa” dark - and about as uncomfortable a subject to read. Other reviewers have summarized the story better than I can (each time I try I end up giving away twists), but suffice to say that Rachel meets Alistair, a much older man, falls in love with him and for the next 16 years is obsessed about her memories of her first love.

This story is told in two timelines - then and now. It was interesting seeing how the past unfolded for Rachel - how quickly she became besotted with not only Alistair, but also that summer lifestyle. This book really reminded me of the Epstein/Maxwell scandal and, as this book was influenced by the #metoo movement, I can understand the parallels. While I had some sympathy for Rachel as she worked through her emotions and memories, I also kept thinking “girl, get thee to a therapist!” Thank goodness for Jules being her friend, putting up with her, helping her in so many ways, and being there when Rachel needed someone.

This is a very difficult book for me to rate because the topic is so dark that I cannot say that I “enjoyed” it - especially when I cannot say that I really liked many of the characters. At times the pacing was a bit slow, though it served its purpose as some of those slow paced moments later set things up later in the book. However, unlike “My Dark Vanessa” I don’t feel like I need to re-read this one as I had some issues with Rachel’s actions and reactions (her treatment of Tom, the rekindling of her past relationship, and some of her decisions overall). This book is uncomfortable and a heavy topic, but I applaud Ms. Bishop for tackling it in a very caring manner.

I hope nothing i did at 17 has such an effect all these years later. I loved the Greek setting and the dual timeline but I didn't feel like it was a very fresh or new story.

Love a book about a girls trip gone wrong. I wouldn’t say this was my favorite girls trip book but I thought it was interesting enough and would recommend it.

What I liked about it:
The cover obviously!
I liked the development of the characters life and the memory aspect, the back and forth.
Finding and keeps past friends.
How what happened in the past kinda builds who you are and shapes the future.
The ending came to a satisfactory conclusion..

What I didn't like:
For me the build up took too long and then when we got to conflict it wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be. And the book kinda made me sad.
That was really the only disappointment and that's more of a me thing as I usually read run/scared/murder than the memory/sad/murder type books.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press

What a fantastic debut novel! Katie Bishop 100% hit the nail on the head conveying teenage youth and naïveté that awkward phase between youth and adulthood when you just want to be an adult and experience all the opportunities and life that’s waiting for you in adulthood.

Reading this in winter really painted the perfect picture of the Greek Isles in the summer and had me longing to be laying on a beach chair looking at the ocean.

Some heavy plot themes in this book that were covered perfectly and sensitively.

The dual timelines layered this story perfectly and compared the exact right scenes in the ‘then and now’. The pacing was a little slow in some spots but overall this was a great read

The Girls of Summer is Katie Bishop's first novel, although it doesn't read like one! A dual timeline story, it follows Rachel at two times in her life, when she was 17 and traveled to Greece, living a wild life and falling in love with Alistair, a much older man, and when she's in her 30s and married to Tom, a solid, stalwart if somewhat boring husband.

When she discovers on a vacation to Greece with Tom that Alistair in living in London, she meets him and begins an affair that brings up a issues from their shared past, including sex trafficking. This book could be triggering.

Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

The Girls of Summer has me conflicted. One on hand I loved that it was a debut and getting some early buzz but on the flip side, there are things that I struggle with as a reader. Like how did Katie go back to Alistair? I love books about first love but my heart hurt for Tom, especially with 0 contact after so many years. But I caution this part because that's a "me" thing as a reader. I think that's what tainted my connection to the main character.

I did think the writing was good and loved the flashbooks. I also love anything to do with England and wanted to imagine myself in Greece (bucket list place to travel).

So 3 stars but I will 100% pick up another book by the author as i did think i enjoyed the writing but the characters and their decisions made me frustrated enough that I wasn't enjoying it as much as I wanted.


Warnings for triggers: rape, suicide and sex trafficking

They say you never forget your first love and Rachel has moved on but never forgotten Alistair.

Told in two timelines, the past crashes spectacularly into the present, revealing all manner of secrets.

Great book, I couldn't put it down!

This is a debut novel by Katie Bishop and it grabbed me from the very first page. Rachel went backpacking with friends to Greece where she found her first love with Alistair. She was only 17 at the time and Alistair was much older. Fast forward 16 years, she is now married to Tom and they go on a vacation to the same spot in Greece yet Katie never told Tom much about that time in her life. I had a hard time with Katie going back and getting involved with Alistair while being married to Tom, after no contact after 16 years. Really? Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published June 2023. Looking forward to many more books by this author.

TRIGGERS - RAPE, SEX TRAFFICING, SUICIDE

Katie Bishop has produced one of the most emotional books I've read in a few years. Her attention to detail made me feel as if I were a part of the story and lead to believable situations that I couldn't wait to hear more about. The Girls of Summer made me laugh, cry, and get mad. I loved and I hated. I'd definitely recommend this title and can't wait to see more from Bishop.

A compelling and eye opening read that has you feeling all the feels. I was so invested in the story that I could not put the book down. Loved it and will definitely be looking out for more by the author!

The Girls of Summer has stirred up so many emotions in me. It is dark, it is heartbreaking, it is a cautionary tale that is too often told under the guise of immature love, the need to feel a sense of belonging and even manipulation.

The story takes place in the then and now.

Then: Rachel is just 17 years old when she travels to a Greek Island looking for adventure with her friend. She meets an older man, Alistair, and fancies herself in love with him. Through him, she becomes entangled in all-night parties, secret trysts, endless alcohol and eventually some drug use. She and her girlfriends are hired to show up at parties to entertain men. Rachel vaguely understands that much more happens at these parties, girls going off with strange men and returning later to dance and entertain some more, but she’s too young and naive to grasp the true circumstances.

Now: Rachel is married but not quite happy. She still longs for Alistair even 16 years later. They never had a proper goodbye after tragedy befell one of the girls. Why did Alistair run off and leave her behind? Her marriage is a struggle and her memories won’t abate.

The girls she met during her summer in Greece eventually all find each other and Rachel finally realizes the truth of those summer months.

I was spellbound throughout the story. It drew me in and kept me drawn in. This is a 5 star read and should be on everybody’s TBR list.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

When I began this novel I was not sure I would finish it. Then I started the second chapter. Rachel is now 33, married and working at a museum. Her husband, Tom, is a good man and she knows this. Eighteen years earlier she and a girlfriend took part of the summer off and went to Greece for an adventure. There she met Alistair who was then approximately 33. Rachel was young and naive enough to believe he genuinely cared for her. This is Rachel’s story. Each chapter is the past or the present and tells her story in her own fashion. Lots happened but, as far as I could see, Rachel’s heart broke but she never allowed herself to become a victim. Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC for an honest review.

The Girls of Summer is a book that talks about life, discovery and perspective.
Each of the girls in this book come to an island on a summer break, some of them don’t want to leave and become ensconced in the goings on of the men who unbeknownst to them are running some pretty bad things.

Some girls leave and others become so entrapped they don’t know how to leave and when something horrible happens it all falls apart.

The lives of these women intersect again later in life and the true reality of what they all faced is exposed.

This was a very good book and puts a light on trafficking and exploitation of young women and how easy it is for them to be lured into a situation they can not get out of.

This book was good and some what suspenseful. However, the beginning was slow and I am not sure I like most of the characters.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the eACR.

The Girls of Summer alternates between Rachel then, in beautiful Greece, and Rachel now. Although it reads quickly and easily,, this one just wasn’t for me..
Thank You to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This books jumps back between Rachel’s life at 17 and 34, as she relives an island romance that she can’t stop thinking about. It’s an intense story with some hard themes. I loved it!