I loved The Girls of Summer. I feel like the #MeToo reckoning books have reached their peak, and they don't always have the impact that I wish they would, but this one felt much more authentic than others I've read. I read this book in two nights, and the writing kept me sucked into trying to guess what would happen next.

The Girls of Summer by Katie Bishop

Publication Date June 6, 2023

After fifteen years, Rachel still thinks about the summer she spent working on a remote island in Greece. Nothing can compare to the intense affair with an older man named Alistair, the friendships that were formed, and a place that held so much magic. It all crumbles when the women from her past meet to discuss what really happened on the island. Alternating between past and present, Rachel starts to realize her recollection of that summer might be flawed. The parties with older wealthy men and the authenticity of Alistair, are now questioned. Will all the island’s secrets finally be revealed?

Review

This novel contains themes that are triggering. Katie Bishop did an amazing job by writing those dark moments without providing too many details of what takes place. The psychology aspect was the reason this novel pulled me in. It’s interesting how Rachel has repressed a lot of what happened on the island and slowly the reader discovers her truth. This story is intense, yet it also discusses the strength of women and the power they have when coming together.


Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

My review will be posted on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sasharenee.h/ on February 1, 2023. Once the image and review are posted on Instagram, it stays on my Instagram

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.

Young love, first love, a perfect summer. That's how Rachel looks back on the summer she spent in Greece. The summer where she met Allistair. Now 16 years later, she's back on that same island with her husband.

The book is told in dual timelines between Then and Now. Then, Rachel feels like she finally found a place where she fits in and belongs. She looks back on this time as being the summer that change her life, and in some ways started it because it's the summer Allistair loved her. Now, Rachel reflects back on that time and how it changed her life, and what she became. When she reconnects with her summer love, she learns her memories may be jaded and he might not be the man she thought he was.

Overall, this was a good read. It took me a little bit to truly get hooked into the story and at times wondered where the storyline was going, but once it got there, I couldn't put it down. It was a one day read for me.

This book has the element of past and present. Rachel goes back to the greek island she visited 16 years prior with her now husband. After a chance run in with a girl from her past, it brings old wounds of a lost love and secrets to the surface.

I love books that go back and forth between past and present. This books was very well written; a great debut for Katie Bishop! I will be recommending this book to friends and anxiously awaiting her next release!

Thank you netgalley for this ACR!

At 17, Rachel backpacks to Greece and her life will change forever. She loves the island so much she decides to stay and work. A story of lost youth and manipulation. Thank you Net Galley for this page turner!

The Girls of Summer is the story of Rachel and the summer she spent in a Greek island that forever changed her. An affair with a much older man whom fifteen years later he still thinks about constantly. We are told the story jumping back from Then to Now. A narrative I always like. While the writing was great, this just wasn't the book for me. The age difference was just too much for me and made me quite sad for Rachel's character. I also wasn't too found of her character in general so the book was a slow read for me. I would however be interested in reading other books written by Katie Bishop down the road as she is a great storyteller. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the gifted e-galley in exchange for an honest review. Pub day is June 6th!

What a debut novel from Katie Bishop! A definite #metoo movement book. It makes you really feel and put yourself Into a moment of time for the women who have been involved with sex trafficking.
Rachael is a naive girl, traveling with her friend to Greece one summer. She gets caught up with the wrong time and it takes her years to realize the truth of what really happened that one summer.
This was a must read. I could also see this being a great book club novel.

This book split into 2 parts the then and now charts the journey of the major character and her earlier life as a coming of age girl who is controlled and sexually by an older man and charts her effects into the now and the darker side of controlling abusive people , the author stated that it was partly influenced by the #metoo and other events. found the book dark and moving

Preface - i LOVE a debut author and I will always give an author at least one or two tries. It's even better when I find one I really enjoy and add them to my list of authors to continue reading! I really enjoyed this one and I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early! It was a really good read and I think most people will enjoy it as well. I enjoyed the characters, the story and enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

What a debut! This book grabbed me from the beginning and I really enjoyed the story. Great summer beach read as the story takes place on a tropical island Even though the storyline involves human trafficking it was very well written and an easy read. Alternating from past to present Rachel’s story is definitely one worth reading. Thank you to NetGalley, St Martins Press and Katie Bishop for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Pub date: 6/6/23
Genre: #MeToo, coming of age
Teenage Rachel spent a dream summer on a Greek island with much older boyfriend Alistair - but fifteen years later, she'll realize it was a nightmare too.

Reader beware: this cover looks like it should belong to a thriller where a group of friends go on vacation and someone ends up dead. And yes, someone does end up dead, but this book is not a thriller. Instead, it's a character-driven meditation on power and abuse masquerading as romance.

#MeToo books have become more popular, and I'm glad to see these books telling women's stories. But I've also read a number of these stories by now, and a book has to be special to really grab me. This one didn't have the emotional heft of MY DARK VANESSA, and it felt like something was missing and preventing me from really connecting with Rachel. However, I would try another book by Katie Bishop in the future.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There is something about young girlhood, where at the time you think you're so mature and an adult but in actuality, the people you surround yourself mold your decisions and opinions. This book captures the vulnerability of young girls fresh into adulthood, flashing back to the past and present day, when ghosts from the past re-emerge. Books like these, are tools I wish I had when I was younger, as a cautionary tale to manipulation & gaslighting. Thank you netgalley & the publisher for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

The Girls of Summer was a fast read but wasn't my favorite. I enjoyed the story line of Rachel and her love for a man she simply couldn't have. Everyone has that one that got away, or the "what if" relationship and that part of the book I was consumed with. You always think that relationship was perfect but it clouds the truth and you forget the reasons your not with that person. The writing was good but I couldn't connect with the main character and wasn't feeling the vacation vibes. It felt a little high school spring breakish.

Yet another debut that absolutely rocked me! The subject matter is tough, but is definitely something that needs to be read (check trigger warnings!). The story is told from our MC Rachel’s point of view, in dual timelines of past and present. You really feel for this character and want to just grab her and shake her because she is still in such denial 16 years later.

Originally when I started this I got ‘The Last Housewife’ vibes, but it’s less cult-like than that. I still think you would enjoy this one if you liked TLH though as the feelings I got while reading were similar (if that even makes sense).

Add this to your summer TBR’s because this is sure going to be one of the most talked about books this summer!

Thank you to NetGallery and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC!

The Girls of Summer is riveting. It take a very naive young woman and places her in adult situations and while one might argue that she should have had a clue about the adult situations and the danger, I think there are plenty of girls and young women out there who didn't have a clue--until it is too late. And that's kind of the point: girls are sexualized by society so that we don't realize we're in hot water until it's already boiling. That's kind of the point. While I had to wonder how common it is to travel to a Greek island and get caught up in a sex trafficking ring, I also think such things are insidious and slow and often no one knows until tragedy strikes. This story does a fantastic job of showing not just the tragedy, but the decades-long reverberations from abuse at a young age.

This is you 2023 summer beach read! Get it now and get ready for a roller coaster of emotions set in a beautiful sunny Greek island. You’ll binge this on a summer day.

This is probably more of a 2.5 stars for me. The storyline is good but nearly the whole thing is the inner monologue or memories of the main character. I found it difficult to attach and relate to the characters.

Seventeen-year-old Rachel is spending the summer in Greece. She and her friends are enjoying everything the island has to offer. She meets an older man who takes an interest in her. She accepts an invitation to a party at his employer's mansion, and her life is never the same. Rachel becomes infatuated with the attention she receives from Alistair. She believes they are in love and does whatever he asks. Alistair's boss throws parties and wants Rachel and her friends to be the entertainment. One young woman is not as enthralled with the lifestyle as Rachel. This means the end of the summer parties and an investigation. Rachel still sees Alistair as innocent in all that has happened and is devastated when he disappears. A trip back to the island years later with her husband who seemingly adores her leads Rachel to seek out Alistair who has never sought her out. Rachel begins seeing Alistair again, lying to her husband and her friends to be with him. When the now-adult Girls Of Summer want to seek justice for what happened that summer, Rachel still thinks Alistair is innocent.
This book is a lot. I was so conflicted by these events. I can see a seventeen-year-old being naive. It's a bit harder to see an older woman want to be with the person who used her. Was her worth still tied to that experience? Did she see love as doing whatever you're asked to do even if it's distasteful? It's sad to see what happened to these young girls. I'm glad they were able to band together and finally get some semblance of justice.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-arc of The Girls of Summer.

From just the title you might think this is a fun summer book...nope! But it is a great and polarizing read about a group of girls who travel to some islands on holiday expecting good clean fun. Protagonist Rachel is excited to be spending time away from parents before returning to school and even more excited when she meets the handsome Alistair who is older and 'wiser" and of course, drawn to her! Even more exotic are the parties she and the girls are invited to on the beach at the famed mansion of Henry, a wealthy magnate who loves to entertain and the alcohol is endless. Alternating in time between past and present, the novel shows us Rachel as a naive young girl, enchanted by the lavish lifestyle then and the "now" woman, married to Tom who lies about her past and is not as anxious as he is to have children. Worlds collide. And it's not pretty. But it's a testament to young women who believe what men tell them and a warning to not always trust those you don't know!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!