Fifteen years ago, Rachel spent a summer in the Greek islands, and even now she continues to think about the sunny days and partying nights. She fell in love with Allistair all those years ago and still thinks of him even though she’s now married to Tom. When history comes knocking, Rachel is forced to confront the fact that summer wasn’t all fun and games - girls were taken advantage of and someone even died.

Thank you to @netgalley for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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A startling coming-of-age tale with a pertinent warning for any young girl's growth into womanhood.
Rachel and her friend decide to take some time off from school and travel instead. They find themselves on a beautiful Greek isle and decide to stay a while. They get a job at the local bar and the partying starts. When Rachel meets an older man, Alistair, who takes her under his wing, her feelings quickly turn to love. Alistair just happens to work for a powerful man that likes things his way. Alistair professes his love for Rachel but says they must keep their relationship private and not let his boss know about it. When the boss throws a party at his mansion, Rachel invites her newly found co-workers and friends to go with her. There are dark forces at play though and soon they are expected to entertain the other guests and friends of Alistair and his boss. All the while, Rachel is naive and in love and blind to what's going on around her. From here things get interesting as a friend dies and things start to go sideways. Will Rachel ever acknowledge the truth or will her unwaivering love for Alistair prevail?

I found this one to be an intriguing read. Rachel is an easy character to have empathy for. Her innocence and feelings are easy to understand. The rest of the diverse cast of characters are well fleshed out as well. The writing style is easy going and the relatively quick pace kept me engaged and curious. All in all, this is an insightful journey and one that I highly recommend.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for granting me an early copy to read, review and enjoy.

This was a difficult book to read. Lots of hard topics in this book so props to the author for tackling this kind of novel.
This novel follows Rachel in the past and in the present. In the past, it was when Rachel spent a summer on a Greek Island and fell for a much older man, Alistair. In the present, she is married to a different man and he is pushing for a baby. However, it seems like Allistar still holds a special place in Rachel's heart and she feels stuck. Rachel's mind keeps returning to that summer and the events that unfolded and she still reminisces about it. I went blind in this book, and it was a good thing because I was definitely not expecting what happened to happen. If you are looking for clues on how teenage girls are groomed then this one might give you a hint. It's dark, twisted, and a compelling story. I had to put the book down a few times because it was so intense at times. I definitely recommend it if you are looking for a dark and twisty thriller that touches on some hard topics!

Wow. I went into this one mostly blind and it did a great job of sucking me in. Bishop is really talented in the way that she set up the “Then” chapters in the beginning to make you see the magic that Rachel saw in the island, and then slowly peeled away the curtains and mirrors to show you the darkness that was present. This book was a really good example of how far reaching and long lasting the effects of being groomed and manipulated truly can be in a person, and how they can present themselves throughout your life if left to fester. It seems to be the consensus that Rachel is really unlikeable but honestly, I felt like her character was a realistic representation of someone who was taken advantage of in the way she was as a young woman. Bishop’s writing was really beautiful and thought provoking and she tied things together really well in the end. I can already think of multiple people off the top of my head who will love this book.

I love to travel through books and Greece is a place I've alway dreamed of visiting. Main reason I added this one to my reading list! If you like slow burn suspense, this one is for you!

This was a phenomenal debut and I’m so excited to see what she writes next. With that being said this book was beautifully written but the subject matter was tough. I did absolutely love the setting and get totally sucked in!
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Thank you #smpress
and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

I give the author a lot of credit for tackling such a difficult subject for her debut novel! The dual timeline focuses on Rachel, present day and her past when she spent a youthful summer on a Greek island and fell for Alistair, a much older man. Fifteen years later and married to someone else, Alistair still holds a special place in Rachel’s mind and heart.
There’s a profound moment that occurs and a turning point for Rachel, and I think the author did a magnificent job writing that scene.
I went in blind, but saw where this was heading pretty early on. There’s a foreboding that hovers over the story from the beginning. As disturbing as the story that unfolded, is also the resulting questioning the characters have of their own memories and truths. It highlights the bravery of the women that came forward to trigger the #MeToo movement.
What I think kept this from being a stellar read for me was that there were parts that were a bit sluggish to read, as well as my difficulty in connecting with the character of Rachel.

I was intrigued by the concept of this book. However, I very much struggled to stick with it.

The pacing dragged on a bit for me and made it difficult to grab my attention. Had to DNF 24% in.

This wasn't my favorite read! It was slower than I thought it would be and I wanted a little more from it.

3.5+ stars

This one was a bit hard to read, and as much as I wanted to get into the story, I was somewhat hesitant about starting it. It was interesting and, thankfully, not as heavy as it could have been while dealing with serious content. It was definitely more an exploration of systemic and social issues than it was a thriller, but I did appreciate what the writer did with the book, and the ending did ultimately feel right.

⛴The Girls of Summer⛴

👏DEBUT👏

“Even the most beautiful places have secrets.”

Rachel is 17 years old when she & her best friend Caroline take an island-hopping trip before college starts. But nothing could prepare her for what happens on the remote Greek Island that summer.

“An older man. A summer romance. The complete & utter disintegration of my inhibitions.”

The two immediately form bonds with other young females much like themselves who have come to the island on off-years. They have plans to work at the most happening bar that comes with housing. The perfect ploy for a predator. Some have returned from previous years, others came & never left at all. Was it for the money or the false sense of belonging?

It’s not long before Rachel’s approached by a gorgeous older man named Alistair. She falls, HARD. But he’s 37 & knows just how to pick em’.

“You should be careful. I’m just not sure you know quite what getting yourself into.”

Told in dual timelines, 15 years later,present day & in flashbacks from her past…Rachel fights with herself to move on from that tumultuous island. For what she thinks she lost isn’t something worth pining for, it was a trauma- bond.

“How deeply Alistair has buried into my bones.”

But when her husband Tom takes her back to the place it all began on a vacay, memories alight that she can’t seem to push past. Especially not when she runs into an old “friend.”

“For a moment it feels like everything should stop.The world is still spinning.The sun is still shining.But he is gone.”

Can the bruises help her remember— the black outs—-hearing familiar voices tell their side of the story?

“As I look at this picture, taken just months before I met him, my memories of who I was back then shift. I remembered myself looking older, more experienced.”

What if she were to see him NOW?

“He is a real person, distilled into something as tangible as a text message.”

A heartbreaking but insightful journey of healing, abuse, sexual trafficking & more.

5⭐️

⚠️Check Trigger Warnings

🏷
#bookreview #bookreviewer #thegirlsofsummer #katiebishop #stmartinspress #partner #metoo #netgalley

💭 Do you tuck your hands into your hoodies/sweaters?

In all honesty, I was unable to finish this book. I struggled to stay interested. I also tried listening to the audiobook, but that did not help in my enjoyment.

I have to say, from the cover, I felt like I was getting a summer thriller right off the gorgeous backdrop in Greece, but this was more of a slow burn grooming story that was similar to My Dark Vanessa.

I paired the book and the audio together, and it definitely helped to have both formats so I could r was on the go. I liked the narration, but the characters were unlikeable which made it a tough read for me.

*many thanks to St Martins Press, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the gifted e-book.

I started listening to this on audio, but in all honesty, I was very bored and unengaged. I made it to 15% and had to DNF (did not finish). It wasn't for me, but I say still give it a try.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this before publication date.

I can’t get into this one, and am marking it as did not finish. I’m not following the plot & don’t find myself wanting to pick it up.

Thank you NetGalley for gifting me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review and opinions. I greatly enjoyed this novel.

I went into reading The Girls of Summer knowing nothing, not even really reading the synopsis. As a result, I think I’m less disappointed in this than many other reviewers seem to be. This is an atmospheric slow burn drama, not a thriller and not a jaunty summer book.

The story goes back and forth in time, telling what happened to Rachel sixteen years ago and how it has affected her present day life. The pace is slow but I liked that. It felt to me like it was mimicking the gradualness of how someone is drawn into the situation she was in. She’s not particularly likeable as an adult and although some reviewers have commented on her lack of maturity, that’s actually what happens to some women who were groomed, traumatized and abused in their teens; their maturity level can get stuck at the age they were when the trauma occurred.

Overall, although the content was heavy, I did enjoy this and look forward to seeing what Katie Bishop writes next!

I first want to thank Katie Bishop and NetGalley for this ARC eBook edition.

I struggled with this book, I was branching of into a genre I don't read a lot of. I hated the characters but the plot was good. The book was fast paced but during some parts of the book i felt that it was hard to continue reading

A disturbing tale of power imbalances, consent, and the how our memories can reveal shocking things as we grow older. A summer on an idyllic Greek island seems like paradise, but for the girls who crossed paths with Alistair, the dream quickly turned into a nightmare. Reminiscent of "My Dark Vanessa", many of his victims only began coming to terms with what happened on that island decades later. Bishop crafts a story that has her characters not only coming to terms with their trauma, but reclaiming their stories as their own.