Member Reviews

Rachel is 17 when she decides to take a gap year and ends up on a Greek island with a bunch of other teen girls. Her decision to stay at the end of summer is one that changes her whole life- she just doesn’t know it yet. We hear about her life in chapters titled “now” and “then” and the reader begins to piece together the sinister things going on once we get past her distorted perception. It took a while for Rachel, now 35, to integrate the past with sex trafficking and abuse by older men in positions of power. We watch as she has to grapple with what she thought was true versus the awful realities of what happened to her and the other girls of summer. This is a novel where we see the aftermath of trauma, resulting in a complete rewriting of her relationship with Alister. It’s also a story of redemption as the girls reunite to take action against their abusers. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars rounded to 4

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Thank you Netgalley and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Publication: June 6, 2023

This book did such an amazing job giving me unsettling vibes and an eerie sense with the atmosphere. This is my first book by Bishop and I was definitely intrigued!

I would rate this book 3.5 stars- I loved how Bishop brought the world to life however, I didn't like any of the characters. They didn't really grow to me which left me disappointed. The story also gave me "The Last Housewife" vibes but it felt a lot slower and bogged down with too much detail in some parts.

Overall, not a terrible book but not one that blew me away either.

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I was so happy to receive an offer for this ARC. It was so twisty from beginning! Would definitely recommend!!!

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It took me a little while to get into this book, but once it grabbed me it held tight until the end. I started off not liking the main character, Rachel, until I realized that she and I have a lot in common. I’m sure many female readers will feel the same way. I strongly related to being a naive 18 year old girl who made bad decisions. I was moved by the idea that we all rewrite our past to some extent, remembering things as being better than they really were. Highly recommended!

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I don't know if I've ever read a book quite like this & the perspective was really interesting. Rachel was rightfully a frustrating character in both timelines, but I think the book handled the dual perspectives well and revealed things nicely. Would definitely be interested in reading other books like this

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3.5 stars for this thought-provoking Me Too-era reminiscent tale of a summer spent in Greece.

Rachel is seventeen when she arrives on this small island of Greece for a holiday with her best friend. She is quickly drawn into a life of the illusive business man Henry Taylor and his charming assistant, Alistair.

She extends her stay beyond a vacation only to get further ensconced into this life of partying, bartending, and her secret romance with the much older Alistair.

Sixteen years later, Rachel is still adrift. In a long-term but stagnant marriage and a regular routine, it seems as though she’s never left the events of that summer behind. But as she reconnects with other girls from the island, her memories reshape into something much more sinister.

Honestly, this book was hard to read at parts. Rachel was so young and trusting and so clearly in denial about everything that was going on around her. It was clear that she never fully processed or moved on from the repressed memories she had from her experience, meaning she wasn’t ever fully present in her own life in all of these years following. Much of the book is spent with her listlessly being miserable without addressing or healing from the trauma(s) she experienced during the events of that summer.

Overall, I think an important examination of the complexities of exploitation and grooming in young girls but definitely not a light read.

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A quick and easy read if you want a mystery fix. I found much of the story to be predictable, though I think all the characters are well written and interesting in there own way.It gripped me right from the beginning to the end and I completed it within a day.

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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The Girls of Summer is a great read! This story made be both angry and sad for the characters. This story is told in dual time-lines. Rachel is complicated. Before she finished high school, she had the opportunity to spend a summer on a beautiful Greek island with her friend. A summer trip turns into something more when she meets Alistair. A very much older man that takes her breath away. She falls so deeply for him, but there is more to this than meets the eye. Adult Rachel’s life is not turning out the way she hoped. She feels like something is missing, and that missing piece is Alistair. Her memories of the past may not be what they seem and she’s trying to recapture the feelings she had that summer. But, is what she remembered, really what happened. Was it love or something sinister that she just ignored? Rachel made me angry but I also felt for her. Her life was missing something, but that missing piece is not from missing love, but more overcoming abuse she suffered and never fully processed. A good story evokes emotions and this was a good story! Thank you NetGalley for this book. I am not required to leave a review.

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Katie Bishop's The Girls of Summer is a eye opening book of female trafficking. Rachel and Caroline decide on a summer of travel to various Greek Islands. But only Caroline returns home. Rachel gets involved with and older man and stays. She and other girls are used as bartenders and guests at parties where drugs and alcohol are plentiful and they are there to keep men entertained .
Written in Here and Then, we see how that summer affected her life to the point that she cannot function in her marriage.
I thank netball eh and Katie Bishop for an ARC of this book.

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A teenage romance never forgotten…characters who come alive on the pages are intriguing. This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. It is a mixture of love and sadness, along with regret. This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review.

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This is the first book I have read by Kate Bishop and I can’t wait for the next! I finished this book in 24 hrs and was unable to put it down. From the opening chapter I couldn’t have guessed where the plot and story were taking me. Bishop handles a difficult topic deftly by making the reader come to the same understanding as the main character we as the book evolves. The emotions of the main character can be felt and the descriptive writing made me feel as if I were right there in the moment! Thank you so
much for the advance copy!

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Thanks so much St Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance read in exchange for this review.

Rachel has been in love with Alistair for 15 years. Even though she is married to someone else. Even though it started when she was a teen. Even though he is 20 years older than her. Even if she hasn't seen him in years. They had a summer romance on a Greek island. Now, she's obsessed with reliving those events long ago and the truth is coming out to what really happened that summer.

This book has a lot. Rachel thought she had a whirlwind, yet complicated romance as a teenager with an older man. Then while she is on holiday with her husband on that same island, she runs into someone from her past. The truth cannot be kept hidden, and she struggles with grasping what really happened to her as an innocent and naive 17 year old. Parts of this book were hard to read, and you can see the impacts it has had on her over time. Even in her marriage, she is struggling with wondering what if. This book has a lot of dark and hard topics and will leave you with a lot to think about. At times, Rachel is a frustrating character but it is because she is working through trauma and struggling with accepting the truth.

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This is one of those reads that will stick with you. Told in dual timelines and influenced by the #metoo era, Katie Bishop had an important story to tell with this one.

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Thank you to Net Galley for the Advanced Reading Copy. The book went back and forth in time between high school girls enjoying a summer holiday in Greece and the present time in London. I enjoyed the “Then” portion of the story much better than the “Now.” I think we all have that person we met in our teen years, perhaps a first love, that we always wonder about…what if it worked out, how might life be different, etc. I didn’t like the main story line (who would?) and was surprised that it wasn’t revealed in the synopsis of the story. There are definitely many triggers to be aware of. All in all, just ok for me.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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!

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