High Season by Katie Bishop ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This sophomore novel is the perfect read to close out summer with.

The setting was atmospheric and took on a life of its own in this one. The characters were well developed with some standing out more than others. The changing timelines successfully built tension and helped round out the story.

As for pacing, this was a slow-burn mystery. While extremely well written, this book felt repetitive occasionally and seemed to be just a tad bit too long. I was absorbed in it when I was reading, but if I had to put it down (for life reasons) it was hard to get back into.

Themes explored in this one were: rich people behaving badly, reliability of memory, have vs have nots, coming of age, and true crime media consumption.

Fans of books that take their time, books with atmospheric settings, and books that keep you guessing until the reveal will find much to love here.

This novel tells the story of Tamara Drayton's tragic death. This book uses multiple viewpoints and timelines to draw the reader in and weave together what really happened leading up to her death.

The plot explores how wealth and power can directly and indirectly influence events and the aftermath of those events. The author's use of the current infatuation with true crime as an outside influence made an interesting side story.

4.5 stars. Five-year-old Nina witnessed the tragic drowning of her 17 year-old sister Tamara, testifying in court their babysitter Josie had held her under. Fast forward twenty years, Josie is released from prison + a true-crime podcaster shows up for the real story by casting doubt on Josie’s guilt. Nina herself now being unsure of what she actually saw that night, seeks to find if her memory was all that or if the real murderer is still out there.
What a slow-burning suspensive tale of memory, mystery and messy family secrets.. all set against the golden sun-drenched French Riviera. Told in two timelines shifting between 2004 + 2024 with several POVs, Bishop slowly reveals pieces of the puzzle that kept me chomping at the bit to the very end. If you enjoy a domestic mystery/thriller loaded with tension, twists, a sense of unease and an immersive storyline add this one to your list. Fantastic. Pub. 8/12/25

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

Somehow I missed this author’s debut, and decided that this one sounded too good to not try. It has all the elements that I enjoy seeing in a mystery: a troubled teenager, a rich family rife with secrets, and a potentially unreliable narrator in young Nina. I’m a sucker for a murder mystery situated in a vacation spot, and this one scratched that itch. All of the elements above are seamlessly woven together to create a dual timeline tapestry, where the secrets of the past have the potential to shatter the present.

The story winds up being told between two timelines twenty years apart, and through the eyes of basically all the major characters at some point throughout the book. Initially, we are introduced to Nina, who has such a major impact in the early timeline despite how small of a role she actually played in that storyline. After receiving an email from a popular podcaster about an upcoming documentary about her sister’s murder and her testimony, expressing interest in a possible interview with her if she was willing. For the first time in a long time, she decides to head to the family’s old vacation mansion in the south of France to celebrate her mother’s birthday.

It throws the entire family dynamic off hardly at all at first, just encouragement from her brother Blake, and then mild surprise muted by alcohol from her mother. But as Nina gets more and more curious about why she couldn’t remember that night any longer, and becomes willing to work with this podcaster to find out what really happened to her sister, her presence and actions come with a high cost for going against the family policy to never speak about that summer.

I really enjoyed Nina’s character as an adult. She has just become a child psychiatrist, and is starting a new job in the very near future. Making a rash decision to travel to France instead of preparing for the new job, Nina allows us to see the family in all its dysfunctional glory. I wasn’t impressed with really any of Nina’s family members—they’re self-absorbed, privileged, entitled, and mostly obnoxious, with the exception of Nina, who has a lot more self-awareness than the rest of her family.

Josie has spent twenty years in jail for the murder of Tamara Drayton, convicted with the testimony of a six year old Nina. She’s released and trying to make her way in a world where she has limited options and few friendly faces. The more of her that I got to know, in both timelines, the more I found myself liking her. She takes a fresh start when it is offered to her, and opens her up not only to friendship and support, but potentially a love interest.

The prior timeline also kept me riveted, as the characters and their actions unfolded over the course of one summer that changed the lives of everyone in contact with the events of a single fateful night. As expected, there were endless twists in the story, but I was indeed surprised at how everything played out in the end. It also offered more perspectives from characters who aren’t as prominent in the later timeline.

Overall, this is a great mystery/thriller and I’m so glad that I got the opportunity to read and review this one in advance of release. The vivid, realistic, and often painful-to-watch choices make the characters more relatable, and all the questions that come up throughout the reading are tied up neatly in a beautiful bow at the end. I especially appreciated watching the characters grow and become better versions of themselves, while others have their choices or futures taken away from them. But by the end of this book, I felt like I had experienced not just one summer in the south of France, but two—without ever leaving my house. This is the kind of book that’s a perfect beach read.

High Season was a somewhat typical "rich people behaving badly" story, though it really kept my interest throughout. Early on, I wasn't sure if the book was meant to be a study on childhood memory and the lasting effects of trauma, or if it was meant to be a mystery, but now that I've finished it I can say it's definitely meant to be a mystery. While I really liked the mystery element, I would've loved a deeper story that spoke more to the unreliability of memory and the effects of trauma. But that's a me thing, and I'm not basing my review or rating on that.

I did feel that the character development was somewhat shallow with several of the characters. There were a bunch of characters in the book, which does limit how deeply each character can be explored, but I just didn't feel that most of them had much depth. There were even one or two characters that served almost no purpose in the book (not even for the purpose of being a red herring, which is often the case with useless characters in mystery books).

I did love the podcast element to the story - I thought that added some fun to the way the story was told. And it was a page turner for sure. I found myself fully immersed and wanting to see where the story led. I found the book to be atmospheric, and loved the setting of Cote d'Azur - while I've never been there, the book transported me there while reading.

I will say that I unfortunately figured out pretty much the entire mystery before I even reached the halfway point of the book - that was a bit of a let down. Some people loving figuring out the ending, I prefer to be shocked and surprised. There was no surprise for me with this one, other than the killer's motive.

All that to say that I did like the book, and would rate it at 3.5 stars. I also read the author's previous book (The Girls of Summer) and can say that I enjoyed this one more.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This cover is beautiful and perfect for a late summer read ! I really enjoyed this book. I loved the well written atmospheric location of the south of France. The characters were well fleshed out and easy to relate to. It kept me intrigued the whole way through and I did not see the ending coming. I would highly recommend giving this one a read or listen.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

Last summer I spent some time in Greece with The Girls of Summer. This year, with her second novel, I was visiting the Côte d’Azur. Of course, despite the lovely locations, Katie Bishop delivers a story that is anything but a relaxing romp in a beautiful spot. She delivered another suspense-filled novel that left me wondering who and what I could believe.

When the daughter of a socialite is found unresponsive in their swimming pool on the night of her mother’s birthday party, the only witness is her six-year-old sister, Nina. How reliable could the testimony of a young girl be? Well, it was enough to satisfy the French court system. Twenty years later, and Nina is wondering if she was an accurate witness to her sister’s death. The more she thinks about it, the less she's convinced that she knew exactly what had transpired all those years ago. All she knows is that her sister is gone and she may have sent an innocent girl to prison.

Nina isn’t the only person to show interest in this old case, though. There is a true crime podcast that has been talking about it, digging up things from the past, getting all of the armchair detectives buzzing about it, and focusing on the possible innocence of Josie Jackson. With all of the popularity that resurfaced pertaining to this case, a documentary series is in the works.

Josie Jackson was released after ten years in prison. She still claims that she didn’t commit the crime that day, but she is out of prison and just trying to get some semblance of a life. Returning to the Côte d’Azur to stay with her brother, she knows that she will be an unwelcome presence in the community, but life hasn’t been kind to her, and she needs a place to stay. Josie’s return brings with it a lot of attention back to that ill-fated day all those years ago.

High Season goes back and forth between the present and the past. This allows the reader to see what events had transpired that led up to that terrible day when Tamara died. I got to witness friendships being formed, teenagers having crushes, trying to fit in and be accepted in peer groups of the upper crust of their community. In the present day, Tamara’s family is still feeling the effects of her death. Trying to move on with their lives is difficult when people keep trying to dredge up the past and possibly uncover a different reason that Tamara died.

High Season is a tense, fast-paced, suspenseful read. It not only deals with the accuracy of memories, but also female friendships, and social class and privilege. Once again, Katie Bishop has swept me up and away into a story that was gripping and relevant. I’m already wondering to where she will be taking me next summer.

*4 Stars

HIGH SEASON by Katie Bishop is a gripping story of family secrets, questionable memories and the enduring effects of trauma. Set against a backdrop of the beautiful Côte D’Azur in the south of France, the story is told in dual timelines, twenty years apart. In the summer of 2004, seventeen-year-old Tamara Drayton is found floating face down in the pool of her family’s mansion. Left behind are her twin brother, Blake and her six-year-old sister, Nina. Nina, the youngest person ever to testify in a French murder trial, testifies that her babysitter, Josie Jackson, pushed Tamara under the water. Josie has struggled to move her life forward after spending ten years in prison for a murder she denies she committed. In 2024, the shadow of Tamara’s death still touches everyone involved. Nina has also struggled her whole life with the growing uncertainty of her memories and the guilt of knowing her testimony alone sent Josie to prison all those years ago. When a true crime TikToker revives the case and announces a new documentary about Tamara’s notorious death, Nina decides to participate. As new evidence emerges, will the truth about that fateful night finally be revealed? The story alternates between the past and present and it told from multiple viewpoints. I enjoyed the suspense, atmospheric setting and high drama of this book and highly recommend it. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

High Season by Katie Bishop is a psychological thriller set over two summers, twenty years apart, on the Côte d’Azur. The story follows Nina Drayton, who, at six years old, witnessed her seventeen-year-old sister Tamara found dead in their family’s villa pool. Her witness testimony lead to the conviction of their babysitter, Josie Jackson. Two decades later, as a true crime documentary revisits the case, Nina’s faded memories and doubts prompt her to return to the villa to uncover the truth about that fateful summer, questioning whether she sent an innocent woman to prison or if the real killer remains free.

The characters in High Season are fully developed with each one crafted and relatable. I was able to connect with Nina’s struggle, Blake’s charm, and the nuanced supporting cast, making every interaction feel authentic.

The whodunit trope is masterfully executed, with surprising plot twists that kept me guessing. Backed by believable motives, it added depth to the mystery. The finale was surprising, delivering a thrilling resolution that made skipping to the last chapters irresistible. However, the pacing felt sluggish, especially around the midpoint, where the slow build led me to skip ahead to the gripping final chapters.

While the ending was fantastic, it didn’t motivate me to revisit the skipped sections. Overall, High Season earns 4 stars for its compelling characters, clever twists, and an intense conclusion. Despite the pacing hiccup, it’s a thought-provoking read about memory and truth that lingers long after the last page.

I received a DRC from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. This review is my own and reflects my honest thoughts and opinions.

This suspense novel has a dual timeline and multiple perspectives.

In 2004, 17-year-old Tamara Drayton was found floating face-down in the pool of her family’s mansion along the Côte d’Azur. Josie Jackson, a frequent babysitter for 5-year-old Nina Drayton, is charged with Tamara’s murder and convicted, primarily because of Nina’s eyewitness testimony.

In 2024, on the twentieth anniversary of Tamara’s death, a true-crime documentary about her murder is announced. Now, with no memory of the incident to which she testified, Nina begins questioning her memories of that night. Did she send an innocent person to prison for ten years? Nina returns to France to meet with her brother Blake, Tamara’s twin, and Evelyn, her mother, to determine exactly what happened. At the same time, Josie returns as well to spend time with her brother. A meeting between Nina and Josie is inevitable.

The narrative moves back and forth between 2004 and 2024. In the first timeline, we learn about events leading up to the night of Evelyn’s birthday party when Tamara is killed. In 2024, we see the arrival of people connected to the tragedy of two decades earlier and the events that occur thereafter. In both time frames, the perspectives of various people are given, including those of Nina, Josie, Josie’s best friend Hannah Bailey, Tamara, and a TikTok true crime influencer. Occasionally the reader might be momentarily confused about which timeline is being described because similar events, like a birthday party for Evelyn, occur in both.

Obviously, the novel explores the unreliability of memory: how it can be affected and manipulated. As a child psychologist, Nina “knows about false memory, and about how trauma can create great, gaping holes in your vision of the past. She knows that people’s memories are the most accurate in the eleven months immediately after the event, and then become hazy afterward, complicated by retelling and rehashing a story.” There’s the additional problem of Nina’s age when she testified. A friend asks her, “’But if you don’t remember it . . . how do you know you weren’t making it up? Kids make things up all the time, right? They make believe. How do you know that you were telling the truth?’”

The book also touches on class differences. There are the Draytons, an ultra-rich family, and their equally wealthy friends. And then there are the locals like Josie and Hannah and their families who need to work hard and sometimes still struggle financially. Josie’s mother actually works for the Drayton family. The relationship between members of the two classes is definitely that of master and servant. Hannah, for instance, wants to be part of the privileged class but she is not accepted by them. I did find that the portrayal of the super rich is rather stereotypical; they feel entitled, lack high moral standards, and behave atrociously towards the lower classes if they notice them at all.

The pace at the beginning is slow but ramps up as revelations from the past build suspense. Early on I had strong suspicions as to the identity of the guilty party but I didn’t know the motive. My interest in continuing to read was to see if my suspicions would be confirmed. I did like how people’s actions and statements are often misinterpreted by others: what may seem as dismissal or rejection of someone may in fact be an attempt to protect that person. And more than one person adopts a persona not in keeping with their true natures.

This is a good summer read perfect for the beach, even if that beach is not on the Côte d’Azur. It has interesting characters and sufficient suspense, as well as some thematic depth.

Great read! I really enjoy duel timeline books and loved how Katie Bishop blended past and present, slowly revealing secrets that kept me turning the pages late into the night. Definitely recommend.

The author does a really good job of keeping you guessing. So many secrets and at the final reveal you are like ok. One of my suspects but was not 100% certain. Plot a little slow at times. The characters thinking they are bad never resonated. Many characters are just not likeable but believe that is by design.

This book was a miss for me. I ended up skipping most of the 2nd half since it was dragging & I was very bored. But I had to know who killed the sister so flipped to the end. Not what I guessed, so I guess that is good.

High Season is a book goes back and forth between present day and twenty years prior, looking at the events that lead to the death of Tamara, Nina’s sister. Nina is the only person who saw what happened. Didn’t she? Twenty years later, Nina's memories have faded, leaving her with no idea of what really transpired that night. The book has dual timelines with multiple narrators. This explores childhood trauma, family drama and how memory can deceive us.

Twenty years ago, seventeen year old Tamara Drayton was found floating face down in the family pool in the south of France

Her six year old sister Nina saw what happened- her babysitter, Josie Jackson, pushed Tamara under the water, and held her there until she stopped breathing.

Twenty years later, Nina's memories have faded, and she's questioning what really happened that night. When a new true crime documentary about her sister’s murder is announced, Nina thinks this might be her chance to finally find out.

High Season is more of a drama than a thriller and it moves at a slower pace. The story is told in dual timelines. Usually that creates more tension but it doesn't work that way here. It slows things down and makes the book a little longer than it needs to be.

High Season is very character driven. Some readers are going to love it for that. Readers will enjoy the setting and atmosphere. Overall, this didn't work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

A very cool and unique concept! I like the plot of how Nina was a witness in a trial at such a young age. It’s horrible for her, but I haven’t heard a premise like that.

I liked all the characters POVs of the women we got!

Even so, I thought we maybe followed a little too many POVs. I only say that because I feel like we didn’t follow Nina that much, even though I assumed she was the main character. I wanted to see more of her and how she coped with being so young and having to go through the trial.

Most of the focus was on Hannah which I didn’t expect. Focusing on Josie makes sense, I just didn’t expect them to have such a big part.

I liked Hannah the most at first, but as things went on I felt more and more bad for Josie. What happened to Hannah was tragic and I was so upset on her behalf. It made me sick to my stomach. How she treated Josie at times wasn’t okay though. Especially for approval from a man. I know she was young, but it was not okay and it hurt me so badly.

Josie was such a good person and such a good friend. I loved how she stayed loyal to people even though they didn’t treat her kindly at times. It just shows how comfortable she was with herself that she didn’t care what others think about her. I saw myself in her a lot.

At first I was iffy on Tamara, maybe because we didn’t know that much about her. But the more we learned the more I liked her.

I just wish it was more about Nina figuring out what’s going on. A lot of it was the build up of the relationships between the characters, which was important, but Nina didn’t try to figure out the truth until 222 pages into the book.

The true crime podcast I wasn’t a fan of, but sadly people do act like that about cases like this. I was glad of the message it had at the end about it though. Everyone should have that mindset!

I was really curious to find out what happened! I thought it was pretty easy to guess what actually happened, but that didn’t take away from the story since I didn’t know the why or how.

I loved Josie and Nic. Even though it wasn’t a huge part of the story, I was glad it was incorporated. I could have used even more to be honest. Even Calvin and Gabby were good characters for what little they were in it!

This author knows how to write likable people!

It was a very feminist centered story which I liked a lot. Even if it wasn’t blatant, you could still tell.

The only reason why I didn’t give this 5 stars because I thought it focused on too many things at once. Even Evelyn was a big part of the story at first, but at the end, she was only mentioned off handedly. I think if it was a little more cleaned up and focused mainly on figuring out the truth I would have really liked this.

But this was still a great read! It was written well and kept me entertained throughout.

3.5* rounded up to 4

Thank you to Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

High Season is told in dual timelines of 2004 and 2024 where a wealthy family called the Draytons have a beachfront home in the south of France. In 2004, their 16 year old daughter Tamara drowns in their swimming pool in an accident, and her five year old sister Nina is the main witness. Josie Jackson, whose mother works for the Draytons, is convicted of the murder and serves in prison. Adult Nina in 2024 is now questioning if she really saw what she thought she saw, and a documentary is being made.

I liked the concept of the story but thought there were too many characters and side quests involved at certain times. It did all come together in the end but I thought the execution could have been slightly better. The reveal of the truth did surprise me. It made me want to go to the south of France to visit.

Nina has been invited back to the place of her childhood to participate in a documentary about the tragic death of her sister. When Nina was 5 she became one of the youngest witnesses to testify in court, a testimony that lead to the arrest of her former babysitter Josie Jackson. But what is Nina remembered wrong? Did she send the wrong person to jail all the years ago?

This book started out a bit slow for me, making me question if I was going to be able to finish but I am glad I did. The book goes back and forth between present day and twenty years prior, looking at the events that lead to the death of Tamara, Nina’s sister. The book has themes of forgiveness, the trickiness of memory, and friendship. It ended nicely with a satisfying ending.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Engrossing summer mystery thriller.

The beautiful Côte d’Azur is the setting for this nostalgic coming of age story that involves a murder. It’s got a dual timeline — 1999 to present day — so the back and forth allows multiple narrators and points of view to describe what happened on the fateful night in question.

Evelyn Drayton, a former “it” girl and her family have always summered here in the French Riviera. Her grandfather had designed and built the place where the entire family have spent years. Rarely interacting with any of the locals, the family has an air of magic attached to them. The 17 year old twins, Blake and Tamara, along with their little 5 year old sister, Nina, have the run of the place while their mother, Evelyn, tries to keep hold of her latest husband. When Tamara is found dead on the night of her mother’s birthday party, the entire town is in shock. It’s unbelievable to hear that one of their own, Josie Jackson, has been accused of killing Tamara. Motive speculated, but never known.

I loved the multifaceted characters in this story, especially Josie and Tamara. All of the things that were going on behind the curtain so to speak and led to Tamara’s death were never really exposed or explored. Nina’s testimony at trial when only 5 years old led to Josie going to prison for 10 years. It’s only twenty years later that a true crime blogger wants to delve deeper into the case and help to figure out what really happened that night. The author deftly weaves a web of connections that point to another as the perpetrator. Even tho I guessed the whodunit, I really enjoyed how the author got me there with all the revelations.

I loved the writing and even though I don’t relish stories about teenagers and the ridiculous things they get up to, some of that was necessary to put the reader in the right headspace to understand all that led up to Tamara’s death.

I was able to listen to the audiobook while also following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. The narrator, Alix Dunmore, did a fabulous job of voicing all the characters in the story. Her dramatic flair and ability to adapt accents and tone really enhanced the production. The only voice that grated on my nerves was when she did the annoying podcaster’s voice. But that was fleeting thank heavens and probably quite an accurate portrayal. I’d highly recommend the audio book.

I think this is a sub-genre now: An old murder (or accident) being resurrected by a podcast/true crime forum. Of course, everything that was true decades ago isn’t the real story.

Five year old Nina Drayton testified that she saw seventeen year old Josie Jackson drown her older sister Tamara (twin to brother Blake). It was another summer for the wealthy and notorious Evelyn Drayton and her rotating set of husbands and lovers at the Côte d’Azur in the south of France. In the two intervening decades, the Drayton family continued to come back year after year. In present day, @trumecrimefangirl_2002 is recounting the facts to her fans, the impetus being that Josie, after spending ten years in prison, is willing to talk about the summer. Nina, now twenty-five, however, with a new child psychology degree (chosen to chase her demons) isn’t sure she wants to participate.

There was a third teenage girl, Hannah, back in 2004, daughter of the dive shop owners, who had been besties with Josie since they were ten, and she also had a fling with Blake the summer of the incident.

The story takes a familiar path, alternating between 2024 and 2004, and interspersed with @trumecrimefangirl_2002 observations and the responses from people trying to “solve” what really happened.

The audiobook is brilliantly narrated by Alix Dunmore, who cleverly characterizes the changes between plain narration and the “true crime” speculations. Author Bishop's sophomore novel is again a steady domestic thriller set in an exotic locale with well-developed characters. 4 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO But Hannah has equally rare gray eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO Nina does learn that her sister loved tulips.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!