Twenty years ago, 17 year-old, Tamara Drayton, tragically drowned in her family pool the night of her mother’s birthday party. Her 5 year-old sister, Nina, was the only witness to this horrific event and she testified that their babysitter, Josie Jackson, held Tamara under water until she was dead. Josie spent 10 years in a French prison for this crime. Now, it’s 20 years later and a true crime documentary is exploring this case to find out what really happened that night. There is also a true crime TikTok podcaster casting doubt on Josie’s guilt. Nina is hoping to gain clarity as well; since she cannot truly trust her memory; she was only a small child. Did the right person pay the price for Tamara’s death or is the murderer still walking free? Could it have been just a terrible accident? Told in alternating timelines and several POVs of two memorable summers in France; what did happen to Tamara on that unforgettable night?

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. martin's Press for this digital e-arc.*

This was just the right amount of "dark" and while I tend to love this trope of "one summer many years ago" this one was a little different in my opinion but I am still a bit worn out on the stories. It was good and not that shocking but interesting to follow.

This was fascinating to read after just finishing a book on wrongful convictions. In High Season, Josie is convicted of murdering the older sister of her babysitting charge, and the trial completely hinges on the testimony of a 5-year-old girl. 
*
I think the story was not necessarily all that shocking, I had a pretty good guess early on about how it was going to end, but the way it played out was really dark, which I love. The characters are all flawed, and while a lot of that can be blamed on just being dumb teenagers, there were some other intricacies too. 
*
I thought the middle was a bit slow, and it seemed a bit contrived that all the relevant people independently showed up at the town at the same time, but I still very much enjoyed this!

I really enjoyed this! I have enjoyed this author’s writing so much and I will absolutely pick up another of her books if she writes more. I love the ways her stories unfold. I wasn’t able to predict what the outcome was and I really enjoyed the characters, flaws and all.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

High Season pulled me right in with its shifting timelines between 2004 and 2024. I’ve been on a domestic thriller kick lately, and this one hit the spot. The story moves between a sun-drenched, intoxicating summer in the past and a present day unraveling that forces old secrets into the light.

Katie Bishop’s writing is immersive, making the Amalfi coast almost a character of its own beautiful, alluring, but hiding darkness in its shadows. The dual timelines are well-woven, each revealing pieces of the puzzle in a way that kept me hooked. The characters are flawed in the best way human, messy, and layered so even when I didn’t agree with their choices, I understood them.

This is a slow-burn suspense that rewards your patience with satisfying twists and a haunting sense of unease. If you love atmospheric domestic thrillers with complicated relationships and buried secrets, this is one to add to your list.

A wealthy family. A summer on the French Riviera. And a tragedy that still won’t let go.

When five-year-old Nina says she saw her babysitter push her sister into the pool, everything falls apart. Fast forward twenty years, and that babysitter is out of prison—just as a true-crime podcaster shows up, hungry for the real story.

Told through mixed-up timelines and several viewpoints, this slow-burn mystery dives into love, memory, and all the messy secrets families keep—set against the hauntingly beautiful French Riviera.

I loved the ride! My only tiny gripe? Clearer POV names would’ve made switching between characters a breeze.

Publication Date: August 12th, 2025

Thanks so much for the advance copy!

High Season was a juicy and semi-thrilling read that I devoured fairly quickly.

I did find that the 3rd and 4th "parts" in this book started to stall and slow down a bit. The first two parts were SO GOOD and kept me hooked. Other than the pacing - I loved this story, premise, location and characters.

🔍✨ Murder, memories, and a whole lot of unanswered questions…

Nina Drayton returns to the south of France to her childhood home — the place where her older sister Tamara was murdered when Nina was just five years old. Haunted by hazy memories of that tragic day, she’s determined to retrace her steps and uncover the truth. Now working as a child psychologist (much to the disapproval of her mother and brother), Nina is still wrestling with the scars left by her sister’s death and a lifetime of uncertainty.

Josie Jackson, the woman convicted of killing Tamara, spent ten years behind bars. Since her release, she’s been living in the shadows — unwanted in her hometown and struggling to find her footing. But was Josie really guilty?

Enter Imogen Faye, a true crime TikTokker whose investigation breathes new life into the cold case. As new evidence surfaces, the story alternates between 2004 and 2024, slowly revealing the tangled lives of everyone involved. I especially loved Nina’s character — I could have easily read even more about her! 💛

The book is split into four parts, and while I found Parts One and Two completely gripping, I felt Parts Three and Four slowed down with extra drama and details that pulled me out of the story. Still, this was a solid read overall, and I’d happily pick up more from this author in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book and read it in one sitting. I loved the storyline and the characters. I thought the characters had great growth. I would definitely recommend this book.

Twenty years ago, Tamara Drayton, a troubled teenager, was found floating in the pool of her family’s mansion in the south of France. Her twin, Blake, was left to pick up the pieces of their shattered family. Nina, their younger sister, became the youngest person to testify in a French murder trial because she was the only one who saw what happened. Twenty years have passed, and Nina’s memories have faded, leaving her with no clue as to what happened that night. A true crime documentary about her sister’s murder is announced, leaving Nina to think this might be her chance to find out.

HIGH SEASON is Bishop’s sophomore novel but my first experience with her writing. This novel explores family dynamics, the fragility of memory, and the ripple effect of decisions made. It’s set in the Cote D’Azure region of France, making for a lovely backdrop on an excellent summer thriller.

HIGH SEASON is told in dual timelines, 2004 and 2024, in multiple POV: Nina’s, Josie’s, Tamara’s, Hannah’s, and Blake’s. I enjoyed how the alternate timelines and multiple POV helped build the narrative, casting suspicion and doubt as more details were revealed about the fateful night that Tamara died. The plot mounts with tension, culminating in a timely reveal. The characters in this novel are well-fleshed, flawed, and realistic. The pacing of the plot is balanced keeping me hooked until the very end.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, St Martin’s Press, for the opportunity to read this advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are my own.

Bishop’s sophomore novel really seems to have leveled up from their debut! They have taken a trope we have all read 100 times before and made it feel fresh. The writing/prose is much less dense while still feeling weighty enough for the subject matter and tone of the novel.

This kept me interested throughout and although I saw some things coming, there was enough left to surprise me that I felt very satisfied by the ending!

I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I appreciate the publisher for providing this complimentary advanced copy. The opinions shared in this review are entirely my own.
Excellent mystery thriller full of suspense…finished in hours.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC for my review. I did enjoy the story and its characters. But I must say that I liked some more than others. You really have to pay close attention as to if you are in the past or the present because the story does goes back and forth. It is quite the Summer read as the crime does take place in this season. Unfortunately, a younger sibling witnesses the murder of her sister and then in turn, she has to be a witness in the trial. This is quite the mystery/thriller and you will be shocked as to who is the real killer.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for the book #HighSeason by #KatieBishop. This book is such a good read with suspense, drama and a twenty year ago death. Nina was only six when her big sister, Tamara, was drown. She testified that she saw her babysitter do it, but now, she questions her memory. She is hoping that the truth comes out from that night with the documentary that is being made about it. But is she gonna like what she remembers?

Katie Bishop's High Season is a gripping murder mystery that weaves together dual timelines with multiple narrators, creating a dynamic and layered storytelling experience. The novel’s structure keeps readers engaged, as the narrative shifts between past and present, slowly unraveling the mystery with tantalizing clues and revelations.

The characters are exceptionally well-crafted, each bringing depth and authenticity that makes them memorable long after the last page is turned. Their distinct voices add richness to the dual timelines, allowing readers to connect with their personal journeys and motives.

Bishop’s prose is vivid and atmospheric, capturing the essence of the settings in both timelines. The pacing is commendable, with tension and suspense building steadily, keeping the reader on edge. The interplay between the past and present adds complexity without causing confusion, a testament to Bishop’s skillful storytelling.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for my #gifted ARC and thank you Macmillan Audio for my #gifted advanced listening copy of High Season! #HighSeason #KatieBishop #MacAudio2025 #macmillanaudio #stmartinspress

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫: 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐱 𝐃𝐮𝐧𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟏𝟐, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

𝟱★

This book was SO good! I loved it and I’m going to be recommending it to everyone! High Season is the story of the death of Tamara Drayton, who was found dead face-down in the pool of her family’s mansion in the south of France. Her twin brother was left to pick up the broken pieces of the family after her death. Tamara also left behind a six year old sister, Nina, who was the only one who saw what happened that night. Since she was the only one who saw what happened, she became the youngest person to ever testify in a French murder trial, since she watched her babysitter Josie hold Tamara under water until she stopped breathing. Right? Now, twenty years later, Nina’s memories of that night have faded and she has no recollection of what really happened that night. But a true crime documentary is announced and Nina thinks it just might be her chance to find out what really happened.

☀️Dual Timelines
☀️Mixed Media Elements
☀️Power of Memory
☀️Family Drama
☀️Slow Burn Thriller

🎧The audiobook was narrated by Alix Dunmore who was just perfect for this audiobook! This was my first time listening to Dunmore, and I can’t wait to discover more of her work! I found this audiobook to be so well done and thought the pacing was perfect. You could just tell that Dunmore was the right fit for this book and I loved how she brought the right type of emotions for each character and I devoured this book! Not only was this book a five star read, but Dunmore’s performance was a 5★ performance, too!

Posted on Goodreads on August 7, 2025: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around August 8, 2025: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on August 12, 2025
**-will post on designated date

Looking for a slow-burn psychological thriller set in the French Riviera? High Season by Katie Bishop weaves past and present into a domestic mystery about memory, trauma, and truth. Perfect for fans of true crime fiction and dual timelines.

There’s something about books set in hot, coastal towns with buried secrets and High Season nails that vibe perfectly. I found this read to be atmospheric while sun soaked in the South of France. A thriller beach read for sure.

Nina Drayton returns to her childhood home, where her sister Tamara was killed 20 years earlier. At just five years old, Nina claimed she saw their babysitter, Josie, drown Tamara. Josie went to prison for it. But now, as an adult and a child psychologist, Nina’s memories aren’t so clear.

The story really kicks into gear when a true crime TikToker named Imogen reopens the case, and Nina is forced to face what really happened that day. Was Josie actually guilty?

I really liked:
🕳️The dual timelines (2004 + 2024)
🕳️The French setting
🕳️The characters felt flawed and real
🕳️If you like true crime podcast vibes, this will be totally up your alley.

But you should know:
🕳️This isn’t a twist-a-minute kind of thriller. It’s more character-driven.
🕳️It explores tough themes: childhood trauma, privilege, manipulation, and how memory can deceive us.
🕳️It’s very readable but doesn’t spoon-feed.

✨✨✨

Many thanks to @netgalley & @stmartinspress for my free eARC

It's been 20 years since 5-year-old Nina's testimony sent a teenage girl to prison in the south of France. Nina, a psychologist, is now doubting what she saw. Told in alternating timelines, a new documentary being made about the death is stirring up lots of memories. There was too much extra stuff going on in this book to fully appreciate it, but it was enjoyable.

Perfect destination thriller! Read this book in two sittings! Loved the main characters so much! Definitely recommend

Here’s the revised first sentence with “Book Review” included, followed by the full updated review:

⸻

Book Review: Katie Bishop’s High Season is a moody, twisty cocktail of privilege, trauma, and sun-drenched secrets. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the gifted ARC.

Twenty years ago, six-year-old Nina Drayton watched—or thought she watched—her seventeen-year-old sister Tamara drown in the family pool during a glittering summer party at their cliffside estate in the Côte d’Azur. In the aftermath, Nina’s testimony put the family’s teenage babysitter, Josie Jackson, behind bars for murder. A child’s word was enough. Or at least it was then.

Now, two decades later, a buzzy new true crime documentary is dragging the past back into the present. Nina, now a child psychologist, finds herself unraveling not only her own fractured memories, but also the shaky foundations of her entire family history. The pink villa where it all happened still stands, haunting and unchanged, perched above the shimmering blue coast. But memory—especially traumatic memory—isn’t so easily preserved. What Nina thought she knew is beginning to feel like something she was told.

High Season is not your standard whodunnit. It’s a layered, psychologically rich novel that carefully peels back the artifice of wealth, family, and memory. Bishop is working in the vein of writers like Megan Miranda and Ashley Audrain, but her voice is distinctly her own—elegant but sharp, observational without ever being cold. She knows how to let a scene simmer.

The dual timelines (2004 and 2024) are executed with precision, and each voice—whether it’s young Nina, teenaged Josie, dead-girl Tamara, or modern-day observers—adds depth instead of noise. That alone is a feat. In lesser hands, this kind of structure could have fallen apart. But here, the multiple perspectives are used to build tension rather than diffuse it. You want to keep flipping, not because of the next big twist, but because you’re watching the puzzle fit together piece by piece.

Josie, in particular, is unforgettable. Her chapters ache with the bitterness of a life stolen and a name forever tainted. She’s neither saint nor villain, but something far more real: a girl who wanted out, got caught in something she didn’t understand, and paid a price no one else was willing to pay. Nina’s journey is more internal, but just as compelling—her guilt, her doubt, her fragile need to believe in her own mind, even as it betrays her.

Then there’s the meta element: the true crime lens. Bishop doesn’t shy away from critiquing the way tragedy becomes content. Through Imogen, a viral TikTok detective-slash-podcaster, and her faceless horde of internet theorists, High Season interrogates how public consumption of private pain distorts truth. These sections are threaded into the novel with surgical precision, and they add a timely edge without ever feeling gimmicky. The media isn’t just a backdrop—it’s part of the crime scene.

“Memory is a story we tell ourselves to survive,” one character says, and the novel returns to this idea again and again. Who gets to write that story? Who benefits from it? Who gets buried beneath it? Bishop doesn’t offer easy answers. Instead, she leaves you with the discomfort of knowing that sometimes everyone’s telling the truth—and still, someone ends up destroyed.

If the book falters, it’s in the opening chapters. The first act lingers a bit too long in setup mode, and it takes time for the stakes to feel immediate. But once Part Two begins, it’s as if Bishop turns the dial and suddenly the whole thing surges forward. The tension ratchets up, secrets crack open, and the emotional stakes finally hit full force. I flew through the back half, completely absorbed.

The ending walks the line between resolution and ambiguity beautifully. There are no big courtroom scenes or dramatic confessions—just the quiet devastation of realizing that justice, if it came at all, didn’t come clean. You’ll finish High Season not just wondering what really happened, but who really mattered—and why.

This isn’t just a summer thriller. It’s a story about the long tail of trauma, the fragility of memory, and the uncomfortable truth that sometimes, the past is only as real as the story people choose to tell about it.

4.5 stars (rounded up). An atmospheric, character-driven mystery that gets under your skin and stays there.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Quote I can’t stop thinking about:
“Just because something didn’t happen the way you remember it, doesn’t mean it didn’t matter.”