Reviews - The Girls of Summer

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396 reviews for:

The Girls of Summer

Katie Bishop

3.47 AVERAGE

books_coffee_oxfordcommas's review against another edition

3.75

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The Girls of Summer tells the story of Rachel, a teenage summer that changed her life, and the impact it has on her life some 15 years later.
The story is told in parallel timelines of when Rachel was a teenager, taking a gap year on a Greek island, and when she is in her 30's, struggling to decide if she should have a child with her husband. Struggling to decide if she can ever get over that summer, the man she fell in love with. And by man, I truly mean someone twice her age. I think a lot of people can relate to the coming-of-age Rachel storyline - she thinks she knows it all and
In the present-day storyline, Rachel needs to confront that summer and determine if it really was everything she thought it was at the time.
The Girls of Summer was a good book. It was more intense than I anticipated. It is an impressive book for the author's first, but I did feel a few times like I had missed a plot point (although that may have been intentional).
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Content Warnings

always_need_more_books's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

chaptersofchase's review against another edition

3.0

dark slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Thank you, St Martin's Press, for the gifted copy of Girls of Summer {partner}

Genre: Fiction
Format: 🎧
Audiobook Narration: ☆☆☆☆
Pub Date: 6.6.2023
Star Rating: ☆☆☆

Reviewing books like The Girls of Summer is challenging because the content is so alarming that I struggled to invest in the storyline fully.

I'm not sure what I expected when I started reading this book, but I had a difficult time reading along as 17-year-old travels to Greece (alone), begins seeing an older man who is so blatantly manipulating her, and ultimately unravels the rest of her life.

However, I did appreciate how the author showed Rachel through the years and how her younger years influenced her adult life. The book is a dual timeline, so the reader can put together the complete picture of Rachel's life. While I didn't love Rachel's choices regarding her husband, I also understood the author's reasoning for having the character make those choices.

Trigger warning: grooming, sexual assault, rape, drug use, adultery, and suicide.

I recommend reading The Girls of Summer if you liked reading My Dark Vanessa.

Content Warnings

oncemorewithreading's review against another edition

4.0

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

clairevoyantbooks's review against another edition

3.0

challenging dark emotional

bookishlifeofjess's review against another edition

4.0

hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I went into this book blind and I honestly had no idea what to expect. I was expecting a cute summer holiday fiction or romance based on the cover and it was not 100% what I got.

I really enjoyed this on audio. The narration was fabulous. It was easy to follow the then and now timelines and even keeping track of the many characters wasn't hard.

I strongly disliked the now version of the MC due to poor decisions. Overall, I really enjoyed the story and how things played out and that it had such an impactful message throughout the book.

Thanks to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio & St Martin's Press for advance copies in exchange for an honest review.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CsbPULjrhPK/?img_index=1

bruandthebooks's review against another edition

2.0

slow-paced

cc_shelflove's review against another edition

3.0

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing access to this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

You might see three stars and think to yourself, “Oh, this book must not be that good.” In this case, I would disagree and still recommend you read it! I completed this read via audiobook. The narrator was exceptional in making me sympathize with our main character, even when she was being a naive fool. I felt SO BAD for this girl. I think I was expecting a bit more of an emotional punch from the book’s ending, however. I think there will be a lot of readers who love this book, and some readers who thought it was just okay. It was fun to read a book set in Greece for a change! If you’re looking for more heart-shattering moments, please check out Muted by Tami Charles.

Content Warnings