Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I have submitted my review for Booklist, although I'm not sure if I could do this book justice, especially since I didn't want to spoil anything. As the publisher description states, it's about "sex, love, and consent," which makes a lot of sense. There is so much complexity packed into this book, exploring those themes and more (deception being one of them). The abuse that stems naturally from a teenage girl/older man relationship is explored right away, but new developments after the midpoint change the direction of the story. Thoughtful, emotional, gorgeous writing.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy of this in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this, it was well written, topical and an interesting read given news in recent years. I do feel there were areas where too much detail was given and others where too little was! And there were a couple of small plot holes that did throw me slightly but overall this was a really good, if difficult at times, read.
I really enjoyed this, it was well written, topical and an interesting read given news in recent years. I do feel there were areas where too much detail was given and others where too little was! And there were a couple of small plot holes that did throw me slightly but overall this was a really good, if difficult at times, read.
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Girls of Summer is an atmospheric sundrenched novel, alternating chapters between Rachel's time as a teenager working on an idyllic Greek island and her life now as she reminisces and looks back on a summer that may not be quite what she remembers.
A product of the Me Too movement, The Girls of Summer is an important novel questioning the boundaries of consent and coercive control, and the effects of trauma that persist even once the actual event is long over with. I did feel that this book was quite slow to start, but all of a sudden found that it had snuck up on me as I felt so deeply for the girls on the island in the past chapters. At times I found it difficult to believe that Rachel was so blind to what was happening to her, but then she was a child and it was another time when things like this weren't spoken about or were brushed under the rug. I needed to stop looking at it from my 22-year-old head in 2023 and think if I had grown up in that era, been 17/18 at a time when the Me Too movement wasn't really kicking off, would I have known? I'd like to think so but I can't say it with any confidence.
I initially found it hard to sympathise with future Rachel's chapters, as she remained adamant that nothing that had happened to them was in way bad or even questionable, but as the book went on and she started to question more and more, it really shows you how deep the effects of manipulation can lie. It's perfectly understandable that victims struggle to come forward in cases of historic abuse as they question whether they actually experienced anything wrong, it's so deeply engrained into their brains, especially if they were taught these things as impressionable young people.
Please pick up The Girls of Summer when it's available, you won't regret it.
The Girls of Summer is an atmospheric sundrenched novel, alternating chapters between Rachel's time as a teenager working on an idyllic Greek island and her life now as she reminisces and looks back on a summer that may not be quite what she remembers.
A product of the Me Too movement, The Girls of Summer is an important novel questioning the boundaries of consent and coercive control, and the effects of trauma that persist even once the actual event is long over with. I did feel that this book was quite slow to start, but all of a sudden found that it had snuck up on me as I felt so deeply for the girls on the island in the past chapters. At times I found it difficult to believe that Rachel was so blind to what was happening to her, but then she was a child and it was another time when things like this weren't spoken about or were brushed under the rug. I needed to stop looking at it from my 22-year-old head in 2023 and think if I had grown up in that era, been 17/18 at a time when the Me Too movement wasn't really kicking off, would I have known? I'd like to think so but I can't say it with any confidence.
I initially found it hard to sympathise with future Rachel's chapters, as she remained adamant that nothing that had happened to them was in way bad or even questionable, but as the book went on and she started to question more and more, it really shows you how deep the effects of manipulation can lie. It's perfectly understandable that victims struggle to come forward in cases of historic abuse as they question whether they actually experienced anything wrong, it's so deeply engrained into their brains, especially if they were taught these things as impressionable young people.
Please pick up The Girls of Summer when it's available, you won't regret it.
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
The Girls of Summer alternates between Then and Now. “Then” is set on a beautiful island along the coast of Greece, where 17-year-old Rachel spent the summer trying new things and making new friends. “Now” is set 16 years later, in London where Rachel lives with her husband, Tom and finds herself haunted by the events of that summer. Her inexperience, naiveté and lack of self-confidence allowed predators to coerce her into staying on the island past summer and led to traumatic experiences that have haunted her since.
Author Katie Bishop weaves a dark tale that shows how easily the lines of consent and coercion can be blurred. Her descriptions of the locations and events are impactful without being overly graphic and the tension she builds kept me wanting more. Except for Rachel’s friend Jules, there really was nothing endearing for me about any of the characters, but maybe that was intentional in order to demonstrate how people who lack direction and deep relationships can easily become targets.
This timely book kept my interest and had me invested in the outcome. If #MeToo stories appeal to you, add this one to your TBR.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Due to be published in May 2023, I was granted the opportunity to read this e-ARC through NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers.
This is a remarkable debut from Katie Bishop. From the first few pages, the story grips and captivates the reader, promising to be a tale of suspense, mystery and darkness.
Throughout the entirety of the book there is an ominous undercurrent, that only builds the deeper the readers gets. I cannot say that I found reading this one enjoyable. It is beautifully written, especially the chapters dedicated to the past, where the nameless Greek island is brought to life on the pages - a sun kissed haven with transparent blue waters, and a very dark secret in its midst. The author has a talent for transporting the reader to that place - I was reminded of my own holidays at the same age, dreaming of freedom and wanting to be older. But the content if this book is heavy. Even though I went in mostly blind but for the description posted on NetGalley, it was obvious from the beginning that it would be a difficult read. I was unsettled throughout, as the truth slowly but surely began to leak into the story.
Rachel, the main character and from whose POV the book is written, remembers that summer sixteen years ago with mostly something akin to fondness. She wants it back. She wants to feel how she did back then. But always lingering on the peripheral of her memories is something black and dangerous, something that she isn't ready to face - until the past comes back to haunt her, in the form of some familiar faces.
In the age of #MeToo, this book is one that will ring true with so many people. There are moments that leave you sickened; the sensation of your stomach falling, as you're able to decipher what Rachel can't. It was a difficult read at times, but incredibly well done, and really wonderfully written. It left me feeling a little empty - the story too close to home for so many women in some respects. It's a scenario that could be playing out across the world right now, in different countries. And that's a bitter pill to swallow.
An excellent debut. Raw, real, and gut-wrenchingly familiar.
This is a remarkable debut from Katie Bishop. From the first few pages, the story grips and captivates the reader, promising to be a tale of suspense, mystery and darkness.
Throughout the entirety of the book there is an ominous undercurrent, that only builds the deeper the readers gets. I cannot say that I found reading this one enjoyable. It is beautifully written, especially the chapters dedicated to the past, where the nameless Greek island is brought to life on the pages - a sun kissed haven with transparent blue waters, and a very dark secret in its midst. The author has a talent for transporting the reader to that place - I was reminded of my own holidays at the same age, dreaming of freedom and wanting to be older. But the content if this book is heavy. Even though I went in mostly blind but for the description posted on NetGalley, it was obvious from the beginning that it would be a difficult read. I was unsettled throughout, as the truth slowly but surely began to leak into the story.
Rachel, the main character and from whose POV the book is written, remembers that summer sixteen years ago with mostly something akin to fondness. She wants it back. She wants to feel how she did back then. But always lingering on the peripheral of her memories is something black and dangerous, something that she isn't ready to face - until the past comes back to haunt her, in the form of some familiar faces.
In the age of #MeToo, this book is one that will ring true with so many people. There are moments that leave you sickened; the sensation of your stomach falling, as you're able to decipher what Rachel can't. It was a difficult read at times, but incredibly well done, and really wonderfully written. It left me feeling a little empty - the story too close to home for so many women in some respects. It's a scenario that could be playing out across the world right now, in different countries. And that's a bitter pill to swallow.
An excellent debut. Raw, real, and gut-wrenchingly familiar.
Due to be published in May 2023, I was granted the opportunity to read this e-ARC through NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers.
This is a remarkable debut from Katie Bishop. From the first few pages, the story grips and captivates the reader, promising to be a tale of suspense, mystery and darkness.
Throughout the entirety of the book there is an ominous undercurrent, that only builds the deeper the readers gets. I cannot say that I found reading this one enjoyable. It is beautifully written, especially the chapters dedicated to the past, where the nameless Greek island is brought to life on the pages - a sun kissed haven with transparent blue waters, and a very dark secret in its midst. The author has a talent for transporting the reader to that place - I was reminded of my own holidays at the same age, dreaming of freedom and wanting to be older. But the content if this book is heavy. Even though I went in mostly blind but for the description posted on NetGalley, it was obvious from the beginning that it would be a difficult read. I was unsettled throughout, as the truth slowly but surely began to leak into the story.
Rachel, the main character and from whose POV the book is written, remembers that summer sixteen years ago with mostly something akin to fondness. She wants it back. She wants to feel how she did back then. But always lingering on the peripheral of her memories is something black and dangerous, something that she isn't ready to face - until the past comes back to haunt her, in the form of some familiar faces.
In the age of #MeToo, this book is one that will ring true with so many people. There are moments that leave you sickened; the sensation of your stomach falling, as you're able to decipher what Rachel can't. It was a difficult read at times, but incredibly well done, and really wonderfully written. It left me feeling a little empty - the story too close to home for so many women in some respects. It's a scenario that could be playing out across the world right now, in different countries. And that's a bitter pill to swallow.
An excellent debut. Raw, real, and gut-wrenchingly familiar.
This is a remarkable debut from Katie Bishop. From the first few pages, the story grips and captivates the reader, promising to be a tale of suspense, mystery and darkness.
Throughout the entirety of the book there is an ominous undercurrent, that only builds the deeper the readers gets. I cannot say that I found reading this one enjoyable. It is beautifully written, especially the chapters dedicated to the past, where the nameless Greek island is brought to life on the pages - a sun kissed haven with transparent blue waters, and a very dark secret in its midst. The author has a talent for transporting the reader to that place - I was reminded of my own holidays at the same age, dreaming of freedom and wanting to be older. But the content if this book is heavy. Even though I went in mostly blind but for the description posted on NetGalley, it was obvious from the beginning that it would be a difficult read. I was unsettled throughout, as the truth slowly but surely began to leak into the story.
Rachel, the main character and from whose POV the book is written, remembers that summer sixteen years ago with mostly something akin to fondness. She wants it back. She wants to feel how she did back then. But always lingering on the peripheral of her memories is something black and dangerous, something that she isn't ready to face - until the past comes back to haunt her, in the form of some familiar faces.
In the age of #MeToo, this book is one that will ring true with so many people. There are moments that leave you sickened; the sensation of your stomach falling, as you're able to decipher what Rachel can't. It was a difficult read at times, but incredibly well done, and really wonderfully written. It left me feeling a little empty - the story too close to home for so many women in some respects. It's a scenario that could be playing out across the world right now, in different countries. And that's a bitter pill to swallow.
An excellent debut. Raw, real, and gut-wrenchingly familiar.