The Girls of Summer by Katie Bishop
Mystery Thriller, 320 pages
Published June 6, 2023 by St. Martin's Press
"That place has been my whole life. Everything I thought I knew about myself was constructed in those few months I spent within touching distance of the sea. Everything I am is because Alistair loved me."
Rachel has been in love with Alistair for fifteen years. Even though she’s now married to someone else. Even though she was a teenager when they met. Even though he is twenty years older than her.
Rachel and Alistair’s summer love affair on a remote, sun-trapped Greek island has consumed her since she was seventeen, obliterating everything in its wake. But as Rachel becomes increasingly obsessed with reliving the events of so long ago, she reconnects with the other girls who were similarly drawn to life on the island, where the nights were long, the alcohol was free-flowing and everyone acted in ways they never would at home. And as she does so, dark and deeply suppressed secrets about her first love affair begin to rise to the surface, as well as the truth about her time working for an enigmatic and wealthy man, who controlled so much more than she could have ever realized.
Joining a post #MeToo discourse, The Girls of Summer grapples with themes of power, sex, and consent, as it explores the complicated nature of memory and trauma––and what it takes to reframe, and reclaim, your own story.
My thoughts about The Girls of Summer ~~
(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)
First lines—"It's too hot to be outside for long. Sweat is starting to dampen my scalp, thickening in the roots of my hair and pooling in the crevices of my collarbone."
This story was so much more than I thought it was going to be when I started it. I thought this book about a few girls enjoying some summertime fun was going to be a delightful, light read. The Girls of Summer is so much more than that.
Rachel and Caroline spent a few weeks backpacking on vacation and ended up on an island with other adventurous girls. This trip changes Rachel's world! When she becomes involved in a love affair with a handsome, caring man, her life will never be the same. So much drama! But is any of it real?
Fast forward fifteen years and she travels to the same island with her husband and slams headlong into her past. How is all of that going to be reconciled with her present?
The Girls of Summer is a dramatic, intense adventure that shines the light on women and the men who take advantage of impressionable young souls and makes us question if what we remember is actual fact or just what we want to believe. This was such a great read!
I received a copy of The Girls of Summer from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
About the author
My debut novel The Girls of Summer will be publishing with Penguin Random House, Transworld in the UK and Macmillan, St. Martin's Press in the US in 2023. My fiction writing is represented by Ariella Feiner at United Agents.
Connect with Katie
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