Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. This is very different from previous books by this author. It took me a little while to get into it but it’s a great story which really draws you in. This is the first in a series so I really look forward to meeting these characters again and finding out more of their story.

Thankyou for giving me the chance to read in advance. Different from her other novels but just as good. 1930s murder mystery. Spot on!

A very different book to the Karen Swan stories I have already read, but my was it a good un!
Effie Gillies is one of a group of thirty-six residents of St Kilda, a tiny island off the coast of the Highlands, It is the 1930s and many have begun to feel the strain of living the extreme rural life, and tempted by the lure of stories told of the Mainland by visiting tourists, they find themselves all moved off, to 'civilisation.
Effie may be young, at eighteen, but she has been the backbone of her family, just her and her elderly father, ensuring that they never go without.
A chance meeting with an affluent Lord and his son, Sholto, as they visit the island, changes the course of her life indelibly.
New adventures mixed in with old skills, and a murder mystery thrown in, with romance, too, what more could you ask for?
Honestly, I really loved the whole book. The beginning started slowly, as the beauty of the island was described, and the way the islanders lived, showing Effie in her element, as the tomboy she was. It really picked up pace in the second half, as Effie attempted to get to grips with life as a mainlander, not being able to commune with nature the way she has, her whole life.
And the way it ended. Well, I now am going to wait impatiently until I can read more about the ex-residents of St Kilda!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderfully glamorous novel set in the 1930s upper echelon society, alternating between a love affair and a murder mystery. A fabulous read!

I am always fascinated by small communities and their history. St Kilda is a place I would like to visit one day having read a few books about the people who lived there and the reason for them leaving in the mid last century. I did enjoy this book and recommend it to those who know little about the island history and community. However, the story is so similar to a book published two years ago called 'The lost Lights of St Kilda' by Elisabeth Gifford. Another great book but telling a very similar tale from a different angle.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I really enjoy the style of writing from this author and this did not disappoint. Great storyline with wonderful characters and basically a really good read.

I really enjoyed this very original and entertaining book. I didn't know what to expect going in and had no idea about St Kilda, but ended up really appreciating the setting and the detail. I learnt a lot about the area, its history and natural environment in a very accessible way. There were all kinds of facets to The Last Summer – romance, period drama, mystery – that kept me turning the pages to the end. It even had a touch of Downton Abbey. Highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of The Last Summer in exchange for an honest review.

Totally different from Karen Swan’s usual books but definitely as enjoyable.

Set in the 1930’s, it follows 18 year old Effie and the struggles and survival of living on the isolated island of St. Kilda. When the residents of St. Kilda are finally evacuated to the mainland, Effie has no choice but to join them. However, she left something behind on the island that could bring her new life tumbling down.

An interesting storyline with great characters. I am looking forward to catching up with the residents of St. Kilda again.

This is a story of life on St Kilda in 1930s and the evacuation to the mainland. The way of life on this remote Scottish island is vividly evoked by the author through the eyes of eighteen year old Effie Gillies. The islanders are all tenants of the laird, whose factor holds the power on the island. As they move to the mainland, Effie learns that class plays a powerful part in friendships and relationships. This is the first novel in a series and I look forward to the next.

This was a slow burner that moves to faster pace as the tension in the plot increases. It was well written with a good storyline, well developed and likeable characters and a stunning setting. It was compelling and I couldnt put it down. An enjoyable read

Love Karen Swan books. Effie lives on St. Kilda and the islanders have been petitioning the uk government for years to be able to leave with jobs and homes provided. They're stunned when it's accepted and they must leave the island. The Earl of Dumfries and his son visit the island and life definitely changes for Effie

This is an excellent book. A major section of it describes the archipelago of St Kilda and surrounding islands. This location and life on it in 1930 is seen through the eyes of a young islander woman. This part of the book is absolutely entrancing and after reading, I was so enthusiastic that I did some research on the islands and life on them on the Internet. The scene was well set and then the romantic interest arrived by boat which added to the story as the romance developed. The next part of the book described the evacuation from the island and the settling in period elsewhere. At that point, the scenario changed and our heroine, Effie, was swept away to work as an egg curator. She met up with Sholto, her love interest, once again and the story continued apace from there. The story ended abruptly on a real cliffhanger and leaves the reader desperate to set eyes on the next part of the tale. In reality, as with much fiction, I’m sure the back story of Effie was unlikely but made marvellous reading. The characters in the story were ‘real’ characters, a mix of good, bad, and from different backgrounds. It made gripping reading.

1930s on an island in Scotland, Effie meets Sholto - a lord. Effie moves to the .mainland but will society let them fall in love? A slow read to begin with but picked up pace midpoint. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

As usual in my reviews I will not rehash the plot...

This is an enjoyable light read (though with a few darker undercurrents), set initially on the beautiful St Kilda.

There are some wonderful descriptions of the landscape and nature. It is interesting to read how the inhabitants survived despite the general lack of provisions (personally I would not like to have to live that way but I admire their resilience!)

There are some very likeable characters, and an excellent baddie or two. The main characters of Effie and Sholto are well written, and I enjoyed reading their story.

My only complaint about this book is the abrupt ending! However I think this might be the first in a series - if so I will forgive the author and look forward to reading the next episode!

Recommended if you are looking for a light easy read (though avoid if you are likely to be triggered by murder, death, and sexual harrassment).

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

I was drawn to request this book to review due to the setting being in St Kilda, an island in the Outer Hebrides off Scotland. I have read other books about the inhabitants of St Kilda and have been intrigued by their bleak desolate environment and hardship, surviving on an island dominated by cliffs, seabirds and extreme weather conditions. It is evident the author thoroughly researched her subject and her descriptions of surviving the harsh conditions by eating the meat and eggs of the seabirds, collecting the oil and feathers from the fulmars, puffins and other seabirds was so interesting.
The story revolves around Effie Gillies, who in the absence of any brothers in her family becomes the best climber on the island allowing her to catch the birds and collect the feathers and eggs in order to survive and care for her father. Here we are introduced to Lord Sholto, Lord Dumfries son and heir who is visiting the island and their forbidden attraction develops, but it is clear their lifestyles are worlds apart.
With the subsequent evacuation of the residents to the mainland, the story then moves to a story line very similar to watching Downton Abbey! We have the gentry of which Sholto belongs and the staff downstairs. There is plenty of adventure and action in this second half of the book: a dead body found on the evacuated St Kilda and plenty of secrets.
I preferred the first part of the book, mainly due to its historical research and slower pace, but I can see other readers will prefer the faster paced second part developing the characters and their relationships. I believe this is the first in a series and I look forward to meeting up with Effie and Sholto again. On another note, I did not feel the cover matches the book, I would have preferred a more accurate representation of St Kilda- the bird life, the cliffs and the rugged sea.
Thank you to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan and the author for allowing me to review an advance copy.

For me this wasn’t typical of a Karen Swan book but I greatly enjoyed it nonetheless. Set in 1930 in the months leading up to and following on from the evacuation of the 36 inhabitants of the remote isle of St Kilda this features an exceptionally strong female character in Effie who is the breadwinner for herself and her father and as such prides herself on being able to do anything the island males can. I thought she was a surprisingly intelligent character but for all her strength on St Kilda she really becomes most fascinating when she encounters the more modern amenities and ways of her new home. The characters in the big house were also interesting, in honesty as much as I enjoyed learning about Effie on St Hilda I preferred the story more when it moved on to mainland Scotland. My only complaint about this is that it ends somewhat abruptly which works in certain ways but I think I would have liked things tying up just a little more rather than being left with a few cliffhangers but otherwise it’s a wonderful read and made for a good change for me.