Rachel and a friend decide to spend a summer on a Greek island instead of going back to school to complete their A levels. Her parents are very unhappy about this but Rachel goes anyway. The book moves from that summer and 16 years later and flits between the two eras. On the island she finds work in a bar and meets Alastair who is a lot older than her. She is reckless with her emotions and becomes embroiled in a situation. Some of the girls she is living with adapt to the strange situation but others find it uncomfortable to say the least. Alastair works for a wealthy man on the island and he has “parties” at his home and expects the young girls to entertain his guests. There is plenty of drugs and alcohol. Rachel is so besotted with Alastair that she cannot believe he knows what is going on and backs him up. 16 years later, Rachel has left the island, met and married Tom but she still cannot get Alastair out of her mind and would jump to his tune in a heartbeat even though she had a torrid time on the island. A trip back to the island with her husband brings back crazy memories and she meets one of the girls from when she was there before. A phone number is given to her for Alastair and she foolishly gets in touch with him and the love affair starts up again. This again ruins her life and her relationship with her husband but she cannot or will not give him up. Eventually the girls from the time on the island meet up to talk about what happened all those years ago but Rachel still cannot believe Alastair knew the situation. After several meetings things come to a head and she sees Alastair for what he was – a man procuring young women for sex drugs and entertainment. I found this book quite dark and not easy to read due to the content but I am pleased I did as it was very well written and worth the time spent reading it.

Many thanks to Netgalley for providing this ARC to read ahead of the book being published this year.

The girls of summer interested me due to it being recommended for people who enjoyed my dark Vanessa (I enjoyed MDV A LOT) I can see why it has been compared to that book after reading as there are themes of young girls being sexual targeted by older men.

The girls of summer shoots between present day and to events that happened almost twenty years ago on a small Greek island, where a group of girls get caught up and as mentioned earlier the target of some pretty horrible people.

Rachel has been married for ten years but she can't forget the past, she can't move on from the first time she fell for a much older man when she was a teenager. This begins to have such a huge impact on her present day life, eventually she confronts the past and brings it swooping into her present life. This book is about that time in Rachels life, a realization that the past isn't quite what she remembers it be.

The author portrayed the book's atmosphere extremely well and i felt so immersed in its summer-y atmosphere.However it is a little hard to get through as it touches on several sensitive topics.

Rachel has defined herself by the relationship she had with an older man on a secluded Greek island, during the summer she was 17. Now in her thirties, Rachel finds her life is being pulled apart by that summer.

The story is told via duel timelines: 30-something Rachel who finds her comfortable life in London unraveling because of her past, and 17-year old Rachel who spends a summer involved with a much older man on a secluded Greek island. I enjoyed the duel timeline, and the way they skilfully intertwined to reveal the mystery of Rachel’s past. I thought the story of Rachel at 17 was particularly well written, combining the Rachel’s wonder and naivety with a growing sense of foreboding. The book is well paced and extremely absorbing. I read the whole book in one day, and would definitely recommend it as a well written page-turner.

I really enjoyed this one but it was a bit of tough reading for personal reasons.

I loved the overall setting and flashbacks to partying in the sun!

I found this book really easy to read. It’s set in London and Greece and “then” and “now”. I like jumping timelines and at no point was this confusing or difficult. I also read this in a day!

The storyline for this was good too. I can’t really discuss the storyline too much without giving the story away but I can really relate to how the idea of something that happened when you were younger isn’t the sunshine and roses you think it was. There are some quite hard-hitting parts of this book that felt as though I was reading my own thoughts

I think this was a good book for how girls and women can both support and alienate each other. I’m not always a fan of “girl power” books and there were some parts (mainly the “now” sections) that felt a bit forced and far-fetched but they did add to for the story and they weren’t too unbelievable.

This fluctuated between 3/4 stars for me but I settled on 3 based on my review guide.

The reasons why I fluctuated and why this isn’t a 5 star read are:

I didn’t LOVE any of the characters. There wasn’t amazing development of them and I do think that more could have been done to develop them both “then” and “now”.

There are a few things I’d change about the book (development, what happens in “now”, certain parts of the story)

I really did feel things during this book but it was more because of my own experiences rather than the writing. You guys know I love laughing and crying with books and I didn’t get that with this one but maybe, because of my own past, I’m a little desensitised? Either way, more could have been done to make the emotional sections more emotional (I think?)

There were a couple of plotholes/areas that I found a little unbelievable which made me snap back to reality a little.

I’d definitely recommend this book. The Girls of Summer will be published on 25th May 2023.

Wow wow wow! A superb book that I devoured in less than 24 hours. Loved the main character and the story that unfurled.

Warning for lots of triggers though.

This was a very interesting read and helped to explore the depth of the manipulation young girls (and boys) being groomed are out through. It is hard to say it was l ways an enjoyable read because of some of the material but it was certainly engaging and the timeline was well considered. This book teaches understanding without blame, and explores the long lasting effects of decisions and although some of the adult decisions were hard to understand, revealed the long lasting effects of what was meant to be one short, summer,

a very well written debut novel, that is perfect to read at the beach or pool in the summer
Trust me, you will not be able to put this down!!

A compelling read - this will be the book of Summer 2023! The perfect book to take on your summer holiday. Beautifully written and an excellent debut.

" 'Rachel', I say 'My name's Rachel.'
And I know before I even ask his that I will never forget it."

Seventeen years later Rachel hasn't forgotten, she still remembers Alistair, the charismatic older man she met in a bar one night when backpacking in the Greek Islands with friend Caroline the summer before she was due to start her A levels.

It was supposed to be seven weeks island-hopping but midway through their holiday the girls arrived on the remote island and stayed there. When their departure date arrived only Caroline left.

This novel had me from the opening pages, I loved the authors writing and she portrayed the island perfectly bringing sun-soaked days, the tavernas and the bars to life. Told in a dual timeline of then and now the author gradually revealed a summer of dreams, hope and new friends that turned into something far more dark and disturbing.

Difficult to put down once started and even more difficult to believe this is the authors first novel. Totally recommended.

The girls of summer gripped me from the start. You grow to care about Rachel, Helena, Agnes & Kiera and you are desperate to find out what happened that summer and what was going to happen now. It’s a difficult topic to cover but Katie Bishop does it in a way that you can see why the girls are tricked and how it’s easily possible. What happens next is the important part.

I very interesting read and not all what I expected. Dark and disturbing at times the story switched between teenage and adult Rachel. Coming to end of her time island hopping, Rachel stays on the island with the offer of a job and the allure of Alastair. This decision will be life changing for Rachel and the repercussions are seen up to a now Adult Rachel stuck in a struggling marriage. There potentially triggering themes in this book such as trafficking, abuse and coercive control so may be a difficult read at times. The author Katie Bishops captures the young adult stage perfectly where the character is on the cusp of womanhood but still a child and the mentality.
A definite page turner.
Thank you you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

I really enjoyed this! It started as what appeared to be a typical thriller but the more I read the more complex and unique it became. The author captured the all-encompassing passion of first love so well and you felt so dragged along by the toxic relationship even as you were screaming at Rachel to see sense. A powerful and impressive debut; one to watch for 2023.

Set on golden sands with blue skies and the illusion of fun this is actually a much darker read, covering grooming, exploitation and abuse and the ongoing effects those experience had on Rachel whose head is so firmly buried in the past and in the sand that it takes a village to make her realise that her memories do not match reality and that everything she held as a foundation is wrongly perceived.
The characters are in equal parts compelling and annoying and the story so well crafted that you want to grab them and shake them to make them see the truth.

A very dark, disturbing and uncomfortable read at times, tackling difficult subjects such as rape, sexual exploitation, sex trafficking and coercive control, focussing on Rachel who is taken advantage of by an older man. This was a well-written story with good descriptive language used to describe the places in detail. The way the teenagers are described are accurate, and made me think about how I felt and my own immaturity at that age; feeling grown up but still seeing things through a child’s eyes in many ways. This story certainly makes you think more about the issues raised and how your own experiences can be altered in your own mind by social and cultural values and norms changing, as well as through reflection of being older. In the story you really want Rachel to stop wearing rose-tinted spectacles about her past and for her to see what really happened. I really enjoyed this story and would be interested in reading more from this author.

Thank you you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the ARC for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

This is not what you expect to read about. Like all the twists and turns wishing the narration. Something different to read.

This was a good book - with a compulsive premise and a satisfying ending. The only thing missing I felt was a closer look at the budding relationship between Rachel and Alastair. This would have made her obsession with him more believable.

A great story full of twists. You know what is going on but need the characters to get it, which is written in such a realistic manner!

Couldn’t get into this at all. I found it hard going and it didn’t capture my imagsyion they I hoped it would. I found the story very slow and it left me feeling a bit bla Thanks for the ARC but not for me

Thought provoking, interesting read that plugs into the #Metoo movement. Rachel is married in her 30's and living in London. But she is living only half a life, as she still pines after her first love, a summer romance, when she was 17. He was 20 years older than her. And yes, Rachel seems deluded and immature but we learn there is more than meets the eye. Rachel has never once considered herself a victim - until now.

Firstly, I have to comment on how beautifully written this is. Its set on a remote Greek island and such a vivid image is created, I could almost see the sparkling sea, feel the sand beneath my feet and the gentle breeze in my hair. The setting is ever present and idyllic and a haunting contrast to the books more sinister tones.

Rachel is an infuriating and complex personality, an adult who has never really grown up and still stuck in the fantasies of youth. It appears her course is to self destruct, but its only as we dig deeper into her past, and in particular THAT summer, that we begin to understand why and the extent which she is a victim and has been so thoroughly manipulated. She is supported by some incredible, strong, patient women who are gently guiding her to see the truth. But they also need her help and she needs to "wake up" before its too late to play her part. Its a fascinating story, that highlights the vulnerability and impressionability of young girls and the men who take advantage of this. The extent of influence can be frightening and is so topical at the moment. Many layers and deftly unfolded with striking messages.