“The Summer Before” by Dianne C. Bradley was a heart breaking but awaking journey for the MFC Maddie. The book begins with a woman haunted by her past and unable to move forward. She must accept the truth of what happened to not only her former best friend but the truth of someone closer to her in her family. A book of hard truths, of moving forward and starting new. A fast pace and easy read, some topics may not be suitable for younger readers. Trigger warning: SA. I throughly enjoyed this book, the author does a great job with story telling. This flows between past and present.

Trigger Warnings: Sexual Abuse of a Minor, Suicide

"The Summer Before" addresses an important and often overlooked topic: the experience of being a secondary victim. While the premise is compelling, the execution left me wanting more. The protagonist's immaturity, despite the significant challenges she faces, made it difficult to fully connect with her. Though she’s navigating a painful past and a harrowing case, I found it hard to truly understand her character.

This book was a journey of emotions and I was there for it. This was a journey that just kept you turning the pages. You could feel the emotions that were flowing from Maddie and the ache that she had from the upheaval of her life. I was so please with the ending and how that brought her circle of that time in her life to a close. I want to thank NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to preview this book for my honest opinion.

The writer handled the sensitive subject with care, which I admire and appreciate, but this book wasn’t for me. There was a missed opportunity to really go deeper with the emotions and situations but it felt as though it was only scratching the surface. I wasn’t really connecting with Madeline, which was a problem considering it’s essentially a story about her healing as she pieces together the events that led up to her father being in jail. The large swaths of dialogue to move the story along also felt forced. I really wanted to like it because I think the premise had a lot of intrigue but it just glossed over too much for it to have a lasting impact on me.

Someone you love actions affect you and the relationships around you. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC. 4 stars.

Madeline and Summer are like sisters, sharing everything with each other. However, Summer has been keeping a dark secret about someone close to her hurting her for years. After the secret is revealed, it shatters their friendship and leaves Madeline haunted by guilt. Madeline must confront her past and those involved in order to heal and move on from the betrayal that drove her to the brink of suicide.

"The Summer Before" is a masterfully crafted tale that delves into challenging themes. Authored by the talented Dianne C. Braley, this gripping narrative keeps readers on the edge of their seats, refusing to shy away from the raw emotions that permeate its pages. Prepare to be moved to the brink of tears as you journey through the intense emotional landscape of this captivating book. Braley's unflinching approach to storytelling ensures that nothing is sugar-coated, yet she skillfully avoids delving into gratuitous details. Get ready to be swept away by the powerful storytelling of "The Summer Before."

Thank you NetGalley and Koehler Books for digital ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Summer Before was the latest new adult read for me. It left me with a great feeling. I enjoyed the story, the characters and the writing.

The storline was well written, and the audience will be able to connect with the characters in the book. 2 girls, best friends, more like sisters, and how one of them endures unimaginable pain and suffering, and how that effects the other well into her adult life. At times, the story was a little slow, and I wanted to rush through, but in the end, for the most part all comes full circle.

This was a very dark book that follows Maddie six years after her father's trial for assaulting her best friend when they were kids. I enjoyed reading it, but I think I wanted just a bit more out of the writing, as it leaned sometimes into a YA style. This book is quote short and I would have liked to spend more time with Maddie and Summer before the trial.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The subject is very heavy for a book with summer in the name. Trigger warning for sexual abuse.

Maddie was in a mental health facility after a suicide attempt. Her father is,in jail for sexually assaulting her best friend Summer. She never knew. I'd say that she wasn't looking for the signs. Some part of the story bothered me as we jumped right in. Would like to see what other people think of this short book, which took a while to read.

I’m a true crime junkie. I’m constantly listening to podcasts or watching documentaries and the victim is always at the forefront. As they should be. I walk away from those experiences thinking, “that person’s poor family.” It rarely crosses my mind to think about the secondary victims, the family of the perpetrator.

How does a daughter or son of someone who did something so inherently evil move on? How do they cope? It’s a constant discussion of nature vs nurture, which begs the question for a child, am I also a monster? Am I also capable of something so terrible?


Dianne C Braley writes about Maddie’s exact struggles with that question, along with the trauma of knowing your father did something truly despicable to someone you love so dearly, in such a raw, heartbreakingly beautiful way. There was a moment where I found myself crying without even realizing that I was. It’s a hard story to read but an important one, and one that I am glad I took the time to read.

3.5 stars
A suffocating but necessary story, told with the respect it demands. We follow Maddie, a woman whose life has been ruined in the past few years after her father was found guilty of sexually assaulting her childhood best friend, Summer. Everything Maddie thought she knew turns out to be a lie, and she’s struggling to cope with the grief and guilt she feels. This book was heavy, and at times difficult to read, but Braley wrote with poise that gave the victim a level of grace. I found the medium of telling the story through court tapes an interesting way of revealing what really happened as well. A well written novel about a hard subject.

Mired in depression, Maddie truly believed that in her choosing to believe and testify that her father, Bill,was innocent was done at the sacrifice of her best friend and sister Summer to the point that ending her life was the best option. She simply existed in a facade of family togetherness on the Vineyard. What she had to realize that she was simply a child who had no control of what her father did to Summer repeatedly. Maddie in blaming herself became her own worst enemy. What her mom hoped is that like the pictures in the penthouse on NYE was actually reality. I found this book to be an evolution of character of which one cannot blame themselves of the behavior of others and the power of forgiveness. Maddie was a survivor and just like art is life and life is art, she found happiness and fulfillment both in her career and love with Jay.

The Summer Before by Dianne C. Braley was a read that I can't say was enjoyable because of the subject matter, but it was compelling and it has stuck with me since finishing it.

Summer and Madeline are the best of friends and everything is perfect until it isn't. Madeline's father has been sexually abusing her and when this is discovered it destroys everything in Madeline's life. Six years after the trial, while still struggling with what her father did, losing her friendship with Summer and her own other's reaction to everything, Maddie reaches a point where she considers ending her life to escape the pain of everything. With the help of her boyfriend, Jay, she listens to the trial and details about the events that took place and just wants answers - why Summer did come to her and confide in her, and then she confronts her parents to find out more so that she can heal.

This was a hard read, but one that made me look at this situation from a different angle - there are so many victims in a sexual assault and this perspective made me think about the after - for everyone involved.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in consideration of an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was a difficult book to read as the subject was distressing, but the author took a sensitive rather than sensationalist approach. I really felt for the characters as the book progressed and you couldn’t help but put yourself in their shoes and ponder on how you would react in the same circumstances.
I enjoyed the writing style and felt the book was well paced and exactly detailed enough. I would look to read more books from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

Maddie confronts her past years later because she wants her life to be more than “the incident.” Her boyfriend, Jay, tells her she can hear the trial which was recorded. As Maddie listens to the trial she is she brought back to the past when she finds out her father sexually assaulted her best friend, Summer. Maddie wonders why didn’t Summer tell me, or did she know? What happens when Maddie visits her dad in prison and then goes to see her mom? Can she move on like Jay suggests she should?

This was a fast story to get lost in. Difficult subject matter at times but loved the writing style. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.