I liked the plot for the book and I was intrigued at the start, about what Nina had seen but I didn't like the other characters and couldn't relate to them. I found the story was a bit long and too slow paced in parts. Would be ok for a beach/pool holiday read

Nina saw her sister die when was six years old, murdered by her best friend. At least that was what she told the police, but now-- decades later -- she's beginning to wonder if that's what really happened.

Flicking between the past and the present, Katie Bishop's domestic noir, explores the corruption of memories, the cruelty of our teenage years, and how the stories we tell ourselves can become the truth, even if they diverge from the lived reality. Her evocation of the excitement and the cruelty of later teenage years is expertly done, and while the climax of the book may feel almost over the top in some aspects, there is an inevitability and topicality around the truth of Tamara's death that is hugely affecting.

This is an accomplished second novel that pulls you into it's world, especially the flashbacks to 2004 that slowly ratchet up the the tension as we see all those teenage rivalries that seem life and death at the time collide and become a true tragedy. The 2024 timeline never quite compels in the same way, perhaps. but adds context and emotional maturity to the way we view earlier events.

High Season an immensely readable novel that will keep you turning those pages, always unsure if you're bringing your own prejudices to what happened, and always intrigued by the next twist of the knife. Definitely recommended.

I'm a fan of Katie Bishop so I was excited to get my hands on her new release. I wasn't disappointed! I love a bit of upstairs, downstairs action, and this was exactly that with a landscape of summers in the South of France. Lush.

The story moves through 2004 when Tamara Drayton is found dead in the pool of the iconic pink house on the hill. And Josie, a local girl and family babysitter is charged based on the testimony of 5yr old Nina, Tamara's sister. To 2024, Josie has been out of prison for a while and is trying to make a life for herself and still drawn back to her childhood home. And Nina now can't trust her memory... did she even see Josie do the deed at all?

High Season was fast paced - short chapters, thank you! But also felt luxurious in it's telling evoking the sea breeze and the sun on your face while you read. The characters were certainly, well, characters! And the ending was satisfying. Thanks Katie!!

Firstly thank you for my chance to read and review .
This is a fantastic book to read this summer !
You can feel the atmosphere and sizzling heat coming off the pages as we go back and forth in these characters summers .
Incredibly well written ,fast paced , fresh ,great range of characters. The contrast of people’s lives based on class and families that enable what opportunities they are given .
A exciting ,suspense filled psychological thriller that will have you not trusting anyone !

I really enjoyed this one. It’s a great summer read. I liked the TikTok sleuth element as it made it feel very current & relatable. People have so much to say and get so invested in a case but often forget that there are real people with real feelings at the centre of it. The suspense built well throughout & there were plenty of twists. The different timelines & dual narratives worked really well & built plenty of mystery. It’s fun trying to solve what happened & coming up with multiple theories along the way. The characters were well defined and you feel as though you really know them all & how they work by the end of the book. A summer page turner that had me hooked. A great read.

An indulgent read about an affluent family who holiday home in the south of France entangles the locals…..when one of the teens dies, a local goes to prison. This follows them in the past and present. A great read I enjoyed with excellently written characters.

Tamara Drayton’s rich and chaotic former It-girl mother owns a villa on the Côte d'Azur, where the family always spends the summer. In 2004, teenager Tamara drowns in the swimming pool. Nina Drayton, Tamara’s five-year-old sister tells police she saw their housekeeper’s daughter, Josie, push Tamara under the water. Nina’s testimony sends Josie to prison for ten years. Despite frequent media bids, neither Josie nor Nina have ever given interviews, nor have either of them returned to France.

Now, twenty years later, a new true-crime podcast and investigation piques their interest. Both return to the Côte d'Azur and meet for the first time since the trial.

This well-written thriller revolves around these women, their pasts, their presents and their memories of Tamara’s death. A third viewpoint character is Hannah, a friend of Josie’s, who at the time of the murder was in love with Tamara’s twin brother, Blake.

The fourth perspective comes from the true-crime podcasts and the scandal-hungry comments from followers, who see Tamara's murder purely as an entertaining case.

The writing is fluent with thisness of detail and in-depth and visceral interior thought from the three rounded protagonists. The author also does a great job of evoking the Riviera setting. Seasoned thriller readers may not be shocked by the denouement, but the journey there is absorbing and suspenseful. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it as a literary thriller and well-written beach read.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.
On publication I will post this review on my blog, on Amazon and on GoodReads.

This was my first ever e-ARC from NetGalley, and it absolutely did not disappoint — thank you!

Katie Bishop’s book is the perfect blend of suspense, thriller, and romance, all wrapped in a sun-soaked summer setting. Its August release date couldn’t be more fitting! The storyline kept me guessing throughout; with every new twist, I found myself suspecting someone else. The Côte d'Azur backdrop added the perfect holiday vibe — ideal for readers who enjoy a summery setting without diving fully into a romance novel.

The dual timeline and alternating perspectives kept the pacing sharp and my attention fully locked in. I was always eager to uncover the next piece of the puzzle.

I’m giving it 4 out of 5 stars — I’m deducting one star only because I figured out the twist earlier than I would’ve liked.

Still, a brilliant read overall. I’ll definitely be checking out more of Katie Bishop’s work!

Thank you for my copy of this book to read and review.

I really enjoyed her first book so I was looking forward to this one.

I liked the concept of it but unfortunately it just didn't grip me. I found it hard to get into and a bit slow throughout.

I found this an okay read. The ending was pretty predictable, which took away some of the suspense, but I still enjoyed how the story was told. The different POV and timelines kept things interesting and gave the bigger picture of what was going on. Josie was actually my favourite character in this because she was the only one who didn't really lie or twist anything, she always seemed to want what was best for others. I also like how she wasn't sold on the allure of the Drayton's.

I really got into this one immediately, the character dynamics really intrigued me and I'm a sucker for novels that deal with possible wrong convictions with a real mystery at the heart.

The writing is immersive and the plot I'd clever, you flip flop between one theory and another whilst being entirely caught up in these characters lives.

Overall an excellent read. I enjoyed this authors last novel too so now she is on my must read list.

While the premise of this book really captivated me, I couldn’t really keep my interest.

I think the plot of whether or not Nina had seen the murder was exciting but the two timelines dragged and there was nothing new here.

Good for a beach read.

I absolutely loved Katie Bishop’s debut novel The Girls of Summer so was really looking forward to reading High Season.
20 years ago 17 year old Tamara Drayton was found in her family pool in the South of France, the testimony by her five year old sister Nina led to the conviction for murder of Josie Jackson, 20 years later a documentary is being made about the case and Nina, her brother Blake and Josie are all back in the same French town. High Season is a stunning read, it’s told over dual timelines and the reader is taken back to the weeks leading up to Tamara’s death. As with her previous novel, the author is so skilled at portraying the thoughts and lives of young women and teenage girls and I was completely drawn into the lives of Josie and Hannah in the earlier section and Nina in the present day section. The setting is gorgeous and I longed to be reading the novel in the South of France. It’s a multi layered and beautifully paced novel that I highly recommend.
4.5 stars.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

I rarely enjoy a book which skips between two periods in time and unfortunately the way this book was written, didn’t manage to convince me that it a good way to write a story. A five-year-old girl sees her sister lying dead in the family swimming pool, but did she really see what led up to this event? The story is told in two different parts with over twenty years between them. It was okay but didn’t really hold my interest.
My thanks to Net Galley and the author for an ARC.

3 and a half stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
An enjoyable read, definitely one for reading on a sun lounger by the pool. Lots of twists and turns keeping you turning the pages. Nina’s memories of witnessing a death as a five year old haunt her as an adult and alongside some other interesting characters we see the plot unfold. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this early copy.

#HighSeason #NetGalley
A good read.
For twenty years, Nina Drayton has told herself that she must have seen her sister, Tamara, being murdered by the family babysitter – Josie Jackson. That she doesn’t remember it because she was five, and amnesia is a normal trauma response. But now, with the anniversary of Tamara’s death approaching and true crime investigators revisiting the case, Nina finds it harder to suppress her doubts. Returning to her family’s sparkling villa on the Cote d’Azur for the first time since the murder, she wants to uncover more about the summer that changed so many lives. Because if she was wrong, then she sent an innocent woman to jail – and the real killer is still walking free.
I really loved it. It's very enjoyable.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK Transworld Publishers Bantam for giving me an advance copy.

An interesting book although I did feel that it is the sort of book you would read on a sunbed around the pool with a drink in your hand. There were lots of twists and turns and back and for the with the time line which worked for the book but not my taste really.

If you liked Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid you will love this book.

Intriguing characters , down to earth writing and some True crime videos thrown in the mix., This book has pretty much everything I love in a thriller.

I was hooked with all the different characters the author portrayed . I was invested in how the case affected all the victims. A true page turner read.

I only knocked off a star due to some repetitiveness.

i definitely would recommend to friends and family I very much enjoyed it.

Thanks NetGalley for the read in return for my honest review.

Loved, loved, loved this one.

High Season tells the story of the death of Tamara Drayton, the daughter of socialite Evelyn Drayton. When Tamara is found dead in a pool during a party, occasional babysitter Josie is found guilty of the murder - largely based on the evidence of 5-year old Nina, the youngest person to give evidence at a trial.

20 years later, the death is brought back into the public imagination through a podcast which casts doubt on Josie's death. With Nina unable to remember much about the fateful day, what did she really see that day and was Josie actually innocent?

Firstly, I know what you're thinking. Cold or historic crime, podcaster casting doubts on conviction, true crime community become interested. Haven't I read this before? I sort of agree. I think there are so many books with this trope however this one is so expertly written I would encourage everyone to read it.

It tells the story over a dual timeline, the present day and the lead up to the fateful party. The book teases away nuggets of information in both timelines which come to a dramatic conclusion.

I loved it and would recommend to all.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers | Bantam for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

It is 2024, but Nina Drayton is still haunted by events twenty years earlier when she gave evidence following the drowning of her older sister, Tamara, in the south of France. Her evidence led to the conviction of a local girl, Josie Jackson, but, now, the verdict is being challenged and Nina is not entirely sure that her evidence was the truth, the whole truth.

Back in 2004, Nina is the youngest daughter of Evelyn Drayton and her brother, Blake is assured of, or at least believes he is entitled to, the attentions of Josie Jackson and Hannah Bailey, who live at the poorer end of the Cote d’Azur village. The family have inherited money and like to party.

As story moves from 2004 to 2024 and back again, the truth about what happened to Tamara gradually unfolds. It’s a complicated story, added to by a commentary from an amateur Instagram crime reporter and a documentary film team revisiting what happened. The time shifts can be confusing and you have to keep track of a range of characters.

As in her previous novel, The Girls of Summer, Katie Bishop writes well about young people and the Mediterranean setting and, of course, in the end the truth will come out in an explosive ending. It’s a good story, highly readable and well written.