I was surprised and pleased to receive an ARC of The High Season in exchange for my honest review, especially since I had previously reviewed Katie Bishop’s debut novel.

I really enjoyed this book! It was packed with mystery and suspense, keeping me hooked from start to finish. The twists and turns were so well-crafted that I could never have imagined the way it all ended, it completely took me by surprise.

Katie Bishop has done a fantastic job weaving an engaging and unpredictable story. Overall, it’s a great read and one I’d definitely recommend to fans of suspenseful, gripping novels.

An enjoyable read, found it to be very pacy and once I'd settled into the story I tore through it. I did think I guessed who the real killer was quite soon though, but I still enjoyed the payoff of the truth

All the main characters felt well fleshed out, or at least as well as they could be for the length of the book. Would have liked to see deeper into Tamara, and felt Nina got little screen time (if you will), but then again it wasn't *really* her story

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The reason why I gave it three stars though other than the above, was that I didn't enjoy it quite as much as The Girls of The Summer, which I've already re-read more than once

I really enjoyed this book and it was chalk full of mystery and suspense. The authors descriptions were impeccable and I loved her writing style. A great story. X

When 17 year old Tamara Drayton is found floating dead in her family's swimming pool at their property on the Cote d'Azur, suspicion falls on the family babysitter Josie, who is also tasked with the care of Tamara's younger sister Nina.

Nina herself plays a part in Josie's conviction, but were her perceptions of what happened at that time entirely reliable? Many years later it seems not...

This is a gripping story told through timelines featuring two summers that are years apart. Earning 3.5 stars with ease, this one is well worth a read.

This was a very gripping book from beginning to end. Someone trying to live their life after a false imprisonment told between their life then and the time of the crime. I knew I'd love it.

I was a big fan of Katie Bishop's debut novel so was very excited to get my hands on 'High Season' and it didn't disappoint!
I loved the way in which the story of Tamara's murder was told over two summers twenty years apart as Bishop balanced the pacing and time switches effortlessly. The way the tension built between the characters in the present but the backstory unravelled in the past flowed so well across the entirety of the novel.
The synopsis of this story feels familiar but this approach is fresh and vivid, I can really see how Bishop has progressed in style and confidence since her debut, whilst also a willingness to try and play with tone and structure. 'High Season' is the perfect summer read with layers of intrigue and a setting of high lux for this thriller. A gorgeous page turner beginning to end.

4.5 rounded up

The summer of 2004, The High Season, leaves many lives shattered when 17-year-old Tamara Drayton is found floating face down in the pool of her family mansion on the Côte d’Azur. Her six year old sister , Nina, becomes the key witness in the murder trial in France at which her babysitter Josie Jackson is convicted. What exactly did Nina see, never mind questions about how reliable the evidence of a six-year-old can be?? Twenty years on, all those involved live with the legacy of that night, some can party on, others are tortured by it or riddled with guilt. Can the truth finally emerge when a new documentary programme explores the notorious case?

As avid readers, you’ll understand that feeling when you just know you’re going to enjoy a book right from the start. That’s how I feel about High Season as Katie Bishop nails the follow-up to her successful debut ‘The Girls of Summer’. The different narratives and dual timelines work really well, allowing you to grow in understanding especially of the central characters and makes my mind work overtime trying to figure out the truth of THAT night, I don’t incidentally! The author drops little bombs into the storyline which makes me sit up very straight often with a sharp inhale of breath.

So, what is so good? Everything really! The plot explores so many things as well as the obvious one centring around Nina such as the true crime community, dynamics of family and friendship, those with wealth and potential power versus those who haven’t and so on.

The south of France location really is Location, Location, Location via Nina’s mother Evelyn’s somewhat jaded pink villa by 2024 though its former glory of 2004 is easy to see. The heat of 2004 which I clearly remember as coincidentally I’m in the south of France and it sure was a hot one, adds to the intensity as there seems to be no escape from it and it mirrors the increasing temperatures between the various characters.

The lifestyle, lifestyle, lifestyle of the high season looking at how the other half lives, the notoriety of Evelyn, the glamour, the romances, the gossip, the self-destruction, the death of Tamara all leads to atmosphere in abundance.

The characterisation is excellent, they’re all well portrayed from Tamara to Nina to Josie and so on what emerges is not a simple tale, the tension between them with the addition of teenage angst and being outsiders, the dysfunction and the dynamics are all fascinating. If you add in the true crime angle, you definitely have trouble in paradise. Some scenes are so intense they take my breath away and the ending is very good and moving.

Overall, this is a terrific follow-up and one I can highly recommend.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House UK., Transworld, for the much appreciated arc return for an honest review.

I was really looking forward to this one, but unfortunately it didn’t turn out to be as good as I expected. The plot was somewhat unique for me as I have not read many thrillers with the dead sister storyline, although I know they must exist but for me personally it was a new trope, and this was the best aspect of the book.

It was not boring and it kept me reading to the end without being desperately bored, but the writing itself was very elementary and basic. I felt that this author lacked the finesse and skills needed to write a properly fleshed out novel. There were some pacing problems and overall this just felt like the book of a writer who has not yet honed their skills it’s her second book and while it was only a 2.5 for me this time the bones of the book were decent enough to keep the door open for her later works. I would be interested in seeing what she comes out with in the future.

This was another great novel by Katie Bishop. Tamara died at a party in 2004, but what actually took place? Nina has always believed she knew what happened to her older sister at the Summer party, but is this true and was she an accurate witness as a 5 year old. This story jumps between 2004 and 2024, as well as between characters, revealing what actually occurred in 2004 and how it has shaped the lives of all those involved. Although it focuses mainly on the one event, the Summer party of 2004, it also delves into the lives of those affected. The author has a great way of telling the story, the characters’ viewpoints and their relationships with one another, that are very believable. At times, I think the story could have been shortened in places; it is quite a long story, but overall, it kept me engaged and interested throughout. There was one part that I wasn’t sure was realistic to me, but I was able to overlook this and it didn’t detract from he story too much.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the ARC for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Several troubled teenagers assemble coming from diverse backgrounds with very different circumstances to enjoy a care free summer vacation with catastrophic results. Twenty years later they find themselves reunited with accounts to be settled; truths to be told and the guilty punished; the innocent cleared. Told in two time frames, the story unfolds of the haves and have nots connecting in a summer of love, drugs and death followed by a twenty year period of displacement to be atoned for. Believable well drawn out characters experiencing the roller coaster turbulence of teenage emotions without the maturity to resolve them other than resorting to inflict protracted damage on themselves and everyone in their circle. A stressful and action packed conclusion although acknowledging that the twenty years lost can never be redeemed. Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

This is a perfect read for summer holidays it keeps your interest but is a easy read, I really enjoyed the duel timelines and setting of the novel I did feel it was little drawn out and I did guess a few of the twists but all in all a solid three star beach read

High season reads like "The seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" combined with "A good girls guide to murder". I genuinely could not put it down, I was pulled into the story from the first page. The story is set in the early 2000's, gravitating around one particular Summer in particular which leads to the death of a teenage girl during her aging "It girl" mother's birthday party.
Bishop, in what is a noticeable trend in her writing is not afraid to sink her teeth into harder topics, she subtly but scathingly addresses classism, power imbalance, trauma, and sexual assault in this story, taking on each with a deft hand that never makes it feel like it is merely a sensational plot point but rather an element of society that played a crucial role in the story.
In "High Season" Bishop shows that her writing is going from strength to strength after her previous debut "The Girls of Summer". For anyone who likes their thrillers with decaying glamour and a hint of eat the rich then this one is definitely for you.

High Season by Katie Bishop delves into the depths of memory, family secrets, and the scars of tragedy. Nina, a woman struggling with her past that resurfaces in the form of new evidence. As a child, her testimony sealed the fate of Josie, the housekeeper’s daughter and her trusted babysitter, for the murder of her older sister, Tamara. Now, decades later, Nina begins to question everything she thought she knew about what happened.

The story raises powerful questions about the reliability of memory, especially under the pressure of trauma and explores Nina’s journey through her internal conflict as she tries to reconcile her childhood memories with emerging truths. There were a few plot twists, and I had a strong inkling at the start who did it, but it didn't detract from the story, and it kept me reading until the end.

This thriller had a strong storyline, which had me hooked as I travelled to the south of France, where the summer days, have been replaced by the horror surrounding the tragic death of 17-year-old Tamara.

I was the story slowly on folded we got to know each of the characters. Josie the babysitter of Tamara’s younger sister Nina is accused of her murder. With only 5 year old Nina being a witness, many questions began to flood my mind.

Can we trust our memories? Especially childhood ones . Should we protect those we love at all costs ? Does justice always win ? To name a few

The plot which has a dual timeline added to the mystery surrounding the tragedy and its aftermath.

I have read the authors previous book but this one gripped me even more.
If you love mystery thrillers which have that extra bite then this should definitely be on your reading list .

High Season is a compelling psychological thriller set in the South of France. The story follows Nina, who, as a five-year-old, witnessed the death of her sister, Tamara. Twenty years later, a true-crime podcast questions the case, forcing Nina to confront her memories and uncover the truth about what really happened that night.

Whilst I preferred her previous novel “The Girls of Summer”, this was still a gripping read with a satisfying ending.

This book revolves around a family who spent their summers in the South of France. Josie and Hannah live there throughout the year and are always excited when the Drayton family arrives. The book revolves around the murder of Tamara, a twin with Blake, when she was 17. Nina is only 5 when the tragedy happens. Nina sees the tragedy happen and becomes a witness in the murder trial of Josie. Josie was Nina’s babysitter. The book swings between two different time zones which makes the book more interesting perspective wise. As the years go by the murder comes into the foreground again and brings up memories. Nina often looks through Google and reads everything about the murder and trial. A podcast comes online and she receives an email asking whether she wants to give her insight of her memories. This sends her into a spin and decides to take advice from family. This does not go well as the family feel she should not become involved. Things turn quite dark and it transpires that not all that was said when Nina was 5 was not actually the whole story. I did enjoy this book but I felt it was too long and too drawn out for me. The ending was interesting and half of me wondered if this would be the outcome although not quite how I expected

Whilst I guessed a couple of the twists early doors it didn't hinder my enjoyment, I was hooked instantly.
High Season is a well written, pacy read. 4.5 stars.

Really enjoyed this story and all the mystery surrounding not just what happened on that day but the events leading up to it and how it impacted life since. Highly recommend!

Having read the previous book by Katie Bishop, The Girls of Summer, and loving it, I was delighted to be given the opportunity to read and review her latest novel, High Season, which is not due for publication until August 2025. This work is more of a psychological thriller than her previous book, and is extremely engaging as it deals with the mysterious murder of teenager Tamara, and the wrongful conviction of her friend Josie, based on the evidence of the victim's five year old sister, Nina. The story is told over two time frames, twenty years apart.
A podcaster/crime blogger decides to investigate after reading about the event , and the fact that the crucial evidence was given by a five year old and accepted. She questions this decision and decides to expose what really happened on that fateful night.
This is a well crafted tale, set in beautiful surroundings in the South of France, with a cast of characters that are expertly drawn, both wealthy and working class.
I really enjoyed this book and appreciate Random House and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Drayton's lavish villa in Côte d'Azur was the perfect setting for a birthday party in summer 2004, a party which took a tragic turn when daughter Tamara was found dead in the swimming pool.

Tamara's younger sister Nina, only five years old at the time, gave the testimony that resulted in the conviction of occasional babysitter and housekeeper's daughter, Josie. Doubts have always surrounded the legitimacy of this conviction, given Nina's young age and the dependability of her statement. As the twentieth anniversary of the incident nears, a true crime blogger is revisiting the events and the people involved, raising questions that need answers.

The narrative features compelling characters and vividly illustrates the breathtaking azure coastline, making it an engaging read. With a carefully constructed plot and a timeline that oscillates between past and present, the truth about that fateful night from two decades ago slowly unfolds.

If you're considering a trip to somewhere warm and sunny, this book would be perfect to take with you.