TRIGGER WARNING: Sexual abuse, emotional abuse, paedophilia/hebephilia

THE PLOT: ‘The Girls of Summer’ by Katie Bishop is contemporary women’s fiction about abuse, trauma and consent. Rachel has been in love with Alistair since she was seventeen. Despite their twenty-year age gap, Rachel cannot forget that glorious summer she and Alistair spent together on a Greek Island. Now in her mid-thirties, Rachel returns to the island with her husband looking to recapture her youth. But, as she’s forced to re-examine her memories, she must confront the truth about her relationship with Alistair and the dark secrets about that summer.

RATING:  This dark, atmospheric debut sucked me in and blew me away. Anyone reading this blog will know I love novels about trauma. Let’s not psychoanalyse it, but when this book was touted as a British ‘My Dark Vanessa’, I knew I needed to read it. But I have to be honest, I struggled with the first 100 pages. It felt slow paced, overwritten and the main character was so unlikeable – I wasn’t sure if I would make it through. However, I am so glad I kept going and implore you to do the same. By the end of the book, I understood all of the author’s decisions and became completely invested in the world she created. While unlikeable, the characters are human and flawed and the message of the book truly makes you think about human trafficking, child sexual abuse and the ‘Me Too’ movement. So, I beg you, if you can handle these heavy themes, please read this book and don’t DNF until page 150 (at the very least).

GOOD BITS:  This book is a mindfuck. The slow, sultry atmosphere of the Island reminds me of being a teenager watching Leonardo Di Caprio prance around the Beach (IYKYK). I almost felt like I had been drugged at points because I could feel the summer heat bearing down on me. The dual timeline worked well to keep me invested, although I kept wanting to get back to the “past” timeline when the main character is 17, which pulled at me like a magnet. All of the characters are unlikeable so I can’t even pick a favourite (maybe Jules?) but I wanted to know more about them and understood their actions.

NOT SO GOOD BITS: This was one of my most anticipated books of the year but I’ve got to be honest. When I started reading, I was disappointed. The prose felt so overwritten and bogged down in description. The sneaky prologue and over-use of italics was annoying. And I HATED the main character. However, this book really drew me in and by the end I was weeping openly. It all came together and I feel like the author’s choices made sense. I mean, I still kind of hate the main character and she doesn’t redeem herself massively. But, y’know, that’s the beauty of a book like this – it challenges your preconceptions and makes you think.

OVERALL: I’d recommend this book to lovers of ‘The Girls’ by Emma Cline, ‘My Dark Vanessa’ by Kate Elizabeth Russell and ‘Betty’ by Tiffany McDaniel.

Thank you to Transworld (PRH) for my #gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. This book was released in May 2023 and is available to order on my bookshop.org profile.