The Girls of Summer

Rachel's memories of Greece are bitter sweet. She loved and lost Alistair on the Island. Even though she was a teen and he was 20 years older than her, she still can't let the memories of what they had go, not even for the man she married... all she can do is reminisce...

It was an ordinary Greek summer, the summer before school starts back for her final year of school. Alistair made her feel seen and desired. Something she never had before... His hold is so strong that when he offers for her to stay on the island and not go back to England, she jumps at the chance. Having to keep their relationship a secret from his boss, Rachel gets pulled into situations she isn't ready for. Situations where teens girls are filled full of alcohol at parties filled with older men and the suicide of someone she cared for.

Going back to Greece with her new husband opens up a can of worms she isn't prepared for because what actually happened with Alistair on the island isn't the reality of what really went down.

YIKES. This book is yikes. The title screams beach read... The cover of Greece screams beach read. When you assume these things and don't read the synopsis.... You find yourself on one heck of a tailspin and you won't want to come up for air.

This book covers some pretty hot topics and again, TW.....

Suicide, abortion, rape, grooming, drugs

I'm not a fan of trigger warnings but I felt this book might be a bit much for some people. Alistair is the epitome of a groomer and as someone who was groomed by an older man, he made me angry. This happens more than you think and this book shows you what can happen and frequently does. The plot was well done and the fact Rachel had no clue she had basically been trafficked goes to show how little we know about the subject and naive Rachel truly was.

I did think the character development was quite where I would have liked it to be. There wasn't much depth, even with Rachel it still felt a little one dimensional but I felt the storyline compensated enough for that. It was a page turner and for anyone not put off by the triggers and love women's fiction, you will definitely enjoy it.

4 stars. Definitely an entertaining read. Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for my gifted copy