The Summer Of Secrets opening line: So much blue.
My blurb:
Helen is 16, it is her summer break, and all she has planned is to read and get a suntan. But then a group of children move in down the lane, and her summer changes. It is hot and it feels as if the characters themselves are moving slowly through the haze that the heat brings. In a short space of time, Helen’s life will be changed, and all because she wanted to fit in, to be a part of a lifestyle she could not quite grasp. It is a story of love never quite achieved, and a life never quite lived.
The Summer Of Secrets
The summer the Dovers move in next door, sixteen-year-old Helen’s lonely world is at once a more thrilling place. She is infatuated with the bohemian family, especially the petulant and charming daughter Victoria. As the long, hot days stretch out in front of them, Helen and Victoria grow inseparable. But when a stranger appears, Helen begins to question whether the secretive Dover family are really what they seem. It’s the kind of summer when anything seems possible . . . Until something goes wrong. A suspenseful, spell-binding coming-of-age story about how one simple action on a summer’s day can echo through the years. Perfect for fans of Louise Doughty’s Apple Tree Yard, Liane Moriarty’s The Husband’s Secret and Helen Dunmore’s The Lie.
My verdict:
I am an avid reader, and it usually takes me a week to get through a book, unless we are on holiday where I get more time to read. This book took me 3 and a half weeks to read because there was really nothing gripping about the story. We meet Helen 30 years on from the summer that changed her life, and it takes her that long to finally confront the truth of an evening which started with alcohol and drugs and ended with her being taken away from her home.
Publishing information:
Disclosure: I was sent the book to review by Penguin Random House South Africa. I was not required to write a positive review. This post is in line with my blogging policy.
What I blogged October 25:
- three years ago – Turkish Delight
- four years ago – Broccoli Farfalline
- five years ago – Chocolate Sauce / Ingredient Challenge: Onions, Leeks, Carrots And Celery
I liked ur flashback about what u blogged so many years ago. Hats off u have been doing it for so long
Thank you Fareeha 🙂