The Summer We Forgot by Caroline George: Book Review

**I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All thoughts are my own. 

 

Some memories are better left forgotten.

Darby and Morgan haven’t spoken for two years, and their friend group has splintered. But when the body of their former science teacher is found in the marsh where they attended camp that summer, they realize they have more questions than answers . . . and even fewer memories.

No one remembers—or no one is talking.

The group of reunited friends suspects that a murderer is stalking the coastal highway 30A, and they are desperate to recover their memories as quickly as possible . . . before their history they can’t remember repeats itself.

Everyone has a secret.

As tensions rise and time runs out, Darby and Morgan begin to wonder if they can believe one another . . . or if they can even trust themselves.

Caroline George is the multi-award-winning author of Dearest Josephine and other YA fiction titles. She graduated from Belmont University with a degree in publishing and public relations, and now travels the country, speaking at conferences and writing full-time. When she’s not glued to her laptop, she can be found hiking in the Appalachian Mountains or sipping a lavender latte.

I'm not entirely certain exactly what I expected with this book, but whatever it was I am sure it's not what it was. I must admit that it took me a little it to get into the swing of the story. This was for a few reasons. First, there was some time to figure out who was who... and who was telling the story. It jumps back and forth between two POVs- Darby and Morgan. The formatting of the book didn't make it all that clear to me, and so it took me a few chapters to figure out there was more than one perspective and get that all figured out. I do think that perhaps this was merely a formatting issue in the advanced digital copy that I received, so may not be as troublesome in the actual finished copy. Either way, it certainly did cause some confusion for me in the beginning. 

The storytelling took a bit of getting used to as well. It was at times almost a bit chaotic, especially in the beginning. While it took some getting used to, it actually was quite appropriate for this story. Losing pieces of memory would certainly make your thoughts feel chaotic, and it really helped me to relate to what the characters were experiencing. As a young adult novel, there may have been some aspects that I didn't quite relate to, and yet I found myself drawn into the story and unable to put it down. 

Overall, I found it to be a very enjoyable read, and one that I would certainly recommend. I enjoyed it as an adult, and would say that older teens would enjoy it as well, though some themes may be a bit much for younger teens.