The Summer Girl

LoveReading Says

At the beginning of The Summer Girl by Jenny Blackhurst, two sisters, Claire and Holly, are trying to figure out their lives six months after their mother died of cancer. Holly decides to go away and work for the summer at Martha’s Vineyard in the U.S., a posh playground for the super rich, but also the filming location for the movie “Jaws.” Claire, drinking her way through her grief back in the U.K., becomes alarmed when she receives a text that she knows Holly wouldn’t have sent, so she jets off to the U.S. to try to find her sister. 

When Claire arrives at Martha’s Vineyard in July—the middle of the summer season—the police seem uninterested in helping her find Holly, as are some of the locals, and her concerns mount. After learning about the suspicious death of another girl five years before, she begins to worry that the same fate might befall her sister. Claire turns into an amateur sleuth on the island, trying to find all the pieces of the puzzle. Blackhurst employs two viewpoints—Claire in the present and Holly in the past, so the reader can try to solve the mystery alongside Claire. 

The Summer Girl has all the hallmarks of a classic summer read, with a beautiful location, dodgy characters aplenty and a twisty plot that keeps readers guessing.  It’s the perfect book to toss into the nearest beach bag. 

Maureen Stapleton

Find This Book In