Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

What an emotional and thought-provoking book dealing with a very real and dark topic. This story absolutely broke my heart for both Madeline and Summer! These two girls were as close as sisters, sharing such a deep bond that was suddenly and selfishly ripped away because of an ugly, and tragic situation neither girl was responsible for. Maddie loved Summer, but she also loved her father...it was inconceivable that what Maddie said could be true. To believe meant her father was a monster...On the other hand, she loved Summer and deep down knew she would never lie.

The book is told from Maddie's perspective years after her father's conviction for abusing Summer. Maddie's life has spiraled with the realization that Summer was telling the truth. After an attempt to end her life, Maddie is now trying to face the facts through therapy and also listening to the transcripts from the trial. Maddie's boyfriend Jay is beyond supportive! There is also the complicated relationship Maddie has with her mother. At first, I was so disappointed in her mother, but then there was a sad twist added to the already sordid tale that explains a lot to her mom's actions. The only person in the book who I couldn't feel sorry for was the father! It may have added another layer to delve into the "why" of his actions. There definitely was no remorse or apology on his part. Monster is an apt description for him...
While we get a brief look at Summer's current life and a brief reunion with Maddie, I would have loved to of heard from Summer's side. (Maybe a book told from her point of view could happen?!) And I wish there was some way for the two to retrieve what was lost between them. It was just so unfair that they had to lose so much...:( At least we could see their progress of healing even if t it was at such cost.

4 stars

First of all, I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for approving my request and giving me access to download this book. I loved it! Thank you!

Life can hold a lot of surprises. Even when you think you know someone. Secrets that can change everything and turn your life upside down. Putting you in a situation where you have to reflect on everything you have ever known before. To reconsider who you are as a person. To lose yourself. To reinvent yourself. Or to find your way back to the person you were before. It is a long road; it takes time, but if you are strong enough or lucky enough, you can make it. Madeline is on this journey. She lost her best friend to a secret, betraying her by not being there for her when the secret came out. Betraying her by not believing her. And she has been feeling guilty ever since. She realizes that she has to take the blindfold off and face the demons of the past to let go. To finally live.

As I said before, life can hold a lot of surprises. Just like this book. Despite the heavy topics and my on-going reading slump, where I tried to push through every single book just so I could tell that I had read them, this book was a real pageturner. I didn't want to put it down, and I was genuinely surprised by that because I have not felt like that in a long time. I loved that it had an unusual point of view regarding this topic, and I loved our main character as well. I think that the author did a fantastic job by creating the whole plot, and the writing was also beautifully done. I loved the characters, the friendship, the parallels... everything. I loved everything.

Madeline and Summer were like sisters until the unthinkable happened. Summer came forward after many years that Madeline's father sexually abusing her. Madeline couldn't believe her. Madeline is torn between her best friend and the love of her father. Madeline thought there was no way her father did this but she couldn't understand why Summer would lie. This was an emotional read, that explores love, friendship and finding out the truth. This was a very good read and I would recommend it.

Triggers: suicide references, CSA

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Madeline's best friend Summer had a hidden secret that shattered their trust, tearing apart their families and leaving Madeline grappling with the fallout. Years later, she confronts the past, seeking closure and healing.


While the premise was intriguing, for me there felt like there were a few holes in the plot. I also feel like there could have been some expansion on certain experiences.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me engaged and it only took a few days to read. I think this is going to be a good book club option for several clubs. I plan recommending to my book friends and I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book early in exchange for an honest review. I gave this book 3.5 stars. I really enjoyed it but the book is heavy so be ready to feel when you read this!

This book was just okay... I think the writing style was not for me, and it made me dislike the book. It felt choppy and rushed. I think the plot is not really there, the characters were pretty good, but the overall book was not good to me

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

This was an incredible and heart wrenching novel. I will do my best to review it without spoilers.
A coming-of-age book that explored many difficult topics. It’s also about the complexities of adolescence, friendship, loss, betrayal and self-discovery.
The story revolves around the girls experiences during their childhood as well as a pivotal summer while capturing so many emotions and challenges. I cried for both Maddie and Summer.
The characters are well-developed, each facing their own personal struggles and growth. A very well written novel.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

If you are looking for a book with some raw, ripping emotion, but also a sense of healing from past traumas and becoming whole again, I am pointing you straight towards this book. I went into it without a real sense for the plot and found myself really diving deep into the story.

If someone you love was assaulted, abused, or was a victim of a crime --- you are a secondary victim. If the perpetrator is also someone you love, there are no words. After her father is convicted of abusing her childhood best friend, Madeline's life derails. She loses her dad and someone who is like her sister in the same moment. Six years after the trial, and after an attempt at taking her own life, Madeline feels ready to face her past and listen to the court transcript. While the feelings are still raw, Madeline is prepared to find herself in the process.

The court transcript side of this was so interesting, and seeing our main character process her emotions in real time was really touching. I did find it difficult to watch her go off the rails a little bit - there were some parts of the plot that lost me - but overall this was such a touching read. And I won't give any spoilers, but some of the moments later in the book really touched me!

The Summer Before by Dianne C. Braley is a coming-of-age novel. It follows two best friends Summer and Madeline.
The story was really heartbreaking and very heavy.
I would absolutely recommend reading The Summer Before.
Trigger warning: SA
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

The writing style isn’t working for me and my own tastes. The writing is choppy and repetitive, plus the dialogue feels unnatural/forced. There’s a lot of telling through the dialogue as opposed to showing. I really wanted to like this book and sounded up my alley but the writing style just isn’t for me

A fairly quick read. Kept me interested until the end. A girl doesn't believe her best friend about abuse she endured while the friend was present or nearby. Then during the impending trial the friend comes to a realization that she was blind to the truth for so long & has flashbacks, but convinced herself she was dreaming these situations. I would definitely recommend this book as it takes you through the thoughts and feelings of those involved. It also shows how sometimes children can be easily influenced to believe something that simply isn't true.

Just finished The Summer Before by Dianne Braley, and wow – what a heavy but powerful read. The story dives into some really tough topics like child abuse and self-harm, so it’s definitely not an easy book to get through, but it’s so worth it.

Maddie, the main character, reflects and grapples with her shattered past —“my father in jail and the collapse of my life, the loss of my best friend, my sister, and my island…”— it was impossible not to feel the weight of her grief and the profound impact of her trauma. This novel is not just a story about pain, though; it’s about how we carry it, live through it, and eventually begin to heal from it.

The relationship between Maddie and Summer is a core anchor of the book. Their invented phrase “lemonade” – meaning “I’m okay” – encapsulates a bittersweet moment when they braved the terrifying leap from a dock into the ocean. It’s one of those moments that captures how they tried to hold onto some sense of safety while their world felt like it was falling apart.

In the end… lemonade. 🍋

Thank you to NetGalley, Koehler Books and Dianne Braley for the ARC!

This book includes some extremely heavy topics, and yet it was done so well. There are some major trigger warnings: pedophilia and suicide, so please consider this before reading. It goes into pretty deep details. Based on the cover I thought this was going to be a fun summer read, but it’s one of the heaviest books I’ve read. While I think it’s an important topic to address and the author approaches with seriousness, this will be a difficult read for many so please heed the trigger warnings.

Thanks to NetGalley and Koehler Books for a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

WOW. This review is so difficult to write because this book is so incredibly beautiful but also the hardest subject matter. At a first glance of the cover, I thought this was an upbeat, summer read. I could not have been more wrong. I very much so hope that this book comes with a trigger warning, but that being said the writing was so well done, it took such a heavy topic and made me, as a reader, even slightly understand the repercussions that happen to those close but not directly involved by what happened.

**SPOILERS AND TRIGGER WARNING: Suicide, Sexual Assault of a Minor, Rape**

We meet Madeline Plympton at her lowest point: she's trying to resume life again after her failed suicide attempt. As Madie tries to resume life, she goes to the places and spaces that defined her childhood, but most importantly, she faces the truth head-on: is her dad, who has been in prison for sexually assaulting her best friend for 5+ years really guilty?

The book follows Madie as she relives her past with her best friend, Summer. By listening to her father's trial, she realizes she may have drawn the wrong conclusion all along, and in doing so finds healing for herself, healing for her mom, and healing for Summer.

As mentioned previously, this is not a light book. It's heavy, sensitive, and dark subject matter, but Dianne Braley does an incredible job of shedding light on this and treating it with the seriousness and tone that it deserves. I would recommend this book to anyone who knows any individuals that have been victims of the aforementioned triggers. I would not recommend this book to any victims of the aforementioned triggers and just want them to know my heart goes out to them for what they had to endure. Please do not stay silent if it happened to you, and know that you did not do anything wrong.

I really enjoyed the way this book handled trauma, it felt very realistic. Overall, this was a very beautiful story with great writing.

4⭐
Genre ~ women’s fiction
Setting ~ Massachusetts
Publication date ~ October 15, 2024
Publisher ~ Koehler Books
Est Page Count ~ 262 (25 chapters)
POV ~ single 1st
Featuring ~ suicide references, depression, child molestation, sexual assault, flashbacks

Maddie and Summer were best friends, almost like sisters, since they were four. Six years ago, when the girls were seventeen, Maddie’s father was convicted of molesting Summer, which began when she was around nine.

Maddie wonders how she could not know what was happening to her bff. On the other hand she never thought it could be true, but as she listens to the court tapes there are some revelations and this is her journey of coming to terms with things and healing after attempting suicide.

Overall, this was as heavy hitting as you can expect. I do wish we had a little more on Summer's journey of healing, but it gives the reader a good look at how the perpetrators' family deals with the aftermath of something so despicable. It was interesting to see how the wife reacts vs the daughter. The process of healing when the person you trust the most in the world does the unthinkable seemed realistic. Through therapy, and with the love and support of her boyfriend, Jay, Maddie perseveres.

I was not prepared for the heaviness of this book. The Summer Before is told from the point of view of Maddie, the daughter of a sexual predator. Maddie six years post her father's conviction, listens to the trial transcript for the first time in an effort to heal from the trauma her father caused from the assault of her best friend.

Braley does a brilliant job of showing the damage a criminal can impose on not only his/her victim, but of his/her own family. These victims are often shamed and vilified and carry deep emotional baggage as a result of someone else's actions. I thought the POV choice was interesting and raw.

I am from Boston so I really enjoyed Braley's use of Boston for the setting as well as many famous landmarks, including the Citco sign and Park Plaza hotel.

I would have appreciated Marta's POV and I was surprised it was not explored, especially by Maddie.

Overall, this was a solid novel. It has many triggers so please review prior to reading. I look forward to reading more works from this author. Thank you Netgalley and Koehler Books!

Madeline and Summer are like sisters. but Summer is hiding a secret that that tears their friendship apart. years later they reconnect and try to make sense of the past.

This was a difficult book to read as it kept going back over what had happened in the past and it was told in a way which was difficult to become properly immersed in. I found the content pretty harrowing too so it wasn't an enjoyable read, unfortunately.