An indulgent read about an affluent family who holiday home in the south of France entangles the locals…..when one of the teens dies, a local goes to prison. This follows them in the past and present. A great read I enjoyed with excellently written characters.

Tamara Drayton’s rich and chaotic former It-girl mother owns a villa on the Côte d'Azur, where the family always spends the summer. In 2004, teenager Tamara drowns in the swimming pool. Nina Drayton, Tamara’s five-year-old sister tells police she saw their housekeeper’s daughter, Josie, push Tamara under the water. Nina’s testimony sends Josie to prison for ten years. Despite frequent media bids, neither Josie nor Nina have ever given interviews, nor have either of them returned to France.

Now, twenty years later, a new true-crime podcast and investigation piques their interest. Both return to the Côte d'Azur and meet for the first time since the trial.

This well-written thriller revolves around these women, their pasts, their presents and their memories of Tamara’s death. A third viewpoint character is Hannah, a friend of Josie’s, who at the time of the murder was in love with Tamara’s twin brother, Blake.

The fourth perspective comes from the true-crime podcasts and the scandal-hungry comments from followers, who see Tamara's murder purely as an entertaining case.

The writing is fluent with thisness of detail and in-depth and visceral interior thought from the three rounded protagonists. The author also does a great job of evoking the Riviera setting. Seasoned thriller readers may not be shocked by the denouement, but the journey there is absorbing and suspenseful. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it as a literary thriller and well-written beach read.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.
On publication I will post this review on my blog, on Amazon and on GoodReads.

This was my first ever e-ARC from NetGalley, and it absolutely did not disappoint — thank you!

Katie Bishop’s book is the perfect blend of suspense, thriller, and romance, all wrapped in a sun-soaked summer setting. Its August release date couldn’t be more fitting! The storyline kept me guessing throughout; with every new twist, I found myself suspecting someone else. The Côte d'Azur backdrop added the perfect holiday vibe — ideal for readers who enjoy a summery setting without diving fully into a romance novel.

The dual timeline and alternating perspectives kept the pacing sharp and my attention fully locked in. I was always eager to uncover the next piece of the puzzle.

I’m giving it 4 out of 5 stars — I’m deducting one star only because I figured out the twist earlier than I would’ve liked.

Still, a brilliant read overall. I’ll definitely be checking out more of Katie Bishop’s work!

Thank you for my copy of this book to read and review.

I really enjoyed her first book so I was looking forward to this one.

I liked the concept of it but unfortunately it just didn't grip me. I found it hard to get into and a bit slow throughout.

I found this an okay read. The ending was pretty predictable, which took away some of the suspense, but I still enjoyed how the story was told. The different POV and timelines kept things interesting and gave the bigger picture of what was going on. Josie was actually my favourite character in this because she was the only one who didn't really lie or twist anything, she always seemed to want what was best for others. I also like how she wasn't sold on the allure of the Drayton's.

I really got into this one immediately, the character dynamics really intrigued me and I'm a sucker for novels that deal with possible wrong convictions with a real mystery at the heart.

The writing is immersive and the plot I'd clever, you flip flop between one theory and another whilst being entirely caught up in these characters lives.

Overall an excellent read. I enjoyed this authors last novel too so now she is on my must read list.

While the premise of this book really captivated me, I couldn’t really keep my interest.

I think the plot of whether or not Nina had seen the murder was exciting but the two timelines dragged and there was nothing new here.

Good for a beach read.

I absolutely loved Katie Bishop’s debut novel The Girls of Summer so was really looking forward to reading High Season.
20 years ago 17 year old Tamara Drayton was found in her family pool in the South of France, the testimony by her five year old sister Nina led to the conviction for murder of Josie Jackson, 20 years later a documentary is being made about the case and Nina, her brother Blake and Josie are all back in the same French town. High Season is a stunning read, it’s told over dual timelines and the reader is taken back to the weeks leading up to Tamara’s death. As with her previous novel, the author is so skilled at portraying the thoughts and lives of young women and teenage girls and I was completely drawn into the lives of Josie and Hannah in the earlier section and Nina in the present day section. The setting is gorgeous and I longed to be reading the novel in the South of France. It’s a multi layered and beautifully paced novel that I highly recommend.
4.5 stars.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

I rarely enjoy a book which skips between two periods in time and unfortunately the way this book was written, didn’t manage to convince me that it a good way to write a story. A five-year-old girl sees her sister lying dead in the family swimming pool, but did she really see what led up to this event? The story is told in two different parts with over twenty years between them. It was okay but didn’t really hold my interest.
My thanks to Net Galley and the author for an ARC.

3 and a half stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
An enjoyable read, definitely one for reading on a sun lounger by the pool. Lots of twists and turns keeping you turning the pages. Nina’s memories of witnessing a death as a five year old haunt her as an adult and alongside some other interesting characters we see the plot unfold. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this early copy.

#HighSeason #NetGalley
A good read.
For twenty years, Nina Drayton has told herself that she must have seen her sister, Tamara, being murdered by the family babysitter – Josie Jackson. That she doesn’t remember it because she was five, and amnesia is a normal trauma response. But now, with the anniversary of Tamara’s death approaching and true crime investigators revisiting the case, Nina finds it harder to suppress her doubts. Returning to her family’s sparkling villa on the Cote d’Azur for the first time since the murder, she wants to uncover more about the summer that changed so many lives. Because if she was wrong, then she sent an innocent woman to jail – and the real killer is still walking free.
I really loved it. It's very enjoyable.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK Transworld Publishers Bantam for giving me an advance copy.

An interesting book although I did feel that it is the sort of book you would read on a sunbed around the pool with a drink in your hand. There were lots of twists and turns and back and for the with the time line which worked for the book but not my taste really.

If you liked Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid you will love this book.

Intriguing characters , down to earth writing and some True crime videos thrown in the mix., This book has pretty much everything I love in a thriller.

I was hooked with all the different characters the author portrayed . I was invested in how the case affected all the victims. A true page turner read.

I only knocked off a star due to some repetitiveness.

i definitely would recommend to friends and family I very much enjoyed it.

Thanks NetGalley for the read in return for my honest review.

Loved, loved, loved this one.

High Season tells the story of the death of Tamara Drayton, the daughter of socialite Evelyn Drayton. When Tamara is found dead in a pool during a party, occasional babysitter Josie is found guilty of the murder - largely based on the evidence of 5-year old Nina, the youngest person to give evidence at a trial.

20 years later, the death is brought back into the public imagination through a podcast which casts doubt on Josie's death. With Nina unable to remember much about the fateful day, what did she really see that day and was Josie actually innocent?

Firstly, I know what you're thinking. Cold or historic crime, podcaster casting doubts on conviction, true crime community become interested. Haven't I read this before? I sort of agree. I think there are so many books with this trope however this one is so expertly written I would encourage everyone to read it.

It tells the story over a dual timeline, the present day and the lead up to the fateful party. The book teases away nuggets of information in both timelines which come to a dramatic conclusion.

I loved it and would recommend to all.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers | Bantam for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

It is 2024, but Nina Drayton is still haunted by events twenty years earlier when she gave evidence following the drowning of her older sister, Tamara, in the south of France. Her evidence led to the conviction of a local girl, Josie Jackson, but, now, the verdict is being challenged and Nina is not entirely sure that her evidence was the truth, the whole truth.

Back in 2004, Nina is the youngest daughter of Evelyn Drayton and her brother, Blake is assured of, or at least believes he is entitled to, the attentions of Josie Jackson and Hannah Bailey, who live at the poorer end of the Cote d’Azur village. The family have inherited money and like to party.

As story moves from 2004 to 2024 and back again, the truth about what happened to Tamara gradually unfolds. It’s a complicated story, added to by a commentary from an amateur Instagram crime reporter and a documentary film team revisiting what happened. The time shifts can be confusing and you have to keep track of a range of characters.

As in her previous novel, The Girls of Summer, Katie Bishop writes well about young people and the Mediterranean setting and, of course, in the end the truth will come out in an explosive ending. It’s a good story, highly readable and well written.

A good page turner. | Ideal as a beach read to while away the hours whilst on a summer holiday. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance reader copy.

Nina’s recollections as a five year old leads to the conviction of a young girl and those memories continue to haunt her as an adult. There are some interesting characters involved and a twisting plot which leads to a surprising finale.

I was surprised and pleased to receive an ARC of The High Season in exchange for my honest review, especially since I had previously reviewed Katie Bishop’s debut novel.

I really enjoyed this book! It was packed with mystery and suspense, keeping me hooked from start to finish. The twists and turns were so well-crafted that I could never have imagined the way it all ended, it completely took me by surprise.

Katie Bishop has done a fantastic job weaving an engaging and unpredictable story. Overall, it’s a great read and one I’d definitely recommend to fans of suspenseful, gripping novels.

An enjoyable read, found it to be very pacy and once I'd settled into the story I tore through it. I did think I guessed who the real killer was quite soon though, but I still enjoyed the payoff of the truth

All the main characters felt well fleshed out, or at least as well as they could be for the length of the book. Would have liked to see deeper into Tamara, and felt Nina got little screen time (if you will), but then again it wasn't *really* her story

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The reason why I gave it three stars though other than the above, was that I didn't enjoy it quite as much as The Girls of The Summer, which I've already re-read more than once

I really enjoyed this book and it was chalk full of mystery and suspense. The authors descriptions were impeccable and I loved her writing style. A great story. X