I felt like this book was so disjointed, the story was all over the place. I know it’s supposed to be a thriller and a bit unrealistic but the way things happened just had me thinking “what?!”. The characters weren’t consistent. The story didn’t flow. The plot was good I just don’t think it came together well. The ending eventually picked up speed and was a bit more intriguing but I never felt like I couldn’t put this down. I just think it was okay. Good premise but the writing was lacking.

One Dark Summer by Saskia Sarginson is a gripping, slow-burn thriller rich with atmosphere, secrets, and emotional depth. With multiple POVs, clever twists, and a haunting setting, it masterfully explores memory, trauma, and truth. A compelling, binge-worthy read I highly recommend. I couldn't put this book down and I loved it from cover to cover.

Slow burn thriller
Duel timelines
Old spooky houses
Compelling characters
Nanny troupe

This book has it all! Perfect summer thriller definitely pick this one up!

𝔸 𝕞𝕚𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕞𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣. 𝔸 𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕘𝕠𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕟 𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕕. 𝔸 𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕗𝕦𝕝𝕝 𝕠𝕗 𝕕𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕝𝕪 𝕤𝕖𝕔𝕣𝕖𝕥𝕤...

Meg lifts her hand and knocks on the door to the grandest house she's ever seen. She's about to start a new job as the nanny for the two small children who live here. But it's not the job that's making her nervous.....

As Meg walks in she realises she recognises the house, down to every detail. Luckily the home owner doesn't recognise Meg, but Meg definitely knows how she is.... because this is where she spent a summer as a child many years before. The summer when her mother disappeared, the summer Meg thought she killed a man.

Now shes back, disguised as Margaret, to uncover the secrets left behind so many years ago.

Massive thanks to NetGalley for the arc of this book! I really really enjoyed this book, I haven't read anything by this author before but I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for other titles. The writing was easy to read and kept me wanting more! The ending had me second guessed everything I thought I knew!

This book starts off a little slow, but builds into a story that is hard to put down. It centers on Meg, who is trying to figure out what happened to her mother, who disappeared when she was a young teen. Her cousin now owns the mansion that she believes conceals those secrets, so she poses as a nanny in order to get close to the family-- hoping she won't be recognized-- while she digs deeper. You also get some chapters told but other characters, which work to help the reader understand the big picture.

The author does a great job of weaving the storylines together in a way that makes each one stronger, while also supplying many surprises and twists. It was not hard to root for Meg, but I was constantly on the edge of my seat that she was going to get found out as she gets deeper into the mystery. There are a couple huge twists that I absolutely did not see coming, though after I knew them I saw that the author had expertly laid the right bread crumbs. With the possible exception of Meg's mother, I felt like the characters were believable and made decisions that people would really make- I was more on the fence with her mother's decision-making, though. I really liked the way the book ended- it might have been verging on unrealistic but I thought it was the right ending for this particular set of characters.

Overall, I found this to be an engaging read with a lot of great surprises. It does start off a tad slow but is definitely worth the slow burn. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

One Dark Summer by Saskia Sarginson was a very dark psychological thriller which was totally gripping from the very beginning till the end. It was full of great twists and turns and was a beautifully written and very powerful book.
I loved the short chapters which made it a quick and easy enjoyable read. A great book for your day off or your holidays.
I highly recommend it.

One Dark Summer is about Meg, who visited her cousins in the manor one summer after her mom went missing. She believes her mom was linked to the other women who lived in the house, due to a painting where she was wearing a family heirloom.

I thought One Dark Summer was a solid mystery thriller. The time jumps confused me briefly, but it was easy to fall back into the story. It kept me entertained and it read pretty quickly.

I received One Dark Summer through a book tour through Boldwood Books. My thoughts and opinions are my own

One Dark Summer is a slow-burning mystery that takes time to get into, but don’t give up on it because, trust me, it gets better. Sarginson has a talent for rich, immersive storytelling, which, as the story progresses, becomes addictive. You feel for the character of Meg and want to believe that she will get the answers she has been searching so hard to find.

This is a novel that not only explores the impact of parental loss at an early age but also the unreliable nature of memories and how trauma can cause barriers to retrieving them.

I love a plot that provides insights from multiple perspectives, and One Dark Summer is cleverly written in this respect. It helps to not only fill in the blanks but also compels the reader to continue; you need all sides of the story to complete the narrative and work out what happened in the past and what is happening at Deben Manor now.

Identical was my first introduction to Sarginson's books, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I was drawn to One Dark Summer by the blurb and the prologue had me hooked!

Moving between the past and present the story is narrated from multiple POV, and split across three parts.

I found the characters beguiling, making me doubt their credibility, while the twists had me doubting myself.

The setting of Deben Manor was perfect. Old houses always tend to be hiding secrets behind their doors and they're not always pleasant.

The perfect binge read.

‘One Dark Summer’ is a great psychological thriller. There are quite a few twists throughout the book. Though I figured most of it out, it was still a fun read. Shorter chapters added to the suspense. 4 stars

This was a good book with so many twists and turns! I like how it was told through different viewpoints!

One Dark Summer
by Saskia Sarginson
Pub Date: Apr 13 2025

One Dark Summer is a nail biting thriller that moves between the past and the present. The first half is rather slow but after that it is definitely worth the wait! It's a house full of deadly secrets, a missing mother and a forgotten child. The book takes on a gothic air such as "Jane Eyre". Many twists and turns, a book I'm sure you will love!

Synopsis: It was the summer that changed everything… With trembling hands, Meg knocks on the door of the large manor house. Behind her, the view down to the river is spectacular. She’s here to be the nanny to two young children. It’s not the job Meg is anxious about, though. It’s the house itself that scares her, and the secrets lurking inside. Not only that, but will her new employer recognize her?

Many thanks to #OneDarkSummer #NetGalley and #BoldWoodBooks for providing me an E-ARC of this 5 Star psychological thriller!

Saskia Sarginson's One Dark Summer audiobook is a gripping psychological thriller that immediately plunges the listener into a world of buried secrets and simmering tension. As Meg arrives at the imposing manor house under the guise of a nanny, the sense of unease is palpable. Sarginson expertly crafts an atmosphere where the stunning scenery is juxtaposed with the sinister undercurrents of the past.

The premise itself is instantly captivating: Meg returns to the very place where her mother vanished fifteen years prior, a summer haunted by her own chilling belief that she committed a murder. Disguised as Margaret, the nanny, her mission to uncover the truth is fraught with danger, particularly the unsettling possibility of her employer recognizing her.

The audiobook format amplifies the suspense. The narration effectively conveys Meg's internal turmoil, her fear of discovery, and her unwavering determination. The descriptions of the manor and its surroundings become almost characters themselves, imbued with the weight of past events. Sarginson masterfully withholds information, slowly revealing fragments of memory and suspicion that keep the listener guessing alongside Meg.

One Dark Summer is a compelling exploration of memory, trauma, and the lengths one will go to uncover the truth. Sarginson creates a claustrophobic atmosphere within the grand setting, where every interaction is laced with potential threat. This is a well-paced and absorbing thriller that will keep you hooked until the final, unsettling revelations.

This was a quick and fun read that I finished in a few hours.
A well written suspense filled with twists that kept me hooked from the very beginning.
An intriguing story with characters who draw you in and keeps you flipping the pages.
The characters were all realistic and very well developed.
I really enjoyed the writing style. I found myself gripped, turning the pages, not knowing what was to come next.
It was suspenseful, mysterious and unpredictable.

Deben Manor holds secrets that refuse to stay buried in this atmospheric, emotionally rich mystery that pulled me in with its layered characters and slow-burning intrigue. After her mother’s mysterious disappearance, Meg spends a formative summer at her cousins’ sprawling estate. Years later, under a new identity, she returns—determined to uncover the truth that has haunted her for years.

What begins as a quiet re-entry into a once-familiar world gradually unravels into a complex exploration of grief, memory, and the shadows families keep hidden. I loved how the story wove between past and present, gradually revealing the emotional threads that bind these characters. While the transitions between timelines felt a bit jarring at first, they ultimately added to the fragmented, unsettled tone that suits a mystery of this kind.

The characters truly shine in this story. Meg is a deeply compelling lead, and the evolution of her relationships with her mother and cousins is heartfelt and beautifully written. The emotional growth across timelines gave the story a sense of depth and authenticity that made the quieter moments feel just as meaningful as the reveals.

Though it leans more toward mystery than fast-paced thriller, the atmosphere, character development, and emotional undercurrent make this a standout read. If you love stories that center around old houses, long-buried family secrets, and the quiet unraveling of truth, this is a book you won’t want to miss.

Remarkable! Couldn’t put down. The ending was a bit rushed, as if the author thought that its getting too far, but managed to end it beautifully. Maybe that was what it needed.

Recommended 100%!!

overall the story dragged a liittle for me, it's about family secrets. it has slow moving start but kept me intrested.

This was a quick fun read! I will admit that I skimmed through a lot of it, as I found it to be somewhat predictable (it reminded me of a Lifetime thriller). Nevertheless, if you're into domestic thrillers, you might enjoy this book.

Looked forward to reading this book as I have enjoyed her previous publications. Was disappointed and find it very hard going and admit to finding this book very hard to get into and just couldn't get into the story. Eventually put aside and started a new book Apologies to the author!
Many thanx to NetGalley, the author and publishers for allowing me to read and review this book

Saskia Sarginson’s One Dark Summer is a haunting, slow-burning novel that masterfully peels back the layers of a family’s dark and tangled history. From the very first page, you’re drawn into a world where secrets linger just beneath the surface—and as the story unfolds, the weight of those secrets becomes almost suffocating.

What begins as a quiet narrative quickly turns into something far more intense, as lies are exposed and the truth proves more disturbing than imagined. Sarginson weaves tension and atmosphere beautifully, allowing the emotional unraveling of her characters to reflect the chaos brewing beneath their carefully maintained facades.

This is a story about the destructive power of buried truths and the liberation that comes from finally facing them. It’s gripping, emotionally complex, and deeply unsettling in the best possible way. One Dark Summer will stay with you long after the final page—and it serves as a stark reminder that some secrets refuse to stay hidden.