The Summer We Forgot

By: Caroline George

Narrated by: Andi Arndt, Andrew Eiden

Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Caroline George once again transports listeners with lush, evocative prose, leading them to ask the question: What happens when we can’t even trust ourselves?

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 begins to suspect that a murderer is stalking the coastal highway 30A, and they must try to recover their memories as quickly as possible...before the 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.

• Young Adult suspense with romance
• Stand-alone novel
• Book length: 95,000 words

Illustrations are included in the audiobook companion PDF download.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Caroline George (P)2021 Thomas Nelson

You Know What You're Getting

This is a highly conceited story - a formally tight knit group of friends suffer essentially mass amnesia regarding a summer a teacher when missing.

I feel like this is a micro-genre at this point - a heroine with memory loss after a traumatic incident trying to uncover the truth about a murder. Here, it's stretched - paper thin - to a group in order to tell the same old story in a new way.

If you think the mystery is going to be anything less than average, then you're kidding yourself. Just be on your way if you want to pick apart how believable, conceivable or realistic the plot or amnesia device is.

You know what your getting yourself into if you pick up this book and you know what? The group amnesia device works at making this a creative new way to walk an otherwise well-tread path.

A Beautiful, Haunting Montage To Being A Teenager

Caroline George is a Young Adult author to keep an eye on! While many YA novels have become overly scandalous and immodest, Caroline once again blows the roof off of the house with her clean, youthful, captivating narratives! Gripping your attention from the opening police statement, The Summer We Forgot is a murder mystery perfect for teens that will keep you on your toes until the end!

“Still, if someone wants to forget you, they don’t hold on to a piece of you. He kept a piece of me.”
“There were girls, and there was her. There could only ever be her.”

Darcy and Morgan used to be best friends… Until he betrayed her. However, they weren’t the only ones affected by what happened two summers ago. Along with their relationship, their friend group was torn apart, each choosing their loyalties or drifting away completely. Separated by time and space, it’s not until their forgotten past is dug out of the marsh that they are reunited for a summer of secrets, danger, murder, and forbidden love.

“Two summers ago. A memory opens in my mind, a door creaking on its hinges to emit a ribbon glow. We are gathered on a dock, all of us, under a pitch sky, surrounded by inky water. We gaze at each other as we do now. And in that darkness, we make an oath.”

Will Darcy, Morgan, and their friends survive the summer, or will their lost memories cause them to do things they never thought they were capable of? Moreover, can their friendships be restored to what they once were, or will the truth cause an even greater divide of mistrust, hurt, and betrayal?

“Everyone here plays—or played—a role in my life. Their faces pepper my scrapbooks and social media feeds. They remember me like I remember them. We wrote a history book, then burned the pages.”

The Summer We Forgot is a beautiful, haunting homage to being a teenager. I think one of the conversations Darcy has with Morgan perfectly describes the feel of this book:

“High school is four years. Think about that. If you lived to a hundred, high school would only take up four percent of your life. No time at all. So, why does high school define a lot? Why do its memories weigh heavy?”
“Because we go into it not knowing who we are, and we allow others to tell us,” I say. “But now’s our chance to unlisten.”

When we’re young, we want to experience as much as possible. Summers, especially are the time for teens to make their mark on the world, but they rarely end without scars, mistakes, and regrets forming alongside the milestones. The Summer We Forgot is that kind of book.

Having a way with words I can only dream of having, Caroline George brought the story to life with her poetic descriptions, gripping plot twists, and showstopping one-liners — her talents shining on each page of this novel! Whether you’re on the beach soaking in the sun’s rays, or snuggled by the fire while it snows outside, The Summer We Forgot will transport you to a time where being young means everything is new, exciting and scary!

If you’re a fan of Outer Banks or One of Us is Lying, you’ll LOVE The Summer We Forgot!

Skip it

THE SUMMER WE FORGOT initially grabbed my attention before veering off into science fiction of erasing memories. I would have preferred the focus stay on the mystery.

The male narrator’s voice annoyed me and I fast forwarded through a few of his chapters due to his voice. The female narrator was pitch perfect and should have been paired with a better counterpart.

I enjoyed Caroline George’s word building and characters, but not enough to recommend THE SUMMER WE FORGOT.