Wow – Gripping!
The Last Good Summer by JJ Greene is a completely gripping dual timeline novel that I just could not put down.
The novel is set in Ireland in the summer of 1986 and in present day. The chapters alternate between the two time periods as the stories unfold, linked by the central characters. Something clearly happened in 1986, which has haunted a character ever since.
There was a moment frozen in time, around which, everything has since pivoted. Actions that cannot be altered, as the ball is set rolling and the dominoes are toppled one by one. A character has wallowed in guilt ever since, punishing themselves for what they cannot change.
We witness relationships within a family. When jealousy comes knocking, actions will always have consequences – but can you live with them?
A character has been fighting for what is right – both in 1986 and in present day. There have been disastrous consequences in both time periods.
In present day we witness a scandal being unleashed, with corruption in the highest of places. As a character tries to reveal all, lives are increasingly put in danger.
All the characters were well drawn, likable and realistic. They were easy to empathise with.
The world of 1986 was a very different one to today. The fear and the atmosphere have been superbly captured by JJ Greene. The Last Good Summer is an absolutely cracking read, well thought out, crafted and executed. I can highly recommend it.
I will leave you with my favourite quote:
“The past doesn’t care where you live. It comes with you no matter where you go.”
I received a free copy from Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.
JULIA WILSON
The Last Good Summer
In the summer of 1986, Belle McGee is thirteen. The arrival of Fionn Power at her family home sets in motion a tragic chain of events.
Now a forty-something investigative journalist living in Dublin, Belle returns home one night to find Fionn standing in the hallway before inexplicably vanishing. Unsettled, Belle immediately phones her sister, who tells her that Fionn was found dead that very morning.
In her journey to find answers, Belle exposes corruption and scandal and is forced to stop running from the shameful truth of 1986.
Purchase Links
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Good-Summer-J-Green/dp/1915352711/
US – https://www.amazon.com/Last-Good-Summer-J-Green/dp/1915352711/
Author Bio –
J. J. Green is an Irish writer who hails from Donegal and lives in Derry. She’s had a passion for writing fiction from childhood and has honed her creative writing skills throughout her adult life. As a social and environmental activist, she also writes non-fiction in the form of political essays that mainly focus on economic and environmental injustice. The Last Good Summer is her debut novel.
