The Summer We Buried

Author: Jody Gehrman
Genre: Thriller/ Psychological
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It was quite a summer…

For years, Tansy and Selene were best friends. Until 18 years ago, something happened, and they drifted apart. Now, Selene shows up demanding for a debt to be repaid.

That is quite a hook, so I was in.

Story

The Summer We Buried is in a first person point of view, we follow Tansy Elliot. She’s a school counselor with some serious ethical dilemma in her hands after the visit.

She’s an academic counselor at Valley of the Moon University (VMU), and that is where Selene’s daughter, Jupiter, is going. The story starts when Selene shows up, demanding that Tansy help her out with a problem.

Trouble brews

The story propels forwards further when Tansy realizes that, despite Selene’s madness, her concern has merit. Being the heroine, Tansy wades into the mess. Following in her footstep is Zack Rathbone, Selenes’ younger brother.

Together, 3 adults set about trying to prevent a catastrophe from happening. But when you mix a psychopath with two rational people, the result is always unpredictable.

And it is. The story spirals out of control, at least in Tansy’s point of view. Soon, I learn about their history as the trio struggles to move forward. Betrayal is nothing new in the theme of psycho- thrillers, but each one still cuts deep.

Problems with The Summer We Buried

My biggest gripe in the book is the show, don’t tell rule. The author first mentioned Borderline Personality Disorder, and that term repeats itself a few times. She doesn’t really have to keep saying it, because the character is really acting like one.

It gets annoying when Zack keeps mansplaining things, which I think ruins some moments in the book. And I do not know why Tansy gets thrown into a problem when the thriller is big enough of a story for a side quest.

I don’t even remember if Tansy’s personal life is sorted out. The main story moves at a breakneck pace from the middle onwards. I mean, I would have loved to read more about the romance side of things, or a change of pace towards the end.

I guess the author is trying to channel Selene’s energy into the last bit, when ugly truths come out. Am I happy with that? Not really.

Verdict

The Summer We Buried starts out at a nice leisurely pace, then it runs faster and faster until I fall into a hole. While the characters are well fleshed out with a good backstory, I struggle to connect with them.

For a psycho thriller, there is not much thrill in it. Just a lot of avoidance in the past, then we have a young person who needs help. I think there’s not much fear factor in it, despite there’s a psycho on the lose.

Overall, it is a well-written book. I will not deny that, but I think for a person who likes psychological thrillers, this just ain’t one.