The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin (2024)Four strangers become the closest of friends in college, but when a tragedy rocks their world, they vow to always be there in times of need. Ten years later, Hannah needs her friends as her relationship crumbles, only to also find that they are all going through some major life changes. Emily Giffin is one of my favorite authors, so I always eagerly anticipate her books. This one had elements I enjoyed, but I also had some issues with it. Giffin always creates these well-rounded characters, full of little details that make them feel like real people. I felt like the character development lacked here, though - maybe we needed more background before getting into the heart of story, but, for example, I didn't understand Tyson's motivations to completely upend his life in such a rash manner. Maybe if we had spent more time getting to know the characters in college or got more information about the years before the present-day story, I would have understood them better. I enjoyed Hannah's self-journey - she has always been very by-the-book, a rule follower, but for the first time, she's doing things for herself and realizing new things. I also enjoyed the travel elements of the book - the group's visit to Capri made me yearn for a trip of my own! 3.5 stars
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Out of the blue, Ariel receives a strange text message from her boyfriend Drew, who has been dead for years. It sets off an investigation to find out what really happened the day he left her and raises questions about the family business she works for. This book purports to be a mystery/thriller, but it also feels like a romance, as the story moves back and forth in time to when Ariel and Drew first meet and start to fall in love. Drew then disappears, leaving Ariel pregnant and alone. Five years later, she and a co-worker start to look into Drew's past and what he was really doing at Chime Co. I thought the pacing of the story was off; there weren't many "thrills," just a lot of repetition and a lot of computer work, which isn't always the most exciting. Some elements of the story were very predictable, with maybe one or two surprises. Things go a bit off the rails near the end, but it finally adds some real action to the story. This is the author's first foray into the thriller genre; you can definitely tell she's usually a romance writer, but there are certainly some elements that have promise if she does decide to stick with this genre again. 3.5 stars
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I enjoyed The Five Year Lie more than you did but I can understand your comment about the repetition. I guess I was wrapped up in the story enough that it didn't bother me.
ReplyDeleteThis was a new author for me and I wasn't quite sure what to expect!
DeleteI had my eye on the Griffin book. I think she wrote the one about the young woman who gets with her friend's dad. I wasn't into that, but I thought this could be a better book for me. Sorry it wasn't better for you, though I would also love the travel aspect as I have never been to the Isle of Capri.
ReplyDeleteYes, that was another of her books! She's one of my favorite authors, I'll read anything she writes - just once in awhile there's a miss!
DeleteI felt the same way about The Summer Pact. It kind of bummed me out, because I had such high hopes. I loved the setting of Capri, but you are right, the character building was lacking. I felt like I didn't really care about them and it felt like a really heavy summer read.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I felt like I was missing pieces of the story!
DeleteI need to try some Emily Giffin! I liked The Five Year Lie, but I think it's because I'm not usually a thriller reader so I liked the romance aspects and probably that's also why I didn't notice or mind the repetition as much.
ReplyDeleteI've loved Emily Giffin for probably 20 years now!
DeleteI felt the same way about The Summer Pact. It was a solid read but just not quite as good as some of her others that I've loved.
ReplyDeleteExactly! I'll always read her books, though.
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