The Summer Children
Ratings25
Average rating4.3
Not as impactful as the first book in the series however Dot Hutchison's writing is really great and so easy to read/listen to. I did listen to the audiobook for this one and read the first two on kindle in the past but i still enjoyed the story and characters
[b:The Summer Children 35423609 The Summer Children (The Collector, #3) Dot Hutchison https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1511790687l/35423609.SY75.jpg 56799091]I have been extremely excited for this book and have waited patiently for its release. Even though it took me almost a year to read it after its release. I thoroughly loved the first book and enjoyed the second book. This book is no different. I love how this book takes place in someone else's point of view. This book takes place in Mercedes Ramirez's point of view as she encounters a series of crimes that hit too close to home. I felt like this book detailed the crimes differently from the last two books. The scenes that describe the horrors that some of these children faced without outright stating it felt more impactful and gut wrenching than I remember. The details are mostly focused on two separate victims, slowly piecing things together until you cry out in despair. I loved how they pointed out the small ways that hint at the type of abuse a child has faced. It pulled me in and made me feel as if I was there investigating with them. I also loved how we see the effect these cases have on Mercedes, as well as how it relates to her past. It made me feel as though I understand her a bit better after this book. I know this shorter than most the reviews I put together but I am not sure if anything really needs to be said. I enjoyed the story and once again enjoyed the writing style and will continue to read anything new from this author even if it is not linked to this series.
1: The Butterfly Garden ★★★★★
#2: Roses of May ★★★
#3: The Summer Children ★★★★
#4: The Vanishing Season ★★
You can also find this review on my blog.
cw: sexual assault, pedophilia, domestic abuse, drug use, pretty much everything related to that
Spoiler-free Review of an ARC Provided by the Publisher
As with The Roses of May, I avoided reading any kind of plot summary beforehand, because I was positive I would like whatever Dot had in mind for the third installment of the series. I was so excited when I realized we finally get a book centering around the POV of Mercedes, who until now has been more of a side character. Mercedes is a queer latinx woman who, it is revealed, has dealt firsthand with abuse in her past.
If you were afraid of something in the light, wasn't it just good sense to be more afraid of it in the dark?
Again, as with the last book, this could be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend reading the entire series in order to provide a better context for everything going on and so you won't have to worry about spoiling the first two for yourself. A lot of the character interactions probably won't make sense without the background.
Once upon a time, there was a little girl who was scared of angels.Then she met one, and she wasn't afraid anymore.
My only issue with this book is really the interpersonal relationships between the characters. I think a significant amount of people took issue with this in the last book and while it didn't bother me at the time, it stuck out to me a lot more with this one. It got to the point where it kind of ruined my suspension of disbelief. Obviously I don't know much about the inner workings of the FBI, and within the story the characters do emphasize that this isn't necessarily normal, but the kinds of relationships you see here just seem kind of unprofessional and unrealistic.
Besides that, I did find the book highly enjoyable (although that's a weird word for this kind of story) and a quick read. I haven't looked at any reviews yet, so I'm not sure what criticisms are out there, but I'm sure some people will accuse this of being “torture porn” and I can't really fault them for that, but it's kind of the theme of these books. I'll also add that while I originally rated the second book highly, I do think it would fall more flat for me on a second read. I think that this one comes far closer to the first book in terms of quality, although I still prefer the first.
If you enjoyed the first two books in this series, then I definitely recommend The Summer Children!
