Summer Hours

by Alessandra Thom

'Everything about this book is alive' – Maria Sledmere It's a hot Edinburgh summer, and Roisin's life is stagnating. She spends her days cancelling plans, skipping work and drinking lukewarm wine in the bathtub with her best friend Eve.

When their wealthy mutual friend Claire offers Roisin a significant amount of money under the guise of 'freelance work,' Roisin thinks her luck might finally be changing. But Claire's proposal is not all it seems, and soon Roisin finds herself trapped. Paralysed by both her intense infatuation with Eve and her secret arrangement with Claire, Roisin must walk a delicate line to avoid losing what matters to her most.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Lesbian, LGBT

122 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 19, 2025

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. Main character Roisin is at times unlikeable and you find yourself willing her not to be so stupid, but at the same time it's really intriguing to see what she'll do next. Additionally the descriptions of the places and people are rich and detailed, and overall the story is sapphic and engaging.

[Jodie Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, sweaty, sticky, heat wave of a novel. Summer Hours is short (145 pages), covering just six months of Roisin’s life, over six chapters. It’s a book you should sit and read in one go, preferably in the late afternoon sun. It’s a book you’ll want to read in one go, because Alessandra Thom’s prose will pull you in, with a heady insistence. A sort of late-coming-of-age novel, Summer Hours concerns itself with the intermingled, codependent, all-encompassing relationships between three queer women.
Roisin is at the centre, the protagonist, although much of her identity revolves around her old, closest friend Eve in the novel. She’s infatuated with her to the point that she’s almost sick with it – and Thom writes this infatuation in such a visceral way. This novel is all skin: blemishes and sunburn and blackheads. Make up caked on too hard and then sweated off quickly. Necks kissed and bodies squeezed together in bath tubs. Roisin and Eve are constantly indebted to each other - both in the literal sense and in the historical sense of their relationship. Summer Hours is an addictive read of an addictive relationship – the perfect slice of messy life.

[Maria Ch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked how the cities were additional characters in the story, but the plot felt a bit claustrophobic and uninspiring. I don’t particularly enjoyed it, but didn’t hate it either.

[danny · Rating 5 out of 5]

laced beautifully with sincerity, emotion and droll humour - Alessandra Thom’s enthralling debut is yet another success story for Scottish literature

[Debbie Orr · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic debut novel. Thom skilfully captures nuances of character and portrays some of the issues faced by young people in finding work to support themselves all wrapped up in a swirl of obsession. Edinburgh becomes a character itself in a rare summer heatwave.
I’m normally such a slow reader but I read most of this in an afternoon and couldn’t wait to pick it up again as I cared about what happened to the characters.
Can’t wait for Thom’s next novel.

[Jennifer Andreacchi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant debut, the perfect short, feverish summer read. It's a blistering sapphic exploration of an obsessive friendship, a truly authentic depiction of limerence and longing, and the Edinburgh setting really brings it to life. Alessandra is definitely a writer to watch!

[ruthie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story about Edinburgh, Roisin, Eve + Claire during a heatwave! It kind of reminded me of Evenings and Weekends 🩷

[Britta · Rating 2 out of 5]

For me, it had a similar vibe to "Cleopatra and Frankenstein" by Coco Mellors, and it just isn’t my vibe — I couldn’t really relate to the story. I’d give it a 2.5, though, for the Edinburgh descriptions and the queerness.

[caoiimh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like an Edinburgh guidebook for thought daughters! made me feel simultaneously great and terrible about my life choices as an Edinburgh 20-something, compared to Roisín <3

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t really know how I feel about this book. It was good, and it was entertaining but I don’t think the story will stick with me. 3.5 stars.

[Bianca Acquaviva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful descriptions of Edinburgh and what it’s like to fall in and out of love.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to read in summer. A feverish, obsessive sapphic novel. Just wish it was longer and we could have got into the characters a bit more

[Ana · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

[Sheila Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of sharp wit and evocative images of Edinburgh in the summer intertwined with the joy (and pain) of complicated relationships. Perfect for a summer evening.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

reading a book in Edinburgh during a heatwave that's set in Edinburgh during a heatwave >>>>>>>>>>>>>>

loved this weird little meditation on friendship and the city of my friendships