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The Sins of Summer Daughters
Not yet published
Expected 14 Jul 26Sharp Objects meets William Kent Kreuger in this new searing southern mystery from acclaimed author Lo Patrick. When her granddaughter is accused of murder, a woman must confront the buried secrets of a summer long past—because she can try to forget, but the Georgia land remembers.
Meg Gregory never wanted to return to Tuskin, the small Georgia town she grew up in, as barren as the fields that surround it. But after her divorce left her wounded, she knew she had to quit running. Now, years later, as Meg watches her daughter and granddaughter navigate familiar dirt roads, Meg is bent on hiding from the memories that haunt her. Because she skipped town for a reason, and that reason runs deep.
But when Meg's unassuming granddaughter Lucy is suddenly charged with the murder of her boyfriend, everything changes. Meg knows Lucy couldn't have done it. Killing a boy will break a girl like that. She should know. She's seen it happen before.
As Meg fights for Lucy's innocence, memories from the past threaten to break free, and she's left to contemplate a different murder, a different dead boy, a different summer under the hot Georgia sun. And soon enough Meg isn't quite sure what is memory and who, in all of this, is innocent.
Meg Gregory never wanted to return to Tuskin, the small Georgia town she grew up in, as barren as the fields that surround it. But after her divorce left her wounded, she knew she had to quit running. Now, years later, as Meg watches her daughter and granddaughter navigate familiar dirt roads, Meg is bent on hiding from the memories that haunt her. Because she skipped town for a reason, and that reason runs deep.
But when Meg's unassuming granddaughter Lucy is suddenly charged with the murder of her boyfriend, everything changes. Meg knows Lucy couldn't have done it. Killing a boy will break a girl like that. She should know. She's seen it happen before.
As Meg fights for Lucy's innocence, memories from the past threaten to break free, and she's left to contemplate a different murder, a different dead boy, a different summer under the hot Georgia sun. And soon enough Meg isn't quite sure what is memory and who, in all of this, is innocent.
400 pages, Paperback
Expected publication July 14, 2026
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5480 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Meg Gregory thought she left her traumatic past buried in middle Georgia's red clay dust, but when her granddaughter is arrested for murder, the haints of her past and memories are unearthed and refuse to be ignored. Questions of what actually happened versus psychological fracture will have the characters and readers guessing until the very end.
As a native small town Georgian and a lover of mystery/thriller genre, I was excited to read this book. I could picture the town of Tuskin so vividly as well as the slower pace of life that went on there. I also liked the parallels between 1974 Meg's life and the evolving situation in 2024 with Lucy. That being said, I found all of the characters extremely unlikeable, and I also noted that there seemed to be a stereotypical marked dichotomy in portrayal of characters in Tuskin (lower education, lower income, lazy, "less than") and the characters from 'the great state of Atlanta' (higher education, affluent, ambitious, 'better than'). Also, all of the tangents that Meg seemed to go off on whether speaking or thinking before circling back around to the subject at hand were distracting, although probably a function of trauma response/psychologic devolution.
I always love reading about my beloved home state, but overall, I'm not sure this was the book for me. Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.
As a native small town Georgian and a lover of mystery/thriller genre, I was excited to read this book. I could picture the town of Tuskin so vividly as well as the slower pace of life that went on there. I also liked the parallels between 1974 Meg's life and the evolving situation in 2024 with Lucy. That being said, I found all of the characters extremely unlikeable, and I also noted that there seemed to be a stereotypical marked dichotomy in portrayal of characters in Tuskin (lower education, lower income, lazy, "less than") and the characters from 'the great state of Atlanta' (higher education, affluent, ambitious, 'better than'). Also, all of the tangents that Meg seemed to go off on whether speaking or thinking before circling back around to the subject at hand were distracting, although probably a function of trauma response/psychologic devolution.
I always love reading about my beloved home state, but overall, I'm not sure this was the book for me. Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book has an intriguing premise and moves at a quick pace, but the execution didn’t fully come together for me.
While the pacing itself kept things moving, the storytelling felt choppy due to frequent jumps between past and present…often at moments when the narrative tension should have been tightening. Instead of deepening the story, these shifts made it harder to stay emotionally grounded in the characters’ journeys.
Character development was where I struggled most. I found it difficult to connect with Nina and Lucy, as there wasn’t enough emotional layering to make their actions feel earned. The constant banter between characters (particularly Nina and Meg) often felt excessive and emotionally immature, pulling focus away from the larger stakes. I frequently found myself wanting to move past certain backstory sections because they appeared at inopportune moments.
The atmosphere worked reasonably well, and I appreciated the underlying tension surrounding the question of accountability. However, I was hoping for more of a traditional “whodunit” feel. Much of the tension centered on interpersonal conflict rather than drawing the reader into Lucy’s emotional arc or the mystery itself.
That said, there were elements I genuinely enjoyed. The relationship between the grandmother and granddaughter was a highlight, and Meg’s backstory was especially compelling. I found myself wishing the novel had explored her perspective even more, as it felt rich enough to stand on its own.
Overall, this story had strong potential, but for me, the fragmented structure and lack of emotional depth kept it from fully landing.
Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy. All thoughts are my own.
While the pacing itself kept things moving, the storytelling felt choppy due to frequent jumps between past and present…often at moments when the narrative tension should have been tightening. Instead of deepening the story, these shifts made it harder to stay emotionally grounded in the characters’ journeys.
Character development was where I struggled most. I found it difficult to connect with Nina and Lucy, as there wasn’t enough emotional layering to make their actions feel earned. The constant banter between characters (particularly Nina and Meg) often felt excessive and emotionally immature, pulling focus away from the larger stakes. I frequently found myself wanting to move past certain backstory sections because they appeared at inopportune moments.
The atmosphere worked reasonably well, and I appreciated the underlying tension surrounding the question of accountability. However, I was hoping for more of a traditional “whodunit” feel. Much of the tension centered on interpersonal conflict rather than drawing the reader into Lucy’s emotional arc or the mystery itself.
That said, there were elements I genuinely enjoyed. The relationship between the grandmother and granddaughter was a highlight, and Meg’s backstory was especially compelling. I found myself wishing the novel had explored her perspective even more, as it felt rich enough to stand on its own.
Overall, this story had strong potential, but for me, the fragmented structure and lack of emotional depth kept it from fully landing.
Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy. All thoughts are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I had previously read and enjoyed Fast Boys and Pretty Girls by this author and was happy to read The Sins of Summer Daughters also. This story was good, but it wasn't quite as easy of a read as the previous book. Meg Gregory left her small hometown with the plan never to return. Years later, reeling from a divorce, she is back and her granddaughter, Lucy, has been arrested for the murder of her boyfriend. Meg is certain of Lucy's innocence and sets out to prove it. In doing so, Meg's own past is brought up, and she remembers exactly why she left that town in the first place. Yes, a different murder was involved. The premise sounded great and I did enjoy the story, I just felt there could have been a bit more. For such a long book, I felt the story could have been explored deeper. Hearing from Lucy herself would have been interesting to me. Overall, I did enjoy the story and look forward to more from Lo Patrick. I do love her descriptions of small-town life!
Thank you to Lo Patrick, #NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to Lo Patrick, #NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book was not for me. The book read more as a look into Megs psychological thoughts, and not at all a thriller or mystery as described. Meg is very depressed and self centered. She has no real relationship with anyone, including her daughter.
The book had promise, as two murders within one family could be very mysterious. However, the story gave no details on the crimes and incidents that lead to it, and all the details are focused on Meg and her mental state. I would have liked to hear Lucy’s perspective more to know why she made her choices. I did not like Meg, which made her hard to follow as a main character, even though I can understand why she is depressed. Overall, I would have liked more descriptions of the cases, and less explanation of what was happening in her head.
The book had promise, as two murders within one family could be very mysterious. However, the story gave no details on the crimes and incidents that lead to it, and all the details are focused on Meg and her mental state. I would have liked to hear Lucy’s perspective more to know why she made her choices. I did not like Meg, which made her hard to follow as a main character, even though I can understand why she is depressed. Overall, I would have liked more descriptions of the cases, and less explanation of what was happening in her head.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.5/5 stars
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
When Meg's granddaughter is arrested for killing her boyfriend, Meg is brought back to her own time as a teenager in their small Georgia town. The story goes back and forth between present day, where Meg tries to hold on to her psyche as she helps her granddaughter, and when Meg was a teenager.
All of the parts of the story were there to make this a better book than it was. Nothing was fully explored though. For a 400 page book, it still has a lot of holes in the story. There were far too many pages spent on Meg's psychotic break and not enough spent on the actual story.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
When Meg's granddaughter is arrested for killing her boyfriend, Meg is brought back to her own time as a teenager in their small Georgia town. The story goes back and forth between present day, where Meg tries to hold on to her psyche as she helps her granddaughter, and when Meg was a teenager.
All of the parts of the story were there to make this a better book than it was. Nothing was fully explored though. For a 400 page book, it still has a lot of holes in the story. There were far too many pages spent on Meg's psychotic break and not enough spent on the actual story.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews