I flew through this one on audio (thanks @simon.audio!) though I wonder if I’d have preferred physically reading it a little more, as I think that format would have made it easier to keep all the characters, their stories (both past and present) and the alternating timelines straight.

The premise itself is so fun. Who doesn’t want to meet their best friends as young children at summer camp? Goals. I love the relationship they share. My favorite part of the book was the “hard things” emails. IYKYK. I want a friend to be able to do that with!

I also loved the nostalgia of Camp Holly Springs & really enjoyed June and her perspective. The 3 friends - Daphne, Mary Stuart and Lanier, all had so much going on in their lives (maybe even too much?) and at times it had the drama of an episode of Desperate Housewives. There was something around every corner and it was a little tough to keep it all straight. This one would be perfect to throw in your beach bag though, especially if you’re craving a drama!

There were a few themes & tropes that aren’t my fav so heed the trigger warnings below.

Trigger warnings: death, death of a parent, infidelity, unplanned pregnancy, drug addiction, overdose, house fire

Kristy Woodson Harvey is one of my favorite “beach reads” authors but she is so much more than that. As someone who went to summer camp every summer growing up, I felt a lot of nostalgia in this book. The summer of Songbirds is about summer camp friends, who grow up and have sister like bonds, and they do each other’s hard things. When secrets start to pop up an old relationships, fizzle, we go along with the girls as they navigate how to work through all their issues and get back to the heart of summer camp. I really love how the author was able to tell such a beautiful story, and make us be able to relate to these characters. As always, can’t wait for her next one! Thank you Netgalley for my digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

#TheSummerofSongbirds is not only one of my top books of 2023, but one of my favorite books ever. #KWH has a true gift of making you fall in love with her characters and their story. I read this in one sitting. Not only did I become attached to the characters, especially the main 4 women (& Paula!), but Daphne is one of my favorite characters in any book. I’m so grateful for the early opportunity to read this beautiful story that brought back memories from my younger days.

#FWAFS!

Thank you, Kristy Woodson Harvey, Gallery Books, Uplitreads & netgalley for for my copy! All opinions are my own.

Kristy Woodson Harvey is my all-time favorite author! I LOVED The Summer of Songbirds! I felt like I was enjoying the camp experiences personally and was best friends with the characters. I highly recommend this book! I am looking forward to KWH’s next novel immensely!!!

The perfect summer read to add to your beach bag! A book about best friends, summer camp, lake setting, real life situations, sisterhood, summertime and friendship. KWH's books are a breath of fresh air and I love reading her books in the summer.

I love Kristy Woodson Harvey books and this was no exception! I loved the throwback to summer camp and the friendships. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys books about sisterhood and secrets!!

Very interesting read! The book pulled me in from the start and I wanted to see how it ended. Try it and see if this book is for you!

Summer camp nostalgia, anyone? The Summer of Songbirds tells the story of three friends who met at camp as children and who, as adults, now take on the task of saving it. The pandemic wrecked the camp's finances and it was bound to close unless a massive amount of money was raised - quickly. It was fun to root for the women as they tackle the drama in their own lives and at camp.

"Four women come together to save the summer camp that changed their lives and rediscover themselves in the process in this moving new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Veil and the Peachtree Bluff series. Nearly thirty years ago, in the wake of a personal tragedy, June Moore bought Camp Holly Springs and turned it into a thriving summer haven for girls. But now, June is in danger of losing the place she has sacrificed everything for, and begins to realize how much she has used the camp to avoid facing difficulties in her life. June’s niece, Daphne, met her two best friends, Lanier and Mary Stuart, during a fateful summer at camp. They’ve all helped each other through hard things, from heartbreak and loss to substance abuse and unplanned pregnancy, and the three are inseparable even in their thirties. But when attorney Daphne is confronted with a relationship from her past—and a confidential issue at work becomes personal—she is faced with an impossible choice."

This wonderful, reflective summer read brings back all the memories of teenage angst, enduring friendships, mosquito bites and campfire songs!

Daphne, Lanier and Mary met at summer camp as 6 year olds and have been best friends ever since. Now as adults they return for one last trip to Camp Holly Springs to try and help Daphne’s Aunt June save the camp.

This was the ultimate nostalgic summer read. Growing up in Scotland summer camp wasn’t a thing but if it had been you better believe I’d have been there, and this book made me wish so badly I had been.

I liked the characters of the girls but Aunt June was my favourite. The friendships and relationships with each other and with June were so special.

Such a feel good read and definitely one of my favourite books of summer this year.

I so desperately wish that I had been a summer camp kid. Books like this that are full of nostalgia only make it worse!! Anyone want to find an adult summer camp and just run away every summer?

I really enjoyed this book - it did take me a minute to keep the different women and how they related to each other straight. Even though the book is split in three ways, I felt like Daphne was solidly our main character. I was glad that instead of Mary Stuart’s POV (sorry girl) we got to hear from June. She brought a different perspective to the situation.

A solid summery read, I wish I had picked this up earlier in the year. It was comforting and wrapped up with a solid, satisfying ending that I definitely predicted but was still glad to see anyway.

Daphne, Lanier, and Mary Stuart have been best friends since they met at camp at the age of six, and Daphne’s aunt June has run the camp for decades. But the camp is in trouble, and the thought of losing the place that brought them together–the place that saved them–is unbearable. As they fight to keep it, they also have to face their pasts and determine how their sun-soaked summer memories fit into their present lives.

This is the PERFECT choice if you’re looking for a nostalgic summer read. As someone who met my own best friend decades ago at summer camp, I was all in on the camp nostalgia, lifelong friendships, and summer memories. My camps were quite different from this one, but this still transported me back to those unforgettable summers. I’m honestly not sure if this will resonate with readers who didn’t go to camp, but I highly recommend it for anyone who did, or who has a place with special summer memories.

It wasn't just a season; it was a feeling. Maybe when you finally find where you're meant to be, summer never ends.

Summer camp can bring many different emotions if you have ever experienced summer camp. Being independent, making friends, memories and maybe that crush. Daphne, met her two best friends, Lanier and Mary Stuart at the Holly Springs Camp that is currently run by her aunt June. Thirty years is a long time but the friendship that they have built is around their motto doing hard things together. Another words, one person's hard thing might be easier done by another. Mostly centered around Daphne and Lanier because their friendship became a little more intense with Daphne being pretty much adopted by Lanier's family. They are tight. Daphne was saved for better things. Things that her aunt could not save her from. Daphne now is a successful lawyer with a son and Lanier is engaged to one of Daphne's questionable clients. With all this going on, June after 30 years may lose the camp that brought the girls together.

With the purpose to save the camp, the girls again are faced with their past. Daphne with the love of her life (Lanier's brother) and Lanier with a love her own that she sacrificed for pride. June is also faced with the past of her dysfunctional past that includes her sister. The story is about redemption of family, friendship and love. It all comes thru when the reality of the many lives saved because of camp. How camp can be a refuge for young girls that are struggling. Disclaimer: Camps can also be something that is totally opposite so use at your own discretion. However, it is a feel good story about the long lasting friendship of these women. How at times they had to overcome their own pride for the greater YES.

A special thank you to Gallery Books and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

This was an easy summer read. There wasn’t a lot of depth to the storyline, but the lasting friendship of three adult women who met at summer camp as young girls was endearing. I did feel that a lot of things were tied up with a nice bow, but I guess it is to be expected with a light-hearted read.

This is a quintessential friend-based summer story, the story of three friends who met at summer camp when they were six years old and have maintained a friendship and support network into their adult years. When Camp Holly Springs is in financial trouble, the three women do everything they can to help June, the camp manager and aunt of one of the women, save the camp for June, and future campers. And, it turns out, for themselves.

These women are doing their best to persevere, overcome, and move forward with their friendship as the foundation, despite many misfortunes and struggles over the past 17 years, They all have their share of faults and fears. But their friendship is key. It's fascinating to watch their lives and firendship respond to whatever life throws at them. The conclusion will leave you smiling -- it's that good.

I just reviewed The Summer of Songbirds by Kristy Woodson Harvey. #NetGalley
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Camp Holly Springs brought Daphne, Lanier and Mary Stuart together over thirty years ago and they have been inseparable ever since. They have been with each other through love, divorce, family struggles and lots of “hard things.” When they learn that the camp is in danger of closing, they know they must act fast to try and save Holly Springs while dealing with each of their own struggles at the same time.

Kristy Woodson Harvey delivered a fantastic novel once again! This set of characters (and secondary characters) are so well-developed and thought out. I found their friendship to be so relatable - we all go through seasons of hard and having good friends who are there to support you is so important. Harvey’s writing is always so descriptive and really sets the scene for the books she writes and lends to a beautifully told story. I really enjoyed the alternating perspectives sprinkled with flashbacks to their younger days at camp - it was so easy to get swept up in the story and the nostalgia of summer camp and friendships. One of my favorite parts of the book were the “hard things” emails - that was truly such a fun element and something I want to implement with my friend group! This book was a beautiful testament to life, female friendship, and how we all can persevere through hard things. Absolutely loved and have recommended it often since finishing!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Galley books for my gifted copy.

I loved this one! I have a group of 3 other girls and we have been best friends since grade school, so while reading I kept picturing us in the story. This book is about 3 lifelong best friends that met at summer camp. They come together to help June, the owner, save the camp she has spent so much time on. This is about friendship and much more. We get a peek at each of their lives and everything they are going through. I highly recommend this book!

All the Stars in the world can go to this one.
I am a huge Fan of Kristy and they way she writes brings you to the place the story is taking place.
She is descriptive and you can just feel the love in her writing.
I loved the story of Camp and friendships and how important people are in your life.
I love the story of overcoming demons and proving to be the best you.
This all around was just beautiful and fun.

This was absolutely one of my favorite books of the summer. KWH writes friends and family so well, and I swear she just keeps getting better. There's nothing quite like a childhood friendship and The Summer of Songbirds will strike up some memories in anyone who reads it.

It's just the best when a book makes you think about those friends that have become like family. I sometimes take those easy relationships for granted and the reminder is welcoming and comforting.
This book showcases female relationships and friendships in a real and beautiful way. Their mutual connection and love for the summer camp that brought them together forges a mission to save it from dissolving.
I think Kristy's books are so easy to devour. The hope and relatability make her an author to pick up time and again.
Thank you to @uplitreads, @gallerybooks, and @kristywharvey for the #gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.