I was pleasantly surprised by this book, as I haven't really enjoyed MKA's previous books. But, this one is her best that I read.
Traci Eddings is head of the resort The Saint, managing it after her beloved husband, Hoke, died in a plane crash. Traci had been a townie, or an "Ain't", and Hoke was heir to the fortune of the Saint. Traci met him while she was working at the resort. One summer years earlier, she and her best friend, Shannon, were lifeguards when a child drowned in the pool. Shannon was fired, and hasn't spoken to Traci since.
Now Traci is trying to keep the resort afloat, while money is hemorrhaging. She begs her niece, Parrish, to help out. Her BIL Ric is not happy, and is conspiring to cheat Traci out of any inheritance when his father dies. Traci also hires Olivia, Shannon's daughter, to help at The Saint.
When a tragedy occurs, Traci tries to solve the crime. She uncovers some sinister activity. The staff gardener helps her.
All in all, a satisfying novel.

Entertaining setting and well-drawn characters. Some expected "twists" and also some very coincidental, simplistic events. It's fantasy modern fiction for those who like a light read with a bit of romance.

Liked:
*Great Storytelling
*Great characters- Tracie was my favorite character
*Little murder mystery
*Twisted family drama to keep things interesting
*Happy Ending

Didn’t care for:
*Too much swearing
*Focus on social issues today- bit preachy at times

MKA never disappoints. I love this beach read on a resort setting with a whole cast of characters and a satisfying murder mystery. What’s not to love?! Perfect for this time of year. Highly recommend.

This was part mystery and part beachy romance read - the last half of the book had me flying through it, but the beginning felt a little bit drawn out. I would categorize this as a mystery first, and romance second. The cover alludes to a carefree beachy read, but this was definitely a mystery with some darker topics.

Classic MKA. A little romance, a little murder, and a touch of southern hospitality. This is a perfect summer read that will keep you interested until the end. There are a lot of characters so it takes a few chapters to figure out who everyone is but it’s worth the effort. I wish the Saint was real (without the murders!) I would go this summer.

A great summer read, the perfect page turner with many unexpected turns during one summer at the famed Saint Celia Resort in Georgia. A murder at the famed resort for the area's monied crowd turn many lives upside down as the summer season kicks off. A twisty read that will keep readers guessing who the real culprits are till the very last page. Highly recommend.

This book has everything you could want in a great read! In the newest from the Queen of the Beach reads you will find family drama, romance, intrigue, an old mystery, and of course a body! With a well-rounded cast of characters, MKA brings you a beach mystery from a beautiful setting, the St. Cecilia "the Saint" a beautiful but older hotel on the Georgia coast. Traci, the widow of one of the sons of the family that has owned the Saint for generations, used to be an 'Ain't' someone who couldn't afford to belong to such an exclusive group of people. Now she runs the Saint and is trying to bring it back to it's former glory as it struggles after the Covid years and against newer. splashier hotels. Unfortunately, not everyone in the family is happy with her choices and after a death on the property things get even worse. Traci, along with some other players from the past, fights to keep the Saint alive while trying to find an old and new killer.
An unputdownable read and one you won't want to miss!

Traci Eddings used to be an outsider, before she married her now deceased husband and became a partial owner of the lavish hotel property "The Saint." Traci is having a hard time recruiting new employees and is working to increase the profit margin of the hotel, so she uses some innovative ideas to get new employees hired - including her niece and former best friends daughter. Information about shady happenings at the hotel begin to come to light - as well as information about a drowning from 20 years previous - when things start to happen at The Saint. Traci, and a few dedicated employees, have a limited amount of time to solve the mysteries surrounding The Saint, before more tragedy strikes the hotel.

As with most MKA novels, The Saint has a perfect amount of mystery and romance, albeit a little more mystery than romance. This was a quick and enjoyable read. There were a lot of characters, but MKA did a great job with building her characters, so they were easy enough to keep up with. I highly recommend!

Such a fun read.

MKA described The Saint so vividly, I felt like I had been there before and was picturing it. Tricia is such a great FMC. This book gives you everything. Murder, secrets, friendships, dysfunctional families, disloyalty, and of course.. romance. The pacing of the book was easy to keep up with but I think it could've have been a little shorter. 400 pages was a lot and I do think that dragged out the ending, making it not as enjoyable.

Still a very great book and I would recommend it as a great beach read.

4.5 stars rounded down.

This was such a fun summertime read! I love Mary Kay Andrews, her books always make me smile and this one did not let me down! I loved the mystery and romance combo!! Solid 4 stars for me!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Mary Kay Andrews for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Mary Kay Andrews is always a great way to kick off my summer reading. This was such a fun and fast read and it didn’t take me long to quickly finish it. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for the advanced digital copy.

"Book your summer escape with a "mesmerizing mix of mystery and romance" (Publishers Weekly, starred) from the New York Times bestselling author of The Homewreckers and The Newcomer."

A perfect read to lie in the sunshine this summer and enjoy! Fast paced and in a great setting, this book swept me up and I couldn't stop thinking about it until long past the final page.

Rating 4.8

I absolutely love Mary Kay Andrews. She is my absolute favorite author and when I saw her newest book on the "Read Now" shelf on NetGalley, I had to scoop it up. She never disappoints and has a way to had a little mystery to a lovely southern story filled with great characters. They are always quick reads and I almost never know what to expect except - Love it! This was one of my absolute favorites and was ideal Southern Charm!

Traci Eddings' life was flipped upside-down when her husband passed away unexpectantly and she is thrown into fully managing the family's wonderful oasis hotel / complex / resort / island / institution, St. Cecelia ("The Saint"). Throughout the story, she is focused on navigating the waters of her in-laws, their family business practices and other local resorts that can afford to steal away all of her talent all while dealing with the past from when she use to work their too. In an attempt to get the help she needs, she recruits her niece, Parrish, a new Chef, her former best friends daughter, and a few other kids, to live in a newly formed dorm on the property.

But everything is not what it seems when it comes to The Saint, the kids, the company, and the family. When a mysterious guest shows up asking questions about the past and a previous drowning, old emotions come to the surface for Traci. On top of that, her Brother-in-law is scheming and her niece is murdered on the property during a moment of celebration. Life doesn't move slow out at The Saint and there is so much happening.

There is so much more happening in this story and I feel like if I tried to summarize it you'd be lost and confused but I swear Andrews has a way to draw me in and make me feel like I connect with her characters and her story. I love that there's always something going on. With lots of characters in the beginning, I could see how some would find this a little tricky but it smooths out and the characters become distinguishable as the story continues. While the Topics covered include some trigger warnings (drugs, SA, family issues, etc.), Andrews kept this PG-13 and you could easily recommend this to your Grandma!

Thanks to NetGalley and Mary Kay Andrews, in collaboration with St. Martin's Press, for providing me with a copy so that I could provide an honest review prior to the publish date (despite my inability to publish this review prior to release)!

I got this book without reading anything about it and let me tell you that was a great idea. I went in blind and loved every moment. It wasn’t what I expected from the start but kept me engaged and I enjoyed every bit of this. It’s contemporary, tourist season small town with all of the drama and tension you never thought would be under the surface.

I really enjoyed Summers at the Saint! It is the perfect book for a summer vacation read. Thanks for the opportunity to read it.

Summers at the Saint is full of drama, secrets, romance, and mystery. The book is filled with a big cast of characters and takes place on a beautiful resort in Georgia called "The Saint."

I'm not sure I would consider this a light summer beach read as it is a bit long and tends to drag on at times, but it does give off summer beach vibes. I do have to say that the cutesy and carefree summer beach cover does not go with the murder mystery that the book is all about. So, if you are looking for that summer romance, then this isn't the book for you. However, if you are looking for a dark and twisty summer beach read, then pick this book up and enjoy!

What an absolute delight! This is the iconic summer book read for me! It has a beach vibe, classic summertime charm, a love story or two, along with a bit of a mystery and scandal vibe. MKA has outdone herself with this one and I increasingly love her writing the more I read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this fun read!

I like the book I like all of Andrews books but it was darker and heavier than I've come to expect from her. I also wish Parrish didn't die I think that's what made it too heavy like she could have been in a coma for a bit or something and there still would have been a crime and a mystery to solve. Then she could have woken up and had a new family relationship with Olivia. But that's not how it went and it was still good the way it did go. I just expected more levity. Especially considering the cover design.

An interesting southern summer romance/mystery. However I was really put off by the plotting storyline of the in-the-closet rich kid and was frustrated with the author's choice of dialogue. It felt extremely outdated, offensive, and unnecessary in a way that simply did not move the plot forward.