This, my first Mary Kay Andrews book, and I can see why she has a following. This is a good summer book with a resort setting, a murder mystery, family drama, and a bit of romance. The setting was great and perfect for a vacation read. The murder mystery was pretty good, and had some layers. The family drama was ever present and added to the pressures for the protagonist. The romantic interest was a bit odd all the way around. The guy himself was an odd choice for a love interest.
The problems I had with the book was that I neither really liked nor disliked the main characters. There were many different genres here, and that can be a good thing sometimes, but overall, I couldn't get totally invested in any of them, (except *maybe* the mystery, but I'm a mystery fan). The book was not a page turner for me, and it took me forever to read it.
In summary, if you are a Mary Kay Andrews fan, go for it. I liked it, but wasn't blown away.

~Thank for to NetGalley and Publisher

Really enjoyed this book. Perfect summer reading! Set at a resort full of mystery and friendship. It was great on audio.

The cover is a bit misleading: I thought this would be a cute, summery, romancey, cozy mystery. It was a fair bit more substantial and darker than that, though. I enjoyed the setting and the characters and the mystery kept me guessing.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

I didn’t love this one. There were more POVs than necessary, the dialogue was very odd and unnatural at times (this is a complaint I’ve made previously of Andrews’ writing), the love interest was boring, and overall it was just lacking intrigue.

The leap from skimming money (even if it’s lots of money) from the hotel to cold-blooded murder is gigantic, and it just made no sense to me that the culprit(s) would make such a jump.

Overall, it was fine. I’m sure there are plenty of people who will enjoy it, I just wasn’t particularly one of them.

Spoiler below:






What happened to KJ’s drug problem??? All of a sudden his secret was being gay, not being a drug addict? Huh?? Did she forget halfway through that she had given him a drug problem he was covering up?

If you're looking for a light summer read, that's exactly what this is. This is my first Mary Kay Andrews book and I enjoyed her writing. "Those rich kids they're Saints. Y'all are just Aint's." Traci was an "Ain't" working as a lifeguard at the posh St. Cecilia resort on the Georgia coast when she met and married Hoke Eddings, the son of the owner of the resort. When Hoke is killed in a plane crash, Traci becomes the widowed owner of the hotel. She's doing her best to deal with the resort's financial issues, staff shortages, and her evil brother-in-law Ric constantly trying to sabotage her. If that isn't enough, the tragic drowning of a child back when Traci was a lifeguard resurfaces when someone starts investigating if it wasn't really an accident. There are a lot of shady characters working at The Saint and Traci needs to figure out who they are and what they're doing to exacerbate the resort's financial issues. The characters are compelling and well-written and the story, though somewhat predictable, will keep you turning the pages. Thanks to #netgalley #stmartinspress for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this via Netgalley!

2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

Mary Kay Andrews sure knows how to weave together a layered story! This did not at all go in the direction that I expected, but I was along for the ride. Here are 3 things I enjoyed about this story:

1) While this story started out with what felt like 100 characters, they all ended up being pretty darn important. Each played a key role in the book, and it was fun to get to know them.
2) The resort setting is one that I don't think I've read before, and that was just a heckuva good time.
3) I appreciated the age span of the characters in this story - they weren't all teens/early 20's, and they weren't all middle aged. It was nice to have some differing perspectives, backgrounds, and life stages among the crew!

3 things I didn't like about this book:
1) It was about 75 pages too long - it drug way too much in the middle for me. I almost didn't finish it.
2) Some of the language/slang in this book was cringey for me to read. I wanted to die when a middle aged woman used the term "hot guy" for a middle aged man..or when another said, "A younger man? Me likey!" I had secondhand embarrassment.
3) The bulk of the action happened in the last 20% of the story, and while I wish I could say it were worth it, I really just wanted the book to be over most of the time that I was reading it.

Overall, I didn't hate or love it. It was just fine to me. Hopefully her next (probably Christmas) book is better for me!

This is the second book I have read by Mary Kay Andrews and OMG i just love her writing. She kept me entertained through this whole book. I was so excited when I saw May Kay Andrews had a new book. I'm the person that decides to read a book by its cover. So when I saw the cover and the author I knew it was going to be good. What I didn't know was what this book was about. Why read a synopsis when you know it's going to be good?! Well I got a surprise with this one. I thought it was going to be a cute summer story. NOPE!!!This was a mystery thriller story. I had the BEST time reading this book. I didn't want to stop. There was a few twist I did see coming and knew who it was but didn't know how she was going to execute it. This book has some romance in it. The characters were really well written. I absolutely loved the main character Tracy. I would still say this would be a good beach read! I can't recommend this book enough. Please grab a coffee or drink of choice and ENJOY this book!!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

I absolutely loved this book!! I couldn’t put it down.
I just loved all the characters. I highly recommend this book.

Reading a Mary Kay Andrews book is like reconnecting with old friends, even when the characters are ones you’ve never met.

Summers at the Saint was the perfect way to kick off my summer reading. Traci is the quintessential MKA heroine, the setting is perfectly beach, and there’s just enough dark and twisty to keep a reader guessing. There’s some sad elements here too, which I didn’t see coming.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Elements for a great summer novel? A lush, oceanfront setting, glamorous characters with secrets, romance, mystery and great storytelling. Summers at the Saint has them all The pink wedding cake architecture of the St Cecilia Resort, The Saint, sits on its own island off the coast of Georgia. It is the resort of choice for southern families who treasure fine food, golf, a beautiful sunset and activities for their children. But the Saint isn’t immune to tragedy. First the son of a guest drowns, leaving one of the local lifeguards, one of the “Ain’t’s” fired. A dozen years later, death visits the glamorous hotel again.
The Saint, though, is a family business, and the interaction between the jealous family members creates complications for them all. Figuring out who is responsible for the murder, and the survival of The Saint makes this page turning the perfect summer read. Bravo Mary Kay Andrews!
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the review copy. Summers at the Saint was released on May 7, 2024.

I loved Summers at the Saint. I thought the characters were really good. I thought I had solved the mystery but it was way more elaborate than I suspected. I kind of wish Ric had more of a consequence. The one question I was left with was why did Ric give Hudson peanuts. I know Ric was having an affair with Hudson's mom. I know they said that the peanut allergy was not diagnosed. I think the story could have been slightly better if it was discovered that Ric knowingly gave Hudson the peanuts so he could have his mom to himself. Although it did sound like the whole situation aged him and he will likely drink himself to death soon. I was also a bit suspicious of Whelan. I felt Traci was a little to quick to trust him given everything that was happening. Definitely happy to hear they have a happy ending though. Great book. I haven't read any Mary Kay Andrews before and I will definitely look for other titles by her.

The perfect beach read! It has love and mystery and second chances. You’ll fall in love with Saint Cecilia, GA! Traci is a young (young to me) widower who runs the resort side of the business after her husband passes. She worked at the Saint when she was young and wants to give her employees that same experience. Even with all her good intentions, things just don’t go as planned. Past wrongs come to light, new betrayal starts and in the midst of the chaos, a new love blooms. This books has it all.

I loved Summers at the Saint, a twisty mystery with old friendships and new romances. I loved the characters, with Traci heading the roster as the director of The Saint and her friends and family. I could not put this book down, a great new summer read!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

Hi. Am so very Sorry that I wasn't able to give a review earlier. Had a tough surgery but doing better after 8 weeks of recuperating!

I have to start with the fact that I love Mary Kay Andrews work and beach resort hotel stories and the people that live there, specially the women. It’s a grear summer read. My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read and review this book!

Again, sorry for the delay!

Thank you to @NetGalley for the ARC. I can not believe I have never read a book by Mary Kay Andrews, but I will now. I enjoyed this book so much, there was twist and turns that I didn't see coming. The Saint Resort if it was real I would want to visit. All the characters were so well done, I could not put this book down. A must read for the summer.

Mary Kay Andrews writes THE summer books! It has every theme that I love - mystery, thriller and romance?! Sign me up. I really enjoyed the multiple POVs and that the book was easy to follow along with. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

I love starting summer break with a Mary Kay Andrews book! And Summers at the Saint was classic MKA- a little mystery, a little romance, and a lot of fun. This is the perfect beach or pool read!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this digital ARC.

Summers at the Saint is a fun to read combination of mystery, thriller, and romance. Set at a fancy seaside resort in Georgia, it's a typical combination of the haves and have nots existing, and how the crossovers work between the two. Traci grew up as a have not, worked as a lifeguard at the resort, and then married the son of the owner and became the director. She has to deal with lots of issues with the awful family and running the resort, which looks successful on the outside but is hiding lots of problems. The dynamics with the staff were the most interesting part.

I’m a sucker for a cozy mystery and I love it even more when romance is sprinkled in. I enjoyed all the different point of views and how they came together at the end. Her books are a bit longer than I care for.

✨ Publication date: May 7, 2024✨

Summers at the Saint is the most recent release from Mary K Andrew’s. I have read many of her previous books and enjoyed them but was pleasantly surprised at the slightly different tone of this one. This is my favourite from her so far!

Traci Eddings is the widow of one of the co-owners of The Saint. A prestigious summer club that caters to the rich. After Traci’s husband dies in a tragic plan accident she is left to keep The Saint not only in business but thriving.

Traci’s brother in law Ric has long resented Traci and his brother for marrying her. They are constantly at odds on how to manage The Saint. Traci’s beloved niece Parrish (Ric’s daughter) agrees to take on the guest relations job for the summer to help them out.

After another tragic death on The Saint’s property, Traci finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation that could involve some her employees. In addition to the police investigation, Traci is also trying to figure out why The Saint is seeming to always lose money even thought the hotel is sold out and their sales are up.

This book is an excellent mix of women’s fiction, mystery, drama and romance intertwined. It’s told in multiple POV and there is a lot going on but somehow the author manages to make it easy to follow along. This is a 4.5 rounded to 5 for me!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#NetGalley #marykandrews #summersatthesaint