⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

• beach murder mystery
• big cast of characters
• great setting

This book took me WAY too long to read for some reason. On audio, it's about 14 and a half hours. So, in saying that, it kind of dragged for me. The narration was great and very engaging. The story isn't an easy-breezy summer read - there is some heaviness to it.

🗣 Thank you to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read and review this book via both gifted eARC and audiobook! All opinions are honest and my own.

Something is going wrong at The Saint resort; Traci Eddings has been tirelessly running the resort that she inherited after her husband passed away but she seems to just be barely making it. This summer she is doing everything she can to make things work; she has brought in help and offered new incentives like an employee dorm so the employees can live on the property. But things begin to get even worse when her niece is murdered on the property; not only is Traci Determined to find out what happened but two of her new employees, Livy and Felice who lived in the dorm with her, begin to look into things as well. To top things off an investigator is snooping around trying to figure out what happened 20 years ago to his little brother who drowned at the pool while staying at The Saint.

This was a good read; it started off slow but I enjoyed it. Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and author for my ARC !

She’s back! After missing a Summer without MKA, we are back. This was just what I expected (and wanted from her). The mystery, light romance and lovely setting. Her books are ones I look forward to every year and this is not a disappointment.

If you need a beach read to kick off summer 2024, look no further! Summers at the Saint was so much fun and everything I look for in a captivating beach read!

I’m not new to MKA but haven’t read her books in a while and this was such a great reminder as to why I need to. I loved how she combined mystery, family dynamics and drama, and even romance into this seasonal contemporary fiction. Her writing transports you right to the setting. I felt as if I were right there alongside these characters as we learned about their roles at the iconic Saint Hotel. The behind the scenes aspect of running a hotel, while learning about the people who work there made for a fun element. If you enjoyed The Hotel Nantucket, by Elin Hilderbrand, then I think you’ll enjoy this as well.

I was completely invested in these characters. While I did feel that the book was slightly too long, I did appreciate the descriptive writing, character arcs, and how everything tied together by the end. So many juicy secrets were revealed. I will definitely be recommending this as a must read perfect for a summer escape!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and St Martins Press for my #gifted ARC!
4.5 stars rounded up on Goodreads

Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews has me ready for summer. I felt like I was on the coast while reading this book and will definitely be reading it again this summer under an umbrella.

Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Mary Kay Andrew’s is a summer romance queen. She cannot write a bad book! I absolutely adored everything about this book!

Summer begins when the new Mary Kay Andrews book come out! Summers at the Saint is filled with family dysfunction, mystery and just a little romance. Following the Eddings family and their ownership of the St. Cecelia, a 5 star hotel that defines the "saints" from the "ain'ts" in a coastal town with a long history of intriguing heirs and townies. I miss the humor that some of her books contains but it didn't disappoint and I'm anticipating the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced reader copy of Summer’s at the Saint!
Mary Kay Andrews does it again with a summery mystery read! Traci Eddings has gone from an ‘ain’t’ to a ‘saint’ when it comes to the St. Cecelia hotel. She started working there as a teen and quickly fell in love and married the owners son… now after his tragic death, she is trying to save the iconic hotel. We get to follow a cast of vibrant, vastly different characters as they band together (or so we think) to save the hotel everyone loves while trying to solve a few mysteries.

This book is perfect for anyone wanting to read a mystery with several twists and lots of drama!

As soon as I saw it was by Mary Kay Andrews I had to grab this book. I have found she will always provide a good story. Of course I was not disappointed.

Description:
Welcome to the St. Cecelia, a landmark hotel on the coast of Georgia, where traditions run deep and scandals run even deeper. . . .

Everyone refers to the St. Cecelia as “the Saint.” If you grew up coming here, you were “a Saint.” If you came from the wrong side of the river, you were “an Ain’t.” Traci Eddings was one of those outsiders whose family wasn’t rich enough or connected enough to vacation here. But she could work here. One fateful summer she did, and married the boss’s son. Now, she’s the widowed owner of the hotel, determined to see it return to its glory days, even as staff shortages and financial troubles threaten to ruin it. Plus, her greedy and unscrupulous brother-in-law wants to make sure she fails. Enlisting a motley crew of recently hired summer help—including the daughter of her estranged best friend—Traci has one summer season to turn it around. But new information about a long-ago drowning at the hotel threatens to come to light, and the tragic death of one of their own brings Traci to the brink of despair.

Traci Eddings has her back against the pink-painted wall of this beloved institution. And it will take all the wits and guts she has to see wrongs put to right, to see guilty parties put in their place, and maybe even to find a new romance along the way. Told with Mary Kay Andrew’s warmth, humor, knack for twists, and eye for delicious detail about human nature, Summers at the Saint is a beach read with depth and heart.

My Thoughts:
Traci Eddings is one strong woman. Faced with huge burdens after her husband died she shouldered it all. Hidden agendas were at work though, and she had no idea. She's an admirable character with a strong work ethic and sense of responsibility to do the right thing no matter what the situation. Traci's niece, Parrish was a good character too. This is a murder mystery with a few good twists. It kept me guessing. Whelan was a treat as a second-chance love interest as well as a great investigator and protector.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy.

I absolutely love it when a book takes unexpected twists and turns, leaving me pleasantly surprised with its storyline. One such book for me is "Summers at The Saint." In this novel, Widow Traci Eddings manages the luxurious hotel, The St. Cecelia, affectionately called "The Saint." Guests who can afford to stay there are considered Saints by the locals, while the rest are humorously labeled as Ain'ts. Traci herself understands the feeling of being an Ain't all too well. However, one summer brings forth fateful events that alter her life's course completely. The author, Mary Kay Andrews, masterfully weaves a tale filled with intricate surprises and secrets, keeping readers hooked until the very end. The story combines long-held mysteries with current dilemmas, creating a compelling narrative. The diverse characters with their unique motivations and alliances add another layer of depth to the narrative, ensuring a captivating read. If you're seeking a novel with stunning settings, well-developed characters, a gripping plot, and a fresh twist on the classic whodunit, "Summers at The Saint" is a must-read.

A big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advance copy of this engaging book.

This might be my favorite by Andrews - I’m still letting it all settle… This book was really way more than I bargained for. I thought we were going to get mostly interactions between the “Saints” (St Cecelia guests) and the “Ain’t” (staff or those not wealthy enough to vacation there). This was really more of a backstage story - mostly focused on the staff and management of the hotel. I wasn’t expecting quite so much of the drama we got, but it certainly moved the story forward. The characters were interesting, although I wished for a bit more development and back story from some, especially the eventual “bad guys”. I think this was a book that was good in its own right - I just felt like I would have done the story differently. It would make a great beach or poolside read this summer. 3.5 stars.

Review will be posted on 5/23/24

Traci has inherited the St. Cecilia Resort from her late husband and she hopes to pull it out of bankruptcy. As a child, she has always looked at this resort from afar and dreamed of all the luxury. Now she is in charge, but things aren't easy. Her late husband's family is fighting for control of the hotel, not to mention there's a new resort in town is giving the Saint some competition. Then things go from worse to even worse when there is a murder that occurs at the hotel. Traci desperately tries to do damage control along with all the other workers at the Saint, including the landscaper, who is a former private investigator. This occurrence sheds light on another terrible event that happened at the Saint years before involving a drowning. If you enjoy your beach reads with a side of mystery and murder, Mary Kay Andrews has got you covered with Summers at the Saint.

Poor Traci has a lot going on in Summers at the Saint. Running a luxurious hotel isn't easy and add in new workers, her late husband's family breathing down her neck, bankruptcy and now a murder.... a disaster, really. But things aren't all doom and gloom at the Saint. The beautiful setting of coastal Georgia was done well as well as all the details of a glamorous resort. It reminded me of Hilderbrand's The Hotel Nantucket in that it takes you behind the scenes of a summer resort, but to be honest, it didn't hit the spot like that novel.

I thought Summers at the Saint was just ok as far as beach reads go and not my favorite from Andrews. It was quite long as far as beach reads go and I thought the dialogue was a bit too hokey for me. Additionally, the murder and its aftermath were taken too lightly. The romance was barely present and instead, the mystery took center stage. On the other hand, Andrews did a good job really examining how a small beach town's townies interact with the visitors who come for the summer, and how the politics of all that plays out, especially at a five-star resort. So, if you like your beach reads with a strong mystery, but one that won't keep you up at night, Summers at the Saint is a good fit. But, if you are like me and want a little more depth and quite honestly are getting tired of Andrews's formulaic mystery beach reads with cringy dialogue, you might want to pick up another novel instead.

So, are you a fan of Mary Kay Andrews? Is Summers at the Saint on your summer TBR list? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Mary Kay Andrews is one of my auto-buy authors because I know I can always count on her to deliver one heck of a story and she does exactly that with her latest, Summers at the Saint!

I love a good underdog story so I was immediately engrossed in this story as soon as I met the main character Traci Eddings. Traci is a widow who inherited the St. Cecilia Resort when her husband passed away. Faced with numerous obstacles, including another resort stealing away her most experienced employees, and a despicable brother-in-law who would love nothing more than to see the resort go under, Traci is determined to return the Saint to its glory days and honor her late husband’s memory.

Traci is such a fantastic character and in many ways, this story is about her personal journey as she is finding her path forward after the loss of her husband. She’s smart, brave, and tough, and I admired her resilience in the face of mounting obstacles, including a mysterious death and the emergence of some long-buried secrets about a tragic drowning from years ago. I also loved the summer crew she hires to replace those who left her. They may not be the most experienced resort workers out there, but a few loyal diamonds in the rough emerge and they pull together as a team and make things happen.

Mary Kay Andrews is a gifted storyteller and Summers at the Saint is one of those wonderful books that has a little something for everyone. There’s drama, mystery, suspense, a compelling personal journey, and even a hint of romance. I devoured the book in a couple of sittings and was just thoroughly entertained every step of the way.

Summers at the Saint is out now so be sure to pick up a copy. You won’t regret it!

Love, love, love! Mary Kay Andrews kills it with Summers at the Saint. The summer read to beat the heat. A fantastic plot with a struggling coastal hotel, an interesting cast of characters, and a murder to solve. The perfect elixir to entertain poolside.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance copy.

Summers at the Saint was a great book. It has a murder mystery, old family secrets and how one women tries to find the answers after she has been left in charge after her husbands death.

Mary Kay Andrews transports readers to the Saint Cecelia, where she's working to continue her husband's legacy, save the resort and solve a mystery at the same time. I loved that this book brought all the feels to me as I read. I was brainstorming along the characters as they worked to solve the resorts secrets, loving the friendships that were formed and rooting for the resort to be saved

The summer must read! I always look forward to her summer releases and this one didn’t disappoint. Grad your beach towel, bag and book and hit the beach!

I think this is my fourth book by Mary Kay Andrews. Summers at the Saint is a book I won’t forget. All sorts of characters either work at the hotel, reside for the summer in this Georgia coast hotel, own the hotel, or are guests. Love the relationships between the characters. There is even a murder mystery! My favorite plot lines involve Traci Eddings who as a teen worked at the hotel as a lifeguard. A young boy drowned in the pool when she and her now estranged friend Shannon worked together . Present day, she is in charge of the hotel because her husband, Hoke, died in a plane crash a few years ago. She does not get along with Hoke’s brother or her close-to-death father-in-law. There are lots of characters with their own stories. Everything comes together that summer at the Saint including a murder to solve. It would be fun to return to the Saint to check in on the characters in the future. my thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

Summers at the Saint is such a fun, satisfying read! It has a little bit of mystery, romance and suspense. The characters in this book are interesting and well developed. You couldn't help but root for Tracy as she tries to keep her husband's dreams alive running a resort in difficult economic times while also battling others who are at cross purposes. While a great summer reader, this story also has substance. At its core is the desire of wanting to belong and the struggle between the Saints and the Aints. Truly an enjoyable read!

Set during summer in the present on the island of Saint Cecilia in Georgia, Summers at the Saint is a great beach read. We have the younger crowd working at the Saint - some Saints (the rich) and some Aint’s (the locals) along with several characters in their 30’s. I love reading books set at hotels. Makes me wonder what’s happening behind the scenes at hotels when I travel! I didn’t realize this book is a murder mystery and really loved the plot. It’s intriguing and the family/friend drama adds some side storylines along with a sprinkling of romance. It’s fairly fast paced and when I thought I knew what happened, no I did not! Everything was woven together in a satisfying ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the Advanced Reader Copy. All opinions are my own.