This is the kind of Women’s Fiction that hits all the right buttons for me. Another great story by MKA which takes place on a fictional island off the shores of Georgia. The Saint was an exquisite and exclusive resort where this story takes place over one summer. It has suspense, murder and mayhem, a little romance thrown in, and some good friendships. All the characters were well formed so that it was easy to make this a “movie in my mind”. I could see the events as they unfolded and I cheered on Traci and Whelan, Libby and Felipe, and hated on some of the other characters. All in all, a great read.

Growing up in a middle class section of Georgia, Traci Eddings family couldn’t afford to spend their summers at the Saint. The St. Cecelia – or the Saint as known by locals – was a luxury hotel that catered to a very wealthy clientele. If you weren’t part of this class, then you were known as an Ain’t. Traci Eddings was most definitely an Ain’t.

Twenty years passes in the blink of an eye, and Traci is currently running the Saint. After the death of her husband, Traci found herself running the luxury hotel but finds it harder to keep afloat than one could imagine. Determined to implement new ideas that would keep the Saint profitable for years to come, Traci finds more obstacles than she could imagine. With a murder on the grounds of the hotel, things became a lot more complicated at the Saint. Can Traci find a way to save the hotel that brought her husband into her life?

Summers at The Saint is a women’s fiction novel that muddles a little murder mystery with a little bit of romance. The novel is laid out in multiple points of view. The old resort feel of this book allows readers to gain perspective of the hotel through the eyes of the characters. I found the need to unravel the details of the occurrences at the hotel to be layered in complexity. I loved trying to figure out what was going to happen next. This is a wonderful summer read that fans of Mary Kay Andrews will not want to miss.

I was looking forward to reading this as I've enjoyed Mary Kay's previous books. Sadly, this was not as good. The setting was lovely - who wouldn't enjoy a beachside resort with all the trimmings? - but there was so much going on and far too many characters.

Mary Kay Andrews did it again! Summers at the Saint is my new favorite of hers and definitely in my top 10 reads of 2024! This book is the perfect beach read with multiple POVs, mystery, twists, romance, a quintessential beach resort setting, and family drama.

Traci Eddings and her best friend Shannon spent their teen years working at The Saint as lifeguards during the summer. The Saint is an exclusive hotel where only the wealthy stay. Traci and Shannon were definitely not in that class, but they were happy to work there.

While working one summer, Traci meets the boss’ son Hoke. They fall in love and marry. They were very happy until tragedy strikes. Traci is now a widow and owns the hotel. Not everyone is happy about this turn of events especially her brother-in-law, Ric. He is going to do everything he can to get rid of Traci. Meanwhile, The Saint has hit hard times and Traci vows to make it a success once again. She must overcome the obstacles that continually get in her way.

I’m a huge Mary Kay Andrews fan and this one did not disappoint. It might even be my favorite of her books. She brought me right into the story and I felt as if I was there. It’s the perfect book to kick off my beach-read season.

I loved Traci. I thought she was a strong character and never backed down from a challenge. The supporting cast is, also, strong. The bad guys are really bad, while the good guys touch all the emotions to bring this story to life.

This story touches all the emotions and deals with so many different topics such as betrayal, losing a spouse, rebuilding your life and old secrets that just won’t die. There's also an intriguing "whodunit" along with a dash of romance. All of this mixed together captivated me from page one until the very end.

I’m anxiously waiting for another book from this author. I may even go back and see if there are any on her backlist that I haven’t read. She’s a master storyteller and I’m already missing these characters. It earns a spot on my best of 2024 list.






FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to @stmartinspress @marykayandrews and @Netgalley for this e-arc. All thoughts are my own.


Traci was an outsider to “the Saint” because her family wasn’t rich enough or connected enough to vacation there. So she worked there. Eventually, she ended up marrying the bosses son. When he died, she became the owner of the hotel, and is determined to see it return to its glory days despite financial troubles and staff shortages.

With one summer season to turn it around, and new information about a drowning that happened long ago surfacing, can Traci pull the Saint up from the rubble?


This is the perfect beach read. It was like getting a warm hug, and exactly what I needed when I read it. Just a comforting read all around. This was my first book by this author, and it was a great introduction to her writing style. I really enjoyed how she drew me into the story, and kept me engaged throughout. The story was not only comforting, but also interwove elements of history, and mystery into the pages. I really enjoyed that I thought the story was going one direction, but then I ended up being pleasantly surprised! I absolutely fell in love with how the characters were written. The characters had a lot of depth and I felt really connected to the FMC. There was so much drama, and I was so invested in what was going on. I do think that this one was a little long but overall it did work out. I wish I was at the beach with my toes in the sand while I read it though! At least I had sunshine and warm weather when I read it.

Mary Kay Andrews writes the perfect summer beach reads and this one did not disappoint. This book has the perfect balance of romance and mystery. The scenery is 10/10. It is fast paced and it will keep you guessing until the end. Great read!

I read this one and listened to the audio for parts of it and the book had me captivated - Kathleen Mclnerney is a fabulous narrator for MKA's books but Mary Kay Andrews' writing also just flows from the page. In true MKA fashion there is mystery and romance in a beautiful setting - light and frothy, intriguing and captivating, excellent food and a beautiful resort !
If you're looking for the perfect beach or pool read, look no further! This book will have you hooked and you won't want to put it down!
This book was a little bit darker than other MKA books with a murder victim who actually has the reader rooting for her before her untimely demise - unusual for anything in the cozy mystery realm bit MKA manages to reset the tone quickly without everyone looking too shallow. MKA's interconnected characters and setting descriptions make you feel like you were there and you were a part of what was happening. This book told a beautiful story of female friendship, love, deceit, mystery, family, being rooted to a place and so much more. I highly recommend adding this book to your summer TBR- you won't be disappointed! This is the perfect beach or pool read - especially with an @oliveandjune Honest & True manicure Thanks to NetGalley andMacmillan audio and St.
Martin's Press for the opportunity to read an Advanced Readers/ Listeners Copy in exchange for my honest review

Mary Kay Andrews delivered once again with a story that was filled with strong women, a beautiful setting and treacherous characters. Lots to enjoy here - a great beach read.

If you know and love Mary Kay Andrews, then you're getting all your favorite things from her in SUMMERS AT THE SAINT – a strong, female MC, a page-turning mystery, a little romance, and a charming, southern setting. I really enjoyed spending time at The Saint! But ooh, those 20-somethings stressed me out. 😂

St. Cecelia, aka the Saint, has been a premiere vacation spot for years. Those who were privileged enough to stay at the grand hotel were known as “saints”, while locals who worked or watched the drama from afar were referred to as “aints”.

Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule. In present day, Traci Eddings is in charge of the now ailing hotel, but that wasn’t always the case. Once an “ain’t”, Traci used to work summers at the Saint alongside her now estranged best friend, Shannon, until tragedy struck. Traci then married the boss’s son, while her best friend mysteriously cut her off completely.

Now widowed, Traci is in charge of reviving the hotel despite staff shortages and financial woes. Included in the newly hired is her niece Parrish, Shannon’s daughter, Livvy, and Felice, a talented chef in need of a break. Yet another thorn in her side is her brother in law, Ric, a man dead set on cutting her out.

In the beginning of this book I wrongfully assumed it was going to be a light beach read. But after the plethora of characters are introduced, another tragedy strikes, changing the course of the story. Admittedly I struggled with this change, and keeping up with how all the characters connected to one another. With former friendships, family drama, second chance love, murder and then-some all explored in this book, it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed. It did come together in the end, but with the adage less being more in mind, this is one hotel with more amenities than anticipated.

Summers at the Saint is a mystery-with-a-touch-of romance that will make for a good summer/beach read. The story focuses on the St. Cecelia resort (The Saint), a ritzy resort owned by the Eddings family and populated by folks nicknamed the “saints” — as opposed to townsfolk and those who cannot begin to afford it nicknamed the “ain’ts.” Tracie Eddings, once an “ain’t,” wound up marrying Hoke Eddings and then taking over the management of The Saint after Hoke was killed in an accident. After the Covid pandemic hurt the bottom line of The Saint tremendously, Tracie tries to turn everything around and to keep control of The Saint away from some of the more devious members of Hoke’s relatives. A murder on the property and the investigation into how and why this occurred is the focal point of the plot. Although this is a fairy lengthy novel (and it seemed to bog down a bit in parts), it was a light and a relatively quick read that kept me turning pages to find out what actually was going on at the Saint. And, even though if was a bit too “fluffy” for me in parts, I did enjoy it.

The setting of this book is perfection. Mary Kay Andrews always knows how to write the best summer settings that you wish you could transport yourself to while reading. This book gave me Hotel Nantucket vibes….Summer setting, mystery, lots of characters. The characters were a lot to keep up with in the beginning but as the story unfolds, you start to keep them straight. This book did feel a bit long and I had to push myself a bit through the beginning but overall I enjoyed it. Mary Kay Andrews books will always be a summer staple for me.

What a wonderful book to read this summer! It was a perfect story of coming of age, romance, and mystery. You have the saints and the ain’ts with a few mysteries along the way. You will be immersed in the fun of summer at a private hotel/club, with old money owners and the working class who makes it all happen. The writing was beautiful and pulled you in right away. Each character had so much depth. You’ll fall in love with a different character every chapter! Thanks for the advanced copy. I absolutely loved it!

If you have read and liked the romanic comedy of Mary Kay Andrews you will want to read this one also. If you haven't read anything by this author, you should probably start. Easy, enjoyable, light reading. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital arc.

This was a nice surprise with a hint of mystery and well-rounded characters. Although I have read every Mary Kay Andrews book, this did not give the same vibe as her typical read. A bit of mystery and a love story combined with a murder made it an interesting read!

5 stars. I absolutely loved this book. Although I have begun to love MaryKay Andrews after starting to read her a few years ago, I hadn't expected to love this book, but I feel like I've raved to some in-life friends and if you enjoy Mary Kay Andrews, don't miss this one and if you've never read her, this is a great place to start. I've missed 1 or 2 of her recent books and I need to remedy that this summer!

Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews is a great combination of a romantic beach read and a thrilling mystery. This book captures the essence of a "best book".

As I was listening to this I couldn’t believe I had not read anything by this author I know shocking I’m not sure why she’s a great author I glad I finally found her.
Summer at the saints is a mystery romance & a perfect book or in my case audio to bring to the beach.
I will say there’s a lot going on in this book and it does have a few Characters but they are all easy to follow.
The plot has family drama, lots of secrets, mystery, romance and a whodunnit it and the rich and the not rich and the roles each plays at the Saint it’s an interesting dynamic. The whodunnit will have you reading until you finally find out.
I recommend listening or reading this book.

Somehow this was my first Mary Kay Andrew’s book and I enjoyed it! I was not prepared for the mix of genres—Summers at the Saint is a mystery at its core, but it also has family drama, romance, self-discovery and growth, small town history, and friendship. Well-written characters and a plot that kept my attention and I wanted to know what happened.