I read a Christmas book by this author a few months ago and really enjoyed it so I decided to try out a warmer weather book by her. She does love her “holiday” settings. When I first picked up this book I assumed this book setting was in Europe, but sadly it wasn’t. It was a good book beachside resort, with a murder mystery vibe. The character development was very detailed and even not the main characters of the book had a lot going on. I enjoyed the ending It did wrap up nicely with a little twist.

I discovered Mary Kay Andrews' books within the last few years. Since then, I've enjoyed each one I've read. Summers at the Saint is no different. It's another fine example of how well she writes characters. They are well developed and animated. You feel as if you know them personally in some ways. In addition, the storyline itself was rich with activity. Not only was there family drama, there was a side story that you don't necessarily see coming. There are tears and smiles. It's a well rounded conglomeration of just about everything and it's all blended together so well that you aren't exactly sure what your favorite piece is.

Overall, I think the thing that I liked most about this book is the fact that you're left wanting everyone to be able to feel equal with everyone else. Also, you can't help but be impressed by the level of story development that is involved. I enjoyed it all.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I recommend the audio. The narration was spot on in my opinion and really fit the characters. 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the audiobook and ebook.

This book keeps you entertained. There are many characters and a fabulous setting at a 5 star resort.

There are a couple plots throughout the series which includes:
Shady business
Rich customers
Murder
Jaded family history
Found love after loss
Previous accident at the resort
Reconnection of best friends

The book follows a group who all work at the Saint Cecilia. The resort is hemorrhaging money but Traci is determined to keep the business afloat in memory of her late husband, regardless of what her brother in law tries.

Traci hires a group of twenty-somethings who end up living on site. Things start happening and someone ends up dead.

The group is all involved and are determined to get to the bottom of the tragedy.

The Saint is no stranger to tragedy, 20 years ago a little boy drown and someone from the boy's life enters to figure out what truly happened.

Overall, this was a great story with a lot going on. So it is hard for me to summarize without giving anything away.

If you like a murder mystery with shady, rich characters with a splash of romance this is for you!

Thank you Netgalley, publishers and author for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

I always love reading Mary Kay Andrew’s books, they’re so charming and have great plots.
Summers at the Saint is about Traci Eddings who spent her teen summers working at the towns posh resort with her best friend. Traci married one of the owner’s sons and was widowed, leaving her with ownership of the hotel business. The young widow struggles with the owner’s other son, Ric, trying to take over the business. Ric is jealous that his daughter is so close with Traci and has agreed to work at the Saint for the summer.
Once the season is in full swing is when intrigue and tragedy visits the island.
I love the way Mary Kay Andrews develops her characters, it makes me want to keep reading. This is a book I definitely recommend. Thanks to St Martins Press and NetGalley for this eARC to review.

I was unsure how to feel about this one at the very beginning. It's definitely a slow burn type of thriller, but once I got into the story I was HOOKED! The writing style is a bit different than I expected from Mary Kay Andrews' previous works, but her character development is unparalleled. Another win!

*Thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC!*

I have always seen Mary Kay Andrews books but had never read one. I think Summers at The Saint was an excellent first read by this author. I went into this book expecting a romance with a side of mystery. What I got was a mystery with more mysteries and a shocking twist, with a tiny bit of romance. I truly enjoyed this book. There were many characters introduced in the beginning and I was afraid I would not like it but the character development was perfect and it helped peel back the layers of the mystery and add to the story. The author did such a good job describing the setting and characters of the St. Cecilia. I could truly picture it and felt like I was a guest right along with everyone else. This may have been my first Mary Kay Andrews book but it certainly will not be my last. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the chance to read this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review

Something sinister is simmering at the Saint . . . and this summer, it’s going to explode!
Mary Kay Andrew’s has crafted a story of mayhem, mystery, and even murder—all tossed together with her trademark wit and grit, sunshine and sass, and plenty of twists and turns. I couldn’t put it down! A perfect book for beach season or any season at all!

*Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

So I will freely admit this one took a bit to win me over. Ive always been a huge Mary Kay Andrew’s fan but this one just felt different. A slow start but once I really got into the bones of this story I was hooked. The drama, betrayal, lies and of course romance all sucked me. A great story with characters that you will love and some that you will love to hate.

4.25 🌟

Such a fun summer read!

I'll be honest - I went into this book blind (I mean, its Mary Kay Andrews) and oh my gosh, it was kind of fun that I did! I obviously knew it was going to be about a country club but a murder on top of it?! So. Much. Fun. (... not that I think murder is fun). If you are looking for a different kind of beach read, pick this up!

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

This is a wonderful intriquing summer read that is the perfect beach read for the summer season. Our main character is a woman from the wrong side of the island who married a hotel owner. When he passed away she is determined to keep the hotel in business. She is met with distrust, obvious efforts to prevent her success and challenges she never imagined. Throughout her challenges she perserved. She is a likable character that is relatable to readers. The setting of a magnificent hotel is atmospheric and beautifully written as is the author's style. This book has intrique, mystery and a strong main charachter all readers can relate to. Well done to the author.

Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews is everything I love about a story and much more. The Saint (Saint Cecelia) is a family-owned and operated resort on an island off the coast of Georgia. Traci Eddings, who grew up a local (an 'ain't'), grew up and married Hoke Eddings, heir apparent. After he died in a tragic plane crash, it was up to Traci to take over running The Saint. With a post-covid economy, staffing requires thinking outside the box, and Traci is up to the challenge. But once the summer begins, missing inventory, a death, and other mysteries expose a long-running scheme.

Mary Kay Andrews never fails to deliver a story that keeps me on the edge of my seat. Summers at the Saint is a thrilling mystery that had me guessing until the end. While I did manage to piece together some of the puzzle, the suspense was in waiting for Traci to figure it out before it was too late. This plot thread was a chef's kiss of suspense that held me riveted.

The setting is glorious. The author's vivid descriptions of the beach, the resort, and the island's natural beauty made me feel like I was there. I quickly wondered if I could find a job at a beach resort. I wonder if they ever employ resort Counselors because I would be very interested in that job!

The characters are wonderfully developed, relatable, and thoroughly authentic. The messy family dynamics, such as the power struggles and hidden secrets, kept me entertained when the suspense calmed. For example, Traci's relationship with her in-laws becomes more complicated as the story unfolds. Sometimes, the story felt a bit like a reality show about people who work at a summer resort and the wealthy family who owns it, but then, as the characters grew, made themselves known, and had to confront a tragic loss, it became so much more and just grabbed my heart and broke it.

Summers at the Saint is the kind of summer read you hope to find but often don't - it's pure reading perfection!

When I selected this book, I thought I was getting a nice, fun, summer read. What I got was something very different. Mystery, suspense, backstabbing and a whole cast of characters that start out as strangers, but end up as a cohesive unit. Mary Kay Andrews continues to blur the lines between Romance, Cozy-Mystery and Chick-Lit. This book has all those elements, but to label it just one is a disservice to the author who has crafted a wonderful plot with interesting characters.

Since covid the hospitality industry has faced a challenge and a lot of hotels have struggled just to survive. With newer, flashier competition opening up just down the coast the St. Cecelia is a dinosaur struggling to survive in a modern world. Finding good employees is a constant problem and for Traci Eddings, owner of The Saint, that is so true especially heading into the summer high season. But not anyone can do the job required of a Saint employee. The highest standards must be upheld in the tradition of the 100-year-old hotel and the family that runs it.

This year Traci has an idea that has caused friction with her tradition bound family. In order to attract and keep quality employees, she is building an employee dorm. As the young widow of the owner, Traci has battled her depression and Hoke's family to uphold the traditions of The Saint and make it a profitable enterprise. Traci has felt deeply the chasm between the patrons of "the Saint" and the people who weren't, "an Ain't". As a former Ain't, Traci has had to battle for her position at the hotel and in the family against her father-in-law and her brother-in-law. But Traci is a survivor and is determined to make the Saint a success.

The employees living in the new dorm are a mixed bag. A waiter who has working at the Saint since he was old enough to; a new chef with wonderful ideas; the daughter of Traci's estranged friend; the son of a rich patron who needs to grow up; and her niece who has the hotel in her blood. Each has secrets and each has dreams. Throw into the mix the brother of a long-ago drowning victim who wants to know what exactly happened and the death of one of their own and you have a mystery that will draw them all together or tear them apart.

My thanks to the Publisher, and Author, for providing a complimentary digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.

Summer starts with MKA so with this I’m officially in beach read season!! This book has all the hallmarks of a classic MKA summer book: mystery, romance, complicated families, and strong female protagonists. 🙌🏻 I really enjoyed it, even if it did make me wish I was on a warm beach right now.

Widowed Traci Eddings is the proprietress of The Saint an exclusive resort owned by her deceased husband’s family. As she struggles to keep his beloved hotel afloat, she deals with her conniving brother-in-law, disgruntled staff, and a series of mysteries that lead to the death of someone she loves.

The story is also narrated by various staffers who live in the on-site staff dormitory and a man in town to solve a crime from the past. There are lots of subplots, including a romance and 2 murder mysteries, but the heart of this novel is about Traci reclaiming her life and her hotel.

Why I Liked it: I’m a sucker for a resort setting, and since I read this one on my recent spring break, the vibes were vibing. While the large cast of characters were a struggle at first, I quickly got them straight and found value in each of their perspectives.

Traci Eddings whole life is the Saint Cecelia Hotel. She started out as a worker, and then became an owner/ manager. This summer, Traci has to deal with family strife, friendships fractured and mended, and the murder of a much loved girl. Will
The Saint ever be what Traci needs or wants it to be? With tenacity, love and friendship it can and will. Mary Kay Andrews is the best at telling this southern quirky mystery tales. Another fabulous book! Thank you to NetGalley Macmillan Publishers and Mary Kay Andrews for the advance ebook.

this was my first mary kay andrew’s novel and it grabbed my attention right off the bat. this mix of mystery and romance made this a super fun read, the setting was described beautifully and i felt like i was there, i could picture it perfectly in my head. traci was a likable and interesting main character. overall there was just a bit too much going on and felt overwhelming to my brain at times.

Summers at the Saint was the first book I have read by Mary Kay Andrews, and it did not disappoint. Set at the Saint Cecilia hotel, it follows the staff and owners of the hotel as they reckon with a horrible accident twenty years prior and another mysterious death in the present day. They chapters are told from multiple points of view, enabling you to really understand all the characters. This is the perfect vacation read. There’s some romance, a mystery, and a great setting. I will definitely be checking out more books by Andrews.

Could summer be much better for spending idyllic time at St. Cecelia Hotel and Resort or The Saint as it called by staff and guests on the Georgia coast. But if you were Traci Eddings, who grew up on the other side of the causeway, this was a dream. She worked summers as a lifeguard with her BFF Shannon, until one terrible accident changes both their lives and while Traci goes on to live out her dream marrying the love of her life with on of the owner's sons and Shannon life is not idyllic and she becomes a single mother and life has not been kind. But circumstances 20 yrs later bring the two back together when Shannon's daughter comes to work at The Saint. Traci's husband has died in a tragic accident and she has been trying to keep everything afloat, despite her money grubbing brother-in-law and his wife, staff problems. Traci really needs to find away to keep The Saint from closing. And things start to happen, the murder of her beloved niece after a party on the grounds, items going missing, complaints about the quality of good offered in the rooms and the head chef and concierge leaving after many years to more money at another resort up the coast. But Traci will do every thing she can to make this summer at The Saint profitable and that they can carry on, with the help of people she would never have thought could be on her side.
I just loved, loved this book. I honestly could not put it down. It was one of those books you read late on into the night and don't want to do anything else until you have finished. It was a real good page turner. It is filled with mystery, intrigue and lots of great characters and finding out who the real master mind behind all the bad things and murder will blow your mind. It's a book you will want to read at the beach or the backyard or anywhere that is your favourite place to read..
I received a ARC of this book through NetGalley and the publisher St. Martin's Press

Another great novel from Mary Kay Andrews. As always, she mixes her Southern beach setting with intrigue and mystery. This was the best of all worlds for those who enjoy women’s fiction, a bit of romance and a whodunit mystery. A beautiful setting and interesting characters made this a book that I couldn’t put down. Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Another entertaining book from Mary Kay Andrews. I loved the character relationships and interactions. I looked forward to picking it up to read, but wasn't a "can't put it down" for me. The ending was predictable in many ways. I was entertained and it was an easy breezy read.