⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I might be a little biased because I just love Mary Kay Andrews. I’ve never read a book that I haven’t loved by her.
Summers at the Saint was wonderful. I loved all the different society backgrounds coming together in love and friendship.
This book had it all
Mystery✔️
Love✔️
Heartache✔️
Murder✔️
Friendship✔️

I just love a great beachy mystery and Mary Kay always delivers a great story. Summers at the Saint might be my new favorite.

Mary Kay Andrews is a one click author for me. Her books never disappoint. I went into this one blind and I was not sorry! I mainly read romance and I love that this book was a little romance and a lot mystery!

I typically read romance and I thought that's what this book was. I was wrong. Haha! There was a hint of romance but overall it was a dramatic mystery.

I kind of figured out who the "bad guy" was early on, but didn't realize the extent of it all.

The Saint sounds idyllic and not like somewhere I've ever stayed. Too fancy for me.

I did enjoy the book and would recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Tracy Eddings, the widowed owner of St Cecilia’s (The Saint) Resort, is in search of key summer staff. As an incentive to hire and retain the best, Tracy offers free staff housing. She puts together a her niece, Parrish, who was supposed to be moving abroad, Olivia, the daughter of a former friend, Felice, a young upcoming chef whose boyfriend left her high and dry in a motel, KJ, the son of a club member whose well-to-do father thinks his son needs to “get a job” in the real world, and .Garrett, a well-liked existing staff member who she promotes to head waiter. All five move into the free dorm housing just in time for the opening day and summer is off to a great start==until a murder takes place at The Saint. I really enjoyed this book. There was mystery, a bit of romance and a lot of who-done-it.

Traci Eddings grew up on the wrong side of the river as "an Ain't", but now Traci owns and runs the five-star summer resort, The St. Cecelia, making her "a Saint". When Traci was a teenager she worked at the Saint as a lifeguard, where she met Hoke Eddings, one of the sons of the owner of the Saint, and ended up marrying him. Now, four years after Hoke's tragic death, Traci is trying to figure out how to salvage the summer season at the Saint coming out of the pandemic. Struggling to retain staff, she decides to build on-site housing for some of the Saint's employees. After persuading her niece to postpone her Europe trip and work one last summer at the resort, and after hiring some new summer help to work there, she thinks things are turning around. But after new information about a long-ago tragedy at the resort comes to light and a suspicious death on the property, it seems there's more than meets the eye at the Saint.

I know Mary Kay Andrews as one of THE beach read writers, but I have to admit I've never read one of her books. I really had no idea where this story was going and while it went a bit off the rails at times, it was a very fun and easy read. I found the characters well-written and the story flowed nicely. I loved getting the perspectives of the different characters and seeing the events unfold through their eyes. Though I'm not sure the romance subplot added much to the story. This was a great book to start to get into the summer season.

Traci Eddings grew up on the 'wrong side of the bridge' to be considered one of the elites that vacationed at the St. Cecelia. But after working a summer job as a lifeguard and meeting and eventually marrying the boss of the "The Saint"'s son, she's helping run the place that was always so near to her. After being tragically widows and running the hotel she's determined to keep her late husband's and his family's legacy alive. But everything from the economy to her help to her brother-in-law seem to be conspiring against her. When a stranger comes to down looking deeper into a long-ago drowning at the hotel followed by another tragic death, will Traci be able to keep the hotel running?

I really enjoyed this character driven story and found most of the characters really charming. It is not a book that will stay with me, but it was a fun, easy read on the plane.
Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced reader's copy. All opinions are my own.

This was my very first Mary Kay Andrews book and I was not expecting all of that! I absolutely adored this book from start to finish!

I continue to be a fan of Mary Kay Andrews. She never disappoints her readers and this book is no exception. Set in a historic Georgia resort this story has it all. Lovely setting, interesting characters, romance, mystery, all sorts of family dynamics and an inside looks at the operations of a fancy resort for the wealthy. What more could a reader ask? It is a quick read and enjoyable from page one to the very end. This story was so much more than I thought it would be. Book clubs and beach readers will be delighted they chose this one to read.

I wish to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press Publishers for allowing me to read a copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Brace yourself as summers at the Saint are anything but laid back and relaxed for those that work there.

This is the first book by Mary Kay Andrews I have read so I had no idea what to expect in terms of style of writing and found it an enjoyable read. If you are looking at the cover and the description and thinking this is a tame, nice summer read, italic location where the owner is working to keep the hotel afloat with a little romance, brace yourself, there is a lot more going on in this book than you will anticipate.

The start of the book is scene setting, an introduction to the characters and a little background, this part is a slower pace than books I usually read, however, once past all the intro's things start to happen, and while I could anticipate what was going to happen, there was a small twist in there I did not guess.

This book has a bit of everything, lovable characters, mystery and a happy ending.

Wow! This book went in so many more directions that I expected! I definitely judged this book by cover and title, and while I was quite excitedly anticipating an easy beach read, it ended up being so much more! This book was full of intrigue, surprise, mystery, and more, and I loved every minute of it. The characters were unique and relatable, the storyline kept me guessing, and the ending was perfect. A five-star summer read recommendation from me!

Summers at the Saint is a great read! Wonderful character development. Intriguing, complex plots. More than a decade of mysterious history between The Saints and the Ain’ts.

Summers at the Saint
by Mary Kay Andrews
Pub Date: May 7, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Welcome to the St. Cecelia, a landmark hotel on the coast of Georgia, where traditions run deep and scandals run even deeper. . ..
This one surprised me.
It is always interesting to expect one thing from a story and then be surprised to find the story is different. This one I expected a woman’s fiction with romance but we are delivered a murder mystery. This is a multiple murder mystery, perfect for the cozy mystery lovers out there.

This story blends in a bit of building romance with this mystery based on a delightful setting anyone would love to visit if it was a real location. I literally consumed this book. The story is fresh and interesting.
Andrews is an excellent writer whom I enjoy!
5 stars

I have always enjoyed Mary Kay Andrew's books and this one did not disappoint. Romance and mystery combined with great characters made this one that I couldn't put down. The beginning was a little slow but picked up the pace making me want to keep on reading to find out the story was going to end. If you are a fan Mary Kay Andrews the this is a must read. Overall I would give it 4.5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced audio arc of Summers At The Saint. I am rarely let down by a Mary Kay Andrews novel, and this was no different! She routinely gives you an easy read with deep family ties, beach life, and a little mystery mixed in!! I was surprised that the language was a little stronger in this novel, but nothing I can't handle. Perfect summer read!

This is going to be the perfect summer read! I enjoyed all of the characters and the storyline. I found this to be a quick read for me, it was a light read that makes me wish for the summer weather! I’ve always loved Mary Kay Andrew’s books but if you have read Elin Hilderbrand, then this book is definitely for you! The characters and the build up kept you guessing thru the whole book!

Southern coastal chic sets the backdrop for this summer escape full of mystery, mayhem, and romance in Mary Kay Andrews’ Summers at the Saint. Life at The Saint Cecilia resort has historically held an undercurrent clash between the haves and the have nots—the Saints and the Aints. Traci moves from Aint to Saint after marrying a son of The Saint’s owners and then inherits a share of the business when her husband dies. As now owner and head of The Saint, she watches her bottom line dwindle, and this summer at The Saint will be a pivotal season for the success of the business. She convinces her beloved niece, Parrish, to change her summer plans to come work at The Saint and help keep the family’s legacy afloat. Parrish begins to notice inconsistencies in the hotel’s operations and just when she notes patterns in the problems, she is found dead. This tragedy pushes the problems to the fore, where the stakes are higher and more dangerous. With the help of two amateur sleuths and a sexy investigator, they solve a decades old mystery as well as uncover the web of criminal activity currently jeopardizing The Saint. With a secret baby, warring in-laws, and an unexpected romance, Summers at the Saint is full of multiple storylines that may seem unrelated at first, but come together to form a satisfying ending.

There were some chapters in the book that felt like undeveloped scenes loosely slapped together and I wondered what purpose some of these scenes served. Overall, I did enjoy the story and found it had all the hallmarks of a typical MKA book. If you follow her online, you will also note that her love and passion for hospitality and design are evident throughout the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Summers at the Saint tells the story of one summer at a resort in Georgia affectionally referred to by locals as "the Saint." It follows Traci, who runs the resort after the death of her husband, whose family has owned the resort for generations, passes away a few years before; Shannon, her former childhood best friend whose daughter works for the Saint against her wishes; and various staff members at the Saint. When one of those staff members is discovered dead after a staff party one night, a few of her co-workers work together to discover who would want the young woman dead.

Summers at the Saint was an old-school whodunnit and I loved it! MKA is at her best when she's writing a cozy mystery, and that's exactly what this was. There was a little romance thrown in to keep you invested in Traci's story but I liked that it was more about female friendships and navigating life after grief. While the story takes place at a resort during the summer, it wasn't quite as beachy as some of her other novels. If you are a fan of MKA's earlier work like her Weezie and Bebe mysteries (as I am), you'll love Summers at the Saint!

A special thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Saint is a grand old hotel. Its guests and members are the wealthy. In this town they are the “saints” and the normal people are the “aints”. Most normal people could never aspire to be a member there let alone an owner.

But Traci Eddings is a rare exception. Her and her best friend Shannon were “aints”. They even worked at the Saint in their teens. But Shannon got fired and Traci married Hoke Eddings and when Hoke died she became one of the owners of the hotel.

Traci has been trying to run the hotel well since her husband passed 4 years ago but it’s been really hard to keep bringing in the same amount of money.

But something fishy is going on at the Saint.

When one of the employees is murdered, it opened everyone’s eyes that something must be going on.

I’d say the death in this book caused a major shift in the storyline. We started with a book set at an upscale hotel with a determined widow and a cast of young, beautiful employees.
Then the beach book vibes veered into a mystery. Because now Traci is determined to find out the details of the murder.

This book was interesting and kept a steady pace. I read the ebook so I didn’t realize how long the book was when I started it. I remember looking up the page count at one point and realizing it was close to 500 pages! Normally a long book intimates me. But this one didn’t slow down for a minute.

Another entertaining MKA book with a strong, likable, female main character that the reader will be rooting for.

I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thank you!

Book Review
Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews

Sidebar- on the surface this cover makes one think of happily ever afters, beach reads, vacation resorts and young love……. But there is a darkness that casts a shadow over The Saint….

Thoughts and Tropes
- cozy mystery/ beach whodunnit vibes
- Large cast of characters
- Multiple POV
- Aints vs Saints : contrasting economic status ( the wealthy vs the locals)
- Felt like the sinister underbelly of the privileged and the wealthy was exposed ( think Dirty Dancing for a modern generation with the focus on drugs as opposed to pregnancy)
- Sins of the parents pass down to their children ; you cant escape the past

Lesson learned
What happens at the Saint, stays at the Saint- until it doesn’t

Overall
I really enjoyed this one. Pace was easy and fluid. The author took the time to give background history on the hotel and the staff members. There was enough doubt sown about what was really happening that it kept me second guessing myself and my predictions.


Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my digital ARC in return for an honest review. Opinions expressed are my own