I really enjoyed this book! I loved getting to know all the characters. I liked the murder mystery aspect of it while also being a nice summer read. While reading, I couldn’t help but want summer to come faster. I was saddened by Parrish’s death but loved the plot and twists.

I enjoyed this new novel from Mary Kay Andrews. As always, she does an excellent job of placing you in the setting. I wish The Saint were a real (albeit not dysfunctional!) resort; it sounds like a great place to go relax and maybe read a little MKA poolside ;-)

Traci grows up in the small town near The Saint Cecelia, a posh resort catering to wealthy patrons. A tragedy in her teen years comes back to enter her life in a big way after the death of her husband decades later. As with any Mary Kay Andrews novel, female friendships and smart women are two running themes throughout.

I don't think there were too many surprises, but this is a solid beach read that I would recommend to anyone looking for a relaxing novel to read under a (pink?) striped umbrella.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of Summers at the Saint in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

At first, I thought this was going to be a sweet, fun, easy beach read. While it was a great book, it had a lot more to it than at first glance. I loved the twists and turns it took. It had a few different storyline threads, one which had me guessing for quite a while.

Traci has been working at the Hotel since she was a teen, and a lifeguard. When she married the boss's son, she took over running the hotels with him. After he died, she had to make a go of the hotel on her own or her brother in law was going to sell it. She hand picks an eclectic group of young people to work there. When tragedy strikes, she now has a mystery to solve.

I don't want to give too much away but I really enjoyed this book.

Another Mary Kay Andrews masterpiece! Loved the twists and turns of this book. Mary Kay Andrews never disappoints!

Thank you to NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for a fair review. Summers at the Saint ended up being one of my favorite Mary Kay novels. It definitely gave Elin Hilderbrand vibes.

The story focuses on an elite resort called The St. Cecelia (referred to as The Saint). The main character, Traci Eddings, worked at The Saint as a teenager and ended up marrying the owner’s son, Hoke. When he tragically passed away, Traci inherited The Saint. This summer, Traci worked hard to secure enough employees by providing them with free lodging. She also encouraged her niece, Parrish, to help out with guest relations. When tragedy strikes, and Parrish is found dead, Traci is determined to find answers.

What I loved:
• All of the descriptions of the meals Felice prepares at the restaurant
• Traci’s work ethic, the story of how she went from “ain’t” to saint, and her dedication to family, even when they do her dirty
• Lola the dachshund
• All the twists and turns that lead readers to the ending

My only complaint was character overload. I felt like I needed a spreadsheet to track how everyone fit together and their potential role in Parrish’s death.

I’ll definitely be recommending this one! 4.5 stars

Traci spent her teenage summers working at the Saint, an exclusive beach resort in her hometown. There was a strong divide between the Saints (people who were members at the resort) and the Aints (townies who worked at the resort). Traci ended up falling in love with the owners' son. They had a happy marriage despite his family's dislike of her. Things got really complicated for Traci when her husband was killed in a plane crash.

I picked this up thinking the cover looked light and beachy. There is a lot more to the story: Family dysfunction, friendships gone wrong, Widowhood, the challenges of running a business and a few mysteries too. A fine book.

Summers at The Saint
By: Mary Kay Andrews
5🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵

At St. Cecelia known as “the saint” is a fabulous hotel to spend your summers on the beach. Families look forward to coming here year after year to enjoy. Some of the locals also enjoy the benefits. You were “known as “a saint” if you grew up going here of “an ain’t” if you grew up on the wrong side of the river.”

Two friends Traci and Shannon were lifeguards as teens and after a tragedy happened they were estranged. Traci ended up marrying into the family that owned the St. Cecelia and Shannon went on to be a single mother. Years later Traci is coming to grips with her husband’s death and is trying to revive the hotel.

This novel is true to Mary Kay Andrews style with family drama, romance, mystery and everything in between. I look forward to her books every year. Her books are always so detailed and I cannot wait to spend the day with the characters she creates.

Available May 4. Thank you St. Martins Press for this advanced copy.

Mary Kay does a wonderful "Summer" book every year that always has a touch of mystery, suspense and a sprinkling or romance in it, but the main component is everyday people working to get through their lives, keeping friendships, working on relationships, making stable careers for themselves and a home for their families. This year's book has a lot of characters and takes it's time ramping up the events, but the short chapters that hop back and forth between the characters keep this hefty novel from dragging down until the action (so to speak) starts.

As always, Mary Kay comes through with a delightful escapist read.

Run do not walk to get this book! Or any of MK Andrew’s books you have not read. This book is not your typical “beach read” with all the angst and no real story. It’s an about a grand dame hotel that a family has owned for over 100 years and the workings to keep it going. Around that story is intrigue involving murders, investigations, grief.
It hits all the subjects for a well rounded story,
#netgalley #stmartinspress #mkandrews #summeratthesaints

Truly a very good book! 4.75/5, Highly recommend Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews!

The only reason I can't justify giving Summers at the Saint the extra .25 to make it a 5 star read was the brief slow period at the beginning. However, after the first 20%, I became very invested in the story and it became incredibly addicting I couldn't put the book down! I absolutely loved the plot and never saw the twists coming in their entirety. Not only does the story itself make Summers at the Saint worth reading, the messages and lessons learned from the book left me feeling as if I brought something out of it. From friendships and relationships to staying true to who one is as an individual, Andrews gives her characters backgrounds and stories with pieces to take away.

As always, Mary Kay Andrews has written another incredible book!

Traci Eddings spent her childhood in the shadow of the prestigious St. Cecelia resort on the Georgia coast, where guests were revered as "Saints" while locals like Traci were dubbed "Ain'ts." Despite marrying into the resort's owner's family, Traci always felt like an outsider.

Now a widow, Traci finds herself running the struggling resort with little support from her in-laws. Her only close family is her niece, whose help she desperately needs to breathe new life into the Saint. Despite Traci's best efforts, the resort continues to fall behind, and a past tragedy threatens to resurface.

With the help of an eclectic group of summer staff, Traci has just one summer to save the Saint from ruin.

"Summers at the Saint" by Mary Kay Andrews takes a slightly darker tone than her usual fare, but I found myself engrossed in the mystery, trying to unravel who was truly good and who was bad. I also liked the dual timeline. While this book seemed different from her usual, it still stands out as a compelling read that will likely appeal to a broader audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for the honest opinion,

Traci Eddings began life as an "Ain't," a local who couldn't afford to vacation at the Saint Cecilia resort. When she falls in love with the owner's son, she ends up running the five-star hotel and when she's widowed she finds herself at the helm, alone.

There is a lot going on in this book. Traci is trying to keep the hotel afloat while losing employees to other resorts and finding it difficult to replace them. Her father-in-law, who never really accepted her, is slowly wasting away from Parkinson's, and her evil brother-in-law is constantly adding to the drama between his hatred of Traci and his meddling trophy wife who seems to turn up at all the wrong times and in all the wrong places.

Enter Parrish, sweet niece who is nothing like her father and agrees to pinch hit as head of guest relations for the summer; Felice, the down and out chef who cooks like a dream; and Livvy, the daughter of Traci's estranged BFF who comes to work in the sadly understaffed restaurant. Together, the three of them figure out something is wrong at the Saint. The hotel is experiencing problems they should not be having after a recent massive renovation, and somehow they're bleeding money while business is better than it's been in years.

While I don't generally read women's fiction, I was intrigued by the mystery angle of this book and I was not disappointed. While there was some romance, the mystery was really at the center of everything though that wasn't always apparent until further clues were unearthed. To be honest, I actually found myself in several places wanting a bit more on the romance side at times. I also found myself wanting a bit more on the mystery side of things. But overall I found the book enjoyable and easy to get lost in.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

I dnf’ed this book, it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for sending me an e-arc of this book

This is a great summer read with a dash of everything. You can never go wrong with a Mary Kay Andrews book.


Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~

4 stars!

First of all, thanks so much to St. Martins Press for an ARC; I was excited to dive into this. Summer mysteries!
I love the cover, it’s one of the main things that caught my eye. I could imagine myself at the pool, binging this on a hot day. I enjoyed that there were many tropes involved with this: murder mystery, family drama. multiple characters, romance, friendships, and much more. Tension and lots of secrets to wrap this up!

So what could have been better?
I think some parts were dragged out and I found myself skimming as it felt like unnecessary information in regards to the whole plot.

Read if you like:
• drama tropes
• descriptive writing
• beach reads + sunny weather
• multiple POVs
• murder mysteries

Review: Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews

Summers at the Saint will be a perfect beachside mystery this summer. It all starts with the dream of a little girl about visiting the castle-like Saint Cecilia Resort, but when dream becomes a reality for her as a teen, and later an adult, cracks begin to form in the perfect exterior of The Saint.

I personally found the sheer amount of character POVs a bit overwhelming at first, but was able to flow with the story and switches the further I read. I also found the pacing a bit slower than I’d like and occasionally repetitive. However, if you like mysteries with an Agatha Christie amount of quirky characters, Summers at the Saint will take you on a sweltering summer sojourn into the luxurious and unscrupulous halls of The Saint.

Thanks to Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for access to this E-ARC! Loved the setting & the characters. Also really enjoyed the deeper meaning. Definitely will read more from this author.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

Mary Kay Andrew’s newest summer read is a perfect combination between family drama and heartwarming moments. I did find this repetitive to her other novels and just found myself a little bored in the middle. Overall would rate 3.75 rounded up for good reads

Wow! Wow! What a fantastic read!
You’re either a “saint” or an “ain’t”
Traci has grown up in awe of the Saint Cecelia resort.
Just working there as a teenager met and married the owners son, who recently passed away, and Tracey is doing her best to hold onto the hotel.
Despite the murder, the stealing, the blackmail, arson and all the secrets!

MKA scores big with Summers at the Saint! I absolutely loved this book! It has everything that I love in a book - a beach locale, a little bit of romance, and a mystery to solve. I love the relationship between Parrish and Traci. It makes me remember my younger days with my favorite aunt. I will definitely be recommending this book to my reader friends!