a fun beach read. it has some romance, as well as mystery. traci is recovering from her husbands unexpected death, all while running a resort. whelan is trying to piece together the mystery behind his brothers death. livvy is looking into solving a murder while simultaneously looking into suspicious activity around the property. when the book introduces each character in their own chapter, i expect we would get insight into each persons perspective throughout the book. i think the book could have stood to have a little more of kj and garrett’s point of view behind the scenes.
thank you netgalley and at. martins publishing group for this arc.

Mary Kay Andrews does it again. I've read several of her novels now and have yet to be disappointed. This story is an absolute page turner and surprised me more than once when I thought I'd figured it out. Summers at The Saint is an excellent novel with multiple mysteries to solve, and a little romance along the way.

Big thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read Summers at the Saint! I loved this book. Traci and Shannon were best friends and they were the "aints" that worked at the Saint Resort which is where all the "saints" or wealthy went too. The last summer they worked there a young boy drowned and the two girls were no longer friends. Traci was dating a Saint - Howe Redding and kept her job while Shannon was fired. Flash forward over 20 years later and Traci is in charge of the Saint and has hired Shannon's daughter Olivia. She's gotten her niece Parrish to forgo her summer in Europe and built a dorm for her employees. After everyone moves into the new dorm as the season begins and with it brings a whole lot more then anyone bargained for.

Absolutely loved this book! I read it in one sitting! Thus has become a one click author for me! Thanks to the publisher

I always love reading Mary Kay Andrews books. They are easy to get through, keep you guessing and always take place at the cutest beach towns. This one did not disappoint and would make a great addition to a beach trip!

I love a good MKA book and Summer at the Saint did not disappoint. She is always so witty and tongue in cheek, her books are thoroughly enjoyable. And just when you think you can predict what will happen, she gets you with a good old-fashioned twist. Her books always make me laugh and remind me why I love reading. I hope there is a sequel because I don’t feel like my vacation at The Saint is over yet.

I really enjoyed this new novel by Andrews. It wasn't her usual book. It has murder, theft, serious topics and a tiny bit of romance all in one. I highly. Thanks for the advanced copy NetGalley. #NetGalley #SummersatheSaint

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this for my honest review.
Release date: May 7, 2024

When I first started this book I was convinced this was going to be 4+ book but as I continued to progress through the story it became a solid 3 star for me.

I love a good mystery book and I do think that this mystery was solid and the ending completed the story and did not ruin it (as some endings can). I also loooove stories based around hotels - especially fancy hotels. It was fun to read about the Saint, it's history, the workers and the way the hotel was perceived. I would love to own a hotel like this but I digress lmao.

While I enjoyed the premise of this book there were some things that made me drop it to a 3 star. I did not like how the chapters were not consistent. We got random chapters of characters and then never got another chapter by them, that was confusing to me and felt like they were thrown in there just to keep the story moving. Also, there was something about the romance that just felt... lackluster? Forced? Not real? I'm not sure!

I did love the dynamics that our FMC Traci had with her niece, her (ex) best friend's daughter and her chef. That was very heartwarming.

Overall, I think this will be a fun summer beach read. It's quick, entertaining, and a perfect book to read on a lazy river. I would read another book by Mary Kay Andrews!

Summers at the Saint was a fabulous read that had me turning page after page to finish. The storyline had me intrigued the entire time. All of the pieces come together with a twist you didn’t see coming. Romance and some suspense all in one, making it a great read for a larger audience.

i loved this book. this was my first
MKA book and i wasn't quite sure what to expect, but it was a solid, fun mystery with loveable characters and a perfect setting. it was a little longer than i was expecting, but in a way that had me looking forward to picking it back up instead of dreading it. will be telling everyone to add this to their summer beach reads!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin Press for this free digital copy for my honest review of this story.

Mary Kay Andrews novels are always fabulous but this one is the best of all the best. This book offers a wonderful historic vacation destination on the shores of Georgia. It is packed with intrigue, family drama, murder and as always romance. The characters in this story were so well developed and likable that you really didn’t have anyone to hate, well maybe one, and the twists in characters were well done.

The story is a very plot driven page turner that will keep you up at night trying to see what’s gonna happen next (or until your Kindle falls out of your hands). There was one point when I thought I had the ending figured out but my theory didn’t make sense so the twist in this plot line was interesting and fun. The romantic relationships were good without being syrupy-sweet.

This is a five-star read and will make a great discussion novel for BOOKCLUBs.

Name of Book: Summers at the Saint
Author: Mary Kay Andrews
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pub Date: May 7, 2024
My Rating: 3 Stars
Pages: 448

St. Cecelia, a landmark hotel on the coast of Georgia, and refers to “the Saint.”

The first time Traci Eddings saw ’The Saint’ she was a little girl with her grandfather in his fishing boat. She exclaimed “Look Pops – It’s a fairy Castle”. He answered. ‘No honey just the saint-no fairies but there are a lot of rich people.
When she was fifteen she and her friend Shannon got a summer job working at the Saint’s ice cream parlor. Although excited to be working there they quickly got educated that the help did not socialize with the hotel guests.

Several years later Traci's life makes a big turn when she marries Hoke whose family owns the saint. When her husband dies in a helicopter crash Traci has the struggling hotel to manage.

Awww this story started out great. I liked Traci and I do like mysteries however there is a lot going on, in this story as well as a lot of characters.
But it wasn’t the enjoyable read I was expecting. Doesn’t mean it wasn’t good, I know many readers love this story.
I went into this knowing very little about it and picked it because i loved both " The Santa Suit" and " Bright Lights, Big Christmas" (Recent Christmas stories). I suppose I was expecting more of a mystery with a sweet romance. However this was not a cozy mystery.

This was my thirteenth Mary Kay Andrews novel. I especially love and enjoyed her Cozy Mysteries you will find she is listed on the cozy site and if the story isn’t a mystery the site indicates (not a mystery). So when the nasty language appeared I thought ~ “Wait a minute are there two authors named Mary Kay Andrews?”
Must admit I didn’t love all the stories I read. True most earned 5 or 4+ Stars but a few were meh.
– Hmmm perhaps there really are two Mary Kay Andrews!
I do love and prefer Mary Kay the Cozy Romance/Mystery writer.

I haven’t given up on her and hoping for an upcoming ‘Cozy

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 7. 2024.

I adore this author and I think this is her best book yet! But I say that every time I read her newest book! I don’t want to talk a out what the book is about, the publisher’s blurb is there for all to read. The author touches on many aspects of human nature. There is a dynamic and powerful family involved, the Reddings family. There is mystery. I loved the characters, several of whom were strong females. The romance aspect was great with Traci, who is a widow finally looking forward to a new romance. Loved it!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

ARC review:
3.5⭐️ (round up on GR because I did really enjoy it)
for Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews

The Saint resort is plagued with another death and is fighting to stay afloat in a post Covid economy.
The cast of characters are employees at the ritzy resort and the tension between the rich resort members and the surrounding town is at an all time high.

I really enjoyed this book, the different POVs kept me hooked from the beginning. It did slow down as the POVs became more focused on just a couple characters. This is my first book by Mary Kay Andrews and her ability to create interesting and relatable characters has me curious to read another. It’s got a little bit of mystery and amateur detectives, as well as a side romance. Where the mystery was the main focus, it excelled. The romance was not great for me. The characters lacked chemistry and by the end of the book their relationship was downright strange. The characters seemed to have completely changed personalities. The main male character became oddly angry and manipulative when the female character wasn’t interested in being intimate after a major traumatic event. It was also really weird that a sub plot that seemed so big ended up being nothing at all??? Also what the heck were the cops doing during all of this. Anyway it was a quite enjoyable book and would be stellar for a quick beach read.

Summers at the Saint is out in May!

Thank you netgalley and St Martins Press for the opportunity to read this book. #netgalley #summersathesaint

I received an e-book copy of Mary Kay Andrews new book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
I have read many MKA books, enjoyed this one as much as the others.
Summer at the Saints is about an exclusive resort referred to as the Saint. If you’re rich, any a member of the resort, you’re a “Saint”. Everyone else is an “ain’t”.
Traci and Shannon are best friend “ain’t” who work at the resort one summer. Traci meets one of the rich owners of the Saint, Hoke. They fall in love and marry and run the hotel together. Tragedy strikes when Hoke dies in a crash, leaving Traci to handle the hotel and his family on her own.
A new group of summer employees have arrived to work at the Saint. Traci must navigate through greedy family members and employees, a murder and fire at the hotel, and declining profits to keep the legacy of her husband open.
There are a lot of characters to keep up with, but MKA develops the characters so well that you feel you know them personally.
Another great book by Mary Kay Andrews, will be a great read for the summer of 2024.
Thank you #netgalley and #summersatthesaint

I didn’t know what to expect going into this book by MKA, but I knew there would be a beachy setting and a fun, quirky cast of characters, and it didn’t disappoint. This book ended up being a bit of murder mystery, familial secrets and scandals, with a bit of romance. This would be such a fun beach read if you’re looking for something like the Hotel Nantucket, and not just a romance.

This story is set at St. Cecilia Resort, referred to as The Saint. The main character was a townie but started working at the Saint as a teen. She ends up marrying the son, and heir to the Saint. He passes in a plane crash, and she ends up inheriting and running the resort— which she is currently trying to bring back to life.

Despite the many storylines and characters, and even some flashbacks to the past, I did find it really easy to follow along— which isn’t hard to do!

My only complaint is that there were so many characters, and story lines— I think I would have liked it more, and it would have been a bit faster paced if it it was edited down.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s for the ARC!

Another great book by MKA! I’m already missing the Saint and the “good” people! I grew very attached to them!
This is a perfect beach read for those that are looking for a bit more mystery as well. I really thought I had it all figured out and then found out I didn’t. The little bit of romance also included was the perfect amount for the right people. And of course there were also those characters that I just could not stand and was happy they got what was coming to them 🙂
I definitely would recommend this book! Don’t take the word of those that rate it low. Read it and make your own decision.
Thanks NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

SUMMERS AT THE SAINT has an identity crisis. It looks like the fun romantic summer reads that we are used to from this author, but it is a murder mystery. It is bogged down with long introductions of the characters. If you can stay with the book through the first quarter of it, this story really begins, but even then we have to muddle through the over telling of the story line. It is a long road to the end, which jumps to a conclusion without addressing some of the plot lines. I wanted to love this novel, because I am a fan of Ms. Andrews work, but this book left feeling annoyed. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Publishers for an arc. These thoughts are my own.

Notes: quite a few characters keep track of
Easily picture the setting
Halfway took a turn I didn’t see coming, was sad
Thought I Figured out a twist early on (wrong)
Touched on heavy topics tw rape

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.

I loved the setting of this book, it reminded me a lot of The Newcomers by Mary Kay Andrews. Drama, light humour, mystery and beautiful setting! There was a lot going on in this book but I was invested and couldn’t stop reading! There are quite a few characters to keep track of but I really enjoyed the main characters. There were a few fun twists in here! All in all, this is a perfect beach read! 👙⛱️🏝️

✨ Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts ✨

to see why things fell apart back in the day. As adults though, can you get past the past?

This was well written, though I had a little trouble shifting characters as first. But in the end it all came together, literally, and is well done.