What a great book. Truly kept me reading more and more - some nights up past my bed time. ha ha. This book was a great one and I loved how the author developed the different characters through the story. It really kept me guessing until the end. Thank you for the opportunity to read this.

Summers at the Saint grabs you from the start and doesn’t let go. Mary Kay Andrews best yet!

Welcome to the St. Cecelia known as “the Saint” a landmark hotel on the coast of Georgia. Traci Eddings, the widowed owner of the hotel, is determined to bring back the hotel to its former glory. Up against staff shortages, financial troubles and her greedy brother-in-law, it’s going to take every bit of help she can get and her own resilience to make it happen.

Plenty of twists and turns you never saw coming. A fabulous beach read with mystery, murder, and suspense that will leave you unable to put it down.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Summers at the Saint is a book about friendship, betrayal, and justice. I loved it. I couldn’t get enough of the characters and loved the setting. I could picture the hotel as if I’d been there myself, or like a movie I’d watched. The plot was satisfying.

There were times when explanations were redundant, but that only happened a handful of times.

I really enjoyed the friendships in this book. Whelan’s chapters were my favorite. He was so interesting. I also love a book that has zero miscommunication. Great read.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

I love Mary Kay Andrews, and I will write just about anything she writes.
This being said, I became a little lost in Summers at the Saint between some themes that felt unrealistic and too many "key" characters.
It also felt that it was a little dark for a "summer read".

I've only read one other book by Mary Kay Andrews and based on my knowledge of her work and the cover of this novel, I was expecting this to be a light beach read. It wasn't that at all, but I'm glad!

The novel is based on a young female widow, Traci, who was married to a wealthier hotelier. She is now running The Saint hotel & resort four years after her husband's unexpected death. There are several other main characters introduced, most of whom are various employees at the hotel (e.g., chef, waiter, front desk, etc.), and each chapter is from the POV of one of these individuals.

While there is a romance element to the story, it is a minor subplot that mostly appears at the end of the book. The majority of the novel is actually a murder mystery & criminal investigation. Without giving away too much of the plot, I really enjoyed this theme over your typical beach romance story. Despite the book being almost 450 pages, the short chapters and multiple POVs captured and sustained my attention and kept me wanting to keep reading!

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book to read and review.

P.S. Error found to fix: Traci was 19 in 2002, making her born in 1983. So in 2024, she should be 40, turning 41. However, the beginning of the book says that she was widowed at age 40, which was 4 years ago. This doesn't make sense and needs to be corrected.

It took a while to fully understand who everyone was and how they fit into the story, but once it all clicked, I flew through this one. It was predictable but so well done, and I was invested all the way. Another great read rom MKA!

This book has quite a lot of things going for it--romance, mystery, suspense, family drama ... The family drama created a very tangled web and it wasn't until the end of the story that it was all unravelled. In the beginning I was overwhelmed at the amount of characters, trying to remember who everyone was. There were definitely characters that I was cheering on and others that were villains!!

Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

With Summers at the Saint, Mary Kay Andrews delivers another wonderful summer read! Told from multiple perspectives, this book tells the story of widdow Traci Eddings and her quest to keep her husband's legacy going by keeping his family's hotel, the Saint, running and flourishing. The Saint is a highend hotel that caters to the wealthy. Not only is Traci trying to keep the hotel running smoothly in trying times, but she is dealing with staff shortages and her husband's unsupportive and hostile family. To entice more workers to the Saint, Traci decides to provide accomodations for some of them in a dorm on her property. Hence, we are introduced to not only Traci's neice Parrish but also her former bestfriend's daughter, Olivia- as well as the new chef Felice, KJ a priviledged young man being punished by his family for flunking out of school as well as Garrett who has been at the Saint for ten years. What starts out as a simple story about family quickly turns into multi-layerd murder mystery that will reveal long buried secrets. A great story to escape into- Summers at the Saint, won't disappoint!

Disappointing albeit kept my interest. Therefore 3 stars. Too many side stories that were implausible. Cliché moments abound. The dialogue was quasi-bothersome. Traci, a main character, is quite clueless regarding her staff, as much as she professes to know how to run a hotel. Mayhem, despicable people, greed, theft and inept police. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. #SummersAtTheSaint, #NetGalley.

SUMMERS AT THE SAINT
BY: MARY KAY ANDREWS

I was contacted by the publicist to read this and I'm happy to say that it turned out to be a terrific reading experience worthy of it's five stars that I have rated it. I almost passed on my opportunity to read such a captivating novel because I thought that this author wrote superficial sappy romance fiction for women. I had certainly heard of this author, Mary Kay Andrews since she is practically a household name whose many novels gained a huge following. However, I'm thrilled to say that I was pleasantly surprised at how much that I LOVED THIS NOVEL. I was wrong in my assumptions about her being an author that writes fluff. I finally figured out that I had confused her with another author. For that I'm sorry because I discovered that this author is a top notch storyteller that writes from the heart and she breathes both life and depth into her characters. I'm so thrilled that I took a chance on reading "Summers at the Saint," because it was an excellent reading experience of which the pleasure was all mine. It's not a regular occurrence for me to discover such a talented and gifted author who exceeds my high expectations so that I relegate the untried writer as a new favorite of mine. In this case I couldn't be more thrilled to know that Mary Kay Andrews has a ton of previous published novels that I can look forward to reading in the near future. I'm so grateful that I have many wonderful novels by her that are waiting for me to enjoy.

This is one of those rare cases where I reread the synopsis that's posted both here on Good Reads and Net Galley after finishing reading a novel. In this case I did and I have serious reservations about my ability to write my review that does this spellbinding novel the same deserved justice that has already been described in the blurb. I will try my best to convey additional compelling reasons why this is a highly recommended novel not to skip reading. Its atmospheric setting is contained in the very beginning that caught my attention from the first few paragraphs. I know that sounds like a cliche to state that previous sentence of which it is a place that I would love to get the opportunity to visit myself, but I know that I can't because it's a place that was richly imagined by this wonderful author.

The setting takes place on a beautiful island that's a hotel resort with pink turrets that I visualize as a structural haven in which the guests are offered the finest amenities in every aspect. It is a family run place that for both me and some of the characters is something out of a fairy tale. Its clientele are wealthy and are offered the finest high end opportunities that guarantee only the best of everything that its patrons have come to expect. From the building's architecture, interior design, the picturesque landscaped grounds, on sight security, finest restaurants with top chefs and servers, including the customer service this resort aims to ensure that every detail you could dream of is aimed towards its patrons pleasure.

Traci first viewed this enchanted pink castle fishing with her grandfather when she was about six or seven years old, She glimpsed the improbable pink turrets and crenelated towers rising up out of the fog. To her the Hotel Resort Saint Cecilia looked like a pink wedding cake right out of a storybook. Her grandfather quickly but softly told her that people like her family don't belong there. The first time that she stepped foot on the property she was thirteen when a new girl from school invited her to attend a birthday party. She was excited to go to the party, but felt torn since her best friend Shannon was excluded. Two years later through a friend of a friend, Traci and Shannon got summer jobs working at the Saint's ice cream parlor, they rode their bikes across the river on the causeway that led from their working-class Bonaventure neighborhood to the rarefied atmosphere of the Saint Cecilia resort. Three weeks into their adventurous dream jobs they learned the lesson about the two distinct social classes existing in their small coastal community.

The manager of the ice cream shop noticed the two girls Traci and Shannon hanging around the pool after work, enjoying the company of two preppy-looking boys who were teenagers that they were having fun flirting together. The next day they were told by their boss that: "Y'all can't be messing with the hotel guests or the members or the members' kids. When Traci asked why not she was told the bosses don't like it in addition saying the members don't like their kids hanging out with the townies or the help. "Don't you get it? Those rich kids, they're Saints. Y'all are just Ain'ts." Things stayed that way until the owner's son Hoke Eddings met Traci and married her.

Traci is now a widow after years of being happily married to Hoke Eddings, which they had tried but weren't fortunate enough to have the children they hoped for. Hoke died in a tragic accident by which now in the present day Traci runs the Hotel resort the Saint Cecilia. Her sixty year old general manager named Charlie Burroughs who has just informed her that their chef that went to culinary school on the hotel's dime, and guest relations director are leaving. Traci is a strong yet kind employer who is both capable and bright and quickly takes immediate action to remedy this problem. First she hires her niece named Parrish who was planning on travelling abroad after finishing college
at Georgetown with a business degree in the Hospitality business. Traci and Parrish are like mother and daughter by which Traci persuades Parrish to reluctantly put off her program of further studying abroad for the summer season. Parrish agrees to be the guest relations director. Her niece lost her mother at a young age. She finds an excellent new chef named Felice who described mouth watering cuisine that made me hungry during her interview. I don't want to go into too much detail, but suffice it to say I admired Traci's innovative style and her caring nature in how she offered incentives and replaced her staff. There are two young men that will play a pivotal role to a tragic loss that hits closer to home that deepens the plot driving it with a momentum of pulse pounding suspense.

I thought that the vast amount of characters are well developed with a keen insight into human nature. They are impeccably written by a talented author whose prowess I can't praise highly enough. They are not all mentioned in this review, but there is a complexity and depth that made this a powerful and unforgettable novel. I loved Traci and many other characters who were realistic and three dimensional. I wanted to see her succeed with restoring this institution to its former glory. There are challenges with her brother-in-law who was determined to make her life difficult for his own self interests and greed. She will face some unexpected loss that will take her to the brink of despair. As situations that arise and continue to surmount more tension and suspense builds and as the plot drives forward there will be more life altering adversity she never could have anticipated. She will need to keep her wits about her at all times. She never compromises her integrity remaining well balanced allowing the characters who count on her expecting her to always be virtuous and make me root for her. The more that I read the more surprises that occurred that I never saw coming until this author was ready to reveal them. There will be alliances both gained and strengthened. On the flip side there will be trusted relationships that unravel. This is also a portrayal allowing the reader an acute psychological glimpse into some dark circumstances made by characters who did terrible things. The delicious twists that I hadn't been aware of, or expecting from this author due to my own presumptions as categorizing this as light reading fluff, turned out to be the exact opposite which impressed me in ways words aren't adequate to convey. I can't wait to see what Mary Kay Andrews writes in the future. If you are looking for a fascinating tale look no further than this novel. This is one that is unputdownable because once you start it you won't want to stop reading. It's also one that is sad to finish.

Publication Date: May 7th, 2024

Thank you to Net Galley, Mary Kay Andrews and St Martin's Press for providing me with my fantastic eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#SummersattheSaint #MaryKayAndrews #StMartinsPress #NetGalley

SUMMERS AT THE SAINT
BY: MARY KAY ANDREWS

I was contacted by the publicist to read this and I'm happy to say that it turned out to be a terrific reading experience worthy of it's five stars that I have rated it. I almost passed on my opportunity to read such a captivating novel because I thought that this author wrote superficial sappy romance fiction for women. I had certainly heard of this author, Mary Kay Andrews since she is practically a household name whose many novels gained a huge following. However, I'm thrilled to say that I was pleasantly surprised at how much that I LOVED THIS NOVEL. I was wrong in my assumptions about her being an author that writes fluff. I finally figured out that I had confused her with another author. For that I'm sorry because I discovered that this author is a top notch storyteller that writes from the heart and she breathes both life and depth into her characters. I'm so thrilled that I took a chance on reading "Summers at the Saint," because it was an excellent reading experience of which the pleasure was all mine. It's not a regular occurrence for me to discover such a talented and gifted author who exceeds my high expectations so that I relegate the untried writer as a new favorite of mine. In this case I couldn't be more thrilled to know that Mary Kay Andrews has a ton of previous published novels that I can look forward to reading in the near future. I'm so grateful that I have many wonderful novels by her that are waiting for me to enjoy.

This is one of those rare cases where I reread the synopsis that's posted both here on Good Reads and Net Galley after finishing reading a novel. In this case I did and I have serious reservations about my ability to write my review that does this spellbinding novel the same deserved justice that has already been described in the blurb. I will try my best to convey additional compelling reasons why this is a highly recommended novel not to skip reading. Its atmospheric setting is contained in the very beginning that caught my attention from the first few paragraphs. I know that sounds like a cliche to state that previous sentence of which it is a place that I would love to get the opportunity to visit myself, but I know that I can't because it's a place that was richly imagined by this wonderful author.

The setting takes place on a beautiful island that's a hotel resort with pink turrets that I visualize as a structural haven in which the guests are offered the finest amenities in every aspect. It is a family run place that for both me and some of the characters is something out of a fairy tale. Its clientele are wealthy and are offered the finest high end opportunities that guarantee only the best of everything that its patrons have come to expect. From the building's architecture, interior design, the picturesque landscaped grounds, on sight security, finest restaurants with top chefs and servers, including the customer service this resort aims to ensure that every detail you could dream of is aimed towards its patrons pleasure.

Traci first viewed this enchanted pink castle fishing with her grandfather when she was about six or seven years old, She glimpsed the improbable pink turrets and crenelated towers rising up out of the fog. To her the Hotel Resort Saint Cecilia looked like a pink wedding cake right out of a storybook. Her grandfather quickly but softly told her that people like her family don't belong there. The first time that she stepped foot on the property she was thirteen when a new girl from school invited her to attend a birthday party. She was excited to go to the party, but felt torn since her best friend Shannon was excluded. Two years later through a friend of a friend, Traci and Shannon got summer jobs working at the Saint's ice cream parlor, they rode their bikes across the river on the causeway that led from their working-class Bonaventure neighborhood to the rarefied atmosphere of the Saint Cecilia resort. Three weeks into their adventurous dream jobs they learned the lesson about the two distinct social classes existing in their small coastal community.

The manager of the ice cream shop noticed the two girls Traci and Shannon hanging around the pool after work, enjoying the company of two preppy-looking boys who were teenagers that they were having fun flirting together. The next day they were told by their boss that: "Y'all can't be messing with the hotel guests or the members or the members' kids. When Traci asked why not she was told the bosses don't like it in addition saying the members don't like their kids hanging out with the townies or the help. "Don't you get it? Those rich kids, they're Saints. Y'all are just Ain'ts." Things stayed that way until the owner's son Hoke Eddings met Traci and married her.

Traci is now a widow after years of being happily married to Hoke Eddings, which they had tried but weren't fortunate enough to have the children they hoped for. Hoke died in a tragic accident by which now in the present day Traci runs the Hotel resort the Saint Cecilia. Her sixty year old general manager named Charlie Burroughs who has just informed her that their chef that went to culinary school on the hotel's dime, and guest relations director are leaving. Traci is a strong yet kind employer who is both capable and bright and quickly takes immediate action to remedy this problem. First she hires her niece named Parrish who was planning on travelling abroad after finishing college
at Georgetown with a business degree in the Hospitality business. Traci and Parrish are like mother and daughter by which Traci persuades Parrish to reluctantly put off her program of further studying abroad for the summer season. Parrish agrees to be the guest relations director. Her niece lost her mother at a young age. She finds an excellent new chef named Felice who described mouth watering cuisine that made me hungry during her interview. I don't want to go into too much detail, but suffice it to say I admired Traci's innovative style and her caring nature in how she offered incentives and replaced her staff. There are two young men that will play a pivotal role to a tragic loss that hits closer to home that deepens the plot driving it with a momentum of pulse pounding suspense.

I thought that the vast amount of characters are well developed with a keen insight into human nature. They are impeccably written by a talented author whose prowess I can't praise highly enough. They are not all mentioned in this review, but there is a complexity and depth that made this a powerful and unforgettable novel. I loved Traci and many other characters who were realistic and three dimensional. I wanted to see her succeed with restoring this institution to its former glory. There are challenges with her brother-in-law who was determined to make her life difficult for his own self interests and greed. She will face some unexpected loss that will take her to the brink of despair. As situations that arise and continue to surmount more tension and suspense builds and as the plot drives forward there will be more life altering adversity she never could have anticipated. She will need to keep her wits about her at all times. She never compromises her integrity remaining well balanced allowing the characters who count on her expecting her to always be virtuous and make me root for her. The more that I read the more surprises that occurred that I never saw coming until this author was ready to reveal them. There will be alliances both gained and strengthened. On the flip side there will be trusted relationships that unravel. This is also a portrayal allowing the reader an acute psychological glimpse into some dark circumstances made by characters who did terrible things. The delicious twists that I hadn't been aware of, or expecting from this author due to my own presumptions as categorizing this as light reading fluff, turned out to be the exact opposite which impressed me in ways words aren't adequate to convey. I can't wait to see what Mary Kay Andrews writes in the future. If you are looking for a fascinating tale look no further than this novel. This is one that is unputdownable because once you start it you won't want to stop reading. It's also one that is sad to finish.

Publication Date: May 7th, 2024

Thank you to Net Galley, Mary Kay Andrews and St Martin's Press for providing me with my fantastic eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#SummersattheSaint #MaryKayAndrews #StMartinsPress #NetGalley

I can always count on MKA! I look forward to each new release and am never disappointed. Summer at the Saint is no exception. The story is fun, warm, and charming! And as always, makes me want a vacation!

Thank you NetGalley and St Marten’s press for providing me with this eARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

Traci is the CEO of the Saint Hotel, an idyllic island resort in Georgia, one she admired from afar as a child. She has struggled to keep it and herself afloat after the untimely death of her dear husband Hoke. For Traci, the staff are like family but it all goes sideways after a shocking death on the property. This tragic death leads to an unraveling of a massive scheme by some of the resort employees resulting in an explosive reveal of the truth.

This was not at all the story I expected from Mary Kay Andrews! The previous books I’ve read from this author have all been a bit more lighthearted so this was a surprise with its many dark twists and turns. While it wasn’t what I expected, I couldn’t put it down. The book started with each of the different characters sharing their experiences and views but halfway through only a few viewpoints were shared. Overall an engaging read 3.5 stars rounded up to 4!

I haven't read many Mary Kay Andrews books but I really liked this one. It's a combination of family drama and suspense with a mystery thrown in. It's basically about a rich southern family, the Eddings, that is used to getting what they want even if it hurts others. Traci marries into the family and is never quite accepted but she will do her darndest to do a great job running the family hotel resort and make her late husband proud. I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters in this story and seeing their interactions, rooting for some of them, despising others. and getting to know them and find out their secrets and how they are woven together. There were a few surprises that I didn't expect. I thought the story was going one way and then there was a detour. It's not a deep and difficult book but rather a great story that sucks you in and makes you want to keep reading until the last page.

I don’t think this book is ready. There is too much reiteration of information. I mean, if you’ve written the information once that’s enough. Twice is a little much. Three times or more is way too many times to tell the reader what’s happened.
Also, these people are just clueless and unbelievable. The plot point about the illegible writing is just silly. The girl was a college graduate and worked as one of the main front of house employees. I’m sure you could read her writing.
One of the male characters admits to dosing people early on. But these girls keep trusting him? Plus they make a big deal out of drug testing new hires. Shouldn’t they do follow up testing? The boys are just drugging out with no one the wiser. No repercussions what so ever.
Loose plot points all over the place. Why was Felice’s phone in Olivia’s room during the fire. Never mentioned again.
Conspiracy to commit murder would not get 5 years in prison. If Olivia drank the dosed Dr pepper early in the afternoon, why wouldn’t she be passing out before trying to break in the boys rooms?
The story was engaging enough that I got through it but I was bothered by too many inconsistencies. Maybe one more rewrite before publishing.

Mary Kay Andrews never disappoints - another great summer read. A fun romance (and mystery) set at a posh hotel. Shannon and Traci are friends who work at the same resort.....one summer changes their lives. That summer comes back to haunt them years later due to a secret...how will it change their lives?

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I loved this book!

Classic Mary Kay Andrews Southern feel good read with a little Kathy Hogan Trocheck mystery thrown in

Another fun escapade with my favorite "beach read" author. Mary Kan Andrews delivers a solid fun read every time. Her books aren't Earth shattering or life changing, I don't learn anything or uncover any great literary magic but sometimes I just want to relax with a glass of wine and an easy story to read. My favorite thing about her books is that while I won't say they are formulaic or predictable they are entertaining. That doesn't sound awesome but to me when I want to just be entertained, enjoy meeting some new characters that aren't going to haunt me forever, and finish a book without a hangover Mary Kay Andrews is an author that I reach for.

This book felt like a fresh, more modern story than I've read from MKA in a while. It had a little bit of whodunit too, which I don't associate with her books, but really liked and it definitely kept me engaged and turning pages!

I liked the hospitality/hotel aspect, it was super interesting to read about all the different jobs (and employee dynamics!) within a hotel. And I also really liked the main character; I felt like she was a strong, smart woman & her character was well-developed (I can't stand it when authors make the female characters idiots). I LOVED all the hotel details...imagining the Saint at the end of a long causeway in the water - gah I wish I could see a picture of this place in real life! Felt super glamorous and upscale & I definitely kept imagining how beautiful the hotel was.

I didn't love how blatantly the last chapter tied everything up with a bow - and believe me, I usually LOVE a good tiffany-bow ending. It just felt a little abrupt (and a tad far-fetched) that "6-weeks later" Traci would run into Ric and get to spend 10 mins on her soap box basically explaining the entire book. I'd like to believe Traci would have said a lot of that a lot sooner, especially since she was so guns-blazing about being at Madelyn's house the chapter before. Other things that didn't resonate with me: too much slang from all the young "kids" in the book (I'd think people could speak a little better at a super posh hotel like the Saint, even if they are "aints"), and Shannon's character (what a wackadoodle mom!).

I just generally love everything MKA writes! Great light, breezy, fun beach reads. Definitely reco this one!

Mary Kay Andrews books never disappoint. I flew through this book ! It had drama, small town charm, mystery, and it kept me guessing until the end. Even though it’s not a traditional “beach read,” it will be a great addition to this summers new book releases.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending an ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I love Mary Kay Andrews's books, and this one was no exception.
A summer mystery set at a five star hotel with some romance thrown in is my kind of book!
Traci and Shannon are friends who work at the resort when one summer changes their lives. Years later, that summer comes back to haunt them again.
The revelation of a tightly held secret will also change both of their lives.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's for this ARC which I received in exchange for my honest opinion.