Member Reviews
I enjoyed Summers at the Saint very much. Good mystery and family drama. Recommend this book to anyone that likes a cozy mystery.
Summers at the Saint
is a both a heartbreaking and heartwarming family saga. Mary Kay Andrews yet again tells an incredible story . This tale of love and loss will make you laugh and cry.
The Saint is a beach resort and country club with a fancy restaurant that has been catering to summer people in Bonaventure on a private island in Georgia since it was founded in the roaring 20s.
Saint CEO Traci Eddings, the widow of Hoke Eddings for the last four years after (they were married for twelve )he was killed in a plane crash. His grandfather was the founder of the Saint Cecelia.
Keeping the resort profitable has been difficult lately and when her chef and his wife, the guest relations manager take off for a higher paying opportunity, she hires a young chef new to the area with delicious ideas and good references. Traci also asks her niece Parrish to postpone a final semester abroad in her hospitality major to take the helm of the guest relations desk.
Traci also has a dorm built that both women live in along with a new waitress, Livvy; Garrett, the head waiter, and a young golf shop employee KJ,who flunked out of Wake Forest foisted on her by her brother-in-law.
Livvy’s mother Shannon used to be best friends until they were both lifeguards at the Saint pool in the late teens when a little boy Hudson drowned. Shannon was wrongly fired. Traci tried to object but was ignored and she met Hoke around that time.
They all help at the summer Beach Bash attended by 450 paying guests, back for the first time since the pandemic. Afterwards, the young kids went to a party on the beach at a place called the Shack.
The next morning Parrish didn’t show up for a breakfast with Traci and her phone went to voicemail, unlike her. After an extensive search, involving security, her body was found down a ravine behind the shack. And after an autopsy and testing, fentanyl was found in her system, and the authorities commenced a murder investigation.
There’s also Whelan who comes to the area looking into what really happened when his younger brother Hudson drowned years ago.
The story is even more complicated and better and better the more you read. There’s lots of characters you’ll love and others you’ll hate. Plenty of secrets and lies. It’s a mystery combined with women’s fiction. I highly recommend this new novel.
Mary Kay Andrews brings us to The Saint, a longstanding resort located off the coast of Georgia. The Eddings family has owned the resort for decades and after the pandemic, is struggling to make it back to the powerhouse resort it used to be. Traci is doing her best to retain and hire the best staff her budget will allow, while bringing back all the guest from years past. It is no easy task. Every time she turns around there seems to be a new obstacle to overcome and it usually costs her more money that she doesn't have. As she unknowingly gets closer to the truth, the unexpected worst things happen. How will The Saint and Traci ever recover from the tragedy?
I have read a few Mary Kay Andrews books over the years and I am always entertained. Her writing is well written and easy to follow. Short chapters are nice and easy to see whose point of view the chapter is coming from. I will always recommend Mary Kay Andrews to anyone who reads women's fiction and will always be happy to read any of her work, new or old. This will be a great summer beach read for 2024!! Special thanks to NetGalley, Mary Kay Andrews, and St. Martin's Press for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 4.5 stars for me!
#SummersattheSaint #NetGalley
This book deal with multiple losses and attempted murders which I wasn't aware off when I began reading. The books is good but its heavy . She's a widower of hotelier and is having difficulty with hiring post pandemic. She brings in a number of new staffers only for things to unravel.
Pandemic is not discussed other then recovering from pandemic impact on service industry.
*******************I received an ARC for mt honest opinion from NetGalley.************************
While I enjoyed this book, it wasn't my favorite from this author. I had trouble staying interested in the book, but that might have been due to pace. I have read just about every book from Mary Kay Andrews, and will definitely continue to.
Summers at the Saint is filled with some bada$$ women, who are amazingly strong and carry the story from start to finish. I loved the mystery woven throughout this book and while a few parts were predictable, overall I was pleasantly surprised. I also enjoyed the small touch of romance that was brought it, but was not the overarching vibe or plot of the book. Another hit by Mary Kay Andrews.
4.5 Stars.
Summers at the Saint is a well-written and engaging book, reminiscent of author Mary Kay Andrew’s older bestsellers. Character driven, beautiful beach locale, light mystery, strong women and Ms. Andrew’s signature sense of humor add up to create a fun story that will certainly be a best seller this summer.
Welcome to the St. Cecelia, a landmark hotel on the coast of Georgia, where traditions run deep and scandals run even deeper. . . .
I myself, am from a resort town on the coast of Georgia, so I was thrilled to get to read this one.
They call it The Saint. If you were lucky enough to live here or vacation here, you were a Saint. If you cleaned the rooms, you were an Ain’t. Sounds about right.
Traci was an Ain’t. Until she married the boss;s son. A true love match made tragic when her husband dies young. But Traci was made to run The Saint. She has learned every aspect and runs a tight ship. She thinks.
The Saint has been having troubles with money and not enough staff and throw in a nasty brother-in-law and his greedy wife and things get good.
Traci bribes her niece to work for the summer and live with a bunch of teenagers in the dorm. But is it going to work? Or will it all backfire spectacularly?
One thing I do love about MKA’s stories is that they aren’t all sweetness and light. They are real. People behave badly, people die, and human nature is unpredictable. But hope and love with some laughs, make it charming.
NetGalley/ St. Martin’s Press May 06, 2024
Love love loved this!! I love everything by MKA but this one was by far my favorite.MKA IS A MASTER STORYTELLER and this one did not disappoint.
a young girl gets a job at the saint hotel, she ends up marrying the owner, and after he dies, she must struggle tp keep it open. love any book by Mary kay Andrews.
A poor girl gets a job as a teenager at the ultra-luxe St. Cecelia resort and her life will never be the same. The story begins when that girl, now around forty and grieving the death of her husband, must struggle to keep the doors of the resort open. Because she married one of the owners and now owns a majority share.
But scandal and skullduggery abound in this action-packed, emotional story. I was thoroughly entertained.
Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews
Ahhhhhh! MKA has done it again with a story about a longstanding resort, secrets of the past, and the connections between the family that currently manages the resort. Full of family secrets, meddling employees, love and loss, you won’t want to miss reading this book this summer! Like her more recent books, MKA has returned to her roots, incorporating a mystery into her story, and I am here for it! Don’t miss Summers at the Saint, out 5/7/2024!
I just love a Mary Kay Andrews read - it's something to look forward to every summer! I was so excited to get an ARC for Summers at the Saint! It's long but thoroughly entertaining! Love the whodunit aspect of the book and the characters were fun {and some very unlikable!} Can't wait to see this book on the must-reads list for the summer season!
This entire book is a case study on what happens when you try to hard. Every current cliche, hot topic buzzword, and stereotype were part of the plot.
There were many main plot points that were so unbelievable and would never happen. Honestly, the entire story is implausible.
Three stars for the lovely setting and sticking it to the man.
Thank you, Net Galley, for the ARC.
MKA is a go to author for me and I couldn't hit read quick enough when I saw that her newest was available. It has not even been talked about much on their Friends and Fiction podcast, it is that new! She hit it out of the park again with this one--just enough mystery to keep you wondering and a great storyline weaving it all together. What a great story. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.
Mary Kay Andrews’ books are always a goto for me, and Summers at the Saint did not disappoint! MKA has such a great way of weaving a mystery while still having a story with heart and love. Summers at the Saint’s mystery had me questioning everybody with it’s twists and turns and concluded with can’t put down action! Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the chance to review this great book that will definitely be on my list of Summer must read recommendations.
This was my first read of Andrews and I really enjoyed it! I was expecting to read a beachy fiction/romance novel, so I was pleasantly surprised by the mystery. As a lover of thrillers, this made my day. The first several chapters were voiced by different characters, and I worried that I would have a hard time keeping track of them all, but eventually everyone fell into their places smoothly. I can't say that I connected to any romance, nor did I really feel any beachy vibes. The relationship between Traci and her new beau felt a little stiff and there weren't enough scenic moments for me to feel like I was at or near a beach. Despite this, the story was still very good. The mystery aspect won me over. Without it, I don't think I would have enjoyed the book as much. I would definitely recommend to mystery lovers!
Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for granting me digital access in exchange for my honest review!
i was SO drawn in my the cover and the title of this book, and decided that i'd go into reading with a mostly blind reaction. what i was expecting was a typical summer romance, and it was so much more. it had a great setting, humor, and the characters were diverse. there was a lot happening to keep me interested in the storyline.
what i struggled with during this read was the number of characters we needed to keep track of. i don't think this is necessarily a bad thing, i just had a hard time following along with everyone. i think that i would've LOVED a little more romance throughout, but overall a good read
Mary Kay Andrews delivers another quintessential beach read with Summers At The Saint. This was a book hangover read for me. The characters were so well done. Mystery, romance, betrayal, reunited friendships and a look into the rich and famous all held me captive.
A five star read that should be moved up on your summer reading list.
My thanks to #NetGalley and #St. Martin's press for giving me an opportunity to early read Summers At The Saint in return for a fair and honest review.
Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews has it all: suspense, romance, murder. Traci Eddings is trying to save her late husband's hotel. She struggles through staff shortages and financial troubles, only for there to be a murder and arson at the hotel. Will the hotel survive? What is the truth? Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.