I've read most of Mary Kay Andrew's books and I guess by the title I was thinking this was a light hearted beach read...it's not. It's more of a who-done-it book in a beach resort. There were a lot of characters introduced early in the book and at times, I had to go back and see who was who. The characters were likable and interesting, but with subjects like an early death of a character, rape, theft, infidelity and blackmail, it also had a dark side. I really liked the character that died and wish she would have been in a coma or hospitalized, and later survived because she was so young. All in all I enjoyed the book, and the author brought the characters to life and had me interested in the outcome, so I'd recommend it, even though it wasn't one of my favorites. I'd actually rate it a 3.5 but went with a 4 because of the characters.

MKA is one of my favorite authors and I always looks forward to her new releases.
Summers at the Saint did not disappoint! Taking place on St. Cecilia Island, on the Georgia coast, , the ‘Saint’ resort is where the rich go for the summer. If you live in the area, you are either an Ain't or a Saint. Traci was born an Ain't, but married into the family who owns the Saint. Her husband died and she is in charge of the resort. We meet other members of her husband's family, who also are at the hotel. Since Covid, the Saint has been trying to get back on track. Traci comes up with some ideas to boost their revenues, but she receives pushback from other staff. We also learn of the drowning of a young boy years ago at the resort, which is now being investigated by his brother.
This is not a summer romance book, but more a murder mystery, , lots of twists and turns and with some romance thrown in. I couldn’t put it down, it was perfect read for a recent snow day!
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for this advanced copy.

With her usual style, Mary Kay Andrews has written a romance wrapped in a mystery. "The Saint" is a well-known resort on an island off the coast of Georgia. Built in the robber baron tradition and run by the widowed Traci Eddings who married into the family, Saint Cecelia is facing economic difficulties that began with the Covid epidemic. With workforce shortages and a malignant brother-in-law scheming to run Traci off, she has her hands full trying to get the resort back in the black.

Things are further complicated when the brother of a boy who drowned many years ago shows up to investigate that death. Then Traci's beloved niece Parrish is found dead on the property. More catastrophe follows and Traci and her cast of summer helpers try to get to the bottom of things.

Fans of Mary Kay Andrews will enjoy this addition to her books. It's hard to put down once you start so even though it will make a great beach read, go ahead and read it now.

I love Mary Kay Andrews, I have read all her books, they are always fun and well written. Summers at the Saint was no exception full of lots of twists, part mystery and part romance. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this arc.

Heroine’ struggles to balance the image she presents to the world with her true self hit close to home, and her internal dialogue was both hilarious and sincere. I loved how by the end she finally reached her very own version of zenith.

I was asked to read this book, and I am glad I was because I really had fun with this read! I enjoyed following along with Traci, who came from the "wrong side of the tracks", but wound up on the other side through marriage and hard work at a hotel, which years later she owns. In an effort to re-establish the hotel to its former status, Traci tries to figure out a drowning mystery while navigating some emotional ups and downs. I really enjoyed reading about the setting - this was a strong point in the book because I really felt like I was there based off of the descriptions. The author wove in her trademark romance and humor with some twists along the way. Another great story for relatable characters, which Mary Kay Andrews just excels at.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Twists and turns great characters a must read you will not be able to put this down will want to finish and then will be sad it's over

I’m a big fan of this author because her books are always quick reads that are light and entertaining with quirkly banter, romance and some fun beach read setting.

I expected this book to be more of a beach read rather than a murder mystery at a beach hotel setting. There was a lot going on in this book in terms of various characters and back stories, which seemed a bit scattered at times. I totally get what she was doing and she managed a few twists in the end, but I still found it entertaining. Like her last book, Homewreckers, I felt like the romance came out of thin air and felt more like convenience than believable.

With that said, this is one of those books where all the dirty secrets come out after someone dies. There are many layers to uncover on this family.

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for allowing an advanced digital copy of this book.

I can always count on Mary Kay Andrews for what I think of my most perfect summer book and she's done it again with Summers at the Saint.

Summers at the Saint has all the ingredients that make me happy -- a dollop of family drama, with a dash of mystery, with a sprinkle of romance -- all plated in a location that screams summertime.

I binge read this in a little over a day and I really enjoyed the varying POV throughout the book. I'd happily read another based on another of the females introduced in this book (Team Felice!).

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy of this book!

This was my first Mary Kay Andrews book and definitely not what I expected! I assumed it would be a romance novel but this had a ton of twists and turns that I did not see coming (and a few I did). The characters were all well written although I felt like some of the dialogue was a little unrealistic. There was a little bit of everything in here and I am a fan!

I would like to thank NetGalley, St.Martins Press and Mary Kay Andrews for my ARC in exchange for an honest opinion review. I found this book to be one of her better cozy mysteries that she has written in recent years. There were parts that reminded me of Bebe and Weezie but I wish she would dove a little deeper into Livvy and Felice's friendship. Without spoilers, I wish she would have given us more scenes with KJ, Madelyn and Garrett so the conclusion would have been more fulfilling. I also felt there was going to be a set up connection between Hudson and Parrish's death. Speaking of Parrish, there just did not seem to have enough grief over her death by anyone. I also wanted Ric to get more little more in the end. He is entitled brat and deserved more coming to him. I also was worried about Lola and the long hours that Traci works. As always, I always look forward to May and MKA's release.

Summer? check. Romance? check. Dead body? check. Summer, or in my case, the sub-freezing apocalypse, begins with MKA. There are a lot of characters introduced early in this book and they were easy to remember as I settled into the book. Lots of fun and some dark twists and turns that left me guessing. You will want to read this one when it's out. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a chance to read an ARC of this one early.

This was a delightful quick fun story! I pretty much knew how it would play out and if you read MKA you know her formula but it's still a good book. I requested this book solely on the gorgeous cover but actually enjoyed the story!

Could not put this down! The beginning of the book had lots of characters to learn but they soon feel into place easily and the rest of the book flowed well and easy to read. I thoroughly enjoyed the story of characters that show their true colors when it matters most.

Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews. Summers at the Saint has a little of everything mystery romance. The descriptions of the food made you hungry.

At the Saint Cecilia resort, a beautiful place for beautiful people, gorgeous sunsets, gourmet food, mystery and intrigue abound. In true Mary Kay Andrews style, this novel offers great characters and plot twists topped with just enough romance. I could hardly put it down!

The gorgeous setting of The Saint, a historic southern beach resort, and its cast of employees & colorful guests captured my attention from beginning until end. While young widow, Traci, struggles to keep The Saint operating as same prestigious resort the wealthy love to visit, not everyone working there has the same ideals. Who can be trusted?

MKA hooks the reader with interesting characters I wanted to befriend, as well as a few I loved to hate. Full of secrets, friendship, mystery, romance, and a murder to solve, this book is a great get-away when you need to escape.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, and Mary Kay Andrews for this advance readers copy. I loved every moment of reading it!

I received a digital ARC from NetGalley. MKA delivers another great book, it’s a quick read with mix of murder, mystery, romance and family drama. There are lots of twists and turns and at times I’d thought I’d figured something out only to be mistaken. Definitely recommend

Thanks to @macmillanusa and #NetGalley for the digital ARC of #SummersattheSaint. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Romance is not a genre a pick up frequently, yet this is the second novel by this author that I've really enjoyed. It's more of a genre mash-up - mystery + light romance - with a strong, capable female protagonist and several overlapping mysteries that held my attention and even managed to surprise me a little.

This is clearly a beach read, but reading it during an arctic blast made the cold and snow more tolerable. Andrews books seem a little formulaic, but I've enjoyed them and will likely read more from her.

Disappointing from an established author. This was really not good. There is.. possibility.. but it needs a massive editing overhaul before publication which I don't think will happen at this point. The story is disjointed, the villain is obvious, there's so many unnecessary words, and while it's clearly trying to be a thriller it's not.. thrilling. Nor fun enough to be a cozy. Just kind of.. blah.