Tracy is trying to keep the exclusive resort, the Saint, up and running after COVID. She's trying to increase salaries, provide a place for staff to live, hire more people—the list is endless. Plus, she's mourning the loss of her husband four years ago.
Things are going well until someone turns up dead. Before time, could she figure out what was happening at the Saint? Can it be saved?

I loved the audiobook. It was fun to listen to! As always, MKA gives you those wonderful summer vibes. It is a great beach read.

TLDR: Easy murder-mystery beach read, but not one of my favorites. 3.5 stars. Good narration.

Traci Eddings has taken over running the storied Saint Cecelia Hotel after her husband's untimely death. As she prepares for another summer running the Saint, she's met with the departure of some of her key staff members. With an eye towards enticing new people to work at the storied hotel, she decides to take a tip from the past and build staff housing to help with the high property costs in the area. Her niece Parrish, her ex-best friends daughter, Livvy, wait staff Garrett, affluent KJ, and head chef Felice take up residence in the staff house and are the key, Traci hopes, to reviving the Saint to its glory days. After the murder of one of their own, and a death from the past coming back to threaten the resort's future, Traci has to work to solve the mysteries of the past and a murder that hits close to home in order to save her beloved hotel.

This was my first Mary Kay Andrews book and I found it to be an easy beach read. The story was good, the setting was there, but I just didn't connect with the characters or the writing. The characters were one dimensional and the grief that was a center of the novel wasn't deep enough to be believable.

Liked, but didn't love.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copies.

Summers at the Saint is Mary Kay Andrews at her best. It’s got mystery, romance, family drama, and plenty of coastal southern charm - as do all her books! It’s another solid installment from the Queen of the Beach-Read-Mystery. I recommend this to anyone who’s enjoyed previous MKA books, anyone who wants a beach read with a bit more complexity than most, or anyone missing the the South this summer.

The narrator, Kathleen McInerney, does a great job per usual. She’s narrated many MKA novels and novellas and I’ve come to associate her voice with strong female protagonists and southern beach towns. Highly recommend!

Thank you MacMillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

If you are looking for a poolside, beach read please ignore the swimsuit, palm trees, and seemingly happy woman on the cover. A poolside, beach read this isn't. Though there are some scenes set at pools and on the beach the location is fairly irrelevant to the storyline.
This book is hard to rate because it was so inconsistent. When it was good I enjoyed it, when it wasn't so good I rolled my eyes.

I knew from the beginning there were way too many characters in this book. Not only are an excessive number of characters unnecessary, it is impossible to develop them well. And so, simply put, they weren't well-developed. And the reader really needs to know more about both KJ and Garrett to make it make sense.

About 1/3 if the way through the book takes a turn from the beachy resort story the reader thinks they are reading to a murder mystery. I admit I did not see that coming and that wasn't what I was looking for. The frustrating thing is, the latter half of the book wasn't bad. It required some suspension of disbelief (the Tylenol PM story for example), but Andrews did a good job creating some twists to keep the reader guessing. That said, I found the big reveal to be predictable. I also had a pretty good handle on the whodunit, albeit not the breadth of it, by the end. That and the explanation of why the victim was chosen just fell flat. In short, the story was convoluted while there were also places the story was undeveloped.

The book had some inconsistencies. Andrews couldn't seem to decide whether or not Traci was a sad widow or not. Introspectively she is grieving, but is annoyed when people express sympathy. The "new will" storyline was repeated more than once, almost identically, for reasons that are unclear to the reader.
I didn't love Andrews' use of the term "lizard brain". I don't love the use of animal terminology to refer to humans anyway and historically applying them to people of color is not an endearment.

The book seems both too long and as if it resolves too quickly and with too much of a neat bow. It kept me listening, but I didn't find myself rushing to get back to it to find out what would happen next.

The narrator: at the beginning of the book the narrator was not my favorite. She had a little girl voice that I didn't like. As the story progressed the voice work improved somewhat. Or at least I got used to it.

This review feels terribly scattered and I think that speaks to the book. A good editor would have gone a long way in trimming the fat and tightening up what could have been an interesting story.

You guys! Let’s talk
I’ve been going through and reading Mary Kay Andrew books so far this is my favorite!
The story takes place in Florida, main character says that she loves the saint. The saint is a resort hotel and as a teenager, she grows up and actually gets a job there, and throughout the beginning of the book 1st couple of chapters, it mentions that she marries the owners son.
Now, as an adult, she’s struggling to keep her business afloat in the new wave of this next generation battling the traditions of the old generation! as you go through the story, there are some tragedies that happen, and some mysteries from present time and past. And a little love interest. Just keep in mind that MarykayAndrews is so amazing at creating these characters that have such death to them keep in mind that every character mentioned has a very very big storyline. As a native Floridian, this story taking place in Florida, gave me all the vibes I needed to get me started to transition from spring to summer..

I typically enjoy Mary Kay Andrews books because they are the perfect romantic summery escape. But unfortunately I couldn’t get into this one. There were far too many characters and too much going on. The romance took a backseat to the mystery. And honestly the narrator made the characters sound so immature and whiney that it was really hard to focus at times. I appreciate the opportunity to listen to this one early and I’m still a MKA fan! Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio!

I received a complimentary copy of this book "Summers at the Saint" and all opinions expressed are my own. I listened to the audiobook (although I also downloaded the kindle book). Mystery, drama, romance, friends, great setting, twists and turns. I am really enjoying audiobooks lately. The narrator was excellent! This book is just what you need for your summer read.

This was a fun read with mystery and levity at the same time, felt like visiting a resort while also solving a mystery. I’m not normally an audiobook user, so given the number of characters- I had to binge in order to keep track of them! But I was fully intrigued, so this wasn’t a problem.

My last (and first!) MKA was “Bright Lights, Big Christmas” so this was a nice pivot as the weather warms up!

Thank you for the opportunity to ARC.

Set at a picturesque Southern beachside resort, Summers at the Saint delivers on so many fronts. Mystery? Check. A touch of romance? Check. Workplace drama? Check. Friend drama? Check. Family drama? Big check. I enjoyed the pacing and many characters and perspectives in this book, which can get muddled and confusing in audio format, but the narrator did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life and making the story compelling and comprehensible. However, I found the mystery a little lacking as it was quite predictable, especially when comparing with the author's other titles. Nonetheless, Mary Kay Andrews is the queen of summer reads, and this is another solid book from a skilled, veteran writer. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for gifting me with an ALC to review! All opinions are my own.

Read this if you like:
•Family drama
•Scandals
•Whodunit mystery element
•Fancy resort setting

This book has something for everyone. There’s mystery, drama, romance & lots of secrets. The setting was atmospheric and in true MKA fashion, there are some twists!

This will be out in May! Thank you Macmillian audio for the ALC

📖 Summers at the Saint
✍🏻
⭐️ 4
🫶🏻 ARC #30 of 2024
📚 79/100
Summers At The Saint was such a cute book. Easy to give 4 stars ⭐️ too. This book has romance, mystery, drama and thrill. I truly LOVE a book that has it all. All the characters were written so well, and even the villains were enjoyable. Such a great ending and I was continuously rooting for the good guys (and gals)!

Classic Mary Kay Andrews!

Summer at the Saint is the perfect Summer read. The cover is cool and attractive. You will enjoy this entertaining story, well written characters and murder mystery. Don’t miss the fun’s and intrigue. Kathleen McInerey does a great job with the narration.

Loved it! This will be the #1 read of the Summer.

Thanks NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely LOVED Summers at the Saint.
I was given advanced access to the audiobook, thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio. I listened to the entire book in less than24 hours! I've read a few books by Mary Kay Andrews, but this one left me wanting to read more by her!
The story has all the things...murder, romance, family drama, and friendship.
I highly recommend Sumer at the Saint! Publication date is May 7th,

I always find Mary Kay Andrews' annual summer novel an entertaining beach read. Summers at the Saint is no exception. It has everything I like: a great summer setting with a 5 star resort; a focus on the staff; a mystery that arcs twenty years; and a bit of romance. Andrews story is addictive will not disappoint her fans.
Narration:
Kathleen McInerney delivers a fine performance making the audiobook, in my humble opinion, the way to go with this novel. I always enjoy her narration.

Full of mystery and scandal and full on summer vibe. Enjoy reading how all of the characters stories came together at the end. The narrator was excellent at telling all the characters story.

I have not read a book by Mary Kay Andrews in years, so I was excited to see an upcoming book, Summers at the Saint, offered on @netgalley. At the beginning, I was overwhelmed by the number of characters who were introduced. My main advice with this book, is stick it out, and the story will start to flow. The character’s stories will start to meld together and make sense. The book is a mystery, with a love story mixed in. Some of the elements of the story were predictable, but there were enough surprises to keep you entertained.

The audio book of Summers at the Saint is enjoyable. The narrator’s reading style helps the reader differentiate the characters in a conversation. There are smooth transitions between the chapters and the character’s point of view is identified at the beginning of the chapter.

Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews is set against the beautiful backdrop of the St. Cecelia, a charming coastal hotel, known for being rich in tradition and scandals. Traci Eddings battles staff shortages, financial woes, and a scheming brother in law while trying to restore the hotel to its former glory. But unexpected revelations and a tragic incident threaten to unravel everything.
Mary Kay Andrews writes an amazing story of resilience and redemption with her signature humor and intricate plot twists. After having read all of this authors published work, Summers at the Saint has proven to be my absolute favorite! Brimming with mystery, suspense, and intrigue, you won’t want to put this one down.
The audiobook version of this book is equally fantastic, featuring an outstanding narrator. This book is a beach read that goes beyond, offering depth and a story that you won’t soon forget!

This is the PERFECT listen for your beach time this summer! It has everything you want-- a resort setting, rich family drama, murder, romance, intrigue! I loved spending some time with the staff of the Saint resort. The author introduces multiple POV in the first few chapters and it initially felt like it might be too many, but that passed after those initial chapters. While this story was long at over 400 pages in print, I found myself endeared to these characters and invested in their storylines. This is my favorite Mary Kay Andrews novel yet (Homewreckers is a close second) and I will be recommending it to everyone for their summer reading!