The Summer of Yes was one of my most anticipated summer reads! It was a great reminder to not take the people that mean the most in your life for granted!

I loved the plot of this book and truly enjoyed the author’s writing style. I love a good read that is wholesome and really focuses on how special a relationship between two female friends can be. I was always taught to be there for other women even when they may have given you an excuse or two not to be in their corner. The two main characters in The Summer of Yes, Georgina Tate and Kelsey Worthington, did just that. Although, it took Georgina a little bit of time to warm up to Kelsey’s (too) bubbly personality and antics. I will say that the book fell a little short for me in a couple of places. I would have liked to see more sassy banter between Georgina and Kelsey. I was expecting more Thelma and Louise moments. I would have also liked to have seen a dash more romance. Overall, a good summer (with a few serious themes) read that I would recommend to anyone that loves the romance genre and women’s fiction.

Takeaway:
The Culture of Yes is becoming more and more popular in corporate america and higher education. This culture encourages a mindset of looking for any possible way to say yes. This required an individual to create solutions and possibilities to make things work instead of focusing on the negative outcomes and what could go wrong.

Favorite Quotes:
“It’s not always the big yeses that make a difference in your life. Sometimes that beauty of the moment is found in the little yeses of everyday life.”

“Because times change. People change. Life moves pretty fast. And if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Favorite Characters:
Hayden (Georgina’s Son)
Dylan (Georgina’s Husband)

This book was a dnf for me unfortunately, i couldnt get into it at all! I’m not sure what it was, maybe the timing but this book and I didnt click. I would still be interested in maybe picking up the paperback version or reading anything else by this author. The ARC copy is greatly appreciated!

Super cute! I did the audio on this and I kind of wish I read the book instead.. such great lessons to implement into my life! And it was likable and fun and cute!

I loved this book. Really made me think about putting yourself first and saying yes to yourself. I loved the relationship between Kelsey and Georgina that also developed perfectly.

It took me a long time to write this review because finishing this book left a void in me.

I'm not usually a reader of romance, but this book touched something in me. Kelsey's journey to self discovery is just beautiful, and touched me on a deeper level - the whole ~finding the balance between work and life~ is my current strugle. Also Georgina's personality and story is just marvelous. Full of regret and old patterns, and full of fear of change. Also, Hayden and his father are just *chefs kiss*.

I loved this book! It was fun to flip briefly between the two narrators. I didn’t love Tanya Eby this time which surprises me because I have loved her in the past. But Georgina’s narrator was awesome! I love that they got an actual older woman to do her voice. It made it so authentic! And I do feel Ms Eby’s voice for Georgina was pretty spot on as well. Kelsey and Hayden’s story was sweet and lovely, but Dylan and Georgina’s story was just as enticing to me. I will definitely be going back and reading more Courtney Walsh. She had me crying through the end but it was worth every sentimental tear. Thank you so much to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for this ALC!

I am a sucker for intergenerational friendships which was a main point in this one. While the characters could be a bit frustrating, overall I really enjoyed the plot and thought it was well written. The narrator was very good which helped with reading this one. Definitely would pick up more books by Walsh if I am looking for an easy read that I don’t need to think too heavily about.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this one in exchange for an honest review.

This is a quick easy read that follows the story of two unlikely to be friends who meet in unfortunate circumstances and one almost dares the other to explore the big mystery that is life.

I listened to the audiobook which passed the time quickly although it did feel that everything happened quite conveniently and there was a lot of history of hurt that was brushed away very quickly

Huge thank you to the author for this gifted copy!

This cover is the epitome of summer happiness. Kelsey starts off as an unhappy workaholic, but her decision to start saying "yes" brings her so much happiness along the way! It's a very joyful and hopefully book with great character arcs, and such the perfect summer read.

I could definitely relate to Kelsey, as I tend to be a people-pleaser at work and am actively trying to say "no" more in my work life so that I can say "yes" more in my personal life. It really resonated!

The audiobook performance was particularly joyful--I thought the narrator was a great fit.

Ah, Courtney Walsh. Can she write a bad book? The answer is no, absolutely not. I think is say this every time I read (or listen) to a book by her, but I just don't understand how its possible that every book I read by Walsh becomes a new favorite. The Summer of Yes should go in the dictionary as the definition of a perfect summer beach read. It was just so fun and a perfect escape. I couldn't get enough of the characters and this whole theme of saying yes and living your life, taking risks, and making and sharing memories with those you love/care for.. Seriously, I just loved every single minute listening to this warm, heartfelt, meaningful, and empowering story! A pure delight if every way, from both the story itself and the listening experience with the dual narrators, The Summer of Yes is a MUST read/listen!

Many thanks to HarperCollins Christian Publishing and Netgalley for the gifted audiobook!

The Summer of Yes will remind you what it’s like to take risks in life and how important it is to share time with those you care for. A warm and easy read.

** spoiler alert ** It took me way too long to get through this book, which is a clear indicator of how invested I was in it (hint: not very). I was intrigued by the premise, but it just fell flat for me.

My main complaint is one of my biggest reading pet peeves: instalove. The immediate, all-consuming love between Kelsey and Hayden was unrealistic and I would have preferred for Kelsey to have gone on this journey without the external influences and pressure of a romantic relationship. And, while we are on the subject of romantic relationships, I just did not buy the Greatest Love Story Ever Told brought to you by Georgina and Dylan. And do NOT get me started on the Georgina / Hayden relationship, because I might never stop.

This was both a visual / audio read for me and, while the narrators (Tanya Eby - Kelsey; Cathi Colas - Georgina) were fine, they definitely weren’t my favourites.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3 stars.

Solid 4 star read. I really, really loved the end. I can't deny that it took me a little while to really get hooked, but the pay off was definitely there. I loved the message of the story too. For me, it really resonated and was a good reminder about life.

I started off listening to this as an audiobook. And I almost didn’t continue. I kept questioning whether one of the voices was AI. But rather than give up, I switched to the written version and liked it better. Although, for me, it was a very slow start to a pretty simple story. But for me, the audiobook was not the way to go, I think it’s a very individual thing if you like a reader, or how they’re reading it, And this one did not work for me as an audiobook. It was easy to listen to, but one voice in particular didn’t do it for me.

It was the story of a young woman, Kelsey and an older woman, Georgina (cranky, successful business woman) who met in the hospital after Kelsey’s accident. Kelsey is an editor but aspiring writer who has given up her dream of writing and is living a “safe life” by saying no to anything out of her comfort zone. Georgina has a serious health condition and has made her own choices that she regrets. The story focuses on Kelsey getting Georgina to go along with her on a summer of saying “Yes”. There’s more to this story and of course relationships, choices and regrets that get explored. And multiple opportunities to say yes or have a chance to make a change to your life.

This book was cute but really took too long to get going for me, and then the end, felt rushed. I’m probably in the minority in not loving this, but I felt it was a bit repetitive and in places things just happened too quickly in terms of the romance. I did enjoy the second half of the book much more than the first. This would probably make a fun beach read and perhaps I wasn’t in the right mood for that.
#TheSummerofYes #netgalley

I LOVED this book! I listened to the audio and particularly enjoyed the dial narrators for Kelsey and Georgina. The story of their summer of yes, and all of the revelations were so delightful and enjoyable. I will definitely be recommending this to others!

This book was super fun, and that's exactly what I needed. I thought some of the characters were a little unbelievable at times, but I enjoyed their interactions. This book was actually not what I expected and I was pleasantly surprised.

This audiobook was an easy listen, but started slow. The plot was lackluster to me, but the characters were rich. I would've loved more substance to the love story as well - it felt too insta-love and I really prefer more tension and burn.

This book is so good! It's about a woman that has built a career but never taken chances, until a young woman enters her life and doesn't give her a chance. She takes a chance on love and finds true happiness. It was a beautiful story and very encouraging and empowering!

I really enjoyed this as a listen. It was well narrated and the characters felt real. I could imagine Kelsey and Georgina so different yet so alike.
The concept is a wonderful one and I loved hearing the authors note at the end. It gave the story even more importance to me. Maybe we should all be saying yes to more.
I think Georgina was my favourite character- she grew more than the others but there was still an element of her that was always going to remain and I liked that. The stubborn older lady who is too set in her ways to admit she might not know best. I saw a bit of myself in her.
Definitely one to add to the wish list.

I really enjoyed this audio book. It was an easy listen and the perfect summer read. I will definitely be picking up more books by Courtney Walsh!