I loved this book. It made me feel happy. I listened to this one and felt like I was right there with Kelsey! I lived how she got out of her comfort zone and inspired others to get out of their comfort zones too!

I LOVED this feel good book. I was lucky enough to get an #arc of #thesummerofyes from #netgalley and flew right through it. The narrator was fantastic, the underlying messages of the book were great, and even the note from the author at the end added to the entire experience. If you are looking to say yes to a different kind of love story, say yes to yourself and this book!

Strong 4 stars! Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for allowing me to read this book! This was so good! This is about a woman who gets hit by a car and wakes up in a hospital with no memory of the event and nobody there to be with her. She ends up sharing a room with a 75 year old lady who is the CEO of a huge make up company. The woman is cold and very businesslike, but as the book goes on the 2 form a friendship (led by our main character, Kelsey). Georgina (the older lady) had put her career above EVERYTHING including her husband and son for her entire life, so now near the end of her life she has nobody. She serves as a cautionary tale of sorts for Kelsey because Kelsey is currently living a similar lifestyle as an editor. Kelsey convinces Georgina to join her in her "summer of yes" where she says yes to things that had formerly scared her. She starts putting her friends first, putting herself out there, etc. She and Georgina go on a road trip and, unbeknownst to Georgina, they're going to see her son and husband. The way they all come together was so interesting and heartwarming to watch. Realistic? probably not. Entertaining and sweet? YES! At first I was thinking, "please don't have a romance in this book", but when the romance did come I was so here for it! Overall, this was a great read!

What a cute summer story! I love the cover and this author was new for me. It was such a blow me away cute story! I kept smiling the whole time! I loved the character development and the banter so much!! A must read for summer! The audiobook was amazing! Great narration

Loved this book. It was such a sweet premise and I loved her bravery to say yes to things that scared her and she normally would say no to.

After sharing a hospital room with her professional idol, who she aspires to be like, Kelsey realizes that if she keeps going on her current trajectory (anti-social workaholic), her life may not be quite as great as she thinks it will be. So she goes on an adventure of saying yes to all the things she normally wouldn't, dragging her reluctant new mentor, Georgina, along for the ride. (Be warned, the adventure is just to one place... not very adventurous)

Let's talk Kelsey. I'm not quite sure why she thinks she's on the same trajectory as Georgina. G is a take-no-prisoners do-what-it-takes kind of woman, whereas professionally, Kelsey is kind of a doormat. She may want to be like Georgina, but she's not. Even as I say that, though, I have to acknowledge that she's persistent, at least with Georgina. But in a strangely weak, slightly petulant way.

Georgina: I identified the most with her. Not because I'm tough or hard core in anyway, but the way her innermonologue told the truth of how she wanted to react, but the wrong thing always came out because she was so afraid. To me, definitely the more nuanced character.

Hayden and Dad: Both complete cinnamon rolls. Like, to the point of being walked all over by their mother/wife. The romance wasn't super engaging for either of them... maybe a little more flutter with Hayden/Kelsey... but if you're looking for a swoony romance, this isn't it.

This is definitely woman's lit focused on the character arcs of Kelsey and Georgina, and I will say that in the end, Kelsey learned to stand up for herself at work, and Georgina learned to prioritize her family, so that was good.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, from whom I receive da complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Rating: 4 ⭐️
Pub Date: July 2, 2024
How I Read It: 🎧

Synopsis
Sometimes you’re too busy with work and you realize that you’ve missed out on your life. This is the realization Kelsey Worthington has after she is sitting in a hospital bed because she got hit by a car. After waking up next to Georgina Tate, a legendary business woman in NYC, she realizes that things need to change. Even though her and Georgina are very different, they are met with the same regret: they have said “no” to too many things in their life, and it’s time to start saying “yes.” Kelsey coaxes Georgina into a taking an adventure with her, to catch up on all the things they have said “no” to in their life.

My Thoughts
This was such a cute, feel good story, one that I really needed to listen to. I myself fall into the trap of saying no to everything because my priority is work. This story was so sweet and heartwarming, and I just loved that Kelsey and Georgina were so different because it made their banter was adorable. There’s a couple of love stories woven into it, which I won’t spoil for you, but were fun and cute to read.

Final Thoughts
You will fall in love with each of the characters and cheer them on throughout the book. Overall, this is a fun summer read and great for a day at the beach!

❗️Of Note
🏥 Illness/Death

Themes:
🎶 Friendship
🚗 Road Trip

Ratings
Characters: 5 ⭐️
Pace: 3 ⭐️
Enjoyability: 4 ⭐️
Narrator: 5 ⭐️

Thank you to HarperCollins Christian Publishing | Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

I feel like this is one of those stories that everyone can benefit from reading and also is a book that needs very little description. Just pick it up and start reading!

This book pulled me out of my reading slump and had me invested from the very beginning. I really enjoyed following Kelsey and Georgie through this story, seeing the parallels and differences in their stories and watching how the two could help shape one another’s lives as they each figure out what’s next for them. Such a great women’s fiction meets romance story with awesome themes!

Many thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for an advanced audiobook copy of this story. Both narrators did a great job bringing these characters to life. All opinions are my own.

"The world is going to tel you all kinds of things about yourself. You're not good enough or smart enough or strong enough or thin enough or rich enough or talented enough. They'll come up with a million reasons you can't do the thing you want to do. The thing you were born to do."

I loved the relationship between Kelsey and Georgina! They played off of each other really nicely with their quick wit and ways they showed they cared about each other. I enjoyed that the romance(s) took a backseat to the themes of friendship and second chances. I can always count on Courtney Walsh for a clean and sweet read. I truly enjoyed the story!

Thank you to Netgalley, Thomas Nelson Fiction and Courtney Walsh for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Summer of Yes by Courtney Walsh and narrated by Tanya Eby & Cathi Colas is not only a perfect Summer listen/ Read but also, an inspo-novel for year round


Kelsey wakes up in hospital and finds out she has been hit by a car and sustained a non-life threatening but quite painful head injury. She is a workaholic, always doing everything she thinks is right to stay under the radar, work hard, get a promotion. Saying no to the majority of social events in her private life, work work work. But when the glamorous and very well known Georgina Tate is wheeled in to share her hospital room, life begins to turn in the direction that she chooses for herself

Georgina Tate is hugely successful as a businesswoman, a mogul of the cosmetics world, but like Kelsey, she is alone, a little bitter, and with kidney failure. Incensed at having to share a hospital room with someone who is as headstrong as she is, yet, this woman, kelsy, Calli, Kaley, whatever, has an idea. What if we start saying yes to everythig, what if we stop denying ourselves everything we want in life You know what? Road Trip!

I absolutely adore this book and it translates so well as an audiobook too thanks to Tana Eby and Cathi Colas' outstanding narrating. Bright, driven, dynamic and touching, this is probably one of my favourite Summer reads this year. Bloody wonderful

Thank you to Netgalley, HarperCollins Christian Publishing | Thomas Nelson Fiction, Courtney Walsh and the narrators for this fantastic ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

I said YES this summer to reading this book. It was a delightful summer read...all the good feels. The women get their men as we all know they will in the end, but it's the journey that makes this novel a delight. Although these are two rom-com tropes, I think they can apply here to the two protagonists, Kelsey Worthington and Georgina Tate. Trope #1 - Grumpy (Georgina) v. Sunshine (Kelsey) and Trope #2 - Second Chances...both protagonists get a second chance at life, and all because they braved their fears and said YES!!

I listened to The Summer of Yes as an audiobook and really enjoyed it. Whenever there is more than one narrator, it allows the story to move along well. The book was really pleasant and made me smile on more than a few occasions.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC The Summer of Yes by
Courtney Walsh (Audiobook version)
This is not my first title I have read from Courtney Walsh, so I was excited to get this one, especially during the summer perfect Summer time read.
It did start off a little slow, but picked up a few chapters in, I love the friendship between Kelsey & Georgina, I like the road trip aspect, for me and I think most people Kelsey is very relatable, Georgina is a blunt srong woman who speaks her mind. This was the perfect summer read! I recommend it!

A fun story! This book is a good choice for someone who likes a curmudgeon, second chances, sailing, and the publishing industry.

I loved the relationship between Kelsey and Georgina and how they each made a positive impact on the other. Saying yes to things you’d normally decline can be a real challenge to get outside your comfort zone and experience something new. 🤔

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Christian Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.

If Courtney Walsh writes it, I’m going to read it. The Summer of Yes was an absolute delight to read. I especially enjoyed how the narrators brought the audiobook to life. It had a slow start but once I got into the story I loved it. It got me thinking about life and the things I say no to. Also, I loved the message about second chances. I loved this book and will be thinking about it for a long time to come.

3.75* I really love the premise of this book. I love the friendship that blooms, and the parallels between Georgina and Kelsey. Though with Kelsey I had a hard time imagining her as a workaholic. In the first few chapters yes, but once we get into the story she seems so free and fun loving. Don't get me wrong she did have some struggles with saying "yes" but overall I felt like it was just too easy for her. I had a hard time remembering that she was supposed to be a corporate minion. The other problem that I have with this story is that they never present the option for a woman to have a family and be a successful business woman. Maybe that is impossible and I just have my head in the clouds. I don't know.
The plot is good, its light, and fun, we have a cute romance that blooms, there are some cute dates and adventures, the message is great.
I did listen to the audiobook, which is read by 2 narrators - one for each FMC. I really loved the narrator for Kelsey, which thankfully was the majority of the book. Georgina's chapters were fine, but the audio quality was actually terrible. It really bothered me in the beginning - I did eventually get used to it but I would expect better.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins publishing for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review :)

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. This was such a fun and refreshing book. I loved all the characters and how they wanted the best for each other.

3.5 rounded down.

A good story that is a bit muddled in the telling. The movie references are distracting. I love movies and quote them frequently, but even I found the references in this were too frequent. They didn't really fit with anything else the story was trying to do. If Kelsey's dream had been to write film scripts rather than novels, this choice would have made a lot more sense.

The younger narrator for the audiobook was a bit grating to listen to. She sounded somehow both too old and too young and bubbly? Like a middle-aged woman trying to sound young. Weird choices were made.

Oh man, y'all...THIS. BOOK. Courtney Walsh is absolutely brilliant. This lovely story gave me all the feels and genuinely inspired me. I love when a book truly leaves a profound impact and this one absolutely did. I can't wait to recommend this to literally everyone.

Georgina...Total Devil Wears Prada vibes and I'm here for it. Georgina is so classy and crabby. 😂 I love how tough she is on the outside, but how kind she really is inside. I respect how she rose to success in a business world that wasn't the easiest for a female, but my heart breaks for her because of what that hard work and focus cost her. My absolute favorite though was her journey home.

Kelsey...I identified right off the bat with her because she's close to my age and I have to admit...I often play it safe just like her. I thought the entire premise of Kelsey's summer of yes was so neat. Definitely makes me want to work on saying yes more too!

Hayden...What an absolute sweetheart. He's just so incredibly kind and wonderful from the very beginning and he only gets better as the story progresses. I really liked how he encouraged and pushed Kelsey and his mother. It's difficult to find the perfect balance of those two actions, but he absolutely made it work.

Things I loved:
❤️The voice actors (especially Georgina)
❤️Kelsey's mom (and her difficult questions/wisdom)
❤️J.P.
❤️The friendship between Kelsey and Ravi (the way he always showed up for her was perfect)
❤️Ravi's boisterous, but fun, family
❤️The road trip stops
❤️The precious town of Driftwood
❤️Dylan 😍
❤️The scene where Georgina comes to visit Kelsey's office
...and so much more. It's all just so good, folks. Snag you a copy and get to reading!

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson, Zondervan Fiction Audio, and Courtney Walsh for my free audiobook copy. The opinions included here are all my own!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️

Really lovely story about taking chances in life. Sometimes, all you need to do to get your dreams is to say yes. This story follows two lovely women while they both figure this out, each in their own way. The characters have depth, and their stories are so nice. I would have liked to know more about Kelseys backstory, but i loved it anyway!

the narrators do a really nice job as well. their voices suit the characters well!

Thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review