This book was a delight by Courtney Walsh! Walsh is an author who is one that I always read, and The Summer of Yes did not disappoint! When Kelsey wakes up and finds herself in the ER, she is uncertain of how she got there. Serendipitously, she meets another patient, the famous (or infamous?) Georgina Tate, who is one of the leading businesswomen in New York City. Georgina is nearing the end of her life, and young Kelsey’s is just beginning. However, they both realize that they are living lives that look differently than what they had hoped. Kelsey’s near death experience leads to an ER-bed-decision to begin saying YES to every opportunity. Begrudgingly, she convinces Georgina to do the same, and this unlikely pair starts on a summer adventure that changes them both. I was captivated from the first page, and I can’t recommend this enough! It left me pondering how I can begin to say “YES” and open myself to new things as well. This is another great one from Courtney Walsh!

Thank you, Net Galley for the ARC! The opinions shared in this review are my own.

Absolutely loved this one! This was perfection. This is the most wonderful story of life and love and remembering who you were meant to me. This story made me want to say “Yes!” And maybe even try something out of my comfort zone. Kelsey and Georgina were so relatable and their personalities played off of each other so well. And I want to be more like Kelsey. This is a wonderful summer read that will leave you with a smile in your heart. I really enjoyed the narrators and thought they did a great job!

I wish I could give this a million stars this is a story that I think all women need to read. This story is about finding yourself and speaking up for what you want so that you can be happy. To stop holding yourself back and stop listening to that voice telling you no but rather just say yes!

I was completely pulled into this story and simultaneously blown away by it. It is soooo good! I know I could find better adjectives to describe my feelings for it but it really is soooooooo good! I was hooked! I couldn't stop once I started. I loved Kelsey's character and her life evaluation after a brush with death. I felt the emotions with her and her desire to do better. One of my book besties was reading this after me and she messaged telling that she was ready to say "yes" to anything after reading this book! And let me tell you, you'll definitely be feeling that way as well. I loved how Kelsey was smart in her boundaries for what she said yes to but she was open to many possibilities for accepting good in her life that she had previously said no to or had not even thought about being open to. She saw how those decisions really narrowed down her life and caused her to have a lack of friends and anything outside of work.

I loved her connection with Georgina. Who is a hoot! An absolute hoot! But at the same time has also let several things pass her by in her life while pursuing work and her dreams! I loved the combination of Kelsey and Georgina! Their banter back and forth and their friendship was wonderful! It honestly made me think of a little bit of The Devil Wears Prada and the banter back and forth between the boss and the employee (can't remember names right now) but in a more positive way.

And yes, there is a love story...two love stories actually. Soooo good! There I go saying that again, but it's true! Sweet and messy and tender and beautiful are all good descriptive words for this book, the characters, the love stories and well, just everything! Definitely going on my favorites list and on my HIGHLY RECOMMEND list!!!

I read and listened to this one, it was soooo good!!! ;-) I loved the dual narration for Kelsey and Georgina's characters. Both narrators were spot on for their character. They brought out the emotions of the story and made it seem like they had a fun time bringing to life these characters. If you're an audiobook fan, you're going to love this one!!!

If you pick up one fun summer read this summer, let it be this one!!!

Content: Clean. Talk of death and trust and heartbreak and walking away and love. Nothing more than kisses and some clean marital talk between a married couple.

I received a digital copy from the publisher, Thomas Nelson Fiction, via NetGalley. I also received a copy of the audiobook from the producer, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading & Listening!!!

"The Summer of Yes" by Courtney Walsh is women's fiction and a rom-com. This book is very entertaining and left me with a few things to think about. If you like rom-coms, even without spice, you may really like this book!

Kelsey Worthington is a young adult assistant editor. She wakes up in a hospital room after having been hit by a car as she was walking on the sidewalk. Her roommate is a cranky, very bossy, and well-known businesswoman, Georgina Tate.

Kelsey decides that she has regrets because she doesn't have much of a life outside her job. She decides this will be her Summer of Yes. She will say yes to things she has resisted or refused to let herself try. She decides to be friendly to Georgina. There are two romances in this book, one between young adults and one between older adults. This is a nice addition in a rom-com.

This audiobook is narrated by Tanya Eby and Cathi Colas. They each did a wonderful job.

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 5/5
Plot - 5/5
Pacing - 4/5
Unputdownability - 4/5
Enjoyment - 5/5
Narration - 5/5
Cover - 3/5
Overall - 36/8 = 4 4/8 rounded up to 5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins Christian Publishing/Thomas Nelson Fiction, and Courtney Walsh for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Anything Courtney puts out into this world, I must say is gold. She has this way of giving you a hug through a book and this one is no different. Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity for letting me read this book early. It was a little gift I got on my phone and it felt like a piece of summer I got to escape to when the weather wasn't quite feeling like the warmth I was finding outside. Truly a magical read as always.

I’ve read (and adored) a few of Courtney Walsh’s holiday themed novels, so I figured I’d give her latest summer release a try. I’m happy to report that THE SUMMER OF YES was an absolute delight to read, and makes for a fantastic summer read.

I adored both protagonists, Kelsey and Georgina, and loved how the book flipped back and forth between their perspectives. I loved Kelsey’s meddling behavior and her strong-will. I applauded Georgina’s feistiness and “tell it like it is” attitude. They’re one heck of a duo, that’s for sure!

TSOY has such a great mix of serious and comical moments. It explores illness, abandonment, and forgiveness, yet it didn’t feel like a downer at all. I was smiling and giggling throughout.

READ THIS IF YOU ENJOY:

- Road trips and adventures
- Dual POVs
- Unlikely friendships
- Second chances
- Light romance
- Uplifting reads
- Family drama
- Strong female characters
- Stepping out of your comfort zone

If you’re a big fan of unexpected friendships with a major age-gap like THE MOSTLY TRUE STORY OF TANNER AND LOUISE, then you gotta check this one out. It’s heartwarming, funny, smart, and charming. An excellent beach read, indeed!

4/5 stars for THE SUMMER OF YES! It’s out now!

Thank you #NetGalley for the audio copy of this book - I LOVED it! Overall, the premise of saying "Yes" to everything to turn your life around is a fun one, but I loved the two-for-one opportunities of Kelsey helping Georgina. Kelsey could have selfishly put herself first, but by really helping Georgina to fix some of her biggest regrets, they BOTH change their lives.

Such a feel good story that is perfect for summer. Just say YES and read this one!

Charming, up lifting and effortless. While The Summer Of Yes isn’t deep and it’s not compelling, it IS entertaining and pleasant. Sometimes, reading about the grump and the one who drags them out of their shell is exactly what you need. That is Summer of Yes! Throw in some sweet romance (100% not spicy) and Summer Of Yes is a fun story and the audio version was 👍

Advance reader copy provided by Thomas Nelson and NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this audio.

I really enjoyed this book. I wasn’t sure in the beginning if I would like it but I did. Such a cute love story. The narrators did great!! Just the right amount of humor romance and spice!

Kelsey finds herself sharing a hospital room with Georgina after she is in a car accident. This near death experience has made Kelsey reconsider her whole life and reflect on how work has taken up her time as she’s missed out on relationships with friends, family, and her dream of being a writer.

Georgina is a frequent flyer at the hospital with dialysis treatment due to kidney failure. She is a famous businesswoman who also prioritized work over family to get to where she is.

Kelsey feels an attraction to Georgina and even sees herself in her. She feels that if she can help her change and turn her life around to say “yes” more than maybe it’s not too late for Kelsey.

Enter the “yes” list! Kelsey suggests that they go on an adventure together and say YES to it all on their list, starting with eating a salty street pretzel. Georgina takes a lot of convincing but eventually agrees to go on this trip.

Kelsey’s obsession about “fixing” Georgina is not always received well with some of her messy plans to reunite her with her family members.

This was not my typical genre, but it is such a feel good book and palette cleanser ! A hint of romance in there, but for the most part this is a girls trip book!

10/10 authors note !

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

We took our Winnebago back out on the road yesterday. I could not have chosen a better read for our trip. This inspiring new release is full of heart, humor, with a side of introspection. Early in the book, Kelsey's mom talks to her about "disruptors." An unforeseen occurrence in your life can disrupt for good. In this book we see how both characters become catalysts for change in each other's lives. Is there a disruptor in your life that you have been resisting?

Have you been saying "No" and playing it safe? Kelsey is 32 and working as an editor. She has been focusing on her career and missing out on life. She ends up in the hospital after getting hit by a car. Her roommate turns out to be THE Georgina Tate, a famous cosmetic magnate. The two of them will become the cleanest version of Thelma and Louise that you have ever seen with a blue convertible (minus the tragic ending.) They are saying "Yes" to a road trip and it is about more than the destination. Courtney Walsh gives us their story from both perspectives. The audio book is narrated by Tanya Eby and Cathi Colas is just right. Got a road trip planned this summer? Take this book along.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, and NetGalley for both an audio and digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Courtney! Every book you write gets better and better and better. And The Summer of Yes hit me in a place I didn’t know I needed a book to hit. I felt seen and understood, while also challenged and encouraged.

I didn’t expect a women’s fiction at first—I usually go into my books as blind as possible—but I loved it so much! I love a good women’s fiction, and I felt like I got a two-for-one-package-deal with this book. Kelsey and Georgina make the perfect unlikely duo, but when they click, they are dynamic.
I really admired Kelsey’s tenacity once she grasped onto an idea she really cared about. I loved how her experience led her to genuinely question her life and where she was versus where she actually wanted to be. It’s very possible (*ahem* factual) that I am finding myself inspired by Kelsey’s reflections and desires to change her life.
Georgina really is a spitfire! I liked how Kelsey didn’t let herself get intimidated by her, and how she was gradually worn down by Kelsey’s down to earth nature and her constant pushing. While I loved Kelsey’s character arc, I nearly cheered for Georgina. Knowing how long she had been pushing away from what she really needed made her arc so satisfying.
And that ending! Can we just say how amazing that ending was? I love Georgina. I love Kelsey. I love Hayden.
I guess I haven’t said anything about Hayden yet. But I love him! I also love that this is a women’s fiction with a good side of healthy romance. Kelsey and Hayden were mature and adult about their feelings and needs, and I love them so much! Georgina and her guy were smashing as well. I really liked him.
Seriously loved this book so much. Thank you for writing the book you needed, because I definitely needed it, too.
Here’s to saying YES more!
Jessica


AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I like that this is dual narrated, so we get a really distinct voice for both Georgina and Kelsey. Georgina’s narration is spot on perfection. I don’t like Kelsey’s as much, but genuinely didn’t deter from my enjoyment of the book.


**Many thanks to the author, NetGalley, and HarperCollins and ThomasNelson for the ALC. All thoughts are my own.

The Summer of Yes is a sweet and wholesome romance that reminds us at every turn what really matters in life. While this one wasn’t my favorite (it’s a little too cheesy and a bit unrealistic for my personal preference), I liked the writing style and message and plan to read more by this author in the future.

What I loved:
* the intergenerational friendship between Georgina and Kelsey. I am a sucker for the “elderly curmudgeon meets sunshiney youth” plotline so this was right up my alley.
* the themes of forgiveness and unconditional love and the focus on finding/chasing what sets your soul on fire. It serves as a firm reminder that we only get one life and it’s precious — we shouldn’t waste it chasing things that don’t matter in the end and we shouldn’t spend it holding onto anger.

Why I lowered my rating:
* Neither Georgina nor Kelsey is particularly mature or self aware and it became frustrating to watch them, Georgina especially, make poor and/or unjustifiable decisions in the name of helping someone else.
* It got repetitive listening to the inner monologues of Georgina and Kelsey… they seem to have the same things in their head day after day and man it just got boring and annoying.
* There are some plot holes and a number of extraordinarily convenient coincidences, so I had to suspend disbelief a few times. This is okay… but it did pull my attention from the story.

🎧: there are two narrators, one for chapters from Georgina’s POV and one for those from Kelsey. I always appreciate when audiobooks represent dual PoVs with dual narrators and both sounded the way I imagined the characters would. If you pick this one up, audio is a good bet.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins, and Courtney Walsh for the chance to listen to this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Dual Perspectives of an unlikely friendship, with two sweet romance connections as well. This is a wonderful story that I would recommend to all ages.

I loved how Georgina and Kelsey both, in their own ways, made their own pivots and met their own full potentials- both personally and professionally.

This story is heart wrenching, heartwarming, thought provoking and incredibly peaceful. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

One near death experience lands Kelsey in the hospital at the most inconvenient of times. She is hours away from signing important talent to her publishing company.
Kelsey is an editor, but has longed to be a writer herself. Creativity was her passion until life got real and the need for money and scaling the career ladder took over.

Now in the hospital, she is faced with a stunning reality. Her career has prevented her from having a real life or real friends, a realization she came to terms with when she had no one to call or visit her while she heals. (Also, she realizes she has NEVER HAD A MARGARITA, gasp!)

Unexpectedly, she does have a roommate. One Georgina Tate. Georgina is the success behind Tate cosmetics (and I picture Jane Fonda here, can't change my mind)
She's a spunky, man eating, OG Girl Boss. She's also terminally ill. Georgina is a cautionary tale: live your life while you can, careers may come and go- life does not.

Now, brought together by a hospital visit, the bond these two will have over the book is one of the best written girl gangs since Thelma and Louise.

Kelsey decides to start taking control of her life by "saying yes" where she formerly said no. Georgina becomes her partner in crime, and while I thought their time together was going to be written rather prescriptively, their character growth and friendship is truly worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author Courtney Walsh and HarperCollins Christian Publishing for the opportunity to listen to audio book.

☀️⛵️☀️
📖Review
5🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
📖Book 30/100
📚The Summer of Yes
💫Genre: Women’s Fiction/Romance
✍️Author:
Courtney Walsh

📝Synopsis 📝
Kelsey is a workaholic that ends up at the hospital after a near death experience. She ends up sharing a hospital room with non other than Georgina a well known and successful business woman. Kelsey proposes a deal to Georgina and they head off to a road trip that leads them to adventures and our story.

My thoughts 💭
This was such a great book about second chances. I laughed, cried, and laughed some more! This is definitely a book you can recommend for a beach read, road trip, and to just about anyone since it is a clean read (no spice). Two workaholics loose so much in life and get to turn wrongs into rights. I love how they both got to break their ways and say yes to more things that brings them happiness. This was such a heartwarming read, and it made me even reflect on my life too. Last but not least, I absolutely loved all the main characters.

🩷Second Chances
💛Road Trip
🩵Friendships
💚Dual POV
🩷HEA
💛Kidney Transplant
🩵Girl Power
💚Living Life
🩷Forgiveness

☀️QOTD:
Do you consider yourself a workaholic?

✨A special thanks to @netgalley and @harpercollins for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

🏷️🏷️🏷️🏷️🏷️
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I think this book will really land with some people. It wasn’t the one for me, but it’s definitely something that people will enjoy. And there is such a dearth of books that are written with a faith-based worldview that I want to champion this one. Everyone needs space in the reading world & I think this one helps squirrel out a space where there aren’t nearly enough options.

I listened to the audiobook along with the book and enjoyed it.

Thanks to netgalley for a copy of this book.

The Summer of Yes AUDIO by Courtney Walsh was a fun book, lots of romance, but something even more important: don’t block yourself off from living your life. Kelsey Worthington was waiting on the edge of the sidewalk to cross when she got hit by a car. She was taken to the hospital with relatively minor injuries, but had to stay for a couple of days. While there a woman named Georgina Tate was wheeled in to occupy the other bed in the room. Georgina was not a pleasant woman, not kind. There was something about her, though. When Kelsey went back to work (she was a book editor), one of her colleagues had poached the author she had been working with. She tried to take with a grain of salt, but quickly decided she was sick of being the good sport, sick of saying no to anything that might be fun. She decided to use the vacation time she had saved, one of the many things she’d said no to. The next day she arrived at Georgina’s home to inform her of the summer of yes, which Kelsey expected her to participate in. They would start tomorrow by taking a sight-seeing tour of New York, something New Yorkers never do. Did they argue? Yes. Did they have fun? Yes. Then Kelsey turned up with a blue mustang convertible she’s gotten out of storage. It was Georgina’s. She told Georgina they were going on a road trip. Georgina argued, but got in the car. This decision would change both of their lives.

Both these women were trapped in their professional lives, leaving time for little else. Georgina was older and had missed much more, but there was still time. Kelsey wanted to learn from her, but also to learn for her. When they reached their destination, Georgina was furious. It didn’t stop Kelsey, though and she steamrolled forward. She said a lot of yeses and didn’t really regret any of them. Both of them were slowly seeing the reality of the lives they’d trapped themselves in and took steps to change it. It was a sappy story and just about perfect. The plot was decent, if unlikely. The characters were well-written and well-rounded and just about perfect. This was a simple romance and yet the message it carried is so much more important that is typical of summer romances. Try it! Thanks Courtney Walsh!

The narrators for this lovely book were Tanya Eby and Cathy Colas, both of whom gave this silliness into the realm of important. They treated it that way and hence, so did the listener. Thanks!

I was invited to listen to The Summer of Yes by Harper Collins Christian Publishing. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #HarperCollinsChristianPublishing #CourtneyWalsh #TanyaEby #CathyColas #TheSummerOfYes