I loved this book. Especially the story from both an older woman and younger woman - both at different points in their lives. They are both looking for different things, yet love is at the center of everything. I loved the dynamics between all of the characters, they were witty, fun, and smart. I loved the slow burn romances that were building - there was more than one which was awesome! I really enjoyed the perspective of an older woman who is getting a second chance love and a younger, new to love couple. The importance of relationships, romance and forgiveness runs deep from page one. I loved that the characters all grew and changed - to find their own happiness. I just truly enjoyed the overall positive and happy messages in this book, even when things were not happy and easy. Just an overall enjoyable read from the first page until the last!
Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader and audio copies.

This is the perfect summer read! For anyone struggling with work, needing hopeful story, or just looking for a fun read, this book is for you. I could not put this one down. From the unlikely friendship to the sarcastic banter, Courtney Walsh had me eating this book up.

This story brought me write back to my 20s when I drove my late grandmother to Michigan to visit her siblings. She was so giddy the entire trip which made me so happy and we just enjoyed our time together. After a brush with death, Kelsey meets and befriends Georgina, an older, lonely professional who has a life-threatening disease. Kelsey convinces Georgina to go on an adventure of a Summer of Yes. They learn things about love. About life. Just by saying yes. Yes to the unknown. To things that are risky. That scare you.
I did a tandem audio and e-read which led for an immersive experience, and a lot of feel good feelings.

Wow! I’ve had a lot of Courtney Walsh books on my TBR but this is the first one I’ve read. I love her writing style. I enjoyed the references to things like the Gilmore Girls and The Holiday movie. She also weaves in highly relatable themes, like at the beginning when the FMC is forced to rest due to a near-death experience. I think this will resonate with many women who feel they must constantly be working, unable to rest unless something serious, like illness, forces them to slow down. This book is about facing fears, saying yes to life, and embracing love.

If you’re looking for a clean romance, I recommend giving Courtney Walsh a read.

This book comes out on July 2nd. Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, and Thomas Nelson Fiction for an arc.

4.5 stars
This is such a fun, entertaining, good read. Kelsey and Georgina are interesting, relatable, intriguing, captivating, complex, wounded, strong, entertaining characters. Their interactions and exchanges are entertaining to read and powerful. Their relationship is as good as the romance between Hayden and Kelsey. The secondary characters added to the fabric of the story and my enjoyment. This story and characters resonate with me. The story captured my attention from the start and held it until the very end. The book is easy to read and get into.

I enjoyed the audio version of this book and the narrator.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved the story of the friendship between the two women. The journey of how they helped changed each other was touching.
A great beach read!

I adored this story from the very first page! It has the same vibe and voice as The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley while telling a completely different story. Walsh's fan base is going to be so happy with this one!

I did a hybrid read of this book, meaning that I listened to the audio when I had to be out and about and I read the ebook when I needed a quieter moment. Although I loved the voice for Georgina, Kelsey's voice did not fit her character and it annoyed me. By the end, I definitely prefered reading my ebook to listening to the audio. It's nice to have both options, however!

Although the main character, Kelsey, bugged me in the beginning, I enjoyed following her character growth as she learned to say "yes" to more of the things she'd spent years saying "no" to, as well as learning to say "no" to things that weren't helping her live a fulfilling life. In a lot of ways, one of the things I loved most about this story was that it reaffirmed choices that I had to make early on in my marriage that did a lot to shape my future. I have no regrets, but reading about Georgina's put life into perspective. The characters felt so real and relatable, which isn't easy considering that I have basically nothing in common with either of them.

This is a book that is destined to become a comfort read, and one I want on my shelf so I can revisit it!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy to review. I was not required to leave a positive review and all opinions are my own.

This is categorized as Christian fiction, but I have no idea why. There are literally no mentions of religion or spiritual beliefs.

I listed to the audiobook as an ARC from @netgalley. This is told from the two perspectives of the two MCs - Kelsey and Georgina, who meet in the hospital after Kelsey is hit by a car. Kelsey feels like there’s a reason the two were brought together, and inserts herself into Georgina’s life. Georgina is a highly successful businesswoman who gave up her family for career success. Kelsey comes up with the idea of the summer of yes for her and Georgina - where each of them say yes to opportunities they’d have otherwise said no to. Kelsey convinces Georgina to go on a roadtrip with her, secretly planning to go to the town where Georgina’s husband and grown son live.
I thought this was a completely predictable but fun read - a great book for the summer. 4.25 ⭐️

Thank you to @netgalley for the ALC, all opinions are my own.

My feelings about The Summer of Yes by Courtney Walsh are not complicated- I love it! You know the crabby elderly side character who always steals the show? In this book you are gifted her as one of the two main characters!

Sunshine Kelsey Worthington has a serious wake-up call and manages to get grumpy Georgina Tate to begrudgingly join her on a “Summer of Yes”. So much happens in the pages of this book, and to steal Kelsey’s words, “Some of these sentences are absolute darlings.” Most of them, in fact! Yes, you want to slap an elder sometimes but not only is that mean and illegal, everything Georgina does and thinks is very fitting with her character. Kelsey is hilarious and I would joyfully go on a road trip with her anytime! I was happily going along thinking romance wouldn’t be a main plot point and I was okay with that- but there is more romance than I was expecting! I absolutely KNEW what the third act problem was going to be and I had a wake-up call that I can’t always predict a book’s future. I had a little jaw drop at one point. This book is funny and delightful and can pull at even the tightest of heartstrings.

It took me a couple of chapters to get used to narrators Tanya Eby and Cathi Colas, but soon enough they grew on me as they BECAME the characters. I think they could have gotten away with one narrator, and the main narrator reading Georgina’s sections/ chapters in her Georgina voice, but hey, the more narrators, the merrier.

This book felt like a perfect summer read to me, such a 5 star read, and it will be out in the wild on July 2, 2024. I highly recommend saying YES to a pre-order!

5/5 stars
11 hours 29 minutes at 1x on audio
Clean romance; kisses only
Locations: New York, Driftwood, NC and everywhere in between- there’s a road trip!

It was a very lighthearted audiobook. It's nice to come across a book that isn't trying to push a specific amount of promiscuity and profanity. It sounded like there were two authors. I did not care for Kelsey's voice. I kept wanting to fast forward to Georgina's part. Though the book is slow, it has adventure.

I loved this book! I have read many books by Courtney Walsh and this is far and above my favorite. The relationship between Kelsey and Georgina was everything! It can be recommended to women of any age and everyone will learn something about themselves after reading it. The narration was wonderful. I may even listen to it again!

Thank you HarperCollins Christian Publishing | Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this audiobook.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6588611272

This is my first read by Courtney Walsh, and I must say, I loved it!

This is the story of Kelsey, whom after an accident makes an unlikely friend in an old business woman named Georgia. They decide, one rather unwillingly, to go on an adventure of saying "yes" to all the things they would have previously have said no to and it because a life-changing experience for them both.

I loved how this story wrapped up in a clean little bow. I also appreciate that, although there was a bit of a romance, it was clean and tasteful. I listened to the audio version. There were two narrators and both sounded perfect for the age and personalities of the women.

The Summer of Yes is a story of friendship, family, new beginnings with some romance. Kelsey Worthington is a junior editor, although her dream was to be an author. She is a workaholic, who doesn't like to venture out of her comfort zone. She says "no" more often than she says "yes". After her scare, she decides to shake things up. While she is in the hospital, she shares a room with Georgina Tate, a wildly successful businesswoman. Georgina sacrificed everything to become the woman she is today, including her family. Now she has failing kidneys, with only a transplant to save her life, if a match can be found. Kelsey decides they both need to change their lives and comes up with the idea of a road trip and "The Summer of Yes". What Georgina wasn't expecting was Kelsey surprising her with a visit to the town where her husband and son live. This is the place where both women can start their new beginnings.

This book has such a great message. How much do you want to give up to be successful? Is it worth it all in the end? I really enjoy books with multi-generational friendships and this was another good one. Georgina has so many regrets. All she has is her company, but that isn't enough. I liked that she was willing to take a chance and go on this adventure with Kelsey. Her son Hayden and her ex-husband still loved her, but only wanted her back if she was ready and made the effort. I really liked both of them, their love and loyalty were amazing. Kelsey's journey was a bit different. She has been told before that she doesn't have what it takes to be a published author, so it is a huge step to try again. I liked how the relationship between Kelsey and Hayden developed. He knew who she was, but she didn't realize it at first. He was such a likable character, caring, honest, hard working and forgiving. This is a story that will make you look at your own life and rethink your priorities. It was an emotional story and had my feelings all over the place. This was a great story of love, forgiveness, reconciliation, friendship, priorities, our mortality and more. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Tanya Eby and Cathi Colas. Having two narrators gave distinct voices to the main characters of a young idealistic woman and a crochety older woman. I enjoyed the audiobook and recommend it if you enjoy this format.

This was my first Courtney Walsh book and I could not stop listening to it! I loved it. It was such a heartfelt book. Maybe this summer will be a summer of yes for me

4.5⭐️
This book was so fun! A book about second chances. About asking yourself if you are living life to the fullest or if you are working to live. Thank you Netgalley for letting me have the opportunity for this ARC read!
I enjoyed the banter between Kelsey and Georgina and the tiny sprinkles of a love story. Great, fluffy read!
Everyone needs a summer of yes!

The Summer of Yes is a heartwarming book about second chances. When Kelsey meets Georgina in the hospital after an almost fatal accident, she realizes she wants to stop saying no to things and start saying yes! The two set off on adventures of fun and choosing things they’ve postponed or said no to. Along the way they meet up with Georgina’s past and her need for forgiveness. A cute romance blossoms as Kelsey meets Georgina’s son. I really enjoyed this book! It was exciting and fun while having a meaningful takeaway: we don’t live forever so say yes to what makes you happy. This heartwarming book had me tearing up and wanting to see how things ended. I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in trade for my honest opinion. My thoughts are my own.
YouTube Review: 07/03/24
YouTube Handle: KeenCat

Thank You NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction

Release date: July 2nd, 2024

I loved this book!

It started out with Kelsey getting in a accident and waking up in a hospital bed not sure what happened and she meets Georgina Tate a successful businesswoman and after she lives the summer of yes happens and she takes Georgina along the ride with her.

There is a small romance but it’s not the main plot of the story.

It’s also a story about bringing family together and realizing that people matter and care for you

After immediately finishing The Summer of Yes I could not even think about another book. Very rarely do I want a book to be longer, this was one of those rare times.

Kelsey has a near-death experience which makes her take a closer look at her life. She realizes she needs to say yes to more and go out of her comfort zone. Kelsey does not want to be full of nothing but regrets anymore. While in the hospital she shares a room with an older woman, Georgina. Georgina is a successful businesswoman who sacrificed her family to be successful. Kelsey is determined to drag Georgina into her summer of yes and help fix Georgina’s family while fixing herself.

Kelsey and Georgina’s relationship is one of my favorite book relationships ever. It quickly became a witty grandma and granddaughter relationship and it was truly amazing to watch blossom. Georgina didn’t get to where she is by being nice so seeing her let her guard down and be human was great. From the little things we learned in her inner monologues or to her sticking her tongue out at Kelsey when Kelsey calls her a child. Everything was great.

Kelsey wants to fix Georgina’s relationship with both her estranged husband and son but doesn’t expect to catch feelings in this journey.

There’s so much I want to say about this book I just don’t want to give it all away. Put this book on the top of your list and read it as soon as possible.

Kelsey's world is turned inside out after she gets hit by a car while working. Admitted into the hospital after her near death experience has her confused and questioning everything. Especially how on earth she got so lucky to have Georgina Tate who is NYC queen business woman as her bedmate. Kelsey quickly learns Georgina is hard to be around, very set in her ways and questioning her life as well after her diagnosis. The two women couldn't be more different. But connect and agree on a life changing summer of yes. Yes to ice cream, yes to greasy food, yes to everything you normally say no to. This fun read will put life in perspective as it peels the layers of Georgina Tate.

What a fun listen. Sometimes it takes a run in with a car to change lives! Kelsey came into Georgina’s life at the right time. Accepting her failing health she is resigned to never being able to make amends with her husband and son, choosing to build an empire over family. With Kelsey being fed up with being walked all over she has decided to say yes to all the things she’s shied away from. Dragging Georgina along for the ride. This brings a great outcome for both! I thought both narrators did an excellent job.Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced copy. I’m leaving this review voluntarily