Beautiful and heartwarming. The characters felt like friends. I really enjoyed the audiobook. Narration was perfect. I definitely recommend The summer of yes by Courtney Walsh. Big thank you to netgalley and publishers for the arc. 5 /5

2.75⭐️; no spice

This book is the story of a young girl, Kelsey, trying to work up the ranks at her job, living with no work-life balance whose life is turned sideways when she gets hit by a car. She wakes up in the hospital and all she can think about is how she's going to miss an important meeting that could've enhanced her career. She realizes she's sharing a room with none other than Georgia Tate, owner of the largest, most successful makeup brand in the world.

As Kelsey gets to know Georgia, she learns that she isn't as happy with her life as you would think because she isn't close to anyone she loves anymore. Having focused too much on the success of her company, it doesn't seem like Georgia has anything else in her life anymore. Kelsey realizes that is the track that she's on right now and if she doesn't do something about it, she's going to end up like Georgia.

With this realization, Kelsey takes it upon herself to help Georgia fix her life and fix her own in the meantime. She drags Georgia to where her husband and son now live to help them make up but she ends up falling in love with Georgia's son.

Kelsey was a pretty annoying character to me and I didn't feel like she had the right to drag Georgia around and force her to do things she didn't want to do after only having known her for a couple of days. I didn't like being in Georgia's point of view and I didn't feel attached to either of the characters so it was hard for me to care about them fixing their lives. The pacing was very slow and I felt like not a whole lot happened in this story. I listened to this on audio and also didn't love either of the narrators so that didn't help my opinion about this one. I'd be willing to read another book from this author but this one just wasn't for me.

Thanks Netgalley for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. This quirky endearing duo drew a chuckle or two out me with strangely enough a few deep thoughts about my life. It is an e passionate manifesto for living YOUR life to the fullest and making sure you don't let fears rule the day. Reminiscent of the nest Katherine Center or Abby Jimenez, it gives you the expected and much anticipated HEA, but the solution is not facile or at least you've been on a journey with the characters and you consequently cheer them on to their deserved recompense.

This was just gorgeous! I really enjoyed the audiobook.!!
It was very heartwarming and I just loved the characters. It was a very warm hug when you needed it most especially with everything going on in the world. I highly recommend this, thank you netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy - all thoughts are mine.

I loved this book and everything in it! It was a cute story that’s making me want to have my own season of YES! We all might be saying no too much and maybe we should all take a page out of this book, LITERALLY! 😉

Kelsey meets Georgina in the hospital after an accident. Kelsey’s accident was eye opening and she feels like she needs to make some drastic changes to her life. That means, saying yes to things she would normally say no to. Having dinner with her best friend’s family? Sure! Going to the zoo in the middle of a work day? Why not!? After meeting Georgina, she feels a certain pull to her and she hatches a plan to make her join her on her “Summer of Yes” and though it takes a LOT of convincing Georgina eventually says yes!

Georgina has 1 main regret in life, not being there for her son Hayden. Can Kelsey help her remedy that? Will the summer of “yes” be exactly what they were both hoping for?

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins Christian Publishing for the ARC.

The Summer of Yes
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Author: Courtney Walsh

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Kelsey Worthington always dreamed of being a writer, but she's settled into a routine of helping other people tell their stories in her job as a junior editor. She doesn't go outside of her comfort zone. Her relationships are safe. Her job is secure. Her existence is stable. And she's great with that.

And then, the accident. While she's in the hospital overnight, she meets an older woman named Georgina Tate--a glass-ceiling-shattering, wildly successful businesswoman. Georgina sacrificed everything to become the woman she is today, but now, with a pair of failing kidneys and only a handful of months left to live, Georgina is forced to come face-to-face with her regrets. Kelsey is forced to reckon with her own list of "things I'll do someday," and she starts to ask a simple but life-changing What if I said yes to all the things I normally say no to? And The Yes Plan is born.

It takes some convincing, but Georgina finally agrees to go along with Kelsey on her Summer of Yes adventures. The two of them set off to see what might be out there waiting for them if they simply open themselves up to it. Together, they say yes to whatever comes their way--a whole day being tourists in their own New York City, dinner with strangers, a convertible that is far from practical but so much fun. But when Kelsey springs a surprise visit to Georgina's son Hayden and Georgina's ex-husband (who is not so much of an ex), the older woman is less than thrilled. But this is where the true journey begins.

My Thoughts: This was a story of two women, met by coincidence in the hospital, where Kelsey faced her own mortality and made her take a look at her life. Kelsey has realized that she has always played it safe and wondered where she would be if she just said ‘yes.’ Georgina has built an empire, however, it has costed her everything, her family, her happiness, and now her health is in dire straights. Kelsey relentlessly asks Georgina to take a road trip with her and start her summer of yes. Georgina reluctantly agrees but when a surprise visit to Georgina’s son, Hayden’s hometown gets factored in, Georgina almost gets cold feet. This is where their journey begins and it is definitely a journey. This follows the tropes of roadtrip, evaluating life decisions, regrets, and an unlikely relationship between two women.

The story is narrated by Georgina and Kelsey, in their POVs. Kelsey is spunky, eclectic, quirky, and caring. Georgina is eccentric, regimented, success-driven, yet once you get through the tough exterior, you meet the sweet woman who isn’t cranky and grouchy, but endearing. The characters were flawed and imperfect, which made them feel authentic and real, easier to relate to. The characters were created with depth, passion, witty, endearing, and intriguing. The supporting characters really elevated the story, especially Hayden. The author’s writing style was complex, dynamic, heartwarming, compassionate, closed door, and engaging. The story was a slow burn. We slowly build up the characters with their backstories, how we got to this point, the plot is built in layers, and the ending was the sweetest HEA I have read in a while. The plot more focused on the women’s relationship and romance was a secondary subplot, which is fine with me, I still enjoyed it.

The narrators, Tanya Eby and Cathi Colas, were fantastic. The voice variation into character distinction really brought the characters to life. Their flow and pitch were spot on and I was able to listen at 2x speed with no issues keeping up. They really elevated the story. This was an amazing story of two women, the relationship they build with each other, and finding their own romance story. It was touching, heartwarming, heart wrenching at times, a little slow at parts, but in the end, to have the most wonderful HEA that I have read in a while, really bought it together for me. The message of the story is what gripped me, am I working just to live, or am I living to have fun? I would highly recommend either the audio or the physical book, I tend to prefer audio versions. Go pick up today!

My first by Courtney Walsh, and wow totally loved it!! Kelsey, the main character and Georgina meet while in the hospital after Kelsey suffers a near death experience. While she is there, she realizes work isn't everything, especially when no one seemed particularly interested in her while she was sick and when she comes back. She realizes that she never says YES to anything, her life is filled with one big no. No to her friend's party, no to drinks after work, no to weekend trips. So she decides, along with Georgina, to have a summer of saying yes! I adored this one!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC, all opinions are my own!

This is the perfect book to end your summer with!

The narration was very good and the multiple POVs was an amazing added touch. I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this one and it was everything I wanted and more. This will definitely be a book that I must add to my shelves to be able to re read.

Thank you for the opportunity to listen to this through Netgalley!

Absolutely adored this book! I loved that it wasn’t just a romance. It’s about friendship, families, mistakes and second chances. I thought it was well done and unexpected. I haven’t read other books like this and I found that refreshing. I highly recommend this book.

I enjoyed the book, compared to Courtney wash's other books. It was definitely more literary fiction than romantic comedy

In this book we will meet Kelsey & Georgina, who are both dealing with a sudden change in life and being forced to take a new look at their life. I loved the back & forth of the dual point of views. Wealthy Georgina & Scraping by Kelsey are put into the same hospital room and that's when we will start to watch, as they both have to make some serious decisions. Kelsey is the younger of the pair & she is learning from the accident and also Georgina, to consider what is important in life. Georgina has months to live & regrets in her past that she is afraid to face. The summer of yes comes from Kelsey's plan to stop putting off things & starting to say yes to things that she normally wouldn't, she finds the world opening up to her. After a few Yes' instead of her normal no, Kelsey also pulls Georgina into her Summer of Yes. This simple switch of having to try and say yes, instead of no leads them both on some eye opening and even funny & serious decisions. They both will be changed but will this Summer of Yes be a positive change for them both? It's a very thought provoking idea. If you had to say yes, unless it was morally wrong, would you be changed, too? What would you learn? Join Kelsey and Georgina on this interesting adventure and see what happens to them!

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I wasn't able to listen to this one before it was archived. I do plan on reading it in the future and once I do I will come back and update my review.

Such a good listen! I hope there is a second book that continues this story. This book had love, loss and and adventure all wrapped up in a quippy telling from multiple POV’s.

This was fun, light summer listen about a woman who experiences a near-death experience. The main characters were refreshing and endearing and this was a great listen for the beach or pool! Would definitely recommend!

This was an interesting book—rather preachy in many ways, but ultimately engaging. When Kelsey wakes up in the hospital after being hit by a car she is forced to reexamine her workaholic lifestyle, and she embarks on a summer of saying “yes” to things she previously would not have done and not focusing solely on her job. I found it a bit difficult to understand the things she had ignored and how quickly she changed, but the part that was even tougher to grasp was how she managed to ensnare a perfect stranger—CEO Georgina—into her plan. While not entirely plausible, the story did get better after the two women get to know each other better and the events progress, and it was entertaining. The audiobook is wonderfully narrated by two distinctive voices in alternating chapters. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook.

4.5⭐️

The Summer of Yes is a fun and life-affirming road trip buddy adventure between Kelsey, a young woman struggling to get started in her life and career, and Georgina Tate, an older, ailing, successful businesswoman who’s isolated herself. Their banter is delightful, and as they spend more time together, they both learn and grow in unexpected ways. This is a great beach read, as well as highly relatable for anyone who is struggling to find their footing.

Tanya Eby and Cathi Colas did an excellent job narrating the audiobook, and I appreciated their distinctive voices.

Thank you Courtney Walsh, Thomas Nelson, HarperCollins, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

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

This was a fun and inspiring summer read. I really loved how Kelsea wanted to change her entire life with this summer of saying yes to things she would have normally avoided or said no to. This book is an eye opener to taking chances and doing the things that put us out of our comfort zone and to stay present in the world. This was all around a fun read.

☀️The Summer of Yes☀️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A near death experience changes Kelsey’s life. She is a workaholic who dreams of being a writer and is currently a junior editor. While in the hospital she meets Georgina Tate, who is a famous and successful businesswomen. Georgina has always put work first…even before family. These two become connected and Georgina gets Kelsey to say yes to more in life so she does not miss opportunities….including love! This was definitely so cute! I absolutely loved how Kelsey and Georgina’s friendship begins and transpires into so much more. Two love stories, friendships, regret and romance…this was such a heartwarming book!! I love Courtney Walsh books!! They make my heart happy! I will say you should read the physical as I didn’t care for audiobook narrators, it felt robotic.

Thank you @netgalley @thomasnelson and @harperaudio for the eARC and ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

When twenty-something workaholic Kelsey has a near-death experience going to get coffee before work, her life changes forever. An unexpected encounter with the wildly successful businesswomen and icon Georgina pushes both women outside their comfort zones as they embark on an adventure of a lifetime to say yes and truly discover what's important to them.

This book was longer than I initially expected for a women's fiction/romance, coming in at almost 400 pages or 11 1/2 hours, but I loved listening to every minute of it. I found Kelsey and her workaholic tendencies super relatable, and I loved the intergenerational relationship between Kelsey and Georgina. Their banter is so entertaining, and I enjoyed seeing how they pushed each other throughout the story. All the secondary characters were great, too (JP!!!!). Both of the narrators for the audiobook did a great job and really made the characters come to life.

The romance plot was not super strong and definitely erred more toward women's fiction. While the premise is not necessarily unique (near-death experience leading to FMC wanting to "live life to the fullest"), the book was done in a unique way. There were a couple of details that I thought were going to play a larger role (ex: the police interrogating Kelsey at the beginning), but I honestly forgot about those storylines once the main idea of the book was developed further.

I thought the book concluded well and felt like the storylines wrapped up strongly, without rushing their relationships. This was my first Courtney Walsh and I would definitely read more in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishing for an advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great summer read but when I started this book I didn't think I'd finish it. Reading about Kelsey helping Georgia to have a Summer of Yes took a turn a few chapters in and was a fun right to the end. Despite Georgia being a grouchy person she ends up having fun and finding the 2 biggest things she was missing in her life. Kelsey in return finds a place she loves and a welcome addition to her life. I really enjoyed this book and especially loved the ending.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was great.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the audiobook.