"Yes. It's risky to feel things. And it's risky to hope for good. And it's hard to say yes to the unknown. And it doesn't always result in wonderful memories. But that's what it means to be alive."

A beautiful story about what matters most in life & to learning to say YES!

The narration was 10/10

The Summer of Yes would be a good read for any time of year, but reading it at the tail end of my vacation just added to the experience.

The pairing of Georgina and Kelsey was done so well & I enjoyed seeing how they went from two ladies randomly meeting in a hospital to women on taking a chance-reflecting on their life & saying yes. While I do appreciate the "yes" of it all and think there were worthwhile reflections and realizations made throughout, I anticipated more of an adventure or more "yes" moments. With that said, the ones they did experience had depth and importance to them and were no small thing. For that I appreciate what Courtney did- it manages to be both a light read yet one that goes a little bit deeper.

I enjoyed all the characters, from Georgina and Kelsey who were both intelligent and strong women to the side characters in here and thought everyone worked together really well - the chemistry all around was enjoyable to read.

I was graciously given an advanced listening copy thanks to netgalley/the publisher and I would love to mention that the narrator of this did a great job in bringing the story to life and I do recommend the audio version without a doubt.

Overall it lands at somewhere around a 3.75-4 for me. I do recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Courtney Walsh for the digital ALC of The Summer of Yes.

Kelsey Worthington and Georgina Tate meet through an unfortunate situation and form an unlikely friendship. They are placed in each others path and Kelsey makes it her mission to turn their summer into a summer of YES! They depart on a road trip that is destined to change both of their lives.

This book has everything I could want in a summer read. It was light-hearted, and fun while also looking at topics such as regret and second chances.

Sometimes you’re so busy writing other people’s stories that you lose the plot of your own.

This wasn’t how Kelsey Worthington’s day was supposed to go. She wasn’t supposed to be picking up Starbucks for her smarmy boss. She wasn’t supposed to get hit by a car that jumped the curb. And she certainly wasn’t supposed to wake up in a hospital room next to Georgina Tate—the legendary matriarch of New York City businesswomen.

Sometimes your life just needs a little shake up, and this accident makes Kelsey realize that she's not living her life to the fullest. She also sees that Georgina has some life left to live too. She makes it her mission to start saying yes to everything that she normally wouldn't and somehow convinces Georgina to embark on this adventure with her. I love a great intergenerational relationship in a book, and this one ended up being so fun. Both of these ladies learn how to live life again and realize what's really important. Definitely a grumpy/sunshine vibe going on also. Loved seeing both of them figure out what they've been missing out on and how to be truly happy. Overall a great feel good story. The audiobook was really well done too.

Thank you to @harpercollins and @netgally for this advanced listeners copy in exchange for my honest review.

Kelsey Worthington, an aspiring writer living in NYC, experiences a dangerous car crash and ends up in the hospital. During her stay, she meets the infamous Georgina Tate, a world-renowned cosmetics businesswoman. Inspired by Georgina and all that she's accomplished and her devastating kidney diagnosis, Kelsey decides to say yes more often to life experiences. Kelsey creates The Yes Plan, a summer vacation to experience new things. After learning more about Georgina and all that she missed in exchange for her career, Kelsey convinces a begrudging Georgina along for the ride. Can these two mismatched women learn from one another? Can they both open their hearts and minds to new experiences? The story explores this theme along the Atlantic seaside, a place that symbolizes new beginnings and the beauty of life, where Kelsey finds Georgina's estranged family and is determined to reunite them. The story is sweet and has all the warm and fuzzy feelings. If readers need a pick-me-up and are okay with a lighter read, I recommend The Summer of Yes. I listened on audio, and the book was well narrated with only a couple of inconsistencies with the characters' voices.
I noticed that the book was categorized as Christian Fiction; there are no religious overtones in the book if that is a deterrent to readers.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to my partners, NetGalley and Thomas Nelson, and the author. I appreciate the gifted ALC. I am leaving this review voluntarily!

1. 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐨 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 - Kelsey may be one of the funniest characters I’ve met in a long time! But Georgina surely doesn’t lack in the humor department. Her responses are equally hilarious. Her wit in her monotone voice makes it all the more humorous!

2. 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬 - Do the things. Eat the ice cream. Take the trips. The lessons these two learn together are absolutely fundamental to having a full and happy life.

3. 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐛 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐬 - Don’t get stuck. It doesn’t matter if that’s just what you know because you’ve been doing it so long. If you feel it isn’t right, change it. Quit your job. Find what makes you happy!

4. 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 - Two love stories wrapped into one beautiful romcom. Derek and Georgina. Kelsey and Hayden. Trust me when I tell you this: you will root for them and you will feel all of the feels.

5. 𝐁𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 - I will warn you now: put away time to finish this in one fell swoop. I caught the fever at the get-go and couldn’t stop until the last word was spoken. I loved everything about it!

This is my second book by Courtney Walsh. The first one was a fall book in an author anthology.
This book was super cute, quirky and sweet! Courtney tells the story of two polar opposite traveling companions and
how they each are able to teach each something about allowing themselves to put themselves first, fall in love and say Yes!

Welp this tugged on my heart strings. I will say normally I’m not for closed door romances but this was so much more than a romance. Honestly I wouldn’t even call this a romance. It was more of a story of learning to over come your regrets and move forward. Trying to change the outcome of the path you’ve been on and it just had me in my feels. The unlikely friendship between Georgina and Kelsey is just so pure and authentic. The little sprinkle of romance amongst everything is adorable and I loved every second of it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Courtney Walsh for the digital ALC of The Summer of Yes. Tanya Eby and Cathi Colas on narration made the characters easy to decipher. I felt the emotion come through for both characters with the audiobook.

Do you like books with unlikely friendships? If so, this is the one for you! Kelsey Worthington and Georgina Tate meet through an unfortunate situation. They are placed in each others path and Kelsey makes it her mission to turn their summer into a summer of YES! Both women have worked hard at their careers, and need to take a break and experience a summer of living and not working. They escape the hustle and bustle of NYC, and find themselves in an unlikely place. The events that unfold will change both their lives.

This was my first book by Courtney Walsh, and it was simply delightful. Everything I could want in a summer read. It was a clean romance, light-hearted, and fun. I really enjoyed the dual point of view, and I love a grumpy character. I got just that in Georgina Tate! The Summer of Yes will expose you to love, forgiveness, and regret. If you love this one, Walsh has many other books out there, and they all have such charming book covers. I look forward to reading more from her!

This book was sweet and safe. While I don’t typically enjoy books such as this, I would 100% recommend it to most readers of contemporary romance.

I’m glad there were dual POV because while I didn’t care much for Kelsey’s side of things, Georgina was sassy and fun so having her POV to read from was nice.

Besides Georgina, the other thing I enjoyed was the overall message of this book: start saying yes to things that bring joy and substance to your life and start saying no to things that bog down your soul.

A light read with a lot of heart!

A touching story about regret, forgiveness, and learning to let go of inhibitions and say yes. I loved getting to know Georgina and Kelsey and the friendship they forged, as well as the romances they find along the way. It’s about changing your perspective and changing your life to be truer to yourself. Recommended for those who like second chances and life-affirming reads.

I love this book. I love the author. I love the narrator. Everything about this book is perfect for someone wanting to give audiobooks a try. I could relate to both of the main characters. I am currently in the middle of yes after saying no for so long. There are so many underlying themes that you can take from this book. about you know what someone else is going through. standing up for yourself. setting boundaries.
but overall for me in this season of my life, I am applying more yes things that benefit me.

This was such a fun light hearted read. So perfect for summer. I think we could all do with a little more saying Yes to things that scare us or are out of our comfort zone. I could definitely relate to Georgina’s character and having to learn to get out of your own head and accept things. I know I like to think of myself as Wonder Woman and because of that it’s hard for me to accept help with things. I want to be able to do it all!

The love/hate relationship between Kelsey and Georgina was such a joy to follow and very entertaining at times. I loved the age gap between them and the banter back and forth. Especially once Kelsey truly started sticking up for herself.

What a great and inspiring book! I love the idea of saying yes to things you normally say no too. So many people choose work over life at home these days due to needing the money to survive these times. Some things Kelsey says yes to seem so simple but in reality it's the small things that matter sometimes. The Summer of Yes was a super sweet story of reuniting a family (mother and son) after the mother lost custody of her son when she was younger and chose to be a successful business owner over being a wife and mother. Sometimes living a slower paced life is the best choice.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this ARC!!

I really enjoyed this book! It was almost like a coming of age, but more like coming into your own and finding out who you really are after a tragedy. I love the motherly relationship Kelsey and Georgina step into before the romance even brews between Kelsey and Hayden. This was a super cute and quick women’s fiction, and the audio was so good!

This story touched my heart. I loved the complexity of the story and the structure of the plot. The characters are rich and unforgettable. It was an excellent read

This book was a YES for me from the beginning! The author delves into heavy topics in a witty, light way. It feels like a breezy fun read but at the end, you realize you broached some pretty serious topics. It never felt “heavy”. The characters were so different yet spectacular together. The witty banter had me literally lol’ing. This was a lovely read and it just made me darn happy!

📖 Book Review 📖

🎧 "The Summer of Yes” by Courtney Walsh

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
published July 2, 2024

A perfect grumpy sunshine trope full of lighthearted characters. This was a fun summer read with a unique age gap friendship. Kelsey meets Georgina when
she awakes in the same hospital room. Kelsey was hit by a car who jumped the curb while she was walking on the sidewalk. After healing from her concussion she realizes there is more to life and decides to seize the day. Georgina Tate is a powerhouse business woman, ahead of her time in NYC and with a bluntness you can’t help but admire. Now in her 70s she is dying of kidney failure but wants no one to know. Kelsey and Georgina are polar opposites but with Kelsey’s charm Georgina goes along with the “Say Yes!” plan of doing things you were scared to do or may regret later not doing. Eating street food. Swimming in the ocean. Matchmaking for Georgina with the help of Georgina’s handsome son. And writing her own romance novel. Taking risks and living boldly.


#somanybooks #readsomemore #audiobooks #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #readersofinstagram #readmorebooks #booklover #bookishlove #readersgonnaread #bookishaf

First off the cover is perfect! I knew I was going to like it. I went in blind and I'm glad that I did. The chance meeting, special bond that is formed and all the characters are just what I needed. I really loved the story.

I fell in love with Kelsey right away. What are the chances of getting hit by a car while walking. That hit truly changed the rest of her life. Georgina reminded me of my grandma. Typical I can do it myself woman. The woman are so funny and so different. It made me want to say "Yes" to all the things I keep waiting on. Life is short giving yourself the permission to be afraid but still take chances is a thrill. All of the character's are fully developed even the side character's you can feel the love in the entire story.

The is the perfect story for a relaxing day. If you get the opportunity to list to the audio even better. I am in love all the way around! Great job. Just say YES!!! 5 Star read for me!

The Summer of Yes~ there are many times in life that this motto would work well to get us futher ahead. Love the spin that CW put on this fun summer read. While reading I kept thinking of the Max show Hacks that there is a strong dominate female lead taking on a protege to install their wisdom. Of course a bit of a love story never hurts either.

The narration by Tanya Eby (Narrator), Cathi Colas (Narrator) did a wonderful job.
Thank you Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for an amazing audiobook.