This was a wonderful novel by Mary Alice Monroe and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the combination of complex characters thrown together by a natural disaster and the back stories of each one. This was a great read!

Ive always wondered why anyone would ever choose to live in a hurricane zone, Mary Alice Monroe gives on eye view on why. I saw this book had a lot of bad reviews but I can’t figure out why. Yes this book was different than her other stories and location but that isn’t a bad thing. This is a good book and I feel lucky to get to read it. The timeline and the storm’s progress is indicated at the start of each chapter, and it creates a sense of tension.that kept me hanging on. This is a good book. It was an easy, fast read that hooked me from the start. A great distraction and I’d highly recommend this one.

The hurricane is incoming and Cara is prepared to evacuate. Hannah and Angel are deciding what to pack for the evacuation. She is divorced. She use to model then married Randall. Hannah has a makeup line and is a amateur horse rider. Hannah and angel became lovers and moved in together Moira's house is five minutes from the beach.Her marriage was four years ago. Moira's parents have a farm in North Carolina. She graduated from Auburn in equine science.Moira has evacuated from several hurricanes already . Hannah and Angel are going to stay with Moira's family. Moira's family is helping out a shelter of dogs. Cara goes to close up the beach house and is stranded in the hurricane. I liked the problems and subjects presented. I loved the characters. I liked the shared interests in horses.

Loved Mary Alice Monroe’s “The summer guests.” While it was quite a departure from her usual ocean centered books (this one centered around horses and a hurricane), Mary Alice continued with her some of her usual characters (mainly CARA) and her unique way of teaching us about animal life. I love how her books never make you feel as if a teacher is beating the lessons into your head, but instead as a naturally unfolding fact here and there that one seems to remember. Her plots have realistic occurrences, and the characters always ring true. I look forward to the next book, “ On Ocean Boulevard.”

Normally a huge fan of Mary Alice Monroe, sadly, this one was just not a hit for me. Having loved so many of her other books, I will be eagerly awaiting more from her in the future and chalk this up to a one-off.

A story set around Hurricane season sounds thrilling, but it wasn't as good as I thought the premise promised. It's not quite like her Beach House books, although many characters do try to become redeemed.

Mary Alice Monroe is an author that I have truly enjoyed in the past, however, this novel just didn't work for me at all. I was originally intrigued by the premise of strangers coming together to ride out a hurricane, and being a North Carolina girl growing up, I was certainly interested in the setting. So what happened to make this a 2-star read?

The simplest way to describe my overall feeling was boredom. Horses are beautiful and I think it's wonderful that so many people love horses and all things related to the equestrian world. However, I am not one of them and there was so much detail and narrative regarding horses and their care. In addition, the characters fell flat with me and I just couldn't bring myself to care about any of their circumstances or lives. At first, it seemed to be a wonderfully diverse cast of characters, but I soon realized that it was physically impossible for me to take an interest in them.

I will certainly re-visit this author again, but this one wasn't for me.

*Thanks to NetGalley for providing this review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Another great book!!! I love anything Mary Alice Monroe writes! She never disappoints me. Her storytelling astounds me!! Can't wait for her next book!!

I am no longer interested in the content of this book. So, I'm DNF'ing this book for now. I may circle back around to this book one day.

This is the first Mary Alice Monroe book I've read - and I wasn't crazy about it. I've heard such good things about the author so hopefully it was just the book not being a great fit for my tastes! I was expecting a great chick lit/beach read and had high hopes, but the story was more centered around horse showing and riding (which is something that I have no interest in). The story was slow moving for me and I just couldn't connect with any of the characters or the story in general.
Thanks to Mary Alice Monroe, Gallery/Pocket Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Mary Alice Monroe is someone I read every summer and always look forward to her next book. This one probably wasn’t my favorite, but for what I expect her books to me, it was just fine. What made this a little less satisfying was that there were just way too many characters. Two were barely part of the book (Cara and David) and were just there (I guess) to tie the storyline to the earlier books in the series (of which there have been five, so it really wasn’t necessary).

Then there were several romantic relationships, several mother/daughter relationships, and several girlfriend/best friend relationships, and it was all just too much, even before you got to all the horses and dogs, which had given names and nicknames....it was just all too much. I also didn’t understand the aversion to using the word “lesbian,” whether it was making a statement or just a little obtuse.

But if you like feel-good Southern fiction and likeable characters, Monroe is a good choice, and I’ll still keep reading her every summer.

I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

I used to really enjoy Mary Alice Monroes books ... now ... not so much. I dont know if she has changed or i have but they just seem rather mediocre now.
This story in particular seemed - I don't know - fragmented? Not neatly sewn up.
I appreciate that Ms Monroe was choosing a different subject matter, horses over turtles, and she seemed to have done her research well. However, some of the characters seemed to have no impact at all on the story taking place in NC and felt like they were tossed in the mix - just to have some beach environment. It was confusing somewhat - and unnecessary - in my opinion. Perhaps that was to give us an idea of what hurricane weather looked like on the beach as well as in the mountains - it just didn't feel developed enough or like it was a part of the book as a whole.
She has done better.
I was given a free copy of this book through NetGalley, and all opinions stated here are expressly my own. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this copy to review.

This was another great story by Mary Alice Monroe. There were two different settings, one in the eye of a hurricane with Cara and David and the other on a horse farm in North Carolina where the other main characters stayed out of the storm. The dynamics between the mothers/daughters, wife/husband, friends from a long time ago and the horses all made for a fantastic story.

Mary Alice Monroe never disappoints. Another fantastic book by her. A group a friends are coming together / converging on a friend's home in North Carolina because a large hurricane is barreling down towards the southern coast. With settings in Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina, we see insights into a various group of friends and the different happenings of their lives. They are all equestrians, with horses that are going towards the main character, Grace, who owns a Equestrian Center in North Carolina. The character development in this book is phenomenal, as the author is well known for doing. I loved this book and had a hard time putting it down. I live in South Carolina, and have dealt with several hurricanes, so I could result relate to the book.

I would like to thank the author/publisher/Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and exchange for a fair and honest review.

THE SUMMER GUESTS is the first book I’ve ever read by Mary Alice Monroe and it won’t be the last! The twists and turns keep coming and I had to know how it was going to end! Every time I thought I knew where this story was going, a few pages later, Mary Alice Monroe threw me for a loop and I knew I was wrong! I’m kicking myself for not reading this wonderful novel sooner. THE SUMMER GUESTS is an engaging read and difficult on your emotions. It also left me wanting more, I wasn’t ready for the story to be over as I wanted to stay with my new found friends.

THE SUMMER GUESTS is unputdownable! There were quite a few times when reading it that I wanted to reach into the pages and slap a few of these people with their silly ways of thinking. I found myself giggling one second and then tearing up the next. If you are looking for an emotional and raw story to pull you out of your book slump, you can’t go wrong with THE SUMMER GUESTS. I’m so excited to read more of Mary Alice Monroe as she is now one of my auto buy authors. The descriptions of Grace and Charles’ ranch were so perfect that I actually felt like I was right there, breathing in all the smells of the beautiful North Carolina mountains.

The twists and turns in THE SUMMER GUESTS are going to keep you up late into the night trying to figure it out. One minute you believe you know what is going to happen and the next you are sitting there shaking your head, wondering what the heck just took place. I had my ideas, I had it all figured out, or so I thought, and BAM…….wrong again! Once you start reading, trust me, you aren’t going to be able to stop! When everything is finally revealed, well, you won’t believe it! Mary Alice Monroe sure knows how to draw her readers into her story to the point that you feel you actually know these people and really care for them. At least that is what happened to me.

THE SUMMER GUESTS begins with Grace and Charles Phillips preparing their ranch for quite a few visitors, human and animal. There is a hurricane hitting Florida and her family and friends are coming to her home in the mountains of North Carolina to take shelter. As they ride out the storm, they each face internal conflicts that must be resolved in order for them to move forward. The grief and pain along with loss that some of these people have gone through will break your heart. I thoroughly enjoyed reading THE SUMMER GUESTS. It is also heart breaking and filled with so many different emotions. There is so much going on in this story, but Mary Alice Monroe does a wonderful job of weaving all the pieces together. All of the characters will have you feeling sad and then giggling on the same page. Once you finish devouring this story, you are going to want to tell everyone you know about this awesome book.

Looking for a summer beach read? Look no further than Mary Alice Monroe's new novel - The Summer Guests!

A hurricane is set to strike the Florida and North Carolina coasts. Grace Phillips lives inland and has offered a number of her diverse group of friends to take refuge at her inland farm. The one thing they have in common? Horses.

The weather mirrors the lives of the large character cast. As the hurricane threatens, the lives of the characters are facing stormy times. When the storm hits, lives change and as the storm eases up, new paths are set for almost everyone over the course of ten days. (And a lot happens!)

All types of relationships are explored - friendship, mother/daughter, romantic, working - and horses. I am completely in the dark about equine matters and I learned quite a bit from Monroe's descriptions and settings. Again, much of the equine situations mirror what's going on in the lives of the group.

It is a diverse group and readers will gravitate towards some players (I really liked Moira and her mother Grace - maybe we'll see them in a future book?). And dislike others. With so many characters, the narrative changed often and I felt like I didn't really get to 'know' them as much as I would have liked.

The Summer Guests takes inspiration from Munroe's own life and experiences through an evacuation, her knowledge of the horse community and of course, the Southern settings.

This was a first read of Mary Alice Monroe for me. The Summer Guests engaged me, the story was entertaining and it just seemed right for beach reading.

This book was interesting but confusing with so many storylines going on. Seems like it spends a long time setting the scene with so much information. I had trouble remembering which character did what. I love and ride horses so this part appealed to me. She nailed it on describing bonding with a horse. She must either own horses or did excellent research. Loved the suspense of the big storm coming.

Mary Alice Monroe never disappoints. The Summer Guests is a perfect read for anyone that has experienced a major US hurricane, specifically along the Southeastern coast. M.A. Monroe deftly combines horse competition, animal rescue and storm evacuation into the perfect summer read. The Summer Guests chronicles the events over a ten day period prior, during and after a major hurricane hits the coasts of Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina. Champion horses are evacuated to the hills of North Carolina for safety, along with their owners, riders, grooms, etc. This book incorporates romance, family discord, dressage horsemanship, and harrowing evacuation attempts to save beloved coastal homes. Ms. Monroe’s characters are well developed and relatable. Definitely add this book to your beach bag this summer. You won’t be disappointed.

I received a copy of this arc from Netgalley for an honest review. Mary Alice Monroe is one of my all time favorites. I love her beach stories, but this did not feel like a beach story, it was a horse story and I was so uninterested. Hoping maybe the Audi will peak my interest.

People tend to mention Mary Alice Monroe books as summer reads. I disagree. Stories with settings, characters, and relationships as beautifully drawn as those in The Summer Guests are a pleasure to read any time. Horse lovers will be attracted to the setting and Monroe’s writing of the unique bond between a horse and its owner. The rest of us will be drawn into the complex relationships and the voice of the story that makes you feel the urgency of each person as they rush to get their horses, dogs, and themselves out of Florida and to the beautiful mountains of North Carolina as a hurricane approaches. This is my first book by this author, and I now feel compelled to read her other books. This is as good as Southern Fiction gets.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an Advanced Readers Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. #thesummerguests #maryalicemonroe #netgalley #gallerypocketbooks #gallerybooks #bookstagram