Welcome to Silver Bay where the picturesque community is shrouded by a fiery accident. Big-city reporter, Sarah Conley returns to the shore to lick her wounds after a job offer was rescinded. At the pinnacle of her career this setback sets Conley reeling.

Donning her reporter's hat, she uncovers skeletons in the honorable congressman's closet. Will her sleuthing leave locals 'scorching' or unlock a wave of secrets?

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the early read in exchange for an honest review. Mary Kay Andrews blends a summery setting with an intriguing mystery. Conley and Grayson's sibling rivalry, Rep. Symmes Robinette's questionable death and Conley's quest to find her footing keeps readers engaged. I found myself paging through the novel to discover the truth. Recent events illustrate that life isn't always a beach but #HelloSummer is a 'shore' way to escape the lockdown.

Summer has so many amazing things to look forward to — warm weather, food on the grill, time outdoors, and new beach reads. For me, the best beach reads are set in sunny locales with family drama, a little romance, and a dash of mystery. There is no beach read author I love more than Mary Kay Andrews. Her books always feature a spunky and flawed lead character, a fast paced plot, southern charm, and of course, a coastal setting,

Mary Kay Andrew’s newest title, Hello Summer, does not disappoint. Having grown up in the shadow of her family’s 4th generation small town newspaper, journalism runs in Conley’s blood. Conley is extremely focused on her career, advancing to bigger newspapers as she goes, including a new job in Washington D.C. Everything is going great until her going away part, when she learns her new job has disappeared. With no other options, Conley heads home to Silver Bay, a small town on the Florida panhandle coast, to work at the family’s struggling paper.

When Conley reluctantly returns home, she immediately becomes wrapped up with the people she has been distancing herself from — her unhappy older sister, her loving yet quirky grandmother, and an old childhood crush. Too add to the drama, Conley witnesses a suspicious fatal accident that ends the life of a local congressman. The accident sets off a chain reaction that turns the small town into the hot news spot of the summer, putting Conley right in the center of the action.

Admittedly, I struggled to like Conley at first. Her intense focus on her career and guarded personality made it hard to like her and understand her motives. As the story progresses, we get to see Conley open up, drop her guard, and turn into an enjoyable, feisty heroine. Mary Kay Andrews, delivers a strong cast of flawed characters and small town drama, all wrapped up in a gripping beach mystery.

I’m always a fan of Mary Kay Andrew’s books and eagerly await her new release each year. I’ve especially enjoyed the mystery aspect she has added to her most recent works. This year I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of her new book, Hello Summer.

The novel centers around a female journalist named Conley who finding herself between jobs, returns to her hometown in Florida. Without an income and with no jobs on the horizon, she reluctantly agrees to work at her family’s newspaper. The catch? Her only sister (who Conley does not have the best relationship with) is currently running the paper and it is majorly struggling.

Within days of her arrival in town, a beloved senator dies in a mysterious car crash and Conley stumbles on the story of a lifetime. As she works to find the truth behind the accident, Conley finds herself the target of some people who are not too happy with her investigation.

What I liked: I loved the character development in the story, which is typical of a MKA book. (Warning: her books are typically long, but the length allows you to get to know the characters on a much deeper level). I enjoyed the investigative story weaved throughout the book. It made me feel like I was a part of the action as the story unfolded. The relationship between Conley and Skelly (her childhood neighbor) was one of my favorite things about the book. I also enjoyed the cute antidotes about life in a small southern town and the older characters’ personalities. The last chapter was a nice ending to the story. It allowed the reader to jump forward in time to see how all the characters lives changed in the year following the senator’s death.

What I didn’t like: Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The only thing I found disappointing was that even though the majority of the story revolved around investigating the senator’s car crash and the events leading up to it, major questions about it were never answered. Who were the people the neighbor heard that night arguing? Was Conley’s guess about what happened actually true or just speculation? I felt like there were details that were mentioned throughout the investigation that were never addressed at the conclusion of the story. I even feel like there could be a sequel where Conley investigates the events that took place in Winnie’s (her grandmother’s housekeeper’s) hometown with the railroad company and the abandoned chemicals. Some people will probably say that there are too many characters and subplots in the story, but honestly that’s a MKA trademark and part of the reason why I love her books.

Overall, it was another solid read by Mary Kay Andrews. I loved the characters and the investigation regarding the senator’s death. There were some surprises and some obvious twists, but definitely a book I was sad to see end. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book!

"Hello, Summer" by the acclaimed author Mary Kay Andrews follows the life of Conley Hawkins. After quitting her job and heading to what *should* be an exciting new job, Conley is hit with bad news and has to move back home with her family. I enjoyed reading about the sweet relationship between Conley and her grandmother, as well as the prickly-but-growing relationship between Conley and her sister. Along the way, there is murder, intrigue, and even romance! If you're a fan of Mary Kay Andrews' work, you will enjoy this book!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

An amazing new book from Mary Kay Andrews. The twists and turns for this young reporter are different and fun and her ability to get to the actual story is great. I liked all the side stories and how it all came together for the Beacon.

I really look forward to reading Mary Kay Andrews and was super excited when I was approved to read this latest summer read. However, it fell short for me in that I just could not connect to the storyline or the characters. I finally stopped 17% of the way through it when I realized I wasn’t enjoying it. I’ll definitely keep reading her books as I believe this is just a one off for me.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s press for and advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!! I love MKA books and this was her classic style. It’s such a fun read... from Conley’s character to the storyline about print journalism to a small town beach setting, it’s a fun summer read from a well loved author. Highly recommend!

Wow! Mary Kay Andrews did it again. I got an early version of this through Netgalley to review. This is my honest opinion. I loved the story. It was a little different from her other books I’ve read, but the beach is still heavily intrenched in the story. It took me awhile to get into the story at first, but once I did, it was great. Sarah Conley Hawkins just lost her new job with a Washington D. C. digital paper. So she comes home to Silver Bay, Florida to regroup. She ends up doing some writing for her family’s paper, Silver Bay Beacon. She starts out editing Rowena’s gossip column called ‘Hello, Summer’. They are an absolute hoot to read. Then it gets really interesting to see how she investigates the death of a prominent local congressman after she comes up on the accident. The more she gets into it the more she angers his family, friends and neighbors of the town along with death threats. In the midst of all this, she mends things with her sister, has a new love interest with an old neighbor and decides to stay. Well done!

Hello, Summer should be in every woman's beach bag this summer! Gosh, I have been a huge fan of Mary Kay Andrews books for YEARS. She writes so many different tales, each one as intriguing as the last. This one is actually one of my new favorites of hers and I highly recommend it to all readers!

In Hello Summer, Mary Kay Andrews main character, Sarah Conley Hawkins, loses her prospective job and so returns home to the small town in Florida where her family owns the local paper. Temporarily, she says. But then she helps out on the family paper and rekindles an old love affair....will she stay or will she go.

A relaxing beach read.

Bravo! I’ve been reading MaryKay Andrews every summer she publishes a book. With this one, she amazes me with her imagination! Small, Southern town with a cast of characters you feel you could sit down and share some sweet tea!
Conley Hawkins finds herself out of a job as a journalist and no home. She decided to head from Atlanta down to the Florida panhandle and her hometown of Silver Bay. Her grandmother still lives in the house where she grew up. Her family owns the local newspaper and her sister is managing it. While sleepy Silver Bay seems like nothing big ever happens, that all changes with the tragic death of the local congressman. Conley takes off investigating and there are more twists and turns in the story that keeps you in your toes! Sibling rivalry, dysfunctional family, politics, spice and plenty of drama help make this a fabulous summer read!

Mary Kay Andrews is by far one of my favorite authors, and she did not disappoint with her new release coming out in May. Hello, Summer is a little romance mixed with a little mystery. I love how Ms. Andrews wrapped up the book in the end, which doesn’t leave the reader guessing about the characters.

Hello Summer is a great read. Reading an MKA book is the hallmark beginning of summer for me. One of the best parts of this novel are the picturesque sunsets she paints. Conley loses her dream job and is forced to return to her hometown and the sagging family newspaper, she reconnects with her sister, grandmother, and Skelly, the boy next door. She unearths a story that turns into big news quickly. I liked how everything's turned out. My favorite characters were Skelly, Winnie, and Rowena. Anderson's description of Rowena's outfit and hair for the funeral scene is unforgettable. Make sure to read this book.

I've read all of Mary Kay Andrews' books, and I look forward to her books coming out every year. This book was another winner for the author and a fun and entertaining read with flawed characters and a nice redemption arc.
It's a great beach read and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

5 stars.

Thanks to St. Martin's Books and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Perfect book to throw in your beach bag. Light enough for summer, with enough substance to keep you turning the pages. Mary Kay Andrews does not disappoint in this look at the perils of returning to where you grew up after years of staying away. Can two sisters who have always been rivals actually work together?
Strong main characters, but the secondary characters are just as well developed!
Must read!

Every summer I look forward to Mary Kay Andrews' latest release and this summer's is SO GOOD that I can't wait for my friends to dive into it!

Hello, Summer follows Conley Hawkins after she returns home to Florida and begrudgingly agrees to help her sister out at the family owned newspaper, although her career track has led her far from the days doing the police blotter. An unlucky ride home leads Conley down the hot trail of a story that has been buried for decades and she may have found the story to get her back in the mainstream papers and out of the one-horse town she grew up in.

I loved EVERY character in this novel and I didn't want it to end. This is a common trend with all of Mary Kay's books and this is no different.

This was an absolute delight to get lost into and I think everyone will enjoy this summer escape this year.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

Hello Summer is filled with fun, romance, home town gossip, scandal, and a bit of a mystery. Everything you need for a good beach read. The characters are down to earth, lovable, and believable. You can always count on Mary Kay Andrews to give you a story filled with great characters you'll come to love and a story that will keep you wanting more.

Thank you Mary Kay Andrews, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

3.5 stars - MKA id the queen of combining family drama and a light mystery to create the perfect beach (or quarantine!!) read! I did feel that this one dragged on a little too long and could have been shortened without losing any of the plot. This will be a great 2020 summer read!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I cannot wait until this book comes out so I can recommend it to all my Mary Kay Andrews fans AND all fans of romance/mysteries! Successful journalist Sarah Conley Hawkins finds herself back in her tiny Florida Panhandle hometown after a promised job offer fizzles out. She reluctantly pitches in to help with the local newspaper her family has owned for generations. She isn't in town for more than a few days when she finds herself in the middle of a mystery that involves murder and politics. She uses her considerable journalistic skills to bring the truth to light. There is a low-key romance subplot involving a friend from her childhood, but the romance, as appealing as it is, definitely takes a back seat to the mystery, which in this case is a good thing! Sarah Conley is a great character -- I hope Mary Kay Andrews brings her back in another book. Tons of appeal here: strong characters, beautiful beach setting, well-paced plot, romance, and mystery. Loved it!

Mary Kay Andrews, Hello Summer is nothing short of a mystery/thriller with a sprinkle of hometown, boy next door romance. The death of a prominent figure of a small town and the journey of Conley Hawkins looking to unearth the secrets attached to it. Mary Kay wrote this book in a way that keeps you reading as you yourself want answers just as much as the main character of the book does. I enjoyed this ARC and looking foreard to reading more Mary Kay Andrews in the future.
Thank you Netgalley for my ARC in return for my honest review.