Cover Image: The Summer of Songbirds

The Summer of Songbirds

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Member Reviews

This was a great read and will definitely recommend!! The cover is also so cute. Can’t wait to read more by this author, she never disappoints.

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This book, gosh, what an incredible story. I find myself constantly recommending this one to friends. If you love Elin Hildebrand or any of the authors who write east-coast fiction, this one will be a hit. It has twisty love stories, complicated family relationships, and lifelong friendships. Its a beautiful story.

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I love Kristy Woodson Harvey so much. I read her Peachtree series had to pick this one up as well. I was lucky enough to receive this digital ARC as well as a physical copy. Thank you to NetGalley, Kristy, and Simon and Schuster for the copies.

These three women who bond at a summer camp have the experience I always wanted as a little girl. It was so beautiful to read. While navigating the complexities of their adult lives, these women find themselves wishing for simpler times. Aunt June is one of my favorite characters from any of Harveys books. She's got fire and I absolutely loved it. Since we didn't get any chapters from Mary's POV, I'm glad we got the emails to get some of her voice through.

This really is just a beautiful book about unconditional love, found family, sisterhood, and the beauty of simple things.

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Absolutely obsessed!! Such a well rounded good book! I loved all the characters (besides Bryce) and their storylines. Highly enjoyed this one!!

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If you’re looking for a wholesome, fun to read romance, look no further. This was so enjoyable and I honestly loved the characters, the storyline itself, and the end. There’s some mystery, closed door romance, lifelong friendships, and some underlying addiction that brings this story to life, and makes you just wish you could go to summer camp and have the experiences these women had. I have read other Kristy Woodson Harvey novels, and I’m fairly certain this is my favorite, and she was already an automatic read for me. So do yourself a favor and read this novel this spring / summer - it’s so good.
Big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

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Kristy Woodson Harvey has left me ready for summer camp in this book. This was a great read that has strong female character connections and will have you remembering fun times from your past. A group of women return to one of their family's own camps that is about to be sold. The women call to action to help save the camp along the way they remember their fun times and some romances along the way. Just go read The Summer of Songbirds. This book will have you ready to remember childhood friends and all the good and some of the bad times from then also.

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of THE SUMMER OF SONGBIRDS.

I seem to be somewhat in the minority, but I did not love this title. I found the characters hard to follow and relate to. I was just never super interested in what was going on or what was going to happen. I really had to push through to finish it.

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I'm honestly not sure why but this one confused me a bit. I think it was all of the character's names just ran together in my head. (They are not similar maybe they were just too southern for me??) Besides that odd fact about my brain lol, I really liked this one. I enjoyed the summer camp vibe and think the nostalgia for readers who actually went to summer camp (I sadly did not). This is my first by this author and will not be my last. It was a good read that I was excited to keep picking back up!

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this story. This review can be found on my instagram @manymerrybooks

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I flew through this one on audio (thanks @simon.audio!) though I wonder if I’d have preferred physically reading it a little more, as I think that format would have made it easier to keep all the characters, their stories (both past and present) and the alternating timelines straight.

The premise itself is so fun. Who doesn’t want to meet their best friends as young children at summer camp? Goals. I love the relationship they share. My favorite part of the book was the “hard things” emails. IYKYK. I want a friend to be able to do that with!

I also loved the nostalgia of Camp Holly Springs & really enjoyed June and her perspective. The 3 friends - Daphne, Mary Stuart and Lanier, all had so much going on in their lives (maybe even too much?) and at times it had the drama of an episode of Desperate Housewives. There was something around every corner and it was a little tough to keep it all straight. This one would be perfect to throw in your beach bag though, especially if you’re craving a drama!

There were a few themes & tropes that aren’t my fav so heed the trigger warnings below.

Trigger warnings: death, death of a parent, infidelity, unplanned pregnancy, drug addiction, overdose, house fire

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Kristy Woodson Harvey is one of my favorite “beach reads” authors but she is so much more than that. As someone who went to summer camp every summer growing up, I felt a lot of nostalgia in this book. The summer of Songbirds is about summer camp friends, who grow up and have sister like bonds, and they do each other’s hard things. When secrets start to pop up an old relationships, fizzle, we go along with the girls as they navigate how to work through all their issues and get back to the heart of summer camp. I really love how the author was able to tell such a beautiful story, and make us be able to relate to these characters. As always, can’t wait for her next one! Thank you Netgalley for my digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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#TheSummerofSongbirds is not only one of my top books of 2023, but one of my favorite books ever. #KWH has a true gift of making you fall in love with her characters and their story. I read this in one sitting. Not only did I become attached to the characters, especially the main 4 women (& Paula!), but Daphne is one of my favorite characters in any book. I’m so grateful for the early opportunity to read this beautiful story that brought back memories from my younger days.

#FWAFS!

Thank you, Kristy Woodson Harvey, Gallery Books, Uplitreads & netgalley for for my copy! All opinions are my own.

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Kristy Woodson Harvey is my all-time favorite author! I LOVED The Summer of Songbirds! I felt like I was enjoying the camp experiences personally and was best friends with the characters. I highly recommend this book! I am looking forward to KWH’s next novel immensely!!!

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The perfect summer read to add to your beach bag! A book about best friends, summer camp, lake setting, real life situations, sisterhood, summertime and friendship. KWH's books are a breath of fresh air and I love reading her books in the summer.

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I love Kristy Woodson Harvey books and this was no exception! I loved the throwback to summer camp and the friendships. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys books about sisterhood and secrets!!

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Very interesting read! The book pulled me in from the start and I wanted to see how it ended. Try it and see if this book is for you!

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Summer camp nostalgia, anyone? The Summer of Songbirds tells the story of three friends who met at camp as children and who, as adults, now take on the task of saving it. The pandemic wrecked the camp's finances and it was bound to close unless a massive amount of money was raised - quickly. It was fun to root for the women as they tackle the drama in their own lives and at camp.

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"Four women come together to save the summer camp that changed their lives and rediscover themselves in the process in this moving new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Veil and the Peachtree Bluff series. Nearly thirty years ago, in the wake of a personal tragedy, June Moore bought Camp Holly Springs and turned it into a thriving summer haven for girls. But now, June is in danger of losing the place she has sacrificed everything for, and begins to realize how much she has used the camp to avoid facing difficulties in her life. June’s niece, Daphne, met her two best friends, Lanier and Mary Stuart, during a fateful summer at camp. They’ve all helped each other through hard things, from heartbreak and loss to substance abuse and unplanned pregnancy, and the three are inseparable even in their thirties. But when attorney Daphne is confronted with a relationship from her past—and a confidential issue at work becomes personal—she is faced with an impossible choice."

This wonderful, reflective summer read brings back all the memories of teenage angst, enduring friendships, mosquito bites and campfire songs!

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Daphne, Lanier and Mary met at summer camp as 6 year olds and have been best friends ever since. Now as adults they return for one last trip to Camp Holly Springs to try and help Daphne’s Aunt June save the camp.

This was the ultimate nostalgic summer read. Growing up in Scotland summer camp wasn’t a thing but if it had been you better believe I’d have been there, and this book made me wish so badly I had been.

I liked the characters of the girls but Aunt June was my favourite. The friendships and relationships with each other and with June were so special.

Such a feel good read and definitely one of my favourite books of summer this year.

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I so desperately wish that I had been a summer camp kid. Books like this that are full of nostalgia only make it worse!! Anyone want to find an adult summer camp and just run away every summer?

I really enjoyed this book - it did take me a minute to keep the different women and how they related to each other straight. Even though the book is split in three ways, I felt like Daphne was solidly our main character. I was glad that instead of Mary Stuart’s POV (sorry girl) we got to hear from June. She brought a different perspective to the situation.

A solid summery read, I wish I had picked this up earlier in the year. It was comforting and wrapped up with a solid, satisfying ending that I definitely predicted but was still glad to see anyway.

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