I love a summer story about friendship and so I was really excited to check this one out. KWH is a great writer and her writing definitely hooked me and left me wanting to find out what happened and how they were going to resolve everything. I liked the events that took place and how the story all centred around the 3 friend's childhood summer camp.

Two things I wish were changed.
1. I think instead of June's POV we had Mary Stuart's (also why was she always referred to by her first and last name?). I felt like part of the friend group was sort of missing because we never got a chapter from her POV.

2. Lanier needed to grovel some more. Why was she excused from everything? She also messed up big time but did not share that with her fiance and let him take all the blame. Nor did she really apologise for how she treated Rich in the present day. She needed to grovel for him a bit more for sure!

This one is a feel-good summer read that centers around friendship that blossoms in childhood and stands the test of time until they become your chosen family.

It reminded me of a Elin Hildebrand book and had me wishing I was swimming in the lake in the middle of summer.

Pub date: 7/11/23
Genre: contemporary fiction, books about friendship
Quick summary: Daphne, Lanier, and Mary Stuart built a forever friendship at Camp Holly Springs - but years later, both they and the camp are in trouble, and they'll need each other to make things right.

I love books about female friendship, and KWH does such a great job writing strong but flawed, relatable female characters. Daphne, Lanier, and Mary Stuart had a very special sisterhood - including emailing each other for help with the "hard things" in their lives. I enjoyed getting to know them and seeing them figure out life and love, supporting each other even when they disagreed.

The summer camp element was another great part of the story - I never went to this kind of camp, but I could imagine Camp Holly Springs so clearly! Another strong book from KWH, and I think it will be a perfect summer read for her fans!

Thank you to Uplit Reads, Kristy Woodson Harvey, and Gallery Books for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A new favorite from Krisy Woodson Harvey. This one will be an annual summer reread for me with beautiful characters, nostalgia, and just enough family drama to become the perfect summer book.

The Summer of Songbirds by author Kristy Woodson Harvey is a delight! I have read all the books by this author and have not been disappointed in any of them. There is always family, friendship, emotion, and love in the theme of her books.
This story is set mostly at a summer camp for different ages of girls. The Songbirds are the first or youngest group to attend the camp. Over a few weeks, Daphne, Lanie, and Mary Stuart become the best of friends. They are anxious each summer to see each other again. As they age and life becomes more complicated, there are more experiences they must deal with, and sometimes they make mistakes. This book will renew your belief in the power of a lasting friendship, and being loyal to the things you hold dear.
I loved this book!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the opportunity to read and give an honest review of The Summer of Songbirds.
Publication Date: July 11, 2023

Having never read a KWH book yet knowing she lives nearby, I just couldn’t resist reading this one. It was absolutely adorable and such a great story! The perfect nostalgia for summer camps and reunions and best friends. Super fast paced and such a fun read, I could not put it down!!

LOVE LOVE LOVE. This has to be one of the best fiction books I've read in a long while. Any girl who ever spent the summer at summer camp and made lifelong friends will love this book. Harvey is an incredibly creative writer, whose characters and their relationships are so easy to care for and identify with; the characters in Songbirds are no exception. This is one I will buy when it comes out and keep forever and will be a re-read always.

I hadn't previously read a book by Kristy Woodson Harvey. It was so much more than I expected! I envisioned a lyrical nostalgic story. Oh no! It is and it isn't! While the author is so good at conjuring up the delightful memories of youthful summers this book is also character driven with lots happening!
June has been running the camp she attended for almost thirty years now. Pandemic and changing times she must face the fact that she financially may not keep the camp running any longer. But the camp means so much to her niece, Daphne, and her best friends - girls she met her first summer there at six years old. They come together and try to do what they can to save the camp. There are no perfect characters, they are realistically flawed and real but so likeable (there one or two I'm not particularly liking). There are melt your heart men who are strong and vulnerable. There is the best co-parenting situation ever-just thinking of Steven makes me smile.
This has made me so sad that I didn't attend summer camp as a child.
Thank you so much to Uplit Reads, NetGalley, Gallery Books and Kristy Woodson Harvey for this advanced copy.

Harvey has done it again with another feel good summer romance. I can't get enough of her writing style it is perfect for this time of year. it is light while still having some depth. I love her characters.

I never wanted this book to end! It was my first read by this author and I loved it so much. It was the perfect combination of nostalgia, some friendship and relationship drama, and dealing with the past without letting it define you. I'd give this 10 stars if I could! Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

Three childhood friends are reunited as they come together to try to save their beloved summer camp from financial ruin. Kristy has written another winner! I have a book hangover. I’m really going to miss these characters.

It’s hard to come down from the euphoria of reading this awesome Southern Women’s Fiction story. It’s simply the best Women’s Fiction I’ve read this year. The completeness of the characterization of each of the cast members; the rich, descriptive narrative that took me there alongside them; the emotional buildup I felt as the reader in each person’s life because they seemed so real to me; and the way that realness of the words touched all my emotions. That’s everything I look for in an extraordinary book. I finished the story feeling like the author left no stone unturned. The circle of life is clearly portrayed in this marvelous summer story that I highly recommend to readers of Southern Women’s Fiction and to everyone who simply enjoys a fantastic read! If I could give this story 10 Stars, I would.

“The Summer of Songbirds” is a must-read. It’s amazing. Author Krista Woodson Harvey is clearly a gifted storyteller. “Fair winds and following seas!”

I honestly reviewed an unedited digital arc provided by NetGalley and Gallery Books. All opinions are my own. Thank you.

Kristy Woodson Harvey is one of my favorite authors! And the Summer of Songbirds might be my favorite book that she has written. I loved the summer camp setting at Holly Springs, the amazing characters, and the sweet sisterhood bond. This nostalgic story has alternating POV's between best friends Daphne and Lanier which I loved. Such a beautifully written and endearing novel. Highly recommended for your summer reading list!

The summer of songbirds. Kristy Woodson Harvey

I am new to this author and really liked her writing style. This book made sense to me. Even though some things were unlikely, you wanted to buy into the stories and just enjoy without questioning.

Three young women, best of friends join together to keep their best childhood memories alive. Anyone would be lucky to have these kinds of close relationships and memories. This was a true love story but not just of lovers but of all the important people in their lives.

I give this book five stars because I want to go back and read it again, which almost never happens to me. I also want to read other books by this author to see if they are as easy and pleasant to read. Great summer read but recommended for any season.

KWH is one of my go to authors i recommend to bring with you on vacation, throw in your beach bag, and for a fun escapist read

This story follows three best friends from childhood summer camp to adulthood, Daphne, Lanier, and Mary Stuart, along with Daphne's aunt June, who is the owner of the camp. They meet as six year olds in the "Songbird" group of Camp Holly Springs and present day are coming together to save the place they love.

I didn't go to a summer sleepaway camp or have those traditions and shared experiences like they do but you truly do not need to to feel like this camp is part of your memories too. This book is about the image that shaped your love and the is you think of that made you feel loved and happy.

At its heart, this story is about friendship, but there are also two really good second chance romance stories in here! I also loved the found family and how much this group supports one another. However, I did find one character to drive me a little batty with her antics but did really appreciate her entire arc!

Things I loved about this book
Strong female friendships
Email exchanges between the friends and seeing their dialogue and interactions
Two really great second chance romance arcs
Such an inspiring co-parenting duo!

The Summer of Songbirds is pure perfection. And I'm not even a little surprised because Kristy Woodson Harvey continues to bring her readers stories that stay with them and make them feel. I loved this one! I can't wait to have a physical copy for my shelves.

The Summer of Songbirds is a beautiful book about four women and their interconnected lives, and what happens as secrets come to light. I loved their backstory and the subsequent settings (three of them met at camp as six year olds, and one was the camp owner who grew to be a trusted friend), I loved how their lives had progressed, I loved everything about their storylines and this book overall. It’s the way that Kristy Woodson Harvey writes…it sucks you in, keeps you enthralled, and spits you out with a massive book hangover.

As you can probably tell, I loved this one, and would recommend it to any Kristy Woodson Harvey, Mary Kay Andrews, or Elin Hilderbrand fans. Or, if you’re looking for a beautiful story about female friendship, this one is also for you.

The Summer of Songbirds was such a wonderful read about lifelong friends who met each other when they were 6 years old at summer camp. I loved the relationship between the 3 friends and how they each did the hard things for each other and how they were there for each other no matter what.

This book is about found friends, loyalty, love, and what we do for those we love. Kristy Woodson Harvey has quickly become a favorite author and this is a must read for fans of KWH's writing.

I found myself wishing I'd gone to camp at 6 and got to meet lifelong friends. I loved how they came together to support each other when one or the other were having issues and all the stories of camp life.

I'd definitely recommend this for readers who enjoy women's fiction or those who have enjoyed previous KWH novels. Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for an ARC at my request. My thoughts are my own.

I’ve ignored my family for the last 48 hours because I absolutely could not put Summer of Songbirds down. Kristy Woodson Harvey at her finest. I was so lucky to get this advanced copy and I’ll be singing its praises until it comes out on July 11th. Summer of Songbirds is the story of three best friends that meet the summer they are 6 years old at summer camp. As adults they discover that their beloved Camp Holly Springs is in danger of closing. Daphne, Lanier and Mary Stuart must dig deep in order to come up with the funds to keep Holly Springs open. Oh course all three girls are not without their own drama and heartbreak along the way. This story made me feel like I was back at summer camp myself. It perfectly captures the magic of summer camp. I could not recommend this book more. I’m excited for July 11th on y’all’s behalf!!

I was unsure if I was in the right headspace to read this book because I felt like I had just read several books in the same genre.

However, the preconceived notions that I had about this book were totally wrong! This book is about so much more than just the friendship between three women. It is about the nostalgia of summer, camp, memories from childhood, and the magic of first loves.

I really enjoyed this one, it’s a delightful read!

Thank you to #netgalley for this ARC of #thesummerofsongbirds