In Summer of Songbirds, Kristy Woodson Harvey delivers a delightful and heartfelt story that captures the essence of summer and the complexities of family relationships. Set against the backdrop of a charming coastal town, this novel weaves together themes of love, loss, and self-discovery, creating a truly engaging reading experience.

One of the highlights of this book is Harvey's exquisite portrayal of the setting. The coastal town comes alive with vivid descriptions, allowing readers to immerse themselves in the sights, sounds, and scents of summer. The author's attention to detail shines through, painting a picturesque backdrop for the characters' journeys.

The characters themselves are well-crafted and relatable. From Linnea's journey of self-discovery to her grandmother's poignant reminiscences, each character brings a unique perspective and depth to the story. Their individual struggles and growth are sensitively portrayed, making it easy to connect with their emotions and root for their happiness.

Harvey's writing style is both lyrical and engaging, effortlessly transporting readers into the story. The pacing is well-balanced, with moments of introspection and reflection interspersed with more lively and heartwarming scenes. The author's ability to evoke a range of emotions, from joy to heartache, adds depth and authenticity to the narrative.

Another commendable aspect of Summer of Songbirds is the exploration of family dynamics. Harvey delves into the complexities of familial relationships, highlighting the joys and challenges that come with them. The themes of forgiveness and understanding are delicately woven into the storyline, leaving readers with a sense of hope and warmth.

While the novel is a beautiful portrayal of the human experience, there are moments where the plot feels slightly predictable. Some of the conflicts and resolutions follow familiar patterns, which may be anticipated by seasoned readers of the genre. However, the strength of the characters and the overall emotional journey compensate for this minor drawback.

In conclusion, Summer of Songbirds is a captivating and heartwarming read that will transport you to a coastal town filled with love, self-discovery, and family bonds. Kristy Woodson Harvey's eloquent writing and evocative descriptions create a sensory experience that lingers long after the final page. If you're looking for a summer read that will tug at your heartstrings and leave you with a smile, this book is an excellent choice

Kristy Woodson Harvey writes the perfect beach read! Fun, and entertaining for the summer. Would recommend to anyone looking for a light entertaining read.

The Summer of Songbirds is a must add to your beach/pool bag this summer. I enjoyed the alternating perspectives and the enduring love and friendships depicted in the novel.

Read if you love:
Female friendship
Friends who become family
Second chance romance
Summer camp nostalgia
Summertime memories

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Summer of Songbirds has stayed with me long after I finished the final chapter. Kristy Woodson Harvey weaves a story of friendship, love, family and sacrifice. Holly Springs is the dream summer camp that is run by June Moore, but the pandemic and changing times have put the camp in danger of closing. Daphne, June’s niece, Lanier and Mary Stuart first met decades ago at Holly Springs and maintain a close friendship across the miles and various life chapters. Each woman has had their own challenges as they navigate romance, family and careers. When the news of Holly Spring’s potential closing surfaces, the three women band with June to create one last summer of chance, vowing to do everything in their power to save the camp. I adored The Summer of Songbirds and know it will be one of this summer’s best reads!

A sincere thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. This will appear on goodreads.
Disclaimer, this is my first Harvey book, my first southern women’s fiction, and not a genre I normally pick up.
But I loved it!
Three friends who met at age 6 at camp have seen each other through all of the “hard things” are grown and preparing for a wedding…when they come to some of the hardest things they will face as friends, lovers, and families can. Told in multiple voice and timelines, it might be hard for some to latch on and stay focused, but for me, it supercharged the book. I read it in two sittings.
I loved the camp setting and could see it all play out in front of me. The characters are ones you want to laugh and cry with…and even perhaps become a little jealous that you don’t have BFFs like these. I rooted for all of them the whole way through, This is a perfect summer read…camp without the mosquitoes, friends and happy endings.
I would recommend this to my patrons for sure.
5*

The Summer of Songbirds
Three six year old girls met as campers at a Camp Holly Springs, a sleep away camp in North Carolina. Daphne was the niece of June, the director and the child of a troubled mother. Mary Stuart and Lanier had more stable families. The girls attended the camp together for many years as campers and then as counselors. They remained friends. In Daphne’s teen years her mother died and she moved in with Lanier’s family.

The girls were now in their 30s. Soon after Mary Stuart’s marriage, Daphne’s Aunt June informed the girls that their beloved camp was in jeopardy of closing. June expected that it would be the last season for the camp. A developer was offering a large sum for the property.
The three girls, now successful adults, combined their skills and connections to save the camp.
This book is about the lifelong friendship the 3 women shared. It also featured the rekindling of romances between two of the women and their first loves.
I enjoyed the book even though the end was predictable. My daughters had attended the same sort of camp that also had to close.Fortunately a group of former campers bought it and it is operating again this year.
I received this ARC from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Summer of Songbirds is a delightful book about three friends and their present lives and how they were influenced by their times at a wonderful summer camp.If you love stories of relationships with wonderful writing you will enjoy this book!The characters are well written and you can understand their motivationIt will make you want to go back to summer camp!Put this book in your beach bag!!It is a good read! Thank you NetGalley for allowing me the pleasure of reading this ARC!

KWH is absolutely staple for me. I adore her everything about her writing style, to her good clean-nature romances, to her attention to details and her lovable characters. This was no different. It gave me feelings of nostalgia for childhood summer camps and all the wonder and excitement that entails. I LOVED!

The songbirds have all grown up now, but their beloved memories of camp will never leave them. Especially since Daphne’s Aunt June owns the camp. When they find out it is on the brink of having to close, the three girls come together to save camp. They have always helped each other with the Hard Things and this is no different. Each facing their own tough situations the friends come together to help each other.

Could Kristy Woodson Harvey ever do wrong? I truly believe she can’t. This synopsis doesn’t even really touch a true wrap up of what this book is about because it is about so much. There are so many storylines, but the main point of the book is female friendships and how important they are to your life. I immediately fell in love with not only Daphne, Lanier and Mary Stuart but with their friendship as a whole. I started this one while I had about 15 minutes to kill before an appointment. I only made it 25-30 pages but let me tell you, I did not want to put the book down and head into my appointment! I finished this one in a single night and stayed up way past my bedtime to do so. If you have enjoyed Harvey’s books in the past you will fall in love all over again with this trio of best friends!

This novel by Kristy Woodson Harvey is a delightful way to start off your beach reading list! In the beginning I had a hard time keeping the characters straight, but once I got into the book it was smooth sailing all the way. The storyline and characters are well developed and the reader will fall in love with all of them. This book is about the true meaning of friendship and family.

The Summer of Songbirds is a story about three girls at summer camp but there is so much more to it. The girls met as six year olds and have stayed friends through everything life throws at them. When the camp, which belongs to the aunt of one of the girls, is financially in trouble and threatens to close, the three girls decide to put their life problems on hold and get together to save the camp. This story is full of drama, romance, camp stories, and relationships. It is an entertaining, highly readable delight of a book. Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this in return for my honest review.

Kristy Woodson Harvey.

She is a true wizard with words. She has a God given talent with weaving a story, crafting characters that you would bet your last dollar you’d known your whole life. Her ability to make her readers connect with her characters, root for them, feel their joys and sorrows and genuinely mourn the ending of each book is astounding. Every year I think…it won’t beat the last year. Every year I am wrong. This was truly something special and unforgettable.

I never went to summer camp as a kid, but living in the world of Camp Holly Springs I wish I had! The sisterhood these songbirds created in year one of camp never left them. Now, in their 30s and friendships thriving, their beloved Camp Holly Springs is under duress. Can they come together and save their sacred camp and all that it meant for them and means for future generations of girls? Or will it be lost forever? You will have to pick this one up to find out!

I never went to camp, but I had the honor and privilege of attending an all girls high school. Sure, sure, roll your eyes, think I’m crazy, but the connections and growth these songbirds experienced at camp, are the same I experienced at my small high school. I entered freshman year a timid and shy teenager. I graduated a confident and outspoken woman. The sacred and safe place of being allowed to thrive, encouraged to dream and speak up, always told to ask any and all question - never be afraid of being wrong - challenge it all and grow from you learn. This was my version of Camp Holly Springs and I loved that KWH was able to connect something like camp to my high school experience to remind me how special the bonds of sisterhood are.

Thank you Kristy for yet another brilliantly written work of art…I loved this so much, my words will never convey how special this was!

Thanks so much to Gallery Books and Uplit Reads for the gifted ARC in exchange for a review!

This was my first book by Kristy Woodson Harvey and I now understand why she has such a big fanbase! I really enjoyed this one! The summer camp aspects brought on some major nostalgia and had me reminiscing and missing my summer camp days as a kid/teenager.

This story follows three best friends from their time as young girls at camp until present day as adults dealing with BIG adult issues such as romantic relationships, co-parenting, moral/legal work issues, substance abuse, etc. etc. While so many heavy topics were discussed, the story still maintained a light and easy feel to me and I never felt too bogged down by the weightier topics.

It was just as much a story of friendship as it was romance which I really appreciated! Some of these characters made some choices that made me CRAY CRAY though but I'll keep those to myself as they may be spoiler-ish ;)

Overall, I think this will be a super fun beach reach this summer! It will be available for purchase on July 11th!

Kristy Woodson Harvey does it yet again. She wove the lives of three girls-sisters more like-into a tale of heartbreak, laughter, finding who you are and who your family is, and most of all who would you do anything for? I have read every KWH book and I have to say The Summer of Songbirds is among one of her best. This book will wow others all summer long--and make you want to go back to Summer camp!

Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

“Four women come together to save the summer camp that changed their lives and rediscover themselves in the process.”
Kristy Woodson Harvey has become an autobuy author for me as I’ve enjoyed several of her previous books, including her Peachtree Bluff series and The Wedding Veil. The are the perfect summer reads and The Summer of Songbirds fits nicely into that category. This book transported me right back to my own camp days.
In her author’s note, Kristy Woodson Harvey describes The Summer of Songbirds, as a “journey back to camp.” And that’s really what it felt like. This book is really about the importance of friendship and those friends that become family, as well as the summers of your childhood and teenage years where you just get to enjoy being at camp. As grown-ups, these women want to ensure that their own children are able to have that camp experience as well and they all work together to save Camp Holly Springs for future generations. Through that, they kind of save themselves and each other as well. Daphne, Lanier and Mary Stuart’s friendship clearly stands the test of time and helping each other with their “hard things,” which is a theme that I loved throughout the book.

Kristy Woodson Harvey has done it again! Her writing always feels like talking to a close friend, reliving a memory, or stepping into a story. It is vivid and sensory, and yet feels natural, not forced.

This book explores such a special place in many children's memories--camp--the friendships that are forged, the memories you make, and how it can help shape the person you become. I love the way eastern North Carolina is sprinkled into the story, and the little touches about what summer camp is like.

I also appreciate that she deals with addiction, loss, and family trauma in a real and relatable way. Those who are dealing with substance abuse in the story are (mostly) treated with care and respect, loved through their challenges, and helped as much as possible. As addiction is something that so many families grapple with these days, I appreciated her sensitivity in approaching this subject, and how it was not the most important thing about these characters.

I love a book that sucks me in and I've finished it before I'm even ready to be "done" with the characters and the story, and that is how I always feel after reading her books--delightful through and through!

“Maybe when you finally find where you’re meant to be, summer never ends.”

Oh. My. The nostalgia. This story will make you want to go back to summer camp and sit around a campfire, while you share your deepest, darkest secrets (and laughs) with your best friends!

I adored their friendship and especially their ‘Hard Things’ - where their friend carries the burden of those pesky little things that are they are less good at. You know, those hard things that we try to avoid, like for me, it would be doing my taxes or giving a public presentation. 🤣

Kristy writes characters that aren’t perfect; they’re real with real-life struggles and flaws and I love that. There’s all-out drama and SCANDALS galore. 🫢 But there are also heavy, deep, heartfelt moments that will have you in your feels. I would’ve loved to read Mary Stuart’s perspective but maybe…just maybe (pretty please) we’ll get a sequel or series from this?! 🤞🏽This book is one that you will HUG with your whole heart when you’re finished!

Themes:

-Found Family
-Summer Camp
-Second Chance Romance
-Best Friend’s Brother

RUN and add Summer of Songbirds to your beach bag because it’s a MUST read this summer!

We all have nostalgic summer memories that hold a special place in our heart. THE SUMMER OF SONGBIRDS follows four best friends who met at a summer camp as little girls. Over the years their lives have taken them in different directions but their bond has remained unchanged. When their beloved camp threatens to close they must band together to save a place they hold so dear.

This was such a charming story and I loved the way that female friendships were portrayed. This was my first book by Kristy Woodson Harvey and it certainly won’t be my last.

READ THIS IF:
You’re drawn to stories of friendship and romance
Hallmark movies are your love language
A group text with your girlfriends is your lifeline

RATING: 4/5
PUB DATE: July 11, 2023

Absolutely LOVED this book. It's a great summer read about family, friends and friends that turn into family. 3 friends met at camp as young girls and have stayed close throughout all the hard parts of life, but what happens when secrets threaten to pull them apart? I couldn't put this one down!

You wanna know the book that should be in everyone's pool or beach bag this summer? This one!
The Summer of Songbirds was such a great book filled with lifelong friendships, the nostalgia of summer camp, and love stories! It's about rising up and coming together and growing even when life throws you curve balls! It's the perfect summer read!