I liked the sentiment of how this ended, and some of the quotes at the end, but I had to drag myself to get there. I wasn’t intrigued by the premise, didn’t love the characters, adored the husband/ wife relationship but most of the book just wasn’t what I wanted it to be. Both characters showed growth throughout but Kelsey’s relationship was predictable. I have some estranged relationships in my life and although I love the idea that everyone’s happy at the end, I wanted the author to tease out some of the harder complicated emotions, however I recognize the book would have lost some of its light hearted feel had that been the case.

I received an advance review copy for free from the publisher via Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Kelsey was such a fun character and it was a delight to read her story! Georgina was the sort of character I don’t normally read about, but she was definitely intriguing. Loved watching their story play out together and the life lessons they learned along the way.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Courtney Walsh NEVER disappoints and The Summer of Yes is no exception. This book had everything. It has found family, romance, banter, substance, and a main character that totally gives Miranda Priestly vibes (Devil Wears Prada). I absolutely loved this book and it may bump up to first place in Courtney Walsh's books for me. I can even see myself rereading it and will be forcing my daughter to read it ASAP.

THE SUMMER OF YES - Courtney Walsh

Growing - 4 stars

Plot - 4 stars - A near-death experience catapults workaholic junior editor Kelsey Worthington into changing her life--one yes at a time. Two stories of love, forgiveness, regret, romance, and finding a way to live a fearless life intertwine as these two women make an indelible impression on each other. And it all starts with a simple "yes."

Writing - 4 stars - I'll admit that I was caught up in the story right away. Kelsey is an appealing character--one that many of us can relate to since she has spent her life working towards one goal--her career. After an accident and an accidental meeting with a successful business owner, Kelsey comes to realize that her life isn't turning out as well as she'd hoped, so she decides to make some changes, and wants to bring Georgina along too.

Characters - 4 stars - Kelsey is a very relatable character, and I found her enjoyable and appealing without being too naive. I admired that she was brave enough to approach Georgina at the beginning, then I enjoyed that she was strong enough to stick up for herself as their relationship grew. It was fun to see Kelsey grow and change as she grew more confident. Georgina is another good character--the "villian" foil against Kelsey's well-meaning niceness. Georgina is a successful executive, but underneath she's a softie (although she'd never admit it). It was fun to watch them cause sparks against each other, but you could also feel an undercurrent of respect and caring.

Title - 4 stars - This is pretty obvious, although you need to read the first few chapters (or maybe the preview) in order to understand exactly who is making the changes and what she intends to do.

Cover - 4 stars - Although I'm not a fan of the currently trendy cartoon covers, this one does represent the road trip that is an important part of the story. The colors are bright and cheerful and definitely draw the eye.

Overall - 4 stars - This story intrigued me, and it did not disappoint. Were all the loose ends tied up neatly at the end? Yes, but it felt right to me and left me feeling happy and satisfied. The journey to get to the HEA was fun, with plenty of witty banter and lots of friendship and love. I enjoyed this new-to-me author immensely and will definitely look for more from her.

Lily's character is relatable and well-developed. Her struggle with self-doubt and her journey towards embracing life resonated with me on many levels. I found myself rooting for her as she navigated through her challenges and slowly opened herself up to new experiences and relationships.

Walsh's writing style is engaging and easy to follow. She has a knack for creating vivid settings and memorable characters. The small-town atmosphere adds a cozy, intimate feel to the story, making it a perfect summer read. The supporting characters, each with their own quirks and personalities, contribute significantly to the richness of the narrative.

The plot moves at a steady pace, and while it’s somewhat predictable, it didn’t detract from my enjoyment. The themes of self-discovery, courage, and the importance of saying "yes" to life are beautifully woven into the story. Walsh does an excellent job of balancing lighthearted moments with deeper, more reflective passages.

Overall, "The Summer of Yes" is a delightful read that I would recommend to anyone looking for an inspiring and heartwarming story. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Fiction through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you so much!

The Summer of Yes was fun and encouraging. It definitely made me rethink some of my no's. I enjoyed the romance between Kelsey and Hayden and the friendship between Kelsey and Georgina. This was my first book by Courtney Walsh but it won't be my last! Also, the narrators, Tanya Eby and Cathi Colas did a wonderful job!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 2 July 2024

I ended up dnfing this book, but I won’t be leaving a bad review anywhere. It just ended up being too slow for me to get into. I love this authors other work, this one just didn’t do it for me. Thanks for the arc!

The Summer of Yes follows junior editor Kelsey Worthington, who, after a near-death experience, decides to transform her routine life by embracing spontaneity. Inspired and accompanied by Georgina Tate, a successful yet regretful businesswoman with kidney failure, Kelsey embarks on a Summer of Yes, diving into spontaneous adventures that challenge her comfort zone.

4.5⭐️

The Summer of Yes is a fun and life-affirming road trip buddy adventure between Kelsey, a young woman struggling to get started in her life and career, and Georgina Tate, an older, ailing, successful businesswoman who’s isolated herself. Their banter is delightful, and as they spend more time together, they both learn and grow in unexpected ways. This is a great beach read, as well as highly relatable for anyone who is struggling to find their footing.

Tanya Eby and Cathi Colas did an excellent job narrating the audiobook, and I appreciated their distinctive voices.

Thank you Courtney Walsh, Thomas Nelson, HarperCollins, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was such an inspirational read! Courtney Walsh does a fantastic job balancing self discovery with a bit of romance thrown in! This sweet story makes me want to live my own Summer of Yes!!

I received an ARC through Netgalley and all opinions are my own.

☀️The Summer of Yes☀️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A near death experience changes Kelsey’s life. She is a workaholic who dreams of being a writer and is currently a junior editor. While in the hospital she meets Georgina Tate, who is a famous and successful businesswomen. Georgina has always put work first…even before family. These two become connected and Georgina gets Kelsey to say yes to more in life so she does not miss opportunities….including love! This was definitely so cute! I absolutely loved how Kelsey and Georgina’s friendship begins and transpires into so much more. Two love stories, friendships, regret and romance…this was such a heartwarming book!! I love Courtney Walsh books!! They make my heart happy! I will say you should read the physical as I didn’t care for audiobook narrators, it felt robotic.

Thank you @netgalley @thomasnelson and @harperaudio for the eARC and ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

hoping for more summer adventures. starting pretty slow and i don't like the insta love. but the writing style make it out for me, would check out more from this author

Kelsey experiences a life-changing moment when she's hit in a freak car accident and ends up in the hospital. There, she meets Georgina, a famous but lonely and cold woman who owns a cosmetic company. Realising how close she came to losing her life, Kelsey decides their meeting was fate. Determined to make the most of her life, she vows to start saying "yes" instead of "no." This new outlook includes Georgina in her journey, leading them on a road trip from NYC to the coast of North Carolina.
Two intertwined stories of love, forgiveness, regret, and romance unfold as two women profoundly impact each other's lives. Their journey towards living fearlessly begins with a simple "yes."

From the beginning of the book, I was intrigued by all the secrets Kelsey and Georgina were hiding, each interesting in their own way. It's great how the two characters are completely different: Kelsey is fun, more willing to accept consequences, face fears, and simply go with the flow, while Georgina is stubborn, bossy, and somewhat self-sufficient. The book is dual POV, although I would have liked to see a bit more of Georgina's story because Kelsey is actually drawn to her life story. At times, the book becomes a bit predictable since we know the characters' traits from the start, making the plot easier to follow. I think everyone could benefit from reading this book, whether they're climbing the business ladder, in need of a break, or looking for a different perspective on life.
This heartwarming tale of self-discovery and unexpected friendships is a must-read for anyone looking for a feel-good story this summer.

he Summer of Yes
By @courtneywalsh
Rating: 4 stars

You’ll love this book if you like:
Multi generational friendship
Road trips
Second chance romance
Smart independent women

Favorite parts:
Kelsey explaining the synopsis of her boat restoration romcom 🤣🤣🤣
Kelsey and JPs texts
Hayden and Kelsey’s “official” meet cute starting at The Grotto

Courtney Walsh books are some of my favorites and The Summer of Yes is another to add to that pile!

Kelsey is an assistant editor that ends up in the hospital after a car hits her. It’s after this time in the hospital, where she shares a room with Georgina Tate, a famous business woman, that she realizes she isn’t happy with her life. So she decides to have a summer of yes and say yes to things she normally wouldn’t.

Both Kelsey and Georgina set off on a road trip and their lives intertwine in ways they never could have expected and find happiness in the humblest of places.

This book, while it has elements of two love stories, isn’t a heavy romance. If you’ve read Courtney’s The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley, it has a similar feel. (I personally would rate The Happy Life slightly higher Summer of Yes but both are great books in my opinion!)

Also, I thought the road trip would be a bigger part of the story but it’s not. So if you’re expecting it to be about how the women’s lives change through the course of a trip across the US (like I thought), it isn’t really like that! 😁

Lastly, received a copy of the audiobook and ebook through NetGalley so I was able to listen as I read along (which was fantastic!) and thought the narration for both Kelsey and Georgina was spot on. I loved the narrator for Georgina especially! She had just the right amount of righteous indignation needed for the role. If you like light romcom audiobooks, I’d highly recommend picking this one up! 👍🏻

* I received a complimentary copy of this book and audiobook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#thesummerofyes #courtneywalsh #courtneywalshbooks #closeddoorromance #roadtrip

This was unfortunately a miss for me.. I had to dnf, the main character was a bit repetitive and over the top. Maybe it just wasn’t the right timing for me to read this.

I wasn't sure what to expect of this book, and it was truly better than I could have hoped. I knew there was a chance this would be filled with cliche and be another "Eat, Pray, Love" as the character Georgina even suggests it could be. While this is a story of self-reflection and self-discovery, Courtney Walsh managed to avoid the cliche and to write a heartwarming and insightful story.

Uniquely, this is a two POV novel following the stories of two women: Kelsey and Georgina. Kelsey has a "disrupter" as her mother would call it and ends up in the hospital sharing a room with Georgina Tate, one of her career idols. Kelsey makes it her mission to find out "What if there is something more for [her] out there?" while also trying to learn from and encourage Georgina to go on a similar journey of self-discovery.

Reading Kelsey's journey of overcoming fear and determining what she wants out of life was captivating. She asks many of the questions I myself, and I think many other adults, have asked in the pursuit of finding out what would build a life fully lived.

I related so much with Kelsey's journey in finding out how to become an active participant in her own life. I loved her dynamic with Georgina and her unending perseverance in the midst of having to face hard truths. She has the humility to acknowledge her mistakes, the courage to face her fears, and the strength to know doing the hard work is worth it to build a full life. Her giant heart and unflappable pursuit were endearing which only drew me into her story more.
Georgina's stubbornness was incredibly frustrating for both me and the characters in the book, but I appreciated her POV throughout the story. Her stubborn pride was consistent and relatable. I loved having a peak into her mind and seeing the same questions asked in a different stage of life. While Kelsey was trying to determine how to live a life without regret, Georgina gave the perspective of how to move forward after a life with regrets and how to reconcile who she has become with who she once was and wishes to be again.

Overall, the message was so well done. There were moments when the writing got clunky, the plot was predictable, or the dialogue got a bit cheesy, but I was never torn out of the story for more than a moment. The story beautifully portrays some of the most important messages I've learned in my short life thus far, and I encourage anyone interested to give this book a chance. The banter was fun, the romance was sweet (though definitely a subplot), and the journey to the lesson was worthwhile. This is a definite win for me!

"It's a wild and precious life, Kelsey. If you have something that sets your soul on fire, you have a responsibility to chase that thing."

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the opportunity to read such a delightful book.

This is only the second book I have read of Courtney Walsh, but both have proved to be testimonies of her creative ability. This book, like Walsh’s other book”The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley” was an inspirational story about what your life can be if you let go of fear and/or bitterness, stop saying no to new things and instead make your life meaningful in a career you love and with people you care about. The main character is also a writer/ editor, which made it an even better and more personal reading experience for me.

One element of the story also reminded me of the Bible story of Hosea and Gomer. This part of the plot line was my favorite, because it speaks so loudly of the power of forgiveness, grace, and second chances.

The main character Kelsey was immature at times. Also the romance felt rushed, in that they’d only known each other for about a week before the relationship started. If it weren’t for this, my rating would have been a straight four star.

There is clean humor throughout; I was laughing several times. This would make a great movie, I think. Will definitely be reading more of Courtney Walsh’s books.

Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book before its publication date.


“Life is good. And wonderful. And horrible and beautiful and messy, and everything all at once. And that’s the beauty of it. It’s overwhelming, but it’s never boring. And it should be lived to the fullest. And no, that doesn’t mean the biggest car or the biggest condo…It means filling your life with the people you love, doing the things that make you feel the most alive.”

“ The world is going to tell you all kinds of things about yourself. You’re not good enough or smart enough or strong enough or thin enough or rich enough or talented enough. They’ll come up with a million different reasons why you can’t do the thing you want to do. The thing you were born to do. They’ll tell you “No Kelsey or not at this time, Kelsey or You’re not good enough.” So what do you do?” You tell them yes.”

DELIGHTFUL, HEARTWARMING, & ENJOYABLE!

Best-selling author Courtney Walsh brings readers one of this summer's most delightful, heartwarming, and enjoyable reads! Courtney’s brilliant plot is so unconventional, but when you stop and think about it, you realize it is a summer everyone wishes they could have.
Two unlikely women from two generations apart share a hospital room. Kelsey is young and stuck in her job and life. Georgina is a legendary NY businesswoman. Georgina is stuck, too, because her kidneys are failing, and she requires dialysis. While Georginia has been a business success, her personal life is full of regrets. Kelsey comes up with a way to bring a significant change in both their lives. She proposes “The Summer of Yes.” The premise is: What if they say YES to everything I've always said no to?

What follows is a delightful, heartwarming, and enjoyable journey of self-discovery for both women. Each of them learns to say “Yes” to things they never thought possible, and their lives change forever. New friendships become like family, and old relationships slowly find their way to restoration. The biggest surprise is an overabundance of love waiting for both women.

Thomas Nelson and NetGalley provided me with a complimentary copy of this book. However, I have no influence over the opinions expressed here.

ɴᴇᴛɢᴀʟʟᴇʏ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ || SUMMER OF YES [thank you to @thomasnelson and @netgalley for my #gifted copy!]

Title: Summer of Yes by @courtneywalsh
Genre: Romance
Format: Digital
Star Rating: ★★★★☆

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ:
Kelsey Worthington, a junior editor living a safe, predictable life, meets Georgina Tate, a trailblazing businesswoman facing her final months, in the hospital. Inspired by Georgina's regrets, Kelsey creates "The Yes Plan," vowing to embrace life fully. Convincing Georgina to join her, they embark on a transformative summer adventure, saying yes to new experiences—from city tours to convertible rides. Their journey takes a deeper turn with an impromptu visit to Georgina's estranged family. As they navigate love, forgiveness, and second chances, these two women discover the power of saying yes to life.

ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
If you’re into books about people taking life into their own hands and making changes, then you’re in for a treat! I loved seeing both Kelsey and Georgina take a hard look at their life and where they ended up…and realizing that what they thought they wanted wasn’t actually making them happy. Plus - I am a sucker for cranky senior citizens in my romance novels…and let me tell you, even a happy Georgina is still SNIPPY and I am HERE FOR IT.

I laughed, I cried, I was inspired, I wanted to hop in a canoe - this was a perfect summer read and I highly recommend it if you’re just looking for an uplifting and fun romance!

ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
Second Chance Romance
Closed Door Romance
Road Trips
Unlikely Duos
Cranky Old People
Bucket Lists

ᴅᴇᴛᴀɪʟꜱ:
GR: 4.14 ⭐️
# of Pages: 384
Pub Date: July 2, 2024

*The Summer of Yes* by Courtney Walsh is a heartwarming tale about embracing life and stepping out of comfort zones. After a near-death experience, Kelsey Worthington, a workaholic junior editor, embarks on a life-changing journey of saying "yes" to new experiences. Alongside Georgina Tate, an older woman grappling with her own regrets, Kelsey learns to live fearlessly. Their adventures lead to unexpected bonds and a deeper understanding of love, forgiveness, and seizing the moment. Walsh's engaging storytelling and relatable characters make this a delightful read about transformation and the power of taking risks.