4.5 ⭐️

This is exactly the summery book I needed. “The Summer of Yes” was nothing short of an incredible read. The characters, friendships, and relationships were perfect to me.

The small bits of romance that we got in this book were so sweet. I would have loved to see more, but the pieces we got were heartwarming nonetheless.

I will say that this book had a slower start. Even though it was a little slower at the beginning, I was still immediately hooked by the book’s concept. Just know that it does eventually start to pick up once they embark on their summer of yes, and it’ll be so worth it to continue reading.

The overall lesson of this book was very impactful. Sometimes you need a change of pace, and that may often mean saying yes to the things you’d normally say no to. Also, yes you should say yes to picking up this book this summer. You won’t regret it. 😉

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for an arc of my new favorite summer read!!

If I could give this more than five stars, I would. "The Summer of Yes" by Courtney Walsh is a delightful and heartwarming novel that masterfully blends humor, romance, and personal growth into an unforgettable reading experience.

Walsh's storytelling shines as she introduces us to Kelsey Worthington, a relatable protagonist whose journey from self-doubt to self-discovery is both inspiring and entertaining. The chance encounter that brings Kelsey together with the formidable Georgina Tate sets the stage for a unique and compelling narrative that keeps readers engaged from start to finish.

The author's skill in character development is evident in the beautifully crafted relationship between Kelsey and Georgina. Their unlikely friendship, and witty banter, forms the heart of the story. Walsh deftly explores the generational differences and similarities between the two women, creating a rich tapestry of perspectives that adds depth to the narrative.

The concept of saying "yes" to new experiences is brilliantly executed, providing both humorous situations and poignant moments of self-reflection. Walsh strikes a perfect balance between light-hearted adventure and deeper emotional resonance, making the characters' personal transformations feel authentic and meaningful.

The romantic subplots are sweet and satisfying, adding another layer of charm to an already engaging narrative.

What truly sets "The Summer of Yes" apart is its great writing and exploration of themes such as regret, second chances, and the power of stepping out of one's comfort zone. Walsh delves into these issues with sensitivity and insight, offering readers not just entertainment but also food for thought.

The pacing is excellent, with a perfect mix of introspective moments and exciting new experiences keeping the story moving forward at an engaging clip. Walsh's prose is crisp and engaging, bringing the characters and their world to life with vivid detail.

"The Summer of Yes" is an uplifting, thoughtfully written novel that will appeal to fans of women's fiction, romance, and anyone who enjoys stories of personal growth and transformation. Courtney Walsh has crafted a tale that is not only entertaining but also inspiring, reminding us all of the magic that can happen when we open ourselves up to new possibilities.

A perfect example of what a great romance book can aspire to.

Courtney’s books are so wonderfully written - she’s an autobuy author for me! The premise of this one is intriguing. What would life look like if we said yes to all those things we declined in our lives because we previously prioritized work over people and experiences?

I love her characters, and this book has both heart and laugh-out-loud moments.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

The girls’ summer road trip novel we all need this summer! Two strangers take to the road to try and broaden their horizons. Will they say “yes” to the new adventures, or settle back into what’s comfortable? While (re)making new and old connections along the way, it might be true that it is the friends you make along the way!

This author knows how to build characters! The deeply rich protagonists were so engrained in the story, even when I only knew them for the length of the book. The dual POV puts a great twist on the book, and helps you connect even further with the characters. I enjoyed their journey, if a bit long, to remind myself to accept new things and challenge myself this summer.

I was completely pulled into this story and simultaneously blown away by it. It is soooo good! I know I could find better adjectives to describe my feelings for it but it really is soooooooo good! I was hooked! I couldn't stop once I started. I loved Kelsey's character and her life evaluation after a brush with death. I felt the emotions with her and her desire to do better. One of my book besties was reading this after me and she messaged telling that she was ready to say "yes" to anything after reading this book! And let me tell you, you'll definitely be feeling that way as well. I loved how Kelsey was smart in her boundaries for what she said yes to but she was open to many possibilities for accepting good in her life that she had previously said no to or had not even thought about being open to. She saw how those decisions really narrowed down her life and caused her to have a lack of friends and anything outside of work.

I loved her connection with Georgina. Who is a hoot! An absolute hoot! But at the same time has also let several things pass her by in her life while pursuing work and her dreams! I loved the combination of Kelsey and Georgina! Their banter back and forth and their friendship was wonderful! It honestly made me think of a little bit of The Devil Wears Prada and the banter back and forth between the boss and the employee (can't remember names right now) but in a more positive way.

And yes, there is a love story...two love stories actually. Soooo good! There I go saying that again, but it's true! Sweet and messy and tender and beautiful are all good descriptive words for this book, the characters, the love stories and well, just everything! Definitely going on my favorites list and on my HIGHLY RECOMMEND list!!!

I read and listened to this one, it was soooo good!!! ;-) I loved the dual narration for Kelsey and Georgina's characters. Both narrators were spot on for their character. They brought out the emotions of the story and made it seem like they had a fun time bringing to life these characters. If you're an audiobook fan, you're going to love this one!!!

If you pick up one fun summer read this summer, let it be this one!!!

Content: Clean. Talk of death and trust and heartbreak and walking away and love. Nothing more than kisses and some clean marital talk between a married couple.

I received a digital copy from the publisher, Thomas Nelson Fiction, via NetGalley. I also received a copy of the audiobook from the producer, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading & Listening!!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the Advanced Reader Copy!

I was hooked with just the cover of this novel...the summer sunset. The Thelma and Louise in a convertible vibes.

Kelsey and Georgina, an unlikely duo of a young woman recovering from an accident and an older woman with failing kidneys and a few months to live, set out on the adventure of a Summer of Yes. I wanted to like this book, based on the cover. But the pacing was slow, the relationships and romances were one dimensional, and I could not suspend belief of the way kidney failure was treated as someone who lost a family member to kidney failure.

This was a sweet book perfect for summer reading. Two women who meet unexpectedly go on an adventure to find what they really want out of their lives. Some romance woven in the story and well done.

Courtney Walsh is one of my auto-read authors, and she did not disappoint! Kelsey wakes up in a hospital after an accident. There she meets Georgina and the two form an unlikely friendship. This book is funny and sweet and just a delight! It’s more women’s fiction than romance, although there is some romance. Great read!

This was a really easy, lovely read and was quite enjoyable. While it was at times optimistic I also think I was slightly unrealistic and complicated issues seemed to be brushed over. that being said I enjoyed the book and would recommend this as a fun summer read.

Thank you to netgalley for a copy of this book.

The Summer of Yes

Loved!
Fast paced, tender, rooting for everyone,
Strong female characters, Kelsey and Georgina.

They’ve said no their whole lives and after an accident Kelsey finally leaves her job and decides on a summer of YES! She begs her hospital roommate and idol, Georgina to join her in a summer of reclaiming their lives and not being afraid to try different things. Georgina is rich, famous, and has worked extremely hard to become this iconic woman in the business world. Kelsey was following the same path, but at what cost? Neither of them have friends or a real life. That makes them reevaluate their lives and try something different. Only, Kelsey has other plans too. She’s hoping to rekindle a relationship between Georgina and someone she loves. These workaholics embark on a summer facing their regrets, fears, and love life.

I found this so endearing. I loved the wit, banter, sarcasm, light romance, but above all else the new friendship formed. This is more of a woman’s fiction vs contemporary romance. That said, I highly recommend this light, but heartfelt book!

This book took me a while to get into, but it had some truly beautiful and heartfelt moments, some self-reflection moments, and some moments where you just wonder where these Quinn men are hiding because I’d like to meet one.

Take Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada, and rename her Georgina Tate. Now imagine you wake up in the hospital, and she is your roommate, complaining that she has to be put in here with you. That is the scenario that Kelsey wakes up in. After being hit by a car, and somehow sustaining no major injuries, Kelsey takes a look at her life, and sees that Georgina’s life could very well be a prediction of her future; successful, but all alone. So, she asks Georgina if it was worth it. If it was worth the sacrifices that she must have made to get where she is today. And while Georgina says of course it was worth it, she can’t deny she had some regrets, and that she wished she had said “yes” more. And Kelsey feels the same way. So, she decides to cash in her vacation days, plays medical leave (she was just plowed over after all), and start saying “yes” to the things she would normally say “no” to. But she can’t stop thinking about Georgina, and insists that they do this together. And while it is easy in theory, putting it into practice requires some bravery, but it will all be worth it in the end.

I’ve never been hit by a car, so I can’t imagine what would be an appropriate reaction, but re-evaluating your life priorities seems like a good one. This was a cute story, though I wouldn’t classify it so much as a romance novel; yes, there was a hunky man who became a key player to the story, but it was more of a “women’s fiction” <- which, what a stupid classification. I’ve never seen something called “men’s fiction”. Sorry, I got distracted by the patriarchy. This book will be a great summer read, encouraging readers to say “yes” to what they really want more often.

I loved this book! It was an inspiring, delightful summer read that had me focusing on the good in humanity, and wanting to be better myself.
Kelsey Worthington finds herself lying in a hospital bed, with her last memory being her trip to the coffee shop. She meets an unlikely cohort during her hospital stay, and what follows is an adventure of self discovery, friendship, sacrifice, and ultimately living a life of no regrets. This was my first Courtney Walsh novel, but she is now an auto-buy. Sweet romance, beautiful friendships, hope in humanity, and a great cast of characters that I was rooting for simultaneously had me unable to put it down. I highly recommend!
Thank you to #NetGalley and #ThomasNelsonPublishing for the copy I received to honestly review.
#TheSummerOfYes #InspiringBooks #GreatSummerRead #JustSayYes
What if you said yes to everything you

We took our Winnebago back out on the road yesterday. I could not have chosen a better read for our trip. This inspiring new release is full of heart, humor, with a side of introspection. Early in the book, Kelsey's mom talks to her about "disruptors." An unforeseen occurrence in your life can disrupt for good. In this book we see how both characters become catalysts for change in each other's lives. Is there a disruptor in your life that you have been resisting?

Have you been saying "No" and playing it safe? Kelsey is 32 and working as an editor. She has been focusing on her career and missing out on life. She ends up in the hospital after getting hit by a car. Her roommate turns out to be THE Georgina Tate, a famous cosmetic magnate. The two of them will become the cleanest version of Thelma and Louise that you have ever seen with a blue convertible (minus the tragic ending.) They are saying "Yes" to a road trip and it is about more than the destination. Courtney Walsh gives us their story from both perspectives. The audio book is narrated by Tanya Eby and Cathi Colas is just right. Got a road trip planned this summer? Take this book along.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson, HarperCollins Publishing, and NetGalley for both an audio and digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

While the first part of this book took me a minute to get into, I think that pace was intentional to really show what the characters were like before "the summer of yes" changed them. I love that this rom-com was clean, no swearing and kissing only.
The romance was very sweet and the characters were entertaining and real. It's giving Devil Wears Prada vibes, but sweeter. Courtney is so great at writing stories filled with redemption and joy. This was such a fun read and would be the perfect beach/vacation read, so add it to your summer TBR list!

Content warnings: car accident, medical problems (no cancer though), estranged family members
Thanks to @netgalley and @courtneywalsh for the
ARC of The Summer of Yes, what a great book to kick off my summer with!

I enjoyed reading, but I feel like it could have been longer and could have explored more adventures between the main characters. I still enjoyed it! Definitely a lot of funny and sweet moments. A quick read with some great moments.

3.65!

The book follows two characters Kelsey and Georgina both meet in a hospital after a NDE. Kelsey has just been in a car accident and Georgina was there for her dialysis. Kelsey during this whole encounter realizes how she is wasting her life on things that do not matter to her and asks Georgina who's facing the same problems to go on a summer of yes, its basically a trip where they would say yes to everything that is morally right. Now, reading this was super interesting because the way its put is very interesting but I feel like somewhere along the ways I felt so lost but at other times it was really an enjoyable experience.

The pacing was slow at the star because the part that took Kelsey to convince a very stubborn Georgina was taking long but when it did progress I saw myself liking it. I feel like the only thing that were making this story stand was its characters. The writing was fun too, I had almost no complaints with the style but the plot and the romance imo failed to deliver.

I liked the point of views of both the characters and I felt like they were the strong parts of this book because those 3 stars are only for this. Courtney made the characters so rich and flawed that I liked reading about them and their struggles made them feel so realistic. I would say I understood where Kelsey was coming from but she had no right to meddle in Georgina's life the way she did and for Georgina I felt at times she could be too much but I really appreciated how she tried to be strong but was breaking apart from within and I just liked the flow that these two character had with each other, it made it enjoyable to read.

The plot was mild overall, it didn't really grip me. The romance I feel like could have been developed more and that it got very less time which made it less impactful, I really liked the idea for the way she presented it and the love interests themselves were really nice but we just did not have enough time and a integral part of the story was linked to it so I think if it got more time and was developed better this would definitely have been 4 stars or above.

Overall, an enjoyable read that I would recommend FOR people wanting character driven books.
___
The main character wakes up from an accident and yk what her first thought is??
"I don't have the time to be in an accident" 😃
This is gonna be a wild ride!! 🤩

4.5-I first “met” Courtney Wash when on a whim about 3 months ago I listened to The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley. I loved this book so much I bought both the e-copy and the physical copy. When I saw a new book by her on NetGalley I jumped at the chance to read it.
Kelsey Worthington is a junior editor at a publishing house and she puts work above everything else. After a near-death experience she has an epiphany and realizes something has to change. While recovering she meets Georgina, a cantankerous older woman whose life is filled with regrets from always putting work first. Kelsey nudges her way into Georgina’s life and drags her along on the adventure of saying yes.
This book is like a hug for your heart. It’s a fantastic feel good novel that is both laugh out loud funny and tear inducing. The characters are perfectly crafted and pop off the page and the setting of the Outer Banks was just beautiful. This is one book you’ll definitely want to say yes to!
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for an advanced copy of this. The Summer of Yes hit the shelves on July 2nd.

I thought this was a fun easy summer read.

Kelsey always dreamed of being a writer but settled for being an editor in Manhattan. She’s an introverted workaholic that doesn’t have time for fun. She has a near death experience that prompts her to make some changes.

In the hospital she meets Georgina and she fears that she will turn out to be alone like her. Although Georgina is a wildly successful businesswoman she has no family or friends.

Kelsey is motivated to start living life and saying yes instead of no. She talks Georgina into a summer road trip to kick start her plan.

I thought this book was enjoyable and fun to read. While at times a bit optimistic and unrealistic it was still a good summer read. Seemly complex large problems have a way of working out simpler than in real life. The book does tackle some very complicated issues like kidney failure and estranged relatives. I thought the author sort of brushed past the issues and made that felt a bit far fetched. I enjoyed this book.


Thank you to netgalley for a copy of this book.

This book was so cute 🥹 I really had a great time reading it. I loved Kelsey, loved Georgie and Hayden was top-tier golden retriever material 🫶🏼 Also, this book really shows you that life is about more than work and more work. There was just something to the whole idea of “The Summer of Yes” that spoke to me 🌷

I really recommend this one to anyone who’s in their 20’s or 30’s and just need a really touching story about life, love and making choices

I was so looking forward to this one and though it isn't a favorite, I still enjoyed the banter and themes of the story. It is not quite as lighthearted and fun as I was expecting but more touching, emotional and reflective. I listened to it on audio as well as in print and I preferred the print version.

Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read it in exchange for my honest thoughts.