The Summer of Yes was a sweet, inspirational story of Kelsey and Georgina. Kelsey recently had a near death experience and she meets her hospital roommate, Georgina, who has a challenging chronic disease. Kelsey decides to take time off of work and trick Georgina into a summer of yes. They take chances, do things they wouldn’t normally do and ultimately try to determine what matters make in the world.

The story started slow for me and as a medical professional, I did not feel Georgina’s disease was portrayed accurately. The story was predictable, but I enjoyed Kelsey’s character.

A complementary copy was provided by publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. all opinions are my own.

The Summer of Yes was such a fun, cute, and heartwarming story. I'm not going to lie. The first 25-35% felt really slow for me. I struggled to get into the book, but I'm glad I kept going. I ended up enjoying it a lot.

I keep thinking I’ll find a Courtney Walsh book that won’t “wow” me, but it has yet to happen. Every book I read of hers leaves me wanting to read another one soon after. The Summer of Yes fits that bill.

Quite honestly, I was a tad nervous at the beginning because I was having a hard time picking it up. The story was good but not captivating me. Then, 30 percent into the story, BAM! I was absolutely hooked and found myself ignoring household chores so I could keep reading.

The two main female characters could not be more different (generationally and emotionally, just to name two) and I found myself genuinely curious how their friendship would pan out. Then add in some travel and romance and I was all in!

Every Walsh book is centered around real-life topics where the main characters learn a life lesson, along with the readers. And yet these novels don’t depress me in the least because Walsh has a way of crafting engaging stories with an excellent of seriousness, humor, and lightness. The word that kept coming to mind as I read this one was REDEMPTION, and now that I think about Walsh’s works as a whole, ALL of her books have this element to them.

This was the first book that I’ve read by Courtney Walsh and I’m looking forward to reading more by her! The Summer of Yes was a cute and easy read with a powerful message. It showcased the importance of being true to yourself and living life with no regrets. I enjoyed getting the POVs of both Kelsey and Georgina while seeing their unlikely friendship grow. Kelsey’s inner dialogue was so fun and I loved her thought process as a writer. I also enjoyed the light romance in this book. Overall, I highly recommend checking this one out if you’re looking for a cute summer read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars

This was a very sweet and wholesome book! It was a lovely premise and an easy, light-hearted read. I found the discussions around fear, regret and living life to the fullest were inspiring. The characters were likeable and fun!
The writing was a bit more tell don’t show than what my preference is but I still definitely enjoyed myself!
No spice, just wholesome fun
Very grateful to have received a NetGalley E-ARC XX

This was a cute read with a bit of depth sprinkled throughout. I appreciated the premise but didn't always love the older main character. Some parts towards the beginning were a bit slow for me. Of course the ending was wonderful.

I was so excited for this book and loved the premise, but the pacing was off and I wasn’t very invested in the characters. The romance also came pretty late in the story and it was lacking IMO. The moral of this story is a good one and I know a lot of readers will love it, but it just wasn’t for me.

4 💫 | "𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦. 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦. 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘵."

If you are familiar with the clean and closed door romance movement, you have probably seen - or read - some of Courtney Walsh's books. The Summer of Yes was my first contact with her writing, and let me say, I enjoyed it very much. But let me warn you: this is not a romance book (although there is some). It is more like a literary fiction book, with funny and romantic elements. Reading this book felt like watching a movie (and what a great movie it would be). I don't want to get too much into the plot because I feel like this is one of that books that the least you know about it, the better your experience is. The idea of this book is super captivating and the main characters were super fun. Shout out to Georgina, she was by far my favorite character.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the access to the ARC! 🤍
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

One day Kelsey wakes up in the hospital and learns a car jumped the curb and hit her. That event turns out to be a major life interrupter. Before the accident she was a workaholic with a clear career goal. Her life wasn't exciting or fulfilling but it was safe and calculated. But post accident she is realizing that if she doesn't change her ways she may end up at the end of her life full of regret.

Part of this shift of perspective comes from her hospital roommate Georgina. Georgina Tate is an iconic business woman who has risen to the top in a truly inspiring manner. But she's sick in the hospital with a pair of failing kidneys with no one but her assistant showing up for her.

Kelsey feels compelled to not only make sure she doesn't live with regrets, but convincing Georgina to join her on a Summer of Yes. But Kelsey has more up her sleeve than just fun adventures, she wants to reunite Georgina with her estranged family.

And when Georgina's son and not so ex-husband enter the picture, the Summer of Yes gains much more gravity than anyone expects
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What a fun ride! This is not the book I expected, but I still enjoyed it so much.

This book has two big themes that I think played out so well.

1. Saying yes, i.e. living without regret. As someone who likes to stay on the "safe" side of life...
2. Forgiveness. The power of forgiveness in this book will make you feel all the feelings.

For readers who go into this thinking it's a pure rom com you might not love the first half, but if you think of it more as women's fiction with a rom com storyline you will not be disappointed! You will get your butterflies over flirty lines (x2), but you don't want to miss the set up because it makes it that much sweeter!
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This is a women's fiction book with a side of closed door, kisses only rom com.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and Netgalley for the gifted book. Coming out on July 2nd!

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

This book! This story brings all the feels, all the swoon, all the hope, and all the heart. I just adored every single character and everything about their stories intertwining. Fresh starts, friendship, forgiveness, choosing the right priorities, loving people well, and laughs along the way.

4.5 stars!!
Spice: totally closed door, no swearing

Wowowowow. This book was not what I was expecting. I thought it was going to be a cute little summer romance.... but it actually turned out to be a slightly more emotional contemporary fiction that just happens to have some really sweet romance in it. I thought it was going to be kind of cheesy (and it sort of was sometimes) but everything that the characters go through and realize felt so extremely genuine and it really resonated with me. It was written so well that these messages that I have heard before in other books/movies felt new and caused me to see them differently.

The characters were so touching and loveable in their own ways and I adored following their stories. I loved having the perspectives of both Georgina and Kelsey. They were both very similar but still had very different obstacles to overcome and growth to experience. It added a lot to the story.

I loved how the author portrayed the whole concept of a "Summer of Yes". You would think it would be all about saying yes to these really extreme things - bungee jumping, swimming with sharks, travelling all around the world, etc. But for these characters, it was literally just about saying yes to the everything things and connections around us on a day to day basis that we can get distracted from for whatever reason; because we are afraid for some reason; because it is hard to be vulnerable.... the things that make life bright and beautiful.

I also (once again) want to move to a small North Carolina beach town because it sounds amazing.

How have I not read anything by this author before?

Thank you Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for the ARC!

I enjoyed the lighthearted and heartfelt read this was. It took me awhile to get over some of the frustrations of the main character (Kelsey, just relax - you're in the hospital! It's just a job!) but then I remembered that I had similar lessons to learn early on in my career. I appreciated the sweet read, and I also loved the cover art!

Thank you again for the ARC!

Such a cute book!! I loved this story. The main character was darling and just the whole concept was so fun! A super cute summer read.

I loved this book! It was so fun, and I was interested the entire story! I loved the character development! I loved the romance added with the comedy and stubbornness of the characters. This is definitely a feel-good story and a perfect summer read!

Courtney Walsh has done it again! I absolutely loved the relationship between Kelsey and Georgina Tate - honestly the entire book could have just been about these two and I would have adored everything about it. But of course Courtney did us one better my introducing a few extra characters in the mix. You will love Georgina's assistant JP and enjoy even the little relationship between him and Kelsey. But the icing on the cake are Georgina's family members that you'll get to know. You will love this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for this ARC of The Summer of Yes by Courtney Walsh.

This is the perfect summer. Beach read, late night binge read, rainy day nothing to do read, avoiding your house work and responsibilities read, there’s really no reason not to read this book.

Do you ever wonder if you’re just living life for the sake of living? Like there’s something else that you should be doing, could be doing, or want to be doing but just don’t have it in you to take that leap. What would it take for you to say yes? Yes to a new job, yes to that new relationship, yes to just stepping out of your comfort zone, or yes to picking yourself . For Kelsey, that was an accident that almost took her life. In a split second her entire world changed and after waking up in the hospital she slowly began to realize she needed to make some changes in her life. With unexpectedly thrown into a situation where she was sharing a hospital room with a famous Georgina Tate. an iconic woman who built her way to the top. One rung at a time despite all odds. A woman who seemingly had it all until she didn’t. What’s the price of being everything you want in life?

Kelsey and Georgina couldn’t be two different women. While their goals seem to align their lives would have never if it hadn’t been for Kelsey getting hit by that car. When Kelsey realizes that Georgina is very sick and seemingly has nothing in her life, it makes her reflect on her own self. Kelsey realizes she doesn’t want to end up like Georgina after all, and decides to start the summer of yes! Kelsey forces Georgina to participate and the most outlandish chain of events, eating street food, taking road trips, and ultimately reuniting with her long lost family and finding love again. There’s no time to say no to life anymore. While Kelsey‘s pushing for all of these things for Georgina she continues to struggle with accepting them for herself.

The Summer of Yes is an amazingly captivating book. It was so hard to put down because Walsh pulls you in with every page. If you’re looking for a romance novel and a cute summer read, this is the novel for you. I don’t enjoy books that are overly sexual, that have scenes that are steamy, or use graphic descriptions for displays of affection. If you are a reader that feels the same way, then this is the book for you. Walsh gets her point across without using harsh language, overtly sexual scenes, and other tactics that some writers believe need to be used when writing romance. I highly recommend this book make it to your summer must read list. Just Say Yes! (And buy the book)


Pub Date: July 2, 2024
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Courtney Walsh crafted a well-written, engaging novel. When Kelsey, a workaholic who says no to everything, gets into an accident, she wakes up in a hospital and encounters an older business woman Georgina who has said no in her life to get to where she is in her career.
Kelsey's accident serves as a catalyst, making her to reevaluate her life and wanting to say yes to more adventures and opportunities that she had declined previously. In doing so, she convinces Georgina to join in her saying yes into doing more things.
I loved the characters Kelsey, Georgina, Dylan, and Hayden, the snarkiness between Kelsey and Georgina, Kelsey finding her voice and true passion, figuring out what really matters, reconciliation, and forgiveness. The Summer of Yes will not disappoint you.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was not my favourite novel by the author, but I loved it enough that immediately after finishing I messaged her to say I wanted to embark on my own journey of saying yes to life-affirming, joy-bringing adventures. As a whole, I appreciate Walsh's creativity and what with words and putting you in the moment and it was no spice, no profanity, faith-friendly without beating you over the head with a conformity message. My only hesitation is that one of the characters felt overly pushy at times and as someone who values and protects my boundaries, I didn't love this aspect even though I understood its importance to the flow of the story.

I was excited to read this ultimately sweetly predictable summer novel. Told from alternating points of view, the story features Kelsey, a 25-year old workaholic, who feels that she’s had a second chance at life after an accident and decides she wants something new for herself. She wants to say “yes” to more things. She meets Georgina, an elderly makeup industry icon, in the hospital. Georgina has kidney failure, and regrets of her own, especially her estrangement from her husband, and also her son, Hayden (who happens to be handsome and single). Kelsey recruits Georgina for a “Summer of yes”. There were no surprises in this story of finding a way to live a fearless life. A nice PG-rated palate cleanser. ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Available 7/1/24

“We aren’t guaranteed a second chance—we’re only lucky enough to seize one when it comes.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for an enhanced copy. All opinions are my ow

Synopsis: A woman wakes up in the hospital after being hit by a car and finds that her roommate is a cosmetic icon in failing health. She proposes a “summer of yes” to change their lives.
Pros and cons: I thought I loved the premise of this story going in to it, but the lead character completely manipulates the other in to her “summer of yes” and it was so overstepping that I cannot get past it.
The author also touts how her books are wholesome with no swearing and no spice. This may be perfect for some, but I hated it because it made for a bland, cheesy, predictable read that lacked chemistry or real depth of the characters. I had to skim to finish because I knew what would happen. Hey, maybe you’ll like it more than I did!
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.