Fun. Real. Entertaining.

Kelsey is overworked, tired and has given up on her dreams. Then she gets hit by and car, wakes up in a hospital and everything changes. She decides her and her hospital roomie, the famous Georgina Tate, are going to have a summer of saying yes. How different is her life now that she is saying YES rather than saying no to everything.

I raced through this. I just loved every minute of it. Makes me want to say yes too.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Publishing and NetGally for this Advanced Release ebook.

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚 The Summer of Yes by Courtney Walsh

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
SPICE: 🌶️
PAGES: 384
PUB DAY: July 2, 2024

THOUGHTS AND THINGS:
I loved this book. As you might already know, I'm a big, big Courtney Walsh fan. I've read every book she's released in the last several years and a few of her backlist as well.

This one lived up to all of my expectations and then some! It's such a beautiful story that's so much more than a summer romance book.

I related so much to Kelsey, the FMC, and loved the unlikely friendship trope.

I laughed out loud. I sobbed. My heart was exploding with love and joy. It's just a wonderful feel-good story that really makes you think about life and if you're really living it.

This book made me want to have my own summer of yes. 🥹

READ IF YOU LIKE:
☀️ Unlikely Friendship
☀️ Women's Fiction
☀️ Sweet Romance x 2
☀️ Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone
☀️ Bucket Lists
☀️ Health Battle
☀️ Grumpy/Sunshine (of Sorts)
☀️ Opposites Attract
☀️ Second Chances
☀️ Forgiveness
☀️ Work/Life Balance
☀️ Hope and Happiness
☀️ Dual POV

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.

This is a story of friendship. Of taking chances. Of saying yes. I liked reading about both Georgina and Kelsey.

The Summer of Yes is a thought-provoking novel about taking chances, about forgiveness, and about prioritizing the things on your life that not only make you happy, but also about forming connections with others. Each of the characters are endearing—I truly wanted to give all of them a big hug for all that they’d been through, all that they were going through. They were brave, they were funny, they were stubborn—and I was on their side the whole way through!

This is so much more than a sweet romance. That is a secondary but delightful part of this book. It is a tale of personal growth and self-realization of both of the main characters. Love is important for us all. First, we must love ourselves. This was the first book I have read by this author. I look forward to discovering more. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

** Thank you to Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. These thoughts are entirely my own.**

I've been in a reading slump for a little while, and this was the perfect book to say "Yes!" to in order to get out of it! This book was so good! I was smiling, laughing, and yes, crying as I read.

The characters were so endearing. I cared about them all and their stories, and I could also see some of myself in them. I loved following them all! This book is dual-POV, but the two main characters we follow are distinct enough that I could distinguish between the chapters.

The plot was so fun, too! Yes, it was a little cheesy and a little unrealistic, but I still loved it! It was so cute. There was enough going on to keep me interested, but not so much that I was confused or overwhelmed. There was also a lot of deep material about living your life to the fullest that challenged me. It made me think about what I'm prioritizing in my life and whether I'll be proud of my decisions twenty years from now.

This was such a fun and lighthearted yet poignant book, and I'm so glad I read it! I would definitely recommend it.

Absolutely I say yes to this book! I loved this story so much it resonated so deeply with me. I desperately want it made into a movie so I can watch it all play out again, I saw everything so vividly, beautiful description and feeling. I laughed many times and cried aswell, all the feels. This could possibly be my favourite book of the year, it certainly is at this point.

Thankyou so much Courtney Walsh and Netgallery for the chance to review this ARC

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. Unfortunately I did not like this book. I could not get into the story and found the characters unlikeable. Kelsey's POV was very irritating to read and I could not stand her. The first few chapters felt very rushed and there wasn't enough background or buildup. This was very boring to me and just wasn't my cup of tea. I have read a book by this author previously and enjoyed it, but this one is just a miss for me. I am very much a mood reader so maybe this just didn't fit with my mood at the time, and would maybe be more enjoyable if I was in the mood for a very light, fluffy, vanilla romance, but I tend to prefer when there's a little more oomph and spice.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy. I loved this book so much. The idea of saying yes to what is presented, see what you may be missing out on, and knowing you can always make a difference. I did not want this book to end.

The Summer of Yes should be on everyone's TBR. The emotions that I felt throughout reading this book were on another level. Just like Kelsey, I am a 32 year old who is going through big changes in regard to career and relationships (getting married at the end of the year!!). Kelsey has said no to too much in her past and given up too much of her true self. A traumatic accident and the meeting of a sassy older woman, has her second guessing everything and saying yes more often. The journey for both Kelsey and Georgina is beautiful in their own ways. I had difficulty putting this book down! Easiest 5 stars I have ever given a book. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you will find little bits of yourself in these characters. Honestly, I found the characters to be so inspiring. We should really say yes to more and live life with less regrets and nos. Thank you so much Courtney and Thomas Nelson Fiction for allowing me to dive into this book early. Bravo, Courtney!

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was well written and I felt invested in the story. The characters were so likable even the prickly Georgina.
The story started out with a bang (literally 😂) and held my interest till the end.
This book had humor, romance and lots of heart. Made me think how I would do things differently if I knew my time was very limited.

*I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley to honestly read and review*
4.5 stars
The Summer of Yes was the perfect start to the summer. I loved getting to know Kelsey and Georginia. Kelsey was just coasting through life trying to remain in her safe little world. Kelsey was scared of change and was in the process of climbing the ladder of success until her world was shattered. Stepping out of a coffee shop should have been a "safe" activity. However, on the streets of NYC what is safe? That's how she finds herself in a hospital room, after being struck by a car, and roommates with one of the most successful women in business! Georginia had it all in terms of financial success. She was at the top of her game and there were college courses people could take to study her success. But all the success in the world can't stop you from getting sick. Georginia is coming to the end of life as she knows it. Her kidneys are failing and dialysis is now a part of her daily life. She has faced the facts and is preparing to die. Until Kelsey wakes up and realizes there may be more to life that work. That's how Georginia finds herself going on a road trip with a virtual stranger.
Kelsey says No to everything including friends and family. Her near death experience prompts her to start saying Yes to all the things. Her main Yes is trying to fix Georginia's life (because why would she want to concentrate on hers). While "Georgie" may have been a success in business she was a failure in love and family. Can a road trip fix all that is broken?
I really did enjoy my time in this book and the escape it brought. My issue with this book was the "insta-love" and the instant forgiveness of all the pain and heartache from the past. I enjoyed the grace and forgiveness but it just seemed a little to easy. This is a great book to take to the beach or sit by the pool and devour. It will leave you with a smile on your face!

The Summer of Yes is a sweet, clean romance that has a bit of a The Devil Wears Prada vibe. Kelsey Worthington finds herself in the hospital after being run over by a car on a sidewalk. This accident introduces her to one of the most accomplished female CEOs in NYC who is dying of kidney failure. Kelsey sees herself in this woman and decides to make a change before she is old and dying alone. What follows is an endearing story about finding out what is truly important in life and that lost relationships can be restored and forgiveness can be found if the stubborn are willing. I enjoyed this book and read it in pretty much two sittings.

The Summer of Yes by Courtney Walsh

Two unlikely women come together for a summer that will change their lives in Courtney Walsh's The Summer of Yes.

This feel-good, thought provoking novel is her best yet and leans more into women’s fiction while still including a light and sweet romance.

This story is filled with friendship, family, laugh-out-loud moments, and characters who are relatable, lovable and whom have delightful senses of humor.

I loved the friendship and dynamic between Kelsey and Georgina with their banter, sarcasm, and tender moments.

I highly recommend this summer read of friendship, forgiveness, love and second chances.

Thank you NetGalley, Thomas Nelson Fiction and Courtney Walsh for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC). All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Courtney Walsh used to be one of my favorites. To this day, her SweetHaven Cycle books, and Hometown Girl remain on my list of favorite stories I've ever had the chance to read. However, I've found the new direction she's taking her stories lately to not really be my cup of tea, and I hadn't enjoyed the last couple I'd picked up. The premise of The Summer of Yes sounded promising though, so I decided to give it a go and hope for the best. Unfortunately, this one ended up being more like her last couple of books than her older ones, and I'm starting to realize that her new style perhaps just isn't for me.

Courtney does have a way of writing her stories that drags the reader right in, and I always enjoy how her fun personality shines through in her storytelling through witty remarks, pop culture references, and back and forth banter between the characters. Even though there was more that I disliked about this book than liked, I think it speak to the talent of the author's writing that I was still wanting to read to the end regardless.

The "finding ourselves through a road trip" plotline has been done many times before, and it's starting to feel a little redundant at this point. Unfortunately, nothing stood out about this one as original, and it ended up feeling like quite a few chick lit stories that have come before it. Sometimes when a plot doesn't feel that original, the characters make up for it, but that wasn't the case here either. Both main characters were honestly juvenile, unlikeable and one dimensional. I never grew to care for either one of them, and didn't think their growth felt natural or authentic unfortunately.

As this obviously is a "romance" novel, the romance should have been the main selling point, but both felt flat for me. The romance of our older protagonist Georgina didn't seem believable, and I had a hard time believing the way all the loose ties were wrapped up without any expected consequences. The romance of the younger protagonist Kelsey was insta love without a doubt, and as such, even though I enjoyed her love interest, it didn't feel believable or realistic for both to end up feeling the way they claimed they did.

Perhaps, however, what I disliked the most was the fact that this is marketed as Christian fiction, but it really wasn't. While I understand that Christian authors are often choosing to write clean, rather than faith based in this day and age, it just felt like with how heavy some of the storyline was, it was a missed opportunity to not have the characters come to terms with His never ending grace along the way.

Overall, this was a cute, summer beach read but it lacked depth, and isn't one I would find myself wanting to reread in the future. I've loved a lot of Courtney's earlier works, but this one ended up being a pass for me personally. Regardless, if you enjoy cleanish chick lit with girl boss main characters, then this might just be the title you've been waiting to curl up with this summer.

Final Rating: 3/5.

Thanks so much to Thomas Nelson for allowing me to advance read and review this title!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the publisher (Thomas Nelson) via NetGalley. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and this is my honest review.

I enjoyed this book and thought the overall plot was interesting. Kelsey and Georgina are both workaholics in their twenties. I liked that the book offered both of their perspectives. I think a lot of people will relate to the themes of trying to get ahead in their career, but realizing what is really most important in life. I really liked the themes, but there were a few things I didn’t love:

I didn’t love how Kelsey dug into Georgina’s past to try and reunite her with her estranged family— it felt icky and deceptive.

I also had a hard time with the love interests towards the end of the book. I don’t love insta-love, and overall it felt rushed, and I didn’t feel any connections between the women and their partners.

Kelsey gets a wake-up call in the form of a freak accident, which has her questioning many of her life choices up to now - most especially choosing work over everything else including her relationships. After finding herself sharing a hospital room with the famed Georgina Tate, she wonders if perhaps this is an opportunity in disguise. Throwing caution to the wind, and taking her first vacation since she started working at the publishing company, she cajoles Georgina into taking a road trip with her. Slyly, Kelsey's goal is to reunite Ms. Tate with her estranged son. Will her plan blow up in her face? Will her attempt to meddle in someone else's life actually help Kelsie figure out hers?

This is a fun romance about saying yes to the more important and fulfilling parts of life. A great summer read.

I have already been telling all my bookish friends how they need to read this book! It is utter perfection!

A near-death experience causes workaholic Kelsey to reevaluate her priorities and start saying YES to everything she would normally say no to. She brings Georgina Tate -successful businesswoman and curmudgeon - along for her summer of yes. A dash of romance, banter, and this is your perfect summer read!

This book was fabulous. I loved it, fast paced and so much fun and so unexpectedly heartfelt! I was tearing up several moments and laughing the next— definitely recommend giving this book a read when it comes out!

Kelsey and Hayden’s story was oh so swoony and sweet and I loved the backdrop of New York City plus a roadtrip to a little coastal town (that I will dream of moving to thank you very much!). All that plus a redemption story that frankly made me cry and a second chance romance for Georgina as well— it was everything I didn’t even expect. Big love for Courtney Walsh’s story here!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Courtney Walsh has done it again with this sweet read that’s perfect for summer! I love her books because they always make me happy. And while there’s romance and heat, there’s no spice.
I loved Kelsey in this book. I feel like she’s very relatable. How many of us wish we weren’t so uptight? (Me, haha!)
And Georgina was the perfect match for Kelsey. I loved how her grumpiness and downright rudeness never got to Kelsey. She stayed kind and funny through it all.
The story did not go how I thought it would—which is good! There were several unpredictable moments that surprised and delighted me. The Summer of Yes is a fun read, but it will make you think about life, yourself and your dreams in a new way.
This is a great book for road trips, beach reading or sitting by the pool. You’ll fall in love with these characters and the great story!
I received a copy of this book through Net Galley. All opinions are my own.
Get it, read it!!