I loved the relationship between all characters in this one! The love story somehow left me wanting a little bit more in the end though. I definitely enjoyed it, but it was not a memorable one for me. I would recommend for something quick and light,

Kelsey and Georgina are quite the unlikely pair, but sharing a hospital room gave way to sharing their lives. Kelsey’s life plan is interrupted after she survives a hit and run. She is determined to say yes to all that she has let pass her by when her sole focus was her career. The summer of yes brings two women to confront their life regrets and get to know themselves in the process. The adventures they take are fun and invite the reader to enjoy the ride of spontaneity.

The Summer of Yes was my first Courtney Walsh novel and I have to stress it will definitely not be my last. This book provided a non stop engaging and imaginative story line that had me hooked from page one. The book begins with Kelsey an overworked, under appreciated book editor. Kelsey in her ever under appreciated state is volen-told to get to Starbucks with her boss’s coffee order. En route back to the office Kelsey gets mowed down by a rogue car. She wakes up in the hospital with a very fragmented memory of what landed her there. Frantic to get back to her work but told she’s very lucky to be alive she’s required to stay in the hospital and wait to be cleared. The then unoccupied and last neighbouring hospital bed is taken by a very regal and formidable woman Kelsey recognizes as Georgina Tate a well known business mogul. After listening to Georgina for a short period of time Kelsey can see some parallels between herself and the older woman. Georgina is dismissive of Kelsey but one question seems to break through her tough exterior. Was her singular focus on her job really worth it? Through her near death experience and her time with Georgina Kelsey decides that she needs to change her life and start saying Yes. Yes to the invitations that she’s been declining and just Yes to living her life again. This work was truly a delight to behold. I enjoyed the dynamic and witty push and pull between Kelsey and Georgina and their character development was so exquisitely crafted. I love to see characters grow into their most authentic selves and work for the life they want. Courtney Walsh’s The Summer of Yes was a pure delight to experience. Life gets busy and sometimes we get in our own way. The Summer of Yes makes me want to say Yes to everything that I have been saying no to. Thank you to Thomas Nelson Publishing and NetGalley for this Advanced Release copy. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Courtney Walsh knows how to write characters that you genuinely care about. The two FMCs in this story have wonderful character arcs that were a joy to read.

Kelsey and Georgina are thrown together and are the most unlikely of duos after Kelsey gets HIT BY A CAR (not like how you feel after your 3 year old wakes up at 2am ready to party, I mean like actually hit by moving vehicle) and survives.

Georgina is business savvy and Kelsey is struggling to make her way in the world. Kelsey begins to notice things that she feels like were “meant” to happen. She does the hard things and follows the feelings she’s being given because they feel like the right course of action.

The character arcs are entertaining and moving. This book touches on some heavier topics of parental abandonment and regret. It may even inspire you to be a better parent. At least, a more present parent.

Wonderful book, highly recommend.

For anyone feeling like they’re stuck in a rut comes a new sweet story about saying yes to adventures and living life with no regrets.

This wasn’t how Kelsey Worthington’s day was supposed to go. She wasn’t supposed to be picking up Starbucks for her smarmy boss. She wasn’t supposed to get hit by a car that jumped the curb. And she certainly wasn’t supposed to wake up in a hospital room next to Georgina Tate—the legendary matriarch of New York City businesswomen.
But now, when Georgina’s failing kidneys force her to face some big regrets about the way she’s lived her life, the two women recognize they share a common thread. Maybe it’s time to confront a few things. They must ask themselves: What if I said yes to everything I’ve always said no to?

This one will inspire a lot of people both young and old. It definitely left me with a lot of self reflection and I am definitely wanting to go do some fun stuff and make new friends to do them with now. This whole story was just so fun and the banter between Kelsey and Georgina was downright hilarious. My only complaint was it became repetitive it at times (I don’t want to see the expression wheels on a cog for a very long time) but overall it’s an easy read that will make a perfect beach bag book this summer!

Thanks to netgalley for my gifted copy! This one’s out in July

“The Summer of Yes” was a delightful book to read with a very inspiring story that will make you question your own. It was exactly what I needed.

Kelsey’s life gets suspended by a life threatening and freaky accident that makes her evaluated her life decisions until that moment. While in the hospital, she finds herself sharing her room with a very successful and older business woman who may be questioning her own life decisions now that she is dying.

Their journey is one of self discovering, making them both question if letting others love you and loving them back is as worthy as being successful in your own career. If it’s possible to have everything without sacrificing you or those who want to be in your life. Or if what you initially believe are your “dreams in life” are actually what you believe they are or what you really need and will make you happy at the end of your life.

“The summer of yes” should be a course everyone needs to take at least once in your life without the need to experience a life threatening moment, and you may discover more about what you want, like and love and what you definitely don’t need to consider or do to be happy…….whatever “happy” means to you.

I just reviewed The Summer of Yes by Courtney Walsh. #TheSummerofYes #NetGalley

This book. AMAZING!!!!!!!!! Courtney Walsh does it again. This could possibly be my favorite of hers. I fell in love with the characters from the beginning. I wanted to hug them, yell at them, cry with them, cry for them, fight for them and beg them to fight for themselves. The Summer of Yes is a book that will stick with me for a long time. We all need to remember what is most important in life and fight for that.

Kelsey is young and living the life that she thinks she is supposed to live ... a safe life. That is until she gets a life disruptor that changes everything. Georgina thinks she has the perfect life with her hugely successful business until she meets Kelsey who happens to be her roommate in the hospital. This chance meeting starts the adventure of a lifetime ... the summer of yes.

Thank you Thomas Nelson Fiction for sending me an early copy of this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

In The Summer of Yes, Kelsey has a post-accident wake-up call that her life isn’t turning out the way she wanted. She decides to take a couple of weeks off work to say “yes” to new experiences and relationships. She invites (almost forces) her hospital roommate, an older cosmetics mogul named Georgina who has kidney failure, to join her; what Georgina doesn’t know is that Kelsey did some snooping into her backstory and formulated a plan to reunite her and her estranged family.

Courtney Walsh is a fun author—I’ve read one other book by her prior to this one, and I enjoy her writing style. This book prominently featured two of my favorite things: summer road trips and North Carolina, which made the book even more fun.

I didn’t really care for the character of Kelsey, especially at first. She was highly presumptuous and forced herself into Georgina’s life in totally inappropriate ways, violating many personal boundaries. Yet, she ends up getting rewarded for it, which felt odd. Her POV dominated the first half (or more) of the book.

With that being said, I enjoyed the second half more, which included more of Georgina’s POV and also brought about more character development on her part (her stubbornness throughout much of the book could be frustrating at times). I actually think the best characters were Hayden and Dylan, though!

There were a couple of minor references to prayer and God, but faith was not a prominent theme.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the ARC! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Kelsey Worthington just had a near-death experience. The biggest inconvenience of it? Pulling her away from the intensity and deadlines she’s confined to within her fast-paced publishing job. An interesting and unexpected meeting with someone older, whose life paints the picture of what Kelsey’s future might exhibit, causes Kelsey to question her own life and choices… Kelsey decides to start saying yes more often, rather than making excuses, leading to new friendships, self-reflection, and more than she ever thought possible.

I adored this book. Reading Kelsey’s character arc and perspectives was like looking into a mirror. I read this book on my Kindle and found myself highlighting many things she said, because it resonated so much with me. Other than loving Kelsey’s character, I loved the friendship she developed with Georgina. The whole time reading their adventures, I felt like this could be a movie. I loved the added romantic element; my only critique is that I felt like this part of the storyline could’ve been developed a little bit further. It seemed to move fast, and some parts felt choppy, not flowing effortlessly. I still loved the Kelsey-Hayden relationship. All of the different situations throughout the book felt like “fate,” truly serendipitous moments, and I couldn’t get through it quick enough. A true feel-good story!

Read if you enjoy:
☺️ serendipitous moments
🚗 spontaneous adventures
🤔 what-ifs
❔ questioning life choices
⛵️ beach town vibes
🔁 multiple POVs

I read this book via Kindle format, courtesy of @NetGalley!

Loved this book! It was different than I expected in all the best ways. When Kelsey finds herself sharing a hospital room after a near death experience she can’t believe who her roommate is. Georgina Tate is famous, owns her own massive company and is a total icon of Kelsey’s. Kelsey gets a glimpse of what her future might be if she keeps on her current path by hearing about Georgina’s life and regrets. This starts the Summer of Yes and she somehow convinces Georgina to join her in saying yes to things they haven’t let themselves say yes to in a very long time.
There’s so much heart, heartache, forgiveness, and starting new. Life is about living and loving and it’s never too late to make things right. Also, it has an element of kidney disease and donation which is close to my heart so it made it even more special!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy I received!

This was such a sweet story. It’s a good reminder to push yourself out of your comfort zone, and the power of forgiveness.

"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐲," 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐬, "𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞... 𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭. (...)"

This book is an intriguing exploration of the complexity of personal relationships. I loved how the characters underwent changes, overcame their fears, and moved towards a better life. The subtle yet charming romance added the perfect touch to this story. At the same time, the everyday adventures served as a poignant reminder that the most extraordinary moments can arise in the simplicity of daily life. Undoubtedly, it is one of my favorite reads of the year.

Este libro es una fascinante exploración de la complejidad de las relaciones personales. Me encantó la forma en que los personajes experimentaron cambios, superaron sus miedos y avanzaron hacia una vida mejor. El romance sutil pero encantador añadió el toque perfecto a esta historia. Mientras que las aventuras cotidianas sirvieron como un recordatorio conmovedor de que los momentos más extraordinarios pueden surgir en la simplicidad de la vida diaria. Sin duda, una de mis lecturas favoritas del año.

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

This was a charming fantasy of a book, with plenty of little chuckle-worthy moments. I call it a fantasy because especially toward the end it was all getting very rose-colored and idyllic, which is something that (in my opinion) can be difficult to pull off in a contemporary setting. Of course, there's a huge call for optimistic stories and happy endings, a la Hallmark, and this story fits excellently into that category. It's about second chances, prioritizing relationships, and rediscovering old enthusiasms.

What sets this author apart for me is the well-played comedic moments and little gags. They're fun.

In a word, this book is delightful! I enjoyed it all. A nice balance of substance and fluff. Highly recommend.

This was a sweet book but not as strong as Isadora Bentley. It felt a little repetitive and the whole concept of “saying yes” a little boring honestly.

I always enjoy Courtney’s books. This one was no exception. I thought it was a cute story. It had all the things I love such as characters finding their path and going to find happiness. I loved the back and forth between Kelsey and Georgina. Reminder me a little of devil wears prada. This had me smiling and teary eyed.

Thanks to Netgalley, Thomas Nelson Fiction | Thomas Nelson for my advanced ecopy in exchange for my honest review.

Publish date: July 2, 2024

Oh my gosh I loved this book so much. It was such a lovely story about life, choices you make, unlikely friendships, love and saying yes. One of my favorites of the year so far.

I love books from Courtney Walsh, because they are a nice fun escape from life without having to read about super heavy stuff. This is definitely one of those books and I am here for it. I love the grumpy Georgina and how her soft side comes out even through her gruffness. The story of forgiveness and grace brought tears to my eyes. Such a cute loving story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

An amazing inspirational book. Such a reminder to look at life differently and change perspectives. The ripple effect of our decisions is huge and can be glorious.

I didn’t really vibe with this one. Maybe it was the dual point of view that made it hard to connect? The characters didn’t seem like they were fleshed out enough to care about where they ended up.