Traci Eddings whole life is the Saint Cecelia Hotel. She started out as a worker, and then became an owner/ manager. This summer, Traci has to deal with family strife, friendships fractured and mended, and the murder of a much loved girl. Will
The Saint ever be what Traci needs or wants it to be? With tenacity, love and friendship it can and will. Mary Kay Andrews is the best at telling this southern quirky mystery tales. Another fabulous book. Excellent narration! Kathleen McInerney is one of my all time favorite narrators. Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Mary Kay Andrews for the advance ebook.

Summers at the Saint
This book takes place at the St. Cecelia it is a fancy family owned hotel. When Traci who is left unexpectedly widowed with half of the hotel to run, with her not so willing partner brother in law fighting against her every step of the way. Traci is forced to do so much of the work herself as well as keeping her brother in law at bay and has her ailing father in laws secrets are looming over her head as well. When the new season is coming new staff needed to be hired and housed. Traci looked to make all accommodations for the summer at the hotel so the new season could be “great”. She had a new dorm built and hired new people to work at The Saint. Her brother in law became even more of an unwilling partner as the story continues on. You find out the twists later in the story. He does not want to do any of this and makes for many messes along the way. There are so many fun past stories and characters that come back up and intertwine with new stories. The excitement of this book didn’t disappoint. I loved the mystery of the characters and each of their backstories were so much fun to figure out. I could not wait to read on to see if I could guess what the character was about and what they did, why they did it and could not wait for the explanations! The characters I found some very endearing some of them were just very interesting. While others you loved to hate. I highly recommend this book. I listened in audio and really enjoyed my time spent with these characters. Thank you NetGallery for an early copy of this book. #NetGallery

4 stars

While I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, the audio fell a little flat for me. I wouldn’t say, I disliked the narrator, but she just isn’t my favorite. Her voice is a little sing-songy.. Still a fun story, and a great summer read. Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley!

Traci Eddings has spent her summers at the Saint since she was a teen. Unlike the wealthy people in the area Traci spent her summers working as a lifeguard at the Saint as a teen. Then she met her husband there and married into the owning family of the resort and holdings. Finding herself widowed, she is now the one managing the Saint hotel, and ensuring its success. However, she cannot seem to understand why the Saint is not turning a profit. Following Covid, she has struggled to keep staff, and is now determined to have a successful summer season. She builds a staff dorm, and convinces her college graduate niece to work at the hotel over the summer. Everything seems to be going to planned, except when one of the staff after parties gets out of hand, and the resort wakes up to discover a dead body. Now Traci must work with her resources to find out what happened, and how to save the Saint.

This was an enjoyable fast paced mystery with plenty of twits and turns drama and action. To me this would be a great summer read to keep your interest and to keep you guessing. I enjoyed the novel and the story, despite there being more than enough difficult characters. The audio production was executed well, and the narrators were enjoyable to listen.

First I want to thank Net Galley for the audiobook ARC. Next I want to let you all know that I am a long time fan of Mary Kay Andrews. I have always read her books and I wasn't sure if I would like her books as she transitioned from romance to mystery. I am happy to say that I have loved the more mystery themed books just as much as the romance novels. This book has a major mystery, some minor mysteries, and a great cast of characters. It's set in a hotel resort so both the staff and the guests add to the fun. The writing is well done (as always) so the read is smooth and fast. This will be great for lovers of cozy mysteries but will also make a great beach read. Just a really enjoyable book!

I liked that this was more a mystery than a romance, like it was categorized as. The author kept you guessing and threw in some curve balls. I definitely couldn't stop listening even though the narrator did a horrible job.

Right from the start, the story grabs your attention with its mix of mystery and charm. Traci, along with many interesting characters, navigates the resort's history and hidden secrets. The story blends a murder mystery with the challenges of running a fancy resort after a big crisis, keeping you hooked until the end.

Even though there are many characters, the story moves along quickly, making it easy to read. Some parts might feel a bit sudden, but the overall mystery and relationships make up for it.

At its heart, this book is about Traci's strength and the friendships she forms during tough times. She becomes the soul of the Saint Cecilia, fighting to keep its legacy alive while uncovering the truth behind the mysteries.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillian Audio for the opportunity to listen and review this audiobook ARC.

This book had a lot of moving parts and they all came together so well. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. Well done.

This is a great story about an elite resort on its own island. It's become very expensive for the help to live locally so the CEO of the resort has noticed that she's losing key staff and it's extremely hard to bring new people in. She decides to update a rundown storage building into a dorm. Tracey, the CEO, is a fairly recent widow and has issues with her in-laws who own the resort.. As the story progresses, the reader begins to learn about how rotten things are at the resort.

This book is packed with descriptions of dealing with a resort; its rich guests and members, staffing issues, and so on. But the real, but hidden issues are revealed slowly. When a death takes place, at the resort, the mysteries start to become apparent to Tracey.

The book wraps up by revealing all that has been happening below the polished facade of the resort. A tangle of lies, conspiracies, and unlikely co-conspirators are unraveled by the end of the book.

Mary Kay Andrews is the queen on contemporary romance mystery. Summers at the Saint doesn't deviate from her typical style with its intriguing murder mystery, strong female characters, and a light romance. Summers at the Saint is entertaining and a quick read. Of course, the audiobook version is always done well. I have everyone one of her books and I highly recommend everyone of her titles.

Thank you for the advance copy.

Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews. In this story, the Saint Cecelia Resort, known as the Saint is the star location. The Saint is a luxury resort off the coast of Georgia. It gives me vibes of the Cloisters Resort on Sea Island, off the coast of Georgia. One summer Traci and her BFF Shannon work as lifeguards at the resort. Traci falls in love with the son of the owner and eventually marries him. Meanwhile Shannon gets fired and stops speaking to Traci. Fast forward 20 years and Traci is now the widowed owner of the Saint and trying to restore the resort to its former glory. They are losing money despite full bookings and packed restaurants. On top of the money concerns, there is also an investigator poking into an old scandal regarding a drowning at the resort twenty years ago, and then there is a murder. Traci, with the help of a landscaper begins looking into what is happening at the resort and the murder. Also, a couple of the new summer hires also start looking into the death.

I wish there was more communication between the teams looking into the mystery at the Saint. They were all on the same side. Some of the characters act in an unbelievable fashion. I really rooted for Traci, and Shannon, and Shannon's daughter, but this book at 400 pages is a bit too long and really would have benefitted from tighter editing. I was disappointed in the first 25% of the book and almost did not finish. I'm glad I did and I give this 3 stars. Thank you to Net Galley and @macmillanaudio for the ARC.

Traci Eddings has dreamed of The Saint ever since she was a little girl. Now, she is running the hotel. However, since the death of her husband, the owner's son, and the pandemic, The Saint is losing money. Traci is determined to turn things around this summer. But when her niece and best employee, mysteriously dies, she must deal with heartbreak yet again. This was a great story, told from multiple points of view. And just when you think you know what happened, there's a twist.

Traci runs The Saint, a resort on the Georgia coast. Since her husband's death, she's struggled with his loss, managing his odious family, and running the resort with a decline in bookings. She hires a cast of characters to help her run the resort over the summer, but nothing is ever easy at The Saint.

I started listening to this book, expecting a nice fluffy beach read, and this couldn't be further from the truth. This book had death, murder, and family secrets. There were so many layers to it, and that made it delightful to listen to. I liked how events from the past played into the present. This made everything wrap up nicely at the end. Some layers to this story were predictable, while others shocked me. This didn't make it any less enjoyable, though. There were a lot of characters, and at first, it was hard to keep them all straight, but it got easier the longer I listened.

I was given an audio version of this book and would highly recommend that as well for audio fans. Listening to it at a 2.0 speed was still smooth. The narrator had a lovely voice. She made it seem like the story was flowing seamlessly. Definitely put this on your list of beach reads for this summer!

I received an advance audio review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I’ve been a loyal reader of MKA’s books since the early 2000’s. I still need to go back and read the books that were before she became MKA——maybe this summer?

All that to say, I really believe this is her best book so far. It had everything—-romance, mystery, thrills, plenty of laughs, and I learned SO MUCH about the hotel industry! I was fortunate enough to listen to the audiobook, and the narrator was spot on. I’m hoping for more of this caliber.

My gratitude to NetGalley, the author, and MacMillan audio for the gifted copy. My review is voluntary.

Mary Kay Andrews is always hit or miss with me but I keep trying as many books of hers as I can.

Luckily, Summers at the Saint was a hit for me. I thought the cast of characters was going to be too much for me, but their stories come together seamlessly and I did not have trouble with the multiple POVs. I also enjoyed the dual timelines to help give the backstory to some of the characters which really helped me connect to the characters and the struggles they were dealing with in the present day. There was so much going on in this novel from the backstory, to the love, family drama and mystery that i had to keep listening to find out what was going on. I also enjoyed the summer vibes that I am desperately needed at this time in my life.

A perfect beach read that will give you all the summer vibes

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my gifted audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

Reading this book made me anxious for Summer. It’s a perfect book to pack along for your day at the beach.

I love a novel about the excitement and challenges of the hospitality industry. Like any resort there is an interesting assortment of employees. Many who aren’t part of the privileged “Saints” elite, are referred to as “Aints”. They are all incentivized to live on-site for the summer rent free at a renovated golf-cart storage building that was converted to employee dorms. What could possibly go wrong?

With several simultaneous storylines, Summers at the Saint is like a scandalous soap opera. @MaryKayAndrews is a storytelling savant, and fans of her work will swoon at the latest work of fiction in her signature style.

Anyone who has congregated at a community pool will chuckle at the chaos of a classic “Code Brown.” But this tasteless tootsie roll gag has a tragic outcome and twenty years later another mysterious accident raises suspicions that these could be incidents of foul play.

The variation of character voices by the narrator was superb, and I recommend you all add this audiobook to your #TBR lists to kick off the summer season.

Set at an ancient old money summer hotel on a southern island/coast of Georgia, SUMMERS AT THE SAINT carries some mystery, family drama, and strong FMCs. Thank you @stmartinspress for my early copy as well as my early audio copy!

So I haven’t read a whole lot of Mary Kay Andrews’ novels, but I am impressed by her ability to keep up with modern social commentary and dialogue.

I actually thought this was going to be a light beachy read perfect for summer, and what I got was more than that, shockingly more! There is mystery, murder, some mayhem and a WHOLE LOT of family drama!

Some unnecessary use of profanity in strange parts, if that happens to not be your thing. A couple of names didn’t seem to meet the characters’ ages, which confused me along the way.

The audio narration worked great with the characters in the novel- I could picture their voices as such.

Overall a book you can definitely grab to take to the beach and leave in a little free library when you are finished.

I was so excited to receive this ARC of Summers at the Saint because, truthfully, I've never been disappointed in a book by Mary Kay Andrews! This time is no different! Ms. Andrews offers up just the perfect mix of summer sun and fun at a posh resort.
No spoilers, but there's a mystery to be solved, family drama, and old friendships come back into the light; all while being perfectly charming of course.

Fans of Mary Kay Andrews won’t be disappointed in this beach read. The book had humor, murder, and a happily ever after. Four years earlier, when her husband died in a plane crash, Traci Eddings inherited The Saint, an upscale resort started by his family. Traci, who was never really accepted by the Eddings family, is struggling with a host of problems. As she brings in new employees, we’re introduced to a host of interesting secondary characters. I enjoyed all the twists and turns the plot took until its final resolution. I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator did an excellent job.

Mary Kay Andrews never disappoints! Summers at the Saint is perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand! Beachy, dramatic, and full of soapy/summery intrigue! It’s a perfect book to tuck into your beach bag this summer.

Speaking of books to tuck in bags, I would recommend picking up the print version of this one. I wasn’t a huge fan of the narration and the various voices for each character and found myself really wanting a physical book to page through instead.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for a complimentary audio copy! And thanks to Mary Kay Andrews for never disappointing and always delivering a great read!