The Saint Cecilia is an exclusive resort in GA, holding lots of secrets. This is not the lighthearted beach read that the cover suggests- as it is part detective/crime novel dealing with drugs, assault, and lots of drama.

4.5 star read for me! I listened to the audio version and the narration was perfection. I’ve never really recognized a readers voice until I started this one. For some reason she gives off instant summer on the east coast vibes so the story unrolled perfectly. This book offers readers a little bit of everything. A little love, a little deception, and a little thrill. Definitely a top read of the year

Traci Eddings is tasked with the running of an iconic southern beach resort that caters to the wealthy after the death of her husband whose family has owned the St. Cecilia for generations. She shares ownership and responsiblilities with her ailing father-in-law and spiteful brother-in-law, both of whom have resented her ever since her husband married "beneath his station." Ever the outsider, Traci works hard to uphold the legacy of luxury and gold-star status that the resort is known for, referred to by locals as "The Saint." Despite her efforts, financial difficulties and tragedy befall the vacation destination and Traci must solve the mysteries at the heart of her troubles before she loses everything.

This was a light-hearted beach read with romance and a murder mystery all rolled up into one. It offers up lots of characters with so much backstory that I thought it was a sequel to something, but it is a standalone and very much like other MKA novels - lines clearly drawn between the haves and have-nots sprinkled with humor and a somewhat predictable plot.

Mary Kay Andrews is a queen of beach reads, family sagas, and mysteries, and she packs all three into “Summers at the Saint.”

At the core of the novel are several mysteries, including a murder mystery. It’s the story of Traci Eddings and her attempts to hold on to her late husband’s family’s luxury hotel through post-COVID (and post-renovation) hard times. We’re introduced to a number of characters from the hotel and Traci’s family, and in the beginning I was a little concerned that the number of them might be overwhelming. But I quickly caught on to everyone, probably due to Andrews’ skill in writing them all so distinctly.

I’d classify the book as a combination of mystery and women’s fiction. There is some romance, but it takes a back seat to the other two genres. It’s relatively long, but not too long for everything MKA has to say. After all, there’s a lot going on! My favorite MKA’s books are her mysteries and this one is excellent.

I highly recommend taking “Summers at the Saint” with you on vacation this summer. It’s the perfect beach read.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

At first I would say that the narrator and the immaturity and “southern” ways of some of the characters really threw me off. I didn’t know if I would continue with the story. However once I got past 40% it did pick up with some interesting twists. I did eventually feel for these characters and was rooting for some of them.

There were parts that had me wanting to scream “open your eyes” how can you be so naive about things that were happening. But overall it made for a good book.

I like how we had so many different points of view. I did find it a little hard to remember who everyone was in the beginning and how they were connected or going to connect. But towards the middle it became easier to remember.

Thank you so much to @netgalley and MacMillan Audio for the Advanced Listener Copy of Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews in exchange for an honest review! I LOVED this book - it started off with the perfect depiction of the "haves" and "have nots", differentiated by "The Saint". St. Cecelia was a beautiful hotel on the coast of Georgia - we learn about Traci, who was never rich or connected enough to be 'a Saint', just work there (aka an Ain't)

She ended up marrying the boss' son, but is now a widow and wants to restore the hotel despite some meddling family members. There were really wonderful characters - even though there were a lot of them! - scandal, and unexpected twists. A hint of romance and tons of witty dialogue, this is a perfect summer beach read!

The narration by Kathleen McInerney was perfection - she managed multiple POVs with aplomb.

3.5 stars. Overall I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the mystery aspects and honestly knew who most of the bad seeds were but didn't have them all pinned down. I thought there were pieces that could have been condensed or not needed at all.

I am absolutely in love with Summers at the Saint! What an amazing book! It’s so well-written, adorable, and mysterious, and it has the perfect bomb drops that I did not see coming. I enjoyed all the characters, even the helicopter mom, who grated my teeth and made tears come to my eyes.
I didn’t see any of the twists coming, which is saying something for this genre. I usually see one or two in advance, but Andrews did a superb job keeping me in suspense until each reveal. I listened to this novel in one day despite its length! I needed to know what was going to happen next.
The narrator did a fantastic job sucking me into this audiobook, and I think I pressed pause maybe two or three times all day—no awkward glitches or recording mistakes, which is fantastic.
I highly recommend Summers at the Saint to literally everyone!

Thank you, NetGalley, Mary Kay Andrews, and Macmillan Audio, for this Advance Listener Copy!

Summer begins with MKA for so many legions of readers and 2024’s summer is a doozy! Mary Kay Andrews would like you to pack your bag, grab your cocktail, and check into the Saint Cecilia Hotel; but be careful…..there’s going to be a murderer on the loose 🤫 And lots of hidden secrets coming out of the woodworks as the owner and employees of the Saint are floating to keep it running smoothly and to live up to its large reputation.

Full of a wide variety of characters with so many personalities, hints of romance, a devious mystery, and Andrews’s signature witty dialogue, SUMMERS AT THE SAINT is sure to delight readers as they turn the pages while baking in the sun when it’s released May 7th from St. Martin’s Press ☀️

It was going well until the scene where our male love interest is trying to guilt her into bed, while she's dealing with the loss of her niece, arson on her property, killers on the loose and her livelihood at stake. Pressure to have sex is uncomfortable to read and on top of all the random unbelievable stuff, it turned me off

This was quite a bit different than I expected- it felt like a mish-mash of genres with an end result that lacked cohesion. Touches of a beach-read-light-hearted book, mixed with a murder mystery, mixed with a little bit of a romance? The cast of characters was unnecessarily large in my opinion, and the book felt longer than it needed it to be. I enjoyed the setting and some of the characters, but the story wasn’t compelling to me at all and there were a couple of side stories that I felt were completely random. I listened to this in audiobook form, and I also felt the narrator to be very distracting. She really over-did the character voices (for example, when she read a child’s dialogue it sounded like something off of Cartoon Network).

First thought: OMG this is amazing! You get hooked from the beginning and as the story unravels it continues to twist and pull you in! The characters have depth and make you cheer them on. Loved this so much, it’s a great read going into summer! Highly recommend it has a bit of everything for everyone.

This story is about the The Saint. Which is a posh 5 star resort for the elite. You either are a member of The Saint or an Ain’t.

Traci and her bestie were ain’ts and worked as a lifeguards at The Saint as teenagers. Traci fell in love with the son of the owner that summer and became a Saint. However also that summer a little boy lost his life in the pool and Shannon her bestie was blamed and banished from The Saint. Their worlds went two different directions.

Fast forward 20+yrs and Traci is a widow and now the CEO running The Saint. Due to Covid and a large reservation the resort is in the red. So this season is critical and will be the tipping point.

The story tethers between past and current and is multi pov of a few key members of the staff. You get bits and pieces of the scandal happening and small clues to try and solve the mysteries of The Saint. There will be murder, blackmail, mistakes, buried secrets, mistakes and so much more.

This is a summer must read run and add to TBR now, this book Launch Day is May 7th, 2024.

Literally Themes you’ll find:

* Exclusive 5⭐️ Resort for the Elite
* Summer Season
* Buried Secrets
* Multi POV
* Murder
* Inheritance
* Finding Justice
* Second Chance Romance
* Staff Housing

☀️🛟🕶️☀️🛟🕶️☀️🛟🕶️☀️🛟🕶️☀️

I gave 'Summers at the Saint' by Mary Kay Andrews a solid 30 minutes of listening time, and unfortunately, it did not grab my interest. One of the main reasons for this was the plot. It didn't align with my personal preferences when it comes to storytelling. The narrative focused on elements I typically don't find engaging or compelling.

In those initial minutes, I couldn't connect with the plot's direction. It might unfold into a storyline that didn't resonate with me. As a listener, I prefer plots that are either more intricate or delve deeper into specific themes or character arcs. Unfortunately, 'Summers at the Saint' didn't seem to offer that kind of narrative depth based on what I heard.

While I acknowledge that different readers have different tastes, and what doesn't appeal to me might be someone else's favorite, I couldn't find enough in those initial moments to keep me invested. Perhaps it could be a better fit for readers who enjoy a different style of storytelling or are drawn to themes that were present in this book. However, for me, it wasn't the type of plot I typically enjoy listening to

I have enjoyed Andrew's summer mysteries and this one was no exception. This one is set at the Saint hotel in a small town that you are a Saint you ain't. The story centers on Tracy who was an aint that married the hotel's son who has since passed away and the pressure to keep the hotel successful rest on her. She hires a crew for the summer and lots of trouble starts happening at the hotel. There's a death and the mystery around it along with things happening at the hotel. I enjoyed how the story unfolded and how each one of tied to the hotel.

Kathleen McInerney did a great job with the narration. Thank you @stmartinspress @macmillan.audio @netgalley for a copy of this beach summer read.

At over 400 pages this was a whopper for a romance book, but there was so much more to it than that. There was a murder mystery, sweeping scenery and lots of adventure.
Traci Eddings inherited the St. Cecilia resort when her husband passed away and she is struggling to keep it afloat. But she’s not only inherited the resort, she’s inherited a whole lot of family drama as well. And as you get into the story, you find out that there’s a lot going on behind the scenes. And speaking of the scenes, the setting is stunningly gorgeous and makes me want to give up farm life and move down there and enjoy it for myself.
MKA sets the scene beautifully and brings a lot of characters to this luxury resort and also takes you back to when Traci lifeguarded for the “Saint” back when she was a teenager and then the present day running of the resort. There are also chapters from an Anonymous POV which bring in the mystery element to the story.
If you’re looking for a mystery with a side of romance, then this is the book for you.
The narrator did a great job of distinguishing all the various characters-and there were a lot!
Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ALC in exchange for my review.

Audiobook Review:

This audiobook reads from multiple character perspectives, all employees at the Saint, a high-end hotel. There is romance and mystery as employees work towards solving the mysterious death of a coworker and uncover a bigger scheme than they were expecting.

This book was not what I was expecting in a good way! I loved the multiple perspectives, it added depth to the book and kept me waiting for each new chapter for the story to unfold.

What a great summer read! I really enjoyed this book. I always look forward to more from Mary Kay. The mystery! The fun!

The St. Cecelia, is a well-known coastal resort in Georgia where wealthy guests flock to each summer. Traci inherited her late husband’s share of the business that she now runs with her brother-in-law, Rick, but they each have different visions how the resort should be run. Once known for its premium service, the “Saint” doesn’t hold the same prestige as it used to. Traci hopes to bring it back to its once high standards but Rick is more concerned with the bottom line. When tragedy strikes the family, secrets emerge suggesting that something sinister had been occurring at the Saint for decades.

The storyline was captivating and the characters were believable. I really enjoyed Traci’s determination to make The Saint a better place and loved the twist behind the underlying mystery. This book packed a big punch from a family drama, to a buried secrets, a murder mystery and second chance romance!

Special thanks to NetGalley for the advanced audio copy of this book. This book was cute and captivating and had my attention from start to finish. I enjoyed the characters and loved that there were multiple storylines which consisted of a murder mystery, lots of family drama and a little bit of romance. I liked the narrator's voice, but could not get past all of the unnecessary pauses throughout the entire book.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillian Audio for giving me the opportunity to listen to Summers at the Saint. I always enjoy Mary Kay Andrews’ storytelling and the creativity she packs into each book. I loved the plot of this story, remembering my own family’s summer trips each year. The mysteries that get revealed and solved in this book are quite numerous and the involvement of the characters in each of them is well thought out. I enjoyed the characters as well. Lots of quirky, funny, serious, searching people that make a great cast. The book hooked me from the beginning, the pacing was good and the narrator great!