I couldn’t get into this book. I usually enjoy Mary Kay Andrews books but this one didn’t so if for me. Maybe it’s because I went in with the wrong expectations? I was expecting a fun summer escape but it was more of a murder mystery/romance. The premise of the story was unique and I enjoyed that aspect of the book. I couldn’t connect to the characters and I felt like they were immature. I was disappointed because I usually enjoy her books.


Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for letting me listen to this book early!

A MUST READ/LISTEN summer mystery!

Traci Eddings is the widowed owner of a summer resort on the coast of Georgia. She has to deal with money issues, staff issues, a murder, and so much more! The cast of characters were so well written, that I felt like I was there going through it all with them.
I was weary going into this book bc I am not a big romance fan, but I would classify it as a mystery more than anything. I also loved that the Braves beat the Mets ;) Would definitely recommend reading this one!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for my advanced audio copy!

This one wasn't exactly what I was expecting from Mary Kay Andrews, it was seen better! Most books I've read by this author are cozy and clean romances--like hallmark movie style. But this one was more of a cozy mystery/suspense novel! (Like a mild lifetime movie!) It was an easy read/listen and kept me engaged throughout!

I also loved the narrator!

I really wanted to like this book but I ended up not finishing it. I wanted a fresh summer feel good read but this was not it. The first 15% of this book are different characters each chapter and when it finally mellows out and you get the stability of the mfc story it suddenly turns into a murder mystery/romance. Between the multiple characters and the blended genres I had a really hard time getting into this book and really feeling invested in anyone.

I might return back to this book when I'm in the mood for summer mystery.

I can not believe Summers at the Saint was my very first read by Mary Kay Andrews. What have I been waiting for? I absolutely loved it — 5 STARS! This novel had it all… romance, drama, mystery and twists, to say the least. An absolute entertaining beach read all the way through.

Narrator Kathleen McInerney did a phenomenal job bringing each and every character to life (there were plenty)! Her characterizations were astounding and amusing at times, keeping me engaged throughout the entire book.

I highly recommend Summers at the Saint if you’re looking for a delightful summer read with a fabulous storyline which includes something for everyone. I am already anticipating my next Mary Kay Andrews novel.

Thank you Macmillan Audio, author Mary Kay Andrews, and NetGalley for this Advanced Listening Copy.

I really enjoyed this! It ended up being different than I expected. At first, there were so many different characters that it made it difficult for me to keep track of who was who, but I got into the rhythm pretty quickly. While this appears to be a fun, beachy themed summertime read, there was some mystery and small town secrets involved, perfect for any time of year. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy. Publication date May 7, 2024.

I am always blown away by Mary Kay Andrews novels, I liked learning about the Saint and all the people who worked there. I enjoyed the mystery as well. SUMMER AT THE SAINT is a fun, novel that I know my customers will enjoy. I will be recommending this one.


Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for my gifted ALC.

Surprisingly this was my first Mary Kay Andrews book and I was unsure what to expect. It was lively with lots of plot twists but I was not impressed with it overall and didn't love the characters. It was a decent spring break read and maybe I've read too many books lately about people owning bed and breakfasts/hotels. For me, it was difficult to follow along with all the characters, most of which seemed unnecessary. I may try and read another one of her books which I believe are released every year around this time in the spring.

This story was a good story that kept me hooked. However, I often found myself questioning the author. Why was a $100 signing bonus so much of a selling point post pandemic, it seemed low to me and it was mentioned over and over again. Also, the investigation into a 20 plus year old death at the same time another death happens just felt forced. I did enjoy it, but wasn't a favorite. The narrator was great. No issues there.

🎧🎧 Book Review 🎧🎧 If I had not already been pining for summer, this book would have done the job! The future of the St. Cecilia, a landmark vacation spot, looks grim in the wake of the pandemic and staffing changes. Told from multiple perspectives with an homage to the one-hundred plus year history, Mary Kay Andrews does a superb job allowing the reader to immediately become invested in saving this special place. And sometimes hope for the future means having deep into the past…Summers at the Saint is the ultimate beach read with heart.

Review is posted on Goodreads and will be on Instagram in April!

Traci, a widowed owner of the hotel, St. Cecelia, is determined to return the Saint to its former glory. Staff shortages and her rude brother in law try to stand in her way, but she find a few great hires who love their job and want to help the Saint be successful. When one of the summer staff dies, questions come up and so many secrets begin to be uncovered.

I love Mary kay Andrews and her writing. Although her stories are longer, there is romance, mystery, friendship, secrets, and so much more. Like all of Andrews’ books, they are complex, have a bunch of characters, and multiple storylines going. It can be a lot to follow but I love them and find them more interesting than mindless reads since there is more to pay attention to.

Tracy is trying to keep the exclusive resort, the Saint, up and running after COVID. She's trying to increase salaries, provide a place for staff to live, hire more people—the list is endless. Plus, she's mourning the loss of her husband four years ago.
Things are going well until someone turns up dead. Before time, could she figure out what was happening at the Saint? Can it be saved?

I loved the audiobook. It was fun to listen to! As always, MKA gives you those wonderful summer vibes. It is a great beach read.

TLDR: Easy murder-mystery beach read, but not one of my favorites. 3.5 stars. Good narration.

Traci Eddings has taken over running the storied Saint Cecelia Hotel after her husband's untimely death. As she prepares for another summer running the Saint, she's met with the departure of some of her key staff members. With an eye towards enticing new people to work at the storied hotel, she decides to take a tip from the past and build staff housing to help with the high property costs in the area. Her niece Parrish, her ex-best friends daughter, Livvy, wait staff Garrett, affluent KJ, and head chef Felice take up residence in the staff house and are the key, Traci hopes, to reviving the Saint to its glory days. After the murder of one of their own, and a death from the past coming back to threaten the resort's future, Traci has to work to solve the mysteries of the past and a murder that hits close to home in order to save her beloved hotel.

This was my first Mary Kay Andrews book and I found it to be an easy beach read. The story was good, the setting was there, but I just didn't connect with the characters or the writing. The characters were one dimensional and the grief that was a center of the novel wasn't deep enough to be believable.

Liked, but didn't love.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copies.

Summers at the Saint is Mary Kay Andrews at her best. It’s got mystery, romance, family drama, and plenty of coastal southern charm - as do all her books! It’s another solid installment from the Queen of the Beach-Read-Mystery. I recommend this to anyone who’s enjoyed previous MKA books, anyone who wants a beach read with a bit more complexity than most, or anyone missing the the South this summer.

The narrator, Kathleen McInerney, does a great job per usual. She’s narrated many MKA novels and novellas and I’ve come to associate her voice with strong female protagonists and southern beach towns. Highly recommend!

Thank you MacMillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

If you are looking for a poolside, beach read please ignore the swimsuit, palm trees, and seemingly happy woman on the cover. A poolside, beach read this isn't. Though there are some scenes set at pools and on the beach the location is fairly irrelevant to the storyline.
This book is hard to rate because it was so inconsistent. When it was good I enjoyed it, when it wasn't so good I rolled my eyes.

I knew from the beginning there were way too many characters in this book. Not only are an excessive number of characters unnecessary, it is impossible to develop them well. And so, simply put, they weren't well-developed. And the reader really needs to know more about both KJ and Garrett to make it make sense.

About 1/3 if the way through the book takes a turn from the beachy resort story the reader thinks they are reading to a murder mystery. I admit I did not see that coming and that wasn't what I was looking for. The frustrating thing is, the latter half of the book wasn't bad. It required some suspension of disbelief (the Tylenol PM story for example), but Andrews did a good job creating some twists to keep the reader guessing. That said, I found the big reveal to be predictable. I also had a pretty good handle on the whodunit, albeit not the breadth of it, by the end. That and the explanation of why the victim was chosen just fell flat. In short, the story was convoluted while there were also places the story was undeveloped.

The book had some inconsistencies. Andrews couldn't seem to decide whether or not Traci was a sad widow or not. Introspectively she is grieving, but is annoyed when people express sympathy. The "new will" storyline was repeated more than once, almost identically, for reasons that are unclear to the reader.
I didn't love Andrews' use of the term "lizard brain". I don't love the use of animal terminology to refer to humans anyway and historically applying them to people of color is not an endearment.

The book seems both too long and as if it resolves too quickly and with too much of a neat bow. It kept me listening, but I didn't find myself rushing to get back to it to find out what would happen next.

The narrator: at the beginning of the book the narrator was not my favorite. She had a little girl voice that I didn't like. As the story progressed the voice work improved somewhat. Or at least I got used to it.

This review feels terribly scattered and I think that speaks to the book. A good editor would have gone a long way in trimming the fat and tightening up what could have been an interesting story.

You guys! Let’s talk
I’ve been going through and reading Mary Kay Andrew books so far this is my favorite!
The story takes place in Florida, main character says that she loves the saint. The saint is a resort hotel and as a teenager, she grows up and actually gets a job there, and throughout the beginning of the book 1st couple of chapters, it mentions that she marries the owners son.
Now, as an adult, she’s struggling to keep her business afloat in the new wave of this next generation battling the traditions of the old generation! as you go through the story, there are some tragedies that happen, and some mysteries from present time and past. And a little love interest. Just keep in mind that MarykayAndrews is so amazing at creating these characters that have such death to them keep in mind that every character mentioned has a very very big storyline. As a native Floridian, this story taking place in Florida, gave me all the vibes I needed to get me started to transition from spring to summer..

I typically enjoy Mary Kay Andrews books because they are the perfect romantic summery escape. But unfortunately I couldn’t get into this one. There were far too many characters and too much going on. The romance took a backseat to the mystery. And honestly the narrator made the characters sound so immature and whiney that it was really hard to focus at times. I appreciate the opportunity to listen to this one early and I’m still a MKA fan! Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio!

I received a complimentary copy of this book "Summers at the Saint" and all opinions expressed are my own. I listened to the audiobook (although I also downloaded the kindle book). Mystery, drama, romance, friends, great setting, twists and turns. I am really enjoying audiobooks lately. The narrator was excellent! This book is just what you need for your summer read.

This was a fun read with mystery and levity at the same time, felt like visiting a resort while also solving a mystery. I’m not normally an audiobook user, so given the number of characters- I had to binge in order to keep track of them! But I was fully intrigued, so this wasn’t a problem.

My last (and first!) MKA was “Bright Lights, Big Christmas” so this was a nice pivot as the weather warms up!

Thank you for the opportunity to ARC.

Set at a picturesque Southern beachside resort, Summers at the Saint delivers on so many fronts. Mystery? Check. A touch of romance? Check. Workplace drama? Check. Friend drama? Check. Family drama? Big check. I enjoyed the pacing and many characters and perspectives in this book, which can get muddled and confusing in audio format, but the narrator did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life and making the story compelling and comprehensible. However, I found the mystery a little lacking as it was quite predictable, especially when comparing with the author's other titles. Nonetheless, Mary Kay Andrews is the queen of summer reads, and this is another solid book from a skilled, veteran writer. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for gifting me with an ALC to review! All opinions are my own.