New York Times bestselling author and Queen of the Beach Reads Mary Kay Andrews delivers her next blockbuster, Hello Summer. It’s a new season… Conley Hawkins left her family’s small town newspaper, The Silver Bay Beacon, in the rearview mirror years ago. Now a star reporter for a big-city paper, Conley is exactly where she wants to be and is about to take a fancy new position in Washington, … is about to take a fancy new position in Washington, D.C. Or so she thinks.
For small town scandals…
When the new job goes up in smoke, Conley finds herself right back where she started, working for her sister, who is trying to keep The Silver Bay Beacon afloat–and she doesn’t exactly have warm feelings for Conley. Soon she is given the unenviable task of overseeing the local gossip column, “Hello, Summer.”
And big-time secrets.
Then Conley witnesses an accident that ends in the death of a local congressman–a beloved war hero with a shady past. The more she digs into the story, the more dangerous it gets. As an old heartbreaker causes trouble and a new flame ignites, it soon looks like their sleepy beach town is the most scandalous hotspot of the summer.
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It wouldn’t be summer without reading a new Mary Kay Andrews book!! I listened to the audio version on my daily walks – for miles and miles and miles and….well, way more miles than I thought it should be. So glad I wasn’t lugging along a hard copy with me! The narrator, Kathleen McInerney, was fantastic and a favorite of mine from another author’s books. The story was interesting enough, but it kind of turned into a “many-headed dragon”. Around every corner of the plot ANOTHER plot was imbedded. I think the story would have been fine without so many twists which equaled miles….and hours….and pages of reading. Long isn’t always better IMHO.
Hello Summer was wonderful!!! I definitely highly recommend this book for all to read!!! So so good!!!!!!
Great summer reading.. beach book
Thanks to Book Club Cookbook giveaway program and St. Martin’s Publishing Group for an advance reader’s copy. All comments and opinions are my own.
I was happy to find this book was so much better than the chick-lit I was expecting. I give it 4.5 stars – a very readable page-turner. Conley Hawkins comes back home to Silver Bay, Florida after losing her DC newspaper job. She’s staying with her grandmother just until she finds another reporting position. But she finds herself helping her sister with the family’s floundering small town weekly newspaper. Conley reconnects with her longtime neighbor who now owns the pharmacy, they witness a car accident in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere, which results in the death of a local congressman. Conley’s newspaper investigation of the accident, the congressman’s family and the local politics uncovers a scandal, secrets, and a few mysteries. If you want an engrossing story with a little romance, family dynamics, danger, and a satisfying ending, I recommend you read Hello, Summer.
HELLO SUMMER by Mary Kay Andrews is a beachside, Southern small town homerun with a few unexpected twists, and endearing characters. This is my first book by Andrews, but it definitely won’t be my last.
Anyone who’s followed Andrews online knows she began her career as a journalist, and that shows not only in the protagonist’s career–Conley is a newspaper reporter–but in the way Andrews writes. Her style is streamlined and journalistic even though it’s fiction, and while she uses less character introspection than a lot of writers, she conveys the information In a more subtle and objective way. The result is an evenly-paced easy read.
Hello Summer is filled with interesting and often quirky Southern characters, and they help capture the feel and setting of old Florida money and small town life perfectly. The protagonist, Conley Hawkins, is tough, but caring, and she’s more than capable of carrying the book. But the biggest treat is Conley’s grandmother, a loveable Southern matriarch who manages to be both traditional and revolutionary at the same time.
At a moment in our world when so many things seem difficult, reading a book shouldn’t be. Hello Summer delivers on the promise of an easy, entertaining beach read with enough substance to satisfy, and a cast of characters that are highly memorable. A true five-star read.
I LOVED this book – read it with a group for a buddy read which made this a really great experience for me to be able to discuss with our book club members. Mary Kay Andrews has got to be the best Summer Read writer ever. This book was phenomenal. I could not put it down. The characters and story line were so well written. I did not even know this perfect beach read would have any mysterious elements to it, but it did, and it made this an even more fun read than I am already experiencing with this book. It had a great plot, a romantic element, a mystery and potential scandal involving a political family, family drama and intrigue.
The book is pretty long but it never felt like it because of the great writing and amazing pacing of the book. Really enjoyed this one very much!
Another great read from one of my fav authors! Conley thought she was leaving for a new job , new life to find out it wasn’t going to happen so, She ends up going home to spend time with her grandma and working at her family’s own newspaper , to find the biggest story yet to be old , a story so big that the life she thought she was aiming for that didn’t happen , makes it worth her stay in the small town she grew up in . Great characters , great read!
I look forward to Mary Kay Andrews new books each summer. They are the perfect beach reads. This book was no exception. In this book, Sarah Conley Hawkins, who goes by Conley, is a newspaper reporter. A job that MKA knows a lot about and it shows in the story. Conley is between jobs and goes to small town Silver Bay, Florida where she grew up to spend some time with the grandmother, G’mama, and figure out her next move. While there, a fabulous story drops in her lap and she writes about it for her family’s weekly newspaper. This story is a mystery, and has a political scandal, family drama and a little romance. I didn’t want it to end and hope to see these characters again in a future book.
I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Well-written but disappointing. I wish that I could give a higher rating, for I have loved the writing of Andrews aka Trochek since she was an Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter, decades ago. Andrews is a gifted writer, who excels at captivating storylines and well-developed characters. In “Welcome Summer,” she skillfully takes us into the life & mindset of a reporter adapting from a big city job to a small town one. I won’t give away spoilers, but I enjoyed the suspenseful twists and turns, as well as romance. I could have done without the unnecessary politics. We get enough of that already, in magazines, movies & tv shows. 2020 writers seem to be unable to help themselves. Can we not have one entertainment venue – fiction – in which we can ESCAPE from politics? I partially blame myself for reading something written after 2016. Disappointing book, but not surprising considering the political insertions hat seem to be a “must” among fiction writers these days.
Another winner by Mary Kate Andrews.
Conley Hawkins returns to town after her fancy news reporter job with a digital online service did not materialize. As she renews friendship with high school crush Sean Kelly, they stumble on a fatal car crash involving and elderly congressman Symmes Robinette.
Meanwhile Conley’s sister Grayson is struggling to keep the family owned hometown newspaper afloat. The paper features the tell all column Hello, Summer, a very gossipy local report of small town community happenings.
Forced to hire Conley to cover the Congressman’s death, the sisters are forced to work together. Old grudges and many family secrets fill this novel. Throw in some political competition, and a late night radio personality with secrets of his own, agenda’s start to class with dangerous consequences.
How many secrets will emerge? Can Conley and Grayson mend their hurt feelings and save the family newspaper?
Fun. Light summer read!
What a great story to kick off summer starting soon! MKA always delivers an entertaining yet complex family drama. Hello, Summer ties in sister drama, workplace drama, relationship drama, and family drama all revolving around the failing family newspaper.
Mary Kay Andrew’s books never disappoint. I didn’t want to put it down! She is the queen of quirky characters. Even though they are flawed, you can’t help but care about them. I actually woke up in the middle of the night and tried to think through who did what and why they did it! Now that’s a fun read!
Mary Kay Andrews is a master story-teller. Her complex and dynamic characters, her perfectly-paced and intriguing plot, her realistic examination of relationships, love, and life are ever-present in her stories.
The plot in Hello, Summer focuses on Conley, a successful news reporter. After an amazing job opportunity in D.C. falls through, Conley returns to her childhood home in Silver Bay, Florida to work for her sister Grayson who runs the family-owned newspaper. Conley and Grayson have a strained relationship with a lot of unresolved feelings that need to be addressed, and, initially, Conley rejects the idea of working at Silver Bay Beacon. But Conley’s grandmother Lorraine convinces her to stay. Conley decides to use the time searching for a new job, preferably out of state.
When local congressman Symmes Robinette dies in a fiery car crash and Conley witnesses it, her reporter instincts kick in. How did the senator get in a one-car accident on a clear night and empty road? The more she investigates the senator, the more the secrets unfold and Conley suspects that the car accident was no accident. As she gets closer to the truth, her life is in danger. Who wants her to stop investigating, and why? With her life in jeopardy, will Conley find out the truth about the senator’s death? Will she stay in Florida near family, or will she leave again?
What I love is that she presents women as they are – the good, the bad, the strengths, the flaws, the triumphs, and the insecurities. They are strong, brave, resilient, and independent women who come to realize their self-worth and strive toward self-acceptance. These are the women Mary Kay Andrews creates.
I also like the messages of the story. MKA examines the dwindling of print media and the effects this has on society. She delves into complicated family relationships and healing wounds of the past. She explores the impact death and abandonment have on different people. She highlights female empowerment and the bonds of love. And she does all of this in addition to creating an intriguing mystery!
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
Family drama, Southern living, romance, scandal, greed, murder, mystery. It’s all there in Mary Kay Andrews’ newest book “Hello, Summer”. Perfect beach read.
Small town coastal settings where everyone knows each other are a favorite for me, so the Silver Bay Beacon small-town newspaper setting was perfect. And the great characters fit right into that quaint atmosphere – Conley’s strong, charming grandmother Lorraine and her outspoken cook Winnie, loyal Skelly, and Miss June. Oh, and I can’t forget Miss Rowena – definitely deserving of a few eye rolls. The strained relationship between siblings Conley and Grayson was very well written, totally believable.
Don’t think though that just because Silver Bay is a small town, life is boring there. Far from it! When a popular local politician who made it to DC dies in a fiery single-car accident, Conley’s journalist instincts kick in. Was it really an accident? Who stands to gain from his death? As secrets are revealed Conley finds herself threatened. By whom and why? There are surprises.
Fast-paced and suspenseful, it will keep you turning the pages. This is the third book I have read by this author and am convinced I need to read more of her books.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the ARC to read and review.
Hello Summer by Mary Kay Andrews
Released 5.5.20
Mary Kay Andrews is the Queen of summertime reading and her latest and 27th novel, Hello,Summer is the perfect combination of sunsets on the beach, love in the air, and a small town murder investigation. Sarah Conley has spent the last 6 years avoiding her hometown and all the memories that live there, but when her up and coming career as a print journalist unexpectedly comes to a screeching halt, she once again finds herself home in Silver Bay, Florida, arguing with her sister, walking the beach with the boy next door, and unintentionally investigating a tragic accident that leaves a prominent local Congressman dead. Hello, Summer is the consummate summer beach novel, perfect for long lazy days basking in the sun. Reading Mary Kay Andews is always a true joy and the best way to kick off the summer slow-down!
I have been a fan of Mary Kay Andrews for many years and have enjoyed her light-hearted southern humor mixed with suspense, this book had the usual charming characters, touch of mystery and romance but I will say that this book was a little more heavier than her usual tone which fit the storyline of the book. Conley comes home, tail between her legs to get her bearings and hope find a new job as her new job for a newspaper disappeared before she could even start. Sliver Bay is not the same place she left, small businesses are closing, her family’s paper is barely surviving and her grandmother is really aging. Conley has no plans to work for the family paper, especially with her older sister in charge but when a huge story falls into her lap, well the journalism bug can’t be suppressed, but it a temporary gig right? But the longer Conley stays in town the more the quaint town with it’s shabby luster pulls her in, I mean who can resist politician’s mysterious death that brings out family feuds, and secret/forgotten first families? Entertaining read with a storyline that will keep you wondering what’s going to happen next!
If I could gather up every single Mary Kay Andrews book and take them all on vacation to the beach, having them be all I read while I was there, it would be sheer heaven. Better yet, if I was renting one of Mary Kay’s beach houses in Georgia while on said vacation, well….. WHAT IS a descriptive word better than heaven??
I won’t lie, picking up a Mary Kay Andrews beach read is an automatic for me. I always know I am going to like them, so reviewing her books is never hard. The best part is that I never know what I’m going to get when I open it up, and Hello Summer didn’t disappoint. Coming in at a little over 500 pages, you may be frightened when you first pick this one up, most summer reads aren’t so lengthy. But I promise you, the size doesn’t matter, I still flew through it in a day and almost wished there was even more..
When Conley Hawkins dream newspaper job falls through she finds herself back home in her sleepy beach town of Silver Bay. Worse yet, she gets sucked into helping her sister with the run down hometown newspaper, The Beacon. When Conley happens upon an accident where a prominent member of the community is killed, of course she needs to investigate, and the more she noses around, the more risky her investigation becomes to her and her family. With a big mix of mystery, family drama, and a lovely chunk of romance, Mary Kay Andrews has written another page turning summer read that delivers the escape you are looking for without the weight of an exhausting saga.
Light, airy, and pleasant to read, I highly recommend Hello, Summer. You can never go wrong with any of Mary Kay’s books, and now we have another to add to the list.
Thank you to @marykayandrews and @stmartinspress for the gifted copy of this book for my honest and unbiased opinion.
Family ties and strains. Career disappointments. Romance and intrigue.
All of this along with wonderful characters, great situations and a few surprise elements. Mary Kay Andrews is pure royalty. She just gets it right.
It’s not almost summer without an MKA book!