There are a couple of authors that I instantly think of when someone asks me what beach reads I recommend. Mary Kay Andrews is at the top of that list! She has written a ton of books and many of them carry a distinct summer feel. Reading one just puts me in the mood for summer!
This book came out in early May and I was so bummed that I couldn’t read it when it first came out because I definitely needed something warm and sunny to chase the spring rains away!
But I was able to pick it up this month just in time for all the big summer reads and I couldn’t have been happier with this one!
Summary
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, 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. (summary from Goodreads)
Review
This book had all the things I enjoy in a beach read—a small sleepy town, a main character who is charming, a hint of romance, and of course secrets and scandals! Andrews hits all the high notes for me in this one.
I was surprised to see that this book was a little on the long side coming in at just over 550 pages. I usually don’t mind long books but I did feel like that seemed a little long for a beach read. But decided to see how it went, as I started reading, I did feel like some of the story was longer that it needed to be but overall the length was ok.
There was quite a bit going on in this book though. That’s not to say I didn’t like it, but it felt busy. But even if there was a lot going on in this one, I thought it kept things moving and has enough to hold readers interests. There are a lot of fun interesting characters and action in this book and when I say action I don’t mean like car chases of explosions etc but I mean there is a lot happening for readers to enjoy.
Overall this was an excellent summer read with lots to recommend it. I found Conley to be a believable and fun character, I loved the grandma—she was amazing! And if course the plot is well developed and will have something for all readers to enjoy! Once again, MKA pens another hit!
The Lit Bitch 