Title: Hello, Summer
Author: Mary Kay Andrews
Published: May 2020, St. Martin’s Press
Format: Hardcover, 472 pages
Source: Publisher via Kathleen Carter Communications
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.
My thoughts: This is only the second book I’ve read by Mary Kay Andrews, though I do have another one sitting on my shelf. I’m not quite sure why I haven’t read more of her books – she really is quite a charming writer and I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
This book had so many elements that I love when it comes to summer binge reading – family drama, a good romance, a mystery and even a little politics thrown in. The characters were so well drawn that they pulled me in right away and I became totally invested in what was going on. I loved the dynamics between the two sisters – I’m always a sucker for a good sibling rivalry story and of course there is so more going on that what is presented at surface level.
I loved that we got to see the daily ins and outs of a small hometown newspaper. It’s quite different than that of the bigger papers in that with the smaller ones, one person often has many different responsibilities and is not just a reporter. It was quite fascinating.
This book had just the right amount of intrigue to keep me flipping the pages. It is easy to get lost in what is going on and whether you are reading this book at the beach or while sitting on your couch, it will certainly take your mind off all that is going on in the world. While it is a chunkster of a book, it does move pretty quickly and you get so absorbed in what is going on that you don’t realize how many pages it is. I definitely recommend adding this to your summer reading list if you haven’t already picked it up!
For me it was a perfect summer read. Loved it.