September Online Book Club: Hello, Summer by Mary Kay Andrews

Hello, Summer by Mary Kay Andrews

Yes, I know it’s after Labor Day. Summer is officially over. 

Don’t let anyone tell you when to read a seasonal book. We read to escape and entertain, right? Sarah Conley Hawkins’ story about returning home after a long absence was a good summer mystery/ beach romance.

Set in Silver Bay, Florida, Hello, Summer is about Sarah, the family renegade who hates her first name, now goes by Conley, and hasn’t visited in six years. She’s focused on building her newspaper reporting career in Atlanta and thinks she’s heading for a better job in Washington DC until … the job is gone. Tail between her legs, she slinks home to the struggling family newspaper run by her stressed out sister. While staying with her grandmother at her summer home on the sand dunes, Conley remembers all the reasons she loved growing up in Silver Bay. She even rekindles a romance with her high school crush.

When Conley witnesses a fiery car crash involving a local politician, she can’t dampen her reporter’s instinct to dig for the real story behind the crash. What she uncovers gets her into trouble with a former flame, her old/new romantic interest, and the townspeople who think she’s an outsider stirring up trouble where she no longer belongs. 

I liked the town descriptions, especially the old-fashioned combination pharmacy/lunch counter/soda shoppe and her grandmother’s charming summer home. Grandmother and her friend were great characters, imparting southern wisdom and traditions with zippy one-liners. One of Conley’s responsibilities at the family newspaper is taking over the local gossip column. The funny clips from those columns were a nostalgic glimpse from when small town papers wrote about who visited from out of town for the weekend, who hosted a big party, and what people wore at a political event. 

I’ve been a fan of Mary Kay Andrews for as long as I can remember. She usually publishes one beach read a year in May, and this one doesn’t disappoint. There’s mystery, romance, family feuds, political scandal and sexy beach scenes. At over 450 pages long, you might be a little intimidated by the page count, but it’s an easy, quick read. Nearly all of her books are bestsellers and can be found on Amazon or in your local library. I also noticed it’s in Kindle Unlimited, so if you are a KU member you can read it for free!

My favorite Mary Kay Andrews series is pretty old, but still good. The Weezy and Bebe Mystery series has four books starting with Savannah Blues, and the main character Weezy Foley is an antiques picker. Another good one is the Callahan Garrity Mystery series starting with Every Crooked Nanny about an owner of a house cleaning company. There are eight in that series and the audiobooks are my choice over print because the narrator has an authentic southern accent.