Hello, Summer
Fiction
St. Martin's Press
May 5, 2020
Advanced reader copy
576
Free from publisher
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. Conley Hawkins left her family’s small town newspaper, The Silver Bay Beacon, in the rear view mirror years ago. Now, after ten years of blood, sweat, and tears, Conley is exactly where she wants to be and is about to take a fancy new position at a New York City newspaper. That is, until she discovers at her own going away party that her new job is suddenly gone, disappearing overnight along with her hopes and dreams of a bright future in a big city. Dread in her heart and a sinking feeling in her gut, Conley ends up in the last place she ever wanted to be: The Beacon, now reluctantly run by her brother Garret whose own dreams of being a lawyer were put on hold with the death of their father. Covering a sleepy beach town with church news and the local funeral home director dictating the day’s obituaries to her over the phone isn’t exactly every reporter’s dream, and to make matters worse, she and her brother see eye to eye on almost nothing. Matters come to a head after Conley witnesses a car accident that ends in the death of a local politician – a beloved war hero with a secret shady history whose death may not be exactly what it seems.
My review:
I always say it's not summer until I've read my Mary Kay Andrews book, so now summer can officially begin! 🙂 Before I start my official review, I input the ISBN number for books to fill in some of the info you see at the top of the review. This includes the book summary, which I usually read in case there is something I don't want to include (like author quotes etc.). Imagine my surprise when I read this one that includes two glaring differences with the final book (and even the advanced copy I received). Conley's new job was in Washington DC, and she has a sister named Grayson! It gets me wondering how far ahead this info is input when clearly the author (or editor) changed their mind. Here is the blurb in case you find the publication process interesting like me:
Conley Hawkins left her family’s small town newspaper, The Silver Bay Beacon, in the rear view mirror years ago. Now, after ten years of blood, sweat, and tears, Conley is exactly where she wants to be and is about to take a fancy new position at a New York City newspaper. That is, until she discovers at her own going away party that her new job is suddenly gone, disappearing overnight along with her hopes and dreams of a bright future in a big city. Dread in her heart and a sinking feeling in her gut, Conley ends up in the last place she ever wanted to be: The Beacon, now reluctantly run by her brother Garret whose own dreams of being a lawyer were put on hold with the death of their father. Covering a sleepy beach town with church news and the local funeral home director dictating the day’s obituaries to her over the phone isn’t exactly every reporter’s dream, and to make matters worse, she and her brother see eye to eye on almost nothing. Matters come to a head after Conley witnesses a car accident that ends in the death of a local politician – a beloved war hero with a secret shady history whose death may not be exactly what it seems.
Ok, not on to the actual review. I really liked this one a lot! It's my favorite from this author for the past few years. It had everything going for it, humor, intrigue, relationships (family and other), politics, and jealousy to name a few. I loved the beach town setting (MKA is famous for this!) and the small town newspaper stories (the gossipy and the police reports) were so much fun! Lots of great characters in this one, I would love for some of them to get their own book some day. There was a little bit of romance for those who require it, but for others like me, it was very understated (YAY!) compared to the mystery aspect of the politician.
The perfect start to summer, and the perfect beach read (whether you are on the beach or just dreaming of being there), this book has a bit of something for everyone. Hats off Mary Kay Andrews, you've done it again!
I'm ready for summer reading to be here, but I don't want the Texas heat that comes with it lol. It is fascinating to see the way the book evolved so late in the publication process!
I'm sure it's brutal down there! Stay cool, or stay inside and read 🙂