Sometimes, when you need a change in your life, the tide just happens to pull you in the right direction…
Ellis, Julia, and Dorie. Best friends since Catholic grade school, they now find themselves, in their mid-thirties, at the crossroads of life and love. Ellis, recently fired from a job she gave everything to, is rudderless and now beginning to question the choices she's made over the past decade of her life. Julia--whose caustic wit covers up her wounds--has a man who loves her and is offering her the world, but she can't hide from how deeply insecure she feels about her looks, her brains, her life. And Dorie has just been shockingly betrayed by the man she loved and trusted the most in the world…though this is just the tip of the iceberg of her problems and secrets. A month in North Carolina's Outer Banks is just what they each of them needs.
Ty Bazemore is their landlord, though he's hanging on to the rambling old beach house by a thin thread. After an inauspicious first meeting with Ellis, the two find themselves disturbingly attracted to one another, even as Ty is about to lose everything he's ever cared about.
Maryn Shackleford is a stranger, and a woman on the run. Maryn needs just a few things in life: no questions, a good hiding place, and a new identity. Ellis, Julia, and Dorie can provide what Maryn wants; can they also provide what she needs?
Mary Kay Andrews' audiobook is the story of five people questioning everything they ever thought they knew about life. Five people on a journey that will uncover their secrets and point them on the path to forgiveness. Five people who each need a sea change, and one month in a summer rental that might just give it to them.
Summer Rental is one of Library Journal's Best Women's Fiction Books of 2011.
This program includes a bonus interview with the author.
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"This book is wonderful!! I loved it! The woman had been friends in school and it was so fun finding out how much they had changed and again how much they stayed the same. The relationships that they had with one another and with the men in their lives."
— Tricha (5 out of 5 stars)
…this is prime beach-read material
— Daily Record (Gannett Newspapers)“Narrator Isabel Keating makes the most of the material, giving each character a distinctive Southern accent, fitting for these girls from Savannah. Recommended for Andrews's fans and those wishing some light fair.
— Library JournalFor a group of girls on a roadtrip, this is the perfect way to pass the time.
— Smitten with ReadingIsabel Keating's treatment of dialogue enhances the characters in this easy summer read...The over-the-top dialect of some of the minor characters combined with some amusing scenes give the listener some laughs that balance the challenging choices the main players face. The dialogue and individual characterizations make this especially good on audio.
— AudioFile MagazineAndrews…is at her warm and funny best…[she] simply excels at creating the kind of characters readers can relate to, and she has a fabulous sense of humor to boot.
— Library Journal (starred review)Andrews spins a beach blanket sizzler… This warm weather treat has a lot going for it.
— Publishers Weekly[A] tailor-made beach read…another charmer
— Booklist...unraveling secrets makes for fascinating reading. This is a perfect beach book: the tale of a sandy, flea-bitten summer house and one month in August in which honesty triumphs over silence, and love over lies. Ellis falls in love, and Dorie meets a new guy, and Julie makes a big decision, and Maryn breaks free... and the readers of Summer Rental will stay glued to their sandy beach chairs waiting to see what happens next.
— Barnes & Noble Review" Great easy read. Chick book "
— Teri, 2/19/2014" Entertaining. Nothing mindblowing, but interesting enough for a summer read. "
— Jamie, 2/15/2014" An easy going, light read filled with lots of girl talk, a romance, and some suspense all taking place with a beach atmosphere. Not the type of book that is impossible to put down, but a comfortable "brain vacation" of a book. I wasn't crazy about some of the female characters, finding them a little irritating here and there. I really enjoyed the romance between one of the girls, Ellis and the cute guy who owned the rental the friends were staying at. All in all I really liked it, but enjoyed Mary Kay's Savannah Blues and Savannah Breeze better. A fun book with a great beach backdrop and happy ending. "
— Janel, 2/6/2014" Another favorite by Mary Kay Andrews. I loved the setting and all of the subplots for each of the characters. "
— Georgia, 1/27/2014" Entertaining! Worked in one "me" book during the summer! "
— Shawna, 1/23/2014" Nice summer read. Page turner, but sometimes it's a bit more interesting when all the loose ends aren't tied up so neat and tidy. "
— Deb, 1/22/2014" Good beach read.....very light and breezy. "
— Jill, 1/19/2014" This was cute but very predictable. I put this down many times. Easy read. "
— Nicole, 1/18/2014" Over all it was ok. Easy, breezy read. "
— Anna, 1/16/2014" Ok- I admit. I am a sucker for chick lit books in the summer. Since I just came back from the beach, it was fun reading a book about the beach. I could relate and also wish I was back there! Not that much of a story but I absolutely did enjoy. Mind candy for my summer sweet tooth! "
— Lisa, 1/15/2014" Enjoyed this book. Very light easy read. "
— Nicole, 12/29/2013" Not one of her best books, but it was a good book. It took me a couple of chapters to really start getting into the book. "
— Amanda, 12/14/2013" Mary Kay Andrews writes a beach read like none other. Love! "
— Alice, 12/2/2013" I'm a fan of Mary Kay Andrews. It's a great beach read, but if you're looking for depth, this one's not for you. If, on the other hand, you're up for a quick chick-flick style read, go for it! "
— Kate, 8/25/2013" It was what it was supposed to be, four chicks hanging at the beach. There isn't much to it. It is the typical easy read if you don't want to think at all and just kind of zone. You have to be in the mood for this. "
— Christine, 7/24/2013" This was a good "summer read." There was an entertaining, if sometimes unbelievable, plot, and characters that were more substantial than paper dolls and had believable relationships with each other. "
— Laura, 4/11/2013" I loves this book. I was a fast easy read with a great story. It was a kittle predictable like all chick lit but for me it was a page turner. I little different then Mary Kay Andrews usual themes. Fixer Upper is still my favorite of hers. "
— Amanda, 3/31/2013" I love, love the "southern belle" stories by Mary Kay Andrews. Being a Yankee-girl myself, I delight in the soft drawls and accents. What a great friendship story as well. "
— Annette, 9/5/2012" Another hard-to-put-down book from Mary Kay Andrews. The perfect beach read about friendship, relationships, and summer. I felt the ending was a little rushed, but it was still a fun read. "
— Sonia, 5/4/2012" Bland and I've read the same thing many times before. "
— Donald, 4/11/2012" A fun beach read! A little bit of everything. Leaves you wondering what happens next for these fun characters. It was my first book by this author; I'll be checking out more! "
— Andrea, 3/3/2012" Cute easy read about friends renting a house for the summer. A bit predictable... "
— Colleen, 3/1/2012" Feel good chick lit, fun story. Nice and light and a good break from heavy duty ones. "
— Karleene, 2/18/2012" Once again Mary Kay Andrews does not disappoint! Best book I've read all sumer. "
— Kyndra, 1/21/2012" Cute summer read. Not a great deal of thinking. "
— Renee, 1/15/2012" I suppose if I were a beautiful buxom bikini-clad 30 something with man trouble I would have enjoyed this book. I kept reading only because of the descriptions of midnight walks on the beach and the glow from summer cottages late at night. "
— Carrie, 10/29/2011" Typical chic lit. I think it would make a great beach read. Cute story about friendship, loneliness love and sacrifice. I liked the characters and the writing style (this is my first book by Mary Kay Andrews). I would definitely read more of her stuff when I'm looking for something light. "
— Casi, 7/24/2011" thought this was a great summer chick lit / beach read. "
— Kathleen, 7/18/2011" I have read all of Mary Kay Andrews's books. This was not her best, BUT is was a fun, enjoyable read! "
— Deborah, 6/22/2011" I enjoyed the book but was not my favorite. "
— Robin, 6/20/2011" I always enjoy this author's books for her slant on antiques, interior design and great friendships. Very light, enjoyable and humorous reading that I read on my iPad on a very long plane ride. It made the plane ride so, so enjoyable! "
— Cheryl, 6/20/2011" I was in the mood for something light and girlie and this book did the trick. Predictable, but entertaining and not OVERLY dramatic...just what I was looking for at the time. "
— Carissa, 6/19/2011" Perfect start of the summer, fun read. Just wish I had some beach time for reading this one. "
— Meredith, 6/18/2011" Great light, beach read. Enjoyable characters - I particularly liked it because it was set in the Outer Banks - Nags Head - where my own family vacations - so it was fun to be able to visualize the actual place and to see places where I have eaten, like Bob's Grill, in print. "
— Amy, 6/18/2011" This book was a great read. I'm so glad my love of Janet Evanovich brought me to Mary Kay Andrews. "
— Donna, 6/18/2011" A good read about three childhood girl friends who rent an old house on the Outer Banks. Loved reading mentions of Duck, NC, where I've visited family who rent a house every year. "
— Connie, 6/18/2011" Again, another book that was just O.K. I liked it, but I missed the Southern flair of her characters in this book. <br/> <br/> "
— Gloria, 6/17/2011" The most perfect beach read. Loved every page of it. "
— Jessica, 6/17/2011" This is a decent beach read but was a bit predictable and unimaginative. "
— Denise, 6/16/2011" Total Beach Read!! Cute & funny in a girly way.. "
— Erika, 6/16/2011" I Loved it!! A sweet read, the charaters were different than her other books. I hope she writes a sequel to it. I didn't want to finish the last 1/4 of the book, because I looked forward to reading it at night!! "
— Julia, 6/15/2011Mary Kay Andrews is a New York Times bestselling author with numerous critically acclaimed novels, notably the Callahan Garrity mysteries. She earned a degree in journalism from the University of Georgia and worked for more than a dozen years as a reporter, mainly at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Isabel Keating has earned several AudioFile Earphones Awards for her audiobook narration and twice been a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. As an actress, she garnered a Drama Desk Award, Theatre World Award, and a Tony nomination for her critically acclaimed 2004 Broadway performance as Judy Garland in The Boy from Oz. She was awarded the Helen Hayes Award for Best Actress in 2000 for her portrayal of Flora Crewe in Tom Stoppard’s Indian Ink.