Hello, Summer

April 15, 2020
When newspaper reporter Sarah Conley Hawkins has her dream job swept out from under her, she heads home to the Florida panhandle for what she thinks is a temporary respite. She hasn't been back to Silver Bay in years, and she plans on taking off just as soon as she finds a job elsewhere. But she quickly falls back under the town's spell, spending time with G'Mama and her housekeeper, Winnie, and avoiding her sister, Grayson, who runs the family business, which is, unfortunately, Silver Bay's hometown newspaper. Eventually, Conley lets herself be talked into taking over the newspaper's Hello, Summer column, a task doomed to be endlessly boring (if amusing), until her reporting skills lead her to an accidental death that may not be an accident. Conley may not have intended to stay long, but small-town secrets have a way of refusing to let you go. Andrews (Sunset Beach, 2019) can be counted on for beach-worthy depictions of southern women with chutzpah and a talent for finding trouble with humor and romantic interest mixed in. Fans of Elin Hilderbrand and Kristy Woodson Harvey shouldn't miss it. [HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Devoted readers will be on the lookout for the Queen of the Beach Reads' annual crowd-pleaser, ](Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

April 24, 2020

After Conley Hawkins's amazing newspaper job in Washington, DC, dries up, she returns to her hometown of Silver Bay, FL, to crash with her grandmother Lorraine. When Lorraine suggests that Conley write for their family newspaper, The Silver Bay Beacon, Conley doesn't exactly jump at the chance, having never gotten along with the editor, her sister Grayson. But when local congressman, war hero, and family man Charles Robinettee dies in a one-car crash, Conley is assigned to cover the incident. Grayson asks Conley to write a puff piece and stick to the popular story floating around the small community. Conley, adhering to her motto of "turning over rocks and kicking up dirt," finds discrepancies in Charles's crystal-clear past that leads her closer to a major scandal, putting her at odds with his influential, scummy son and under the scrutiny of small-town residents. VERDICT Though not your typical beach read, this latest from Andrews (Sunset Beach) crafts a suspenseful small-town story that keeps the pages turning. It has a bit of everything: mystery, dodgy characters, a little romance, and family drama. Recommended for most collections. [See Prepub Alert, 11/11/19.]--Brooke Bolton, Boonville-Warrick Cty. P.L., IN

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.