Happy Release Day!
Congratulations Kristy
on the release today of
Summer State of Mind!
Summer State of Mind by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Romance, Summer Reads, 384 pages
Published May5, 2026 by Gallery Books
“Queen of the beach read,” (Cosmopolitan) New York Times bestselling author Kristy Woodson Harvey returns with a heartfelt escape to coastal Carolina.
After the worst day in her professional life, burnt-out NICU nurse Daisy Stevens runs to Cape Carolina, North Carolina, looking for a new life—and possibly new romance. On her first day at her “simpler” job, high school baseball coach Mason Thaysden discovers an abandoned baby, sending ripples through the entire tight-knit town of Cape Carolina.
Mason is still struggling to reconcile the scars of the injury that kept him out of the big leagues, stuck in his hometown, and searching for a way out. This newcomer and the child they’ve saved together might be just the motivation he needs to stay put. Sparks fly as Mason acquaints Daisy with Cape Carolina, introducing her to his friends and family, including his batty Aunt Tilley, who is looking for relief from long-buried family secrets and her own fresh start.
But as Daisy becomes increasingly attached to this abandoned child, and begins facing her own demons in the process, a startling discovery is made that threatens to rip the entire town of Cape Carolina apart, placing Daisy, Mason, and Tilley in the center of the storm. In a novel that proves that “Kristy Woodson Harvey is (the) go-to for elevated beach reads” (People), they will each learn that with love, understanding—and a community theater production of Hello, Dolly!—sometimes life conspires to bring us just exactly where we belong.
(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)
First lines—"I will never be the woman who runs away, I reminded myself as I took my third sip of rosé and set the glass back down on the granite countertop at the breakfast bar in my small kitchen."
I love Kristy's stories and know that I'm in for a real treat when I start one of her books. I look forward to them so much. Summer State of Mind was just the read that I needed and did not disappoint.
I was immediately drawn to Daisy, a kind, caring, NICU nurse, looking to make a change in her life. Her plans for moving to Cape Carolina for a slower paced life are turned upside down when a good looking man brings an abandoned baby into the ER. Intriguing!
And then there's Aunt Tilley. She is probably my favorite character of the whole bunch. And boy does she stir things up. As secrets are revealed and stories come out, lives are rocked to their core. And I loved every bit of the drama!
Summer State of Mind is another example of Kristy's wonderful storytelling. I loved everything about it and highly recommend it. It's going to be your best summer read of the year!
I received an ARC of Summer State of Mind and this is my honest opinion.
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About the author
Kristy Woodson Harvey is the New York Times, USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author of eleven novels including A Happier Life, The Summer of Songbirds, and The Peachtree Bluff Series. Many of her books have been optioned or are in development for television and film and have received numerous accolades, including Good Morning America’s Buzz Pick, Southern Living’s Most Anticipated Reads, Katie Couric’s Featured Books, and Joanna Garcia Swisher’s The Happy Place Read. Kristy is the winner of the Lucy Bramlette Patterson Award for Excellence in Creative Writing and a finalist for the Southern Book Prize.
A Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s school of journalism, her writing has appeared in numerous publications, including Southern Living, Parade, Traditional Home, USA TODAY, and many more. She also holds a master’s in English, with a concentration in multicultural and transnational literature.
Kristy is the cocreator and cohost of the weekly web show and podcast Friends & Fiction with fellow New York Times Bestselling authors Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, and Patti Callahan Henry. She is also the co-founder of the interiors site Design Chic, with her mom, Beth Woodson.
She lives on the North Carolina coast with her husband, son, and dog, Salt, where she is (always!) working on her next novel. ~ Goodreads
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