Summer Rental

By: Mary Kay Andrews

Narrated by: Isabel Keating

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.

©2011 Whodunnit, Inc. (P)2011 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Isabel 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 Magazine

“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 Journal

“Andrews…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)

Summer Rental was a great beach read

I am a fan of Mary Kay Andrews. I read some of the negative reviews from others but bought the book anyway. I was not disappointed. I read the book while visiting Cape Cod. It was a perfect book for a summer day. I highly recommend it.

Great summer read- PERFECT narrator

Isabelle Keating is amazing as she reads this fun light read. Her southern accent is authentic and she even does a subtle Manhattan! It is heavenly when the narrator disappears because you begin to see the characters in your head based on the voices. Only Roy Doltrice who narrates the Game of Thrones books is comparable.

Also I love Mary Kay Andrews books! I am from the south and you can sense her love for southern women, old houses, slow living and southern gentlemen in every book! Keep 'em coming Mary Kay!!

easy listening fun and flirty

narrator was so good and easy to listen to. loaves the story line. fun book.

Great Summer Read

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend the book because it is a great read and so easy to see ourselves in these positions.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Summer Rental?

When the girlfriends are trying to make sense of their new housemates background.

What does Isabel Keating bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

the different accents of the girlfriends, it just made the conversation seem more real

Any additional comments?

This was a great beach read with just enough romance and plenty of laughs.

annoying narration and weak storyline

I usually love MKA books but this one was difficult to listen to. The voices were a stretch for the reader, especially the male character. Editing could have been better as there are places where the dialogue was spoken and then repeated again.