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Summer Rental  By  cover art

Summer Rental

By: Mary Kay Andrews
Narrated by: Isabel Keating
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Publisher's summary

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)

What listeners say about Summer Rental

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

PET PEEVE

While I enjoyed this book, I have to say, once again, that books with Southern characters should be read by narrators with genuine honest-to-God Southern accents. It is SO annoying when people try - and fail - to fake it.

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Perfect fun summer reading!

I love Mary Kay Andrews' books in general, and so was very excited to get going on this one. I was not disappointed. It is not my MOST favorite of hers (Savannah Blues and Savannah Breeze are my faves, also liked The Fixer Upper) but still very fun and had me laughing out loud in parts. It is a little Nancy Drewish but that is ok with me because as a kid I liked those too. If you want lighthearted fun reading with a little bit of suspense thrown in, I reccommend it.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

meh, just okay

I have to admit I have a BIG problem with bad narrators... I think she's from New Jersey and that accent kept sneaking into her southern characters voices. Ick, not good. AND, another pet peeve of mine, she mispronounced a lot of words. The story is cotton candy, fluff and took me back to my time at the Banks but I will NOT buy anything read by this narrator again... Bad choice for me...

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable

What a great summer read. The characters were believable and likable. Nice book to listen to while you are walking.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Bland.

I found the story started great, and then nothing keeps your interest. Which was a shame because I could have related to the characters. Did not enjoy the narrator. The accent/inflection changed within characters and I found it hard to stay focused and involved in the story, (I spent far too much time trying to figure out who was speaking) The reviews for M.K.A. were so good tho, I tried another, with different Narrator. Savannah Blues was a great listen !!

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

So Boring!!! No Flavour!!! No Texture!!!

This is one that frustrates me that I spent money on it! Very slow, no depth at all...boring. Did not care for story or narrator. Try something else....trust me.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Note to narrator

When you read a book about Southerners you do not have to use that fake, annoying, offensive accent. Pretty much, only someone from the South sounds "Southern". Your voice is distracting from the story and VERY annoying to those of us from the South. Cannot listen to another book read by this person.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Look elsewhere

Despite the mutual "love fest" at the end of the book (an interview between the author and the narrator) I found this to be about as filling as cotton candy. The story has been done before (yawn) and the narrator makes the characters sound stupid and cliched. Pass on this listen.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful

Great book. I listen to my books when I jog, or ride my bike and I couldn't wait to get out each morning. Felt like I was there at the beach.

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3 people found this helpful