“Summer State of Mind” by Kristy Woodson Harvey

In her newest novel, Summer State of Mind, Kristy Woodson Harvey does it yet again—she brings us into a story that we don’t want to leave.

But before I go any further, I want to know something. Could this possibly be the beginning, or continuation, of a series? Please, say yes! I am so not ready to let go of these characters. We love them all. And if you are a true Kristy fan – you will remember that we met Amelia, Parker, Elizabeth, Olivia, and Aunt Tilley in Under the Southern Sky.

Back to the task at hand. Instead of one central character in an emotional state of distress, this time we have a whole passel of them. Most notably are the three telling the story, but there are others hidden in the wings. First, we have Daisy, a burned-out NICU nurse; Mason, a burned-out ball player/playboy turned coach; and Aunt Tilley, who is a delightful lady of a certain age who left her rocker on someone else’s porch. Although Tilley is not the focal point of this story, she is the driving force.

Daisy has just moved from Charlotte to Cape Carolina, NC, when a baby, found in a dumpster, gets put in her care after it is brought to the emergency room. Mason, one of the finders of the baby, is from a big rollicking family that is a cornerstone of Cape Carolina. His family lives and eats and works in one big rolling ball, and you almost need a cheat sheet to keep track of who is who.

Imagine sitting on the plantation porch with them and listening as the story unfolds. We are certainly in rocking chairs as we simply can’t sit still with all the inherent drama swirling about.

Tilley lives with her niece Amelia, who is married to Parker, and they have twins, George and Greer, who are IVF babies from Parker’s deceased wife, Greer. Parker, Mason and Robbie are brothers, their mother is Olivia and her best friend, Elizabeth, is Tilley’s sister and Amelia’s mother. Robbie is married to Trina and they have four boys.

And then there is the central focal point—the baby in the dumpster. Daisy has fallen in love with this baby, who she hopes will be placed with her for foster care. Whose baby is it, why the dumpster, and will the parents come and claim it? Small towns, small minds, big drama, bigger questions abound. It’s a lively dance between the characters; who is telling the truth, who isn’t?

Mason has so many past girlfriends that even his mother’s massage therapist won’t massage her any more after Mason and she broke up; Daisy left a perfectly good job—we are not quite sure why. And Tilley, is she a bit batty, or is she the greatest actress in that small town?

When Mason invited Daisy to Amelia’s house to introduce them, Daisy got her first full dose of the family:

A woman in a hoop skirt with an updo that looked like it required quite a bit of work made her entrance at the top of the stairs. I felt as though I should applaud or something. Robbie ran to the top of the stairs and said, ‘Let me help you, Aunt Tilley,’ offering her his arm.

Mason whispered, ‘Sometimes she’s just, like, regular Aunt Tilley in khaki pants and sometimes she’s like this.’

‘Seems kind of helpful that you can tell right away which one you’re getting,’ I whispered back.

He grinned at me, and my stomach erupted in butterflies. As Aunt Tilley made her way toward us, I did the thing that felt most natural. I curtsied, pulling out a pretend skirt. My cheeks burned. Were they going to think I was making fun of her? But she curtsied back and said, ‘Tilley, charmed.’

Tilley really wants to get her life back on the stage – not just the stage in her own mind – and decides to audition for the part of Dolly in Hello, Dolly at the local theater. Her sister, Elizabeth objects after Daisy has already taken Tilley to the audition, where she was awarded the part hands down:

‘I would never have let her try out for this play.’ Elizabeth said, as if Tilley wasn’t even sitting there. ‘You have set her up for failure and heartbreak, and I am very upset about it.’

‘Yes, we can tell, Elizabeth,’ Tilley said drolly. ‘You sound like a postal worker on meth.’

‘A postal worker?’ Elizabeth asked, looking at Daisy as if to say I told you so. She’s nuts.

 ‘Yes. A postal worker. Because this speech is a little like junk mail. A waste of resources and no one wants it.’

Now, which of you doesn’t want to claim Aunt Tilley as your own? Me first.

Geez, get yourself a gin and tonic, or a good stiff shot of bourbon and sit next to Tilley at dinner (you too can pretend it’s iced tea), and chomp on the good and juicy parts of this story as if you were eating your last meal of wild caught shrimp and pimento cheese.

Kristy Woodson Harvey

Kristy Woodson Harvey can always bring you Southern romance laced with family drama that makes you wish you knew these people and were invited to their table, and at the same time equally glad that you only know them from an eavesdropping distance.