Hi, Fresh Fiction friends! It isn’t quite summer yet, but we can still be in a SUMMER STATE OF MIND with my new novel, releasing May 5! This one is about a NICU nurse named Daisy who flees the big city after a very bad day and heads to Cape Carolina, a tiny coastal town, and its sleepy nursery. But, on her first day at her new “simple” job, an abandoned baby is brought into the hospital that sends shockwaves through the little town and thrusts Daisy into the paths of Mason, an injured former baseball star, and Tilley, the entire town’s eccentric aunt. They all learn that with a lot of love, a little understanding–and a community theater production of Hello, Dolly–sometimes life conspires to bring us exactly where we belong! I hope you’ll read it and that it will fill you with joy this summer. While you’re reading… Check out this playlist. I hope it gives you all the feels of my favorite season and a little more insight into this book and its characters!
Thank God for the Summertime by Ben Rector: This book has a lot of ups and downs and emotional scenes, but there are also a lot of easy, breezy moments on the water where life just feels good. This song just captures that for me and encapsulates the feeling I hope you have when it’s all over!
Crowded Table by The Highwomen: This isn’t strictly a “summer” song. But it’s one of my favorites right now. This idea of a house with a crowded table is what the Paxton and Thaysden families are all about. My favorite scenes – and moments of my own life, really – involve family and friends around a dining table, laughing and eating and making memories. This is a very family-centric story, and this song gives me the exact feeling of what it’s like to be a part of them!
Summer Love by One Direction: This one is a reminder of all those summer loves of our past lives, the ones meant to be fleeting, and the heartbreak of separating as the summer ends. It’s nostalgic and sweet and also representative of Mason and Daisy in this book. Their attraction is instant, but their romance isn’t a straight line. There’s definitely some room for a pining song in this book and on this playlist!
It Only Takes a Moment from Hello, Dolly: A community theater production of Hello, Dolly runs through this novel, and a phrase from this song, “A Whole Life Long,” was almost the title of this novel. It’s such a great encapsulation of the love in this book, both the romantic love and the familial. The whole soundtrack from this stunning musical could be on here. Treat yourself to this some time!
The Boys of Summer by Don Henley: Mason, the former baseball star, is now the baseball coach, and many of his scenes revolve around not only his current team of players but also his brother and best friends from childhood. The Boys of Summer reminds me of them and their lives growing up on the coast of NC!
Just Leave Everything to Me by Barbra Streisand: Two songs from Hello, Dolly might seem like a lot, but this song is just representative of Tilley’s character to me in so many ways! And “Just Leave Everything to Me” was another working title of the book! This becomes Aunt Tilley’s repeated little line in the book and reminds me of her role in Daisy and Mason’s lives – and, really, so many people around her! She is orchestrating a lot in this story!
I hope this playlist makes you smile, but, more than that, I hope you love my new book! Let me know what you think! Until then, wishing you sunshine, blue skies, and a SUMMER STATE OF MIND!
Narrator: Matt Pittenger, Cassandra Campbell, Stephanie Einstein
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.
Women's Fiction Friendship | Women's Fiction Southern [ Gallery Books, On Sale: May 5, 2026, Hardcover / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9781668074886 / eISBN: 9781668074909 ]
Kristy Woodson Harvey is the New York Times, USA TODAY, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of fourteen novels, including Beach House Rules and the Peachtree Bluff series. A Happier Life is in development for film with MGM/Amazon, The Summer of Songbirds is in development for television with Hulu, and many of her other projects are in various stages of option or development for film and television. Her work has 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 Reads. Kristy is the winner of the Lucy Bramlette Patterson Award for Excellence in Creative Writing and a finalist for the Southern Book Prize. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications, including Southern Living, Parade, Traditional Home, USA TODAY, and many more. Kristy is the cocreator and cohost of the hit 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 award-winning 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.
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