To the extent this novel is about menopause, it’s perfectly timed. Menopause is the new black and here’s a funny short novel that captures some of the crazy feelings, bodily responses and mood swings that go with it. So far, so appealing. But then there’s the rhapsodic love for children and family, delivered with such intensity and repetitiveness that it crosses the line, from “usual American preoccupation” to something obsessive and wildly over the top. Is the author sending it up, or just gilding the lily? Whatever, for this reader, the emotional intensity was a step too far. Otherwise, the novel’s good humor and excellent dialogue carries it a long way. So, more of the latter and less of the former, for me, please.

Fantastic! This was an utter joy to read! Before I even got to the halfway point, I was recommending it to friends and ordering it for the library.
An absolutely perfect read for the Gen x woman, with bonus points for being a New Englander. I grew up going to the Cape in summers, but you do not need that background to FEEL every bit of this book. Laugh out loud funny in chapter after chapter…like my husband was asking what was wrong with me! No, it’s not a Facebook video, leave me alone, I’m reading! Great characters, good length, topical themes, and just about the perfect summer read. Congratulations!
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Publishing for this advance reader copy. Easily joining my top 10 of the year.
5*

i devoured this book. the organized format that highlighted each day of the week made my brain happy. the writing, the characters, the sentiments, the arguments, the memories, the heartbreak, and the love made my heart happy.
reading catherine newman's latest book was like watching a tv show. it's not always easy for me to really visualize the characters, the settings, the tense conversations, but for this book, it was. i didn't want to stop reading sandwich!
set on cape cod, rachel (rocky) and nick's family is having their annual vacation in their favorite spot. the (mostly grown) children are with them and rocky's parents join them for two days. rocky is our narrator and you watch her interact and dive into the lives of her children while, at the same time, interacting with and worrying about the goings-on in the lives of her parents. the true definition of the sandwich generation.
i really, really enjoyed reading sandwich and i look forward to recommending it to those readers around me that i know will enjoy it, as well.

Thank you to Harper Collins for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Writing: 5/5 Characters: 5/5 Plot: 4/5 Humor: 5++/5

Ok, this book is just flat out funny. I snorted, giggled, and guffawed my way through it with only occasional pauses. But while it gets top top grades for humor, it has plenty of depth, too. Ostensibly about a week at the beach with an extended (and all adult) family, it’s a study of functional (as opposed to dysfunctional) family dynamics. Many readers seem to want intense drama, with earth shattering impact, but I love these close looks at how real people work and learn and connect. The themes are family, love, and life with plenty of personality, philosophy, and interaction thrown in and a strong focus on parenting, pregnancy, and reproduction. Also the (new to me) phrase “anticipatory grief.” Wow — I should have learned that one a long time ago…

I loved the characters and the way they interacted. Our first person narrator is Rocky (Rachel) — a mother so full of emotion and worry and menopausal heat she is constantly threatening to (metaphorically) explode. I liked the way husband Nick — even as told through her eyes — is depicted so completely and not just a bit player in Rocky’s drama. Without giving anything away, I thought he was masterfully written. I loved the multifaceted views of all of the characters — both as themselves and also as they were in relationship with each other. I also appreciated the way Newman dealt with daughter Willa — the requisite lesbian through whom plenty of social commentary on LGBTQ+ issues was included in a nice relaxed, off key way that both made me laugh and made me think.

I also loved the dialog — it was written the way I wish people would speak — fast, humorous, and with a high signal to noise ratio. General banter and friendly family squabbling throughout but always overlaid on clear, honest, and trusting communication. I could be laughing at the (over-the-top-of the-top menopause complaints and then be tearing up at the essential humanity and love concisely tucked into an honest exchange. Kind of a combination of Nora Ephron (humor), Matthew Norman (human exchange), and Anne Lamott (parenting and reflection).

I will say that the inside of Rocky’s head is a fun, but very tiring place to be and I’m glad I don’t live there permanently.

Quotes:

“Ugh, my voice! You can actually hear the estrogen plummeting inside my larynx.”

“… I say quietly, but my veins are flooded with the lava that’s spewing our of my bad-mood volcano. If menopause were an actual substance, it would be spraying from my eyeballs, searing the word ugh across Nick’s cute face.”

“People who insist that you should be grateful instead of complaining? They maybe don’t understand how much gratitude one might feel about the opportunity to complain.”

“I’m always Sherlock Holmesing around them all with my emotional magnifying glass, trying to figure out if anybody has any actual feelings and what those might be.”

“Also he will get out the innocuous-sounding foam roller that is actually a complex pain device designed by people who hate everybody. I’ve seen enough videos of cats terrorized by cucumbers to know what my face looks like when I suddenly see the foam roller.”

“Nick’s curiosity about feelings and the people who have them is fleeting at best.”

“Forty percent of my waking thoughts were about the children dying — the other sixty about sleep. I was ashamed of this demented pie chart.”

“A conversation like this might be a wolf in clown’s clothing, and he knows it. My rage is like a pen leaking in his pocket, and before long there will be ink on his hands, his lips.”

“I mince down the spiral staircase in my memory-foam slippers, all of my joints clacking like the witch in a marionette performance of Hansel and Gretel.”

“All of the names of everything have oozed out and away from the drainage holes menopause has punched into my memory storage.”

“My ancient father actually swimming in the ocean feels like a bridge too far in terms of what I can handle fretting about.”

The protagonist, Rachel (affectionately known as Rocky), navigates the challenges of intergenerational relationships in Catherine Newman's novel "Sandwich." As Rocky grapples with the complexities of her aging parents' declining health and her adult children's evolving life milestones, compounded by her own experience with menopause, she finds solace in humor amidst the chaos.

Annual gatherings at a quaint Cape Cod beach house serve as the backdrop for the unfolding narrative, symbolizing the aging process mirrored in the deteriorating beach house. Culinary imagery, particularly sandwiches, underscores the themes of sustenance and being caught between generations.

Through authentic dialogue and nuanced characterizations, Newman portrays a relatable family dynamic, tackling sensitive issues such as abortion with candor. "Sandwich" appeals to readers seeking reflective narratives with organic exchanges and resonates particularly with mature audiences grappling with similar familial transitions. Newman's characters, flawed and genuine, confront life's hardships with raw emotion, embracing the messy realities of relationships and transitions, thus offering a poignant and realistic portrayal of family life.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

I have to admit that I skimmed through several sections of this, because it felt redundant and because some of it read like nonfiction personal essays about mothering, marriage, and menopause. On the other hand, the author’s writing about these topics in the fictional parts of the story were spot on, and the writing is vivid and rich with wisdom about life and love and loss. Thanks to the author for my favorite line: “ How alive your heart to feel such sorrow.”

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Catherine Newman is nothing less than a gift to us all. I actually laughed and I actually cried reading this. I highlighted passages and then I took photos of them because I REALLY wanted to remember them. None of these things are normal for me. I didn’t even read it on a plane! (Planes are emotional pressure cookers for me when reading. If you do read it on a plane - bring tissues and be prepared.) What a gorgeous book, full of life in all of its beautiful, funny, misery. I can’t wait to see where this book goes when it’s out in the world!

Every year for the last two decades, Rachel (Rocky) and Nick have vacationed with their family at the same Cape Cod cottage along the shore. As the years have passed, their children Willa and Jamie have grown into fully (or mostly) independent adults and Rocky's parents have settled nicely into their roles as doting grandparents.

For Rocky, Cape Cod is awash with memories. Between sunscreen sprays and towel dries and sandwiches, she wades into waters of loss and love and nearly everything in between. And as she reflects on the little moments of their weeklong vacation in Cape Cod, she finds that life--more often than not-- is almost too beautiful and too delicate to bear.

And just like that, readers, "Sandwich" becomes a contender for my 2024 book of the year. In well under 300 pages, Catherin Newman pens a poignant and somehow still utterly hilarious story of a woman grappling with the question: "How do I hold onto this all for just a little longer?" Against the gorgeous backdrop of Cape Cod, Rocky becomes keenly aware of time gently pulsing onward: her children are now forging lives of their own, her parents are slowing down, her body is a strange and foreign land of scars and wrinkles and "that wasn't there last year"s.

This tiny book is a quiet, compelling reflection on motherhood, womanhood, and just plain, everyday life; of what happens between wedding vows and beach vacations and making sandwiches. And I mean it when I say that every single word is beautiful.

This book was utter perfection! So happy to have read an advance copy from NetGalley - this would be a great summer read and yes, I will probably read it again. The setting is a town in Cape Cod (Sandwich?) where Rocky and her almost grown kids and her parents spend a week every summer. It’s about the sandwich generation - and also Rocky loves making sandwiches for her family with all the condiment customizations that each requires. The book is so funny - I laughed hard so many times - with such great, realistic dialogue - and traded up at times too. The author is a great observer of all things of day to day life, and in this short book it is all in there. Loved every bit!

I was fortunate to get an ARC of Catherine Newman's latest novel. I really enjoyed this glimpse into a midlife mom's life. So many of the main character's observations resonated. This was equal parts poignant and hilarious. Tears and laughter abounded.

Newman is an auto read for me now!

Thank you Netgalley & Harper Publishing for an eARC ♥️☺️

Sandwich" by Catherine Newman is like a warm embrace that wraps around your heart♥️ You know those stories that make you laugh out loud, tear up a little, and nod your head in understanding? Yeah, this one's got all that and more🥹

Rocky's summer vacation with her family is like a snapshot of real life - the good, the bad, and the messy. And I love how Catherine Newman tells it with humor, compassion, and honesty. You'll feel like you're part of the family, sharing in their joys and struggles.

The writing is simply delightful. Newman has this incredible talent for finding the beauty in everyday moments and weaving them into a story that touches your heart. It's like having a conversation with a close friend who shares their stories and makes you feel seen and understood.

"Sandwich" is more than just a book - it's a reminder to cherish the little things, to hold on tight to the people we love, and to embrace the ups and downs of life.♥️

What an interesting take on menopause and how it affects women. The book is well-written, but it was hard for me to follow in spots.

Steadman has written a short, humorous novel centered around women aging and transitioning into new phase of life. With her kids now in college, Rocky is now "sandwiched" between her parents' and children's generation. Adventures unfold during her yearly summer trip to Cape Cod. This is a quick, zippy, read with funny characters and dialogue.

First book by Catherine Newman for me and one I really enjoyed.A moving story of marriage of family even menapouse .The authors characters are really well developed really come alive.Looking forward to reading more by her.#netgalley #harper

I am sorry but I just couldn’t get into this book. After 25% I am giving up. Based on the reviews so far, there is an audience for this title but it’s not me. I do read books with flawed characters but the descriptions and details are just a little too much for me. I will not post to Goodreads since I didn’t finish the book.

(3.5 stars) I could so relate to the narrator in this book. Rocky (short for Rachel) is caught between her aging parents, who are having health issues, and her adult children, who are facing major life events (including sexuality issues). Dealing with all of this, while herself going through menopause, leaves Rocky clinging to her good sense of humor for sanity.

Rocky’s family gets together annually at the beach in Cape Cod, in a beach house that is getting older along with everything/everyone else. Food is a central theme – Rocky makes delicious-sounding sandwiches for the beach and cooks up fabulous-sounding dinners. I’m pretty sure that the title, Sandwich, refers to the small town in Massachusetts, but it would also work for sandwiches, the food, and the fact that Rocky is sandwiched between her children and her parents. I enjoyed the naturally-flowing banter between the family members and could appreciate their reactions to the issues that arise throughout the week of vacation. There were certain hot topics that were dealt with that may turn some off (e.g., abortion), but I, personally, saw my views reflected back at me. This is a book for readers who enjoy quiet stories and witty banter. It should work particularly well for those in their 50s and 60s.

If I could give this more stars, I would.
Rocky is vacationing on Cape Cod (near Sandwich, I presume) in the sandwich generation, with her grown children and her aging parents, literally making sandwiches for their beach trips. Everyone has secrets and we live each day of the week, learning more and experiencing Rocky’s inner thoughts. Shes funny, she’s angry, she’s menopausal, she’s me. I’d start this book all over again.

As you read this book be prepared to smell the slightly salty air of the ocean, hear the lap of the waves and see the seagulls trying to steal your food at the beach. There is so much description in this book that the reader feels transported to Cape Cod (and if you have ever spent time there, you can almost see the places that Rocky, Nick, and their family visit). However, if you are looking for an action book, with a dynamic plot and a lot of sturm and drang, this is not the book for you. Rather it is a slice of life of a family that loves each other, respects, eact other and even though there may be some secrets, they all get shared and accepted. It is a quckee read, but very enjoyable.

A funny and heartfelt novel of transitions that's full of literal and figurative sandwiches. It's a depiction of the struggles and joys of motherhood, both to young and adult kids, the changing relationships with our parents as we and they age, and the general indignities of middle age. I'm a half generation off from the characters in this book, but I still found it relatable and engrossing.

I laughed until I cried during this hysterical yet poignant read about a woman going through menopause sandwiched between her adult children and aging parents. Some of the passages were so funny I screen-shotted them to send to friends who laughed out loud. This book hits the nail on the head for what it’s like to be trapped between generations while trying to find your own footing with changing hormones. My only feedback is that the front half was much funnier than the touching back half and I missed some of that light reprieve, but otherwise, it was a great book that I can’t wait to hand sell!