Probably the wrong time for me to read this book. I just finished the best book I've read this year and after that I just couldn't get into this book.

A group of seemingly average people cross paths in Manistique in the Upper Peninsula area of Michigan. Despite a number of deaths, today and in the past, this comedy of characters is sweet and hopeful.

It reminded me of one of those great screwball film comedies of the 30s, with doors opening and closing, coincidences large and small, and the hand of fate hovering over it all.

What will happen to these people in the future? We don’t know but the author makes us care for them and hope for the best. They deserve it!

This book starts out in one direction, and you think it's going to be strictly chick lit, and then you turn the page and a mystery unfolds. Can coincidence really be just that, or is something bigger than fate at work? As more guests start arriving, the book evolves again, part Agatha Christie closed room mystery, part thriller. But always there is humor that keeps things light and makes the reader shake their head in wonder, When will the coincedences end? Is Vivian controlling things from the grave? As the book starts to turn into a gothic thriller, you won't be able to put this book down! And when the end somes, you'll be hoping for another book with the same characters! Make sure it's on your Fall reading list!

Stuck in Manistique is about two people who are at intersections of their lives. Mark, a man going through life avoiding marriage when he finds out that his estranged Aunt left him her Victorian house in her will. Then we have Emily. Days after graduating from medical school, she is in a car accident while contemplating her affair with a married man. Mark takes pity upon the young doctor and allows her to stay in his aunts home that she had turned into a bed and breakfast. He doesn't tell Emily that his aunt has passed, instead telling her that he is just filling in tell his aunt returns. As more and more people arrive to stay in the home, Mark begins to lose control of the story that he has been telling. Then Emily's married man arrives at the bed and breakfast and she has trouble telling Mark why this older man is looking for her. Will Mark and Emily reveal their secrets to one another?

This book is not a love story. To be honest I'm not sure what kind of story I would describe it as. If I had to describe I would say it is a boring and pointless tale. Sure, it turns out that Mark is the son of his estranged aunt Vivian. But finding that out is literally the only interesting thing that happens. It is a well written book but the summary was very misleading. I thought their was going to be a love story or at the very least an interesting plot. But neither of these happened. Neither of these characters had fascinating secrets even though you would think that's the cast when you read the description.

I really looked forward to reading this book. It sounded a bit quirky and fun taking place in the UP (Upper Peninsula) of Michigan. The book was just too implausible. As others mentioned, it has a little Faulty Towers-esque which was fun. However, I never gravitated towards any of the characters and made is easy to put down. This is a perfect quick, mindless read.

This caught my eye because I grew up in Michigan and it's always fun to read a book set in your home state. I thought the story was sweet and moved quickly. I can totally imagine it as a Hallmark movie, especially if it was set at Christmas instead of Memorial Day!

I though I was reading chick-lit, but then I finished it. Stickier than I thought.
Pacing was good, Twist and development as expected

This a cute book that has a few surprises along the way. The beginning of the book was a bit thin...it took a while before the characters fleshed out and the storyline developed some depth. This was especially true of the male protagonist. Once the plot developed and more characters entered the story, the main characters showed some personality.

This is a quick, easy, fun, feel good read. I did expect a little bit more after reading the previous reviews but it held my interest and it had several rather humorous sections I really enjoyed. The character development was good, the plot is light and thin, downside is, the entire story does not bring out a lot of feelings.
I enjoyed the banter between Emily and Mark, and I think the storyline could have been great, it just didn’t quite get there. There were a few twist and turns that were unexpected but the biggest deal breaker was the ending, it just stopped. I had to check my bluetooth speaker to make sure it hadn’t died and nope, the book just ended, right there. Maybe a sequel is in store?
I was given the opportunity to receive this book from Celestial Eyes Press through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. This one gets 4****’s.

Fawlty Towers set in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, with a cast of weird characters. The story line seemed to go too many places at once, and I couldn’t decide whether the author was trying for comedy or drama..

I just took a trip to Michigan. We wanted to visit Manistique but didn’t make it. We did go across the Mackinaw Bridge and visit Mackinac Island. I loved reading about the places I wanted to go visit and visualizing the places I’d been. I had to look up on the map and find the ‘phone box’ for bridge assistance! This was a light hearted and funny book. I liked the characters of Mark and Emily. The other visitors added charm to the story. It was a fairly quick read and I was anxious to see how it ended. I hope that Mark decides to stay in Manistique and run the B&B.

This was a very light, often humorous read, but didn’t really give any of the flavor of the Manistique area.

STUCK IN MANISTIQUE - Dennis Cuesta
Celestial Eyes Press
Perfect 10
ISBN: 978-1-7324-1090-9
November 2018
General Fiction

Manistique, Michigan – The Present

Mark (last name never revealed), who lives in Chicago and is a financial advisor, learns his Aunt Vivian has died and left him her estate, a Victorian house in Manistique, Michigan, a small community in the Upper Peninsula near Lake Michigan. His aunt, Dr. Vivian Peregrine, had been a humanitarian doctor who served in the world’s troubled areas for most of her life. He can only remember meeting her once and lost touch with her years ago, but couldn’t locate her. After talking to his aunt’s lawyer in Petoskey, Michigan, he travels to the UP. The problem is he has gephyrophobia, or fear of bridges, and the five mile long Mackinac (pronounced Mack-in-awe) Bridge lays between him and Manistique. Luckily, the bridge personnel are prepared for such occasions and have assistance drivers to help people across the bridge. On his first night in his aunt’s house, which he plans to sell, a woman knocks on the door and asks for a room for the night. It seems his Aunt Vivian operated a B&B.

Dr. Emily Davis was driving north, on her way to Mackinac Island to meet her mentor, another doctor who is married, for a romantic commitment. Suffering doubts, she goes to the Upper Peninsula to catch the ferry to the island, but ultimately takes U.S. Highway 2 west and away from her temptation. Near Manistique a deer leaps into car’s windshield, smashing it to bits. Repair will take at least one day and all the local hotels and motels are filled with an elderly group on a casino tour of the UP. One motel owner gives her the name of the Manistique Victorian, a local B&B.

Mark’s generosity to Emily soon expands to other unexpected guests. From that point, the unexpected and unanticipated continually take place. The newly acquainted characters share quippy talk and camaraderie, which leads to confidences laced with allusions. Trouble abounds. While the story is overall humorous in tone, serious matters underlie the content. The story revolves around personal loss, secrets revealing extraordinary truths, local mysticism, friendship, incipient romance, and family relationships. Yes it earns a Perfect 10, but mostly for those who enjoy quirky people and crazy, surprising events, and because I learned some interesting things about my home state.

If you have ever traveled in Northern Michigan, Stuck in Manistique will have you hooked in the first 5 chapters. The descriptions of Northern Michigan, the Straits and heading west on US-2 will feel familiar. I laughed out loud at the description of listening to UP radio. One of my favorite things when driving across the UP is locally hosted radio shows. The description in this book did not disappoint. The lead characters both find themselves 'stuck' in Manistique, he to settle his aunt's estate, she traveling home to Wisconsin for a break in the middle of her medical schooling. A cast of characters also find themselves passing through the B&B that Mark has inherited from his recently deceased aunt. A very fun and entertaining read, especially if you are familiar with Up North Michigan.

I received and advanced reader copy of this novel via NetGalley.

fiction, life-changes, light-hearted, humor

I liked the references to places I know well and the angst thing that each of the two main characters were going through. Most of the characters truly are, and while the publisher's blurb is better than most, there's more humor involved than the blurb indicates. It seems to be pretty well written and some aspects are spot on. A really nice read for a quiet afternoon!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Celestial Eyes Press courtesy of NetGalley.

I love this book! The gentle story of love and hope kept me connected to the characters and the irreverent wit had me laughing out loud. Especially meaningful to me was the message that deep human connection can be found in varied and unexpected forms. Also notable is Cuesta's honest portrayal of strong female characters. I'm looking forward to this author's next release.

What a thoroughly entertaining read. I went into this with no expectations and was pleasantly surprised.

The book makes reference to Faulty Towers and yes indeed its exactly what it reminded me of. A great mix of quirky characters that have all come together unexpectedly or is it all a matter of fate.

A great read

This was a sweet debut novel about Mark and Emily whose serendipitous meeting in the small town of Manistique engenders change in both of them. Mark is there because he has inherited his estranged aunt's house which she has converted into a Bed and Breakfast. Emily is a young doctor planning to meet up with her married boyfriend when she accidentally hits a deer and needs a place to stay for the night. Coincidentally, other guests show up and soon there is a houseful of oddly eccentric characters.
Having grown up in the Midwest, I appreciated the details at the beginning of the novel--small town charm and quirky, down-to-earth people. As the book went on however, it seemed like I was reading the script of a movie or a play as there was so much dialogue and less description. So while I enjoyed the storyline, I missed the in-depth character development that breathes life into them and makes them real, an element I appreciate in literary fiction. While the characters were likable, I wasn't fully invested in them so the story was just that--a cute story. But if this sounds like a good end-of-the-summer read for you, it just may be your cup of tea!

I really wanted to like this book. The name grabbed me right away. My husband grew up in Manistique and I lived there for a year or so. That being said this could have been written about anywhere. I understand changing names and such but I could only picture a few things mentioned about the town. Maybe I knew too much about it and that's why it was hard, I don't know.

It started out slow and didn't pick up until about half way though. I liked the idea behind the story but it was a bit dry, too descriptive, and had way too much going on. There were so many fillers. I think it would have been better if it had been shortened and if the author hadn't tried so hard. It kind of read like King novel, nothing scary or anything like that but anyone who has tried to read King and couldn't would understand.

I would be interested in picking up another story from this author to see if the writing style has grown.

I think this is the funniest book I have read. Totally unpredictable, great characters, and I read it in one day. The twists and turns of events had me laughing out loud. A financial planner arrives at a remote town in upper Michigan to check out a house left to him by his aunt. He does not realize it is a Bed and Breakfast until guests start showing up. Although reluctant to be a host, he feels sorry for every guest's situations and becomes the greatest host; going above and beyond the call. The town is charming and easy to picture, given the excellent details of the setting. The characters are unique and lovable. This was a delight to read!