A fun read! While it may seem like a difficult combination to pull off, it worked as a light, fun read AND a page turning "what's going to happen!?!" plot. I enjoyed the characters - Letty especially. She had it tough and we learn a little bit at a time just how tough she had it. she perseveres and shows up for those she loves. I haven't read a Mary Kay Andrews novel in quite a while, and I will definitely be picking up more in the near future!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this one.

This was my first book by Mary Kay Andrews and I enjoyed it. I liked the mystery, but more than that, I liked the feeling of community and family. I enjoyed spending time with this eclectic group.

What I didn't like so much was that the book was just too long. I felt like it could have been cut by 100 pages and been just right. But I would definitely read another book by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Mary Kay Andrews is one of my favorite authors and this book did not disappoint. It was witty, sweet, and had a hint of mystery. I loved the Florida setting and felt like it make a perfect read.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book. My reviews can be read on my GoodReads account here: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1335387-kelly

I absolutely loved this book! I found it hard to put down. I highly recommend reading it! You won’t be disappointed.

As always Mary Kay Andrews hits it out of the park. A strong woman coming into her own, a bit of mystery and romance. The cast of supporting characters had a nice variety and it was nice to see seniors showcased as vital active people.

This was my first book by Mary Kay Andrews and I was hooked! The characters were well written, the plot intriguing and the location amazing. I cried, laughed and was spooked. I could not put this book down, and by the end I wanted the story to keep going.

This is unputdownable, riveting, exciting, heart pounding murder mystery. I loved the back stories of hotel residences. The sweet Maya stole my heart. The romance part between Letty and Joe was a little instant. The enemies turned into friends and lovers way too much quickly. Joe was douchebag at the beginning and just like switching his buttons he turned into genuine, good hearted, caring boyfriend. But instead of that I enjoyed the whirlwind mystery and small holiday town motel premise.

The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews
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This was my first book by this author and it wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but I enjoyed it!
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Quick Premise: Letty and her niece, Maya, arrive at a beachfront hotel in Florida. Letty is hoping to lay low after fleeing New York and questions involving the death of her sister. If only the hotel’s owner didn’t have a cop for a son. And a handsome cop at that.
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My thoughts on this book:
-I didn’t anticipate that this book would be a bit of a mystery book! I enjoyed all of the connections that kept being made.
-I really felt for Letty, she had a lot going on throughout her life and she was still always trying to do the right thing. I loved that about her!
-The cast of characters at the hotel were very entertaining.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really liked this one and would like to read more by this author someday! Thanks Netgalley for this digital book to read.

A fun and entertaining beach read. I truly enjoyed this fun ride of a book. Highly recommend for a beach or pool side read.

Unfortunately this one wasn’t for me. I don’t know if it’s the storyline, the characters or just my moods. I’ll probably pick it up again in the future but at this time it feels like I’m just dragging out for no reason.

Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy

A go to author
What's not to love about this book?? Beautiful!

Description
Mary Kay Andrews, the New York Times bestselling author and Queen of the Beach Reads delivers her next page-turner for the summer with The Newcomer.

In trouble and on the run...

After she discovers her sister Tanya dead on the floor of her fashionable New York City townhouse, Letty Carnahan is certain she knows who did it: Tanya’s ex; sleazy real estate entrepreneur Evan Wingfield. Even in the grip of grief and panic Letty heeds her late sister’s warnings: “If anything bad happens to me—it’s Evan. Promise me you’ll take Maya and run. Promise me.”

With a trunkful of emotional baggage...

I received an arc from NetGalley for an honest review. I usually love Mary Kay Andrews books as they are easy romantic reads, but this story was more of a mystery. It was a good story, just not my favorite of hers.

I had this book for a while and did not read it. I opened up on vacation and could not put it down. I listened to it when I was cleaning, walking and doing things around the house so I could finish it. I loved the main character. She had a soft heart but was such a badass to try to reclaim her life. It was a great story that included so many horrible people and so many great people. It takes place at a beach hotel that made me want to visit it on my next vacation. I do love Mary Kay Andrews Books and this one did not disappoint.

Love Mary Kaye Andrews and her books. What a great beach read. Enjoyed reading the book. Thank you for the chance to read it.

I always love my summers with MKA her contemporary wit combined with romance and mystery always make for a great combination. The Newcomer is another hit and win for MKA and I hope to see many more in the years ahead.

I always love Mary Kay Andrews for both her beach read style and her mysteries that keep you guessing. What could be better?

This latest novel did not disappoint at all. It has heart pounding moments along with some romance and spice.

Perfect book for a vacation - so long as you don’t have to be anywhere!

I have read only a few of Mary Kay Andrews' books so I can't speak to how "true" this is to her style, but I have to say that the characters and storyline really appealed to me in this mystery. I loved the characterizations of the 'winter residents' and had to laugh out loud at some of the things they said and did, but the story is charming, not patronizing them. And the other characters felt real enough that I could picture them. I think based on this book, I would certainly read more. It was a fun, fast read, and gave me some hours of pure escapism.

I love MKA. Her books are always the perfect mixture of sass and sweetness and this was no different. I loved the touch of mystery/intrigue as well. 4 stars.

2.5 rounded up

I liked this book... but it was wayyyy too long. If 100 pages had been cut out, this would have been a much better book. The story was interesting - Lettie was on the run with Maya, her sister's daughter. Her sister was murdered and had always told Lettie it was going to be the result of her ex-boyfriend and to take Maya and disappear. Well, Lettie doesn't do anything that people trying to disappear do. Instead she rents a car and drives to Florida (from New York). She checks into a motel, uses her real name and doesn't disguise herself.

Yet no one notices that she's wanted in New York (????).

Besides that giant plot hole, it is interesting to see Lettie fit in (everyone loves her... it must be nice to be completely flawless). Maya acts a bit spoiled and the swimmie, swimmie, swimmie gets annoying after the 10th time.

If you are willing to put aside glaring plot holes in the "mystery" part of this story, it is a decent beach read. However, it is too long, the dialogue is a bit strained and again, huge plot holes that take away from the story (one would think that with nearly 450 pages, we wouldn't have gaping holes, but alas).