The latest book The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews seems to drag on and on for me. There’s really no mystery to it. You pretty much know how it’s going to end. I did enjoy the main characters, but the plot was not anything exceptional. . I was hoping to like this more than I did. Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

The Newcomer is a novel by Mary Kay Andrews who is dubbed the "Queen of the Beach Read" for good reason.. The beach in this book is in Treasure Island in Florida. Letty Carnahan finds her sister Tanya dead, likely killed by her sister's ex boyfriend. She grabs her niece, Maya, and takes off to the Murmuring Surf Motel in Treasure Island, Florida. Her sister had left her a "go bag" with cash and a magazine article about the motel.

Letty gets a job at the Motel, summer home to retirees and snowbirds. She is wanted for questioning in her sister's murder so she must keep her identify a secret and protect her niece. Complicating matters is the hotel's owner's son, Joe, is a local police detective.

There is romance, action, and mystery in this book and I really enjoyed it. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the advance reader's copy.

The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews offers a little romance, a murder mystery and a lot of drama - perfect for your summer reading! After Letty finds the body of her sister, she heads to Florida with her niece Maya in an effort to put distance between Tanya's ex-husband and herself and Maya. It's like time has stood still when she ends up at the Murmuring Surf Motel, where there is a whole cast of retirees and snowbirds, and the handsome son of the motel's owner.

I absolutely love MKA. The Newcomer is more mystery/whodunit, than romance. We do get some of that mixed it. But it is heavy on the mystery. Always the perfect way to kick off spring/summer reads.

I'm new to Mary Kay Andrews and The Newcomer was the first of her titles that I've read. It most certainly won't be the last. A well-balanced approach to humor, intrigue, adventure, and romance, this novel hit all the right notes for me. I enjoyed the quirks, the flaws, and the story as a whole. It's a little "out there", but I didn't mind that in the least. It's a well-paced enjoyable read.

3.5 stars. The Newcomer tells the story of Letty Carnahan, a fugitive from NYC who finds a safe haven in a family-run Florida motel. She leaves NYC after finding her sister Tanya dead in her apartment and being suspected of Tanya’s murder. When fleeing, she takes Tanya’s 4-year-old daughter Maya with her to keep her safe. The story that follows is an enjoyable read as Letty tries to piece together the puzzle surrounding Tanya’s murder and to protect Maya — and herself. I have not read much from Mary Kay Andrews and always thought of her as a writer of “fluffy rom-coms,” a type of novel that I rarely if ever read. However, even though this does have a rom-com element, that element is combined with quite a bit of mystery and suspense, as well as lovable, quirky characters, that make this book a fun and entertaining beach novel.

Fans of the author will surely enjoy this latest from her, and newcomers (no pun intended) to her writing — like myself — might just pick up her next book to see what she has in store for her readers.

The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews is a mix of women's fiction and mystery. The smoothly paced plot and well-drawn main characters kept the story moving as the story unfolds of Letty and Maya's history is revealed. Ms. Andrews descriptive writing made the scenes and the characters come to life. Even the secondary characters who lived at the motel added so much to the story. A little romance, a mystery and a second chance for a new life all keep a reader turning the pages.

I received an ARC of this book. Wow! What a story! Grabbed me from the first page and I just couldn't put it down. A mystery with heart, it kept me guessing while I fretted about the outcome for the characters. A really awesome book!

Letty Carnahan promised her sister Tanya that she would take care of her daughter if anything ever happened to her. She never thought that she would find her sister's body, and wind up on the run with four-year-old Maya. Tanya told her that it would be her ex, Evan, who wanted her dead, and now Letty's grief has to be contained if she wants to keep Maya safe from Evan.
Letty finds Tanya's go-bag, full of cash and an old newspaper clipping. What did The Murmuring Surf Motel in Florida mean to Tanya? With no better idea of where to go, Letty heads to this place, hoping to buy some time and figure out what to do next. Maybe the staff remembers Tanya and she will even find out why her sister spent time here.
Letty finds much more than she hoped. Friends who become family to her and Maya, and a potential love interest too. But everything isn't gorgeous weather and pool parties in sunny Florida. Evan isn't the type to give up easily, getting his daughter back, and riding himself of Letty means no one is going to have a relaxing day at the beach.
The Newcomer is an engaging story and when I started all I could think was, beach read! There is just something about a Mary Kay Andrews' book that puts me in the mood for a lazy reading day. Murder, mystery, friendship, love, loss, and quirky characters are sure to make this a favorite summertime book. How nice to escape from this ongoing pandemic for a little while and make some new, unforgettable book friends.

I definitely was first attracted to this book on the cover alone, but there was so much depth to it and i was (very pleasantly) surprised. This was my first time reading this author's work and I will definitely be back for more.

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is definitely a page-turning beach read. I enjoyed the story, and the mystery/thriller aspects. It was enough to keep me on the edge of my seat, without being terrified like other mystery books make me feel. The Murmuring Surf felt so tangible, as if I could look it up and be able to book a room for the summer. I loved Letty's character, and felt like Ava was the perfect mother figure.

I did, however, find that some of the interactions between Joe and Letty were going really well and then in a moment they turned in an instant and Joe was upset, with little warning from either Letty's perspective or Joe's. There were also some things that the teenagers said in the book that I had to cringe at, because kids my age (21) and younger don't really say "cray-cray" anymore. Though we do make TikTok dances, so that was spot on haha.

Great summer beach read! It is exactly what I have come to expect from Mary Kay Andrews. Set mostly in the Florida sunshine amidst a cast of entertaining characters, the story moved quickly. I was immediately pulled into The Newcomer and enjoyed the drama and humor. While the ending wasn't entirely unpredictable, it was a heartwarming and perfect ending to Andrew's latest novel. I would recommend this story for sure!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

I’ve had Mark Kay Andrews newest, The Newcomer, in my pile for awhile. While I love getting these ARC’s sometimes I feel like I want to “save up” my new releases. 😂 I finally couldn’t resist anymore and found myself engrossed from the beginning to the end. A great FUN story. I found myself second guessing most of the book who Vikki Hill was. The Queen of the Beach Read has delivered again! Don’t miss this one!

This was a very nice, easy beach read. I didn't have a beach but I did have my back deck! I would have read this in one sitting, but I did fine this book a bit too long.

If you enjoy a little mystery, a little romance and a general all around light spring or summer book that will be perfect for your beach bag then this is the book for you!

Many thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press for this advanced readers copy. This book is due to release in May 2021.

Thank you NetGalley, Mary Kay Andrews and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of The Newcomer. This is my personal review.
The Newcomer was one of the best books I have read in a long time. It had everything in it a book could have to keep me reading. The mystery, drama, romance was all wonderfully combined.
Letty has her niece Maya with her as she fled New York and ran to Florida after finding her sister Tanya dead on the floor. She arrived at the Murmuring Surf Motel to try to figure out what happened to her sister. She came to the Motel after finding an article about the Motel in her sister’s bag. She knew that this place would help her find the information she needed.
You will have to read this great book to find out what exactly happens. You will be glad you did.

What a fun light summer read this was. This is my first from Mary Kay Andrew’s and it won’t be my last. The characters were likable and you felt like you wanted to know them personally. Add the sun, beach and a mystery and you have a really great story.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

As you can probably tell from my reviews, I read a ton of thrillers. When I heard the description for this one, I put it on my TBR list right away. It sounded like an innovative blend of a typical thriller and a beach read. I had never read anything by Mary Kay Andrews before, but I was excited to learn why she's called the "Queen of the Beach Read." And the book delivered! This is the perfect book for the summer, something to read while you're at the pool, in a hotel, taking a bubble bath, etc.

The first thing you should know is that this is not a typical thriller. Although it does involve murder, FBI agents, and criminals, there aren't really any heart-pounding thrillers. Instead, the more unsavory aspects of the book appear vaguely through a pastel-blue veneer that covers anything that might be upsetting. Take the beginning of the book. Even though Letty is a fugitive running from New York with her niece Maya, the author instead describes the Murmuring Surf hotel as if Letty was going on a fun vacation. Here's a quote from Chapter One that describes the setting:

"Sunrise was probably half an hour away, with just the faintest promise of pink streaks in the midnight-blue sky, but she could make out a series of little concrete-block units arranged in an asymmetrical horseshoe shape. In the center of the horseshoe was a glowing aqua kidney-shaped swimming pool, shaded with tall palm trees and ringed with lounge chairs and tables."

Doesn't this description want to make you hop in a van and drive to Florida? This is the stuff that vacation dreams and advertisements are made of. It's enough to make you forget that Letty is here because of her sister was murdered. Soon, Letty is helping the odd elderly residents of the hotel with the rooms, and she meets Joe, a police officer and son of the hotel owner. The author uses third-person omniscient POV perfectly to heighten the drama, especially when people are discussing Letty and Maya without them being there.. Here's an excerpt from Chapter Six when Joe is talking to his mother Ava about Letty:

"She's not some retired schoolteacher from Buffalo. She's half the age of our guests. She admits the kid isn't hers. No job. She just shows up, out of the blue. What's she doing? And why here?"

"Why does anybody come to Florida?" Ava gestured toward the plate-glass picture window. Outside, the fuchsia blossoms of the bougainvillea vine clambered across the office's concrete-block facade, and palm fronds rustled gently in the breeze...

"But why this motel? Why the Murmuring Surf?"

The answers to these questions and the mystery of what happened to Lettie's sister are revealed slowly in the book. Although this book isn't a typical thriller, by the end of the book, a criminal is caught, mysteries are solved, and as expected of a romance, Lettie finds true love. Overall, I highly enjoyed this fun, light-hearted read, and I recommend it for anyone looking for something to read this summer. The Newcomer will come out at the end of May., which is perfect timing for any prospective beach-goers.

Murder, drama, fugitives, romance and much more! The Newcomer had it all and I loved this beach read!

Letty is on the run. She found her sister dead and she knows it was her sister's ex who did this. Letty grabs her niece, Maya, and hits the road. She isn't sure what she's doing but she keeps driving until she gets to a motel in Florida that was in a magazine clipping Letty found in her sister's apartment. Letty convinces the motel owner to let her and Maya stay there in exchange for working at the motel. The owner's son is a cop who thinks there's something off about Letty but is also flirting with her. The motel's regulars don't like someone new in their midst and Letty knows she can't stay on the run forever. She needs to figure out how to prove her sister's ex killed her and put together the truth about her sister's past.

This book gripped me from the first chapter and I couldn't put it down. I read it in 2 days and was suspicious of everyone the whole time I was reading it. There were great characters in The Newcomer and they all played a part in the story. I loved Letty and the people at the motel who helped her. There was some predictability in the plot but I felt like the character's knew exactly what they wanted to do in order to catch the bad guy and followed through with their plans. Lots of secrets about the sister's past came out throughout the book and I liked the twists, not too shocking but just enough to keep it interesting. I liked the romance between Letty and Joe, though it felt a bit rushed and I wanted them to have more time as a couple. The murder mystery aspect was excellent and I liked all the ties between different characters, and how they all linked together. This was not a strict thriller and had a good balance between the mystery and the romance with a happy ending for all.

I'm sure this will be a very popular beach read this summer and would highly recommend it! 5 stars for this addictive romance/murder mystery set in a Florida beach town.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I almost didn't take NetGalley up on the email offering this ARC because I haven't enjoyed many (most?) Mary Kay Andrews books. This synopsis sounded a little more robust so I gave it a chance.

I very much enjoyed this book because it was a good story set at the beach instead of a beach read with flimsy plots and annoying main characters. More of this please, MKA!

It was nice to have some drama and intrigue along with some interesting characters.
I liked that we didn't get all the back story at once on why Letty and Maya take refuge at The Murmuring Surf.
I loved the cast of characters that made up The Murmuring Surf's regular roster of snow birds.
I thought there were enough twists in the mystery to keep me engaged.
There were quite a few comedic moments to liven up the story as well.
The dramatic ending to the mystery had more Law & Order vibes than Scooby Doo which was very much appreciated.

Definitely recommend you throw this one in your beach bag this summer.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.*

The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews

9781250256966

448 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: May 4, 2021

Fiction, Mystery & Thriller, Suspense, Romance, Florida

Letty is on the run with her niece, Maya. She flees New York and arrives dead tired in Florida at the Murmuring Surf Motel. She found an article about the place in her sister’s bag and thought it was a clue to her future. She meets Joe, the local policeman, and Ava, the owner of the motel. Letty convinces Ava to let her clean out a small room so the two of them could stay there. No one there is aware of the recent events and that she could be a fugitive of the law.

The book is written in third person point of view. The characters are well developed, and the story is well paced. I absolutely loved this book! In fact, I stayed up all night to finish it. I live near the location in Florida and loved the local. It is obvious the writer is familiar with the local setting. Even her description of sugar sand is accurate for St. Pete Beach. If you enjoy Florida mysteries, strong women characters, and a little romance, you will love this book. I am recommending it to all of my friends.