Leaving his mom’s room one night at her Florida motel, The Murmuring Surf, Joe stumbles across a young woman sleeping in a car with a small child. Letty has fled New York City with her niece, Maya, after finding her sister, Tanya, dead on her townhouse floor. Determined to keep Maya safe and unravel the mystery behind Tanya’s death, Letty has driven this far after finding an article Tanya saved about the motel. However, the aging clientele and Joe, also a local police detective, don’t welcome her with open arms. Luckily, Joe’s mom, Ava, takes pity on her and gives her a place to stay and a job. Soon, Letty and Maya are winning over the residents’ hearts, but can she win Joe’s heart as well? Or will Tanya’s past haunt Letty’s present?

The Newcomer is a fantastic beach read that has a little bit of everything: romance, mystery, drama, and humor. Light and engaging, the flowing pace of the story was easy to read, kept my attention and left me wanting more.

I had to DNF because literally nothing has happened besides cleaning out a storage room and a kid jumping on a woman in a pool.

I think this is a book that you have to be in a mood for. You have to be in the mood for a book that moves slow (it is a chunk of a book).

I tried to read for a few months and I just couldn’t find myself wanting to pick it back up. Maybe it’s best for people who enjoy slower plot build and enjoy curmudgeons who don’t like kids.

Letty Carnahan is on the run with her niece Maya after her sister, Tanya is murdered. Tanya had warned Letty that if anything happened to her, it was her ex, Evan, and she should grab Maya and run.

Letty heads to Florida and hides at the Murmuring Surf Motel which is full of retirees and snowbirds. She is given a room and a job and begins to unravel Tanya’s past. She becomes increasingly friendly with all of the residents of the Motel and the owner’s son, Joe, who also happens to be a police officer.

This story follows the heartbreak and healing of both Letty and Maya and Letty trying to keep her promise to keep Maya away from Evan.

The characters in this story were great, especially some of the snowbirds. It was a good story even though, not particularly exciting or suspenseful. Just a great beach read.

This was a fun story set in a very colorful beach town in Florida. The mystery was very intriguing and I loved the descriptions of the people and places in the book. A great summer read with some grit.

This book was just a bit slow for my taste. It definitely falls into the chick-lit genre but failed to meet my expectation in the romance area. The suspense aspect was good but it was too drawn out. I feel like the book could have been much shorter and still got the point across.

I’m sure others that don’t mind a slow burn may enjoy this book more than I did.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins for my digital copy of the book to review.

I love a good fun mysterious beach read. There has not been a book by Mary Kay Andrews that I have not loved. They are fun, romantic, and full of mystery with the best characters

When I think of literary fiction, I think of books just like this one, that gives all the feels and can satisfies just about every reader's heart. This is a perfect books to snuggle up with on any day.

Letty Carnahan is “The Newcomer” in a Florida motel populated by senior snowbirds. She flees NYC with her niece Maia after her sister’s brutal murder. Taking a job in the motel in exchange for housing and daycare, Letty becomes immersed in lives of the locals. Mary Kay Andrews does an excellent job of merging a murder mystery and a romance with a comedic cast of seniors in this cozy book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This book is a fun, easy read with a great cast of quirky characters! I loved the setting and how everything was described, I could definitely picture it! The way the story unfolds had me rooting for Letty and loved how it all unfolded.

I am a long time fan of all of Mary Kay Andrews' books and The Newcomer did not disappoint! The characters are well developed, the setting is swoon worthy, and the banter is witty...everything I'm looking for in a book! I love MKA's winning combination of romance and mystery and The Newcomer is a prime example of why this combo works!

Letty Carnahan finds the body of her sister, Tanya, in her apartment. So, as per Tanya's instructions, she takes her niece and runs. The only clue about where to go is the newspaper article about a sleepy motel in Florida. So off the two of them go to try to stay ahead of the law and her sister's husband.

This beach read mystery is classic Mary Kay Andrews, with a lovely setting, enjoyable side characters, a pretty sweet romance, and a mystery with a satisfying ending. A range of ages and readers will enjoy this one.

This book checked all the boxes for the perfect beach read! There's mystery, romance of course and most importantly, relatable characters. The book is well crafted with an interesting premise and I could picture the setting while I read. Excellent read!

The Newcomer is the perfect romantic summer read with some mystery and suspense sprinkled in. I loved the audible and didn't want to stop listening as the adorable, yet quirky characters showed their true colors. Mary Kay Andrews knows how to incorporate funny, quick-witted characters who get into extraordinary situations. I found myself chuckling throughout this "page turner". It is definitely one you won't want to miss.

Letty Carnahan escaped from New York City with her four-year-old niece, Maya, after finding her sister dead. Letty believes her sister’s crooked ex-husband, Eli Wingfield, killed her. Letty felt like her sister was sending her a sign to lay low at the The Murmuring Surf Motel in Florida's Gulf Coast. Once she arrives, Letty and Maya try to find their place with a place full of snowbirds and retirees looking for a restful and quiet stay at their favorite yearly spot. They were not looking for a newcomer with a child disturbing their vacation. Thankfully the owner saw things differently.

Thank you NetGalley and Mary Kay Andrews for allowing me to listen to the book for an honest review.

Picking up a book by Mary Kay Andrews is like reconnecting with an old friend. The Newcomer is heartwarming story with just enough mystery and suspense to keep the plot moving quickly. There is a comedic element here too (the elderly residents of the motel had me in stitches with their banter and antics). I can’t wait to dive into MKA’s next book!

Special thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I had a hard time getting into this book. It felt long and I kept losing interest and then picking it back up, then losing interest. I've read book that have a little bit of everything, and sometimes it works, but here I wasn't sure where the plot was going. I wan;t excited got found out more. I would probably try this one again at some point, but I haven't found it engaging so far.

This was a typical, fun, Mary Kay Andrews read. I love her books because they always have a bit of suspense and mystery in a cozy style. There were a couple points that I found not entirely culturally cognizant- a luau, for instance- that could be adjusted to be more culturally conscious. Otherwise, it was a fun book that I enjoyed.

Mary Kay Andrews really outdoes herself as a storyteller with The Newcomer. Letty finds her sister murdered and herself the prime suspect. Afraid for their safety, she decides to take her 4 year old niece, Maya, and leave the city for the rundown motel The Summering Surf in Treasure Island, FL. She convinces the owner, Ava, to let her rent a storage room and even winds up working at the motel. In the beginning, Letty is very wary of Ava’s son, Joe. Joe is a local detective and suspicious of Letty from the start. These two have a rough start, but Joe goes with his instincts and as the full story unfolds the two grow closer together as impending danger to Letty and her niece creeps closer.

I really enjoyed all the characters in this book. The residents don’t take quickly to Letty and Maya. After all, they are newcomers and everyone at the motel likes things to stay the status quo. In the end, Letty finds a family in the people of the Summering Surf. I laughed out loud multiple times at the antics and loved how they all came together and stood up for one another on the truly important matters of life. The other thing I loved about this one is the pacing. Andrews writing puts you in that slow-paced southern mood. From the budding relationship between Letty and Joe to the unfolding events of the situation Letty finds herself in, Andrews refuses to rush through the minor details that may seem insignificant at the time but find you with a fully formed world that you hate to leave.

The Newcomer perfectly blends women’s fiction, romance, and mystery/thriller in a way that makes this book great for anyone. I have been a fan of Andrews for quite a long time, but believe this to be one of her best. 4.5 stars!

This book had a predictable ending, but I enjoyed it immensely anyway. ALL the characters were likeable, and I was rooting for the female protagonist (Letty) to get justice for her sister. Great addition to our library.

There is so much to enjoy in this book. Letty Carnahan found her sister, Tanya, murdered just days after she had warned her that her ex might do something to her. She takes her 4-year-old niece and drives away from New York and to a little hotel in Paradise Island, Florida because she finds the name of it amongst her sister's go-bag. This is how the search to stay safe and figure out who killed her sister begins. There's a big cast of interesting characters, including the handsome cop son of the motel's owner, that keep things interesting throughout the twists and turns the story takes. It's full of revelations about Letty, her sister, and the past Letty knew nothing about.
It's a great mix of cozy mystery and women's fiction with a little bit of romance adding in the perfect amount of spice to make the whodunit story extra exciting.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the exciting read!