The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews, was a good, if predictable, book. It would make a good book for relaxing and unwinding. Definitely a "beach read". The characters were well developed and interesting. Personally, I was uncomfortable with the "justifiable kidnapping" aspect of the story line. I guess my overall feeling for the book would be "meh". I don't resent the time I spent reading it, but I also could have skipped it. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I don't know how many books the author, Mary Kay Andrews, has written but the list is huge. She has a big following and very well known. Since I haven't read anything by her, I jumped at the chance.

This book starts when Letty in NY finds her sister, Tanya, in her luxurious apartment - dead. Her place is decorated to the max with a closet full of top-of-the-line designer clothes, purses and the works. Then there's the four-year-old daughter that comes out of a hiding place after witnessing this horror event that just took place. Letty grabs a few things along with the little girl and heads south to Florida - somewhere safe. There's some connection with a magazine article about a motel on the beach that her sister had noted. Letty heads there to search for clues - anything to find out what may have happened.

No doubt, Tanya was killed by the shifty lover and father of her daughter in an argument of sorts. Letty once worked for this "bad" man, Evan. He makes money from real estate and illegal activities and would be in prison except he has strong connections that cover his tracks.

Letty makes it to Florida and then finds the motel in the magazine article. While this place is packed with seniors and has no vacancies, Letty talks the owner, Ava, into letting her stay in the a room used as a storage area if she agrees to clean it out. Ava likes her and gives her a job as an assistant. Meanwhile, the owner's son, Joe, happens to be a handsome police officer.. Of course, he is there to help. It's just too easy to guess what happens next.

The first part of the book kept my eyes wide open as I was getting to know the plot. However, the last part for me was slow. The author repeated a lot of information which made the story longer than it should have been.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGallery for an honest review.

When her sister is murdered, Letty flees with her four-year-old niece to a Florida seaside motel, where the owner’s son is a suspicious cop. With secrets to hide, she tries to blend in at the Murmuring Surf Motel on Treasure Island, but danger lurks. This mystery with an element of romance was a fun, quick read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. (5 out of 5 stars)

I was really looking forward to finishing and reviewing The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews, but unfortunately will not be doing so after her unprofessional and negative actions towards an unpaid book reviewer on social media. I cannot condone bullying behavior, and am disappointed to say I won't be finishing this book. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with the opportunity to review this ARC.

MK always writes characters that readers love to love, or love to hate. This story is no different. Pulled me in right from the first chapter, and I loved every page. Letty's protection of Maya, and her determination to not be the kind of mother she had is a prominent theme in this story, and she does a fantastic job making choices for Maya in the toughest of circumstances. This will be a winner.

Another winner by the lovely Mary Kay Andrews. Romance, intrigue, the beach and a lot of great characters and small town charm make this a must read for the 2021 beach season!

Another great book by Mary Kay Andrews! The characters were believable. The story made me want to keep reading, and I stayed up way too late finishing it! Just the perfect amount of suspense combined with a sweet love story.

A great cozy mystery perfect for the beach- since it is all about a Florida beach community. The characters are real and very likable. The story has a lot of twists and turns with an assortment of shady characters, Hard to put down.

This was a nice enough story, but I have to agree with another reviewer that about 100 page of this could have been cut and I hope it goes through some additional editing before the final publication. The storyline was as I expected it to be. I didn't really feel any chemistry between Letty and Joe but their characters also felt pretty one-dimensional.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

So good! Typical Mary Kay Andrews which I absolutely love. What’s so great about her books is that while they are usually one of the seasons best beach reads containing the usual romance and wonderful, well developed characters. But the story always has what I call “meat.” They aren’t fluff stories, they have suspense and mystery thrown in which keeps you turning the pages as quickly as you can. I highly recommend The Newcomer and feel confident in saying it will be another No. 1 summer hit. Thank you Netgalley for the Advanced Readers Copy,

This is the first novel by Mary Kay Andrews that I read.
Letty has taken Maya her niece and is now on the run after finding her sister dead.
" If anything bad happens to me.....it's Evan. Promise me you'll take Maya and run."
Letty ends up in the parking lot of the Murmuring Surf hotel in Florida.
Suspense and mystery that definitely kept me turning the pages as I could picture the beach on Fresh Island as have many memories from there.
Story about family.... those that are made and that you are born into.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book.

This was my first Mary Kay Andrews book and it will not be my last. What an absolute delight! Enjoyable writing and tender character development, I easily sank into the storyline of Letty and Maya as they were on the run and attempting to build a new life. Heartwarming yet suspenseful. The perfect beach read.

This book epitomizes that kindness prevails and how important family is. Letty was there for Maya and knew she needed to move on and open her heart to Joe. The hotel.symbolized so much more and actually became a character in this book. Truly heartwarming and at times, very suspenseful. I was so happy that there was justice for Tanya.

I have read many Mary Kay Andrews books and this is my least favorite. It's good but it just doesn't compare to some of her other books,
Letty's sister is murdered and when Letty finds her she does what her sister Tanya always told her to do if there was trouble. Take her child and run. Letty and four year old Maya end up at a family owned motel in Florida called the Murmuring Surf. I loved the atmosphere of the retro motel and the family feeling there.
Letty makes friends and takes a job at the motel. She also sparks a bit of a romance with the owners son.
The story unfolds as Letty tries to figure out who killed her sister and now who might want her dead as well.

I am a big fan of MKA's books, while the last couple haven't been up to par in my thoughts, this one is right back on it! I really enjoyed reading this one. Set in gulfside FL near St. Petersburg, you can feel the ocean breezes and picture the roadside motels of this area as you're reading. After finding her sister murdered, Letty is on the run from NYC with her 4 year old niece in tow. She finds an article in her sister's "go bag" that leads her to the Murmuring Surf motel, where she finds a host of quirky characters. And the motel owner's son, a cop, who helps her in solving the murder mystery. A little predictable, but the writing had me laughing out loud at times.

**I received an ARC from NetGalley in return for my review. My opinions are my own**

I really had high hopes for this book since her previous books have been excellent, however this was blah..... Not good not bad but I'll still be reading her new releases.

I was so caught up in this story. The characters were well defined. I could picture all of them so well. Murmuring Surf was a real place to me. Letty on the run from her sisters killed with her niece Maya had me up late.! Her sister, Tanya, was a interesting character even in death. It was a perfect HEA. I would love more of Vicki Hill. She needs a book.
Thank you, Netgalley.

The Newcomer is a great book to help you escape whatever situation that you're in! Mary Kay Andrews included mystery, romance, and family in book that is hard to put down.

Mary Kay Andrews has a real gift for creating interesting characters and locations. You just want to immerse yourself completely in the communities she creates.

Sadly, interesting characters and a fun and quirky location are just about all The Newcomer has going for it. This is my least-favorite of Andrews's books because the plot just wasn't there. The book glossed over the things that were important to the "mystery" and then plodded through all the less-important stuff. I usually breeze through an MKA book in a day or two, but this one took me close to 3 weeks.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. Hopefully the fact that I wasn't a fan of this one won't mean I can't get my hands on a copy of Andrews's next book. Despite this lesser entry into her overall catalog of work, she remains one of my favorite authors.

I've never read this author before but was thoroughly impressed with the story. It's a real page turner with lots of twists. The supporting characters are a hoot.