I was given a copy of the story in exchange for an honest review.

Tanya has been murdered and Letty is on the run with Tanya's daughter.

It's up to Letty to keep Maya safe while staying off the radar of NYPD' as a suspect and the revenge thirsting d baby daddy.

This plot has it all - Murder, dysfunctional family dynamics, illegal air bnb, failed acting careers, grifters a seaside motel filled with nosy octogenarians and sisters who had no clue who each other really are.

Fun, fast read that keeps layering story line upon story line.

Mary Kay Andrews is an author who never disappoints. Her latest book, THE NEWCOMER, is no exception. Letty is on the run from her sister’s killer, with her young niece, Maya. The police wrongly suspect her. She ends up in a rundown hotel in Florida, filled with senior citizens. The owner befriends her and gives her a job as a maid, and a room to sleep in. The owner’s son Joe is a policeman who knows Letty’s secret, but is willing to give her the benefit of proving her innocence. Bad guys, and romance ensue. The characters are so likable, we root for them. I enjoyed this book so much, I read it in a day. I received an ARC copy for my unbiased review.

What level would you go to keep a promise? For Letty, it was “all in”, dropping everything and running with her sister Tanya’s 4 year old daughter, Maya. Letty and Maya end up in Florida at hotel full of quirky guests and an owner who treats them like family. The NEWCOMER is a suspense filled roller coaster ride, as they try to manage their new circumstances and resolve the past that they ran from. I enjoyed this book and fell in love with Maya right away! I bet you will too. Special thanks to St. Martin’s Press and netgalley.com for the ARC.

Fun mystery with a little bit of romance through out. There are a lot of secondary characters - the regulars snowbirds at the motel- but they round out the story well.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the arc.

I love a good suspense with romance sprinkled in and this was just right! The character development was great and they didn't have any silly misunderstandings that annoy me in other stories. They actually communicate, like normal adults!

Just what you would want from one of Mary Kay Andrews' books. A quick read that kept me entertained.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were engaging and the storyline with suspense and mystery was a good balance with light-heartedness of other parts. This was my first book by Andrews but I definitely want to read more.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.
Letty finds her sister Tanya dead on the floor. Letty remembers Tanya's words recently - if anything happens to me, take Maya and RUN. (Maya is Tanya's 4 year-old daughter). Letty does what she is told ditching cars, buying cars, and leaves NYC behind and ends up in a tiny beach town in Florida.

Letty knows who killed Tanya - her ex - Maya's father, but proving it will be difficult. In the meantime, Tanya's ex - Evan - is telling ANYONE who will listen that Letty killed her sister and kidnapped her niece.

The twists and turns in this book are fantastic. A story well woven - it completely pulls you in.

You're going to want to read this in one sitting!
We meet our heroine, Letty, as she is pulling into the parking lot of the Murmuring Surf. As the tale unfolds we get glimpses to the past incidents that ultimately forced Letty to flee New York City with her four year old niece, Maya, in tow.
The Murmuring Surf is a charming, if aged, Florida beachside resort that is filled with regulars, those that have visited every year for decades. The guests have formed a tight knit community and they are a bit resistant to Maya and Letty's presence at first. Letty only knows she needs a safe place to keep Maya while she tries to decide what to do next. The one complication is Joe, who is a cop, but also the son of the Murmuring Surf's owner. His presence makes Letty nervous but she may have to trust him.
This book is a perfect beach escape filled with characters that come to life in a way that only Mary Kay Andrews can deliver. I highly recommend this story that delivers just the right balance of suspense, family, love and laughs.

Very good book. The characters evolved as the story progressed and were very lifelike. Of course, everything ended tied up in a nice bow.

I received a copy of The Newcomer from St. Martin's Publishing Group in exchange for my honest review. I enjoy Mary Kay Andrews' books in general as they are quick reads for me and somewhat of a change in pace of my usual genres. The Newcomer did not disappoint. I absolutely loved the characters in this book. I found myself comparing this book to Hallmark Channel Christmas movies, as it made me want to visit The Murmuring Surf Motel, the setting for most of the book. Netflix simply MUST make this one into a movie, book clubs everywhere would be getting together to watch it for sure. Thank you for the opportunity to read The Newcomer, I enjoyed it and highly recommend it!

This was my sadly my least favorite Mary Kay Andrews book yet.....for a book that’s easily 150 pages too long (always a MKA staple, the woman needs a better editing system) the book just felt rushed and the plot too cut and dry. It needed some surprises or twists and turns that you didn’t see coming from a mile away.

MKA’s books notoriously for me are way too long but they’re usually solid 4-4.5 star reads, but there wasn’t much of a mystery to this fish out of water mystery story. The book revolves around a NYC woman named Letty whose sister has been murdered and takes her niece on the run to a run down Mom and Pop hotel where they encounter every stereotypical Florida old person character you can imagine, and ofcourse a local town cop for the main character to fall in love with. My favorite character in the book was the undercover FBI agent, she was a hoot. I liked her scenes and wish there was more of her, could have cropped about 100 pages off the book by removing all the nonsense about the hotel guests at the Murmuring Surf. Getting to know them wasn’t necessary to the plot of Letty and her niece.

Everything about the story was predictable, and while I did enjoy the resolution; the book overall just did not satisfy me.

3.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley.

Over the course of many summers, I have read every single one of Mary Kay Andrews’ novels – usually from my hammock or beach blanket.

The Newcomer is a bit different from most Andrews’ typical romance books in that it contains some suspense and even offers a few thrill rides. Don’t worry though, the romance is still present for our protagonist. I loved the found family element of this story, and the eccentric and quirky cast of characters kept me in stitches. It was fun and heartwarming read.

This book will be published on May 4, and I think it will be the perfect beach read for the summer of 2021.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a complimentary advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Beach season will be right around the corner when this fantastic new book is published in May, 2021. I am reading it in January but it still gave me warm thoughts of the summer ahead.

Mary Kay Andrews is one of those few authors who NEVER disappoints her readers. Her new book is another fantastic read for lovers of books about strong women who are faced with huge obstacles to overcome.
Letty shows up in the parking lot of the Murmuring Surf Motel in Florida with her 4 years old niece Maya asleep in the back seat of the car. Letty's sister (Maya's mother) had told her that if anything happened to her, she wanted Letty to grab Mia and get as far away as she can. When Letty finds her sister in a pool of blood in her NYC apartment, she knows that she has to save Maya and flees to Florida. Even though there were no vacancies at the motel, the owner helps her find a store room that can be cleaned out and lived in and gives her a job at the motel. The elderly snow birds at the motel as well as the owners son, Joe, a policeman, all treat this newcomer with suspicion and hostility. Will Letty be able to keep Maya out of harm's way and right the wrongs of the past?

This book is full of suspense and keeps the pages turning to make sure that Letty and Maya stay safe. Along with that are humorous scenes with the snowbirds at the motel. They have all been wintering there for years and feel like they own the place and are very resentful of anyone new plus having a child living there really bothers some of them. They were all very set in their ways but I found a lot of humor in their attitudes toward the motel and each other.

This is a wonderful about family - both the family that you are born into and the family that you create out of the people who love and take care of you. This is a must read for the summer of 2021.

Thanks to netgalley for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

This book was hard to put down. I read it in two days. Letty Carnahan finds her sister dead on the floor in her NYC townhouse. Her sister made her promise months prior that if something ever happened to her, then Letty should take her daughter Maya and run away where her dad couldn't find her. Gripping story of her life on the run to save her 4 year old niece from her wealthy and narcissistic dad.

Another hit by M.K.A I really enjoyed the story of Letty and Maya. It was inspiring to see them flee a bad situation and build a new life for themselves.

As with all of the Mary Kay Andrews books I've read, this one is vivid in its descriptions of the area in which the main characters live and reside. The story itself warms up over time, and the pacing is good. This book is yet another of Mary Kay Andrews' perfect beach reads, and I would recommend it to lovers of Southern fiction and light romance.

When I began reading this book, I must admit I was skeptical that I may not enjoy this book as much as I have enjoyed reading other books by this author. It did not take long to change my mind as I was drawn into the story quickly. This book has an appeal that will peak a multitude of readers’ interests: a story of functional and dysfunctional families that changes settings between a large city and a small beach town, murder, crime, police, FBI, and a sweet love story that takes the back seat to the action. This book was so much better than your typical beach reach! I found it difficult to put the book down once I started to read it. What a wonderful read! #netgalley #TheNewcomer

Great storyline. It keep me hooked until the end. I liked the characters and the people at the motel.

This was the ultimate vacation novel. Made me miss sitting in the sun on the beach. Overall, the story was a lovely mix of mystery and love and I highly enjoyed. it. Can't wait to get on a beach eventually with the newest Mary Kay Andrews novel. Always a hit!