This was my third book from MKA and it certainly won't be my last. She has such a knack for writing a believable romance without it coming off as sappy or rushed. In all of her books, I find myself falling in love with the characters even when they're not as fully developed as some writers opt for. This had the perfect amount of mystery and intrigue to keep me interested in the main plot while sucking me into the love story in the periphery. All of her books have that "small home town" feel to them even when they're set in a beautiful tropical location or in a big city - it's just the way that she writes that makes you feel right at home curled up with one of her books. This was an easy listen and I loved the ending. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I started it the day it was published - May 4th, 2021.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio arc of this book, all opinions expressed here are my own.

The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews is the second book I have read by this author.

Letty is on the run with her 4yo niece Maya after her sister Tanya is murdered. She winds up hiding out at The Murmuring Surf motel, only to discover the owner’s son is a cop.

Filled with a fabulous cast of eccentric characters including elderly long term regular holidaymakers, Tanya’s criminal exes, a pregnant cat, the FBI and the lovable grandmotherly owner of the Surf. This book definitely has all the makings for an entertaining beach read.

Having only had one experience with this author I was a little surprised this book weighed more heavily on the mystery/crime than the romance. And I did find it dragged in places, feeling a little too long. However the narrator did a fabulous job, the story was enjoyable, my final rating is three and a half stars. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

3.5 stars

Mary Kay Andrews is a new author for me and with The Newcomer I went the audio route (thank you MacMillian Audio for the e-audio). The reader was Kathleen McInerney and as usual she did a great job.

Running from the recent past with her niece in tow Letty makes her way to Florida as she hides, trying to figure out her next move. This was an interesting story, it has mystery, intrigue and suspense with a dash of romance added to the mix. The writing was nice and the character development had me understanding the cast. The characters set the tone and environment The Newcomer takes place in.

I'm glad that I went the audio route, this was a slow moving story and at times found myself wavering with some unnecessary parts and feel it could have been a little shorter. I felt a predictability but with some twists and turns I was proven wrong (I love it when that happens).

My thanks to Macmillan Audio for this e-audio in exchange for an honest review.

Delightful cast of characters and suspenseful enough to keep one guessing. I wish I could visit the fictional Murmuring Surf motel and hang out with the crew of regulars. Highly recommend!

Just finished The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews, and it's definitely a great beach read for this summer! ⛱️

Letty has found her sister Tanya dead, grabbed her niece Maya and is on the run. Unsure where to flee, she heads to The Murmuring Surf, a beach motel in Treasure Island, Florida she read about in a magazine article her sister saved. 🦩

Although she's convinced her sister's ex Evan is the one who killed her, she's a person of interest as well and needs to prove it was Evan before he finds her and Maya.

Although the motel's owner welcomes her with open arms, her handsome son Joe the cop isn't quite so sure about Letty and the circumstances surrounding her appearance on the motel's doorstep.

Letty would be best off avoiding Joe (and packing her bags to leave), but she's starting to uncover secrets about her sister and her connection to the hotel. Can she unravel her sister's story and prove Evan's guilt? And will Joe understand when he finds out the truth?

This was a good one! I listened to most of it on audiobook, and the narrator was great. Nice easy beach read for this summer!

I was so excited to receive this book. I loved her past work and this did not disappoint! The characters were so well established, and the book didn't feel like anything else I've ever read. Loved it!

Overall, I really liked this book! Once I got pulled into it, I had a hard time putting it down. The story was a little unrealistic at times but it was a sweet mystery-romance. I enjoyed the characters and following along Letty's journey. There were times the book dragged and I felt like it could have ended sooner but it was nice to have closure. It's a great beach read and I'm sure it'd make a great movie down the line.

Sometimes I forget that there doesn’t need to be a higher “purpose” for reading. Sometimes, you can read just for the fun of reading: transporting to another place, another life, another story (or escaping the one you’re currently in!)

Once again, because there wasn’t anything else currently on the site that immediately piqued my interest, I had to look outside my usual “box.” I’d heard of the author, but normally would not have chosen one of her books as I’m not a “romance” book fan, and most current chick-lit is annoying and unoriginal. However, again, this was a pleasant surprise. It’s one of the things I most appreciate about being part of NetGalley- I’m certainty broadening my literary palate!

The Newcomer is the quintessential summer beach read - light, frothy, romantic ... with a bit of mystery and adventure tossed in for a little spice and excitement.
The book would not be something I’d have in my classroom library, but that’s not a negative, per se. It is something I’d suggest for a colleague to grab for spring break reading or a summer holiday trip.

Was it perfect? No, of course not. But it wasn’t meant to be, and there’s no reason to nitpick a book that I thoroughly enjoyed listening to. I appreciate the voice actor, who infused enough personality into each character that it was fun to listen to, without being overly dramatic or forming caricatures.

I do agree with some of the other reviewers who felt it was a bit too long. It certainly could’ve used some editing, removing scenes like the one where Letty goes to look for chairs for the motel. Unnecessary and just added words, nothing of value.

However, I disagree with the many who didn’t like the side cast of characters! Maybe because I spent so much time with my grandfather at his senior living residence, I loved all of the “regulars “at the Murmuring Surf and found their additions to the story integral parts.

I’m not sure I would read another book by this author, but it might be fun if there were spin-offs focused on FBI agent Vikki, or Isabelle.

I was privileged enough to have both the digital ARC and the audio ALC of this book. What a pleasure to slip back and forth and devour this book. I’m a long time fan of of Mary Kay Andrews, affectionately also known as MKA. She is known for her beach reads, but they are certainly more than just fluff and romance. MKA knows how to bring in real people in beautiful settings and give us a really story to dig in to.

I absolutely loved the setting of this book, smaller beach town on the Gulf of Mexico, Treasure Island is perfect for the tale. An old-fashioned efficiency type motel, like The Murmuring Surf Motel, the kind my family stayed in when we vacationed and I was a child They always had a pool, a smallish kitchen and I was perpetually sleeping on the couch/converted to twin beds or a pull out full bed. Can you picture the place? It’s the 70’s beach vibe that takes me back.

When Letty shows up we don’t know her ties to this motel and why she seems to have escaped to Florida. MKA gives us small bits and pieces as we move along. We meet the kind motel owner, her teen daughter and police officer son, Joe. We are introduced to a cavalcade of regulars who winter in Florida, what a bunch of characters. They are older and set in their ways, not at all prepared to welcome a young woman and child into their fold. Just wait as Letty is kind and helpful and she fits right in to all their antics.

The audio of this book was so well done. I wasn’t immediately familiar with the narrator but Kathleen McInerney was excellent. The pacing was good and I was never bored of her voice.

Time to plan your summer reads and don’t leave this one out. Just enough mystery and fun to make it a great read. I’ve rated this 5 stars!

Thank you again to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read and listen to this book prior to publication.

This sweet summertime read has a bit of everything: mystery, romance, family dynamics and the beach. The characters, particularly the guests of The Murmuring Surf Motel, are entertaining. Mary Kay Andrews signature Southern charm and humor makes this a delightful read for any season.

Thank you Net Galley for an audiobook copy of The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrew's. I enjoyed this audiobook, the story. However, I thought it was too wordy for the storyline. To long. But a good story nonetheless

The Newcomer would have been a lot better …if it were about 100 pages shorter. This is the story about Letty and her murdered sister. She takes her niece and flees. Tanya, Letty’s sister, warned her that if anything happened to her, to keep her daughter safe. Letty and Maya head to The Murmuring Surf, a little motel in Florida.

This was my first book by Mary Kay Andrews. I enjoyed that the writing. It was light and easy to read. I just don’t understand why it took so long to tell the story. The book moved slow, and I had to force myself to finish. I did enjoy the murder mystery plot. I felt the storyline with Joe trying to become a love interest for Letty uncomfortable and even creepy at times. Some of the things that happened in the book seemed a bit convenient. Almost like there was a hole in the first draft, so the gap was filled with the obvious.

The narrator for The Newcomer did a wonderful job differentiating the different characters’ voices.

This book is getting some great reviews, so it might be worth checking it out.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin Press for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews was my first Andrews, but it won't be my last! This audiobook was fun and beachy! There was romance, mystery and quirky characters! It made for easy listening and I loved narrator!

Much like my first read from Mary Kay Andrews, Sunset Beach, this is a fun summer read, a mystery set on Florida's Gulf Coast with some romance on the side. Letty Carnahan finds herself suddenly displaced from New York City to a small, old-school Florida motel after she finds her sister murdered. Her sister Tanya had told her what to do if anything happened to her - take Tanya's 4-year-old daughter and her go bag and run. And that's what Letty does, with only an article Tanya left behind about the motel as a clue to a possible destination. While the identity of the murderer seems obvious at the beginning, as the story unfolds it becomes questionable as to what really happened and why. Letty finds that Tanya had a lot of secrets. This is a book full of characters - the motel's owner and the long-term visitors there, the men in Tanya's life (she didn't make the best choices), Letty's precocious niece, and the local cop who makes "first contact" with Letty when she arrives at the Murmuring Surf Motel. Who dunnit? Will they or won't they? It all makes for a fun read. And Kathleen McInerney's narration of the audiobook was excellent - a special shout out for her voice for little Maya.
My thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC and early listen. Luckily I was able to listen to and read this book. Really enjoy this author's writing and stories. All her characters feel real and not one dimensional. There was a lot going on this story but easy to follow. The narrator did a fabulous job with all the characters. Not once did I have to go back and try to figure out which character was which. Loved the mystery.

I have been reading Mary Kay Andrews since she was known as Kathy Hogan Trocheck, and this is another winner for her. I love her small town fiction and in particular when there is a small old fashioned beach motel involved. No one quite does secondary characters quite like Ms. Andrews. For that matter, all her characters are fleshed out well and one of the reasons I love listening to her books is how it plays like a movie. Letty and her niece Maya are running away from NewYork and land in the small beach town of Treasure Island and to the small old motel The Murmuring Surf Motel where they are taken in by Ava, who owns the motel, her family of Isabelle and Joe, and all the winter snowbirds who come every year. Mysteries ensue, as Joe falls for Letty and Letty tries to stay under the radar.

Kathryn McInerney does a great job not only reading the story, but giving each of the characters a distinctive enough voice to be an enjoyable listen. I highly recommend either reading or listening to this wonderful story.

The Newcomer, by Mary Kay Andrews, is a little bit mystery, a little bit suspense, a little bit romance, and a lot of fun to listen to. This audiobook played anytime I wasn’t working – in the craft room, in the kitchen, in the car, and in the evenings when the days finally settled down.
Letty and Maya fled a high emotion situation in New York with The Murmuring Surf motel as their final destination. As newcomers, they were eventually accepted as part of the motel family, just in time... the bad guys on the chase finally caught up to them.
I always enjoy a Mary Kay Andrews book, but The Newcomers was top notch!
Great thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Mary Kay Andrews for the Advanced Readers Copy of The Newcomer on Audiobook.

Happy Publication Day to Mary Kay Andrews for The Newcomer! This was my very first read from the author. Can you believe it? After finishing it up this morning, I asked myself why the heck I waited so long!?!? My gosh, what a great summer read. I was just looking at her backlist on Goodreads, and judging from her previous book covers, fun beach reads are definitely her specialty. Fans of Elin Hilderbrand or Kristy Woodson Harvey would probably enjoy her writing. The Newcomer was a bit daunting at first because of it’s size, but I was immediately hooked by the intriguing storyline. In the very first chapter, we learn that Letty is on the run with her four-year-old niece, her sister is no longer in the picture, and she’s looking for a room to rent at The Murmuring Surf Motel in Florida. The events that follow will keep you on your toes, and have you scratching your head as you try to piece the puzzle together. There’s a little bit of everything in this new release. Right off the bat, there’s an element of mystery, plenty of family drama, a slow-burning romance, and a great cast of memorable characters! The Newcomer is fun, witty, and extremely entertaining. It’s the perfect summer read for a weekend getaway, and it gets a solid 4/5 stars from me!

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.”

Fast-paced, thrilling and sweet!
I have no idea why this is my first book from this author, this is a perfect summer read, with a beautiful beach setting, it mixes suspense and mystery, some romance and a cute little girl that stole my heart.
Overall The Newcomer was a fun and enjoyable read and I’m sure it won’t be my last book from this author.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC.

http://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeepleasemx

4.5 stars! I loved this storyline and how this book was a mix of mystery and romance. It kept me on my toes and I was hooked right from the start. I thought the author did a great job with the character development but I did find that the romance part needed a bit more of a build-up, it was a little too out-of-nowhere for my taste. I switched from book to audiobook and I think I actually preferred the audiobook. The narration was great. It was an escape read and I was rooting for that happy ending. Overall, very enjoyable! I highly recommend checking this one out. It’s the perfect beach / summer read!

Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for providing a free advanced copy of this book & audiobook in exchange for an honest review.