A book with an eccentric character and a beach setting sounded right up my alley. Too bad this ended up being a book about complaining. Our main character complains about one thing or another the entire book. Her 30 something year old daughter complains and whines about her mom every time she is in the book. All of the complaining got old really fast. 2.5 stars rounded up for Goodreads.

Not what I was expecting of this book at all. Very hard to read this book until thw end, but did finish it. The last chapter of the book is probably the best part of the book. The main character is difficult to like, I kept reading thinking that maybe her attitude and outlook would change but it did not.

I really tried with this book. I typically love this type of set-up - a woman is left by her husband after a 30 year marriage - no reason given. He leaves for a worldwide cruise, she takes the opportunity to buy a small waterfront beach house, sight unseen. Big mistake since the house is right next to a big construction site. I chuckled a bit at the situation she got herself into but after awhile, I just got annoyed and was frustrated at the bad choices she kept making. Not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of Save What's Left by Elizabeth Castellano in exchange for my honest review and opinion. Cute story line but I personally had a hard time with this as I felt it was a bit repetitive and I struggled to finish. I did find several parts of the book quite funny and liked the author's sense of humor.

This is probably the furthest I have been from average ratings on Goodreads. There was something I found hilarious about this book, and I will try to explain it in writing as much as possible. This latter bit will be my way of thinking aloud as to why I enjoyed the book in the first place.
There are repetitive features in this book; I felt like this reinforced my empathy for the lead protagonist about the life she has chosen to live. She is caught in a sort of loop which just continues to give her agony without relief while also being part of a more serious situation in the big picture.
Kathleen's husband wants a change. Once he sets off on a random adventure, he thinks up suddenly; Kathleen decides to sell up their belongings and move to a house sight unseen in a small coastal town. Once there, she realises that living in such close quarters with the same people lends itself to some crazy situations.
The primary irritant is the construction of a monstrosity near her new home, which Kathleen deals with ineffectually. There is one friend who lives in town who seems a little mad herself with her odd shop, but Kathleen has known her forever, and that kind of closeness comes with time.
The chaos is not subtle. Nothing about the repeated irritants is gentle and definitely not soothing. The ending fits the tone of everything that happens till that point, and the frustration that simmers is always under the surface.
There is a small side story of a random Christmas letter writer, which I found to be a fun addition to the whole thing.
I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants to read something chaotic, although the enjoyment of the book may vary based on what people expect from a book like this. I would definitely pick up another of the author's works.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

"Save What's Left" by Elizabeth Castellano lands right in the middle of the road with a solid three stars. The story follows 59-year-old Kathleen, who, in a bold move to rewrite her life's next chapter, leaves Kansas for a fresh start in a Long Island beach town. This decision comes on the heels of her husband's suggestion they divorce, coupled with his departure for a European cruise—without her. Kathleen's dreams of tranquil beachside living are quickly upended by the reality of her new home: a fixer-upper beach shack overshadowed by a massive, under-construction "Sugar Cube" next door.

Kathleen's hopes for peace are further disturbed by the incessant construction noise and her immersion into local politics, which she had not anticipated being so contentious. A silver lining appears in the form of a new friendship with her neighbor Rosemary, bonded over mutual disdain for the disruptive construction project. However, the plot takes a quirky turn with the unexpected arrival of Tom, Kathleen's estranged husband, seeking reconciliation—or at least a place to park his Airstream.

Castellano delivers a narrative that zigzags between humor and discomfort, offering a unique twist on the beach read genre. While the book does provoke laughter and presents an engaging premise, it occasionally falls short in delivering a consistently compelling narrative. The charm of a small-town setting is somewhat overshadowed by the overemphasis on local disputes and the sometimes-clunky integration of Kathleen's personal dilemmas. Nevertheless, "Save What's Left" is a commendable debut that might resonate with readers looking for a beach read that's not afraid to tread into deeper waters of life's unpredictability and the complexities of starting over.

This was a solid read. It was not my favorite but I liked it enough. The storyline concept was good. I just do not feel like it played at good. It felt more rambly than story telling.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This was so so. I expected a bit more from this book in reading the synopsis of it. Rather repetitive and not too interesting.

** spoiler alert ** Special thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. It took awhile but I finally gave it a try and am glad I did.
This is such a different "beach" read than what I'm used to...the beach part was a lot less good time and a lot more small town drama. I enjoyed the email narrative at each chapter but some of the side stories were unnecessary and didn't add to the plot.
I liked the story and was glad that the main character had a happy ending but I also felt like it was a bit repetitive and just like true life, where so often the rich people that do the crime, don't do the time.

I made it to 100 pages before throwing in the towel. I found the story telling to be pretty witty but man was it repetitive. One hundred pages in and I wasn’t prepared to stay the course. I gave it a good try though.

This was a pleasant enough diversion, it just didn't live up to the media hype. There are a bunch of things that would appeal to various folks, those who have fought with village boards, those who have dealt with shocking middle age separations, and annoying or grumpy neighbors. But I expected a little more.

Not quite what I was expecting when I picked this one up. Kathleen's husband of thirty years has decided he is no longer happy in their marriage and decided to leave. So she decides she will make a change as well and moves herself sight-unseen to a home on the beach on the east coast. She is expecting an idealic life and instead gets herself embroiled in all sorts of squabbles. She writes letters to the editor and just picks those fights all the time. All sorts of other random things happen, like her husband moving back in. It was just kind of a whiny book to me. I recognize it's supposed to be funny, but I never could quite find the humor in it. Wasn't my cup of tea for sure.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to enjoy this book but I can’t even tell you what the main premise was. I was so incredibly bored throughout this book. I just couldn’t DNF it because I don’t DNF books. But I had a really hard time following it. I just felt the main character rambled on and on and on.

I adored this hilarious novel. Small coastal town, a wife leaving her husband, and the town council make up a good part of the plot. A fun lighthearted read not to be missed..

"Save What’s Left" takes readers on a journey of self-discovery in the quaint beach town of Whitbey. Kathleen's quest for happiness amid unexpected challenges makes for a relatable and candid narrative.

While the story, told from a newcomer's perspective, unveils the realities behind the picturesque facade, some readers might find the protagonist's focus on local politics less engaging.

Despite moments of humor, the entertainment level wavers, earning it a 3 of 5 stars.. While it may not have been the perfect summer beach read for me, it holds potential appeal for those seeking tales of forgiveness, fortitude, and second chances in unexpected places.


I received an advance copy from NetGalley. This review is my honest opinion.

I was intrigued to read this book as it was touted as one of the "best reads of the summer" by People magazine, but it fell a bit flat for me. I typically enjoy a "second act" book when a character has endured some sort of dramatic life event or trauma and then goes one to find a new and different life elsewhere, however this one was just a bit out there. The book had its' funny and enjoyable moments but it also was very slow moving and repetitive, the continual problems the main character faced grew tiresome and there didn't appear to be a lot of "growth" taking place. This one just wasn't for me.

This was such a charming, heart-warming "un beach read." I loved seeing this fish out of water get to know her community and neighbors, and was smiling to the last page.

I thought this might be a cute beach read but it wasn’t.
I couldn’t get into the vibe of the book nor did I particularly care for any of the characters, especially Kathleen.
I thought she was a doormat for taking her husband back after what he’d done.
The plot was kind of lackluster and dull.
I just didn’t take,to this book, sorry to say.

I'm sure some people would love this book - but for me, it fell flat and was a DNF at 40%. I kept waiting for something to happen, but it was dragging. Not a bad book, just not a quick mover.

This was requested when I first found out about NetGalley and I had requested so many ARCs that I could not get to all of them before they were archived. I really wanted to get to this one, as it seemed interesting. If I can find this somewhere for a reasonable price, I will try to get it! I am giving this book three stars, as I don't want to give it a good or bad rating, since I did not get to it.