Cover Image: Save What's Left

Save What's Left

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Member Reviews

I was comped a copy of this debut from the publisher through NetGalley but I chose to listen to the audio version. I didn't care for the audio reader's dramatic renderings, but I do think it was all that drama that ultimately kept me alert and enabled me to finish it quickly rather than putting it aside unfinished. The story was pretty repetitive, but the characterizations were rather interesting; and I might read Castellano again if the story is about something I actually care about.

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I was really looking forward to reading this book. I loved the thought of a newly divorced women moving to a beach town for a fresh start and the fact that it was a GMA book pic was an extra bonus. I realize that it was intended to be humorous, but after the first couple of chapters I found it boring and depressing. I had a hard time finishing it.

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The Short of It:

Chaotic in an oddly entertaining way.

The Rest of It:

“An outrageously funny debut novel about a woman who moves to a small beach town looking for peace, only to find herself in an all-out war with her neighbors..” – Bookshop.org

I actually thought this book was hilarious. I picked it up when I wasn’t feeling too great and was instantly perked up. Unfortunately when I finished it I was really out of it so couldn’t formulate my thoughts. This is my best attempt now.

Kathleen Deane finds herself on a little discovery adventure when her husband of 30 years decided he no longer wants to be married. This is a shock. I mean, 30 years is a long time. As she tries to make sense of it, she begins to think about her next steps and that lands her in a small beach town. The idea of growing old in a quaint little beach town has always appealed to her so she sets it all in motion to make it a reality.

What she doesn’t count on is the town being completely off kilter. Construction, building violations and city officials who do not return her calls. It’s comical at best. The interactions with neighbors and honestly folks just walking by really make you rethink idyllic beach towns. Do they exist?

This story is very episodic. This happens and then that happens. Every time I picked it up it put a smile on my face . If you need something a little different to add to your reading list, add Save What’s Left.

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Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of Save What's Left by Elizabeth Castellano.
Save What's Next is a humorous account of middle-age and trying to find happiness later in life. Maybe it is my age, but I found a lot of wisdom and humor in this book and anticipate that it will be a hit for book clubs.

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After Kathleen’s husband turns their 30 year marriage upside down, she goes in search of the proverbial beach house life. But boy was she in for a surprise!

While I appreciated the older main character (I just can do college frat anymore!), I did find it frustrating how ranty the book felt.

The cast of characters was fun but the story left something to be desired. Redemption maybe?

All in all I did find it to be an entertaining read, one that made me question if I’d really want to live in a beach town.

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I found this book to be funny. It’s all written and goes through the struggles of Kathleen - looking to get divorced from her husband and moved to her dream home on the beach. But is it really her dream home?
She starts to become obsessed with what’s happening in the neighborhood and complaining and going crazy.

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I wanted to love this...it started off strong. Woman buys beach house, sight unseen, after divorce. Meets quirky neighbors and quirky beach town. But it got boring to me, and I found it harder and harder to go on. The neighbor drama was a bit much-neighbors building gigantic mansion and stuff constantly lands on her porch, her yard, her driveway-even the porta potties on her side. Great idea, great start, too bad the rest didn't pan out. I'll give this author a try again, though!

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Overall a decent story - I did have a hard time getting into it - maybe just not my cup of tea writing style wise

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I couldn’t wait to read Save What’s Left by Elizabeth Castellano after seeing these quotes: “’Save What’s Left,’ the ‘outrageously funny’ debut novel of author Elizabeth Castellano, is our ‘GMA’ Book Club pick for July.” and “In the critically-acclaimed novel, Castellano writes an original witty tale that has kept readers laughing.” It sounded like a fun read. However, I was disappointed. Several times, I put it down and said that it is not worth spending my time reading this. However, I kept reading it, waiting for it to get better. Unfortunately, it did not deliver. It had an uninteresting plot and I did not think it was funny at all.

It is the story of Kathleen, a woman whose husband leaves her after 30 years of marriage. She moves from Kansas City to a beach town on Long Island where her best friend lives. With her neighbor, she becomes embattled in small town politics. The characters are quirky. Some of the scenes had the potential to be funny. However, it fell short. I felt like it was just one long rant about how mis-managed this small beach town’s government was. The negativity was overpowering. The chapters were long and tended to ramble. I don’t understand how it became a GMA Book Club pick.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for providing me with an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

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I loved the premise of this book and it hit close to home on divorce/split after a long marriage. I loved the beach location.

But something about Kathleen just rubbed me wrong. And I felt it was repetitive and could have been shorter.

It was a quick, easy read.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Vintage Anchor for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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I have to say that seeing this book was a GMA book club pick and was touted as one of the best books to read during the summer, I thought this would be a great escape in the pages. However, it just did not deliver. The main character, Kathleen, was an irritating, whiny, over-the-top complainer. I felt for the sudden end to a 30-year marriage … been there done that. And her willingness to pack up and move and start a new life was admirable. But that’s where the good things end. I did not enjoy the constant negativity. Good Lord! We experience that enough in our everyday lives. I didn’t want to experience that full on throughout the pages of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Anchor for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

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I loved this story of the lady getting a divorce and moving to the beach. She encounters many problems and gets mixed up with some quacky neighbors that wind up becoming true friends. Eventually her husband returns and lives in the driveway in a trailer until he has an accident. They finally reconcile and have a grand baby. This book was full of fun and drama. A great read.

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Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me. I hoped for a humorful book about a divorcee finding herself in a better place. It had its funny moments, but the story went on much longer than it should have and seemed a bit repetitive.

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Save what's left seemed like a fun story based on the short content and at first it was certainly entertaining and amusingly written. After a while you notice that the story is really just a big lament from the main character and you don't see much character development. I had hoped that the ending would make up for the lack of an interesting plot, but unfortunately that was not the case for me.
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an arc of this book.

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Thank you #Netgalley for the copy!

When Kathleen's husband suddenly tells her out of nowhere that he doesn't want to be married anymore, she is left in a tailspin. She opts to purchase a beach home without seeing it. When she arrives, she sees large amounts of construction right next to her home and it unveils many levels of local drama. Kathleen tries to embrace the beach community but is so frustrated with what is going on around her. We see her write letters to the local leadership consistently and gets so focused on the negatives rather than embracing the positives around her. There are some interesting moments, especially with her ex Tom, but overall I felt this book was focused on the negatives and did not enjoy the overall ranting.

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Save What's Left is a beach read of a slightly different stripe. This debut novel reminds me a little of the first Olive Kitteridge and a lot more of Barbara Kingsolver's Unsheltered. The book is a keen insight into the throes of life's challenges. I adored the inserted chapters of emails and letters to the powers that be that bedecked this alternate retirement yarn. Speaking of retirement,, everyone seemed VERY young but I can only hope I am so active in my retirement years.
Highly recommended as a beach read. Stick with the slightly slow start, it's worth it.

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Save What's Left by Elizabeth Castellano is wonderful! The characters were so fun to get to know - hapy reading!

**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**

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Kathleen and Tom just got divorced after many years. Tom takes off on an around the world cruise, and Kathleen decides to buy and house in a small beach town in New York. Buying the property sight unseen ends up not being the best idea. When Kathleen arrives, she realizes why she got such a good deal… there is a glass monstrosity being built next door. The book is strangely written and jumps around quite a bit. Mostly it is about Kathleen writing emails to the project supervisor complaining about all the building codes that are broken. She’s not a super likable character, and even talks about how she’s negative and never finds friends that are upbeat. I didn’t love this book, but I didn’t hate it. It was just ok. I did run out of time before I could finish the last 25 pages, so maybe the ending would have made me like it more?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. I was given the eARC in exchange for a review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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I chose to read Save What’s Left, as I grew up near the beach and hoped it would be a fun read. However, I found the timeline hard to follow, as there were gaps with presumptive understanding of the plot. The writing style didn’t work for me either. So not the book for me, but I think there are readers who will enjoy the story, the town politics, and the shenanigans.

I received a copy from Net Galley and have written an objective review.

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What was the point of this book???

I wanted to read Elizabeth Castellano’s debut book, Save What’s Left, after hearing it was picked for Good Morning America’s Book Club and People Magazine named it one of the best books of the summer.

While this book had funny moments, it is basically 300 pages of a privileged white woman picking fights with her neighbors and the city. I don’t get the hype and wish I would have just DNFd it.

Special thanks to Netgalley, Elizabeth Castellano, and Vintage Anchor for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

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