Save What's Left was a great summer story without being the typical beach read. There is humor, laughter, and that 'next door' app frustration of neighbors. Is life on the beach worth the cost unmeasured by dollar signs - but by frustration level of too many people near the shore in prime time. All told from the candid and irreverent perspective of a newcomer turned local, this is a story of forgiveness, fortitude, and second chances.

I am not really sure how to rate this book. On one hand, the writing and dialogue was decent. On the other, it was story that went nowhere. It served no purpose. Listening to the main character, Kathleen, whine about unfair local politics in her new beach town home became tiresome. I kept waiting for the story to be “about” something, some sweet reconciliation between Kathleen and her husband, Tom; some life changing friendship between Kathleen and an acquaintance…but no. It begins and end with Kathleen’s complaints, first with the code-violating construction of the house next door to her, but then with her complaints about homes in the neighborhood.



When I first began reading, I was certain that a lot of the negative reviews were based on reviewers’ misplaced opinions that Kathleen whines and complains too much about the ongoing renovation of the neighboring property and the pettiness of many community residents. I wondered how these same readers would feel if they were constantly inconvenienced by careless and negligent construction crews eating their lunch and urinating on their deck, casting construction debris onto their decks, rooves, and property, for a monstrosity that blocks their enjoyment of the view for which they had specifically purchased the property; contaminating her water supply, landing her in the hospital; creating a constant noise and air pollution nuisance about which neither the construction contractor or ABSENTEE owners cared. (At the end of the day, the construction crew repeatedly blows the debris that missed the refuse bin onto Kathleen’s property!!! In actuality, this, alone, would merit an actionable case against a home improvement or construction contractor resulting in disciplinary action against the company’s license holder and might also create liability for the absentee property owners who willfully disregarded the actions of the company they hired.) All of Kathleen’s complaints are justified. Thinking about a real-life situation in which the property owners and contractors disregard the neighbors made me furious. Just reading about this fictional, yet entirely plausible and realistic account was infuriating. I found nothing in this aspect of the story worthy of criticism of the author.



However, it was disappointing to discover that the entire book was devoted to this single purpose, complete with Kathleen’s frequent correspondence to local town officials, her pondering over her complaints when she wasn’t drafting yet another inquiry or raising a new concern. It became extremely irritating, especially when the reader discovers that the story is solely about this woman’s dissatisfaction with her neighborhood and there is no redemption, no life affirming relationship, no action beyond the typing of yet another email.

Thank you to NetGalley and Anchor Books for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an objective review.

I tried hard to like this book. As someone who has stayed in beach houses, and knows the ins and outs of beachfront property, I thought I would really enjoy a funny book about this subject. However, I found this book to be tedious. Everyday the house next door bigger, and every day she would tell the one friend who cared. She would go to the town planning board, who gave her the exact response one would expect. So far, where’s the fun? Then her ex comes to town and all the ladies love him. Pretty predictable. That’s as far as I got. One third of the way into the book and the fun had not started yet….

Save What’s Left is set in a coastal beach town on LI and gives every appearance that it will be just that a fun beach read. It isn’t really fun though- it’s frustrating and annoying. I’m not sure why I kept reading/ maybe to just see how it ended? Kathleen moved to the beach town after her husband unexpectedly leaves her, hoping for a relaxing life in a slow-paced town. What she gets is a former oyster shack turned cottage, a ginormous McMansion being built right next door, and a town that’s divided over saving the beach town and letting all the rich people take over and build mansions. It was full of back biting and coverups. It was not a relaxing read. I just looked up the blurb and it says it’s outrageously funny and I didn’t find it to be that at all. Maybe I’m lacking a sense of humor? I don’t know. If you’ve read it let me know your thoughts. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced ebook.

This was certainly a unique and "quirky" beach read, especially because of the setting. However, I felt that this story kind of drug on, was repetitive and included lots of unnecessary descriptions. It was lighthearted but I didn't find it outrageously funny although I did chuckle and roll my eyes a few times. It felt like one big ramble about politics in a beach town, but with small themes of forgiveness and second chances.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of Save What's Left by Elizabeth Castellano!

‘Save What’s Left’ is Elizabeth Castellano’s debut novel. The story about the woes of owning and living in a beach town are funny and not so far fetched. Nice job Ms. Castellano, I look forward to your future books.

I gave this one a try, but just couldn't get past 20%. I found it vapid, whiny, and uninteresting. Just not my cup of tea.

Kathleen's life seems to be upended when her husband asks her for a divorce. She moves to an ocean front "oyster house" and he leaves on a cruise. She becomes an activist with whom no one seems to listen to. She writes emails about the wrongs that she is seeing in the house that is being built next door to her. She attends town meetings that no one seems to want to hear her. We see snippets of her life as it is going on.

Amazing gorgeous

Thank you soooooo much netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book💗
"I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Over pancakes, Kathleen's husband Tom told her that he wasn't happy in their marriage and had booked a world tour trip so he could find himself. She decides that she wants to move to a small beach town where one of her friends lives. She has her realtor buy her a house, sight unseen, and moves. The town is nothing like the ideal beach town she was expecting. They are building the "Sugar Cube" next door, which is a house that is breaking all kinds of codes. Her neighbor across the street, Rosemary, is cranky. And the town is full of politics about all kinds of "beach rules" - yet Kathleen can't get the town supervisor to return her emails or get any action on the many issues with the Sugar Cube.

This book was a lot like Seinfeld - it's basically about nothing, there's a lot of complaining, and there are funny bits scattered throughout. The biggest issue I had with the story was that I am not a person who tends to look on the negative side and this book was just filled to the brim with complainers. For me, it wasn't quirky, it was annoying. But I held out faith that something would happen and make it worth reading. It didn't. I'm very undecided - I wouldn't go so far as to say I didn't like it, but I also wouldn't say I did.

Thank you to Netgalley and Vintage Anchor for the advanced reader copy.

From the beginning of this book, the humor had me charmed and laughing out loud. I was ready to settle in for a delightful read. However, after the first third or so, the charm wore off and the story went nowhere. 😞

As our main character details all the shenanigans going on with her dump of a beach house and the out-of-control construction job going on next door, what starts out as funny quickly becomes boring and repetitive.

I really wished I had loved this one all the way through but unfortunately, it just wasn’t a hit for me. There could have been so much more to the plot to actually give it a story instead of just a quirky setup. It wasn’t plot-driven, but it wasn’t really character-driven either. It had so much potential, but unfortunately, this book really fell short for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC! This was hilarious and witty, I enjoyed the quirkiness and the hilarity, but this became repetitive and the characters were very frustrating. Unfortunately, I enjoyed the premise much more than the execution of this novel.

Humorous, great story-telling, almost realistic in parts; the ending saved it for me
This book was hard to rate because it was well-written and entertaining but only in small doses. To me it was written like little snippets of Kathleen’s life; funny events which were loosely tied together with a story about her separation from Tom, recollections of past events, and living in Whitbey with all its small-town antics and intrigue. I found myself putting the book down and doing something else for a while and then coming back to it. The ending where everything is tied up in a very neat bow saved this book from being fewer stars. Some parts were very real to life such as the government corruption and her entitled pregnant daughter who blames Kathleen for only sending gifts for her and the new baby but neglecting her son-in-law. What?! I hope the author intended for us to see Kathleen as irritating because that is how she came across to me. Some of the things she did make me wonder about her common sense. I volunteered to review an ARC of this book through NetGalley.

This novel starts off with Tom and Kathleen who have been married for 30 years living, in Kansas. Tom decides he is no longer happy and wants to find himself. Kathleen is confused, but thinks her best decision is to sell the home and move to a beach town where her "best friend" has been living. She finds a tiny home on the beach in the town of Whitby. There she meets her cranky, but friendly neighbor Rosemary. Living in a beach town isn't at all what Kathleen expects it to be. There is a monster house being built next to her so she hears noise all day. She and Rosemary decide to fight the town and try and get the construction to seize.

As the novel goes on, Kathleen and Rosemary basically are fighting the town hall about everything. Tom comes back from his "quest to find himself" and parks his RV in Kathleen's driveway. The story is suppose to be full of funny and silly mishaps and town arguments, along with some misadventures with Kathleen's best friend Josie. It was a fine read, but I wouldn't say it was a favorite of mine. I appreciate the opportunity to read this in advance and I thank Vintage Anchor Publishing and NetGalley.

Thank you to Vintage Anchor and to Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a review. Save What's Left follows Kathleen, a 60 year old retiree, who moves to a small New York beach town after her husband of 30 years asks for a divorce.

While I think that the idea of the book held promise, the restlessness of life after retiring and the obsession older people have with local government and code enforcement, I just found myself getting bored. The first act of the book establishing the town of Whitbey and the conflict with the house next door does a good job of setting up the story. However, by the midpoint of the book I found it repetitive and the scenes going on a little too long. I think the plot could have been interesting, it just wasn't executed well. It is entirely possible that I am not the right audience for this book too.

In some respects, Save What’s Left is the anti-beach novel, along with a commentary about current real estate development practices!
Tom and Kathleen live in Kansas City, Kansas and have been married for 30 years when Tom announces a life changing decision. The next thing you know, Kathleen is buying a beach house (without seeing in person or doing any due diligence) based on years of Christmas letters from a high school friend.
Kathleen’s story is stitched together with her emails to the town supervisor, detailing her latest complaints and concerns. You’ll learn a lot about building codes and construction problems, as well as summer people and small town politics.
I like that the book had older protagonists. And also like the setting at a New York area beach - most novels like this are set at a southern beach or one in Cape Cod or Nantucket (although unlike those books, this town sounds like one you don’t want to visit)!
There are a lot of rants in Save What’s Left, and maybe it was too many rants for me. I kept reading because I wanted to see what happened - and that ended up being as inane as a number of other parts of the book.
Thanks to Netgalley and Anchor Books for the opportunity to read Save What’s Left in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advanced copy of Save What’s Left by Elizabeth Castellano from the publisher Vintage Anchors via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: When Kathleen Deane’s husband, Tom, tells her he’s no longer happy with their life. Kathleen is completely shocked and has no idea what to do, but she’s not staying in Kansas alone. Remembering the delightful Christmas letters her childhood friend Josie sends every year, Kathleen buys a small former Oyster shack in the beach town Whitbey. But when she arrives she finds construction going on next door and becomes wrapped up in the world of small town red tape, her beach escape has become a beach nightmare.

What I Loved: The language is very witty and has a very sarcastic tone. I also liked the premise of this book. I also kind of like the ending.

What I Didn’t Like: While this book had so much promise, it ultimately felt repetitive. Perhaps, because I listened, but it honestly just felt like the character was complaining. There was really no growth, but rather felt like we were going downhill. I think this could have been done better if the book wasn’t as repetitive, the book feels like 90% emails. Ultimately, it feels very negative. If you are looking for literally the anti-beach read, that’s what this is. But the bright cover and coverage seems to be working against this book finding it’s audience.

Who Should Read It: People who love books with negative characters but don’t need them to grow. People who love mocking small town life.

Summary: A woman moves to the beach and finds her not so happily ever after.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. I listened to the audio version.

While I thought some parts were funny, and I liked the twist at the end, sometimes, I felt like I was listening to a repetitive stand-up comedian. That said, it was worth the time I spent listening.

Save What's Left was not all what I expected. Kathleen moves to a beach town which she has heard so much about from a friend of hers after her husband leaves her. She encounters one problem after another with construction going on all around her new home. A lot of local politics and just negative remarks throughout the book. A hard read for me. Certainly not a "beach read" in my opinion.