I am glad that I had the time to read this one quickly only because I did grow tired of the constant chaos. I’m confused why anyone would move to a beach house in an effort to find peace and instead involve herself in being a busy body in her new town. Even if the town was corrupt, I’m not sure it was worth all the effort and anxiety she put herself through.

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. I did enjoy the story but not so much the main character Kathleen. The story moved along and that kept me engaged as I was curious as to how it would all end. Even though I didn’t have a connection to Kathleen that’s ok as I won’t always enjoy every character I ever meet in a book.

Kathleen, a woman in Kansas who has been married for decades, unexpectedly finds herself at a crossroads when her husband announces he is leaving her. She buys a cottage sight unseen in a small beach town on the East coast. The cottage is a mess and the town is even a bigger mess. And Kathleen can't help herself from getting involved. Cute at times, there wasn't really anything intriguing about Kathleen as a character.

Well I'm not quite sure what to think of this "Summer Read" The antithesis of a typical, happy, finding love, starting over, everything ends happily, typical Beach Read? I laughed out loud, but still too much complaining and frustration to make this a book that I would recommend to others. The relationship between Mother and Daughter was disturbing and sad. Definitely happy I read it since I have been reading too many typical beach reads and this definitely provided a break from those.

Other than the points where this had some really funny humor, this book was dumb. The concept was dumb. The husband was dumb. The town was dumb.

I finished it thinking to myself, wow that’s it??

Sorry, but I could not finish. The main character was completely unrelatable. She purchased a house, site unseen, after her husband left her. And then was surprised to find out there were major issues in her new community that she knew nothing about beforehand.

She let her ex-husband walk all over her while she stirred the pot within her community, filing complaints and taking (understandable) offense when she was brushed off by civic leaders.

I enjoy curmudgeons as much as the next person, but the snarkiness was 100% of the time, and I just didn't find anything to like about her at all. So, I gave up on reading the book halfway through.

Thank you to Elizabeth Castellano, Vintage Anchor and NetGalley for an advance review copy. I wish you all the best even though this book wasn't for me.

A cute story with a very annoying main character. Some character flaws are easy to overlook and some are not. Kathleen has every single flaw and yet she’s still a fun to read about character. I would not have guessed this is a debut novel. The story would also make good tv.

Sorry, but this book just wasn’t for me. I found the MC to be rude, entitled and abrasive. She moved to a beach town, downsized to a small house/shack, and started controversy with the local government and her neighbors.

Not sure how this was voted a GMA book club entry, though I do thank the author for sharing her hard work and wish her well.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

I had such high hopes for this beach read but unfortunately, it just went out with the tide. After 30+ years of marriage, Kathleen's husband Tom decides that he needs to go find himself and that the marriage is over. So what does she do? Kathleen up and sells their Kansas home, then buys a beach house (truly a shack) sight unseen across the country where she knows one person from long ago. When she arrives, lie is not the picture postcard that she envisioned. Kathleen is greeted by noise, dust, and workmen from construction going on next door of a little beach house becoming a huge mansion called the Sugar Cube. Kathleen joins up with the nosy neighbor across the way and together they fight the zoning board and planning commission. In fact, Kathleen is so obsessed with this that she totally ignores her daughter who is pregnant. From there is the whole plot of the book, one endlessly long tirade of negativity and complaints. No fun. No romance. No humor. Some surprises at the end with a bit of a twist of drama going on in the town. But to top that, Tom shows up in her driveway in an RV, having become bored on his world self-discovery cruise, and proceeds to became fast friends with everyone on the island whom Kathleen ignored. I really wished to see Kathleen blossom and change, but alas, she did not. Originally I feel this had the promise of a good story but it seems that it stalled and never took off. Save What's Left? Nothing really to save here. How disappointing.
Many thanks to #netgalley #savewhatsleft #elizabethcastellano #vintageanchor for the opportunity to read and review this book.

When Tom tells Kathleen that he’s unhappy with their life and marriage, Kathleen is confused and not quite sure what to do. They’ve been married for thirty years after all! While Tom’s off finding himself, Kathleen starts to think about herself and what she wants. She ends up in a small beach community on the east coast where her childhood friend, Josie sends Christmas cards from every year.

However, shortly after arriving Kathleen learns that it is not as idyllic as she pictured. Her new neighbor is cantankerous and there are so many code violations. The worst offender by far though is the Sugar Cube, a monstrosity of a house right next to Kathleen. As Kathleen becomes more and more involved with the town and politics, she realizes that while this isn’t the fairytale she dreamed up – it might be exactly what she needed.

What a cute and well written debut novel! I felt like I was right next to Kathleen on the beach. I know she says not to move to the beach right up front, but one of my dreams is to have a house, much like Kathleen’s, on the beach. This was such a delightful and cozy read and I could envision enjoying it with my toes in the sand. There wasn’t much of a plot necessarily, but it was more of a self-discover book for Kathleen. I did find myself chuckling throughout as well. I look forward to more books by this author.

I hope you check this one out June 27th!

Thank you so much to Vintage Anchor and Netgalley, @netgalley, for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to, at least, like this book as it feels like it could be (sort of) about me. However, after a crackling first couple of chapters I found that the plot rather lurched along in a lumpy and quite confusing way.

When Kathleen Dean’s husband announces, over pancakes, that he’s leaving her after 30 years of marriage to find himself, she decides that she wants an adventure too while he goes off on a cruise round the world. So she sells their house in Kansas and buys an ex-oyster shack in a seaside town. So far, so nicely and funnily set up.

But once Kathleen arrives in Whitbey, things go awry both for her and for me, the reader. The plot starts to revolve around small town planning and zoning regulations as Kathleen’s new neighbors are building a monstrosity next door. Unfortunately, though it is written with a sharp and entertaining wit, this is a frustrating and rather meandering plot line which is then compounded with a further subplot about something called the Bay Mission, which I never really understood. After many construction shenanigans, a rather unsatisfactory (not to say immoral) resolution is reached in which Kathleen does a complete volte face in character.

It felt to me like the author decided she needed more, much much more, to happen than just an organic tale of an older woman starting a new life in a new place. So a lot of stuff is jammed in that either leads nowhere or comes in from out of the blue.

The trouble with the plot being so overstuffed is that we often lose Kathleen’s voice which is a shame as, for me, it’s the high point of the novel. Though she’s rather hard to pin down as a character (and is often contradictory), her voice in the few relaxed spaces where it’s allowed to come through is a perfect encapsulation of an intelligent woman who has been suppressed for much of her life and is now finally bursting free.

So, for me, a very promising premise but a rather disappointing delivery.

Thanks to Anchor and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

Kathleen was shocked when her husband decides to leave her, so she makes the decision to move to a small beach town. I had high hopes for this book, but sadly it did not catch me as I had hoped for. I look for certain things to happen in any book, that can really pull me in none did that with this book. Having said that it was a ok read, but not a great read. I would still recommend because I know not everyone enjoys the same books.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Penguin Random House, I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Save What’s Left had many bright moments for me…the jingle shells which I collected with my mom each summer, the current craze for pickleball, and the ultimate dream of living in a small quaint town near a beach. Kathleen’s husband told her he was leaving her and going on a world wide cruise so she followed her dream and bought a small house near the beach. She is soon embroiled in a frustrating dispute with the town over a house being built next door infringing on her property, which she calls the Sugar Cube, a clever name. I enjoyed reading her numerous emails about the ongoing rules the builders were breaking next door. The ridiculous nature of what they were doing became an actual turn off for me, as it was so out of the scope of what would be allowed.
Kathleen remained a cantankerous character on the pages of a book and I was never able to make a connection with her. I do believe if she had done something that drew me in I would have enjoyed this read more.
The reveal at the end was also so far fetched that it didn’t ring true. I had hopes when she and her daughter and husband were having a dispute in the Sugar Cube but I found myself identifying with her daughter. For me personally, this story had so much potential but it missed the mark.
Many thanks to Elizabeth Castellano, Anchor Books, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this just published book. Two and a half stars.

I was provided a free copy of this by @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
Sadly, my honest opinion of this was not great. Kathleen's husband tells her he's leaving and going on a world cruise. So she decides to sell their house and move to a beach house. But unfortunately nothing gets better from there. The house she buys, sight unseen, is not great! The neighbors are building a monstrosity next door while breaking just about every rule/city ordinance about building. And no one in the city seems to care.
This book is a lot of whining and complaining. I had to take a break and read other books because it was a struggle to get through. Halfway through, Kathleen even makes a comment about how people don't usually like to listen to so much bad news/complaining, so I had hopes that it might get better... But it really didn't. By the end of the book, there wasn't much left to save. 🤷🏻‍♀️
#SaveWhatsLeft #NetGalley

Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Setting: Kansas, Whitbey
Time: current day
Format: 📖
Release Date: June 27, 2023
Length: 304 pages

Save What’s Left is Elizabeth Castellano debut novel about sixty year woman going through an unexpected change in her life and how planning to start over is always what you expect it to be.

Kathleen Deane’s husband Tom has decided after thirty years of marriage that he is no longer happy and has decided to pack up and take cruise round the world. Trying to figure how to move forward she sells her home in Kansas; thoughts turn to moving to a quaint little beach town for peace and tranquility. Kathleen ends up buying a seven-hundred-square-foot beach house sight unseen in the small town of Whitbey where her friend Josie lives. But her move to the little oyster shack is nothing like life in the beach read novels. There is her cantankerous neighbor Rosemary, the town’s supervisor that refuses to answer her emails, but the worse the Sugar Cube the monstrosity of a house being build right next door with absentee owners and who’s construction is not following any town codes. And the more Kathleen gets involved and tries fighting the town itself the more argumentative she gets, any just maybe beach living is not all what those books painted it to be.

Save What’s Left was just okay, it was a great premise .. I did not love it nor did I hate it. They were some really laugh out loud moments but the constant bickering with the town’s supervisor and town official got old fast. I feel the author Elizabeth Castellano has potential.

Thank you, Elizabeth Castellano, Anchor Books and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel is due to be released on June 27, 2023.

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Save What’s Left was an easy read, but it took me awhile to get through because I didn’t really connect with the story or characters. There were some funny parts, but I found myself over the pessimism of the characters. I think some will really enjoy it. 2.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 3.
Thanks to NetGalley & Vintage Anchor for the ARC!

A quirky little book that would make for a good beach read. In the divorce, after their thirty years of marriage, Kathleen finds herself alone, her son to be ex husband off finding himself. What else is she to do but sell their home and move to a quiet beach town. But the town has drama of it's own that Kathleen gets right in the middle of.

While touted as outrageously funny, I thought it had some minor funny parts. The next door neighbor added some much needed sass to the story. The writing was a bit unusual and took me a minute to settle in. Had some Where'd You Go, Bernadette? vibes. Overall it was okay. The ending failed me, I wanted more and something else.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review honestly an advanced digital copy.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Anchor Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the debut novel by Elizabeth Castellano - 4 stars!

Kathleen and Tom have been married for 30 years and are living in Kansas City. Kathleen thought all was well until Tom told her he was leaving to find himself and happiness. So Kathleen decided to seek out her own happiness. Her childhood friend, Josie, sent a Christmas letter every year saying how wonderful her seaside community was, and Kathleen decided she needed to be there. She bought a small house sight unseen and moved. But things weren't all she thought they would be - are they ever?

Okay, this is a book about Kathleen being snarky about everything and everyone. To fill her days with purpose, she fights city hall against the monstrosity being built next door as well as other rule violations in the town. It gets a bit repetitious, but it is so downright hilarious and spot on that it's still a fun read! I actually made my husband read the section about aging men and their throats, because, well, it's true! And in the end, it's a story about community, friendship, and second chances. Will be looking for more from this author in the future.

Quirky, unique beach style read about a very busy Kathleen after her husband Tom decides to leave her and travel, she buys a cottage on the beach unseen and then turns into the neighborhood Karen that attends zoning meetings about this monstrosity of a beach house that’s being remodeled next door. Kinda repetitive, lots of words, lots of descriptions. Overall kind light read.

Thanks to Netgalley for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Imagine buying a beach house sight unseen and moving across the country for it…and ending up in an all-out war with your neighbors and the city government.
Kathleen Deane and her husband Tom live in Kansas City. When after 3+ decades of marriage, Tom decides to go off around the world and find himself, Kathleen is left to her own journey: a beachfront home on the East Coast in the hometown of her childhood friend. But she quickly discovers it’s not the glamorous property she may have dreamed of, especially with a monster construction project next door, difficult town politics, and a curmudgeon of a neighbor friend. Is the waterfront view really that worth it?
Elizabeth Castellano’s debut is a fun premise but while the story has plenty of humor, I just couldn't connect with it. I really wanted to love it but found the characters extremely unlikable (think the epitome of NIMBY) which ruined it a bit for me. It had potential and while some will appreciate the humor and experience, it didn’t hit the mark on my end.
This was released on Tuesday and is out now. Thank you to Vintage Anchor for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I kept hoping to see some maturity and growth from our already maturely aged MC, but it didn’t really happen. There was just too many people behaving badly, too much pessimism for me.

Thanks @netgalley for the chance to read this.