Sandwich by Catherine Newman tells the story of Rocky, her husband, and their two adult children on their yearly vacation to Cape Cod. A chain of events is set off that sends Rocky hurtling towards the secrets of her past that she has been keeping buried deep for a long time. This is definitely a character-driven novel and Rocky is definitely not the most likable character, but I was definitely able to empathize with her. I wasn’t really gripped by the story until about 35% of the way in, but I was eventually invested in understanding these characters. I think We All Want Impossible Things was definitely a stronger novel, but did enjoy reading Sandwich. Definitely check the trigger warnings before reading if you are sensitive to topics surrounding pregnancy/miscarriage.

This spans one week with a family on their annual trip to Cape Cod. Rocky, the main character/mom, is menopausal, struggling to let go of her children as they become adults, and reflecting on secrets from her past. It’s equally hilarious and heartbreaking with beautiful musings on motherhood. The beach setting is perfect. My heart hurts but I’m smiling!

I really enjoyed this short novel. I am always a fan of short chapters, complex multilayered characters, a few secrets, and a beachy location. In Sandwich, Rocky's thoughts on aging, motherhood, menopause, caretaking for parents and kids were so relatable and real. This was great.

Thank you Netgalley & Harper for the advanced reader copy.

Catherine Newman can do no wrong--she nails witty dialogue, real characters, and the joy and pain of the everyday human experience. I loved Sandwich. I wish I got to stay longer than a week, even with the shared bathroom.

LOVED this book. 5/5 stars for me, easily. It was complex, emotional, funny, & witty all in one. I absolutely love Newman's We all want impossible things & was very excited to receive this arc copy. I'm highly recommending to everyone!

What an emotional roller coaster! I really appreciated how the narrative had me laughing at one bit and on the verge of tears a couple pages later. Some of the observations were so spot on and funny that I had to read them aloud to my husband. Newman captures the heartbreak and joy of being a middle-aged mom so adeptly. I identified so much with Rocky and her relationship with Willa (such a kind daughter). While every reader might not identify with the choices the characters make, Newman does an excellent job portraying their humanity and helping us focus on the things that unite rather than divide us. Side note - I didn't see it until after I finished this book, but I am not suprised that Mary Laura Philpott wrote a blurb for "Sandwich" because as I was reading, I kept thinking that it was like a novel version of "Bomb Shelter" (another great read).

“Life is a seesaw, and I am standing dead center, still and balanced: living kids on one side, living parents on the other. Nicky here with me at the fulcrum. Don’t move a muscle, I think. But I will, of course. You have to.”

This slow paced, character driven novel had me choking up during many passages - the curse and the gift of being a 62 year old reader with grown and flown children, who feels so very seen.

One week for 20 years, the family of 4 (+1) returns to the same Cape Cod rental.
Present day mom Rocky navigates the changing tide of her family in a place where memories lurk around every corner. As she copes with how menopause has been changing her mentally and physically, she embraces the chance to reflect on the past in an attempt to cope with big changes in her family. Funny and heartfelt scenes ramp up when Rocky’s parents arrive for a few days, the one bathroom cottage already bursting at the seams. We’ve all been there, right?

For those unfamiliar with Cape Cod, there is a town named Sandwich. In this case the title shines a light on Rocky’s journey as a mother, as a daughter, and somewhere among the madness, as herself.

Thanks to Net Galley and Harper Books for the early copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was beautifully written, but quite sad. Rocky, the main character, is part of the sandwich generation - in the stage of life where a person’s kids are in their young adult years and parents are aging. This story highlights the confusion and grief that comes along with this phase of life, and it was so authentic in its telling. While I recognize the rawness of this book, however, it wasn’t for me. It was a little too heavy and made me feel a bit depressed. Yet I feel like people who are in a similar stage will really connect with this book, and they will find solidarity and empathy in Rocky’s story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in advance of publication in exchange for an honest review.

Sign me up for the Catherine Newman fan club. The irreverent wit and beautiful relationships of We All Want Impossible Things are very evident in her second novel. This book is so beautifully written, poignant and laugh out loud funny (to the extent that it might be embarrassing to read it in public.)
Not much happens plot-wise but Sandwich is a study of a woman in a new stage of life and her relationships sandwiched between her children, husband and parents. This book has a lot to say about growing older, parenting adult children, how to keep the spark in a long marriage, grief and loss, mental health struggles and caring for aging parents. I loved the Cape Cod setting and all the sumptuous descriptions of a beach vacation. I will be eagerly awaiting Catherine Newman’s next book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I INSANELY loved this book. Catherine Newman’s writing is absolutely stunning and you will wonder at the magic that allows her to craft a sentence the way she does. Not only that, but she has the power to make you laugh and cry at the same time, which if I’m being honest, is not always attractive. Her first novel, We All Want Impossible Things was one of my favorite books of 2023, and I was so excited to read this.

Caught between her aging children and her aging parents, Rocky is balancing the joy and the pain of both. The book takes place during their annual weeklong vacation in Cape Cod, and is imbued with a sense of place so strong I could almost hear the crash of the waves. This book is perfect for women in or nearing middle age and I could not recommend it more strongly!

Thank you to @netgalley and @harperbooks for the advanced reader copy.

Sandwich is an ideal book for menopausal women who are in between the memories of their children when they were young and the reality that these children are now adults. Rocky and her husband, Nick, are staying at their usual Cape Cod cottage for a week with their grown children, and Rocky's aging parents who visit for two days. The vacation is filled with delicious meals, beach days, and midnight pond swims. In the background lurk several personal family issues including miscarriages and other medical emergencies. Recommended for discussion groups and library collections.

Catherine Newman is on my radar now with this relatable novel that hits all the sweet spots. Rocky and her family go to Cape Cod for a beach vacation. She thinks of her pregnancies and shares intimate recollections with her daughter in alternate chapters. Joy and grief feat and valor honesty and secrets surround the family as they make decisions that are seemingly mundane but actually quite impactful. Definitely want to see more from this author.

Copy provided by the publisher and Netgalley

A truly enjoyed this novel centered around a mother navigating menopause, marriage, and memories while on an annual family vacation on Cape Cod. Rocky's descriptions of the physical changes she is experiencing are painfully accurate (and laugh out loud funny, at times) and her feelings about her changing role as a mother and wife and highly relatable. As someone who had a very similar family vacation for years, I found myself nodding and laughing and crying at various times throughout the book. It's raw and vulnerable, poignant and joyful . . . and messy. Just like life. Catherine Newman has done it again and I will be recommending this one to all of my friends.
I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rocky and her husband and kids go to the beach every summer. This summer, things are complicated. Rocky likes to talk about the changes to her body due to menopause a LOT. This year, she is sandwiched between her parents, who are increasingly frail, and her kids who are adults but still need their parents. Set over one week at the beach house, it's a cute novel. But really, Rocky could try to stop complaining about her weight and how hot it is.

I loved this book! Thank you so much to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this amazing book.

Rocky (aka Rachel) is on vacation with her two young adult children, husband, and cat named Chicken. They take an annual week-long holiday to escape the city and flee to Cape Cod. Her son has been bringing his longtime girlfriend Maya for several years. They always stay in the same rental and go to the same beach, bakery, pond, etc. Rocky loves it and wouldn’t have it any other way!

This book is about a week in the life of an ordinary family on their annual vacation. But it’s not ordinary because no one leads an ordinary life. To the person, the daily decisions and happenings are crucial, exciting, heartbreaking, etc.

I devoured this book. I swallowed up Rocky and could relate to this 50-something woman on many levels. This book was exactly what I needed right when I needed it! *chef's kiss*

I'm struggling to find the right words, but I loved 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐰𝐢𝐜𝐡 (Pub 06.18) so much. It's a beautifully authentic story about parenting, marriage, aging parents, family, newly adult children and love. Thank you to for the early copy.

I found the story to be equally compelling and introspective. At 54, Rachel (Rocky) is 5 years older than me and it was impossible not to relate to her as a mom, a wife, a daughter and a woman. At 240 pages you could easily gobble it up in a day, but I found Newman's writing so transcendent that I just wanted to savor it. She simultaneously had me laughing out loud and wiping away tears- all within a single sentence. Positively lovely.

"𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘧𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘺-𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝘌𝘝𝘌𝘙𝘠𝘛𝘏𝘐𝘕𝘎. 𝘗𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦! 𝘌𝘝𝘌𝘙𝘠𝘛𝘏𝘐𝘕𝘎!"

I just realized that the title 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐰𝐢𝐜𝐡 does double duty. Not just the sandwich generation, but the role sandwiches play in the family's yearly trip to Cape Cod. Clever.

I enjoyed this book. It was not deep but covered a week in the life of a vacationing family. The mother is peri-menopausal and I think that most menopausal women will relate well to this story. It is told day by day in what I can only liken to vignettes. I found myself not only laughing in agreement with the author but also crying at the absurdity of life. This book covers pre-marital sex, miscarriages, elderly parental loss, abortion and gay children. Thank you to Harper Publishers and NetGalley for the digital ARC this review is my own.

Sandwich by Catherine Newman is a beautiful story about family. Rachel is caught between her two adult children and her parents still alive. Each year her family vacations to the same home on Cape Cod with flashbacks to the previous summer trips.

Sandwich is a quick read, but don’t mistake it for a light read. The story covers heavy topics of love, grief, family, and growing old.

I loved the story and immediately felt like I was included in the family. I laughed and cried as Rachel told her story.

I love Catherine Newman’s writing. I’m always amazed as to how she packs so much emotion into her stories. She made me nostalgic for this family and my family at the same time. Nostalgic for the times that have passed and that are yet to come. I’d absolutely recommend Sandwich to anyone looking for something a bit heavier to read that also still feels like vacation. I can’t wait to read what Catherine writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Books for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am grateful for having the opportunity to read this ARC.

The story follows Rocky (Rachel) as she enjoys her annual family vacation on Cape Cod, specifically Sandwich, Massachusetts. She is reminiscing the past summers and enjoying the people her children have grown in to and imagining who they will be.

As a mom of young children I felt truly seen in this story. The thoughts Rocky remembers from those early years of motherhood ring through so clearly.

The story is shared in a stream of conscious feeling narration which I know isn’t for everyone but it felt more personal that way. Overall it was a very well done book.

I finished SANDWICH over the weekend and my oh my is it a *perfect* nostalgic story for me.

Set in an unnamed Cape Cod town where a family spends a week at the same beach house each summer, the story spans one of those weeks with flashbacks to previous summers.

For 18ish summers of my life, my family spent the first week (two if we were lucky!) of August at the same beach house in Wellfleet, Cape Cod. The house wasn’t fancy or special except in location and memories made. We’d anticipate those weeks with great fervor and when they’d come upon us, they’d pass at the speed of light - filled with sandy toes, outdoor showers, ice cream cones, pond swims, and fried seafood.

SANDWICH bundles up all my nostalgia into a compelling family story. The setting is brought to life in a way only a true Cape Cod lover can pull off. Newman’s writing is impossibly warm and funny and relatable; the way she writes a family makes me want to BE in her family. It is no surprise she writes often for @cupofjo, a site defined by the same qualities.

All in all: I loved SANDWICH. I may read it again with my toes in the sand and New England breeze in my hair in a few short months 🥰

If you love Cape Cod or family dynamics or WE ALL WANT IMPOSSIBLE THINGS or Cup of Jo, this is for you 🫶