Its amazing how much life can change in just a week, but it does in this beautiful story simply by sharing life with family. Absolutely loved this story and empathized with the main character's anxiety over motherhood. Highly recommended.

Sandwich was a book that felt like it could have been telling the story of so many people in my contacts list…albeit a handful of years older than we are now, Rocky is one of those characters who absolutely was written by someone who knows what it’s like to spend the summer on the Cape.

The crowded sandy houses, the secrets that never stay secret, the hashing of family problems, the ability of the beach to heal everything no matter how big, and the absolute reset you get every year for that week at the shore.

One thing that resonated with me was the author’s description of what life is like going to the beach house with kids through their life stages. We are solidly in the “one word answers” and “embarrassed by their parents” stage, but every single stage was spot-on.

If you spend a week or more at a beach house every year (or did growing up)—whether it’s the Cape, Rehoboth, OBX, etc., you’ll get something out of this book. If you aren’t a beach house person, this might seem far-fetched and unrealistic. But especially if you’re a Cape/Vineyard/ACK woman in your 40’s or beyond, this will resonate as deeply as any summer book possibly could.

Sandwich is the best book I have read thus far in 2024! I am an avid reader of Women's Fiction and this story explores so many issues that resonate with "women of a certain age". The main character Rocky is 54 years old and the novel takes place during a weeklong annual vacation to Cape Cod. Joining Rocky are her husband, her young adult children and one significant other. Her elderly parents are also present during part of the vacation. There are so many relatable issues in this novel. Menopause, coming to terms with the fact that you children are grown, and the challenges of managing aging parents are a few of the main life struggles that are covered in this novel. I found this book to be incredibly relatable. I really enjoyed the conversational style of this author. This was a very fast read. Thank you to the publisher and #netgalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really didn’t care for this book.
The characters were unlikable, the main character was insufferable, and the story was trying to be sentimental but failed.
I just really didn’t enjoy reading it at all.
Thank you netgalley for the ARC

While the main character of this book was a few years older than me I can relate to how her feelings shift over time as a mother. It was ver relatable.

This book is gorgeously written, poignant and will hit mothers hard at any stage. I’ve read Newman’s other books and was reminded how her writing will stop you with how apt and aching it is. So well-done.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Catherine Newman’s “Sandwich” is a delightful literary feast—a layered concoction of family dynamics, humor, and poignant moments. Set against the backdrop of Cape Cod summers, this novel serves up more than just lunch.

For two decades, Rocky has cherished her family’s annual escape to Cape Cod. Their humble beach-town rental has witnessed laughter, tears, and the occasional plumbing mishap. But this year, as Rocky grapples with menopause, her emotions churn like the tides. A chain of events catapults her into the past, reliving bittersweet summers. As secrets resurface, Rocky must confront her family’s history and her own hidden truths.

Sandwich” is Newman’s culinary masterpiece. Her prose simmers with authenticity, capturing the messiness of relationships. Rocky’s hormonal rollercoaster mirrors life’s unpredictability. The novel balances nostalgia with the urgency of the present. Like a perfectly crafted sandwich, it’s layered, satisfying, and leaves you craving more.

or readers who savor emotional depth and relatable characters, “Sandwich” is a delectable choice. Bon appétit!

***Sandwich is another case of beautifully wrought complications and mutual adoration from Catherine Newman, with unapologetically contradictory and menopausal Rocky at the heart of the messy, wonderful extended family.***

Rocky's family has been vacationing in Cape Cod for twenty years. She's built years of happy memories in their low-key beach house rental.

This year, she's sandwiched between her half-grown children and her aging parents. And the carefree vacations of the past feel light years away, because Rocky's menopausal rage threatens to undo any joy she might gain from spending time in her favorite place.

To save their treasured family time together, Rocky may have to share secrets she never intended to reveal.

I love Catherine Newman! She writes characters that are so funny, so poignant, so beautifully oddball, and so wonderfully open about their deep adoration of their complex loved ones--and the frustrations and challenges that make up a perfectly imperfect life.

Rocky is menopausal and adjusting to her own shifts--in thinking, in physicality, in mood, and all--as she struggles to remember the joy of the past and accept the beauty in the present with her aging parents and her growing young-adult children.

Sandwich made me laugh, twisted my heart, and kept me interested throughout. I just adored all of the heart and humor in Sandwich.

I received a prepublication edition of this title courtesy of Harper and NetGalley.

Catherine Newman is also the author of other books I love: We All Want Impossible Things, Waiting for Birdy, and How to Be a Person: 65 Hugely Useful, Super-Important Skills to Learn Before You're Grown Up.

Told from a first-person perspective, which I absolutely love, this book spans a week in the lives of its characters, seamlessly moving between past and present. Typically, books with slower pacing tend to slow me down, but this one was exceptional. It’s a beautiful beach read about family, growth, and navigating life’s challenges together.

This was a five-star read that I'd make six stars if I could, just for the gift of having been able to read this IN the town of Sandwich on Cape Cod. Newman has crafted an elegant, perfect novel of motherhood and marriage, love and family, time and time and time and the passing of time. I adored every page.

Catherine Newman shares a family's week at the beach in "Sandwich," a great read for the summer.

Rocky, short for Rachel, finds herself sandwiched between her husband, two grown kids and a pair of aging parents in their humor-filled annual trip to Cape Cod. But now she's traded in kids' sand shoves for menopause and replaced snacks with wine. Sometimes she's sad. Other times she's happy for what's been -- and will be.

With its themes of love, family and motherhood, this is a fun read perfect for an afternoon under a beach umbrella.

This little book wrecked me. It made my heart expand while simultaneously breaking it. This was a meditation on motherhood and what that looks like through many stages. This is a meditation on being someone’s child and how that shapes and breaks our hearts. This was a book about life, love, fear and grief. It was a book about living. This was a gut punch and it will really stick with me. These characters, this setting, these words. It all really struck a cord with me.

Sandwich by Catherine Newman is a short character driven novel. The main character is Rocky, the mother of two twenty-something children, and 54 year-old wife. Every year this family visits the same vacation rental on Cape Cod for a week. This book only shows the family during this one week of vacation with the exception of a few flashbacks sprinkled in. Although this book is short, the pace moves slowly along. I didn’t feel connected to the story or characters through most of the book. Had it been a longer novel, I may have added it to the DNF stack. I have heard from several bookish friends that they did connect with this book which is why I decided to give it a try. It seems like although this book wasn’t much for me, many women did connect with it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper for this review digital copy.

Thank You NetGalley for the ARC. What a great book about family and a mother's journey through it all. This is my favorite book of the year.

I had such high hopes for this book based on the description and was very disappointed. I found myself cringing at some of the dialogue and conversations. This was nothing like any family vacation I have ever been on. I also had a hard time relating to the main character (and we are in the same stages of life) and honestly just really didn’t like her.

Having spent years taking family vacations to Sandwich in Cape Cod I was immediately drawn to this book on premise alone. I was then drawn in to a beautifully written story about family, aging, loss and most importantly, love. It was a beautiful “vacation” with a very realistic family - not perfect, but endearing.

Loved this book and recommending to others!

The prose in this book was incredible and beautiful. I enjoyed the weaving story between the present day and the past. The characters had great development, and it truly did not feel like fiction. It strikes a perfect balance between the seriousness of pregnancy, miscarriages, and the humor of what women have to experience.

If there is one book I would say people should read this summer, Sandwich by Cathrine Newman would be it.

A profound study of motherhood, womanhood, relationships, family, secrets & the choices that shape our lives, all taking place during a family’s annual vacation week on the Cape.

While short (only 226 pages) it packs a lot of emotion & nostalgia within its pages, reminding you that even the most small & mundane moments matter.

Where to even begin? I devoured this treat in one sitting! Never have I had a book so accurately depict exactly what I’m thinking and feeling. I laughed and cried and laughed again. This is one book that will stick with me for quite a while. I loved it!

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. sorry for the language but i fucking LOVED this book. i loved catherine's first book, we all want impossible things, and that one wrecked me. sandwich was just as good! i love the mundane details that move the story along...how each person likes their beach sandwich, the personality quirks you only get the perspective from rocky. the in between chapters looking into rocky and her husband's past trying to concieve were really beautiful.