I don’t usually enjoy realistic books with human characters set in the modern world (I prefer fantasy) but I have to say I enjoyed this. I won’t give anything away, but I will definitely be buying this book and recommending it.

4.5 rounded up.

This is a book about complicated relationships, both romantic and familial. I wasn't sure what to expect going in, but this was lovely and unique. I loved how complicated the journey was for Vivian and Lucy. They had to navigate this new relationship with each other while grieving their imperfect father and also trying to learn from the mistakes their parents made. You can see how their father's decisions affected their decisions with the men in their lives and how healing from that isn't linear. I also like how it allowed Celeste and Dawn to have their moments of grief.

It's also just fun to read a book that's about a place you've lived. I love a book that makes me go, "Hey, I've been there!"

I usually love Hannah Orenstein’s books and find her to be a very underrated author. This was well written, but I found the sisters to be so immature for the age they were written to be. I never really got past that element of the book - it felt really distracting for me.

Maine Characters was such a fun read! The characters really seemed to make *human* decisions and weren't overly dramatized. I also felt like I was transported to Maine with how beautifully Hannah set the scene in this book. After reading the acknowledgements, it totally made sense that she has spent so much time there. This book was so sweet and would make a perfect summer read!

Thank you to NetGalley and @PenguinGroupDutton for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein is like a grown-up version of The Parent Trap—but with more grief, more heart, and a lot more emotional baggage. The story kicks off when two half-sisters, Vivian and Lucy, unexpectedly end up at their late father's cabin in Maine. Vivian's there to pack it up and put it on the market; Lucy thinks she’s just arrived for another summer with her dad... until she finds out he’s gone—and that her sister (whom she barely knows) is suddenly sharing her space.

The tension? Real. The emotions? Messy. The setting? Peak summer escape vibes.

Watching these two women, strangers by blood, try to navigate their grief while figuring each other out was equal parts touching and frustrating. They fight—a lot—but given the circumstances, it makes sense. Still, I was hoping for a little more bonding and a little less bickering by the end.

It’s not a new all-time favorite for me, but I did enjoy it. If you like character-driven stories set against a gorgeous lakeside backdrop and have a soft spot for complicated family dynamics, this one’s worth throwing in your beach bag.

#NetGalley, #MaineCharacters, #HannahOrenstein

If you are a fan of messy family dramas, this one is for you.

The writing was well done, with wonderful descriptions of Maine, lake living and the cabin. Unfortunately for me, the two sisters, Lucy and Vivian just don't work for me. They bicker too often, and while it's understandable given the situation, it just pushed me to skim the pages.

As well, there are many messy love affairs ongoing and at times it was difficult to keep track of who's doing what to whom (and when).

The ending fits the story well.

Imagine dealing with your father's sudden death and the summer lake cabin he's left behind only to discover his "other family" a half-sister barely older than yourself, plus her mother and the news that everyone knew about her but you! How will you navigate this new reality and the inheritance you now must share?

This was a solid summer read! I love the setting so much, which made this so much more emotional for me too! My only struggle is there was a lot of characters and lots of stories to follow. It got a little complex!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

I liked seeing the sisterly relationship play out. This book was really just mid to me; didn't love it, didn't hate it.

I must admit, the cover art for this one is what drew me in - what a gorgeous book! Overall, I'm giving this one 3.5 stars rounded up. I struggled to connect with the main characters as they were both somewhat unlikeable and whiny, but I was invested enough to keep reading. This tackled some heavy topics but still would make for good summer reading - and I did enjoy the ending!

I loved this story! This book is marketed as the parent trap for adults and that totally sold me.

Two half sisters meet for the first time at their dad’s lake house after his passing, what could go wrong? Evidently a lot. The character growth in this book is amazing and it’s so well written. Both Lucy and Vivian have so much going on in their personal lives and we get to see them both navigate through their hardships while also trying to form a relationship with each other.

This story touches on so many different types of relationships including romantic, friendship, parent/child, and siblings. At the end of the day, I really loved how Lucy and Vivian’s story centered on their own growth and their relationship with each other and their moms rather than their relationships with the men in their lives. It really made them feel like such strong, independent characters.

Maine characters is truly a love letter to Maine, which holds a special place in my heart since that’s where I spent my summers as a kid! Everything about this book made me want to have a summer vacation by the lake again.

The reason I took .25 off my rating was the chapter length. At the beginning the chapters were so long that it felt like the story was dragging a little. Then at the end the chapters were shorter so the pacing felt a bit off.

I highly recommend this book I think it’s a perfect summer read! Thank you Dutton books and NetGalley for the eARC!

This was my first book by this author and it will definitely not be the last. Although this was a petty heavy book about topics like grief and loss and I enjoyed the story, it was hard for me to connect to either Vivian or Lucy’s story. Even still, I did enjoy the story and would definitely recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the e-ARC.

As someone who absolutely loved the parent trap, I HAD to read this! I loved this book! Two half sisters that don’t really know about each other and are polar opposites, spend the summer at their father’s cabin after his passing. I really enjoyed the story leading up and the ending. This would be the perfect summer read!

I ended up DNFing this one at 56%. I found the main characters SO WHINEY and unlikeable, I just couldn't continue.

So sad because I love this author!

This book…. I don’t know what I was expecting? But it wasn’t what got. I feel like it was the storyline of the show Happy’s Place but set in Maine and more adult. I didn’t really care for either of the characters and I wish that there had been more of a development of the relationship between the sisters and leave the romance pieces out.

This book was not for me. By a third of the way through the book, it was still just Vivian and Lucy fighting over whether to sell the cabin, and Lucy feeling sad about the breakup of her marriage. I didn’t like Vivian at all, given the way she dismissed Lucy’s concerns. DNF.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I absolutely adored this book. The growth that both characters go through throughout the story is heartwarming and touching especially in the wake of the grief of their father. I like that this story added some complex issues and growth for the characters as it really helps the audience to relate to them as people.

I decided to not finish this book after getting through 10%. This story seemed to rely heavily on typical tropes and stereotypes, and I felt like I could guess the entire plot and ending of the book after the first chapter.

This book feels like a love letter to Maine summers.
Thank you to Dutton and Hannah Orenstein for the opportunity to review this book!
Maine Characters is about two half sisters who have never met. Vivian was raised by mother and father, Celeste and Hank, in New York City. Lucy was raised in Fox Hill, Maine by her single mother Dawn. Hank would come to Maine and spend the summer his family's cabin with Lucy. Upon Hank's unexpected death, Lucy and Vivian both finally meet in Maine, at their dad's cabin.
I requested this book because I was born and raised in Maine so I wanted to review it from that perspective. In that regard, the author did a fantastic job creating the fictional town of Fox Hill and including details that spoke to me as a life long Mainer. Some of the local characters I could even envision as people I have met in my life. I found myself relating a lot to Lucy, the sister who grew up in Maine.
Without getting into spoiler territory I will add that the pacing felt a little off to me. There is conflict between the sisters that is dragged out for far too long, and then I didn't really feel the resolution made sense, or it just kind of happened too quickly. It's not until about 50% into the book that aa conversation happens that would have made more sense and helped with the pacing and relationship development a bit more if it happened a bit earlier. This wasn't enough to pull me out of the story or not like it, I just found some of the conflict to be unnecessary and some decisions to be questionable.
Also, the first genre tagged on goodreads is romance and this is not a romance heavy book.

3.5 stars
I'll admit the cover artwork drew me in just as much as the premise. Maine Characters is a story about two women who are forced to reckon with all of the secrets their father left behind after his unexpected passing. They are half sisters, but only one of them was aware of the other's existence. It took me a while to care about them, as they are kind of unlikable at the start. By the end I'd warmed up to them and their character flaws. I will say, I really did enjoy the ending.
*Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.*