Unfortunately this was a case of "hooked by the cover, disappointed by the book".

Being a 30 something myself, I had a very hard time with Vivian and Lucy being in their 30's but acting like they were snotty 17 year olds. I know people age differently, but man their characters were very unlikable to me, despite all the growth. I did however like the premise of the story which is what kept me going, but even that didn't win me over. This book is forgettable, and I don't know that I would recommend, but boy the artwork is beautiful.

3.5/5 stars.

I was so excited to read this one. I absolutely loved this story and was sucked in almost immediately. I found the character development deep, however it was a fairly predictable story which left me at the 3.5 stars. I definitely will recommend this one to my friends and family !

I read this quickly and enjoyed it, but verrrrry emotional which i was absolutely not ready for lol. i would recommend this book to others. it was well written.

The cover of this book is absolutely beautiful and the summary really drew me in! This is my first impression of this author and this book was a bit of a miss for me.

Unfortunately I spent the majority of the book disliking Lucy and Vivian. They come off as immature and bratty and I had a really hard time connecting with them. Actually, I didn’t like most of the side characters either. This was the biggest downfall of the book for me. Though the characters did get more tolerable toward the end, it wasn’t enough to redeem them from the first 85% of the book. I got lost in the middle and didn’t find it easy to root for any sort of resolution.

I did think Maine Characters was great at mirroring the past and the present. There were a lot of tie-ins to how each character was wounded in the past and how that showed up in their current life. The closure at the end of the book was also very well done; I liked that each of the women found their own sense of peace with all the secrets that were revealed that summer. I even really enjoyed the ending! I just wish I got more of that from the rest of the book.

This would make a good summer read if you need something quick with a lake vibe. Though it was a miss for me, I have no doubt there are folks out there that would definitely enjoy it!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group- Dutton for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Maine Characters by @hannahorens
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.25/5 rounded up to 4!)

I am a huge Hannah Orenstein fan which is why I was so excited to get this arc! I always enjoy everything she writes. For me, this is not my favorite book by her BUT I still enjoyed the read! I love the concept of the book — two half sisters meeting for the first time after their father unexpectedly passes. They not only build their relationship but also find themselves and repair other relationships along the way. Also, the descriptions of the lake and the lake house were so well done that every time I read this book I felt transported to Maine, where I also spent every summer growing up ❤️

I struggled with the dual POV because the girls were so similar which makes sense (they’re sisters, duh!) but I sometimes found myself wondering which POV I was in.

Overall this is a good read, perfect for summer! If you’re looking for a book with an idyllic setting, sisterhood, a bit of romance and family drama — this book is for you! Out May 13, 2025.

Thank you to @netgalley and @duttonbooks for this digital arc!

4.5 / 5 Stars

I LOVED this book and its beautiful, messy, nuanced characters and story. Everything in Vivian’s life is slightly messy. She has an amazing job as a sommelier and a great relationship except that her relationship is with her married boss (he swears that he and his wife are basically strangers, of course). She’s grown up in New York with financial support from her family, but her mom is emotionally immature and her relationship with her dad has been fractured for a while. When her dad unexpectedly passes away, he leaves her and her mom the lake house in Maine. Vivian has gone there every August with her father. Vivian wants to sell the house and spread his ashes and figure out a way to attempt to move on. Except when she arrives at the lake house, she meets Lucy, her half-sister she’s never met.

Lucy’s life is also pretty messy. Her husband just asked for a separation. Her mom needs money to help fix her house. Lucy is untethered and the lake house, where she spent every July with their dad, is the only thing holding her together. She’s known about Vivian and has both been jealous of Vivian’s life and desperately wanted them to be friends, but their dad kept them apart. And PS, no one told her that their dad had passed away until Vivian showed up and now Vivian wants to sell the house. This is like a really fucked up Parent Trap if the sisters had to actually deal with and talk about the incredibly insane custody arrangement their parents made.

I loved the tangled webs that these characters built and how they knocked into each other and became even more tangled when they met. Their lives intersect in so many ways without them knowing. Vivian knows Lucy’s best friend, Caleb, without either of them knowing about the other sister. Lucy meets Vivian’s real estate lawyer without either knowing it. Their moms had impacted each other’s lives too.

I loved that each character was so nuanced. Each one has clearly been impacted by their father’s decisions and it’s a real study in nature versus nurture for the two sisters. And yet, there are no villains. Even their father, who at best was selfish in his decisions, isn’t the villain but a flawed, flawed human. And the sisters are flawed too. And, don’t get me started on likability and female characters. We tolerate so much from the male characters but if one woman makes one bad choice, she’s unlikeable? Not in my (metaphoric) book. Because you could see why each woman made the decisions that she had because the writing was so good! I may not have supported each of their choices but I understood the choices. And the writing was so full of rich detail that I think upon re-reads, I will catch new items that help me understand all of the characters.

This book had an amazing blend of beautiful character study and fascinating plot twists. It was truly hard for me to put down because I had to know how it would end. Hannah Orenstein is an auto-read author for me now.

Thank you to Penguin Group (Dutton) and NetGalley for providing this eARC! All opinions are my own.

I was drawn to this book by the cover and the title. This was my first read by Hannah Orenstein. The descriptions call this a grown up parent trap. Overall, I enjoyed the story and the last 3/4 of the book was great, but the two female leads were just not likable. Lucy was supposed to be the down to earth sister, but she was the least likable in my opinion. She felt very entitled and never really gave Vivian the opportunity to be a good sister.

The relationships between Harrison & Lucy and Vivian and Caleb were far more interesting to me than the rest of the story. Hank's wife was a jerk, I'm not sure I'd be able to forgive her for ruining the lives of multiple people and acting so careless about it. I think Maine Characters deserves a rewrite where Hank & Dawn end up together.

This book releases in May 2025.

Thanks to NetGalley & Penguin Group Dutton for the eARC.

Maine Characters first caught my attention by the cover. Secondly, the title interested me as I love to visit Maine and I was hoping this would transport me to small-town, summer Maine life. When Vivian's father passes away, she is tasked with prepping his Maine cottage for sale, she is brought face to face with his other daughter, Lucy. The storyline wasn't wholly original and the pacing seemed off at some points. Some parts dragged while other parts felt rushed. Overall, this character driven novel is heartwarming and enjoyable. However, it didn't leave a lasting impression on me.

I went into Maine Characters blind, and honestly, I really enjoyed it. It’s a story about family, secrets, and what happens when two very different people are forced to figure out their connection.

Vivian is driving her father’s ashes to their summer cabin in Maine after he suddenly passes away on Father’s Day. When she gets there, she finds Lucy—who turns out to be the secret sister she always suspected but never had proof of. The problem? These two could not be more different, and they can’t seem to agree on much of anything. Their summer together ends up being a rollercoaster of emotions, discoveries, and unexpected bonding.

Both women are stubborn, which made me want to shake them at times. I found myself relating more to Lucy, while Vivian was harder for me to like—her questionable morals didn’t help. I also wished we got more of the backstory on their moms, especially Lucy’s mother, Dawn.

One thing that didn’t quite work for me was the title and cover. It has a rom-com feel, but the book itself is more about complicated family dynamics than lighthearted romance. A different design could have better captured the depth of the story.

Overall, I’d recommend this to anyone who loves women’s fiction with a mix of family drama and a little romance. If you’re a fan of Barbara O’Neal’s writing, you’ll probably enjoy Hannah Orenstein’s style too.

Thank you Hannah Orenstein, Penguin Group Dutton, and Net Galley for this early copy of Maine Characters in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

When I first saw this book marketed as “Parent Trap for adults” I was really excited and requested this immediately. I was so excited to read this. I can absolutely see how you could compare the two, but being that this is for adults it had a lot more emotion and grief and a lot less whimsy.

At first Vivian was pretty grating. I was appalled that she would knowingly be with a married man. No amount of justification can make that okay, but I was happy she did also come to that conclusion herself. I grew to like her as she softened.

Lucy was the character I could resonate with more. I could see how she would be upset about being hidden away even if she had the better relationship with their father. She was quick to judge Vivian, but learned her perceptions were wrong. She had the better life even though she didn’t really benefit her father’s wealth and privilege. I love her mom too.

I thought the story was really sweet and I am glad I read it. The ending brought the score up for me. It’s idyllic, which may be a problem for some, but I didn’t read this hoping for anything but a happy ending.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

This is a perfect summer read, as the story takes place on an idyllic lakeside house in Maine over the course of one summer. Thirty-year-old New Yorker Vivian has always suspected her father had a secret daughter after overhearing a strange conversation as a teenager. But when she goes to her family's Maine house after her father's death, she doesn't expect to come face to face with this unknown sister. Lucy grew up in the lakeside town of Fox Hill, looking forward to her July's with her father, jealous of the sister she never met, who didn't even know of her existence, who got to spend the rest of the year with him. As both Vivian and Lucy grieve the loss of their shared father, they also must learn to deal with each other, their mother's, their love lives. This book is very easy to get into, even in the moments when I wasn't sure if I really liked either of the main characters. I appreciate that the book is really about these women and their coming to terms with their family and that while. there are elements of romance in the book, it plays a back seat to the family drama that unfolds. I do think the book runs a little long.... a bit more editing down might have helped the pace..... but overall I really enjoyed this. 4* (rounded up from 3.5)
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

okay. interesting storyline but had the cheating trope? I mean vivian with owen? cheat much. it was okay. great

Every summer, Vivian Levy and Lucy Webster spend a month with their father at his lake house — separately. Raised in New York City, Vivian is an ambitious sommelier with a secret that could derail her future. Lucy grew up in a tiny Maine town, where she now teaches high school English while watching her marriage unravel. They’ve never met. While Lucy envied her half-sister from afar, their father kept Vivian in the dark.

When Vivian arrives at the lake to spread his ashes and sell his cabin, she's shocked to find Lucy there, awaiting his return. In an ideal world, they’d help each other through their grief. Instead, forced to spend the summer together, they fight through a storm of suspicion and hostility to untangle the messy truth about their parents’ pasts. While Lucy is desperate to hold onto the house, Vivian is scrambling after a betrayal. After thirty years apart, is it too late for them to be a family?

Loved this book. It gave depth to both sisters and showed the wonder of family no matter how untraditional. These sisters need each other and the book does a wonderful job of showing both of them. You also get a lake setting, some romance and a lot of fun.

So glad I got an early copy of this book.

This is a messy family drama but not in my flavor, if that makes sense? I just needed the sisters to be 10% more likable or just slap each other and grow up. The story was good and I was committed to finishing but I didn't connect with them so I didn’t care what happened to them.

3.5 stars rounded up. My first book by Hannah Orenstein and hopefully not my last :)

Thank you Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Two half sisters brought together by the death of their father. One was aware of the other, while the other had suspicions her father was hiding something but was never told the truth. One grew up with wealth and opportunity in NYC, one in small town Maine with a single mother. One who had a very complex relationship with her father and believes their last communication caused his heart attack, the other who only has fond memories of her father and the summers they spent together at the cabin. One had a horrible relationship with her bestselling author mother, the other one was thick as thieves with her's.

I love a good family drama. Filled with grief, plenty of secrets, lots of outbursts between the two sisters, and some bending/growing/learning. However, I really didn't care for either character for a majority of the book. Vivian was spoiled and manipulative and selfish. Lucy played the victim card a lot and was so childish. The last 25% of the book, though, they did mature a bit and finally started getting along. The ending really came together so well.

Overall, I would recommend this book for lovers of family drama. It would be a great summer lake read, given the beautiful setting.

I am an absolute sucker for any book set in Maine, and having followed this author on Instagram I know she has deep ties to the state, so I was excited to read this early. The "Parent Trap" vibes also reeled me in quickly, and while this didn't totally work for me, I was entertained while reading it. Vivian and Lucy are half sisters who spend a week with their father at his lake house in Maine - but separately. The sisters couldn't be more different, and only Lucy knows about Vivian's existence, Vivian has been left in the dark. When he dies and Vivian travels to the lake house to spread his ashes, she meets Lucy for the first time. Things get messy, and a lot of family drama is unearthed. This will be a great summer read!

The cover of this book is absolutely gorgeous! The story of sisters finding each other in a time of grief was realistic, well thought out, and beyond relatable. However, I found the characters very 2 dimensional and I felt like it just didn’t quite hit the mark with the character development through the story. An over all good read!!

Maine Characters 🛶💥 📚
By: Hannah Orenstein
Story: ✨ ✨✨ 3.5 /5
Narration: N/A

I’d like to thank Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for an e-arc of Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein.

Is it true? Can betrayal actually bring two people closer?

Vivian is a successful, well off city girl who spends her nights working as a Master Sommelier in a trendy A-list restaurant. She’s one of the youngest in her field to achieve such an accomplishment and dates the very attractive owner of her place of work.

Lucy works as an english teacher who’s currently working through a divorce from her childhood sweetheart. She craves the one summer a month she gets to spend at the lake with her dad.

The two have never met before. That is, until one day in July, when Lucy arrives for her yearly visit and Vivian is already there.

What do these two women have in common aside from being in the same place at the same time? Well for starters, they’re sisters. Follow Vivian and Lucy while they grieve the sudden loss of their father and how to navigate what’s to come in Maine Characters.

For those who don't know me, my name is Chanel and I'm everyone's favorite self-proclaimed Book Tea Spiller.

What did I think of this book? See below for my Final Sip ☕️:

First off, this was a stunning book cover that will immediately draw in the attention of many readers. The beginning of Maine Characters immediately sucks the reader in. Scandal, drama, grief and confusion usually makes for a reader’s favorite way to start a new book. What makes this story different is the way in which these elements are featured in the calmest way possible. Does that make sense? Sure, these two are pissed that they didn’t know about each other, yet as a reader, your blood pressure doesn’t rise with anxious anticipation. Instead, a hopefulness of a good outcome overcomes you.

Picture, our younger selves learning that Annie and Halle are twins in The Parent Trap as adults. The younger version of ourselves would panic, while our older selves hope they get along by the end. This was an enjoyable night read. It doesn’t keep you up, yet has the smallest amount of suspense that keeps one wondering what the ending will be.

I did not like this writing right from the start. I’m not sure why, maybe most because it is in third person!? Might work better for others.

Maine Characters is a great summer read, set against the beautiful backdrop of a lake in Maine. The story carries a Parent Trap vibe but with a unique twist that keeps things fresh. While some characters were downright insufferable at times, the complicated situation they found themselves in made it somewhat understandable. It’s an easy, fast-paced read — perfect for a lazy afternoon.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.