The cover of this is my favorite part. I have really enjoyed this author’s previous works, so I was so excited for this. However, the characters feel so immature. I’m also not a fan of love triangles when there’s infidelity happening. I wanted this to work so bad but it just isn’t for me.

Thank you so much to Dutton for the gifted ARC!

The good: I read in just a day and didn't want to put it down! I loved The Parent Trap vibes and wish more time was spent there than anywhere else!

The not so good: There was so much of the book centering around an affair and it just gave me the ick and I didn't care for those characters at all or see their side of things at any point in the story.

Overall, it was a fun read, but I wish less time was spent on the affair drama.

I think many will enjoy this, though!

3.5 ⭐

Maine Characters is definitely a love letter to Maine and made me miss the few times that I've been (and made me crave an Allagash White!) One of my best friends is from Maine and I'm always jealous to hear about his times at camp. Vivian Levy and Lucy Webster are half-sisters that spent a month of their childhood on the lake with their father, but never together. After his death, Vivian goes back to their cabin with plans to sell it, when she finally meets Lucy who refuses to give up the month that she is promised every year. Even though they shared a dad, Lucy always was almost a dirty secret in his world.

This book is definitely giving summer camp and Parent Trap vibes. I overall enjoyed the plot and character arcs of this story that Lucy, and especially Vivian had, but the pace of the book felt way to slow, which detracted from the overall experience of the story. Additionally, the chapter structure with the in-chapter flips of POV were confusing and distracting from the story.

Thank you to Hannah, Dutton Books, and Netgalley for the eARC.

Two sisters, one who doesn't know the other exists, meet at their father's lake house. Together they must work through their grief and try and see what they can become together.

I was so excited about Maine Characters. Sadly, the characters were unbearable. I kept finding things to clean just to avoid this book and I hate cleaning.

There may be an audience for this book. The descriptions of Maine (a state I have never been to despite my only female cousin on that side of the family living there) were STUNNING. However, I need some characters I can enjoy in some way and that was lacking.

Thank you to Net Galley, Dutton, and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC. All opinions are my own and I genuinely hope that you find readers who enjoy this book.

Maine Characters follows Vivian and Lucy, who are half-sisters that both end up at their father's cabin in Maine after his passing.

The story switches POVs throughout as the two sister navigate their new relationship with each other, the secrets their father kept from them and the drama in each of their love lives. So needless to say, there is a lot of characterization and love stories to keep up with, if you loved drama, then this is for you.

Each of the characters takes their turn being a bit insufferable as well, so if you aren't into a messy girl, this novel is not for you. But it isn't the running theme of the book.

The author did do a great job of setting the scene and made me desperately wish I had been reading this on a dock down by the lake instead of inside on my couch on a rainy day.

🏵 beautiful Maine setting
⛱️ lake house
🏵 family drama
⛱️ large family
🏵parent trap vibes
⛱️emotional read

I love the setting of this story but unfortunately this was a did not finish for me. I could not keep the backstories straight between the two sisters which made it hard to continue. I was constantly flipping back to a sticky note on who had which childhood and current job, etc. at mid way I stopped reading because there was nothing to be invested in to continue outside of whether to sell a house or not.

When I saw this was being described as “the parent trap for adults,”I knew I needed to get my hands on a copy! Also, this cover is stunning, right!?!

Tysm to @prhaudio for the early listening copy and @netgalley and @duttonbooks for the early reading copy. I did an immersive read of this one and really enjoyed Mara Wilson’s narration.

I absolutely loved the Maine setting. My wife and I love to go there every year and it is always so beautiful! This story also has some pretty gripping family drama. If you are a fan of the movie The Parent Trap, you're really going to love this one. I don't want to give too much away about this one but I found Lucy and Vivian’s dynamic very interesting and this story has so much heart. Definitely a great summer read!

4 stars

I was so excited to dive into this new book by Hannah Orenstein. I’ve followed and enjoyed her work for years. This book felt a little slow to draw me in for the first half, but I really got hooked in the second half. It’s an interesting story to think about, especially the fun take on an adult Parent Trap situation - a throwback favorite movie of mine as a millennial. I enjoyed the deep look at complicated family dynamics, personal relationships, and all the ups and downs and challenges that happen.

I also truly loved the setting of the book in Maine. Having followed Hannah for a while, I knew her love of Maine and the summer she’s spent there. I could really feel that through the setting of the book and how everything was described - it has me dreaming of a trip to Maine to enjoy all it has to offer.

I’m so grateful to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton | Dutton Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I can’t wait for more books in the future by Hannah Orenstein.

It was the title that grabbed my attention - my family has been spending summers on a lake in Maine since 2011 and I thought it would be fun to read a book that took place locally. I was right! It’s part family drama, part romance and a lot about friendships. Vivian and Lucy are half sisters that were raised by their respective mothers, and without each other. After their shared father dies they meet unexpectedly and there’s a lot of catching up to do. If you enjoy Meg Mitchell Moore or Carly Fortune you will enjoy Maine Characters.
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the digital ARC!

Vivian and Lucy are half sisters, meeting for the first time at age 30 after their father’s sudden and unexpected death.

Vivian grew up with her father full time in NYC, while Lucy only spent time with her father when he visited his lake house each summer. Lucy envied Vivian’s full time relationship with their father and Vivian didn’t know Lucy existed.

They are mourning their father and their different relationships with him and all that was left unsaid by him while also dealing with their careers, love lives and meeting each other for the first time.

Both sisters had their own issues but I really enjoyed the story and how they came together and each individually evolved over the course of the summer.

Thanks to #netgalley, the publisher and the author for this e-arc. It’s out today, May 13th!!

Vivian and Lucy are strangers who meet at their father’s house - sound confusing? It is for both of them as they learn about the half-sister they didn’t know they had while processing the grief of their father’s passing. This messy, complicated and real book takes you on a journey of their summer spent in their dad’s lake house as they figure all of this out - their future, their relationship, how to deal with their mom’s and the rest of the world.

This book was great! The emotional rawness of it really held my attention. Even though I don’t have a sister, I could feel the kinship from the page that hit me right where I expect sisterly bonds would within my life. I really appreciated the author’s attention to building up both the world of the lake house, the years of pain and confusion from the sisters, and the ice breaking in real time. This is a great read for people who are looking for emotional reads and character studies - if you find literary fiction being your thing, definitely pick this one up. While not a “beach read” per se, the background will make you ready to go to your own “lake house” and spend the summer there, so highly suggest reading this in your favorite summer spot!

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Maine characters Is partly the author’s ode to life on the lake in Maine.
It’s also about a man who hid both parts of his life and whom I didn’t care for. Although he isn’t alive for the book he factors largely in it.
Frankly, I wasn’t too keen on either Lucy or Vivian because one was rather snobby and the other rather whiny.
Both characters develop quite a bit during the course of the book.
I actually wanted to read Celeste’s books!
The cover of the book is exquisite.
It’s a good beginning of summer book for readers.

Thank you Hannah Orenstein and Dutton for this eARC :)

I am SO torn on how to rate this book. On one hand, I think if a book makes you feel as many things as I felt about this one, it is a book well done! On the other hand, I kind of left the book feeling “eh” at the end. 😬

Let’s talk about what I enjoyed! I loved the setting of this book. I think the lake house backdrop added both beauty and complexity to the story, and it gave us a better insight into the two contrasting sisters. Also, the overall plot was interesting to me! By the end of it, I was so invested. These characters were messy and flawed, and I was intrigued by what could be next. From the beginning, you want these sisters to reconcile and even feel hopeful that it can end well for them. And I would say that the ending did that! All the loose ends were tied together, and the path forward for the moms and the daughters felt right for this book.

But here are some of the things I didn’t love: This book was marketed to me as Beach Read meets Parent Trap… those are not what I would use to describe this book. Because I went in thinking these were the vibes, I was definitely expecting more romance and girlhood vibes (with grief as a backdrop.) Instead, this book spends more time exploring grief and complicated relationships, and the found family elements were slightly lacking. Which I think you won’t feel the way I did, if you know this going in! With the right expectations, I think the ending will be so satisfying.

Another issue I had is that these characters are 30+. They are grown women, and there were so many moments where they didn’t act like it. And hear me out! Yes, they are grieving. Grief makes us act out, and there is space for characters to revert back in the midst of this tough season. HOWEVER, it felt like Vivian as a character was painted as a villain for how she acted, but Lucy was allowed to act out and be upset?? Vivian was constantly apologizing, growing, and changing her perspective. She is constantly reflecting and having to process how she acts. And listen - she is imperfect and makes mistakes! She needed to have the moments she had. But it drove me up the wall that Lucy was painted in a way where she was allowed to figure things out and act out?? And she’s not really held accountable for really anything?? Again I can hold space for the fact that Lucy’s life was really hard and she was going through a lot! *BUT* Hank is the villain of the story !!!!!! And too much of this story it felt like different women were being painted as the villain/pitted against each other, when HE was a grown man who made the decisions that he did. At any point, he could’ve changed the trajectory of this entire story. And he didn’t. He had SO much time to say or do LITERALLY anything, and he didn’t. And that’s on him. No one else.

And maybe that’s the hold up for me?? If this book happened when the girls were in their early 20s, I think I would feel SO differently about this book. It would make so much more sense for these characters and how they act! A lot of the childishness would fit for the age. I also think it would make it more sad to me because it would feel more “what could have been”. (And yes, I know this kind of gets explained at the end?? But I think it would’ve been better earlier) There are just so many components of this story that if it occurred earlier, I would have just been able to understand so much better.

Also - I went into this book thinking it would be a romance based off how it was marketed, and in my opinion, this isn’t a romance. There are romance elements? There are side plot romances if you will? But the “happily ever after” is not between romantic relationships, and it was definitely a sprinkle in the plot. It was not the focus. (Again - not a bad thing. I think romance driving the plot would have taken away from everything going on. I just incorrectly thought this was a romance.)

All of this to say, this book did make me feel so many things, and I was invested in how everything would turn. I think with the proper expectations, this could be your new favorite book!! If you’re looking for a fiction book that deals with grief and messy relationships, this could be right up your alley ☺️

This cover is beautiful and really draws you in. I found it hard to root for these characters. Vivian is awful. I liked Lucy at first but then she became exhausting as well and all of the adults in this situation behaved poorly. I was entertained by the read but it felt a bit too long.

Maine holds all kinds of special memories for me, so I was really interested in reading this story set there.

Two sisters, kept apart and secret by the father living two lives come together after his death as they build their relationship with each other and uncover more about who they really are.

This story was emotional, but empowering as these four women (the sisters and their respective mothers) evaluate what really matters in life. It’s full of love and loss and moving forward despite how someone else might have turned your life upside down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for providing me with a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: After the unexpected death of their father, half-sisters Vivian and Lucy meet for the first time at his lake cabin in Maine where they are forced to spend the summer together.

Thoughts: First thought, I am obsessed with this cover and the setting! This is definitely the kind of book that is perfect to read at the beach or the lake. There are a lot of characters and storylines to keep up with, and I honestly did not care for either of the main characters at first, so it was hard for me to get into the story. That being said, I think it is a testament to how well the author writes characters that their development throughout the story had me growing to like them. This one definitely packs an emotional punch. If you thrive on family drama, you can’t miss this book!

Read this if you like:
🛶 Maine
🛶 family drama
🛶 found family
🛶 parent trap vibes
🛶 romance side plots

4 out of 5 Stars!

Every summer, Vivian Levy and Lucy Webster spend a month in Maine with their father at his lake house. But they don’t go up together like sisters would, they go separately. Vivian is a successful sommelier in New York City, hiding secrets that would hurt her future. While Lucy grew up in a small Maine town, where her marriage is unraveling. And they have never met. Until, Vivian arrives at the lake house to spread her father’s ashes and sell the cabin. She is shocked to find Lucy there, a sister she has never met. In a perfect world, they would help each other through their grief. But, they are not left to untangle their father’s world and the secrets he left behind. Will they be able to be a family, or has too much time passed?

Since traveling to Maine last year, “Maine Characters” by Hannah Orenstein has really hooked me. While there, I fell in love with Maine and the coastal/cabin vibes. So, what better way to reminisce about that vacation? I will admit, I was expecting more of a romance rather than women’s fiction. On Goodreads, romance is the first genre that pops up for this book, so that is what I was envisioning. I love women’s fiction though, so I didn’t have any problems enjoying this book, but it was heavy on fiction with a sprinkle of romance. If that is your jam too, you will enjoy this book like I did!

“Maine Characters” was an emotional, fast-paced book with tons of different themes that I think everyone would find something to enjoy. There is grief, sisterhood, romance, parental problems, and self-exploration, all set in the beautiful state of Maine. I think Orenstein did a great job at including all of these themes, while having the premise of the book stay clear. Vivican and Lucy are finding out about each other, while uncovering secrets about their dad. And the question is, will the lake house sell at the end of the summer? I will admit, some parts did feel a little slow, but there was that pull to figure out what was going to happen with the sisters and the cabin. I was able to read this book in less than 3 days, which was still a record time for me!

I really liked Lucy and Vivian. I thought they were strong female characters that were still figuring out what they wanted in life. Throughout the book, we get to hear both perspectives. They had a lot of depth and personality, along with similarities and differences you will uncover throughout the book. Other than them, you get to meet other characters like their mothers and their past/present lovers. I think the side characters were equally important, and really helped move the book along in an interesting way. Overall, this was a strong 4.75/5-star read. I did round it down to 4 stars because I would like a little faster pace with maybe a family twist or secret I didn’t see coming.

“Maine Characters” by Hannah Orenstein will be available on May 13th, 2025! This would be a PERFECT summer read by the lake! Pick up your copy today!

Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton, Dutton, Hannah Orenstein, and Netgalley for a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the eARC.

This book had me feeling all the feels. I loved all of the relationships Hannah Orenstein gave us in this book, but really was enamored with the sister dynamic. 4/5!

After their father’s sudden death, two half-sisters unexpectedly meet for the first time at their father’s lake house. Vivian and Lucy had very different childhoods and they immediately butt heads. Vivian wants to sell the house but Lucy wants to keep her father’s favorite place. How will they survive the summer together.

Maine Characters had so much potential for me. Sisters meeting for the first time (why do I love this?), the lake setting, it’s from an author whose previous book I LOVED. But, unfortunately, it didn’t work for me.

What I liked:
The setting - I never spent my summers on a lake, but it feels so nostalgic every time and it was done very well here
The sister bond - maybe it’s because I don’t have a sister, but I love reading about sisters bonding and learning how to love each other

What I didn’t like:
POV - This book is in third person and while that normally doesn’t bother me, for some reason it was all I could focus on here. It’s dual POV and I just wanted more from both of them. I had a hard time feeling connected to either sister.
Vivian - She drove me nuts and made a lot of pretty unethical decisions in her life that didn’t completely make sense to me.

As someone who lived in Maine I love that it takes place here! Overall was a great novel filled with so many emotions!