Loved this and is perfect for a beach read this summer - but it's a deeper read then that. Grief, love, self reflection, growth and a lake. There were a lot of references that I nodded along at. Also kind of loved that the romantic relationships in this story were secondary to other relationships. They were there but they weren't the entire plot. One thing I found confusing was the layout of text messages - it wasn't super clear who was saying what (but maybe that was just the formatting of the proof).

Any book that says "muploads," "urban outfitters extra long comforter," and "Sancerre" is a book for me. Gonna work my way through Hannah's other books next — also petition to bring back muploads.

I absolutely loved this book! I picked it because the cover was unbelievably gorgeous + I'd loved some of Hannah's other books, and it did not disappoint. 📚✨

After their father’s unexpected death, half-sisters Vivian and Lucy meet for the first time at his cabin in Maine. Vivian, a driven sommelier from NYC with a secret, and Lucy, a high school English teacher from small-town Maine facing a crumbling marriage to her high school sweetheart, are forced to spend the summer together. As they navigate their grief and unravel family secrets, they confront their differences and discover the true meaning of family.

MUST READ for:
🏞️ Vivid depiction of Maine’s lakeside, making me wish it was summer
👯‍♀️ Complex, evolving relationship between sisters who are strangers
🍷 A main character with a unique, interesting career she's passionate about and exceptional at
💕 Messy romantic entanglements that leave you wanting more
📕 Hilarious fictional romance book titles

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! All opinions are my own. 😊

Thank you so much for this gifted copy in exchange for an honest review! This book is perfect for the 90s kids who loved the parent trap! This was a fun summer read that I really enjoyed!

For lovers of the Parent Trap and who grew up on the lake- this ones for you.

As someone who spent her summers on the lake with her friends and family this book hit quite close to home. Unlike our main characters however, my life was not full of drama or secrets (that I know of yet). Lucy and Vivian are half sisters and after their fathers passing- they both head up to the lake. This book is full of grief, standing toe to toe with obstacles you've never faced before, and managing relationships.

I was drawn to this book by the the stunning cover, and the mention of the parent trap! However, I ended up rating this one 3 stars. I thought the adult women acted like children. I understand they are going through a massive life event and some immaturity is warranted- however, the way they acted had me stunned at points. Another reason I rounded down was the other relationships happening within the book. A lot of them felt like after effects. The love triangles got quite confusing to me- not that the relationships themselves were complicated more so the fact that there was multiple happening through the whole book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dutton Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review :)

Give me every book written by Hannah Orenstein, I'll read it. I've been following her in social media for many years, even before she published her first novel. I was very excited when I saw the premise of Maine Characters because I knew I was going to imagine the scenery perfectly well thanks to Hannah's pictures of her summers in Maine.

Vivian and Lucy are two estranged sisters that get to meet each other on their father's lake house after his passing. One of them knows about the existence of the other sister, and the other doesn't. They both struggle to understand why their father led a secret double life instead of coming clean. Now that he's gone, Vivian wants to sell the lake house, take the money and forget all of this drama. But Lucy considers that house her home and, as his daughter, thinks she deserves a say in the matter.

This book was very entertaining with its fair share of messiness and plot twists up to the very end. With each book I read by Hannah, I can notice her growth as a writer and makes me excited to read her future work. Maine Characters is the perfect summer book to read by the water accompanied by a chilled glass of wine. Now, time to plan a trip to Maine.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book! I've enjoyed every Hannah Orenstein book I've read so far, and this one is no exception. When Vivian Levy's father Hank unexpectedly dies on Father's Day, she is left with a grieving mother and his lake house in a small town in Maine. She has enjoyed spending time with him there every August, but she is planning to sell the house to get money to open her own wine bar in NYC. However when she arrives at the house in late June, she finds someone already there - her secret half-sister Lucy that she didn't even know existed. He would spend the month of July up at the lake with her, before Vivian arrived in August - the two girls, only 6 months apart in age, never met. Now that he's gone, Vivian and Lucy must figure out how to live with each other and what to do about the house. This was such a good read, with really good character development. I found myself rooting for both Lucy and Vivian, and hoping they would be able to put their differences aside to find friendship. All of the side stories were interesting, and there was even a small twist at the end that I didn't see coming. I did think it was a little *too* long, and some of the plot wasn't really necessary, but overall I loved it. Definitely add this to your summer reading list!

I really enjoyed this book, I felt in some ways it was marketed as a rom com and while it is a love story it’s a love story amongst sisters with a little romance for each on the side. I loved the character development and felt it ended perfectly. Would definitely recommend to a friend.

DNFed. I was pretty excited to read this book thought I don't think my expectations were all too high. The characters were interesting enough but infound the plotline to be too chaotic and writing was not for me.

Two half sisters who meet for the first time at their father's lake house in Maine find that despite their differences, they have a lot more in common than they realize. Secrets will be revealed and traumas will be healed.

While reading this book Sally Rooney kept coming to mind. This book is full of very flawed people and I typically enjoy that during my reading, the more messed up the better, especially when there is a strong arc for their character in the end. I did shed some tears at the very end of this book and appreciate the dedication and love the author has for this story.

But-

The plot lacked clues. And when I say that, I mean that it felt like this author would reveal a twist for the convenience of pushing the plot along. There was never any hints that this could be a potential secret before revealing and that bothered me. Whether it was there all along and I missed it or that the author and editors didn't think the breadcrumbs were necessary isn't really an excuse for me as a reader. I get emotionally involved in my reading and when the character development is the sole purpose of the plot is one thing but to allow me to enter the mind of these flawed characters is a whole other requirement for me to get over 3 stars.

But-

I was still very involved in this story and the relationship between these sisters. I was still able to relate to things and enjoyed it as a whole.
This is why I am attaching Sally Rooney on here as a reference. Her books always leave me conflicted in the end and I struggle to rate them. This one left me with the same feeling and that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Blurbed as an adult Parent Trap, I was so excited to be approved for this but ultimately felt like it was just okay. I actually put it down and picked it up several times around other books because I wasn’t super invested in the story. The way both the FMCs were written felt like it was to really emphasize their differences, but it was almost too far in each direction. I just wanted more and I didn’t love this as much as I anticipated I would.

What a gorgeous cover on this novel!
From the moment I saw the cover of Maine Characters, I was drawn in.
From that first page, I was hooked. I will say that this was an emotional read and very rarely, will I say that about a book. Only a handful of books have an ability to emotionally get me like Maine Characters did.

We have our two mfc, Lucy and Vivian, who share the same dad, Hank, but were raised apart from each other. He suddenly passes away, and Lucy and Vivian decide to meet up at his cabin, which is on a lake in Maine.
I probably would've rated this higher, but it had a lot of characterization and love stories to keep up with, so if you loved drama, then this is for you.
Lucy is just your average local Maine girl stuck in a loveless, stagnant marriage. Vivian is a hoity toity uppity spoiled brat who lives on the upper west side of New York. As they come together at Hank's cabin on the lake, secrets will come out and be revealed. These secrets will have lifelong impacts on their lives.
🏵 beautiful Maine setting
⛱️ lake house
🏵 family drama
⛱️ large family
🏵parent trap vibes
⛱️emotional read

A big thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books Dutton for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Expected publication May 13, 2025

I came for the nostalgic vibes of spending a summer in Maine, one of my favorite vacations! This just fell a little flat for me, I needed more follow up!

With a monotonous plot line, mostly insufferable main characters, and a good dose of predictability, a summer spent in Maine could’ve been much more intriguing for two sisters. Unfortunately, this family store fell flat.

Would still very much like to thank Penguin Group and NetGalley for the ARC opportunity!

I love me a good lake-house story, and this one did not disappoint! I loved the small town-summer life insight, and the family intrigue by half-sisters meeting for the first time. There is a lot of processing grief and emotions of loss, but so interesting to read how each sister processed those feelings differently. I think the topic of infidelity was also addressed very well, as well as exploring what makes each of us happy, and having the courage to pursue what really makes us each happy in life. Now all I want this summer is a month at the lake house, with good wine and beautiful sunsets!

This book made me want to go to Maine! I thought this plot was enjoyable with an enough suspense and emotion to hold my attention. I appreciated the development of each character and the family storyline.

This book was definitely a heavier read than I was anticipating, but I loved the realistic relationships between both sisters & their moms. I can't imagine what this dynamic would feel like in "real life", but I appreciated how each woman was written as flawed, but that they could all do their best to be honest and support each other. So often, women are written as competition to each other, and even in a situation where two of these characters were directly competing for a man, they can still put their differences aside and somewhat support each other.

I was really looking forward to this book, mainly because of the title, it was okay, but I had a hard time getting through it past the 10% mark. Sadly DNFd around 20%. Because of this I am not leaving a review on my Goodreads account.

This book started out a little slow to me but as I got into it I could not put it down! Hanna Orenstein absolutely pulls you into these two step-sister's lives and she doesn't let you go until the end. There are several twists and turns that I didn't see coming and I loved every one of them. This is a must read!!

I wanted to love this book and I felt it had great potential, but I wasn’t fully invested in it. Something in it missed the mark for me. I found one of the characters is unbearable at the beginning, and the plot moved a bit slow.

If you’re into family drama, this is up your alley. This is like the epitome of daddy issues. I wasn’t sure how much I’d vibe with this book, but I ended up really enjoying it, especially with it being set in Maine. Most of the book I couldn’t decide who to root for, but the ending felt like a cozy hug to seal up all the relationship issues our two FMC’s dealt with.

Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton, for the ARC!