This was a sweet premise but honestly the characters didn’t really click for me. I liked the sister relationship but don’t feel like we got to know much about the sisters individually beyond their cliche personality traits and their love interests (and why did we spend so much time on their love interests.) An easy beach read but you don’t need to bump this one up your TBR.

I truly enjoyed this read! I love watching the character building and relationship form between Vivian and Lucy. Flawed characters that you learn to love and root for.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to have an arc of this book! 💗

This is my first book from Hannah Orenstein and it was certainly a messy, emotional, vulnerable ride.
When Vivian makes the trip from New York to Maine on a mission to sell her father's lake house, she runs into an unexpected problem: her half-sister, Lucy, whom she's never met. Maine Characters follows these two as they navigate their new reality.

Hannah Orenstein's wititing is wonderful. She not only tackles the complexities of both Vivian & Lucy's characters, but their relationship, so well. These two are layered and difficult. I found myself getting so frustrated and annoyed with both of them, but also sat back and understood their messiness. Both of them are battling a world of emotions neither one has been prepared for—grief, anger, jealousy, resentment. Some of the things they said to each other hurt ME. That being said, the character development is well done, believable, and genuine. The romance in this is minimal, a little messy, but I do really appreciate what Hannah Orenstein did with it. It was a catalyst for a lot of personal growth between Vivian & Lucy, and it was well done as a whole! The setting was lovely! So cozy & inviting, and definitely worked in contrast to the harsh nature of Vivian and Lucy's relationship.

The end of this book was beautifully done, emotional, and filled with so much vulnerability. I think it was a beautiful way to close out Vivian and Lucy's story, and all of the drama that existed in this book!!

Overall, I did enjoy this one, but I didn't connect with as strongly as I would have hoped & that is totally fine! The writing is great, the story is intriguing, the characters are frustrating but understandable. It was a story that I wanted to keep reading! I think this would be a great audio read. I do recommend checking this one out for yourself :)

A modern-day Parent Trap set in cozy Maine? I was liked it from the start!

Vivian and Lucy share the same dad - but they are worlds apart. After their dad's unexpected death, the half-sisters meet for the first time at his beloved lake cabin. Vivian is determined to sell the house and move on with her life, while Lucy is just as determined to hold onto the house and all its memories. Forced to spend the summer together, they confront old secrets and slowly begin to build a connection with each other. Plus, they do have some fun along the way. This was such a thoughtful look at blended families and the messy process of healing after a loss.

I rated it 4 stars because, at times, the characters fell a bit flat for me. You can only read so much about Vivian being the spoiled city girl and Lucy being the secret child before it starts to feel repetitive. Also, hated the various cheating tropes. The pacing also slowed with long setting descriptions. Honestly, I found myself wanting more development for the side characters and their relationships. I did love the ending, and overall, I enjoyed this - an easy, summer read!

Thanks to Net Galley, PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, and Hannah Orenstein for granting me access to this book. All opinions are my own.

This story revolves around half sisters who were made to come together after the death of their father. These women couldn’t be any more different from each other. There are secrets floating about and emotions running high. This is a great book to read on the beach! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Upon their father’s unexpected death, two half-sisters had never met prior to finding themselves sharing more than just their father's lake house in Maine for the remainder of the summer. Both are quite different than the other due to how they were raised, and they now have a major conflict with the lake house. One wants to sell immediately-the other to keep it. The book deals with sister relationships, secrets, the loss of a parent and love triangles. I’m only scratching the surface, there is so much more to this story. I liked that it is more of a family drama than romance, and seeing the fruition of personal growth in both women with each learning more about themselves.. and I loved the lake setting, perfectly reminiscent of my own childhood. 3.5 rounded up — Pub. 5/13/25

If you're looking for a sweeping summer romance you won't find it in this book BUT if you like stories about sisters, family secrets and nostalgic lake homes set in rural Maine, this will be for you! Not to mention the cover is GORGEOUS!

Two half sisters, Lucy and Vivian are brought together after their father's sudden death and spend a summer getting to know one another and figuring out what they want to do with their lives going forward. They also have to negotiate their mother's complicated feelings and decide whether to keep or sell their father's vacation home.

There's some romance, a lot of self-realization, forgiveness and healing. Good on audio narrated by Mara Wilson and recommended for fans of Ali Brady or Favorite daughter by Morgan Dick. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review.

CW: infidelity (a lot of it)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Maine Characters is the story of two half-sisters and the father/lake town in Maine that connects them both after his sudden passing. This story was very engaging; the plot moved well and the writing was well-paced and well-written! I enjoyed a lot about this, especially the Maine-vibes and the emotions in the relationships of our two main FMCs. However, I think this will suffer from a bit of mis-marketing. Dubbing this as a “parent trap for adults” and having a main genre as ‘romance’ feels misleading after finishing this book; this is a literary fiction story focused on grief and family that you didn’t know was family. Both Vivian and Lucy make questionable choices, and honestly were frustrating at times, but felt very real and relatable. I wish the plot had focused more on them than the men in their lives, and that the resolution had been more fleshed out (rounding down for this reason mostly). But overall, this is an enjoyable summer read, and I loved the vibes!!

This started off a bit slow but it really starts to take off around the 20% mark. 2 long lost sisters come together after their father suddenly dies. That’s about the only similarity between this and The Parent Trap. There is a bit of romance but this is Women’s Fiction. I appreciated the Jewish rep as well though minimal. And I liked how there were twists up until the very end. Overall, I enjoyed this but I wish it had been written in the first person. I also really want to revisit Maine now.

Trigger warning: Book deals heavily with infidelity.

Pet peeve: In The Parent Trap(1998), Hallie is the one who told the mother that the arrangement sucked, not Annie. Hopefully, that was fixed in the published book.

Thank you Dutton and NetGalley for the ARC!

3/5 - An enjoyable family drama in an idyllic setting! The premise of this story - half sisters who come face to face with their existence after their father’s untimely death - was great and I loved how it wasn’t overtly happy. This situation was complicated and the characters were too - Orenstein really explores grief, loss, identity, parenting-child relationships specifically and complex family dynamics generally, and she does it well! I loved how this was more about four unique women than anything else.

I struggled a bit with the formatting and tense (third person with dual POV but rotating perspectives within each chapter) and didn’t feel ultra connected emotionally to either FMC. But I really loved the story and the emphasis on sisterhood and familial over romantic love.

Thank you @netgalley and Dutton for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Set against the backdrop of a lakeside summer in Maine, the novel explores the complicated dynamics between two half-sisters — Vivian, a New York sommelier grappling with her father’s death, and Lucy, who spent summers with the same man but never felt fully claimed by him.

The setting perfectly complements the simmering tensions between the sisters, providing a sense of place that is both idyllic and isolating. The lake house serves as a metaphorical battleground for their clashing versions of their father and their unresolved resentment. Despite the weighty subject matter, Orenstein keeps the tone balanced, making it an ideal summer read that’s both poignant and comforting.

The character work is exceptional. Vivian and Lucy are strong, distinct foils for each other, each flawed in ways that feel both realistic and relatable. The way Orenstein addresses generational resentment and complicated family legacies, particularly through Vivian’s prickly, guarded nature, is especially well done.

Another highlight: the food and wine descriptions are exquisite. As a sommelier, Vivian’s passion for food is woven into the narrative, and those sensory details bring a richness to the reading experience that will absolutely delight foodies and wine lovers alike.

All in all, this is a summer read that’s as thought-provoking as it is evocative, leaving readers with a compelling exploration of family, forgiveness, and finding closure.

This was a cute parent trap-ish story set in scenic Maine. It was fun to read a book set in one of my favorite places and Hannah Orenstein described it perfectly.

There were ALOT of characters that I passionately disliked (which I guess is a compliment to the author)! Celeste, Oscar, Patrick and Vivian (for the first half of the book) were all terrible! Lucy and Dawn were perfect though!

Thank you to NetGalley, Hannah Orenstein and the Penguin Group for this ARC!

I am so sad to say, this brilliant front cover was the best thing about this book.

This novel is the story of Vivian and Lucy, half-sisters who meet for the first time at their Father’s cabin. Each of them grew up spending a month of the Summer with him there. But never (very intentionally) did their Father let their paths cross.

So SURPRISE!! They meet and hate each other within minutes. One sister wants to sell the cabin. The other one is grieving her memories there. It’s a lot of emotions.

What really didn’t work for me about this book was all the relationships. There were like four love triangles in this book and all so unhealthy. One sister was in a relationship with her married boss, but flirting with a local guy and then the other sister is married but marriage is in trouble and so starts dating another guy… and the infidelity, the lying, the drama absolutely wasn’t it for me. The sisters (Vivian in particular) were just insufferable. I completely understand that they were going through grieving but that’s no excuse for 31-year-old women to act like 15-year-old girls.

Unfortunately this just wasn’t the Maine-Lakeside-Summer read I was hoping for.

I really enjoyed this one. I found the sibling dynamic to be interesting. While I liked it, I did think it was a bit long and thought it could've been shorter.

3.5⭐️
First off let’s give some claps for this stunning cover!! The cover drew me in and I knew I had to request this one. The writing and vibes reminded me a lot of Carley Fortune’s descriptive writing. Hannah did a really good job of setting all the scenery and imagery of Maine and grounding the story in the setting.

Maine Characters is a story of two sisters, Vivian and Lucy, who didn’t grow up together but meet at a cabin in Maine after their father died. Vivian, who grew up and lived in NYC her whole life, grew up with moderate wealth while Lucy grew up in a slower paced life in Maine. Vivian made some questionable choices in this one that had me questioning her and I didn’t love Lucy at the beginning as she kept judging Vivian based off of her upbringing when that was not her choice. However, as the story progressed and I began to understand them more, I ended up really liking them! The ending resolution between the sisters was really sweet. I wasn’t a big fan of either “romance” for each sister in this one but I didn’t mind too much because I was only really invested in the sisters trying to make new connections with each other. If you love books with family drama and family dynamics, I definitely recommend picking this one up especially in the summer!!

A big thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books Dutton for the e-ARC in exchange for my review!

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Dutton & Hannah Orenstein for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Who do I gotta talk to at the publishers in the genre picking department? Romance: minor subplot at most. Women's fiction all the way here. AND a wonderful women's fiction, at that. Romance: 3 stars. Women's Fiction: 5 stars. Uncheck the romance box here.. leave it alone. Let it be a little something special within this women's fiction journey. With that said- I'm giving this 5 stars, as the book deserves it!

What a tumultuous tale of two half sisters, their mothers and one dad. This story is heavy on fresh grief due to the unexpected death of Dad. This story unpacks the pain and heartache of there being FIVE sides of the same story.

The setting is EXQUISITE! If you love Carley Fortune's northern lake settings- but are ready for something a little emotionally deeper- look no further than this book.

4.5 raised to 5

One Father with secrets. Two mother’s keeping those secrets. Two stepsisters kept apart on purpose with only hints of the each other. A truth that comes out in a tragic way. A modern day Parent Trap.

The gorgeous cover and blurb made me request it. The author’s writing made me love this book. I have heard of this author, have never read her, but now consider me a fan. Don’t let the light and airy cover fool you, this book deals with a life changing situation. It was so graphically written that I felt I was on a lake vacation. The characters and their development was so enjoyable and relatable. Each one coming to terms with the situation, growing in the process and demanding more of and for themselves. But, there a so many light moments that made me smile. I really loved this story of growth and found family. Add this book to you TBR List now.

Thanks to Dutton Books and NetGalley for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.

Anyone who follows Hannah (the author) on Instagram will recognize many elements of this book. The loons, the sunsets, “wine speed” on the boat. She did a great job conveying her family’s summer spot and building a strong story around it.

There were some dicey parts in the middle where I REALLY didn’t like what Vivian was doing and was hoping the rest of the book was not going in that direction. I was glad when things turned around.

Belying the beautiful cover, this isn’t a fluffy fun beach read. There is a lot of grief, conflict, fallibility, humanity, but also love in this book. No one here is perfect, just like no one in real life is perfect. But it makes for a really good story.

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

ARC/ALC REVIEW

Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein
5 STARS

Thank you Penguin Group Dutton for the free finished copy of this book and another thank you to PRHA for the free audiobook! #PRHAudioPartner TAG AUTHOR (HASTAGS)

SYNOPSIS: Half-sisters Vivian and Lucy, raised apart and unaware of each other, are forced to share a summer at their late father’s lake house. Vivian, a New York sommelier, plans to sell the cabin, while Lucy, a small-town teacher, wants to keep it. As tension builds, they confront secrets, betrayal, and long-buried truths.

REVIEW: Maine Characters is an absolute must if you like stories of women’s relationships and family drama. I thoroughly enjoyed this one! The setting, the characters, the complex relationships…it all came together for a beautiful book.

This book is described as a grown-up parent trap, and it definitely has those vibes…with a touch more affair and many, many secrets. I was hooked from the first page.

There are many lovely things about Maine Characters, but the grown of friendship between the sisters was my absolute favorite aspects of the plot.

Dutton was kind enough to give me a GORGEOUS finished copy of this book, and I read it while immersing myself into the audio, which was beautifully performed by the talented Mara Wilson.

While this is the first book I’ve read by Hannah, it will not be my last! I’m excited to dive into her backlist as soon as possible.

Publisher: Dutton
Pub date: 5/13/25

From the very first paragraph, Maine Characters had me completely hooked. Hannah Orenstein’s writing immediately drew me in with its sharp voice, emotional depth, and that unmistakable summer-in-New-England vibe. What truly made this book stand out for me was the dual point of view—we get to see both sisters, Vivian and Lucy, navigate love, family, and self-discovery from their own perspectives, which added so much richness and nuance to the story.

I’m a huge fan of books where I have a love-hate relationship with the characters, and this one absolutely delivered. There were moments I was fully rooting for Vivian, and others where my heart leaned toward Lucy. The tension between them felt so real and layered, and I appreciated how complex and emotionally grounded their relationship was. Nothing felt one-dimensional.

The romantic storylines for both sisters were also a highlight—they were fun, heartfelt, and full of just the right amount of drama and charm. Orenstein did a fantastic job making me care deeply about both romances while keeping the family dynamic at the heart of the story.

Overall, Maine Characters was a great read—entertaining, emotionally satisfying, and beautifully written. I didn’t want it to end.