I was super excited to read this book… I love the cover art, the title is cute, and how could you not love a Parent Trap comp?! Unfortunately, I had trouble connecting with the characters, which led me to not feel invested in the story. Orenstein is undoubtedly a talented writer… this just was not the book for me.

I've been waiting for what seems like FOREVS for this book! I love Hannah's writing. I thought this book was so adorable and easy to read. The perfect summer book to take outside in the sunshine! There are definitely some heavier topics throughout but the overall tone of the book was light. If you love books where everything ties up a little ~too~ perfectly in the end, you'll love this. If you're looking for something realistic, you prob won't find it here. That being said, this is exactly what I was needing to read at the time so it was perfect for me. It's giving parent trap!!!!

thank you as always netgalley and dutton for this ARC !! truly meant the world to have a little early access to hannah!!

I loved reading Maine Characters. It was so beautifully written. You really felt like you were there at the lake. I feel like the underlying theme of the books is growth. Each individual grew throughout the story. Each grew within their respective relationships. The relationship between Vivian and Lucy was my favorite. With the relationship between Vivian and Celeste coming in a close second.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein is described as “parent trap for adults” and immediately I was hooked. Vivian, the NYC it-girl sommelier, and Lucy, the small town Maine high school teacher, meet for the first time after their father dies unexpectedly. They spend the summer together in their family’s Maine vacation home swapping family secrets and revealing the secret past of their father, Hank.

I’ve followed Hannah Orenstein for a while and love her shared summer stories in Maine with her own family. Including her nightly sunset ratings! She captures the beauty of a relaxed summer in a remote Maine lake town with added family drama. While the story is mainly about Vivian and Lucy’s relationship we also get to see the meeting of their mothers and of course a sprinkling of romance along the way.

It’s the perfect summer read with all the family drama and romance!

I absolutely devoured this book and loved every second! Such a cute modern take on “The Parent Trap” while giving a realistic take on grief and life’s unexpected twists. Will be buying myself a copy when it releases!

This was my first Hannah Orenstein novel and I'll definitely be back for more. The book begins with Vivian going to her father's lake house to get it ready to sell, after the sudden passing of her father. When she arrives, the house is currently being occupied with the half sister she never knew she had (though she had her suspicions). Lucy was at the lake house waiting for her father to arrive in a few weeks after she lost her job and her husband to a pending divorce. Lucy had waited her whole life hoping to meet Vivian, but it didn't go the way she had dreamed.

The story explored an interesting dynamic of two girls who seemed like they wanted to get along but just couldn't figure out how. It led to some great character growth of both girls (and there mothers) and turned them into likable characters by the end. The story started a little bit slow for me, but really picked up once the scene was set.

I really was excited to read this.
The cover art initially drew me in. It's stunning and makes me want to go on vacation to a beautiful lake house.
The two main characters were frustrating. Usually I become very invested in a character and I just had trouble with either one. This book took me forever to read. There were several times that I took a break from it to read other books.
Thank you Netgalley for this early read.

Having read several of Hannah Orenstein’s previous novels I was excited to see her newest, Maine Characters. The cover is beautiful, the setting is perfection (I love Maine), and the synopsis sounded intriguing.

Two half sisters, Vivian and Lucy meet for the first time at their dad’s lake house in Maine, after his unexpected death. Maine Characters follows their shock upon meeting and navigating the grief they feel for losing their dad, along with the anger about what he hid from them. They spend the summer unwinding all the lies they have heard over the years, while navigating changes in their own lives. It is not necessarily a breezy summer read. But the setting was perfection, and there was depth to the characters.

While I enjoyed this book, it probably wasn’t my favorite of Orenstein’s. But I did spend a few days reading all around San Diego while I was there for work. From morning coffee, to post beachside walks and dinner with a view, it kept my attention to see what would happen to this pair of sisters.

“Their broken pieces aren’t just shards but files, sanding down each other’s painfully sharp edges into something soft.”

Thank you Dutton for this eARC copy to read and review.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a digital ARC of “Maine Characters”.

I was drawn to this book thanks to its gorgeous cover and premise of it being a more serious adult version of Parent Trap. However, I realized at about 15% that this book is not for me. The plot is slow and I wasn’t invested in the characters enough to keep going. The book is well written, don’t get me wrong, but once I realized I didn’t care how the book ended, I knew it was time to put this one aside,

If you’re looking for a character based, contemporary fiction that discusses grief and the consequences of infidelity, this could be the book for you. I’d recommend reading some more positive reviews if you’re still intrigued!

A new book from Hannah Orenstein (a never-miss author for me) that references The Parent Trap in the blurb? Sign me up!

Maine Characters tells the story of two half sisters unintentionally spending the summer together at their dad’s lake house after their father dies. One sister had the time with their father, the other had the memories. Their unique experiences with their father and how they grew up clash as they get to know each other and decide how to move forward with their lives, as both sisters are at a crossroads.

This book was a bit more serious in tone than Hannah’s other books, in that the characters faced deeper problems, like divorce, cheating, and familial relationships. But the characters are relatable and the story wraps up in a way I enjoyed.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review, and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a fresh take on a summer read!

I was drawn to the book because of the beautiful cover and the title. I have family in Maine and I visit pretty often, so I loved reading about places I've visited. I thought Orenstein was descriptive with the setting and felt like I was exploring Fox Hill with the characters. I also liked how different the two main characters, Vivian and Lucy, were, and especially found it interesting learning all about wine through Vivian's character.

I honestly feel pretty neutral about the book overall because all of the characters were so surface level and some were outright annoying. The plot points were also so easy to guess, and it felt like I was reading a book where I knew everything that was going to happen before it did. Another thing was the spacing/formatting of the book. Orenstein included so many unnecessary page breaks, especially when the scene is just a continuation of the following one.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the e-ARC!

Will absolutely be buying a copy of this when it releases. I follow Hannah Orenstein on social media so I feel like I watched this story be born. An ode to a place so special to her, and that I personally love as well. The descriptions of the house, lake, and the loons were easily imagined. Vivian and Lucy couldn’t be more different but so much the same.
I loved all the side characters, and despite Lucy and Vivian being bratty at times- I was rooting for them. Adult parent trap was a great synopsis, and I liked the nods to the actual movie in the story. The topics of grief, divorce, forgiveness and friendship were so well done.
Love this one & can’t wait for more from Hannah!

Let’s start with the obvious: the cover is stunning. It’s what first caught my eye and made me pick up Maine Characters—that dreamy, coastal aesthetic promised a heartfelt summer story. And to its credit, the setting absolutely delivered. The Maine backdrop was vivid and atmospheric, and I felt fully transported to that quiet lakeside cabin.

The plot had a strong emotional core: sisters Vivian and Lucy, strangers until the death of their shared father, are forced to reckon with grief, old secrets, and the uncomfortable reality of suddenly sharing a legacy neither expected. There’s a solid concept here, and I appreciated the last 100 pages when the emotional payoffs finally started to land.

But getting there? That was rough. I struggled to connect with either sister for the majority of the book. Vivian’s judgmental nature and questionable taste in boyfriends (seriously, why?) made her hard to root for, and Lucy’s nonstop complaining and sense of entitlement grated on me. I wanted to care about their journey, but for a long stretch, I just… didn’t.

The pacing didn’t help either. So much of the emotional resolution was crammed into the final third that it made the earlier chapters feel unnecessarily slow and frustrating. And while the writing wasn’t bad, it often felt a bit forced—like the dialogue and emotions didn’t quite land with the authenticity I was hoping for.

I wanted to love this. The location was dreamy, the premise had promise, and I’m always here for complicated family dynamics. But in the end, this just wasn’t the right book for me. That said, if you’re someone who loves stories of estranged siblings finding their way back to each other—with a lot of emotional detours along the way—this might be your kind of read.

Vivian and Lucy don’t know each other - yet. They have one thing in common. They share a father, who just passed away. Every summer, they each spent a month with their father, at his summer cottage on the lake, though they didn’t know about each other’s month. Vivian, a privileged, moderately wealthy woman, who grew up with everything she could ever need, goes to the cottage with plans to clean it up to get ready to put on the market. Lucy, a teacher on the cusp of divorce, who’s spent life barely making ends meet alongside her single mom, is already there at the cottage when Vivian arrives. Off to a rocky start, the two women try to put the pieces of their father’s past together, but not without conflict and dispute. Not only do they try to make sense of the lives they’ve lived up until now, and their father’s secrets, but also- what do they do with the cottage? Vivian is keen on selling it to use the money for a business venture, and Lucy can’t bear the thought of giving up a place that holds so many cherished memories. The book follows the women through navigating all of these intertwined challenges.

I enjoyed this book! I was on the fence between 3-4 stars. I ended up rounding down, due to the fact I didn’t find either of the two main characters to be very lovable. I found aspects of both of their personalities to be a bit annoying and selfish. However, I LOVED the setting- it gave me Carley Fortune vibes! I also enjoyed the romantic elements, a slight plot twist I didn’t see coming, and I liked the happy ending the way everything tied up at the end. I thought it was a good premise for a storyline and plot. Overall, I enjoyed the book, despite the characters- and I would read this author again!

Read if you enjoy:
🏠 cottage setting
👯‍♀️ half sisters
🌊 lake vibes
🤫 family secrets
💕 romantic elements
🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 family drama
🔁 dual POVs

I read this book via Kindle format, courtesy of @NetGalley!

After her father’s death, Vivian returns to the small town in Maine where she spent one month each summer with him at his lake house. Surprised to find a car in the driveway, she is stunned to meet Lucy, her half-sister. Though Lucy suspected her father might be hiding something from her, the enormity of a second family crushes her. She’s come to scatter her father’s ashes and instead discovers that she knew little of the man who was so often gone on long business trips. Lucy has arrived to spend July at the lake house. It has always been her month with her father. The sisters couldn’t be more different. Vivian is a sommelier at a prestigious New York restaurant. Lucy teaches high school English. Amid tears and recriminations, they spend the first night together at the lake house wondering how to go forward.

Untangling relationships and memories, the lake house becomes an incubator forming new bonds and a clarity to see the future. The long, languid summer burned by sparks and drowned in tears, witnesses a poignant story of the frailty and imperfection of the humans we are and love. The cast of secondary characters adds authenticity and depth.

⭐️: 4/5

Maine Characters was compared to a modern day, adult version of The Parent Trap, which obviously is a great movie (the Lindsey Lohan one, obvi), and while I definitely see the thematic and plot comparisons, I think what this one was missing was main character likability. I spent most of this book being irritated, annoyed, and sometimes angry at the absolute short-sightedness and hypocrisy of Lucy. Vivian wasn’t too much better, with her moral lapses, but to be honest, I think what bugged me the most about Vivian was that she didn’t put Lucy in her place more. Both were 30 year old women acting like children with their secret-keeping and avoidance, but it was Lucy’s self righteousness that had me wanting to legitimately hit her.

I think this one may have hit a little too close to home for me being totally honest. But here’s the thing that I don’t think is represented factually (at least to me, based on my experience) in books that claim to tackle issues and familial situations like this: when there’s a two family situation with two daughters, each with a different mother but the same father, when one gets something like a “nuclear family”, it is a DIRECT consequence that the other does NOT get that. So from my personal experience, most books don’t hit the correct emotions involving that, and this book was no different.

I digress though, because while I did have a few personal issues with the books and the characterization of some characters, I did enjoy this read. I love a small town, and I loved that the romance element took a backseat to the relationship between Lucy and Vivian. This was definitely an “in a perfect world”, “warm fuzzies” book, but sometimes those are exactly what you need to read to believe that there are good, caring people in the world, even if in this case, it’s a fiction book.

Thank you to @netgalley and @duttonbooks for providing this eARC for my review!!

Thank you NetGalley & Dutton Books for the eARC copy of Maine Characters!!

Vivian and Lucy are some of the most human characters that I've encountered in a while. I wanted to hug them, I wanted to yell at them, I wanted to share a glass of wine with them, and everything in between. Yes, they were a bit insufferable at times, but that's one of the most inherently human things about them. They aren't perfect, but they aren't supposed to be! Fighting one second and getting along the next is a core part of sisterhood, and for that I found Vivian and Lucy's journey incredibly relatable.

At its core, I think this story is about imperfect people making imperfect choices, and reckoning with how life could've been if things had turned out differently.

My initial interest in this book stemmed from the interesting premise and the absolutely stunning cover, and I'm glad that the book ended up being as good as I hoped it would be.

3.75⭐️
Thank you Dutton & NetGalley for the e-ARC!
This book was not what I was expecting, but I did end up really enjoying it overall!
This is sort of Parent-Trap esque as it follows two half-sisters who didn’t grow up together but reconnected after their dad died.
At first I did have trouble getting into the story and also didn’t really love one of our MCs. However, this grew on me quickly and I really liked it, especially the second half of the book!
Maine Characters has a few crumbs of romance but is ultimately about family and relationships, which I really enjoyed the story focusing mainly on.
As it’s set in Maine, the story and their time at the lake house was so atmospheric and beautiful - this makes for a great summer read!
All in all, I would recommend🤍

When Lucy arrives at her dad Hank’s lake house in Fox Hill, Maine for her annual month-long summer stay, she’s expecting to enjoy some quality time with her dad. Instead, she finds the house empty. Not long after, a stranger arrives — with Hank’s ashes in hand. The woman turns out to be not a stranger at all, but Lucy’s half-sister Vivian, whom she’s never met — the daughter Hank kept hidden in New York. Vivian says she’s there to spread Hank’s ashes and sell the house. Lucy, reeling from grief and already grappling with a crumbling marriage, is blindsided. This lake house has been her anchor, and she’s not giving it up without a fight.

What Lucy doesn’t know is that Vivian never knew about her either — and that selling the house may be the only way for her to survive her own messy life. Can these two women, raised apart and bound only by grief, find common ground… maybe even family?

I picked this one up because I fell in love with Maine a few years ago, and the setting definitely delivered that familiar cozy, small town charm. But what surprised me was how invested I became in Lucy and Vivian’s relationship. At first, they’re both a little bratty in their own ways — but the character development is so well done, layered and believable. They’re products of their circumstances, and it’s hard not to root for both of them.

The chapters are long, but they’re broken up by alternating POVs, and the author is great at dropping little hooks that make it impossible to stop reading. This would make a perfect beach or lake read — and honestly, I’d happily read a whole series following these two beyond this story.

Maine Characters is one of those books that quietly pulls you in and sticks with you long after you’ve read the last page. It follows two half-sisters, Vivian and Lucy, who’ve never met thanks to a lifetime of secrets and a very complicated dad; think parent-trap but with 30-year olds. When their father passes away they both end up at his lake house, neither expecting the other to be there. What follows is a summer full of tension, uncomfortable truths, and the slow, sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking process of finding yourself and discovering newly found family while processing the grief of loss.

Vivian is a driven sommelier from New York with a secret she’s not ready to face, while Lucy’s life in a small Maine town is coming apart at the seams. They couldn’t be more different, and watching them clash and then slowly connect makes for a really captivating read. I will say I did struggle a bit with how the dialogue is written; the book is written in third person, with POVs switching up every couple of paragraphs rather than every other chapter, which means it can sometimes be difficult to follow the dialogue and storyline. This in turn makes it difficult to really get a grasp of Vivian and Lucy and their independent personalities until about a third of the way into the book.

As someone who grew up going to a lake (or rather ocean) house in Maine in the summer, the setting was one of the main reasons I picked up this book (and the cover — STUNNING). The lake house setting adds a nostalgic, peaceful vibe that absolutely drew me in and upped the rating by a star. Hannah Orenstein does write beautifully, even if I have some qualms with her dialogue structure.

Overall, a good book to pick up and bring along on your summer vacation!

What I loved most is how real their relationship felt—awkward, painful, but also full of possibility. This book is about family, grief, and second chances, and it hits all the right notes. If you’re into character-driven stories with heart, this one’s definitely worth your time.