I’m a sucker for emotional sister plot lines, and this one hit the mark. Beware the beautiful pink, fun cover because this was an emotional ride that explores grief and family drama. I love a character-driven story, and the two sisters were definitely at the forefront of the novel. I’ve seen others say this has a Parent Trap vibe, which I agree with, but less lighthearted and goofy than the movie. Overall, a tender read that I would definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for the arc!

This book felt like stepping into summer! The way the story transports readers into this universe is mesmerizing. The story itself is heartwarming and I found the family dynamics in this book to be well executed. Will definitely recommend this to anyone who's a fan of summer reads!

When I saw this book was advertised for lovers of the Parent Trap, I was hooked! Vivian and Lucy are half sisters who meet for the first time at their dad’s cabin in Maine after his untimely death. As someone who deals with grief from parental loss, I’m drawn to books like this as a means of comfort. The complicated and messy feelings of grief really reminded me of January’s experiences in Beach Read (Emily Henry).

As a whole, I did enjoy this book! The characters were messy but I was still rooting for them throughout their struggles. I feel like at times the arguments weren’t as fleshed out as they could’ve been and we kept going back to the same argument over and over. Small sections felt a little stale because of that but overall it was an enjoyable read. I adore Maine so that was part of what drew me to the book in the first place. I also want to read Celeste’s books now!!

I enjoyed every second of this book. Love, loss and family were all such storng themes, but it wasn't too heavy. I loved that this book was set in Maine, I felt as if I was actually there at the lake house with Vivian and Lucy. At first, I had a hard time liking Vivian's character. It gave me very much black cat vibes, but when you think about her situation, it is definitely reasonable. I loved reading and watching her character develop and her relationship with Lucy grow into a true sisterhood relationship.

This is the perfect book for summer and I would love to give it a proper re-read while on the beach... or lakeside in Maine!! this book gave me a travel bug for sure.

For all my friends who grew up loving The Parent Trap, this one’s for you! First of all, can we just take a second to admire how gorgeous the cover of this book is! It’s so pretty! This was my first book by Hannah Orenstein and it won’t be my last, I loved everything about this story! From the cover to the words written inside creating this must read novel.

Aside from the gorgeous cover, let’s dive into the setting. The backdrop of this story is perfect. A cabin and the lake. What more could you ask for, but the way Hannah writes makes you feel like you’re right there. Fair warning though, it will make you want to book a lake house in Maine.

Although the setting is hard to beat, Vivian and Lucy were the heart of this story and I absolutely adored their dynamic and growth. Two sisters who share the same father but grew up apart, meet at their late father’s lake house in Maine. They navigate really hard but also really beautiful (and important) themes through out their time together so here’s a friendly reminder now before going into this book-bring a box of tissues!

This book releases May 13th.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for an arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC of Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein!

This is my first Hannah Orenstein read and I look forward to more! I was intrigued by the premise and cover - who does like the idea of a “Parent Trap for adults”?!

The setting was beautifully described, you really feel like you’re there at the lake with the characters. The characters themselves are believable - complex, flawed, and believable. The relationship dynamics - family, friend and romantic were well written and very authentic. The story grabbed me but the characters and their dynamics kept me hooked!

This would be a great summer or vacation read, lots of fun, emotional ups and downs and a feel-good resolution.

Thank you Netgalley & Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC of Maine Characters. Initially, this book was very challenging to get into, but I’m so happy that I continued. While Lucy and Vivian were both difficult characters to root for, I ended up having such a soft spot for both of them in the end. I really enjoyed seeing the growth in their relationships with one another, their mothers, and their love interests. Their personal growth and stories were also exciting & I found myself rooting for them and desiring for a continuation of their new chapters. This was my first read by Hannah Orenstein & I’m looking forward to reading more!

Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein is a charming, heartfelt read packed with romance, ambition, and coastal small-town magic. With lovable characters and breezy storytelling, it’s the perfect escape—pure summer in book form!

Maine Characters will sweep you away to summer in New England. This book handles heavy topics including the complexity of grief and forgiveness with care, and balances this heaviness with fun foodie descriptions and rom-com subplots to lighten it to something more akin to the “Parent Trap for adults” descriptor. I would recommend.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

DNF @ 20%
I cannot with these characters, they’re kind of awful.
Also cannot with one of the FMCs being in a relationship with a man, knowing he’s cheating on his wife. Cheating is such a deal breaker.

Thank you NetGalley & the publishers for this ARC approval in exchange for my honest opinion.

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.