A heartfelt, engaging story about two sisters who have an unusual situation. Vivian, a big city sommelier, was raised by her father and family. Lucy, however, is her father's other daughter. Vivian grew up never knowing about Lucy, but Lucy has always known about Vivian. When Vivian travels to their beloved Maine lakeside cottage after their father's death, she is started to find Lucy there. Can these two sisters overcome a strange past and forge into the future to become family? Great characters, an absorbing plot, and a picture perfect lakeside setting make this a great read that I look forward to recommending.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Dutton, and Jamie Knapp for the opportunity to receive an ARC of Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein!

This book has so much to enjoy. The dialogue and storyline pull you right in and truly make you feel right there in the middle of it all. The women's emotions, gut reactions, and arcs are raw and visceral. Orenstein is a fantastic writer! I kept thinking that this is the type of drama where George Clooney would be cast as the dad. Very artful and real. It was great to see things tidy up at the end for Vivian, Lucy, and their mothers and I loved the hopeful feeling it all gave me.

I'd give it a solid 3.5 stars. This type of storyline and genre isn't typically my cup of tea, but this was a great read. It's not something that will stick with me forever, but it's a wonderful feel-good tale of healing, grief, and connection in unlikely places. Perhaps perfect for your next reading club selection! I highly recommend Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein, for she is a fantastic writer and storyteller.

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Ok have to say, this book wasn’t what I was expecting at all. I went through all the emotions with these characters like I knew them myself. I found myself torn between Lucy and Vivian’s storylines. I understood the hurt and anger both sisters had but for completely different reasons. Watching both grieve the death of their father while simultaneously trying to navigate through the lies, hurt, and shock of the secrets he kept was truly a rollercoaster. I felt like I was getting caught up on secrets to turn the page and another was dropped on us.

I thought both sisters had really interesting side plots with romance and heartbreaks of their own. Usually in a book like this I’d get bored with one of the plot lines, but it wasn’t the case. I loved this story, I will be recommending it to everyone once it’s out!!

Thank you to netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

MAINE CHARACTERS by Hannah Orenstein is an absolutely beautiful story about complicated family dynamics and I loved it so, so much. I will definitely be picking up more of Orenstein's books after this! Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for the advanced copy!

Beautiful story about complicated family dynamics and finding your way together!

Maine Characters was my first book by Hannah Orenstein, but it won’t be my last! The book tells the story of two half sisters who meet for the first time after their father’s unexpected death. The book takes place at their father’s cabin in Maine and tells the story of the sisters’ journey to unravel their history and learn to accept their parents as flawed human beings who made a lot of mistakes. The characters and their lives are all rich and complicated. And the entire book was a love letter to beautiful Maine. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy!

I loved this book. This was a quick easy read and while some of the "surprises" were predictable, it didn't take away from the story. It was simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking. The ending was neat and unrealistic in the comforting way that the ending of any good rom-com should be.

When Hank Levy dies on Father's Day weekend, a set of events are triggered that exposes the secrets from his past. When Vivian arrives at her father's lake house, she unexpectedly meets the half-sister she suspected, but didn't know for sure existed. The remainder of the summer, the sisters, Vivian and Lucy, deal with their own relationship struggles as they come to terms with the separate lives their father chose to leave. Culminating with the 4 most important women in Hank's life participating in one final celebration of life, Maine Characters is a study of sisters, relationships, a love letter to Maine lake summers and coming to terms with the man that has left them all.
I received an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley.

What a delightful little read - my only real regret is that I did not read this in the spring or summer, because this feels like the perfect book to read at a lake house or on a beach.

Vivian and Lucy were both super interesting characters, and I loved getting to hear more about their background and how different their lives were while still having the same father. Yes they both got annoying at times, but overall you felt pretty strongly for both of them (or at least I did). The most interesting character though, in my opinion, was Dawn. I wanted the entire story to be about her and be flashbacks to her youth versus present day. She had the saddest but most inspiring story, and I really did love her character.

The cover also really pulled me into this novel. The colors and the lake house depiction really scream summer to me. If you like Emily Henry books, I think that you may really like this one, as it has romance but it's definitely more about a sisterly relationship instead of romantic love.

Definitely consider picking this one up! It was great!

I had a hard time getting to this book. The adult parent trap brought me in, but the characters took me a long time to start liking.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC!
I am a little blown away by how much I enjoyed this book - I've immediately added all of Orenstein's backlist to my TBR list! I loved this story - the setting, the characters, the storyline. Everything was beautifully done. I think it's fascinating how Orenstein is able to make these characters at turns irritating and loveable, selfish and thoughful. I think she does a great job of exploring the gray in everyone - no one is truly black or white. This is truly a character study - we get to watch almost every character change and grow, and I love the way the lake house almost became a character of its own.
I started out hating Vivian and liking Lucy, and I ended up deeply understanding and loving both characters. I loved the exploration of their different relationships and understandings of their father. And their different reactions to grief - I think grief was explored in a really beautiful way.
Just a truly wonderful book, I already want to read it again!

Any book set in Maine starts with at least three stars, and this one earned even more. This engaging read is told in alternating third person by two half sisters who have met for the first time at a lake house after the untimely death of their shared father. What grows from this awkward beginning is a messy, lovely story of family and how connections can be forged in the unlikeliest of ways. I truly enjoyed the humanity of the mothers, as they navigated relationships with their daughters and each other, and the fact that even they were still reeling and learning from past mistakes. And the absolutely gorgeous setting in a fictional town near Portland (with references to real places in “the city”) is the cherry on top. 👀

I was attracted to this book because of the title. I live in Maine and I enjoy reading books set here.
The story follows two half sisters who meet for the first time when they are in their early thirties at their recently deceased father’s lake house in Maine. The story takes place over the course of one summer as the sisters learn to navigate their connection admits other relationships dramas.
I would describe this book as Chick Lit. A good summer read that should appeal to Millennials and GenZ readers.

4 stars- WOW! I loved every minute of this. Thank you netgalley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Half-sisters Lucy and Vivian meet at the lake house in Maine shortly after their father Hank's death. They had never met or really knew anything about each other. Vivian is the daughter of Celeste & Hank. Lucy is the daughter of Dawn & Hank. Dawn was Hank's true love but come to find out that Celeste had done some manipulating all those years ago. This is a well written book with complicated characters. I really liked the ending. I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley and this is my honest review.

I loved this book. Read it on the heals of another book that centered about mourning but this wasn't as heavy. I loved the summer setting, the scandal, the (light) romance, everything.
Reminiscent of Every Summer after and books like that. Would recommend this to anyone!

I’ve read from this author before. I think her earlier books are such a time capsule for the era that they were released. This book’s story is more timeless. I really enjoyed it.

I don't mind imperfect and real characters, but both of these women were extremely unlikable and just could not deal with it.

This is the first book I have read by Hannah Orenstein. Two women in their 30s discover they are half sisters only after their father has died. I didn't like either "maine" character in the beginning. I couldn't believe how old they were they acted like preteens. Eventually they grew on me and I did enjoy this book.

I love a story about the complicated relationship between sisters. Maine Characters was a quick read and kept me interested throughout the whole novel. I highly recommend!

I’m partial to books about sisters; somehow these always end up in the 4-5 star range. So you can consider this a disclosure.

In the backwoods of Maine there is a lake with a run-down cabin. The cabin holds memories, but it also holds secrets. We first meet Vivian - a successful sommelier from a wealthy Upper West Side family. She seems to have it all - beauty, wealth, loving parents; until her father suddenly dies and secrets begin to surface. As she’s sorting through the aftermath of her fathers passing, she makes her way up to the cabin where she spent so many of her childhood summers.

When she arrives at the cabin, she uncovers a secret that she had all but confirmed to be true. A girl- Lucy- is waiting for her. She’s been waiting her whole life.

Once Vivian has confirmed her suspicions - that is, her father’s affair and secret love child- she is reeling with accusations. This is not a story where the sisters meet and immediately become best friends. In fact, neither of them are particularly likable. Yet, you can’t help yourself from rooting for them. While Vivian deals with a messy affair long distance, Lucy is recovering from a recent divorce. They’re both hurting, in different ways. And most of the time, that hurt is taken out on each other. It’s a stark contrast to the serene setting of the lake. The tension is palpable through the writing. Between the lines, the sisters desire a deeper connection, but they can’t quite figure out how to forge it.

Despite the unlikable characters, it’s a likeable story. The story starts off strong, and the details come through at a pace that’s just quick enough that you don’t want to put it down. If anything is left to desire, it’s the atmosphere build- it lacked the ambience I expected from a cozy little cabin on a lake. However, there is no lack of drama- however messy and a bit chaotic. I enjoyed the romantic relationships as a secondary storyline, but I found they sometimes created dissonance with the tension between the sisters. Despite the chaos, the details manage to weave their way back together with a resolution that felt like it was worth the time invested.

Overall I found this very enjoyable as a vacation read - a good combination of drama, romance, and storytelling to escape with for a moment.