As someone who loves vacationing in Maine during the summer, Maine Characters gave me some serious Parent Trap vibes — in the best way possible! The story of Vivian and Lucy, two half-sisters who’ve never met but are brought together by their father’s passing, is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. Vivian, a driven sommelier with a secret, and Lucy, a small-town high school teacher dealing with a crumbling marriage, could not be more different. Yet, their shared grief and complicated family history draw them into a summer of unexpected connection and tension.

Set in a picturesque Maine lake house, the setting alone made me long for a summer getaway, and the layered family drama kept me hooked. The way the two women navigate their grief, their differences, and the messy truths about their parents' past made for an emotionally charged read. As their bond slowly unfolds over the course of the summer, I found myself rooting for them to heal and find a way to be a family after all these years apart. This book also left me craving a glass of wine, especially with Vivian’s sommelier expertise woven into the story!

This book was such a fantastic read, and now I’m so eager to dive into the author’s backlist. I can’t wait to see what other stories she’s written that will make me feel just as connected to the characters and setting as I did here. If you love family dramas with a beautiful setting, Maine Characters is a must-read!

I’ve been a fan of Hannah Orenstein’s for years! I’m calling it now Maine Characters will be one of the books of the summer! I loved sister dynamics at play in this book and setting in the family cabin was perfect!

This is a belated review but I absolutely loved Maine Characters. Hannah Orenstein is such an underrated talent and this might be her best work yet. I loved the nod to an Elin Hilderbrand-esque scandal, set in Maine rather than Nantucket. This is juicy, immersive, and a must read. A perfect beach read!

This book was cute! The setting was adorable. The characters were a bit hard to connect to. Overall I would still recommend it to friends.

When I first started reading the book, I was ready to give it a low rating because the pacing was slow and the characters were so unlikeable. However, the plot gradually drew me in, and I couldn’t stop reading. Both of the main female characters undergo significant growth, which ultimately made the ending worth it. If you enjoy family drama, like Keeping Up with the Kardashians or The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, you might enjoy this book. With all the love triangles, I honestly needed a chart to keep track of them all!

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This was my first book by Hannah Orenstein, and I really enjoyed it. I liked the unique plot, and the character growth throughout the book. I loved the location and setting. I would rate this book 3.5 stars. I wasn’t a huge fan of the 3rd person point of view, which sometimes made it confusing.

This book was such a delightful read! It’s perfect for summer and will undoubtedly be a hit. It made me long to be out on the lake, watching the sunset with my favorite drink, just like Lucy and Vivian. Although it was challenging to connect with the main characters initially, they truly grew on me as the story progressed. The character development was impressive, and I found myself proud of the choices they made by the end. Having read a few of Hannah Orenstein’s novels, I’d say this one is my favorite so far!

Wow - a perfect beach/summer read! I loved so many things about this book - sisterhood being the central plot, the descriptions of Maine and food, complete character development. This was such a fun and beautiful take on "The Parent Trap". My only critique is that it was a little too long. Some of the side plots with the romantic interests felt drawn out but overall I really enjoyed the book!

I liked this book more than I expected to! Both Lucy and Vivian are incredibly flawed and complex characters and it was hard to fully relate to either of them but seeing the growth of their relationship was so special.

I thought this book was just okay. While I enjoyed the setting of the Maine cabin, the characters and plot did not stick out to me. Regardless, I would recommend this book to those looking for a sisterhood story.

This book would be the perfect summer read. I was literally drawn in right away when in the first few pages you find out the two main characters are related.

When two women’s worlds are turned upside down they begin to analyse their own lives for what is working for them - and more importantly, what’s not - while coming to terms with a new reality: being intrinsically linked to a stranger and uncovering hidden truths.
Young adults will enjoy the pop culture and NYC references in this ‘you couldn’t make it up’ plot that delves into the loneliness that often accompanies the gruelling work of figuring out who you are.
Fans of the author should not expect the same fizzy romances of previous works but instead a rapidly moving story that demonstrates how life can change drastically over the course of a summer.
This book tackles heavy subjects with a light touch. For the best reading experience, pair with a glass of your favourite wine, and enjoy Maine Characters lakeside this summer.

I loved the concept of this story, but the execution fell flat for me. This is a long book but I still feel the characters felt one-dimensional and I found it hard to root for anyone or feel satisfied at their growth. This felt pretty slow and I think a lot could have been cut. A bit of a bummer overall.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"Maine Characters" was such a fun read! The story of Lucy and Vivian, two half-sisters meeting for the first time after their dad's unexpected death, really drew me in. I loved how their relationship evolved, filled with ups and downs, secrets, and moments of forgiveness. The characters felt so real, with their flaws and all, making it hard to choose sides at times. The small-town setting of Fox Hill added a cozy vibe, and the lake scenes brought back fond memories of my own family trips. It was a heartfelt journey through grief and sisterhood, with a touch of humor and charm.

I liked reading Maine Characters. Two half-sisters meet for the first time after their fathers’ unexpected passing. I loved the character growth and how the relationship between Lucy and Vivian grew as the book progressed. It dealt with revealed secrets, anger, grief, and forgiveness well. There were quite a few bad decisions made along the way, but I really liked how it all ended.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All opinions expressed above are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The cover of this book is stunning and immediately caught my attention. Like so many, the idea of a summer in Maine is so dreamy so I was instantly drawn to this book. When I saw that this book was compared to a grown-up Parent Trap, I was certainly intrigued. Two half-sisters show up at their dad's cabin in Maine in July only to be completely surprised by each other's arrival (and for one, the existence of a half-sister is also a surprise). Their dad has passed away and one sister wants to sell the cabin while the other needs the cabin to stay in her life. Both sisters are dealing with challenges in their life and the cabin seems to be the one asset that would help in dealing with those issues. But coming to an agreement is going to be their biggest challenge of the summer.

The setting of this book is perfection. I loved reading about this cabin on the lake. It was my favorite part of this book. Unfortunately, the characters just didn't resonate with me and there were too many love triangles to keep up with in this book. I appreciated the growth of the sisters' relationship and the story kept an appropriate pace. It was a nice light good summer read.

Was hoping for more with this, especially with the beautiful cover. Ended up not really connecting with either character and just couldn’t get into the plot.

This one was a hard 1 for me to get into. But once I got into it, I enjoyed it. We have Lucy and Vivian, who are sisters with a twist, Lucy knows about Vivian. What Vivian doesn't really know about Lucy, but they come face-to-face at their father's summer cabin after his death. Unfortunately, so they can't find out What led to them not knowing about each other, but as they get to know each other over the next month, they learn more about themselves as well. I would like to see another book with the same characters. Because I feel like their stories aren't over but it was a good read, good summer, read

The cover of this book is stunning and the marketing of it as “parent trap but for adults” made me super excited for this story, which unfortunately fell pretty flat. Rather than being a novel about two half sisters discovering each other and making up for lost time in their late father’s cabin on the lake, it was more about each sister’s romantic exploits. I felt the POV changes to be unnecessary and the pacing to be off as well, in addition to a few instances where past tense was used instead of the present tense the majority of the book was written in. I think the complex and imperfect mother daughter relationships were well done, and the setting was beautiful — though there may have been one too many mentions of loons.

Maine Characters brings together Hank’s daughters together that had never met and barely (read mostly) knew about each other. Lucy is a teacher and full time Maine resident and the complete opposite of her hardcore NYC sister. This book highlights grief and how 4 different women in Hank’s life grieve his untimely passing and how that can alter your life on a different path than what you planned.

This book shows how secrets come to life and a good reminder that everything and every family is not as perfect as they seem. I loved the character arches but had difficulty resonating with the main characters. A solid 3.5 stars from me.