I wouldn’t really call this a romance — it’s much more lit fic with romance as a primary driver of plot and character development. Really, this exactly scratches the itch for “rich people being messy,” which is a favorite genre of mine. I was instantly sucked into the drama, and I loved how complex the characters are — nobody is good or bad, in this book, we’re all a little in the middle. It made me think, it made me sad, and it made me laugh a little, too.

4 stars

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars
This book took me a really long time to read, and if it wasn't an ARC I probably would have DNFd. Honestly, I'm glad I finished it, but it was one of those scenarios where you question "was the book good, or was it the last 100 pages?" The last 100 pages saved this book, and it was nice seeing how everything wrapped up.

This book explores the messiness of love, of family and of finding yourself while navigating the scars love and your family have given you. It's about acceptance and forgiveness, and about realizing that our parents are also living for the first time too.

The relationship between Lucy and Vivian was frustrating in the beginning and I didn't quite understand it, it felt like a lot of miscommunication and each of them assuming what they other was thinking. I don't want to say more on that for fear of spoiling the story.

This novel was just a bet boring to me. I normally love this author, but I didn’t love this book. It was sweet and entertaining but not memorable. Thank you Bert for my free review copy.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great book to read in the summer. It really put me in a summery mood. I also liked how the author made the book feel light and summery while also weaving in more complicated, difficult stuff that the characters were dealing with.

this book hit authentic Maine vibes which is not always the case. The ending seemed slightly rushed, and I ocassionally got the resisters confused. Overall would recommend this as a great summer beach read. Great sister banter.

I mostly enjoyed this, although I felt like it was a little too long and it took me quite some time to find a reason to care about either Vivian or Lucy. I understand that they both went through difficult experiences with their father and their lives growing up were hard in different ways, but in this book they are 30ish years old. They both acted SO immature, to the point where it felt unrealistic. But I have to admit that their personalities grew on me, and I ended up enjoying the book by the end of it.

I enjoyed this book! I was initially drawn in by the beautiful cover and title. I loved the charming setting in Maine (with a nod to NYC) and I loved The Parent Trap growing up, so this book was right up my alley! It was a fun summer read full of difficult family dynamics but also an emotional read dealing with grief and pain. There was also a bit of romance, but I would say this book mostly dealt with family relationships at the forefront. This was my first book by this author, but it won’t be my last!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for this ARC of Main Characters in exchange for an honest review.

I was very excited to read this book. A local author, gorgeous cover, and seemingly great concept. I mean Parent Trap but for adults and set at a lake I grew up visiting, I expected an easy 5 stars. Unfortunately this book fell completely flat for me.

I’ll start with the good which is that Orenstein did a phenomenal job setting the scene. The descriptions of Maine were beautifully done and were truly immersive.

As for the actual story itself it wasn’t at all what I expected. I think “Parent Trap for adults” was a very misleading description. Not only did both sisters know about each other before meeting but there was barely any of the fun feuding or true bonding. Instead we got the first 70% of the book being two equally unlikeable characters treating each other like crap. Vivian is bitter and snippy and Lucy is entitled and whiny. Then they seem to bond out of nowhere without any real character development for either one.

By the end of the book the sisters and their mothers are spreading dad’s ashes together and all more or less getting along. Between the lack of character growth, multiple cheating storylines, and general annoyance with all of the characters I found myself desperate to finish just so I could be done. When the book ended with the magically unknown until now inheritance for everyone I audibly groaned and set my kindle down. I had hoped this book would be able to at least finish strong but that unfortunately wasn’t the case.

The Maine scenery was the only likeable thing about this book. Wow. I understand feeling a certain way about your dad having a secret child but between Vivian trying to move on with her life but being a spoiled brat and the stalker half sister Lucy, nothing was redeemable.

I'll look up this author for her next book.

Thank you NetGalley and Dutton for the Arc. My opinion was my own.

3.5 stars
e-ARC and Audiobook
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC! Thoughts/review are my own.*
This cover and this premise immediately sucked me in! Maine is one of my top bucket list destinations and I loved the idea of immersing myself in this world with a Parent Trap-style story (one of my favorite childhood movies!)
Unfortunately, this was not quite as Parent Trap as I'd hoped... the only real similarity is that the story is about two sisters who don't know that the other exists until they encounter each other in real life. The Maine setting does also provide some adult summer camp type vibes, but that's really where the comparisons end.
Lucy and Vivian are both interesting, complex characters - and I spent many points throughout the story annoyed with one or both of them for choices they made. I really disliked Vivian's mother as well, but found the rest of the characters to be incredibly endearing. (Except Patrick. Ew.) I really enjoyed Orenstein's rich prose, describing the characters little mannerisms, the tiny details of our lakehouse setting, the beautifully vulnerable moments between sisters and mother/daughter... I will absolutely be keeping an eye out for more by this author.
My main complaint about this novel was the length. I felt like it could've been at least 100 pages shorter, but so many points were drug-out and slow moving, and if I hadn't brought in the audiobook, I'm not sure I would've kept with it. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it - but I was also in a reading slump while trying to read this one, and a slow paced story was NOT helping that.

If you like mess this book is full of it!! Loved the dual pov and the chaos that came from it. Two sisters that don’t know their sisters until their father does and they have to confront it and each other. I will say it was a tad long but I love when conflict resolves itself!!

This was more of a book about sisters and new family than it was a romance, and I can't even say that I mind! I think both of the "Maine characters" and their mothers really changed in ways that I wasn't expecting. Read this in one day - enjoyable!

I really love this author, so I was super excited for Maine Characters, but it ended up falling a bit short for me. The lake house setting was beautiful and had so much potential, but the story just dragged and I struggled to connect with the characters. The chapters felt long, and there wasn’t as much romance as I expected. Still had a few nice moments, but overall it just didn’t hit like her others.

3.5/5
It wasn’t anything crazy or anything. But it was nice to see how the sister relationship developed as well as other ones too!

Sadly I didnt finish this book i couldn't even get into the audio. It's just something I couldn't connect too. I loved all the authors others books but this was one was different because this wasn't based on romance but more women fiction. Around two sisters and their father dying. I just had yo push myself to make it halfway. I was bummed because I loved the cover of this book and it seemed interesting

I was excited to receive an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book had all the Maine vibes, but holy cow Vivian was way too bitchy for an adult woman (acted more like a teenager) and overall unlikeable and I felt like the ending tied up loose ends a bit too neatly. However, I’ll keep reading Orenstein’s book for their interesting plots!

The most imperfectly perfect and loveable cast of characters. I love how vivid this story was, and how emotional and real it felt. More from Hannah Orenstein please!!!

I loved the whole parent trap vibe. This book was such a great read! From the very first page, the story pulled me in and kept me hooked all the way through. The writing was smooth, the pacing was spot-on, and the characters felt incredibly real and relatable. I found myself rooting for them and eagerly flipping pages to see what would happen next. There was a perfect balance of emotion, drama, and just the right touch of humor. It was one of those books that’s hard to put down. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a well-written and engaging story.

I had a hard time reading about four women fighting over a not so great guy but in the end I think they realized that fault and embraced each other. I like to see women supporting each other instead of cutting each other down. They got there eventually.

My biggest complaint is that I wanted to see them all succeed together. The “surprise” at the end kind of prevented that. More epilogue, less middle plot.

Unfortunately this was a dnf for me. I struggled to enjoy the relationship between the estranged sisters and get engaged in what was happening. I didn't really like either of the FMCs which made it difficult to keep reading. I tried and got about halfway, but this just wasn't for me.