I really enjoyed this one! Super cute novel that begins with two sisters who, while mourning their fathers death, are also meeting for the first time ever. While Lucy & Vivian are from essentially two different worlds, the two spend the summer together in the father’s Maine lake house. Dealing with their own traumas, relationship and family issues, the two are able to cohabitate together and face A LOT. This story is about forgiveness and shows that there’s always so much more than what’s at the surface. After all, ‘we are all just human ‘🫶
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed the back and forth in this book and character development. They were all a bit flawed but I felt like that made it a much more interesting read. I would definitely recommend this to friends and followers, especially if you’re looking for a summer Maine read.

As a seasonal Mainer, i loved this book. The lake life environment was captured. Loved the story and the characters and really appreciated how it all tied together in the end. Would love a sequel!

Thank you Dutton for a free ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Out 5/13/25, I’m sure this will be one of the bigger summer reads of next year’!

Every summer since they can remember, Sisters Vivian and Lucy spend a month with their dad at his cabin in Maine. The catch? Lucy is there all of July and Vivian is there all of August, because the sisters have never met. Lucy has always dreamed of meeting her sister - the one that grew up with an intact nuclear family and all the privileges she was denied - but Vivian grew up with nothing but suspicions. When their father died unexpectedly, the sisters are united for the first time at the cabin, and they could not be more different. Vivian is a master Sommelier, entitled, and set on selling the cabin so she can open her own wine bar with the profits. Lucy grew up in the small town town in Maine, recently separated from her husband, and cherishes both the cabin and her father. Over the course of the summer, the sisters cope with their grief, anger, relationships woes, and their complicated relationship between themselves and their father.

Loved this one. Both characters are unlikable at times but have you simultaneously rooting for them both to figure it out. The setting in Maine is perfection (and makes me want to visit asap) and I loved the family drama. Yet again - this is another book that makes me happy I do not have a sister (or a secret sibling, at that).

Maine Characters is a book centered around family secrets, navigating grief, and understanding the importance of forgiveness.  

When Hank suddenly dies, his daughter Vivian chooses to fix up and prepare his lakeside Maine cabin for sale.  The cabin wasn't a huge part of her life, but the funds secured after the sale would help her advance her life and career in the direction she'd been working toward.  But when she arrives at the cabin, she discovers it's already occupied by another woman, who she learns is Lucy - her hidden half-sister.

Vivian insists that the cabin be sold while Lucy refuses to accept its fate.  The cabin was the biggest piece of her dad she was ever able to have and losing it felt like another heartbreak she wasn't ready to face.  The two struggle to find common ground, Vivian, the big-city sommelier, and Lucy, the small-town English teacher.  The choices their dad made created bitterness between them; Vivian had received financial security and closer proximity, while Lucy experienced a month each summer at the cabin with a more emotional version of Hank.

Through the course of the summer, the sisters struggle to work through their own relationships, employment situations, and personal lives while also navigating everything that was hidden from them and the loss of what could have been.  The characters experience a roller coaster of emotions as they navigate the lies, half-truths, and how to find their way to common ground.

Set in my home state, Maine was a beautiful setting for this moving story.  It was interesting to read about places that were familiar to me, though I'm not sure why the author chose to create a fictional small town when there are so many she could have chosen from.

Overall, I really enjoyed the way the characters developed and were able to make peace with the past and create a new future with a greater understanding of each other and more confidence in themselves to make their own way.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this advanced copy.

This is such a good read, especially if you have a sister. I love the setting of this book- I’m always a fan of a small lake town. You follow two sisters and their complicated family dynamics. I would say the romance is a subplot, which I enjoyed because the character growth taking place with the sisters was much more important for this story. I think this will make for a fantastic Summer read!

sisters vivian and lucy meet for the first time at a cabin in maine, one to spread his ashes, and the other to wait for his return. this sister must stay together the summer while navigating their families past.

this book has parent trap appeal with a lot of heart. i am definitely a fan.

I was so excited to read this one and escape into summer in Maine. Unfortunately, it didn’t really work for me as I truly did not like either of the main characters. I like flawed characters, but Lucy and Vivian both annoyed me so much!! Yes they were grieving, but they were also entitled and whiny. I also feel like the conflicts got wrapped up and I didn’t really understand how/why we got where we ended up. On the positive side, I did like the place making in the book and enjoyed the descriptions of the house, lake and town. thank you to Netflix and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review!

Wow. This is such a beautiful book of grief, found family, love, and the feeling of home. This is my first Hannah Orenstein book and I really enjoyed it!! The characters were messy and real and there were secrets until the last few chapters. Maine Characters felt authentically human and perfectly displayed the messiest of family and rediscovering who you are in the aftermath of grief.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for this ARC!

I loved this! The book is compared to the Parent Trap movie for adults, and that’s the perfect way to describe it. I love the format of the book as it flips back and forth between the two sisters points of view. Two half sisters meet as adults after the passing of their father, but neither had the opportunity to know about each other from their dad himself. Vivian was the legitimate child, growing up with her mother and father in the city and vacationed with her dad at his cabin in Maine one month of the summer. Lucy was born to a local woman in Maine and never got to experience a complete family, but had a sheltered relationship with her dad only. Lucy arrives at the cabin to spend her summer month with her dad…only to find Vivian. The book shows the struggles of reconciling their family, their relationships with their dad, decades of secrets and how to move forward. Is this the opportunity to build a relationship with each other or is it far too late for these polar opposites? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I’m always a sucker for books that take place in Maine (since I’m a local), and the second I read the summary of this book I knew I had to get my hands on a copy of this arc.

It’s like The Parent Traps but for adults. You’re hooked, aren’t you? So was I. The whole book!

This book is about sisters and mothers with secrets, love and falling out of love, and what life is all about—family, the truth always coming out, and always knowing you can start over. This book made me laugh, cry, and hate men on and off throughout. Yet it also made me feel warm inside at the ending. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Thank you, NetGalley for a copy of an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed Maine Characters, as Lucy and Vivian navigate grief, family secrets, and moving on. Great character development and story. This is a perfect summer/beach read.

3.5⭐️

Parent trap and lake house setting drew me in! There’s a lot I liked about this book - the pacing was great, the side characters were sweet, and the setting was perfect.

The story follows two half sisters who find themselves at their fathers lake house. One sister grew up with her dad and the other was hidden her whole life. Both Vivian and Lucy aren’t extremely likable main characters but Lucy bugged me with her accusations of Vivian growing up with money when their father supported Lucy financially as well. Also in general Lucy is upset at Vivian the whole time when it’s their father she should be mad at.

As it goes along we meet their mothers and learn the full story. Would recommend to people who like family drama, messy relationships, and a beautiful setting.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

I will start by saying that I feel terrible leaving a bad review, but I had such a hard time with this book. This story is about two thirty some years old who cannot have a mature conversation until halfway through the book. The book felt extremely long because it was so many unnecessary descriptions like how well the chicken was cooked and seasoned at dinner (literally 2-4 pages of that!!!) The pacing also felt a little off and I probably would have enjoyed and understood the two main characters better if it was written in their point of views.

A fun and easy read about family, secrets, growth, and change. Completely enjoyable.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217453225

While I liked the premise of the book, I didn’t care for the execution. I’m usually a fast reader and this book took me days to get through. The writing felt overly detailed and very drawn out. For example, we don’t need to know every detail of each meal and who ordered what. It was a lot of fluff. This was definitely more women’s fiction / drama versus a romance. I think with some editing, this could be pretty good, but as it stands, this is a pass for me.

Thank you Penguin Group Dutton for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed Maine Characters. There was family drama, secrets and lies, and a little romance. I couldn't put this book down. I had to know how it was going to end. I was not disappointed. It was a great ending.

Review: Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein. When Vivian pulls up to her family’s Maine summer house, the last thing she expects occurs: it’s inhabited and the occupant is the half sister she never knew existed, Lucy.

Lucy, who grew up in the same town as the house, couldn’t be more different than savvy New York City dweller Vivian, is utterly bereft that their shared father has died. She is constantly miffed that Vivian barely seems ruffled.

I really enjoyed this book, though many of the situations the characters find themselves in feel contrived, created just to add tension, though this didn’t make me like the story any less. When Vivian repeatedly and continually struggles with whether or not to sell her father’s vacation home I begin to feel antsy, just waiting for another situation to occur that will make her change her mind for the umpteenth time. Nevertheless, it’s a sweet book and one you should pick up if you are in the mood for a “Parent Trap-esque story with two completely opposite characters that have to work together for the good of both of their lives.

Both women serve as clear character. In Lucy we see the floundering heroine while Vivian sticks more closely to the villain role. Many of the other characters (Celeste/Caleb/Oscar) are stand-ins for the villain role and White Knight role. Cleary outlining who’s who would give too much away, so you’ll just have to read to find out which protagonist is which. I encourage you to do so, this is a fun read and thanks to an end of book twist, it stays interesting.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.

This was a sweet story about two sisters set against the dreamy, beautiful backdrop of lakeside Maine. I found the alternating third person narration a little harder to connect with each character.

Maine Characters was so beautifully written and for a little bit, I was trying to recall which one of my friends recently discovered their half sister 🤦🏼‍♀️ lol

This is a captivating story of grief, discovering our parent’s imperfections and friendship. Highly recommend and can’t wait for you to read it.

Maine Characters comes out May 13,2025 so go pre-order and put it in the calendar because you will not want to miss it!