Readers who loved Sandwich will be thrilled to be back with Rocky and her family two years later at their home in Massachusetts. As Rocky navigates home life with her husband, adult daughter, and widowed father, she also faces a burgeoning medical crisis and has to deal with the aftermath of a local tragedy. Despite the heavy topics, Newman's writing style will have readers laughing out loud, crying, and nodding in recognition at all of the absurd, wonderful, and tragic events that we experience as individuals, family members, and members of society.

I LOVE THIS FAMILY!!! Having loved Sandwich so much I was so excited to read Wreck early. This family is just so darn real and loveable. This book tackles grief and aging in such a beautiful way. I could read antics about this family forever.

Loved spending some quality time with Rocky and her family again. This insightful, humorous novel is filled with so much love. I enjoyed every single page slowly as I did not want the story to end.

In this follow up to Sandwich (which I also adored) Rocky has lost her mother. Her 92 year old dad comes to stay with her, Nick and Willa. There’s a train wreck and a health scare and Rocky is obsessing over both.

You can read this as a standalone but reading Sandwich first, if you haven’t already done so, will make the story that much more enjoyable. Highly recommend to literary fiction fans. It’s wonderful.

This was the sequel I didn't know I was longing to read—poignant, tender, and often laugh-out-loud funny. I loved it.

I haven’t read Sandwich yet so I wasn’t sure what to expect but I’m glad I read this one and will definitely make it a point to read Sandwich.
I enjoyed the interweaving plot lines. I wish the ending was a bit different. But that’s just me. I case I wasn’t expected the ending which i guess in itself is a sign of a good ending.

Rocky is living her life right in the middle of the "sandwich generation." Her recently widowed father is living in an apartment over the garage, and her twenty-something daughter Willa is still at home. This suits her just fine as she loves having family around her. She is startled to read in the newspaper of the death of a young man who was a school friend of her son's. His car was hit by a train, so there are all sorts of questions flying around the community about the nature of the accident. While Rocky is very interested in this situation, she suddenly begins to experience weird physical symptoms. The bulk of the novel is about her attempts to get a diagnosis, while dealing with a never-ending round of doctors, specialists, and fights with the dreaded insurance company. Her symptoms might be this terrible disease, or this relatively benign one. Round and round she goes without much help from the medical professionals she is shuttling between.

I didn't realize the characters were returning from a previous novel by the same author. I wasn't sure what to expect, but the novel didn't really go anywhere. It was sort of a "slice of life" of some period of time of the characters without any big events or revelations or resolutions. I suppose this is setting up for yet more adventures to come from the same characters. Those of us who are older will surely recognize the pressures of dealing with aging parents, floundering children, medical mysteries, and life changes. There are plenty of laugh out loud moments, but not much was resolved at the end.

Diehard fans of Catherine Newman (of which there are legions) will be thrilled: Rocky, Willa, and company, of Sandwich fame, are back. Rocky's edges have been smoothed a bit but we plunge right back into the family's life two years later, including health scares and an incident that ripples through all the family members. Rocky's in the phase of life I am, still married, with an almost grown and grown kid, friends she's had for decades, obsessing over it all. The plot annd characters of Wreck are all very human, relatable and binge worthy--I stayed up til 3 finishing it last night. But I will say that Newman remains just a touch too...mawkish is too strong a word. Maybe cloying? I enjoy Rocky's interior but it gets to me, after awhile. That said, I can't resist tearing through her books any more than the rest of her readers, so there's that.

I absolutely adore Catherine Newman and have followed her writing since her blogging days when her kids were little. Everything she writes is so visceral + relatable and I totally love her sense of humor.
This book picks up where Sandwich left off (it can work as a standalone but I highly recommend reading Sandwich first!) and we see what Rocky and the gang are up to with the slice-of-life story centering around the aftermath of a tragic train wreck and some mysterious ailments Rocky is trying to get diagnosed. The way Rocky loves + validates her adult children, Willa + Jamie is so heartwarming. Nick is the ever patient husband, and their banter was so fun, and also her impatience with him sometimes was so spot on! I just loved this book so much + want everyone I know to read it when it comes out in October so we can talk about it!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the eARC!

I didn't realize these characters where in another novel by this author, but this book was a complete miss for me. Absolutely nothing happened, I kept waiting for anything to happen, but it never did. Zero plot and even the rash wasn't resolved.
I appreciate the ARC

Thank you for the opportunity to connect with Rocky and her family again. This is a lovely look at what makes us middle-aged women tick, without pandering or relegating to a subplot. While the train crash plot made me anxious, I do feel that it was important to show how everyone in the family was dealing with tragedy, whether they had a connection to it or not.

In this moving sequel (which can be read as a standalone, but hits harder if you’ve read Sandwich), we return to Rocky and her family in the aftermath of a wreck that shakes the family. The incident lingers like a quiet hum beneath the surface, subtly shaping the characters' lives and relationships.

Told through a series of snapshots—moments, conversations, and shifts in family dynamics—each chapter adds depth to their story, even as time jumps forward in intervals. The storytelling is intimate and emotionally resonant.

Just like in Sandwich, so much of what Rocky experiences felt deeply personal and incredibly relatable. I loved this book.

I really loved this follow-up to Sandwich. The characters are so well-developed and the dialogue is witty, lyrical, and relatable. I wasn't anticipating a second book when I devoured Sandwich, but I do feel like an additional book is needed to complete the story.

I loved this simple story of family life with real characters and honest situations. Nothing was over the top. Every issue was handled well from the dad losing his wife to the son's job. I felt a connection to them all and loved spending time with them.

Glad to be back with Rocky and her family. This is another quiet meandering novel that follows a family and a woman in her mid 50s. You’d probably need to read sandwich first to really appreciate this short normal. I appreciated again the relationships, especially with the aging father and some of the very relatable moments. I truly would read anything that Catherine Newman writes.

I loved Sandwich and was excited to revisit Rocky and her family. I recommend reading Sandwich first to appreciate better this family’s dynamics and Rocky’s quirky characteristics. There are some very relatable scenes between the family’s three generations and enjoyable moments of being included in family traditions. There is an underlying medical mystery that can be stressful to read if someone you know is going through a similar situation. But by the time you are 55, just like Rocky and me, it is also a very realistic part of having the privilege of growing older. I hope a third book is in the works because I have grown very fond of this family.

Thank you to Harper for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.

3.5-Stars. Catherine Newman’s Wreck offers a heartfelt and often humorous look into the chaos and comfort of family life, two years after a memorable Cape Cod vacation. Rocky remains a wonderfully relatable narrator—anxious, nostalgic, and funny—that readers will immediately connect with as she navigates the everyday intricacies of her life in Western Massachusetts. The story captures the subtle tensions and hidden rules that govern family dynamics with warmth and honesty. Newman’s wit shines through in Rocky’s observations, making even the more serious themes—such as health concerns and uncertainty—feel approachable and authentic. The addition of Mort moving in adds a lovely layer of complexity to the household, illustrating how love and frustration often coexist in close quarters. While the plot meanders at times and some moments feel a little predictable, the genuine humor and warmth keep the narrative engaging. The emotional beats—particularly around worry and acceptance—resonate deeply, making this a compelling read about the messy, beautiful reality of family life. Overall, Wreck is a tender, funny, and insightful exploration of what it means to love imperfectly but unconditionally.

I loved this book and I was thrilled to spend some more time with Rocky and her family. (Note this book can also be read as a standalone). Rocky's life takes a turn in the middle. of a sleepless night when two things happen. She discovers a rash on her body and reads about a train wreck. Although this is a serious turn, Rocky's way of dealing with it was relatable and I often found myself laughing out loud and reading passages to family members.

I highly recommend this book and I look forward to the release date when I can share it with friends and customers.