I quite enjoyed this book by Dennis Cuesta. I am a fan of Janet Evonovich’s character Stephanie Plum. If you like an upbeat, qurkey story, you’ll love this book. Mark, the leading man, and Emily having something in common...Manistique! This charming town full of memorable characters and the silliness the ensue will entertain you and leave you asking for another installment. Cuesta manages to envoke all your emotions and still make you laugh. I would definitely recommend this book and will look for more by this author. Quick, quirky read. Delightful.

I am always uncomfortable giving bad reviews. And while this is not a horrible book, I did consider bailing a couple of times. I found it too fluffy, rather cheesy and I didn’t connect at all with either the characters or the story. The two main characters (one, mid-30s; one, mid-20s) behaved more like 10 year-olds most of the time, and most of the story was just too far-fetched to be believed. I felt that the author was trying for a heartwarming story arising from a series of seemingly unrelated, random events. But instead it ended up being a mishmash of unbelievability without any lovable characters to redeem it. I really wanted to like it, but other than appreciating a few humorous places, it just wasn’t for me.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #CelestialEyesPress for the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book is set in Manistique, Michigan and seems to be a place that people can arrive at for various reasons but leaving seems to be a lot harder…and with the different twists and revelations, everyone appears to be interconnected as well.
Mark has arrived because he has inherited his long lost aunt Vivian’s estate—which turn out to be a Bed and Breakfast establishment. He does not know this until guests and helpers begin to arrive.
First there is Bear Foot, his aunt’s general repair person who is Vivian’s friend but didn’t know she had dies.
Then Emily arrives—a recently graduated doctor on her way to a new life at a prestigious new hospital, but with a past that she cannot escape from. She cannot escape from Manistique either because a deer ran into her car, smashing the windshield that cannot be fixed for an ever-changing variety of reasons.
George arrives next—taking leave from his senior’s group that is touring the native casinos although he doesn’t seem to be operating with full consciousness of where and who he is.
After that comes Peter and a girlfriend who seems to be making eyes at every male in the place.
Throw in some locals—doctors, bar owners, car repair people, highway patrol officers and so on—and you have the setting for a farce of epic proportions. Think Fawlty Towers with some of the goings on there and you have what the author seems to be wanting to achieve. He references the TV show on a number of occasions, saying at one point that half the episodes have already happened at the Bed and Breakfast.
On top of that, though, is the back story of Aunt Vivian and her time with Doctors Without Borders and her time in various parts of the world. Added to this back story are the complications in the lives of the present characters. It is like a never ending whirlwind!
Overall, the book works. At times it feels like one of those episodes of Fawlty Towers or perhaps a George Bernard Shaw farce. At times I felt myself getting a little frustrated with the ongoing shenanigans but, in the end, things became a little less ‘stuck’ and there was hope for moving ahead. A good light read from a new author. Thank you!

I loved this book! I loved the characters, the story, and especially the dry humor! I could envision this being a comedy show on TV, similar to Seinfeld. I love this type of humor and coming from characters such as the ones in this novel is perfect! The characters are so quirky and the cornucopia of personalities just cliques and makes it all flow so much more easily, you never know what it going to come next. What could have been the same old boring storyline that has been told a million times was done with dry humor and wit and oh so memorable characters. I breezed through this book and loved every word!

This is a new to me author. I enjoyed the style of writing it was like you were there watching the story unfold. Mark inherits a house from his aunt and learns it is a bed and breakfast. He tries to keep people out but they keep showing up looking for a room. These people take you on a wild ride with all the things happening in their lives. There is a connection between Mark and a guest and the twist at the end was such a shock. I want to read more about Mark and the many other characters in the book.

What a great story! This book had me sucked in right from the beginning. A debut novel by Denis Cuesta, this is the story of Mark and Emily,strangers who are brought together under unlikely circumstances. I loved all the characters in this book.

Mark’s aunt is dead, to begin with. He hardly knew her, and now he’s the sole heir to her Victorian home in Michigan. A quick trip to Manistique to settle her affairs proves to be anything but quick. For one thing, there’s a five-mile bridge to cross on the way, and Mark is terrified of bridges. When he finally makes it to the Upper Peninsula, complications arise. Who knew that his aunt was running a bed and breakfast? And how can he turn away a young woman who was just in a car accident with a deer? From here on out, it would seem easy to guess the ending—but no! Plot twists keep the story fresh, and anything but cliché.

Emily is a young doctor, fresh out of medical school. On her way to a liaison that she has serious second thoughts about, a deer jumps out and hits her car. Is it a sign? She finds herself stuck in Manistique, and happens to pick up a book written by doctors telling their life stories. One of the stories rings eerily familiar. Can it shed some light on her past?

Stuck in Manistique was a fun, light read with just enough mystery and tension to keep the pages turning. At first it seemed to be heading the way of the cliché romance, but then author Dennis Cuesta throws in the twists that make the story fresh, funny, and mysterious. There are a few instances where too much “telling” sneaks in instead of “showing,” but this is Cuesta’s first novel, so I could excuse that and just enjoy the story. After all, it was so fun to read, leading me to give it a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review purposes. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

This is a great sitcom in a book. The events and characters are tightly woven together to form a very interesting story. There is something important happening all the time which made me want to keep reading and I could have read book this in one sitting. It is hilarious, but in no way stupid. The characters were interesting and there were many surprising twists and turns. The author really transported me to the Upper Peninsula with his descriptions and characters.

How could I pass up a novel set in Manistique, a small town along a beautiful stretch of Lake Michigan beach in the Upper Peninsula? Stuck in Manistique is unusual, a bit of romance with a touch of screwball comedy, and meant-to-be-quirky characters.

Protagonist Mark is a financial planner in suburban Chicago who inherits his aunt’s home in Manistique, not realizing it is a bed & breakfast. He quickly learns when his first guest, young medical resident Emily shows up, fresh from deciding to walk away from her affair with her mentor doctor. Emily has nowhere to go because the town’s hotel is full with a bus tour group and she hit a deer on US 2 and the town’s dealership cannot fix her Saab quickly. Mark allows Emily to stay, followed by elderly George, then weird maybe couple Yvonne and Peter. In between all this Mark must scatter his aunt’s ashes on Indian Lake with the help of Bear Foot, a local visionary friend of his aunt.

So far so good, we have the screwball elements in place with people coming and going, all while our hapless innkeeper is the victim of his own kindness. Romance, death, revelation all ensue.

Stuck in Manistique is short; it won’t take more than a couple hours to read. There isn’t much action beyond eating at the various pubs and pizza joints, running along the shoreline, paddle boating on Indian Lake and driving around the UP and the northern Lower Peninsula. The main story is the people.

What is the connection between Mark and Emily? They both feel something, but it isn’t romance.
Will Mark decide to stay in Manistique?
Will Emily finally cut the connection with her adulterous lover/boss?
Can Mark get over his fear of bridges? (Believe me, you do not want to drive over the Mackinaw Bridge if you are afraid of bridges! It’s huge.)
Can Emily come to peace with her guilt over Nicholas?
Will George ever catch up with his tour group?
Will Peter and Yvonne make it around Lake Michigan in his electric car?
Simple questions. The author manages to bring these together in a gentle comedy that is engaging, and combines it with beautiful setting and an atmosphere of What Next Can Go Wrong?

There is almost enough meat to the characters to make Stuck in Manistique a winner. The people tell us about themselves, and while we see Mark being kind in action, that kindness doesn’t quite align with his internal story about dumping his girlfriend when she wanted to get married.



Writing is good although don’t expect a lot of action or snappy dialogue. The characters are the story here.

This is an emminently readable book. And before you start muttering under your breath about damning with faint praise, I've begun many a book that wasn't readable at all, let alone emminently.

One of the disadvantages of using an ereader is that you can't throw those awful books against the wall.

I found the plot and characters believable. And interesting. I usually find the "I'm going to keep this a secret from X" incredibly frustrating. Usually, it's completely unnecessary. And the secret tends to come out at the worst time possible. Especially if most of the other characters know the truth. You know that line about "three people can keep a secret if two of them are dead". Yeah.

Mark's reason for telling the lie in the first place kind of made sense. Trying to maintain it for days, didn't. Ah, well.

Over all, I liked the book. It was entertaining, but not overly shallow. I especially like that the two main characters became good friends, rather than lovers. It's not common to see men and women being friends, it was a nice change. And I'm a lover of romance.

A wonderful read full of quirky characters a small town so well written ,I began to read it and realizes the hours had flown by while I moved from my armchair to this wonderful town,thanks #netgalley #celestialeyepress.

Stuck in Manistique is an ok read. Wish I could say more than that, but that is all it was for me. Mark is an mid thirties certified financial planner who has found out his aunt has just passed away and left him her house in upper Michigan. Emily is a mid-twenties doctor, having just completed medical school and is heading to her residency in Chicago. As Emily is driving to meet her married boyfriend for a rendez-vous before starting her residency, she is involved in an accident (a "deer-car") and she is stuck in Manistique for the Memorial Day weekend. Turns out there is a geriatric tour visiting all the casinos in the area and there are no hotel rooms to be had. Well now, the house that Mark has inherited turns out to be a bed and breakfast and Emily shows up looking for a room. What follows is a confusing compilation of characters, side-plots and a lot more questions than answers about those characters. The book tries to be humorous, which it isn't. It tries to be a love story, which it isn't. And it tries to be mysterious, which it isn't. This is not a book I would recommend.

This book was ok. I had a difficult time getting into the story and therefore had a difficult time connecting with the characters. The story had its sweet moments.

First of all, I really hope this becomes a series of books! I fell in love with the characters! The story captured my interest from the year chapter and didn’t let go until the end. You really were drawn into the lives of Matt and Emily. Matt is the main character who finds he has inherited a bed and breakfast in the UP ( upper peninsula of Michigan) after his aunt dies. Emily is a doctor who is running from her mistakes. When Emily’s car gets hit by a deer, she becomes Matt’s first guest, reluctantly on his part. The adventures and cast of characters you meet will bring you laughs and tears. I really did not want their story to end! I give this 5 stars!

Stuck in Manistique is a book that found me.

One afternoon I got an email from NetGalley notifying me that I was pre-approved for the title. Despite the fact that I was (am) already buried under a pretty lengthy TBR list (eight from NetGalley alone), I couldn't resist.

I mean, Booklist says Stuck in Manistique is, "Perfect for readers who enjoy quirky characters in small town settings."

And ya know what? They are correct. 

This book is a delight. I enjoyed the setting and really got a feel for the local flavor without it feeling kitschy. And I learned the correct way to pronounce pasty--short A.

I relate more with Mark than with Emily. He's that funny guy who always has a one liner, but will do anything for anyone. I found him to be really down to earth and thought his reactions to everything happening around him were true to life. He is joined by sundry small town folks, none of whom could be accused of being boring.

The story was funny and had me chuckling plenty, but it was also full of really tender moments. 

I think my favorite thing about Stuck in Manistique is that it is quiet book about things that really happen to people. Yes, there are some twists and turns along the way, and there are things that you don't see coming, but so much of it is just ordinary life kind of stuff--and that's what makes it extraordinarily good.

This was a surprise! When I started the book it was slow going. But I am glad I stuck with it. The book became a comedy of errors. A man that can't say no so he ends of with a collection of guests in the B&B he inherited. What a crazy collection of folks not to mention the town people too. I think I smiled thru most of the book. This would make a great movie! Thanks for the smiles!

This enchanting first novel is full of surprised. Nothing happens quite like you might expect. The book reminded me of both Fawlty Towers and the British play, Noises Off, in which numerous quirky characters appear and disappear, moving in and out of rooms with much hilarity ensuing. It's an amusing and entertaining book.

Mark, a financial planner, comes to Manistique having been left a Victorian house, a bed and breakfast, in Manistique on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan by his Aunt Vivian who has just died. Mark has not been in touch with Vivian for many years as she traveled to war torn countries as a doctor and did not write often.

Emily is a newly minted physician moving to Chicago for her residency when she is hit by a deer (the deer hit her car, she insists) and is forced to stay in Manistique until it is repaired. She becomes a guest of Mark, a most reluctant B&B host, as do a number of other quirky and delightful and not so delightful people. A series of coincidences ensue and if you expect Emily and Mark to end up together as they would in any other rom com, and that is one of the surprises. But there are many others to keep your interest.

This novel is fast-moving and entertaining and I look forward to seeing what Dennis Cuesta writes next.

I actually didn’t enjoy this book very much, so I’d prefer not to give a negative review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC!

This was a fairly cute, quaint, cozy story of a chance meeting in the small Upper peninsula, Michigan town of Manistique, and the resounding consequences and ramifications. The story reads easily and is somewhat humorous with a few light, life anecdotes and a touch of romance mixed in. However, I didn’t completely connect with the characters or particularly care a great deal for them, and I found the plot dragging a bit as it progressed. And while the story was definitely quirky and unusual, it wasn’t entirely credible and sadly ended rather abruptly. It was fine, if not wholly satisfying.

Mark. A 30 something financial planner has just inherited a large house in the upper pennisula of Michigan. Shortly after he arrives, guests start appearing, it turns out the house is a B &B. This is a gentle read with humor, romance, and a bit of mystery. It would be easy to recommend to older teens and anyone looking for a non-offensive read.