A good easy beach read, a little too long though, and a bit predictable. Likable characters. I enjoyed it overall and would read other books by this author.

What would summer be without a new Mary Kay Andrews book? A young woman flees with her niece to Florida, where she meets a motel-owning family who take her in. Likable characters, an interesting plot, a little romance…perfect summer read!

This is a wonderful book to pack in your bag for a trip to the beach. I have enjoyed many of Mary Kay Andrews’ previous books, but she keeps getting better and better. The characters are so well developed … from Letty, the primary chater … to Maya, her precious 4-year-old niece … to the regular winter residents of Murmuring Surf Motel … you will be entertained. There are some shady individuals that keep you wondering what will happen next as well as a budding romance.

To be honest, I wanted to adopt May and spend time loving on her. She just made the book with her delightful personality. The author hit it out of the ballpark with this light, cozy, relationship-oriented mystery. I can’t wait to see what gift Mary Kay Andrews will give us with her next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Funny, cute, nail biting tension, a murder, a scam, so so much going on. I loved it! Letty and Maya are the absolute cutest pair ever. The snow birds were an eclectic bunch of oldies who all had their own awesome personalities. Oscar is my favourite character by far 😂 guy has no idea how hysterical and bizarre he is. Ava and Joe are like the vinegar and honey of the story, one instantly trusting and caring, the other hoping to scrape you off like a barnacle. The romance portion of the story was like icing on the cake. A great read.

The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews is a great summer read. Heading down to Florida with Letty and Maya while they are on the run after the murder of Maya's mother was a wild ride. Settling in at the Murmuring Surf Motel and making friends with the owner and crabby regulars, Letty tries to figure out what happened to her sister and how she ended up murdered. Why did Tanya have an interest in the Murmuring Surf Motel in the first place? When Letty finds out, it is like she didn't know her sister at all. Joe, policeman and son of the owner of the Murmuring Surf, soon learns his initial suspicions about Letty and Maya's arrival have merit but he decides to feel the situation out before acting.

This was a fun summer read, with some mystery and romance mixed in. Another great book by Mary Kay Andrews.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC.

Letty goes on the run with her niece Maya after her sister is killed. She goes to a hotel in Florida and starts and interesting life there. She starts to learn more and more about her sister and that her sister had many more secrets than she was ever aware of. An entertaining book and quick read. Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley and for ARC.

This was my first Mary Kay Andrews book and it definitely won't be my last. This is the sort of book that feels like a cinematic experience, with excitement and peril adding to the romance (not quite enemies to lovers, more like distrusting of the person who may or may not be a criminal/out to get me to lovers, if that's a thing). The ensemble cast was entertaining, especially the long time residents at the hotel (some of whom we see lighten up/show their good sides that have been hidden under a crusty exterior personality) and brought levity to the many tense situations.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy. This did not affect my review.

In “The Newcomer” by Mary Kay Andrews we meet Letty who is on the run with her niece Maya. Letty’s sister was murdered, and she is the prime suspect. As they hide out in a small-town motel in Florida that Letty’ sister had an ad for in her “to go bag” Letty begins to realize that her sister had more secrets than she ever realized. But as the residents and staff of the motel begin to warm up to the “newcomers” everything begins to unravel.

A fun read with a load of secondary characters that you cannot get enough of. I received an advanced copy of this book through Net Galley and this in my honest review.

Tanya told her sister that, if she ever came to harm, Letty should take her sister's daughter Maya and run. When that fateful day came, Letty grabbed the go-bag packed by her sister, using the article inside the bag to determine their destination. With nowhere else to go, will Letty and Maya find a home where they least expect it?

The Newcomer follows a similar plot line to books I have previously read: woman in trouble, tries to disappear and start a new life, only to find complications from both the present and the past. The biggest problem that I had with the book starts from the beginning. A person, trying to hide from danger and their past, would never use their real names. Letty has been in Maya's life, taking her out on Saturday mornings, yet she does not know to wash the little kid's hands before she eats? At least twice, the author mentions Maya's grubby hands, but Letty puts the crackers (or cookies) in them anyway. The conclusion was also implausible, especially the decision to set up in a familiar area. The author gave away too much of the ending because of this and it took away from my enjoyment of the novel. For these reasons, I would be hesitant to recommend The Newcomer to other readers.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Newcomer by NetGalley and the publisher, St. Martin's Press. The decision to review this book was entirely my own.

A young woman finds herself on the run with her young niece. With just one piece of information guiding her, she hides in a small town while she tries to figure out how to become an instant parent and also solve a murder all at the same time. Author Mary Kay Andrews balances the lighthearted nature of a beach read with more serious moments of grief and loss in her latest book The Newcomer.

Letty Carnahan knows one thing for sure: New York City is no longer the place for her. She had dreams about becoming an actress what feels like a thousand years ago but gets roped into becoming a concierge for real estate magnate Evan Wingfield. Things were going okay—she and Evan even started dating, and Letty was getting used to the idea of not acting so much—but when her sister, Tanya, moved in with her, everything changed.

Overnight, Evan dumped Letty for Tanya. Letty resented it and understood it all at the same time. From the time they were kids, Tanya always attracted attention. Why should it be any different now? Then Tanya got pregnant with her daughter, Maya, and things got ugly. The breakup was messy, highly publicized, and deadly for Tanya.

Letty knows what kind of person Evan is. Tanya had warned her when she was alive, but Letty always knew how far Evan would go to make sure everything stays under his thumb. Letty grabs the “go bag” Tanya always kept packed with cash and some clothes, adds a few things for Maya, and skips town with her niece crying in the back seat.

She’s not even sure if her destination makes sense. Among her sister’s things, Letty found an old article about the Murmuring Surf Motel in the small Florida town of Treasure Island. As far as she knows, Evan’s never been to Treasure Island. It’ll be the last place he’ll look for Maya.

Aunt and niece show up at the Murmuring Surf exhausted from driving. There Letty meets Ava, the owner of the motel, who seems tough but softens toward Maya. Letty does some fast talking and convinces Ava to let her move into the small motel efficiency that’s now being used as a storage room. With promises to clean it out and also help with tasks around the motel, Letty secures a new living space for herself and Maya.

She gets a chance to breathe and really consider the fact that Tanya’s dead. Letty has no doubt that Evan is responsible for Tanya’s murder. What she doesn’t understand is why he would go to the trouble of killing her. Tanya was just a washed-up actress before she went to New York. What could she possibly have done or said that would lead to Evan murdering her?

As Letty spends her days digging into the details, she gets to know Ava and her son, police officer Joe, along with the regular snowbirds who live at the motel for the winter months. Before long, Letty starts forming new friendships and imagining how her life could be different from her terrible childhood and struggling years in New York. If it wasn’t for the threat of Evan hanging over her, Letty would have no trouble starting over.

Author Mary Kay Andrews hits all of the requisite notes for a women’s fiction novel, perfect for the summer season. Letty is strong and resilient, a welcome change from other books where the main female lead is helpless and looks to others to fix her problems. Her relationship with Maya is sweet, but Andrews doesn’t shy away from addressing the realities of single parenting.

Letty understands the seriousness of her situation from the outset, and her fear and panic are fully realized. Less believable are parts of the story later in the book when she and Joe work together to stage a scene for the purposes of luring Evan out of his comfort zone. Also, a character who presents herself as one person early on actually turns out to be someone else, making it hard to trust her for the rest of the story.

Readers wanting a lighthearted book for vacation will definitely want to pick this one up.

- romantic mystery
- Light tone
- Fast pacing
- Unforgettable characters
- Funny
- Muder and action
If you want a good beach/pool read, pick up this book.

I really enjoyed Mary Kay Andrews newest book. Her books are part mystery/thriller and part beach read, which is fun and a little different!
The premise of this book starts out a little darker and almost scary. It follows the life of Letty and her niece Maya as they try to escape and solve a murder while proving her own innocence.
Trigger warnings: domestic abuse, verbal child abuse and loss of a parent.

I would recommend this book and I look forward to the next Mary Kay Andrews book!

I loved this title. It started out a bit more serious than most MKA's books do, but it was wonderful all the same. It's remarkable how our childhood memories and our need to connect with our past shapes our future. This is still the quintessential summer read and my readers are loving it!

"The Newcomer" by Mary Kay Andrews was an enjoyable mystery, love story, and family bonds tale. Good characters and inspiring strength to uncover the truth and protect the ones you love. Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for the copy for review. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book it has been a while since I have read anything by this author but I will be looking for more.

This was my first Mary Kay Andrews book and it will definitely not be my last! This was a nice change of pace from the romance type books I've been reading as of late. I enjoyed the main characters, Letty and Maya, as well as the other side characters. While the book started of very fast-paced and then kind of tapered off somewhere in the middle, the ending picked the speed back up and the story was wrapped up nicely.

Letty never expected to be taking care of a child and on the run. That is what Letty got when she found her sister, Tanya, dead with her daughter upstairs. Tanya did not have a great past, and, evidently, not a great boyfriend either. The men in Tanya's life were shady at best and Tanya had warned her that something might happen. On the run and not sure where to go, the "run bag" and Letty's niece in tow, she arrives in Treasure Island, Florida, as far away as she can. Once she arrives at the Murmuring Surf Hotel, she is greeted by a cop, Joe, who says she has to leave. All Letty wants is a bed and some rest. Soon, Letty is weaving her way into life at the hotel, much to the chagrin of the elderly tenants. Letty has to be careful that Tanya's past does not catch up but that is not to be. As they say, "you can run but you cannot hide". Joe has to be careful as well to not to get involved but it does not take long. Great story with action, and romance intertwined. A great beach read that is set at a beach that I am familiar as I grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida. So much fun to read about places I know, like "Three Daughters Brewing", that Ms. Andrews includes in her stories. Thank you to Ms. Andrews, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this awesome book!

Once again Mary Kay Andrews delivers the perfect summer read. Delightfully quirky characters, just a bit of danger, and, of course, plenty of romance—all delivered with just the right amount of snap and sass. The Newcomer will leave you longing for a drive down to the beach and a stay at The Murmuring Surf Motel.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Do you ever feel that an author/series you've adored & devoured in the past suddenly doesn't quite live up to your tastes anymore?

Have YOU outgrown THEM? Has their writing style changed? What's different??

For me, it's Mary Kay Andrews. She used to be an author that I would preorder without even reading the description. I still, even now, listen to several of her older audiobooks as I'm falling asleep because they are comforting, entertaining, & familiar. (Hissy Fit, Blue Christmas, The Fixer Upper)

But the last...I don't know...7 or 8 books have not been satisfying at all. (To me, anyway.) And yet, I still request them from NetGalley and/or the library hoping I'll get the Mary Kay I once knew.

So, when I was granted "The Newcomer" from NetGalley last month, I was feeling hesitant. And that makes me sad. And, honestly, I've been such a huge MKA fan for so long, I feel like I'm being so disloyal. #BookNerdProblems So I dove in trying to keep any pre-conceived notions out of my head... ... ...
... ... ...
.... ... ...and I'm so glad I did!

The Newcomer was just the Mary Kay I'd been looking for! It had a storyline kinda outside her normal ones, but still adding a touch of her Weezie & Bebe Mysteries - and not just because there was a beachside motel involved. There was mystery, romance, a kookie cast of characters, a fantastic Southern vibe just like the MK of the past. I liked and cared about these characters. I was rooting for Letty and for Maya from beginning to end.

So if you're looking for the Mary Kay Andrews you know and love, look no further. This is the summer beach read you've been waiting for.

Thank you to Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

First of all, I have loved all of this author's books. However, this one didn't grab me from the start.

That being said, as I got into it, I found the book to be more interesting. I enjoyed the relationship that Letty had with her niece, Maya. I also enjoyed the developing relationship with Joe. What I didn't like is that I thought it was a little slow. Ava, the motel owner in Florida, was a hoot and she really held me to the storyline.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.