This was not at all what I expected, but I was riveted from beginning to end. Mary Kay Andrews crafted a masterpiece with this romantic thriller that continually left me wondering what would happen next. I would highly recommend!

A big thank you to @NetGalley and @StMartinsPress for the free digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This time of year I love turning my attention to warmer temperatures, cool waters, and hot beach reads. Mary Kay Andrews' new book The Newcomer fits in nicely with the beach reads. It follows Letty Carnahan, who is on the run with her 4-year-old niece Maya, in tow. She finds her sister dead at her ex Evan's hands, and is now on the run from him. She winds up at the Murmuring Surf Motel in Treasure Island, FL, and there begins her adventure and the process of clearing her name.

I loved how strong, yet kind, Letty was with Maya. I also thought Maya was absolutely adorable. And the sexual tension between Letty and Joe? Through the roof!!

If you love a good beach read, then The Newcomer is the book for you!!

This book is everything Mary Kay Andres is known for.: mystery, romance, and a bunch of odd but unique characters. The book is told from multiple perspectives, some nailed down perfect and others that left me questioning why. Overall though, a great read especially for the beach.

I loved this story that was suspenseful and fun to read. The author weaves together many different threads in this plot that takes the reader along on a exciting drama filled ride. The characters were well crafted to the story, the plot interesting and the story interesting to conclusion. I read this book cover to cover . This is a perfect summer read for those that enjoy suspenseful heartfelt drama .

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley. I highly recommend this book

Overall, I would give this novel a 3/5, but I would rate it less on originality. It felt like a Nicholas Sparks novel only without the suspense. It was also too predictable for my liking and because of that, it took me a while to finish reading it. The characters were intriguing, however, their actions didn't always make sense. Why would a police officer who suspected someone of a crime just "wait it out" to see if their hunch was right? The main draw to a novel for me is that it has to be somewhat believable and really the only believable part of this novel for me was the setting. A summer resort/motel near the beach drew me in and made me want to like the story more. I would recommend this book for a quick read on the patio or poolside, but I personally didn't love it.

Quick synopsis: Letty goes to her sister's apartment and finds her lying dead at the bottom on the stairs in a pool of blood. A month before her death Tanya had shown her a where she had a go bag with money. She said if anything happened to her it was Evan, her ex, who did it and to take her daughter, Maya, and run. Letty also finds a magazine article about a motel in Florida, The Murmuring Surf, so she heads down there because she feels it has a connection to Tanya and means something.

The book is close to 450 pages and I wondered if it would keep my interest. It sure did. There was a bit of a mystery of who killed Tanya and what was her connection to the hotel. The hotel is filled with senior citizens spending their winters there and they were quite the cast of characters. The owner of the hotel, Ava, has a soft spot for people down on their luck and she takes in Letty and Maya, gives them a place to stay and Letty a job. Letty finds love and acceptance and a little bit of romance. The last 100 or so pages of the book were page turners. I suppose the ending was a bit cliche but it was an enjoyable ride. It's too bad that there aren't more places like that. Who wouldn't want to spend the winter in a hotel on the coast, away from all the high rises and commotion. I'm ready to sign up.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me a copy of this delightful story.

A Whodunnit that is not only serious, but has relaxed playful moments as well.
Letty discovers her sister Tanya dead and her four year old niece hiding. Letty has no clue if her niece seen the actual killing take place, but all she knows is she is high-tailing it to a safe place.
The safe place happens to be states away at a motel geared for octogenarian adults and a police offic r named Joe who is awful nosy. Letty has got to keep Maya safe and away from her dad.
Things start to go haywire and people start coming out of the woodwork who are claiming Maya. Then on top of that Joe is getting close to the truth.


This is definitely a excellent book for a summertime retreat or anytime. I had to finish it because I am nosy and wanted to know the ending!

I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

I enjoyed this book’s mystery and romance themes set in New York and Treasure Island. The characters were well-written.

I really enjoyed this story and was excited to read it as Mary Kay Andrews is one of my favorite authors. I was excited to read this story and she certainly did not disappoint. Perfect summer beach read. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. Thank you Net galley and publisher for the advanced read.

The Newcomer is the first book I’ve read by Mary Kay Andrews. After reading The Newcomer, I cannot wait to read her other books. The characters are instantly lovable, and there is always something happening.

Loved this story that takes place very near where I live. A sister that deals with a lot and has to figure out what is best for her and her newly acquired niece. A old motel she happens upon and before you know they are like family in every way she needs and has never had. Loved the characters and twists and mysteries all tied in. Another great read by a fabulous author.

Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.

As I have come to discover, Mary Kay Andrews is not an author who is easy to classify. Not at all sure how to classify this book, just like the last one I read by her. It is parts mystery, suspense and romance, with a contemporary feel. I kinda like the genre bending plot and the main characters are wonderful. I'm not so sure about the deception of the retired residents of the Murmuring Surf Motel, however. The stereotype portrayal of Florida's retirement community is not flattering. Ava, the motel owner, is a romantic. Joe, her cop son, is a pessimist. Letty is on the run from a murder scene with her 4 year old niece in tow. Sounds like a great setup for a Romantic-Suspense, but it's not quite that.

Discovering her sister, Tanya, dead has sent Letty Carnahan on a journey to hid her niece, Maya, and to bring her killer to justice. Her sister was a flawed human, but Letty loved her and is devastated by her death. The only reason she can keep it together is the 4-year old she is solely responsible for. On the run from New York, she ends up at the Murmuring Surf Motel in Treasure Island, Florida. This is her destination because Tanya had an old article about the place with her "go bag", along with $20,000 in cash and a whopping big diamond ring. Tanya had a lot of secrets.

At the Murmuring Surf she meets a group of snowbird seniors, a warmhearted motel owner, her hot, cop son and his sweet, smart sister. They let her stay and she converts a storage room to a home for her and Maya. But, all to soon, Tanya's shady past comes looking for her and that makes life dangerous for both Letty and Maya. Letty will need to trust her little family and the community she has formed to keep them safe.

I love a Mary Kay Andrews book. They are great beach, vacation or curling up on a rainy day reads. And this is one I did not want to lay down. Mary Kay always picks amazing settings and characters you will love and those you will love to hate along with the secondary characters who bring a lot of interest to the book. This book is a murder mystery with a little romance, a lot of love and a couple of sharp turns.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and netgalley for a copy of this book.

Letty has taken her niece Maya and fled from NY to Florida to escape a horrific situation. Once there she settles in with a wonderful cast of characters that help her navigate her dilemma and eventually become her family. Perfect beach book, great story!

Thank you St Martin’s Press. I received a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions in this review are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. I seriously enjoyed this book. The location is local to me and everything about it was spot on and just added to my enjoyment. It’s a light crime drama in a tropical location with some humor and fun quirky characters thrown in. It would make a perfect summer vacation read. Once I started I didn’t want to put it down and I highly recommend it for your beach read list!

I think I stayed in that motel! 3 weeks in Florida with a young child on a business trip. I could relate with Letty traveling with a child. I liked the cast of characters. There was nice relationships in a nice warm location. Tanya sounded like a hot mess but she was a good mom. She leaves behind a mystery on how and why she is murdered. Letty goes on the run with her niece. Letty makes friends quickly and finds herself working in the location of a seniors jewelry scam that Tanya was involved in years ago. So plenty of drama to keep the story interesting. Enter the FBI and police involved into a smashing ending. I thought the book was interesting and I admit the ending had me tearing up.

Heading from spring into summer, it's a great time for beach or pool books--those books you want to relax with, outside, on a lazy sunny day. The Newcomer is a great beach book from it's Florida beach town setting to the drama and romance in its pages. Letty is on the run with her young niece after finding her sister dead, keeping her promise to keep Maya away from her father if anything happens to Tanya. A magazine article left in Tanya's "go-bag" has her heading to The Murmuring Surf, a resort hotel a bit past its prime on the Florida coast. There she finds the kind-hearted owner, her suspicious but attractive police detective son, and a bunch of (mostly curmudgeonly) regular hotel guests who aren't too excited about the newcomer in their midst.

Letty is a great character and easy to root for as I am a sucker for stories where the main character is trying to find their place in the world. Her 4-year-old niece, Maya, is adorable, and the supporting characters are entertaining and added a lightness and humor to the book. The blend of suspense and romance is good, overall--maybe a little too insta-romance between Letty and Joe as he goes from immediately suspicious cop to falling for her and helping her hide. The story is a bit predictable, but there is a certain comfort in that for a summer book--I don't mind not having to think too much. Overall, I enjoyed The Newcomer and it made me realize how long it has been since I delved into one of Mary Kay Andrews' books and how breezy, entertaining, and good fun they are. If you like a little drama and mystery in your romance, pour yourself a cold glass of lemonade or a tart cocktail and enjoy this one by the water.

Mary Kay Andrews is another favorite of mine. In this page-turning beach read, “The Newcomer,” Letty Carnahan takes her young niece, Maya, on the run after finding her sister, Tanya, dead in her townhouse in New York City. Tanya had made it clear to her that if something happened to her, it would probably be the fault of her ex, Evan Wingfield, who would try to get custody of the child. She even set aside cash in a “go-bag” so Letty would have funds.
Letty decides to head south, starting out in Tanya’s Mercedes, then taking a plane, then buying an old car. Her destination is the Murmuring Suft Motel on Treasure Island in Florida, simply based on a story she found in the bag.
Little does Letty know that she and Maya have landed in the very place that Tanya had been living before coming to New York. And lots of interesting things happened while she was there.
It’s an absolutely wonderful book.

On the one hand, this book had an interesting plot and although the ending was very predictable, I did wonder how it would come about. I don’t mind knowing what the ending is going to be, honestly; I feel like not worrying about how things are going to end enables me to enjoy the journey, especially when the plot has so much potential, such as in this book. But unfortunately, the journey wasn’t enjoyable this time around, for a few reasons. The first is the lack of character development. Things happen without much of an explanation, scarring the journey that could have been. For example, two older women, Ruth and Billie, at first absolutely hate having a four-year-old child around disturbing their peace, but by the end of the book, the little girl has them wrapped around her little finger. How? Magic, apparently. One assumes that the little girl grew on them, but that’s the thing—we shouldn’t have to assume, not in this type of book. As for the two main characters, they go from hating each other to falling in love, obviously, but with no apparent path or no rhyme or reason. It just kind of happened, as if they are two befuddled actors told by the director to go ahead and just fall in love, already. But I feel the worse part of this book is how Joe’s immature response to Letty having to go back to New York City to deal with, oh you know, her sister’s death and securing her niece’s future, is romanticised. The romanticising of Joe’s attitude has a deleterious effect on the mental health of so many out there who think that in the name of “love”, they need to take this kind of behaviour. But you know what? Uh-uh. Oh, no, mister. If my sister is murdered and you are not completely on board with me going back to the city to take care of her affairs, especially since she is leaving behind a little four-year-old whom I am now the guardian of, you can bet I am going to be breaking it off with you, posthaste. So unless you are going to be dissecting all the reasons why this kind of behaviour is immature and toxic, then don’t pick this book up, because its only one of the problematic things I found in its pages.

It's not hard to devour a Mary Kay Andrews books and this one was no different! The Newcomer is the perfect beach read and another hit from this amazing author!