mary kay andrews always writes a great story. this book had a little mystery and romance. would highly recommend it.

Perfect suspenseful, summer beach read.
Loved that the location was where I grew up!
So many fun, quirky characters to get to know. Loved Letty’s and Maya’s relationship, so endearing. Their story begins with them fleeing NYC and ending up in Florida at the Murmuring Surf Motel.
The Newcomer was certainly a story full of family drama, humor, action, romance and intrigue. I really hope there could be a sequel? Maybe?
I did feel that the dialogue dragged on a bit.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.

“Motherhood, Letty reflected, was the most exhausting thing she’d ever done.” Amen to that!

After finding her sister dead in her NYC townhouse, Letty Carnahan is certain that Tanya’s sleazy real estate entrepreneur ex Evan is the one responsible. Tanya had recently warned Letty that if anything happened to her she was to take her daughter Maya and run, so she does just that. After hours of driving she is exhausted, hungry, and Maya has to pee. Following her sisters hints she finds herself at The Murmuring Surf Motel where there is a No Vacancy sign lit and the sharks are circling. She meets the owners son Joe, a hot local police detective, and the sparks fly. But Letty has to stay anonymous so Evan can’t find them. Can she find romance while raising her niece and trying to solve her sisters murder, all while residing in a quaint seaside motel teeming with ornery retirees?

This book had a little bit of everything and I’m here for it! There is suspense. A cozy beachside lodge. A romance. A murder mystery. Shady business dealings. A coveted Louis Vuitton. All of this wraps up into the most adorable story! I was approved for both the print and audio versions of this book and I am finding that I am enjoying this more and more. I love to listen while doing errands and then pick it up on the kindle version when I sit down to read. The Newcomer is so fun and it is perfect for easing into those lighter Spring reads!

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio and the author for this arc in exchange for an honest review. Available May 4, 2021!

The Newcomer
by Mary Kay Andrews
Publishing date: May 4, 2021

I have Mary Kay Andrews for years and I have never been disappointed by her books! I highly recommend this book and writer! I am now following her and a collection of other excellent authors on Friends and Fiction.
This author is very popular in our small town library! Thanks to her publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.

5 star

This was my first introduction to a Mary Kay Andrews book and between the time when I requested this ARC and the time I actually read it, I totally forgot what it was supposed to be about. But that didn't matter to me. I greatly enjoyed this novel. It's got the right mix of suspense, fun characters, seriousness, and fun. Although there is some suspense and waiting impatiently, I would not classify this as a thriller. It's deeper than that. I would call it Contemporary, maybe Romance, with a hint of Mystery. I really enjoyed the characters and I would be very happy if this was actually a series (though it does not end on a cliffhanger, so that's doubtful.)

Great summer read!!! Enough of a mystery to keep one turning the pages, a lovely (and sometimes funny) Florida location, an intriguing romance, a found family, this book has soooo much to make everyone happy!

I always look forward to summer and reading Mary Kay Andrews books! I have read many MKA beach reads and this one doesn’t disappoint.

Letty Carnahan found her sister Tara dead in her New York City apartment and her 4 year old niece Maya may have witnessed her murder. Tara was in a custody battle with Evan Wingfield over Maya and had warned Letty that if anything happened to her that he did it. She also showed Letty where she kept a hidden go bag. Letty grabbed Maya and the go bag and ran.

Letty had found an old magazine article Tara had saved of an old motel on Florida’s Gulf Coast so she headed there. This was the type of motel I remembered from my youth on road trips so I loved this setting. The motel was full of an eclectic cast of snowbirds from the North and a kind owner who found room for Letty and Maya.

The owner, Eva, had a son that was a cop so Letty tried to avoid him but he was handsome. Can you tell where this is headed? I enjoyed all the characters at the motel and how they helped Letty and Maya.

To wrap this up, we find out the story behind Tara’s interest in this motel and all the skeletons in her closet and Letty has to help prove she didn’t kill Tara and believes Evan did.
This wasn’t my favorite book of MKA but it did hold my interest.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

More comedic suspense than nail-biting thriller, The Newcomer is about Letty, a woman trying to keep her orphaned niece Maya safe from a dangerous killer. Letty is convinced that her sister, Maya's mother, was murdered by her sleazy ex. Following a clue left by her sister, Letty flees to a small, quirky motel in Florida.

At this point the tension switches to comedy as the book follows Letty and Maya as they settle in as residents (and, in Letty's case, an employee) of the Murmuring Surf Motel. The place is filled with cranky, quirky residents, many of them elderly. There's a romance too, as Letty flirts a little with Joe, the motel owner's police officer son.

The Newcomer might not be the best choice for a reader looking for a page-turner filled with thrills and chills, but it would make a great fit for someone looking for a book that's a little bit quirky, a little bit suspenseful, a tiny bit romantic, and quite funny.

After her sister Tanya is found dead, Letty runs away to Florida with her niece Maya to escape Tanya's ex while she tries to solve her sister's murder.

This was my first Mary Kay Andrews so I wasn't sure what to expect. It took me some time to get into the story, and overall the book felt too long and dragged out. I did like the mystery element with a bit of romance thrown in, but it felt like Letty and Joe went from hating each other one minute to Joe pining in the next and it didn't feel very developed.

I did like Ava and the motel setting, and Letty finding herself her 'chosen family' among the motel owner's family. I could do without secondary characters in the motel regulars though as they didn't add much to the story. The story felt predictable overall and quite unrealistic. Not bad but not a favorite either. If you're already a fan of Mary Kay Andrews then it may be right up your alley.

I enjoyed Mary Kay Andrews Sunset Beach and wanted to read more of her work. My opportunity came with The Newcomer. The premise of the story is interesting, with the main characters, Letty, along with her four year old niece Maya, being like ducks out of water when they take up refuge at an old beachside motel that houses long time returning retirees and snowbirds. Letty is running from the murder of her sister, with her niece in tow, and she's the object of a man hunt although she isn't the killer. Now she has to try to lay low with her spoiled niece but the motel owner's police detective son is a constant presence at the motel and he pretty much falls for Lettie, despite his hunky scowls. 

And then there are the regulars of the motel, who don't like these young intruders on their hallowed winter home turf. So they are even more unhappy when Lettie settles in for the long haul, becoming part of the staff, with her little niece either coloring in her coloring books or tantruming in the background. With news alerts on the TV about the kidnapping of Maya, the death of Maya's mom, and a picture of Lettie as the suspect, what can go wrong? What can go wrong in the presence of a police detective that wants to get closer to you? 

There is an undercover FBI agent and I wish we could have spent more time with her and a lot less time with things going on at the motel. I wanted to run from the squabbles of the grumpy folks that resided at there. Ana, the motel manager/owner, has a heart of gold and not enough money to keep things up at the motel and the residents bicker like a bunch of kids. Maya, the spoiled four year old, is better behaved than they are. I think the story could have benefited from being shorter although I also think that there will be a lot of readers that greatly enjoy this sweetish/darkish romantic mystery. 

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

This was my first Mary Kay Andrews and I thought this book was okay, though on the long side.

I liked the main character Letty, and honestly kind of hated her sister (now murdered) in the flashbacks. I enjoyed the neice, Maya, though found her a little unbelievable, mostly in how well behaved she was 95% of the time! Joe was a bit unbelievable and immature. He's a cop and had figured out what was going on in Letty's life so knew she had a lot going on. But he kept pushing her to get into a relationship and kept getting pissed when Letty would ask for space. Not cool.
The supporting cast of "snowbirds" at the motel was definitely entertaining so I enjoyed their antics throughout.

Overall, this was a romance without much romance, a mystery without a great hook or twists. I was interested and invested in the characters enough to finish it, but wouldn't pick it up again.

I will read anything by Mary Kay Andrews. In her latest, Letty takes her niece from New York to a little motel in Florida after finding her sister murdered. Letty discovers her sister's past and a potential romance that she cannot allow herself. Andrews tackles big subjects with a light touch, making this an easy beach read that's hard to forget. I always recommend her work. I was fortunate to receive a digital copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Tanya had been in a relationship with Evan, a sleazy rich guy, and they had a child together, Maya, who is now four, who her parents are in a custody battle over. Tanya tells her older sister, Letty, that if anything happens to her, she should take Maya, along with her secret stash of money and a ring, and leave town and hide. When Letty discovers her Tanya dead in her condo, she assumes Evan killed Tanya, and does just what her sister had instructed. Letty heads to the Murmuring Surf Motel in Treasure Island, FL, because there was also an ad for it with the money and ring.

Ava, the owner of the motel, lets Letty clean up the junk room and move in. Ava needs help so she hires Letty in exchange for a lower room rate. Ava's son, Joe, is a police office, suspects Letty is hiding something so does some investigating. As Letty and Maya settle in, they get to know the long-term motel vacationers but Letty never lets her guard down. It's a good thing because back in New York, Evan is looking to hire someone to take care of Letty and get his daughter back.

I thought this book was okay, though a bit on the long side. It is written in third person perspective with the focus on the various characters, including briefly a feral cat named Midnight who lives on the motel property. As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.

I found Ava too trusting ... she let Letty move into a room, didn't ask for ID and let her pay cash (possibly so wouldn't have to claim it as income). Joe keeps bringing up all the mistakes she has made in the past in trusting people over the years and you'd think she would have learned her lesson by now.

Joe was a bit unbelievable and immature. He's a cop and had figured out what was going on in Letty's life so knew she had a lot going on. But he kept pushing her to get into a relationship (he's a long-time bachelor but he fell in love pretty well immediately) and kept getting pissed when Letty would ask for space. Not surprising, she eventually gives in and they live happily ever after.

I'm not crazy about kids in stories and found Maya annoying and whiny. Everyone keeps saying how smart she is and in New York she had exposure to the best of the best but her vocabulary didn't reflect this ... I cringed every time she said things like "bited" or "hitted". And then a couple paragraphs later this four-year-old used "ashamed" properly in a sentence. No way! And at one point she wanders off the property and is grabbed by a man and they hide in a culvert. She is terrified and fighting and eventually gets away. A couple hours later she does the same thing again ... wanders off! You'd think she would be more traumatized by the experience and would still close to home for a while.

Always a fan of Mary Kay Andrews books, and know I can count on them to be engaging beach reads! This one took the beach read to a new level by adding in a mystery, which created the perfect combination. I found it hard to put down and was completely investing in the characters and their stories.
Thank you to Net Galley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

Letty’s sister Tanya told her many times that if anything should happen to her, it would be her ex Evan who did it and to take their four-year-old daughter Maya and run. So one day, when Letty finds Tanya’s dead body in her apartment, she grabs Maya and Tanya’s “go-bag” and runs. In the go-bag is $20k in cash, a ginormous diamond ring, and a torn-out magazine story about a quaint little motel in Florida. Taking it as a sign from her dead sister, Tanya heads to the motel and slowly starts building a new life. She starts working at the motel and gets to know all the people who live and work at there, including a hot police officer who’s the owner’s son. She also starts to piece together Tanya’s shady past and tries to find a way to get Evan what he deserves.

A decent mystery with some endearing characters. A little sleepy for me though. I like more twists and turns than this one delivered but it was a nice read.
Thank you @netgalley for the advanced copy of this book!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ / The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews / Pages: 442 / Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers / Release Date: May 4, 2021

. In the wake of her sister's murder, a murder that the world thinks she committed, Letty flees to Florida where after some initial reluctance she quickly wins the hearts of the owners and residents of the Murmuring Surf Motel. This book has a little bit of everything mystery, found family, and romance, as well as an abundance of cuteness in the form of an adorable four-year-old little girl. This is a mystery with a big heart.

The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews
I really enjoyed this book. It was a great who-dun-it mystery.
On the run and wanted for the murder of her sister, Tanya, that she did not commit, Letty must somehow clear her name while protecting her four year old niece, Maya, from her evil father. A single piece of paper with the Murmuring Surf motel’s picture is found by Letty in Tanya’s possessions. It had to mean something, but what?
The story is set in Treasure Island, Florida at the last stand alone motel right on the beach, The Murmuring Surf. The motel is family owned and has had regular customers for years, even generations. When Letty and Maya, wind up at the motel, they did not realize how much it would change their lives. Here Letty learns that Tanya had more secrets than she realized.
Joe DeCurtis is a local police officer and son of the owner of the motel. He wants to learn more about this mysterious girl who has appeared on the doorstep of the motel. But will Letty let her guard down, especially around a police officer? Can Joe get close enough to Letty to learn the truth? Can a plan be hatched that will catch the real killer in time?
The descriptions of the motel and the beaches made me feel as if I were right there. I could almost feel my toes in the sand and the breeze on my face. I could imagine being at the pool with the ladies drinking, swimming laps and enjoying a lazy afternoon. I could almost taste the food from the Friday night pot lucks.
Find a cozy spot to read this book. It will keep you guessing and wishing you were there.

This was a fun read! I alternated reading and listening to the audiobook and I must say the narrator was wonderful! She really held my interest and kept me captivated. This will be perfect for the beach or pool days as it’s lengthy enough to only need this one. It’s part mystery, part romance with a some family drama thrown in the mix so it has a little bit for everyone! I expect this to be a very popular book this summer!

Another fabulous book by this wonderfully prolific author. This was truly a fun listen with great narration (and of course a great read too). Romance, murder, intrigue, theft, cheating, lies, stealing, manipulation, a really cute little girl and a fantastic, if not a little bit annoying cast of characters. Letty and Tanya were sisters who were vastly different. Letty, the older of the two was an amazing sister and good person trying to support herself as a waitress/struggling actress. She always looked out for her younger sister Tanya and believed whatever line of nonsense she doled out. She just wanted to see the good in her until one final betrayal was enough for her to walk away. Tanya was all about Tanya and had no problem screwing over any and everyone in her path, her sister included. She was in a word, heartless. Three years later Letty gives in and reconnects, but only because of Maya, Tanya’s daughter. She tells Letty that if anything ever happens to her to take her “grab bag” of stashed cash grab Maya and run. Run far and fast and keep away from Evan, the babies father and reason for their previous separation. When Letty finds Tanya dead she does as instructed and they hit the road and head to a little town in Florida after having found an article about it in Tanya things. She believed it would be a safe haven for her to hide out in until she figured out her next move. Little did she know……it’s a bumpy road to learning to trust, find out the truth of what happened to her sister while in Florida, what kind of trouble her sister had caused, create a new and safe life for herself and Maya and maybe, just maybe find a new life and love of her own. It’s a great combo of mystery, romance that is true perfection.

The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews is a fun mystery/beach read about Letty and her niece Maya. Letty finds her sister dead and remembers that Tanya made her promise that if anything happened, Letty would take care of Maya. Letty and Maya run off to Treasure Island, Florida, and check into the Murmuring Surf Motel. While there, they learn a lot about family, and Letty helps solve her sister's murder. I really enjoyed this book. Some parts were a little unbelievable, but I still had fun reading this book. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.