As a longtime Mary Kay Andrews fan, I thoroughly enjoyed The Newcomer even though I knew how it would end. The fun was getting there. With a fun cast of characters, an intriguing story and lots of funny hijinks along the way, Andrews once again keeps the reader laughing and rooting for the underdog. Reading this book made me excited for summer to arrive as I pictured the lovely Florida Beach while it snowed outside my window. The secondary characters, although relying on stereotypes, were fun to read about as they went about their business and attended all the traditional events that happen at The Murmuring Surf Motel. The main characters are fully fleshed out, flaws and all. The descriptions down the very shoes the characters are wearing create a delightful picture in the reader’s mind, so much so that I want to go visit this motel and encounter the loving owner, her delightful daughter and her police officer son who collaborate to make each visitor’s stay more entertaining and enjoyable, and in the case of the protagonist, a safe haven from her troubles. So, readers, sit back and enjoy the ride…it’s worth it!

Full Disclosure: I was given a free PDF Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Newcomer via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review of this book.

Every time I read a new Mary Kay Andrews book I say “this one is my favorite” and after reading this latest one I can confidently say it again! Loved it! It had a little mystery, suspense, romance and humor. What more could you ask for in a book? It’s a great beach read and I was lucky enough to read it while vacationing in Florida which is the setting of this book. Couldn’t have planned it any better. I highly recommend this book and if you’re new to this author I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Mary Kay Andrews has written another great beach read. The Newcomer has everything that you could want from a beach read.....romance, mystery, multi-dimensional characters, and a beach location! If you're looking for an engaging summer escape, read The Newcomer! Thank you to NetGalley and Mary Kay Andrews for the ARC!

I’m surprised it’s taken me this long to read Mary Kay Andrews. I loved this book. A little bit mystery and a little bit romance.. Letty is on the run with her niece after she finds her sisters body. Extremely likable characters and hard to put down. Fantastic beach read or even in the winter with the beachy setting

The Newcomer has it all: murder, lies, secrets, betrayal , mystery and some romance to top it off.

This is usually not my genre for reading but I found myself cheering on Letty , sneering at a few nasty characters and loving the atmosphere around The Murmuring Surf Hotel.

The pages fly by as you hope that Letty can avenge her sister's murder as she looks after her niece.

Mary Kay Andrews you have a new fan.

Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press for an enjoyable read that was hard to put down.

This is a really good beach read! It had just the right amount of intrigue, mystery and romance. It is mostly set on the west coast of Florida in a mom and pop motel on the beach. If you have been to Florida you know that these are the most fun to stay at! This is a fairly long book but when the book is good that is what you want. I throughly enjoyed getting to know the characters, the book was well written which I have found with all of this authors books. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a chance to read an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Look no further for the book that needs to be in your beach bag! The Newcomer is a heartfelt combination of family drama and mystery! So many secrets, twists and turns in this book! But it is the quirky, complex cast of characters that made me love this book! Aside from the main characters, Letty, her niece Maya, and the lovely family who welcomes them into their fold, we are treated to the wonderful people who live on the hotel! This book has charm, excitement, romance and humor!

A fun, summery romance/suspense novel. This is the first book I've read from Mary Kay Andrews and it was what I expected - a light beach read. The plot was a little unbelievable and the Joe character was troublesome for me, but I was rooting for Letty and Maya (and I loved the regulars at the hotel - I think anyone working in a service industry has met these people). It felt a little long and nothing was unpredictable, but there is sometimes comfort in knowing what is going to happen.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance digital copy to review. All opinions are my own.

I tried so many times to start this book. I'd get a few chapters in and just did not connect with the story at all. Thankfully, the audio version became available and I was able to push through and finish the book. You could have easily cut 150 pages off this book and it would have been a MUCH better read. It was WAY too long. I swore I was about to DNF every other chapter. It’s a “mystery” without much mystery, a “romance” with no chemistry, and characters with no dimension. Oh, and let's sprinkle in as many West Virginia “hick” stereotypes as possible along the way. Perpetuating harmful stereotypes is my favorite. This was my first title by the author, and I'm fairly sure it'll be the last.

Pretty much the only scene that sparked any kind of emotion for me was the postcard gift. Ava had potential to be a favorite character, but still lacked something. I’m so glad the ALC became available, because there is no way I could have read this on my kindle. If you're going to give this a shot, I HIGHLY recommend the audiobook.

Add The Newcomer to a book bag, head to your favorite reading spot and be whisked from a fashionable townhouse in New York City to the Murmuring Surf Motel in Treasure Island, Florida. Secrets within secrets- that was the story of Letty’s sister, Tanya, who has been found dead in her apartment with her 4- year-old daughter wailing upstairs. Letty and Tanya have had an “on again, off again” relationship over the years, and now Letty is on the run, having promised her sister that if anything happened, Letty would take Maya far away from NYC and Tanya’s evil Ex- Evan Wingfield.
Letty and Maya find the Murmuring Surf, a “mom & pop” motel, and are easily accepted by owner Ava and her family. The retirees and snowbirds that land like clockwork are not so ready to accept “the newcomer’ to their summer paradise. These “characters” add their own Southern wit & charm to the Surf. The fact that Ava’s handsome son Joe, is a detective for the local police force adds plenty of romantic tension, along with suspense as the mystery and detective work unfolds in the bars, bungalows, and beaches of Treasure Island. Mary Kay Andrews builds just enough trust between Letty and Ava, and enough doubt and suspicion between The Surf residents regarding “the newcomer,’ that readers will refresh drinks, ignoring a possible sunburn, to find out if Tanya’s secrets are uncovered and how Letty and Maya will spend their future with no sister and mom in the picture. What will the family photo look like?
The Murmuring Surf will conjure images of roadside motels & beach trips in the 1950’s and ‘60’s- back before online reviews & reservations kept motels in business-where cars pulled off the highway when a VACANCY sign came into view. Hang your own flashing “no vacancy” sign on the door and treat yourself to the first beach read of the summer.

MaryKay Andrew's newest "summer read" is sure to be a hit! Great storyline it's a bit of everything ,drama, mystery ,friendship, family issues and all with a touch of romance too.
MKA's books never disappoint and this one certainly is as good or in my opinion better than priors. Looking for your 2021 "Beach Read"? I recommend you read this one!
I received this advanced reader edition in exchange for my honest review. Thank you Net Galley, Mary Kay Andrew's and the publisher, St Martin's Press.

I am a big Mary Kay Andrews fan and always enjoy her annual "summer read." This one was no exception. I loved the characters and the setting at the hotel (and the beach of course!). The only con for me was I felt the book was a bit long and dragged a bit during certain portions of the story.

If it's spring, it's time for a new Mary Kay Andrews novel - and I never hesitate to read it because I know I'll be entertained. The Newcomer didn't disappoint. Letty is on the run with her young niece after finding her sister dead in her home. She can't let her sister's ex find her or little Maya. He's so determined to find Letty and the girl that he puts a bounty out on her. Luck is with them when they find the little beach side motel that Letty's sister somehow had a connection with. Letty's world opens up a little with the people who stay there and the family who own the place. I could totally picture the setting, the quirky (some might say cranky) characters, and the handsome cop who might just be able to help Letty. There's drama, a mystery, and a bit of romance. This is just the type of book I love to read at this time of year - whether I'm at the beach or just want to feel like I am. It was a fun read!

The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews sounds as if it would take place in a cozy community that embraces newcomers. However, if you know this author you know it will be more complicated than that. So for Letty Carnahan it is not easy especially after the loss of her sister in the beginning. Her sister has plenty of secrets too plus a to-go bag full of cash. That is exactly what Letty does, goes and takes her young grieving niece with her.

Fast pace suspense with a sleazy ex, it is just not Letty’s ex coming for her. If it wasn’t for Ava I am not sure that Letty or Maya would have had a hope. As the story unfolds you come to hope that the friendship that have begun to form with provide the help that Letty needs to clear her name and have the villains caught. A story of being on the run, lies, murder and even why the hotel was seemingly of interest to Tanya. Also there is a corrupt police as well honest ones on the job so you grow as worried as Letty a time or two before the conclusion.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As a long time fan of Mary Kay Andrews books, this book was a different type of story. From the beginning of the action filled mystery of Letty’s sister’s death, I was hooked on the story. I am not usually a murder mystery fan but the book contained a bigger story of Letty’s mission to keep her niece, Maya, safe. Letty’s new found “family” at the Murmuring Surf unknowingly provide her with a safe place to hide out while trying to find her sister’s killer. Between the twist and turns of finding Tanya’s killer we get a sprinkling of the antics of the “regulars” of the hotel. I quickly grew to love the bickering & bingo nights that provided comic relief to a darker story of murder. While the love story was a little predictable and unnecessary to the plot, overall I would recommend this book.

“The Newcomer” is the first Mary Kay Andrews book, and I must say, I enjoyed it. I thought that the setting was entertaining and gave a lot of opportunities for quirky and loveable characters. This novel has a big cast but only a handful of prominent characters. I liked Letty, and I thought she had a lot of depth and complexity to her character. We also get to be with her as she discovers her sister’s seedy past.

My only “meh” part was the romantic element of the story. I saw it coming, not a big deal, but that actual moment when the romance begins just came out of nowhere. I felt like the romance did not flourish naturally. Maybe I missed sections where they were dropping flirting signals because it felt like it took such a fast turn.

All in all, I thought the mystery was solid. Maybe a little predictable, but I would categorize this book as a cozy mystery. It was mostly fun and light-hearted, but with a good amount of death and crime. “The Newcomer” is a perfect beach read! If you’re in Florida, even better!

I will be featuring this book on my Instagram on May 5, 2021 @lyatslibrary

The Newcomer is a delightful mystery,romance set in Florida.Letty is on the run with her niece after she finds her sister murdered in NYC. She hides out in a small family run motel on the Florida coast where she gets involved with the family and motel residents. An enjoyable beach read!
Thanks to @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am a Mary Kay Andrews super fan, every Spring I get so excited to read her Summer release, I've gone to seen her speak, I own her cookbook. I was THRILLED when I got early access to this year's book!!

This book was such a disappointment, and I'm not understanding all of the 5 star reviews! This book almost feels like it wasn't written by Mary Kay Andrews. Usually it's a fun story, a quirky mystery, all rolled into an amazing Summer read. This story is totally implausible, who is suspected of murder and goes off and lives her life in another state without anyone finding her and turning her in? Throw in a child kidnapping, and the police aren't after her? Then I can't even with the romance, it goes from zero to being felt up in just a couple of pages and there is zero chemistry, so it feels like such a throwaway.

Also, if you knew there was a someone that wanted you killed, would you be hanging out at a Bingo night the evening before the murderer. same to town? Or let your 4 your old wander off twice in one night? Ugh, maybe this is a way early version with all ideas thrown on paper, but this was a major fail for me. Definitely my least favorite of all of her books.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

This was my first read by Mary Kay and I really enjoyed it.

When Letty Carnahan finds her sister dead and her niece crying at the top of the stairs, she gathers up Maya, the stash of money Tanya had put aside and flees the city. She knows who killed her sister, her ex-Evan Wingfield. He sister had warned her that if anything ever happened to her, it was Evan who did the deed.

Not what awaits her Letty takes the crying Maya on a road trip and they end up in a small town of Treasure Island, on the coast in Florida. She sees the “No Vacancy” sign on The Murmurming Surf motel. She knows this place by the article her sister had in her stash bag. She knows it is important to Tanya, but just not how important. That will come clear in the days ahead. Letty is determined that she will keep Maya safe and stay one step ahead of Evan.

The motel is owned by a wonderful and delightful women named Ava and she takes in Letty and Maya despite her sone Joe, who is a cop and very suspicious of Letty. He knows she is hiding something and he is determined to keep an eye on her. So, Ava gives Letty a job and she along with all the quirky residents of this delightful motel keep Letty on her toes. But she soon begins to win everyone over with the help of her cute niece Maya. As things begin to unravel for Letty, her relationship with Joe becomes more intense and he finds out who she really is and will do everything he can to protect Letty and Maya.

I loved this book. It made me want to be part of the family of residents who came down to motel year after year. I also loved it because being an Aunt I could relate how far Letty would go to protect her niece. Those kinds of bonds are strong and it endeared me to Letty as well as the people who became her friends and allies. And the more Joe tried to protect Letty and Maya, the more Maya wanted to help herself and not need a man to rely on. That is so me...Each turn of the page was a delight and though I wanted to see how this all turned out, I savored each word until the end.

I look forward to reading more of Mary Kay’s books in the future and I thank her and Netgalley for giving me this ARC to review.

The Newcomer is what I class as a holiday read, a light story and an easy read which I can read at the side of a pool. I liked it but thought it was a little on the long side in places.

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