This was quick beachy, chiklit book. The plot was easy to figure out and there were no surprises and/or twists and turns. Probably one of least favorite of Mary Kay Andrew's books.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ecopy for my Kindle.

An intriguing novel with great characters and a daunting mystery, The Newcomer follows Letty and her four-year-old niece Maya, who have fled to Florida after the brutal murder of Maya’s mother, Tanya. Tanya warned Letty that if something happened to her, Letty should hide Maya from Tanya’s dangerous ex.

So, when Letty finds her murdered sister and her traumatized and frightened niece, she knows she must keep the promise she made to her sister and protect Maya. Letty flees to a motel in Florida where, with clues from her deceased sister, she feels she can hide. However, Letty and Maya can’t stay hidden forever, and the past resurfaces, and their lives become endangered.

Typical of Mary Kay Andrews books, The Newcomer has a wonderful and unique cast of characters. Letty and Maya are embraced by the motel community, which consists of retired snowbirds, a wonderful motel owner, and a hunky police officer that want to protect Letty and Maya no matter the cost. Letty develops a strong bond with this new group, and it’s clear that this motel has very special guests who almost feel like a family. Maya is also sweet and delightful, and Letty is a fabulous protagonist.

Starting over with her niece, Letty leaves everything behind for her family. She is determined and loving, and she will do whatever it takes to protect those she loves. Thrust into a dangerous situation, Letty shows strength, resilience, and a fierce protective instinct. Above all, she loves Maya and will do anything to give her a safe and nurturing place in the world.

The setting is wonderful and makes me want to go to Florida and experience the beauty of this seaside town. Andrews has such a knack for creating immersive stories with amazing characters and settings, and I easily found myself transported to the sunny Floridian coast. If The Murmuring Surf were a real motel, I’d totally book a reservation!

The mystery surrounding Tanya’s murder and the suspense that ensues is gripping and kept me guessing for the majority of the story. I enjoyed how the story unfolded and how reflections of the past twine with the present, as Letty tries to figure out what happened to her sister.

This is a great story for readers who like a murder mystery, intrigue, an interesting cast of characters, and a bunch of twists and turns. Secrets, lies, suspicion, and a deep love of family permeate the story, and I found myself unable to put the book down. Thanks so much to St. Martin’s Press, Mary Kay Andrews, and NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Mary Kay Andrews is always a treat and The Newcomer does not disappoint. Letty Carnahan finds her sister dead in her New York City townhouse, and she is certain she knows the killer: Tanya’s ex; sleazy real estate entrepreneur Evan Wingfield. So she takes her four year old niece and starts running. Tanya lives Letty a clue of where to go: a faded magazine story about a sleepy mom-and-pop motel in a Florida beach town with the name Treasure Island. Letty finds The Murmuring Surf Motel and the immediately the elderly residents begin to adopt her and Maya. Letty settles into the motel’s former storage room, she works to unravel the key to her sister’s past, while trying not to attract the attention of the owner’s attractive son Joe, who happens to be a police detective.With memorable characters and twists and turns built into a love story, Mary Kay Andrews has hit another home run.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I have read a few other book by Mark Kay Andrews and enjoyed them. This book was nothing like her other books. Which is good.

Letty discovers her sister Tanya dead and she takes her niece and flees. Tanya always said that if anything happens to her that it was her ex-boyfriend and baby's father, Ethan. Letty grabs Tanya's to go bag and her niece and they flee south to a little motel in Florida that her sister had a brochure for.

I enjoyed how the author developed the relationships between the characters. I became invested in Letty and Maya. While the ending was somewhat predictable, I still kept wanting to read more. I could see where this will spawn off a sequel.

When I received this book ARC, I had every intention of waiting until summer to read, since Mary Kay Andrews is always a great beach read. However, I was hooked in just the first few pages, and devoured the entire book in just a few days. The book is fun and easy, but also has a few mysteries and enough suspense to keep you reading into the night! A highly recommended summer read!

This is the first book I have read of Mary Kay Andrews and I am pleased to add her other books to my future reading list!

This is cute story with a little bit of a murder mystery, a little bit of a romance and even a little bit of humour. The humour was found with the colourful characters that were included in the smaller storylines that took the reader on an occasional side trip from the main plot. The setting was perfect as I was reading this at the same time as the timeline of the story. It was easy to see the Florida sun and feel the humidity while it was grey and cold outside my windows.
I do wish there had been more written of the romance between Letty and hunky-cop, Joe. Maybe then I would not have felt that there was a need to make the storyline shorter.

This is an easy read to add to your break from your daily schedule or while on a bigger break on a vacation! I look forward to reading more by this author!

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!

This story was totally a trip down memory lane for me ~ a throwback in time.
It reminded me of our beach vacations when our daughters were little. We wanted to be on the beach and certainly did NOT want to walk through a fancy lobby to get to the pool or the beach (that actually happened to us ONCE!) Anyway we found a little family owned motel on the beach. It was definitely family friendly. The motels in this area were all spaced away from one another so that we practically had the beach to ourselves. We continued to stay there year after year until we moved here in Southern California.

This story starts with Letty Carnahan, a New Yorker. Her sister Tanya seems to get herself mixed up in the wrong crowd and currently married with a child and things were not going well in the marriage. She told Letty if anything ever happened to her to take her daughter Maya and hide her so that her husband Evan couldn’t take her.

When Letty finds her sister dead, she takes the baby and heads for Florida.
She drives all night and arrives at Treasure Island Beach only to find ‘No Vacancy’ signs. When she sees ‘The Murmuring Surf’ motel which appears to be family owned, she decides to sleep in the parking lot until the office opens as surely someone is checking out.
Nope! However, Ava.DeCurtis the owner is soft hearted and feels sorry for little Maya and tells Letty that there is a unit used for storage currently filled when unwanted furniture etc. She may use if she cleans out the unwanted junk.
Letty is willing to work but with a little one, things just aren't going to be easy. The owner likes her and decides that Letty can help out in the office.
The motel owner’s son Joe DeCurtis, who also helps out at the motel, however, his real job is a police officer and he has been suspicious that Letty is on the run.

Story is predictable and not my typically psychological thriller read but I did enjoy it ~ it was actually not only a nice change but a bit of a surprise. I looked at a few reviews from readers I trust and saw that many were disappointed. I went into this not expecting much and was delightfully pleased.
I am rounding up my rating of ⭐⭐⭐.5
Sometimes a nice happy ending it something we all want and need!

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for professional review purposes only.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 4, 2021

Mary Kay Andrews delivers another page turner sure to be this summer’s popular beach read!

When Letty discovers her sister’s dead body in her New York City townhouse, she quickly grabs her 4 year old niece, Maya, and runs. Her sister’s warning rings in Letty’s head. If anything were to happen, it’s because of her ex-husband. She must get as far away as possible and decides to drive south to a tiny Florida town called Treasure Island.

Letty and Maya quickly become part of a quirky community full of retirees and snowbirds. Among the motel’s regulars, these young newcomers stand out and grab the attention of Joe, the motel owner’s handsome son and local cop. Will her sister’s ex track them down? Will Letty be accused of kidnapping? Will the local police put the clues together? Will the attraction between Letty and Joe become a complication or an opportunity for romance?

The author captures accurate details of the tropical Florida location and transports the reader in this fast paced mystery. The characters come to life with vivid description creating a realistic community and an easy read that’s perfect for a day at the beach.

This is only my second novel by Mary Kay Andrews but I am officially a fan. I love how her books combine both mystery and romance. The characters in The Newcomer stole the show for me: Letty, Ava, Isabel, and Joe for sure (and all the quirky guests as the Murmuring Surf Motel) but my favorite was Maya. OMG, she was the most adorable little girl and I was dying to scoop her off the pages and hug her. The mystery and romance kept me engaged from page one through the satisfying conclusion.

For whatever reason - be it mindset, subject matter or writing style - , I was unable to engage with this book.after several tries, I’ve opted not to continue.

This was a very enjoyable book. Without giving away the plot it had romance, intrigue, crime and mystery all wrapped up in one. Very easy to read and fast paced.

Letty discovers her sister’s dead body and keeps a promise she’d made to her—she takes her niece Maya and runs. Letty and Maya end up at the Murmuring Surf Motel, and as they try to start over, Letty discovers that her sister had more secrets than she ever realized.

This book held my attention for its entirety. I loved that the primary setting is not far from where I live. The familiarity of the descriptions of beach, the buildings, and the people made it so easy to picture the entire story like a movie in my mind. This is a superb summer read, and I was sorry when it came to an end.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve always found reading a book by Mary Kay Andrews to be enjoyable and entertaining and The Newcomer was just that. Normally when I think of her books, I think of beach reads and even though technically this story did take place at a motel in Florida that was right on the beach, it was so much more than that. There was so much action and suspense it could almost be considered a murder mystery of sorts with a touch of romance thrown in. With everything that went on, it held my interest and kept me wanting to read more. It centers around Lettie Carnahan, who after finding her sister Tanya deceased in her New York City apartment, grabs her 4 year old niece Maya and goes on the run, hiding out from Tanya’s ex-boyfriend Evan. After ending up in a motel in Florida called The Murmuring Surf, where the owners and the patrons accept her and treat her like family, she finds what she’s always been lacking, a place to call home with a family that loves her. I really was surprised at how much I enjoyed reading this story because it was much more intense than I anticipated it was going to be. I’d like to thank Beatrice Jason, Associate Marketing Manager at St. Martin’s Press for the invite and NetGalley for the arc to read, review and enjoy. I thought it was a great story and I’m giving it a 5 star rating.

his was a fun, entertaining read. I loved the descriptions of "old Florida" and the hotel described in the book. I wish it was a real place that I could visit. This would be a great beach read!

Thanks to netgalley for an advanced copy.

I love Mary Kay Andrews and fell in love with this book just like her others.
Letty and her niece, Maya, show up to The Murmuring Surf Motel trying to hide out from their past. They are told there is no vacancy, but the owner makes a deal with her to allow her to stay. Letty is looking for answers about her sister’s past while people from the past are looking for her.
This book was an enjoyable read. I really loved Letty and the way the story unfolded.

Letty and her sister Tanya grew up pretty much on their own. Grandmother did help a couple of years with raising them. Letty was always the level headed sister and Tanya had gotten into alcohol and drugs but was getting sober. Letty gets involved with Evan for work and then a little on the romantic side. He was into some legal business running and Letty didn’t realize it at the time. Letty invites Tanya to come live with her because Tanya had gotten herself into a situation. It wasn’t long before Tanya starts dating Evan so that put the sisters in a non speaking relationship. Tanya ends up having a little girl named Maya. Things really start going downhill for Tanya with Evan and she reaches out to Letty and tells her if anything happens to me take Maya and run. Letty heads over to Tanya’s one Sunday for her day with Maya and finds Tanya dead. She grabs Maya and runs and ends up at the Murmuring Surf motel in Florida.
Ava is the manager and owner of this quaint motel and she has a son Joe that is a local cop and a daughter named Isabella. Letty is the prime suspect in her sister’s murder and it takes Joe a while to figure something is wrong because it sees the good in Letty. Ava offers Letty a job there and Isabella does some babysitting with Maya. I loved all the quirky characters that were staying at the hotel and the fact that they all end up helping Letty and Maya out. Tanya is involved with Rooney her old boyfriend and Chuck (Ava’s) old boyfriend in basically stealing from the older people. They set up to get buy coins and jewelry from the people for not a fair price. Let’s just say it doesn’t turn out good for any of them!
The author does a great job of making you feel like you are right there with her descriptive writing. One of the best parts is when the lady smacks Rooney in the face with her walker.
I received an ARC for free from Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A yong woman, hiding out with her niece, has a secret to keep that could put them both in grave danger. They flee New York and wind up staying in Florida in a vintage motel full of snowbirds. What would go wrong? Everything! Mary Kay Andrews is as engaging and enjoyable as always in The Newcomer. The snowbirds are laugh out loud funny, and very true to form, according to stories told by my vacation rental manager sister in law. The mystery kept me wondering exactly how things were going to tie up in the end, and there was enough romance to make for a great beach or poolside read.

Me: Reading is so relaxing
Also me: *Screams, throws book, cries, curses authors name into the wind*
::so relaxing::

That was 100% me reading The Newcomer - I had to stop reading to yell at my kindle, and then take a moment to breathe before I could continue. Thrilling, engaging, unexpected, and well written. Absolutely worth the read.

The Newcomer is a story about Letty & her 4yr old niece Maya, who end up at the Murmuring Surf motel in Florida. Exhausted and wrought with emotion, they've been driving frantically to escape New York, only landing at the motel because of a magazine article found among Letty's sister's belongings, and the fact they had no where else to go.

But it's not that easy - it's high season and the motel is fully booked. Ava, the sole proprietor, can't just turn them away, so they make it work. With Ava's kindness, Letty & Maya fall into a routine, but Letty can never fully relax. She know's *he* is after them, and he won't stop until he gets what he wants.

The sharks begin to circle, and this book will keep you going to the very last page.

This book is basically Law & Order set in Florida. It’s a really fun read. I loved the elements of thrill but also there was some romance in it as well. There weren’t few parts of the book that were a little bit boring or I felt could have been cut out but it wasn’t enough to make me put the book down. Great summer/beach read!

I really wish there wasn't a pandemic because this is a total beach read. It's a light fun murder mystery with some bright characters. Is it going to change the world? No. But it was fun. I really enjoyed the wacky hotel location.