I LOVED this book! Letty is such an amazing sister. This was proved before, but mostly after her sisters death. The way Letty trusts her gut and her sister (even if her sister didn't necessarily deserve to be trusted) and gets sweet Maya, her niece, out of dodge when her sister is found dead in her condo. Poor Maya there to see her Momma in this condition. Maya's dad is a rich, rich man and it seems the fate of Letty is the same as her sisters as he tries to find Maya. This book is highly entertaining and exciting. Such a mystery and a story of love and faith along the way. I definitely recommend it this Summer!!

Starting reading this but not quite my thing so I stopped. I thought this would be different but it is not what I want to be reading.

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc.

This felt like a never ending book. While I enjoyed the first 50%, the rest just dragged on.

The story follows Letty, who flees New York City with her four year old niece Maya, after discovering her younger sister Tanya dead. Tanya had warned Letty that if something were to happen to her, her ex Evan was to blame, and to take Maya far away from Evan. So, Letty winds up in Florida, at the Murmuring Surf Hotel where she meets The DeCurtis family and a lot of stereotypical Florida seniors.

The story is part murder mystery, part romance. Sounds like my kind of book, but unfortunately there really wasn’t any mystery at all, there were no twists or surprises. Everything played out exactly like I thought it was going to. While there is no question to me that Mary Kay Andrews is a talented author, this book was far too long. There’s about 150-200 pages of filler that didn’t contribute to the plot at all.

I thought this was going to be a 5 star read for me, but the plot was predictable and by the half way point I just wanted it to be over.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Newcomer is my first Mary Kay Andrews book, and it was enjoyable! Letty found her sister murdered, and is now on the run with her young niece, Maya. They travel to a motel where she and Maya are taken in by the owner and make connections.
Because Letty is the main suspect in her sister's murder, and for kidnapping since she took Maya with her.
There is a lot of mystery & suspense here, mixed in with some romance and drama amongst the family. What happened to Letty's sister, and why? Can she clear her own name? Andrew's vivid descriptions of locations and characters really draws the reader in & takes you on the journey with the characters to find out these answers.

Thanks to #netgalley for this #arc of The Newcomer. When I see a book by Mary Kay Andrews I immediately know that I have to pick it up, and The Newcomer was no exception. From the very first page, this book piqued my interested and had my attention. I couldn't put it down, and, without giving it away, I was a little stressed at some parts! When we meet Letty and Maya they're in the middle of a crisis, but Andrews takes us on a journey to solve all their problems, and it is a wild ride. Andrews is the queen of the beach read and this book is no exception. I read it in the middle of February, wishing I could hop a plane to St. Pete, FL! Pick this one up, you'll be transported!

I predict this book will be on the "top beach reads" list for Summer 2021.

Letty and her four-year-old niece Maya show up to the Murmuring Surf Motel in the middle of the night. They only have a little bit of luggage, a bag of cash, and a whole lot of mystery surrounding them. Maya's mom, Letty's sister, has been murdered and now Letty is on the run, trying to protect Maya from her mom's secrets. Letty and Maya are welcomed into the hotel and begin to find normalcy for herself and for Maya when their past starts to creep up on them.

It's a classic Andrews novel that weaves crime, romance, and a little bit of the Florida beach all together. It's not my favorite Andrews story, but it's pretty good.

So, I've read a lot of Mary Kay Andrews books and she can always be counted on to write great "beachy" novels with a strong female. Most of the time, though, I think the books are 100-150 pages too long and then when I pick up and read the next one, I say to myself "Why am I still reading these books?" Not so this time at all. This one was less of a romance and more of a mystery---even though one could pretty well guess what was going to happen. I thought the story was weaved very well and I really liked all the characters and how well they were described. I have never gotten into the characters as much as I did in this novel.

I've read a couple of reviews where the reviewer said this was the worst of her novels and I absolutely disagree. I like that this was not just a love story. I read it all in one day and couldn't put it down.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing me a copy for my honest review.

Mary Kay Andrews and beach read always go together. I was lucky enough to read this one in advance and enjoy some summer during winter.

Set on a beach in Florida, we meet Lettie and her niece Maya, who is very sweet. We know something is off but it takes a few pages to find out what and the why. Lettie shows up at a little motel and insists on wanting to stay there. The owner, Ava, takes heart and they work it out as in Lettie clearing out a storage place and making a temporary home.

I enjoyed this motel, all the snowbirds along with Ava and her family. All very different and likeable in their own way. Lettie starts working there and various stories come out along with why Lettie is really there.

This is part mystery, a little romance, and just some fun and quirky characters. Hard to put down as things unravel. I think this will be a popular summer read.

This was an enjoyable somewhat predictable book. It had some intrigue and romance. It moved along fairly fast, I was interested enough to find out what happened. It would make a good beach read.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

Always the perfect blend of romance and mystery, this book made me long for trips to both New York City and Florida. In these times where much of my travel is done via reading, this was a great book that was mysterious and entertaining.

This is another classic MKA story, albeit it a bit long for my liking. All the signature plot elements are present here: romance, mystery and murder. A quick read but none of the twists were shocking.

As a long-time fan of MKA, I was really looking forward to this book, and it didn’t disappoint! It was charming and engaging, with wonderful characters and a beautiful beachfront setting that made me want to run away to Florida. It was definitely more suspenseful than her other books, which I liked. It was nice to see her usual sweetness with an edge to it.

As other reviewers have mentioned, it could have used a bit more editing for length and conciseness. I felt the occasional flashbacks slowed the story down and that info could have been woven in in other ways. But since I didn’t really want the story to end, the length was ultimately ok by me!

I loved this book! It was heartwarming and strong. It was exactly what I needed with everything going on in the world! A happy little escape!

This was such a beautiful story of trauma, tragedy and finally justice and happiness. Letty can't be sure what happened but she knows she has to keep Maya safe until the truth about Tanya's death can be discovered

Another great read from Mary Kay Andrews. This could be the summer beach read of 2021. The setting alternates between New York and Treasure Island, Florida. The main character Letty has spunk and is somebody you want to see good things happen to. The supporting characters in Treasure Island are equally lovable. I kind of wanted to hang out with them for a season too. There are a couple of mysteries that are going on as Letty tries to really understand her sister and keep her niece safe and you can’t forget about adding a little romance too. Great characters, a bit of mystery, and a little romance makes for a great read. Thank you NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review,

I loved this book. It has a murder mystery, girl on the run and a little romance. I loved the old motel setting and all of the quirky characters who stayed there.

It started okay but then it just got silly and convoluted -and not in a fun soapy way. I ended up stopping about 2/3 of the way through. I might try to finish later but I just didn’t connect with the characters or the story and the cliches were a little over the top (hot cop, funny quirky old people, etc).

Mary Kay Andrew's is an author that i will always read without even reading the summary. This story is about a woman trying to solve her sister's murder while keeping her niece safe. The setting was in warm, sunny Florida which makes this a great beach read or a delightful mystery to cozy up with in the dead of winter. I rated this 4 stars because the middle seemed a tad longer than it needed to be. Overall, an excellent story!

Finding her sister murdered, Letty grabs her small niece and goes into hiding. Landing in an old resort motel in Florida, she quickly finds people she can count on to keep them safe. Great story! I received an ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my honest review.

thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved it...even though there were a few minor flaws. I was thoroughly entertained throughout.

Letty is a wonderful character who is intent on doing the right thing. When she discovers her sister dead and likely murdered, she did what was asked, "If anything happens to me, take Maya and run." So she did. Once in Florida, Letty ensconces herself in a small motel. Despite the fact that she was secretly "on the run," the owner trusted her instincts and within a short time, Letty was like family. Ultimately she had to rely on that "family" to help her when the heat - both the police as well as the sister's former boyfriend - closes in.

I thought it seemed a little improbable that Joe would find himself with amorous feelings for Letty in spite of her background. As a police officer, he let slide things most would have jumped on. But in the end that made the story more enjoyable.

The story is a great romp - with fun motel guest characters as well as the main characters in the plot. It ended pretty much the way I figured it would, but it was really fun and enjoyable to read.