Good story with interesting characters. It's the first Mary Kay Andrews book I've read and I really like the bits of humor added to the story. My one qualm is that Letty was a bit too trusting of a teenage girl's friend who is a computer whiz. Something about that just didn't ring true for me. I would recommend this book. Thank you to Mary Kay Andrews and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of The Newcomer.
#TheNewcomer#NetGalley

I can always count on Mary Kay Andrews for the perfect beach read! A little romance, a little mystery, and a whole lot of fun! This is the story of Letty a woman who finds her sister murdered in her NYC apartment and goes on the run with her niece. They end up in a motel for snowbirds in Florida in the hopes of figuring out who murdered Letty's sister. While the content of the murder of Letty's sister was a little heavy the rest of the story focusing on Letty, her niece, the motel, and the guests lightened up the mood. The story kept me guessing until the end and the cast of characters at the Murmuring Surf were entertaining and made me laugh. I highly recommend this book to anybody looking for a fun and engrossing beach read this year. It was a fun and fast read. You will not be able to put it down!

Special thanks to St. Martin’s Press and netgalley.com for the ARC.

This was my first Mary Kay Andrews book and I really enjoyed it! I would not categorize it as a mystery, probably more drama, as I think you pretty much know the "who did it" part the entire time, but there are different parts of the plot that you figure out along the way.

Letty is on the run with her 4 year old niece, Maya. While living in New York, she found her sister, Maya's mom, dead and now Letty is one of the suspects. She grabs Maya, a few belongings, and takes off, with one destination in mind: The Murmuring Surf Hotel in Florida.

The hotel owner, Ava, offers her a small room and a job. At first, the other guests do not welcome her there, as most of the tenants are longtime guests and she's a newcomer, but they eventually think of her as one of their own.

Although Letty has fled New York, she did not flee the problems that were there, including Maya's dad, Evan. He wants Maya back and will do anything to get her.

I enjoyed all of the characters in this story and loved the setting of the story! I thought the plot was paced well and it held my interest throughout the entire novel.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy.

It pains me to say that I didn’t like this story. I’ve come to love MKA’s books, so I was looking forward to reading this. However, I didn’t like a single aspect of this book. When Letty’s sister is killed, she runs away with her four year old niece to Florida. She ends up staying at The Murmuring Surf hotel with some colorful characters. Unfortunately, you don’t get to know these characters too well. They’re kind of glossed over and I think it would have been more fun to get to know them. The “mystery” of her sister’s demise was kind of lame. The romance wasn’t believable. There was absolutely no chemistry between the characters. I honestly didn’t get to know the characters like I normally would in her stories. This was too long because I just wanted this to end 50-60% into it. Obviously not my favorite of MKA’s and I’ll probably be in the minority with my opinion. This just bored me though.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I've read all of Mary Kay Andrews books and like the others, I enjoyed this one. Reading in on a snowy winter weekend was just as pleasant as a summery beach day.

The story opens with Letty and Maya on the run and after a short time we learn why they are running and how The Murmuring Surf ended up on their radar.

I'll say there were a few areas of the plot that didn't quite add up to me - I felt like Joe figured out Letty's past way too quickly to be willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, I don't understand why Tanya would have circled a magazine story focused on her literal crime scenes and the connection between Rooney and Evan seemed way too coincidental to make sense.

But having said that, I enjoyed Letty and Maya a lot, as well as many of the minor characters that added humor and flare.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC and the chance to enjoy this book early!

The Newcomer is another enjoyable, easy read by Mary Kay Andrews. This is the perfect vacation read! Letty is dealing with the loss of her sister, Tanya while trying to adjust to life as a mother to her niece Maya. Thanks to the help of their newly adopted motel family, Letty and Maya begin to create a new life. They find happiness, and Letty may even find love. As usual, Andrews creates endearing, eclectic, and hilarious characters; I would love to sit around the pool and go to Bingo at Murmuring Surf Motel with them! I am hoping that this cast of characters will appear in another Mary Kay Andrews book soon!

Another great book by Ms Andrews! Loved the characters, the plot and settings. She writes the best summer/beach books. Connecting the murder with the incident in Tanya’s past was a little much but it all worked out well. Enjoyed the residents of the motel. They were a hoot. Fun read!

When Petty finds her sister Tanya laying on the floor, she knows she's already on the run. She's promised her sister to take her of Maya, whatever it takes. And she'll honor that promise.
After leaving New York in a rush, crossing several states in her wake, she parks in front of the Murmuring Surf And the story begins...
I've read several books from this author before, and this one is great. There's mystery, there's drama, there's romance. A good plot full of wonderful characters. It took me a day to get to the last page, and I enjoyed every one of them.
Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

While I loved the premise, I just couldn’t get into the plot. I read to about 18% and just didn’t feel invested in the storyline. My apologies!!
Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Love, love, love Mary Kay Andrews. However, this book took me awhile to get into. I thought that I finally found the one book of hers I wasn't in love with. But with persistence, I hit a point, like all of her novels, where I couldn't put it down. In the end, she challenged me to dig deeper and enjoy the ride. And enjoy it I did. Many thanks Ms. Andrews for taking my mind off of fast gear from work and the pandemic.

A mix of family drama, murder, mystery and love, from New York to sunny Florida. Prepare yourself, this is a book you can't put down. Two sisters so completely different but as they say " blood is thicker than water" and Letty will let nothing get in her way of keeping her sister's promise. On the run with her 2 year old niece you travel with Letty from New York, escaping to Florida. landing at the "Murmuring Surf Hotel". There Letty settles in with the "hotel regulars" and even lands a job as an assistant to the owner. Trying to unravel the mystery of her sister's secret life Letty discovers her sister was less than truthful. Letty's not alone as she tackles the dangers of her sister's past. She meets Joe, hotel owners son and local police detective. Full of surprises, love and lots of laughs. As with many of Mary Kay Andrew's books this too is a great beach read.

This book is perfect for anyone looking for a fun, light beach read. The plot and characters are nothing that has not been done before, but Mary Kay Andrews does it very well. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nope, just too, too corny for me. Really lay on the southern "isms" and it didn't speak of anything I needed to hear. When I read one line that was something like faster than a rat on a Cheeto, I'd had enough.
I think it was the last book by Mary Kay Andrews I thought was something too silly to read. I don't know why I requested this, but I won't be reading more of her books.
Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

A great beach read with the perfect balance of love, family and intrigue.
A woman on the run from an evil man and his scheme to frame her for her sister's murder. A little girl who has lost her mother. A policeman looking for the answers to a unsolved crime. A community of snowbirds. Somehow, Mary Kay Andrews draws this unlikely group into a novel about finding yourself and forgiving your past. A page turning tale that will keep you on the edge of your beach towel!

What is family? Is it something you are born into, something you create, or some mysterious combination?

Mary Kay Andrews explores these questions with humor and liveliness. Her main character, Letty, shows an indomitable spirit when left to take care of her niece while being on the run. Other characters flesh out the story and add interest and humor.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review The Newcomer. A fun book to relax with and read in these cold winter days!

My first time to read this author and I enjoyed the mystery which I tried to figure out along the way but she had me stumped! A nice book that you will enjoy.

The Newcomers by Mary Kay Andrews was my very first novel bythis author! A special thank you to NetGalley for granting me an early release ofthis book! It comes out May 4, 2021.When Letty’s sister, Tanya, is mysterious murdered in herNYC apartment, it’s up to Letty to flee with Tanya’s 4 year old daughter Mya.Off they go to Treasure Island, FL (I was there 2 yrs ago, so this was a greatsetting for the book!), staying at a motel called the Murmuring Surf. Lettyquickly becomes one of the regulars, only to find the hidden past her sisterleft behind in that very motel. With Mya’s father in search of them, and accusing Letty ofher sister’s murder, she’s a fugitive on the loose. With the help of the peoplefrom the motel and the FBI, can Letty keep her and Mya safe or will she beunder arrest for a murder she didn’t commit??This is a great book, with straight forward story and an endingthat’s exciting to find out the answers. It was a little drawn out at the end.The book was 448 pages and could have been wrapped up a bit sooner, in my opinion.
Overall a great story and I would definitely read MKA again!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Beach books just always make me happy. This book did not disappoint! The characters and the plot are realistic, mixed with an interesting twist it hooked me from the get go.

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for letting me review my first book from this author.

Letty Carnahan goes for her regular Sunday visit with her niece Maya, only to walk in and find her sister Tanya, Maya s mother dead. Tanya had left Letty a note that if anything ever happened to her to grab Maya, and run, which she did , to the Murmuring Surf Motel, in Florida, a place where Tanya had worked. While there Letty discovers many secrets about her sister.....an involvement with criminal Declan Rooney, and being chased by Maya s father to get his daughter back. Can Letty conceal her identity while interacting with the colorful cast of characters , protect Maya, and find out who really killed her sister and clear her name? Please read this fun tale and find out?

This was my first time reading a Mary Kay Andrews book, and now that I have, I can see why her books are so popular. Although it wasn’t the best book I have ever read, it was fun, and it kept me entertained from start to finish. This book is the perfect beach/snowy day read, and makes for a nice distraction if you find yourself in need of an escape. A nice, easy read that will occupy your mind for a few hours.


The plot and mystery may be a little far fetched at times, but it was simple without being boring and addictive. The story weaves between past and present, but it was written in a way that’s easy enough to follow along with, without getting confused about the events taking place.

I liked Ava and her adorable niece even more, and I loved that part of the story takes place at a motel. There’s just something about motels/hotels that I love, both in real life and in stories.

If you’re in need of an escape from reality, pick this book up and let your mind venture to the beachside motel alongside the characters!