This was my sadly my least favorite Mary Kay Andrews book yet.....for a book that’s easily 150 pages too long (always a MKA staple, the woman needs a better editing system) the book just felt rushed and the plot too cut and dry. It needed some surprises or twists and turns that you didn’t see coming from a mile away.

MKA’s books notoriously for me are way too long but they’re usually solid 4-4.5 star reads, but there wasn’t much of a mystery to this fish out of water mystery story. The book revolves around a NYC woman named Letty whose sister has been murdered and takes her niece on the run to a run down Mom and Pop hotel where they encounter every stereotypical Florida old person character you can imagine, and ofcourse a local town cop for the main character to fall in love with. My favorite character in the book was the undercover FBI agent, she was a hoot. I liked her scenes and wish there was more of her, could have cropped about 100 pages off the book by removing all the nonsense about the hotel guests at the Murmuring Surf. Getting to know them wasn’t necessary to the plot of Letty and her niece.

Everything about the story was predictable, and while I did enjoy the resolution; the book overall just did not satisfy me.

3.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley.

Over the course of many summers, I have read every single one of Mary Kay Andrews’ novels – usually from my hammock or beach blanket.

The Newcomer is a bit different from most Andrews’ typical romance books in that it contains some suspense and even offers a few thrill rides. Don’t worry though, the romance is still present for our protagonist. I loved the found family element of this story, and the eccentric and quirky cast of characters kept me in stitches. It was fun and heartwarming read.

This book will be published on May 4, and I think it will be the perfect beach read for the summer of 2021.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a complimentary advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Beach season will be right around the corner when this fantastic new book is published in May, 2021. I am reading it in January but it still gave me warm thoughts of the summer ahead.

Mary Kay Andrews is one of those few authors who NEVER disappoints her readers. Her new book is another fantastic read for lovers of books about strong women who are faced with huge obstacles to overcome.
Letty shows up in the parking lot of the Murmuring Surf Motel in Florida with her 4 years old niece Maya asleep in the back seat of the car. Letty's sister (Maya's mother) had told her that if anything happened to her, she wanted Letty to grab Mia and get as far away as she can. When Letty finds her sister in a pool of blood in her NYC apartment, she knows that she has to save Maya and flees to Florida. Even though there were no vacancies at the motel, the owner helps her find a store room that can be cleaned out and lived in and gives her a job at the motel. The elderly snow birds at the motel as well as the owners son, Joe, a policeman, all treat this newcomer with suspicion and hostility. Will Letty be able to keep Maya out of harm's way and right the wrongs of the past?

This book is full of suspense and keeps the pages turning to make sure that Letty and Maya stay safe. Along with that are humorous scenes with the snowbirds at the motel. They have all been wintering there for years and feel like they own the place and are very resentful of anyone new plus having a child living there really bothers some of them. They were all very set in their ways but I found a lot of humor in their attitudes toward the motel and each other.

This is a wonderful about family - both the family that you are born into and the family that you create out of the people who love and take care of you. This is a must read for the summer of 2021.

Thanks to netgalley for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

This book was hard to put down. I read it in two days. Letty Carnahan finds her sister dead on the floor in her NYC townhouse. Her sister made her promise months prior that if something ever happened to her, then Letty should take her daughter Maya and run away where her dad couldn't find her. Gripping story of her life on the run to save her 4 year old niece from her wealthy and narcissistic dad.

Another hit by M.K.A I really enjoyed the story of Letty and Maya. It was inspiring to see them flee a bad situation and build a new life for themselves.

As with all of the Mary Kay Andrews books I've read, this one is vivid in its descriptions of the area in which the main characters live and reside. The story itself warms up over time, and the pacing is good. This book is yet another of Mary Kay Andrews' perfect beach reads, and I would recommend it to lovers of Southern fiction and light romance.

When I began reading this book, I must admit I was skeptical that I may not enjoy this book as much as I have enjoyed reading other books by this author. It did not take long to change my mind as I was drawn into the story quickly. This book has an appeal that will peak a multitude of readers’ interests: a story of functional and dysfunctional families that changes settings between a large city and a small beach town, murder, crime, police, FBI, and a sweet love story that takes the back seat to the action. This book was so much better than your typical beach reach! I found it difficult to put the book down once I started to read it. What a wonderful read! #netgalley #TheNewcomer

Great storyline. It keep me hooked until the end. I liked the characters and the people at the motel.

This was the ultimate vacation novel. Made me miss sitting in the sun on the beach. Overall, the story was a lovely mix of mystery and love and I highly enjoyed. it. Can't wait to get on a beach eventually with the newest Mary Kay Andrews novel. Always a hit!

This is a good book to put in your beach bag and enjoy while basking in the sand and sun. This is a good book to put in your beach bag and enjoy while basking in the sand and sun.

Thank you Netgalley and St.Martins Press for the ARC. #Netgalley #TheNewComer

MKA does not let us down with her latest book! This one needs to find a place in your beach bag this summer, you will not regret it.
As always, her characters are well developed and likable, well most of them are likable!

This book is a great mix of a murder mystery, suspense, family relationships with a cast of characters that adds a lot of humour. Letty stepped up and took Maya to protect her and she does an amazing job with a four year old who has temper tantrums. Ava, Joe and Isabelle are a wonderful family and they are so open and welcoming to everyone making Letty and Maya feel loved. The guest at the motel are an eclectic mix of senior citizens that I found myself laughing out loud at some of their antics. The motel sounded like a place you would want to go and stay for the winter.

There is the suspense and mystery of who the strange man is and what Evan will do to get Maya back. While it is a murder mystery, I would say it is more a book on relationships and friendships with the murder haunting them.

The author created wonderful characters and I could easily feel empathy and love for them. The setting in Florida was magnificent and it sounded like the last of the small motels, the ones that still have the family owned charm and attention.

I read this book quickly as I wanted to find out who the killer was and what was going to happen to Letty and Maya.

Mary Kay Andrews at her best!

Not many good things happened in 2020, but the opportunity to read two books by Mary Kay Andrews was certainly a bright spot. Honestly, The Newcomer is probably one of my favorites. More suspenseful than a lot of her books. The Newcomer nonetheless delivers the satisfying romance her readers so enjoy.

Letty and her 4-year old niece Maya are on the run. Exhausted and desperate for a place to hide, they arrive at the Murmuring Surf Motel. They are taken in by the motel's softhearted owner, but her police officer son, Joe, is suspicious of the new guests. Letty and Maya are soon fixtures at the motel and Joe's suspicions are tempered by his growing feelings for Letty. Letty is interested but too overwhelmed by the threats she and Maya face to allow herself to wholeheartedly accept Joe's overtures.

The story moves along at a good pace and the characters are likable. The ending is exciting and satisfying. This book is the reading equivalent of a bubble bath. It is a wonderful escape from the stresses of the day.

Thank you, Net Galley, for an advance copy for an honest review.
I have read many of Mary Kay Andrews books which I have enjoyed. This one was good, and I did enjoy it. I liked the main character Letty- she is just a regular person who is doing the best she can. When her sister is murdered, she takes her niece out of harms way. She ends up at an old fashion motel on the beach in Florida where she hides out. I liked the characters who are staying at the motel and they really enriched the story.
The mystery was light and easily solved. The romance was good. I do like a book that is told from different points of view.
If you like Mary Kay Andrews and a nice story this is for you.

A cute read, but way too long. Letty escapes to Florida with her niece after her sister's murder and encounters a charming cast of characters at a gulf side Motel. Though there were hints that there might be a mystery, or some suspence, that never really panned out.

Mary Kay Andrews's books have been on my radar for awhile, but with an out of control TBR, it's been hard to get to one. When I received a copy of The Newcomer through NetGalley, I was thrilled to finally check out her work. On the whole, I was pleasantly surprised by this quick and easy read.

When Letty Carnahan arrives at the NYC townhouse of her sister Tanya, she finds the woman laying in a pool of her own blood and her 4-year-old niece, Maya, hiding under her bed. Letty's not going to hang around: her sister had warned her that if anything happened it would be at the hands of her sleazy boyfriend, Evan (also Letty's ex). Only things is, Evan's not the only suspect: Letty is as well.

So off she runs with Maya until she arrives at the Murmuring Surf Motel, a relic of a bygone era on the Florida Gulf Coast. She's not there by accident: Tanya had a magazine article tucked among her belongings, so Letty figures that there's no better place to hide out. Only problem is the owner's handsome son is a local police detective and he might end up throwing her in jail long before Evan could ever catch up to her.

The story is a bit cliche and so are most of the cast (why are none of the motel's "residents' anything other than crotchety old people?), but as I said, it's a quick read that I really got into (being a New Englander, and it being December, it was nice to read about Florida beaches) once I started. Unfortunately, there was a strange flow to it. It seemed to jump around from character to character a lot and abruptly (and at one point I think a cat was a POV?) and I can't figure out if that was just because it was a proof or not (this one was as badly formatted as I've ever received from NetGalley, including incorrect character names). There were also a bunch of side characters that weren't really fleshed out (Rooney, for example and the fact that all the seniors were angry) and the story itself was pretty run of the mill and straightforward with no real major twists. But I would definitely check out this author's other books.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to review this advance copy.

Once again combining romance and mystery, Mary Kay Andrews sets this new book on Florida's gulf coast. Letty Carnahan has had a tumultuous relationship with her sister Tanya but Tanya HAD warned her to blame Evan, Maya's father and keep Maya safe if anything happened to Tanya. So, after finding her sister dead in her apartment, Letty scooped up her niece and left New York. Tanya has also shown Letty where she keeps her 'go-bag' so Maya, grabs that as well and heads south.

With no real destination in mind, Letty finds an ad for a Florida hotel circled in her sister's things and so, with no real destination in mind, sets out for the Murmuring Surf. With the No Vacancy sign flashing, she manages to convince the owner to let her clear out a storage room and help out with the hotel duties. Arriving with a 4 year old child in tow doesn't make her very appealing to the elderly, long-term clientele but they eventually warm to Letty and Maya. Letty learns that the police are searching for her in regards to her sister's death and becomes worried and afraid that Joe, the hotel owner's son and a member of the local police course will put two and two together. Evan is also searching for her and Maya.

Doing more research on her own, Letty learns her sister hasn't been completely honest....about a lot of things. Read the book to find out if Letty and Maya get their happily ever after. It's a classic get-away read.

I was very excited to read this book as Mary Kay Andrews has become a must read for me. While this was another quality story, it was not one of my favorites of hers. I don't know if it was a case of too many ideas in one book, but some parts felt a little disjointed.

I really enjoyed Letty as a character, and how she selflessly stepped in to save her niece Maya, and bring her to a safe location in Florida, after finding her sister Tanya murdered. I liked how The Murmuring Surf Motel became its own character, and all the regular guests brought life and fun to the story. Letty was originally seen as an outsider by the regular guests at the motel, and they certainly didn't want a young child around, but slowly started to earn their trust through various positive interactions.

While Letty tried to figure out what happened to her sister, bits and pieces of her sister's past came to life. There were many twists and turns in the story just related to the sister's murder, and I would have been ok with the story if that is what unfolded. But I struggled with the introduction of the grifter and jewelry thief, and how everything tied together. There was a little romance thrown in, which can never hurt, and a happily ever after. Definitely a good read, and a good mystery.

Mary Kay Andrews did not disappoint! I always enjoy her books and this one is no exception. The premise was different and enjoyable to watch unfold. The characters were real and i especially loved Ava - i think because i could easily identify with the strong woman who trusted too easily. I definitely recommend The Newcomer to anyone looking for a good read.

This was an engaging story. It was a story where I where I developed such great feelings for the characters. I loved the relationship development between Letty and Joe. There was such chemistry between them. The plot developed smoothly throughout the book. The cast of characters developed also developed nicely throughout the books. Except for Evan and Tanya. I really enjoyed all the characters. Letty was way too good of a sister to Tanya.. The book did keep you guessing all the way through. I was convinced that Vicki was on Evan's side almost up to the end of the book. The book is a quick read because you don't want to put it down. Good way to spend a cold winter afternoon in front of the fire!