Mary Kay Andrew’s books always mean summer for me and her newest release is no different! The Newcomer is a delightful combination of romance, women’s fiction, and mystery and it is the perfect summer book!

I am a huge fan of the found family theme in books so I just fell in love with the Letty, Maya, and the cast of eccentric retirees and snowbirds at the Murmuring Surf Motel. They create a makeshift summer family…but only after many bumps in the road! I just wanted to pack my bags and move on in.

The audiobook is absolutely fantastic and the narrator fit perfectly with the story. It was one of those rare audiobooks that you become so absorbed in that you ignore everything else and just get lost in the story! I couldn’t stop listening and had to known how everything played out.

My only complaint is that the story is VERY long. Even though I was so absorbed in the story it did start to feel too long after a while. Since I was enjoying the story so much it ended up it wasn’t too big of a deal for me.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press, Netgalley, and Macmillan Audio for my gifted copies!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book! I thought it was a very suspenseful mystery. At times I had to put it down because I was so anxious about who was lurking around the next corner! Well done!

I was disappointed in this book. Almost all of the “secrets” were revealed so early in the story. It was a letdown. Very predictable.

"Promise me. If something happens to me, promise me you’ll take Maya and run…”
After her sister's brutal murder, Letty follows through on the promise she made. Letty took Maya and ran. She finds herself at the Murmuring Surf Motel, an old beachside motel full of a close-knit group of retirees. With nowhere left to run Letty, along with Maya, hole up at the motel to try to figure out who murdered her sister.

Mary Kay Andrews builds a romantic mystery perfect for summer.

Beach read with depth. When Letty's sister, Tanya, dies under mysterious circumstances Letty swoops in to protect her niece and find justice for her sister. Along the way she meets a host of colorful characters at the The Surf who help her to unravel the mystery of what happened to Tanya. This book was a pleasure to read. I couldn't put it down!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review. I am not sure what made me request this title but I am so glad I did because I love love loved this book. I cannot even imagine why it is getting only average reviews...is it me? The cover is good for me, the premise of the book, the characters themselves and I loved the city that kept getting described...so much so that I will have to go check it out myself one day. For me, this was a book that I didn't want to end because I wanted to spend more time with the people I was meeting...I will request every single book that comes along by this author as she is now on my list...

Thank you Netgalley for the e-book of The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews in exchange for my review.

This is my first Mary Kay Andrews book and it did not disappoint! Letty finds her sister, Tanya, dead in her apartment and she’s pretty certain that Tanya’s ex, Evan, is to blame. Letty take’s Tanya’s four-year old daughter, Maya, and hits the road and hides out at an old beachside motel. This book really packs it all in: murder, mystery, and romance. What more could you want! I enjoyed The Newcomer and will seek out more books by Mary Kay Andrews to add to my collection.

This is a well written and easy read but I just struggled a bit to connect with the characters. A little predictable too but I know there are some excellent reviews for this book and for many others by Mary Kay Andrews so I know its just not my kind of read.

Recommended as an easy love story.

Thank you Netgalley.

I received an eARC of The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Great beach read! Mary Kay Andrews doesn't disappoint with The Newcomer. 4 stars!

An enjoyable murder mystery book in a contemporary setting. When Letty Carnahan finds her sister Tanya dead, she knows she has to flee. Tanya warned her about this--if anything happened to her, Letty was to take Tanya's four-year-old daughter, Maya, and run. Letty has no idea where to go, but Tanya's left behind one clue: a magazine article with a motel circled. She and Maya arrive at the Murmuring Surf, a little motel in Florida, exhausted. Letty is convinced that Tanya's ex--Maya's father--a rich businessman is after them. But at "the Surf," the owner, Ava DeCurtis, takes a liking to Maya (and Letty). Despite the No Vacancy sign, she lets Letty and Maya stay in a tiny efficiency. But the rest of the hotel regulars regard Letty and Maya--the newcomers--with suspicion, as does Ava's son, local cop Joe DeCurtis. Joe is pretty convinced Letty is a fugitive and maybe even a murderer. As Letty tries to settle in and heal with Maya, she attempts to unravel exactly what happened to Tanya: and the more she finds out, the more it leads back to the Surf. The characters are relatable although I would have liked to know more about Joe and Vicki but that could be a different story. This book was definitely long and could have removed some pages to make it flow more quickly. A good summer read though which I have come to know about Mary Kay Andrews.

This is a Contemporary/Chick-Lit/Suspense/Women's Fiction. This is a very slow moving story. I have to say it took me a little bit to get into this book, but once I was pulled into this book I could not put it down. The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews is a 2021 St. Martin’s Press publication.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy.

Letty is a pretty special person. Her troubled younger sister worried that her ex would hurt her and asked Letty to promise to take her daughter Maya and run if she something happened to her.
Letty wasn’t expecting anything to actually happen to her sister Tanya. She had a tendency to be dramatic. But she made that promise and she kept it.

Tanya had left her boyfriend and was planning to move to California. Letty went by to visit Maya one morning and found Tanya dead.
She scooped up Maya and ran, leaving behind her own life.

Unfortunately this resulted in Tanya’s ex immediately accusing Letty of killing Tanya and kidnapping Maya.
Letty is so sure that Tanya’s ex is guilty that she keeps running.

She runs until she finds a hotel she’d found mentioned among her sister’s belongings. It sounded like it was special to Tanya and Letty ran until she got there. When she arrived, there was no vacancy but she pleaded with the owner and was giving the ability to stay in one of the buildings if she cleaned it out.

At first, Letty is viewed with suspicion as the newcomer. Many of the hotel’s guests are snowbirds who stay the entire season. The same people have come year after year. The employees and guests are almost like family.
So, the guests aren’t easy on Letty at first. And the owner’s son Joe is suspicious too. Maybe because his mom has a habit of taking in strays.

But Letty works hard and she starts to become family to this group of people too. But she always has that secret lingering and she could be in very real danger.

I enjoyed the setting and the characters. Letty was a great person, Joe and his family too, Maya was adorable. In my personal opinion there was an entire storyline that I’m not entirely sure belonged. It added to the drama, sure, but it didn’t feel necessary to me. It was an entire second set of characters that may or may not also put Letty and Maya in danger. I felt like one was enough. Again, that’s my opinion. Although I’ve read a lot of Mary Kay Andrews books, most have them have been lighter and more in the beach book or fiction category. I feel like this one is also suspense and mystery. That’s not a genre I usually buy, I just really enjoy this author and that’s why I wanted to read it.

I read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thanks!

I loved this book!! My favorite MKA I’ve read so far.

Set in Treasure Island, FL I could picture everything as the story unfolded. Had a very nostalgic beach town vibe that I love. I actually shed a little tear at the end.

The perfect summer read.

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press for a review copy of this book.

I'm sorry to say this wasn't my cup of tea. I requested it because the premise sounded intriguing and I feel bad leaving a not stellar review. But the story was hard to follow and didn't keep my attention. There was lots of mystery, but I didn't connect well with the characters and the romance didn't feel real to me. I'll keep a lookout for other books by this author though and maybe make a better connection the next time? Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to take a look.

Loved this book! There was the perfect amount of suspense, little bit of romance, and just all around fun with the characters. Highly recommend!!

Huge thanks to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for my gifted copy of The Newcomer.

It isn’t summer without a new Mary Kay Andrews book.

I enjoyed this one. I really liked Letty. Maya was so adorable. I loved the setting of the hotel. It sounds like such a perfect place. I would love to stay close to the beach for months.

The mystery was pretty solid. Letty’s sister was killed so Letty had to take Maya and run. The mystery isn’t all that it seems which makes for a few surprises for Letty.

If you love Mary Kay Andrews you are going to love this one.

Tears were rolling down my cheek as I finished this heartwarming story. I loved the combination of romance, mystery and humor. It seems like I am drawn to stories where characters who haven't had a picture-perfect family life meet up with strangers to forge a new family of love and support. The Newcomer definitely fits in this category. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review the latest novel from Mary Kay Andrews.

I really loved the atmosphere of the murmuring surf and most of the characters (obviously excluding Evan and Rooney for obvious reasons). The mystery and FBI investigation were also really cool concepts. My main gripe with this book is the length. It was just soooooo long. I feel like all of the same elements could have been fleshed out in a way that was not as long.

In terms of characters:
The villains were definitely villains and there were not many redeeming qualities to be had. I also appreciated that Tanya was more of a morally gray character because it made her character feel more real. Letty's character was also pretty interesting. I was so happy that her character got everything she wanted at the end because she totally deserved it. Maya is also such an amazing character. The only character that I felt I should have liked but didn't was Joe. Don't get me wrong I am all for enemies to lovers or even slight dislike to lovers, but I just felt like their relationship wasn't for me. More specifically, I felt like Joe was too pushy with Letty. Dude, if she doesn't want a relationship right now, don't keep pressing and also don't make everything about a damn kiss you shared. Letty is trying her best to raise her niece and she is still grieving her sister, give her a break.

I had a fantastic time with this book! I have wanted to read Mary Kay Andrews’s work for a while and I am glad that I finally had the chance to do so with this book. I was hooked by this story right away and it held my interest until the very end. I am so glad that I was finally able to give this author a try.

Letty is on the run with her niece, Maya, after finding her sister dead. She ends up in Florida at The Murmuring Surf Motel. The motel is filled with senior citizens and they aren’t exactly welcoming to Letty and Maya at first. She knows that the police in New York are looking for her as they investigate her sister’s death but she just wants to lay low and keep her niece safe. She didn’t expect the complication of the owner’s son Joe, who happens to be a local police officer.

I really liked the characters in this book. Letty was such a good person. She took Maya as her sister asked her to do because she wanted to make sure that her niece was safe. Ava, the hotel owner, was incredibly kind to both Letty and Maya and I loved the relationship that developed between them. Joe was more cautious but quickly proved that he was a good guy that could be trusted. I liked the chemistry between Letty and Joe and appreciated the slower-burn romance between them. I thought that the other characters at the motel added a lot to the story as well.

The mystery in this book kept me guessing. I was really curious about what had happened to Letty’s sister, Tanya. There is another element to the story which explored how Tanya was tied to the motel and what happened in her past before joining her sister in New York. The story was rather exciting and there were times that I was really worried about Letty and Maya’s safety.

Kathleen McInerney did a fantastic job with this narration of this book. There was a pretty big cast of characters and she handled all of their voices with a lot of skill. I thought that she added a lot of excitement and emotion into her reading. She had a very pleasant voice and I believe that her narration added to my overall enjoyment of the book.

I would recommend this book to others. I had a great time with this book and found it to be filled with great characters, a wonderful plot, and just enough romance to keep things interesting. I will definitely be reading more of this author’s work in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley and I borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.

Thanks Netgalley for a copy.
Sometimes I am in a mood for something lite and sweet. A little bit sappy , a little bit sad almost like a Hallmark movie I enjoyed it very much.

PERFECT Summer Read ! Mary Kay Andrews never disappoints. “ Newcomer” takes place in western Florida at an old fashioned gulf front hotel. MKA intertwines murder, racketeering and romance into a delightful novel with lovable and endearing characters. I am never disappointed when I pick up a Mary Kay Andrews book. Add “Newcomer” to your beach bag- you won’t be disappointed.