#SummerStartsWithMKA! The Newcomer is a fun Summer read with mystery, second chances, and found family. Read and enjoy!

I loved this book! Thank you for the ARC. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that I wasn’t leaving reviews on netgalley and was solely sharing on Instagram. My apologies. Huge fan of this author! I actually received the tangible copy. Trying to clean up my netgally account.

Another beach read in the books.

It was fun, not my favorite beach read (because they are all so similar, but it was entertaining.)

This is perfect for anyone looking for a beach read.

This was my first MKA book. I have to say I enjoyed it immensely! MKA knows how to write a good story. A little mystery, with a little romance thrown in. You just can't go wrong. I actually have also read her new book The Homewreckers and enjoyed that one as well.

I really enjoyed the the Narrator of the book as well. I had actually listened AND read this book and will probably end up buying the physical copy to have on my shelf. Anyway, I think the Narrator (Kathleen McInerney really makes the story THAT much better. She set the tone for the book. This was a 4 star read for me.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was exactly what I wanted it to be! I loved it. I will make sure to check out other books by this author. When I requested this I was just intrigued by the concept of it and I loved how it turned out. This story had a great plot and if you have read this and enjoyed it, This was so much. It was such a great story. I would say give this one a try. I will continue to follow this author. Way to go to this author for not letting me down.

I highly enjoyed the narrator of the audiobook. Kept me listening.

Wow! The Newcomer was the best summer read!Tanya discovered her sister dead in her apartment, so she grabs her niece Maya and runs! They end up at the Treasure Island hotel. This book will keep you on the guessing through out the whole book!

The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews will definitely be a hot book for Summer 2021.

Letty finds her sister Tanya dead, and she knows she has to go on the run with her four-year-old niece Maya. She knows this because Tanya warned her before she died that something might happen to her, and if it did, Letty should blame her ex.

From that start, readers follow Letty and Maya as they flee to Florida where Letty will meet a cast of characters, including potential love interest-slash-local police detective Joe.

It's the classic mix of love and intrigue from Andrews. It's perhaps a bit long, but it'll be an enjoyable summer read for fans.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Omg I love this author so much, her writing style is just so special and hits my emotional levels. I loved this book and would probably keep enjoying her books!

Story failed to hold my interest. I never felt a connection to the characters and the plot moved too slowly.

I had a hard time getting into this book. It felt long and I kept losing interest and then picking it back up, then losing interest. I received an audio version, but I think that if I had picked up a paper version I would have found myself skimming ahead to see where the plot was going. I would probably try this one again at some point, but I haven't found it engaging so far.

Perhaps it was an omen. Maybe it was gut feeling. Tanya told her sister Letty that if anything happened to her that blame would lie wither her ex, real estate entrepreneur Evan Wingfield. She had an additional message, however. Tanya made Letty promise to take her daughter Maya and run. Maya does not know why her aunt Letty is so rushed. She does not understand what happened to her mother. She does not know why they are in her mother's car. As far as Letty is concerned, she is fairly well freaked out, without a second to spare, even to grieve the death of her sister. She simply has to do what she promised. Take Maya and run, and protect her down to her last breath.

Letty does not even know where she is going, or even certain who she is running from. Did Evan kill her sister? Would he be a danger to Maya? She can't even trust the police but cannot even explain why. Tanya did one additional thing - she had a "go-bag" - filled with money and a huge diamond ring - ready for Letty to grab. So, Letty and Maya won't want for much for the time being. But, living life on the run. How could that possibly happen?

Letty struggles to find a place to stay that first night. She also has to try and soothe a constantly crying Maya. They land at a place called The Murmuring Surf Hotel. The owner seems kind, as does the owner's son Joe. However, not only is Joe a police detective, he is wary of Letty and whatever her circumstances are. If Letty is on the run how will she ever discover who killed her sister and why. Also, living life on the run leaves very little chance to trust anyone, especially the local police in the form of Joe.

What a thrilling read - or in this case - what a thrilling audiobook. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. The danger was palbable. The sadness was powerful. The pacing was excellent. The characterization was exceptional, even when a woman named Vikki entered the fray. All of these things led to a recipe for a fantastic book.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

A solid beach read in the tradition of Mary Kay Andrews. Good characters, a soft mystery and a little bit of romance.

Was unable to listen to this audiobook. Damaged my phone and had to get a new one. When I opened my netgalley app, I was unable to listen.

Can you believe this was my first Mary Kay Andrews story? What a story it was!

After Letty discovered her sister murdered, she whisks her niece, Maya, down to Florida so they can go into hiding. While Letty tries to untangle her sister’s web of secrets at The Surf motel, Joe, the owner’s son, tries to untangle his growing feeling for Letty.

Part mystery, part suspense, part romance, but pure delight, this won’t be my last Mary Kay Andrews novel. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for my review copy. All opinions are my own.

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY: One sister is dead and the other flees with her motherless 4 year old niece to Florida.

When Letty finds her sister Tanya dead in her expensive Manhattan townhouse, she heeds her sister's previous warnings that if anything were to happen to her Letty was to take her daughter Maya and flee as her ex-Evan is most likely the killer. Letty then takes her sister's Mercedes, her to-go bag packed with $19,000 in cash and a motel clipping of a place in Florida called the Murmuring Surf Motel and heads off with Maya. When she reaches her destination she finds a "no vacancy sign" on the run down motel. She plays on the heartstrings of the kind owner Ava about her long drive and needing a place for her and Maya to sleep and although they are fully booked Ava agrees to help them out. Soon Letty is working there in exchange for charging her room fees. However, is The Murmuring Surf motel the safest place for Letty and Maya? Why did her sister have the clipping in her bag in the first place?

I felt there was a lot to like about this story, it is part mystery (Tanya had a dark past) yet overall a light summer read. I loved Letty and her relationship with Maya. I loved the run-down motel setting which was mostly inhabited by grouchy senior snowbirds who return year after year and think they set the rules, of course, they see Letty as "The Newcomer." There is also Joe, who is Ava's daughter. He is a cop although he seems a bit unethical at times. He first gives Letty a difficult time but, before you know it there appears to be a budding romance which I felt seemed out of place.

Overall, I thought this story was entertaining with the unique cast of characters. I thought the author did a good job meshing Tanya's story with the present story as Letty tried to figure out what really happened to her sister and why. My biggest complaint was that this story was way too long (14+ hours) on audio. A story this long is not what most would expect for a summer beach read. The audio was read by Kathleen McInerney who did a very good job.

RATING: 4/5

The audiobook was a free download provided by Macmillan Audio in exchange for my unbiased review. Unfortunately, the download disappeared from my NetGalley shelf before I had a chance to listen to it but, I was able to download it from the library.

https://bibliophilebythesea.blogspot.com/2021/07/2-brief-reviews-guncle-steven-rowley.html

Letty Carnahan finds her sister Tanya murdered and she is sure it was at the hands of her boyfriend. Letty doesn’t want to see her four-year old niece, Maya, taken into foster care, so she grabs Maya and her sister’s car and heads to Florida to hide out at a seaside motel. This bold move catapults Letty to the front of the line of murder suspects.
To write a review for this book, I am very conflicted. I finished the book but I can honestly say I did not love it. This was my first book by the author and I wanted to enjoy it like so many of her fans do. However if this wasn’t an ARC, I never would have finished it.
The narrator’s voice in the audio version for Maya is distracting and very irritating. For all the Mary Kay Andrew fans I would only recommend the paper version.
Stronger editing would have been helpful for The Newcomer. The synopsis of the book sounded like a story I would have enjoyed but for starters it was way too long, predictable, and unoriginal. The storyline had some wonderful elements that could have been developed better. The quirky group of characters could have added great dimensions to the book but both just landed flat in my opinion.
I did enjoy Ms. Andrews’s style of writing and look forward to reading one of her books in the future.
I am grateful to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio and Mary Kay Andrews for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A number of years ago, I read an entertaining mystery series by someone named Kathy Hogan Trochek. The stories featured Callahan Garrity. She ran a cleaning service as I recall but bodies always seemed to be in the way. I recommend the novels. What is relevant here is that KHT and Mary Kay Andrews are one and the same! This meant that I knew that The Newcomer would feature an involving story line, good plotting and interesting characters. I was not disappointed.

The Newcomer in this story could be looked at as several different people, although I think that it principally refers to Letty. Letty and her sister Tanya grew up in less than stable circumstances. Letty, an aspiring actress, has moved to New York. She meets and gets to know Evan. Not long after, Letty’s sister Tanya joins Letty, thus becoming a newcomer to New York. She proceeds to take over Letty’s boyfriend (Evan) and works as an aspiring model. When something happens to Tanya, Letty flees with Tanya’s little girl. Letty then becomes the newcomer at a Florida motel that is run by a very goodhearted woman. Letty got the name of this motel from Tanya’s belongings.

Why did Tanya keep the clipping on the motel? Who was responsible for what happened to Tanya? Will Letty successfully be blamed by Evan? Will Evan track her down?

Around this, also get to know Joe. He is a cop and the son of the motel owner. Will he figure out Letty’s story? If/when he does, will he then help or harm her?

The fun of reading this book is the sense that everything should mostly work out in the end. This lets readers relax and immerse themselves in a perfect beach book that is partially set at a beach.

I read some of this book and listened to some of it on audio. Both ways were involving and entertaining. The narration of the audio book got me through many a walk in the heat.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

Letty flees from NYC with her 4 year old niece after she finds her sister murdered. Her sister had told her "if anything happens to me it is Evan, take Maya and run!" So, Letty and Maya end up at the Murmuring Surf Motel on coastal Florida. Letty had seen the motel mentioned in some of her sister's stuff. There, Letty befriends the hotel owner and her police officer son, Joe. Letty and Maya settle into the motel as Letty tries to figure out her sister's past dealings and what led to her murder. There's an undeniable spark between Joe and Letty that Letty tries to ignore since she doesn't want Joe to discover that she is on the run.

This was a fun beach read that while not 100% plausible was an enjoyable ride with a few twists and turns. I was able to suspend my disbelief for a little bit and just went with it. Sure, the police and FBI agents were kind of not doing their jobs and there were a few coincidences....but I went along for the ride. I would call it a romance mystery. It's got a little bit of both genres in there. This was my first book by Mary Kay Andrews and it was a nice escapist listen to help take my mind off of life. Nothing like a beach read audiobook to help pass the time while cleaning the kitchen or straightening the yard.

What to listen to while reading...
Everything Else Has Gone Wrong by Bombay Bicycle Club
Doin' Time by Lana Del Rey
Sincerity is Scary by The 1975
Rainbow by Kacey Musgraves
Light On by Maggie Rogers
Someone to You by BANNERS
The Less I Know the Better by Tame Impala

This was a really fun beach read, but I think it went on longer than it needed to. And then the ending just came crashing together out of nowhere to tie everything up in a nice bow. I did enjoy Lettie and Maya’s story and there was a good amount of drama, with the Evan and Rooney storylines. Initially I kinda felt that Lettie was somehow involved in how they ended up on the run. Lots of twists and turns, definitely a fun beach read!

Letty and her 4 year old niece, Maya, are on the run after the murder of Letty’s sister who was also Maya’s mother. Letty will stop at nothing to protect her niece. They end up at a small mom and pop hotel on the coast of Florida where their lives begin to intertwine with the crowd in this small setting.

With a love story and plenty of action, this is the perfect summer/beach read. While it seemed a bit long at some points (maybe too much description of bingo night??) , I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’d definitely recommend.

**huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!