The Newcomer is the perfect romantic summer read with some mystery and suspense sprinkled in. I loved the audible and didn't want to stop listening as the adorable, yet quirky characters showed their true colors. Mary Kay Andrews knows how to incorporate funny, quick-witted characters who get into extraordinary situations. I found myself chuckling throughout this "page turner". It is definitely one you won't want to miss.

Letty Carnahan escaped from New York City with her four-year-old niece, Maya, after finding her sister dead. Letty believes her sister’s crooked ex-husband, Eli Wingfield, killed her. Letty felt like her sister was sending her a sign to lay low at the The Murmuring Surf Motel in Florida's Gulf Coast. Once she arrives, Letty and Maya try to find their place with a place full of snowbirds and retirees looking for a restful and quiet stay at their favorite yearly spot. They were not looking for a newcomer with a child disturbing their vacation. Thankfully the owner saw things differently.

Thank you NetGalley, Mary Kay Andrews, and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to the book for an honest review.

The Newcomer was my first by Mary Kay Andrews and it will not be my last. I was very pleasantly surprised by how quickly this novel grabbed my attention and kept it throughout the book. The characters were very well developed and the plot was solid. There were a few things that I feel were a little farfetched, but I loved it all the same. The mix of romance and mystery is just what I needed.

There was such an interesting assortment of characters in this book, some very loveable and others not so much. We follow Letty and her 4year old niece, Maya. Letty found her sister, Tanya, murdered and as she had promised took her niece and ran. Tanya also told her that if something happened to her it was definitely Maya's dad, Evan. Letty and Maya end up at a seaside motel called the Murmuring Surf, where a very trusting owner, Ava, gives them refuge. Ava has a teenage daughter and a grown son, Joe, who is a cop. Add in some zany motel guest and Letty looking over her shoulder at all times and you have quite the mix!

A big thank you to St. Martin's Press for sending me a physical copy of this ARC - I was not expecting it and it was a complete surprise when it landed in my mailbox! My very first book swag! Also, thank you to Macmillan Audio for supplying a copy of the audiobook for me to listen to! I went back and forth from audio to reading, and it was a huge help with fitting this into my schedule that way.

It took some time to find my footing with the cast of characters that The Newcomer has. I noticed as Letty settled into The Murmuring Surf Motel, I did as well. The mystery of Tanya's past, how Letty would prove that Evan murdered her, and why Tanya had the magazine clipping of The Murmuring Surf in her bag kept me turning the pages. I wanted to see how this all would play out.

There were chapters that would flash back to when Letty was living in New York, how she met Evan and how Tanya met Evan. They worked quite well in the story, and did not confuse you as you read as to where in the timeline you were. The POV would also change from Letty, to Joe, Vicki, and sometimes Letty's friend Zoe.

The cast of characters that stayed at The Murmuring Surf were entertaining to read about, although I must say that this is the first beach read I read that did not have me wanting to move my life to Florida and start running a motel! Most of the characters were of the older generation, and could be classified by today's standards as "Karen's" and "Ken's" as they are always complaining if they do not get their way.

Maya is Letty's 4 year old niece, and Mary Kay Andrews did a great job in portraying just how 4 year olds can be. Maya fit into the story seamlessly and was well thought out in all interactions with everyone at the motel, and with her dad. The picture I posted above will make much more sense after reading about Maya at the end of the story!

There were a couple of things that kept me from absolutely loving this story though. I have to warn you that while I did enjoy the story, it is very lengthy and can be very slow at times. I did put the book down to start another book for my book club, and struggled to pick it back up again. As I mentioned before, it took some time for me to really fall into Letty's world, and I hope this will not discourage some readers.

There is also a plot line of romance between Letty and Joe, the cop who happens to be the motel owner's son. This plot line really confused me, as Letty went from being an irritation to Joe to all of a sudden being his love interest. If a man ever pursued me the way he did with Letty, I think I would run the other way. I also didn't really believe that Letty had fallen for him, as her whole time was spent worrying about Maya or Evan, and trying to plan her next move. Then, poof! She would be batting her eyes at Joe. It just felt a bit disjointed for me.

As for the audiobook, I did like this narrator a lot, and she kept me from turning it off and focusing on the print book. My only irritation was her voice for Maya, as any adult imitating a child irks me to no end. Luckily, Maya doesn't have too many lines in the story, so I was able to overlook it and enjoy the rest of the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. Letty Carnahan is on the run with her niece Maya after she found her sister Tayna dead. Now she finds herself in Florida at a motel with the nicest owner, Ava, and her son, the cop, and all the crazy guests. The characters are a story onto themselves. There are quite a few twists and we find out Tanya has a sorted past and there is an underlying mystery. I do need to add a disclaimer this is a long story and if I had received it in print form I probably would not have made it through (I just don't have that kind of time) but having it in audio was perfection. It brought to life all the motel characters and Ava who was at times savvy and other times innocent. Twists and turns and secrets comes to lights and add in the antics of a 4 year old and there was a lot of fun to be had.

**Received this ARC for review in audio form from the publisher via NetGalley**

A big thank you to @NetGalley and @MacMillanAudio for the free digital audio copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This time of year I love turning my attention to warmer temperatures, cool waters, and hot beach reads. Mary Kay Andrews' new book The Newcomer fits in nicely with the beach reads. It follows Letty Carnahan, who is on the run with her 4-year-old niece Maya, in tow. She finds her sister dead at her ex Evan's hands, and is now on the run from him. She winds up at the Murmuring Surf Motel in Treasure Island, FL, and there begins her adventure and the process of clearing her name.

I loved how strong, yet kind, Letty was with Maya. I also thought Maya was absolutely adorable. And the sexual tension between Letty and Joe? Through the roof!!

If you love a good beach read, then The Newcomer is the book for you!!

You might think of this as a "beach" read but honestly, this book is good anytime - in front of a fire, just before bed, over breakfast, you get the idea. Thoroughly enjoyed no matter where I was reading or listening in my case. The narrator, Kathleen McInerney is excellent! Exceptional plot. Perfect women's fiction - romance mixed with a lot of mystery. Mary Kay Andrews creates strong, independent female characters and usually hunky male counterparts. Joe could have used a little more understanding in the beginning. Lettie's strong, independent nature was put to the test while on the run with her adorable niece. She had to save them both from a killer or is is killers? After stopping in Florida, Lettie thinks just maybe this is a good place to lay low for a while. Joe, a cop who is suspicious by nature, knows Lettie is hiding something but his gut tells him to give her the benefit of the doubt. To me, his character was rather abrupt but he softens as the story goes on. The storyline keeps you guessing since there is more than one bad guy trying to find Lettie and Maya. It's a long book but well worth the time.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced review copy. In return, I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

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Thank you for this audiobook!! I really liked all the drama and storyline. I also loved the narration(huge for me). Little long. Seemed to drag on but overall I really liked it!

If you like romance and mystery then you will enjoy this book. I love both of those two components and I absolutely adored this book. The characters were relatable and likable, and I enjoyed how everything became intertwined. The story grabbed me in from the very beginning and I couldn't wait to see where the journey would end. This is a great read and a wonderful story of finding happiness after tragedy.

Letty Carnahan is on the run with her 4yo niece, Maya, when she turns up at a hotel in Florida. She’s pretty sure she knows who killed her sister, Tanya, and she needs to keep her niece safe. But, she’s a newcomer to the area and the long-term snowbirds who stay at the hotel aren’t excited about Letty and Maya interrupting their routines.

Meanwhile, Joe DeCurtis, the hotel owner’s son and local cop begins looking into Letty’s past - questioning why she showed up out of the blue with no plans for the future. Joe develops feelings for Letty, but she can’t let herself fall for him.

As the truth of Tanya’s past comes to light, Letty and Maya are in even more danger. How can Letty protect Maya when she doesn’t know who she’s running from?

This was a fun, fast moving story. Mary Kay Andrew is “the queen of beach reads”, but this is the first of her books I’ve read. I think for a beach read it could have been a bit shorter, but I still enjoyed the ride. I both read and listened to the book and recommend it either way.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for a copy of the book and audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was expecting a beach read and The Newcomer was that, but it was a lot more. This was a bit Contemporary Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, and Women's Fiction. “If anything bad happens to me—it’s Evan. Promise me you’ll take Maya and run. Promise me.” Tanya tells her sister. When Letty Carnahan finds her sister dead on her living room floor, she grabs Tanya's daughter along with her go bag and runs. What she wasn't expecting was to be the main suspect in Tanya's death. She finds a flyer in Tanya's bag advertising a small mom & pop motel in Treasure Island, Florida so that is where they head. They find a refuge there among the regulars and the owner who gives Lettie a job as well as helping out with childcare for Maya. The only catch is the owner's son is not only a handsome man, but her is a cop. Will she have to run again?

This book is not a fast moving action story, but a relatively slow moving story that allows us to get to know the characters and the motel which is a character in itself. I really liked the mixed of characters in this book. There were the regular residents of the motel who were a hoot. They bickered like family, yet supported one another when needed. Lettie was a very relatable and inspirational character. She left everything behind to support her sister and keep her niece safe. She has some baggage to get over if she and Joe are going to have any kind of a relationship. I liked learning her story through flashbacks and things she finally shares with Joe. Maya was adorable. I loved her personality and gumption. Did she see her mom get killed? That is a question that was in the back of my mind throughout this story. Eventually, there is some law enforcement involved in a case against Evan Wingfield, trying to gather information. Secrets about Tanya come out at the motel and give Joe and Letty some important information they need. Overall, this story had everything I was looking for, some romance, a fun setting, great characters, some suspense a bit of a mystery and a Happily Ever After. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Kathleen McInerney. This is a narrator that I do not hesitate to listen to. She has a great voice with expression, inflection and is able to do voices to give characters a distinct personality. The audiobook definitely enhanced my enjoyment of this story.

I love pretty much like anything by Mary Kay Andrews - and this being released in time for beach season was a bonus!!! I immediately fell in love with Letty and Maya and the colorful residents of the Murmuring Surf. Of course you see a love interest from the very beginning!! It's always distrust and dislike that draw me to a romantic interest lol. I loved the characters that I was supposed to - and hated the ones that I was supposed to and even see potential for a second book following the FBI agent - she was a hardie, but was a good person. There were a couple of surprises (that will stay that way :) and overall, I really enjoyed this story! Kathleen McInerney, is one of my favorite narrators and it was joy to be read to!! I would like to thank Mary Kay Andrews, Netgalley & Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

The Newcomer is yet another wonderful combination of genres from prolific author Mary Kay Andrews. Letty Carnahan is on the run and has her 4 year old niece, Maya, with her. A month or so ago when Letty’s sister, Tanya, told her that if anything bad ever happened to her it would have been her ex Evan who did it, Letty was unbelieving. Begging Letty, she showed her where her “go bag” was and said she was her only hope to keep Maya safe.

On the Sunday morning when she walks into Tanya’s townhouse to find her sister’s lifeless body, Letty does just as her sister asked, taking the “go bag”, clothes for Maya, her sister’s Mercedes, and heads away with the only place in mind as an escape being the Murmuring Surf motel, reputed as a hidden gem in the worn article found in her sister’s bag. Ditching the Mercedes at an airport, renting a car there, then turning that car in a state or two later and buying a silver Kia, Letty finally makes it to Treasure Island, Florida, only to find a No Vacancy sign lit up on the motel. Exhausted and with a sleeping child in the backseat, Letty dozes in her driver’s seat at the far end of the motel parking lot.

As the sun rises, a tapping comes to the window backed by a large man making the noise. Son of motel owner Ava DeCurtis and local police detective, Joe DeCurtis adamantly tells Letty to move along, waking Maya, who immediately begins hollering that she needs to use the bathroom. With a crying child in her arms, Letty virtually ignores Joe and heads for the motel office where Ava insists that they can use the bathroom. When they come out 10 or so minutes later and Ava questions Letty about why she was sleeping in the parking lot, Letty comes up with a story about how her grandparents had come there long ago and told such lovely stories that she had come. When asked about Maya’s parents, Letty shared that her sister had recently died and she had custody of Maya.

With this information, Ava offers Letty what is used as a storeroom but is actually a small efficiency if Letty will do the work to make it habitable. Letty works all day to clear out the junk, eventually making it habitable for Maya and her. Next, a very kind Ava offers Letty a job when one of her employees quits. Ava has a sense that Letty needs her and acts accordingly.

Initially Letty is not well accepted by the elder season residents of the Surf, but as time goes by and they come to know her and Maya they become a large social network. However, when Vikki Hill, undercover FBI agent, arrives Letty is put in a position to share with Joe, and Vikki, what has happened.

This is a fast paced story with many twists. Ms. Andrews has seamlessly woven a mystery-thriller with a lovely romance to tell this tale. There is so much to this story that a review cannot do it justice! Also, the narrator, Kathleen McInerney, does an excellent job of bringing the story and characters to life! This is such a good story and I wholeheartedly recommend it!

I thought this was a fantastic book! I loved Letty and Maya and I adored all of the characters at the murmuring Gull. The cast of characters is what really makes this books and why I gave it five stars. I enjoyed the mystery too though I did think that there was a bit too much going at a couple points. There were one detail at the end that I found a bit unbelievable but for the sake of avoiding spoilers I am going to keep it to myself. Overall though - I loved the writing, the mystery element was well done and kept me interested right up until the end. I loved the narrator for the audio and thought she did a fantastic job!

Mary Kay Andrews did it again! This book was very good.
I felt as if I was staying at the motel with them.
This will be a great summer read for anyone on or wanting to go on
a vacation.

The Newcomer is the latest from the queen of the beach reads, @marykayandrews and it’s another great one to start summer.

Letty is in the run from a dangerous situation in New York and has arrived with her four year old niece, Maya, at a mom and pop motel in Florida. The regulars grumble about a child at their pool, but Letty makes herself at home at the Murmuring Surf.

Part romance, part suspense, and totally unputdownable. I adored these characters, the setting and everything else about this book. It’s an absolute must for your summer reading.

I am going to start with the audio copy as this was the primary format for how I read this book.
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Sometimes I wish all audios were required to have have at least two narrators. One for female characters and one for male. Sorry, not sorry. That is my only complaint. To be fair it did not take away the enjoyment of the book itself. I just like to say.....y'all need to look at this in upcoming audio books.
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Alright, let's talk The Newcomer. Look. I love Mary Kay Andrews. She writes Summer the best I know. Her characters are always delightful....unless they are not....but very rounded out characters. The location (in this case a motel in Florida) is just good fun. Mixing up the snow birds with the year rounders was always entertaining. I personally would not call this a thriller....but it is absolutely suspenseful. Sprinkle family drama and romance and you have a MKA good time.
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If you want something kinda light, but not too light.....pick up The Newcomer. You will gasp, you will laugh and you might even shed a tiny tear or two.

I have been reading Mary Kay Andrews for years and love her style. The characters in The Newcomer are fun, quirky, complicated, and delightful. This had more plot points than her books normally had and I couldn’t have enjoyed that more! It was like a couple books in one! The setting in “old school Florida” was spot-on with a sub-cast of even more entertaining characters. One of my favorites so far for this continually talented author.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced audiobook copy. It was fabulous to get a preview of a book I’d have normally gotten the first day it was released!

The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews is the perfect summer read! It's got it all - suspense, drama, and even a little romance! This was my first book by Mary Kay Andrews and I know I'll be coming back for more of her work!
I immediately fell in love with the quaint Florida motel setting with its repeat senior visitors and all their quirks!
In The Newcomer, Letty escapes to the motel with her niece, Maya, after her sister, Tanya, is murdered by who she can only assume was Tanya's ex (Maya's father). The murder mystery unfolds at the motel revealing the secrets of Tanya's tumultuous past, and follows the story of Letty and Maya being on the run. Although I did really enjoy The Newcomer and finished it very quickly, I'm not sure it's a book I'll remember too far in the future and feel super compelled to recommend over and over. But I would say it fulfills the fluffy, fun beach read motif perfectly!
I was gifted with the audio version thanks to Macmillan audio and I must admit that I think I would have enjoyed The Newcomer more if I read it rather than listened. This book is of a hefty length and pretty quickly into the audio version, I was feeling a little irritated with the voice of 4 year old Maya. I do also believe the book could have been shorter and dragged at parts. All that said however, The Newcomer is a fun read!

Loved the book. I love everything by Mary Kay Andrews. Couldn't listen to this fast enough. I love books that take place on the coast. The author made me want to be at this cute little hotel.

This was my third book from MKA and it certainly won't be my last. She has such a knack for writing a believable romance without it coming off as sappy or rushed. In all of her books, I find myself falling in love with the characters even when they're not as fully developed as some writers opt for. This had the perfect amount of mystery and intrigue to keep me interested in the main plot while sucking me into the love story in the periphery. All of her books have that "small home town" feel to them even when they're set in a beautiful tropical location or in a big city - it's just the way that she writes that makes you feel right at home curled up with one of her books. This was an easy listen and I loved the ending. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I started it the day it was published - May 4th, 2021.