Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Save What’s Left is the funny and quirky story of Kathleen Deane from Kansas. Over pancakes one morning, Tom, her husband, announces that he is divorcing her and taking a four-month world cruise. After 30 years of marriage, Kathleen decides maybe she needs a fresh start. She purchases a two-room beach shack, sight unseen. Unfortunately, her dream of imitating Ina Garten, cooking, entertaining and drinking wine on her private beach, soon turns to a nightmare. The next-door neighbors are building a gigantic home, and Kathleen turns into the person who reads all the zoning ordinances and has the supervisor’s cell phone number.

The story is told with wry humor that did make me laugh. While it was enjoyable, at times it went a bit overboard. Still, it was an enjoyable story and you couldn’t help but root for Kathleen while she attempted to fight city hall and get her life back on track.

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I had to work really hard to finish this book. It was a total mish-mash of unpleasant characters and failed attempts at being funny. When Kathleen’s husband of 30 years (a cardiologist who seems never to work) decides to find himself by cruising around the world, she sells their Kansas City house and buys a clam shack (whatever that is) on the beach back east.
Filled with people who are not only indistinguishable, but uninteresting, you have to slog through Kathleen’s adventures with town government, friends (?) who lead her astray, a life coach, a blind therapy dog adopted by Tom, her husband, who comes back to her in a Winnebago that he parks in her driveway, and various construction people.
I really didn’t understand the epistolary insertions of her correspondence with the town supervisor which were never answered, nor why she kept having to buy new couches. The ending, such as it was, only left me more confused and wondering why I bothered.
I had to work really hard to finish this book. It was a total mish-mash of unpleasant characters and failed attempts at being funny. When Kathleen’s husband of 30 years (a cardiologist who seems never to work) decides to find himself by cruising around the world, she sells their Kansas City house and buys a clam shack (whatever that is) on the beach back east.
Filled with people who are not only indistinguishable, but uninteresting, you have to slog through Kathleen’s adventures with town government, friends (?) who lead her astray, a life coach, a blind therapy dog adopted by Tom, her husband, who comes back to her in a Winnebago that he parks in her driveway, and various construction people.
I really didn’t understand the epistolary insertions of her correspondence with the town supervisor which were never answered, nor why she kept having to buy new couches. The ending, such as it was, only left me more confused and wondering why I bothered.
I had to work really hard to finish this book. It was a total mish-mash of unpleasant characters and failed attempts at being funny. When Kathleen’s husband of 30 years (a cardiologist who seems never to work) decides to find himself by cruising around the world, she sells their Kansas City house and buys a clam shack (whatever that is) on the beach back east.
Filled with people who are not only indistinguishable, but uninteresting, you have to slog through Kathleen’s adventures with town government, friends (?) who lead her astray, a life coach, a blind therapy dog adopted by Tom, her husband, who comes back to her in a Winnebago that he parks in her driveway, and various construction people.
I really didn’t understand the epistolary insertions of her correspondence with the town supervisor which were never answered, nor why she kept having to buy new couches. The ending, such as it was, only left me more confused and wondering why I bothered.
I had to work really hard to finish this book. It was a total mish-mash of unpleasant characters and failed attempts at being funny. When Kathleen’s husband of 30 years (a cardiologist who seems never to work) decides to find himself by cruising around the world, she sells their Kansas City house and buys a clam shack (whatever that is) on the beach back east.
Filled with people who are not only indistinguishable, but uninteresting, you have to slog through Kathleen’s adventures with town government, friends (?) who lead her astray, a life coach, a blind therapy dog adopted by Tom, her husband, who comes back to her in a Winnebago that he parks in her driveway, and various construction people.
I really didn’t understand the epistolary insertions of her correspondence with the town supervisor which were never answered, nor why she kept having to buy new couches. The ending, such as it was, only left me more confused and wondering why I bothered.

I made a vow to myself that I would not request anymore books on NetGalley because of the tbr room I have waiting for me (yes, room, not pile). However, this gem of a book popped up in my inbox and I could not resist. Let me preface this by saying that I just moved to a beach town a little over a year ago, so I was extra intrigued. The only negative thing I have to say about this book is that it was too short! I never wanted to stop reading about Kathleen’s life. I absolutely loved Kathleen. Some may not appreciate her, but I wanted to be her best friend. I wanted to be her Rosemary. So Kathleen moves to Whitbey, a beach town in New York, and she starts obsessively fighting her neighbor’s illegal building and delves into town politics. As a newbie in a beach town, this is absolutely realistic. Where I am, they are building so much, so fast and yes, the locals go to town hall meetings and try to fight it (usually unsuccessfully). So many politics involved, and so much greed. If I had the time and energy, I could see myself being Kathleen. Instead of Whitbey’s resident’s “go back to Brooklyn”, we southern transplants get “go back to the north”. What an amazing debut novel. It was laugh out loud funny and also heartwarming (in the end) in a not too over the too way. I will be one of the first to buy Elizabeth Castellano’s next book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Now to start on my tbr room.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book. I laughed so much when I started reading Save What’s Left, mainly because I recognized myself in much of Kathleen’s experience living in a beach town. As I kept reading I became uncomfortable, again because I recognized myself and my neighbors in Kathleen’s story. Overall I think it was a good book. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I didn’t still feel bitterness of having banged my head against the wall of corruption in local government. Somehow when you are personally aware of how true the run around is.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Kathleen's husband leaves her to sail the world so she decide to move near her childhood friend Josie, it what she thought was a idyllic beach town. Little did she know...

Soon the neighbors next door are building a monstrosity of a house. SO what does she do? Emails and calls her local government officials. She befriends Rosemary and together they set out to save the town, or at least their street from what they call blatant government mishandling.

At times, this book made me totally laugh out loud and the shenanigans. Other times, I was like geez, lady, give it a rest.

Overall, it was a good book and I enjoyed it.

ARC from Netgalley

It is hard to believe this is a debut novel - it is that good. Kathleen is so damn funny, unfortunately I am not sure she means to be. She is the embodiment of 2 themes:

1- we become a truer version of ourselves as we age, and
2- the grass is always greener on the other side

This book is for readers who like Ove, Britt Marie, and the Thursday Murder Club series.

Quirky and fun. A quick read that made me laugh. A good read.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. This is my honest opinion.

This was a great light-hearted novel that had me laughing out loud. Kathleen’s husband Tom, randomly decides he wants a divorce and goes on a months long cruise. She decides to sell their Kansas and home and move to a shack on the beach. This book is all about her coming into beach life and dealing with the town and neighbors. She and her neighbor Rosemary, are always complaining about all of the rules being broken. Read this novel to follow Kathleen’s adventures at the beach. I promise it will have you laughing out loud.

I love this author. I read thrilled to receive this book as an ARC from netgalley.com. It wasn’t the best book I’ve read by Katherine Center but I enjoyed it very much. It was confusing in the middle but after reflecting on that, I think that is purposeful! Center writes the book in such a way that she makes you love some characters and hate some of the others. Thank you to netgalley.com and the author and publisher for this ARC in trade for my honest review. Do not miss reading the author's note. It was profound, and hugely affected my rating and affinity towards this book. Read it. You won’t be sorry.

When Kathleen’s husband Tom tells her he’s leaving after a long marriage, she sells their home in Kansas and relocates to a seaside town in the northeast. Her new home is a tiny oyster shack right on the beach. Unfortunately the building of a McMansion directly next to her brings many problems. Kathleen and her neighbor Rosemary write many letters to the town boards and attend many meetings to comp[lain about the rule-breaking in the town. Tom gives up his round the world cruise and camps in an Airstream in Kathleen’s driveway. This book started off as a funny look at vacation living but nothing really happened. The conclusion was far.fetched and too “pat”. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This book was initially enjoyable with tongue in cheek humor. As the book continued, the main character became increasingly negative and I liked it a lot less. I finished it but ask myself why? Two stars for the promise that it started with. I appreciate the digital arc from NetGalley and Anchor Books.

Kathleen and her husband Tom move to Kansas City, where Tom, a Cardiologist, does his residency. Kathleen gets a job at Hallmark designing greeting cards.

Thirty years go by, and Tom announces he is unhappy, and leaves for a six-month cruise around the world. Reflecting upon her life, Kathleen decides to file for a divorce and sells most everything, including their house and chooses to move to a small seaside town on the east coast where her childhood friend Josie lives. Josie often includes pictures of the charming town on her Christmas cards and that is all it takes for Kathleen to make a life-changing decision to move there. She even buys a cottage on the beach site unseen, which to her surprise when she arrives, is a two-room oyster shack with a leaky roof and rotting bulkhead. It does have a nice deck and a great view of the ocean, however, the construction workers next door, who are building a monstrosity of a house, often use her deck for breaks and to eat lunch.

Kathleen quickly immerses herself so completely into the community, she begins to suffer symptoms of anxiety. Much of her time is used to send e-mails regarding code enforcement complaints and other issues in the community such as noise infractions. After several months, Tom unexpectedly shows up in an Airstream that he parks in her driveway. Tom lives in the Airstream and gets involved in the community joining several groups, as well as makes many new friends.

There is a lot of humor in every situation, and some outlandish behavior, however, sometimes there is too much sarcastic humor as well as a constant stream of complaints. After a while I was tired of it and was anxious for the book to end. It is a good story with a nice, surprise ending, but I think it would be better toned down a bit.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complementary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Really not sure what this book was about. Enjoyed the characters but not really the story. Just seemed all over the place.

This hilarious novel is the most fun I’ve had with a read in a long time. Great plot, quirky protagonist…and at least 10 lines that made me laugh out loud, for real. This is my new go-to recommendation for anyone stuck in a rut, having a rough day, or just needing an easy escape into someone else’s world. Highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this book. It takes the whole beach read premise and turns it on its ear. Is owning a beach house really all it’s cracked up to be?

Um, I’m not sure what I just read. I liked Kathleen’s banter and quirkiness. She reminded me of Molly in The Maid or Eleanor Oliphant. And her antics and the buildup were catching. And then it just went on and on and began to grow weird and not make sense. And by the end I was like what did I just read??? Not a fan of this one, sadly.

It’s a rare book that makes me laugh out loud, especially more than once or twice. Save What’s Left grabbed me with its wry voice right out of the gate and kept me entertained to the end.
When Kathleen Deane’s husband pulls the rug out from under her tidy life in Kansas, she makes an impulsive decision to buy a house in a small beach community on the East coast. Cue the parade of mishaps, monstrosities, and misanthropes.

Nothing is what she expected. And everything is just a bit harder than it should be. Which makes for hilarious scenes and observations. Perhaps it’s because I’m the same age as Kathleen, but I could (unfortunately and wholeheartedly) relate to many of her observations—like the one about knees. I won’t spoil it with an explanation. Just read it.

I read Save What’s Left after finishing a heavy historical fiction, so it went down like a frothy chocolate mousse—sweet, smooth, and sassy (if mousses can be considered sassy). I even read passages out loud to my husband, who gave hearty chuckles, which was kind of a big deal considering he was almost asleep.

Dreams vs. reality always make for fun fodder (Sorry about all the alliteration, but I can’t seem to put a lid on it…it’s boisterously bubbling over with abandon as I think back over this bright book. It must be a side effect of reading witticism.)

You’ll be glad you read this women’s fiction about family, friendship, and finding yourself when you didn’t know you were lost (again with the alliteration--sorry). Don’t miss it.

Really enjoyed this novel the characters.Small town setting where everyone knows each other’s secrets Kathleen new to the town to all the surprising occurrences.Perfect vacation read.#netgalley #vintage

After thirty years of marriage, Kathleen Deane’s husband Tom decides he is tired of marriage. He’s going on a world cruise, leaving Kathleen behind in Kansas. But Kathleen also has dreams. She decides to move to a Whitbey, a seaside town on Long Island. The charming waterfront house that Kathleen buys sight unseen turns out to be a ramshackle former oyster shack. If that’s not bad enough, it’s next to the ‘sugar cube” a massive MacMansion whose construction seems to have violated every building code in the town charter. Kathleen is obsessed with these violations and becomes a familiar figure at town meetings. She also joins a local women’s group, hoping to find new friends. She makes other discoveries, discoveries that lead to a surprising conclusion.

Save What’s Left is both laugh-out-loud funny and frustrating. I admire Kathleen’s sense of humor and stubborn determination. However, I think her fixation with the town statutes becomes over-the-top and shows a different, somewhat unlikable side of Kathleen. That said, this is a solid, 4 star read from Elizabeth Castellano, a debut author I plan to follow.

Thank you to NetGalley, Vintage Anchor and Elizabeth Castellano for this ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and Vintage Anchor for the ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.
I didn't even make it to 15%, it was so ridiculous. I couldn't stand the main character and it just seemed like every decision she made was stupider than the previous one. I mean, who buys a house sight unseen? This one was definitely not for me.