Thanks to Netgalley and Vintage Anchor, Anchor for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest reveiw.

I was drawn in by the plot of the book and it did have some laugh out loud moments but it just seemed to fall short for me. I was deceived by the cover thinking it was a cute beach read to find out it was kind of a rant of politics in a beach community. It is a little quirky and I think that is where the humor was supposed to be. I do like the theme of forgiveness and giving second chances.

Told in the first person, it's a tale of what happens after Kathleen's husband, Tom, tells her he's unhappy in their marriage. Tom decides to leave on a trip to find himself, and Kathleen decides to sell their home in Kansas and move to Whitbey. Her friend, Josie, lives there and has painted it as a quaint beach town. When Kathleen arrives to find out that it is not as quaint as Josie painted it, she quickly gets pulled into the town's politics. Things turn unhinged after that, and it gets interesting. It's like a car crash that you can't look away from. It's a beyond-colorful story about forgiveness and second chances.

Loved this title. It was a great representation of mid-life and I enjoyed every word. Highly recommend taking that adventure!

Well! This was a book in which I dnfed. Then I received it on audio, so I gave it a shot. The narrator really kept this book moving for me. There were places that I laughed out loud. But, like in the physical copy, I did not enjoy all the petty letters to the city government. It was like a tattle-tale and it got on my nerves. But the audio version is the way to go!

This plot was interesting but i feel that it had so much potential.
Many thanks to Vintage Anchor and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

While I did not find the book outrageously funny, I did chuckle a few times. This story is mostly one huge rant over politics in a small beach town. Although forgiveness and second chances are also highlighted.

“Everyone thinks these small rural towns are sleepy and charming and simple. They say life is slower. They say the people have time to enjoy one another. But, if you move to one of these towns, and I’m not saying you should because you shouldn’t, but if you do, you’ll find that the people who live in these towns are the busiest people you’ll ever meet…I guarantee there are more meetings in my beach town than there are meetings in all of Congress.”

This audiobook was FANTASTIC! Absolutely hysterical and such a hoot! Omg Therese Plummer nailed it! She captures all of the quirkiness and sarcasm in her narration and, if you’ve ever lived near the beach, accuracy. This book definitely lays bare the cost of a pretty view and all of the humor and ridiculousness that ensues. I laughed out loud many times at how well this book depicts life by the beach.

“In a beach town, all the big fights are about little things. People are parking on corners. They’re stepping in piping plover habitats.” FACTS!! Half of a beach will be closed for these little nuggets 🐦

Although summer is winding down there’s still plenty of time to add this GMA book club pick to your summer beach bag!

“You really have to hand it to the piping plovers. They did the impossible. These tiny sand-loving birds somehow managed to secure miles of prime waterfront property and get results from town hall all at the same time.” 😂😂 they are soooo cute though 🥰

Thank you for the free audiobook @PRHAudio #PRHAudioPartner, and Netgalley and Vintage Anchor Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was quite an unusual book. I have to warn you—do not go into this thinking it is a feel good beach read. This frustrating story is about a women who falls into the trap of small beach town rules and laws that are constantly broken. Granted, the very first lines of the book warn you of the content and that pessimistic tone lasts the entire book. While the story was relatable and well written, I could not recommend due to the negativity on every page. I finished but kind of wished I hadn’t.

Save What's Left was a great summer story without being the typical beach read. There is humor, laughter, and that 'next door' app frustration of neighbors. Is life on the beach worth the cost unmeasured by dollar signs - but by frustration level of too many people near the shore in prime time. All told from the candid and irreverent perspective of a newcomer turned local, this is a story of forgiveness, fortitude, and second chances.

I am not really sure how to rate this book. On one hand, the writing and dialogue was decent. On the other, it was story that went nowhere. It served no purpose. Listening to the main character, Kathleen, whine about unfair local politics in her new beach town home became tiresome. I kept waiting for the story to be “about” something, some sweet reconciliation between Kathleen and her husband, Tom; some life changing friendship between Kathleen and an acquaintance…but no. It begins and end with Kathleen’s complaints, first with the code-violating construction of the house next door to her, but then with her complaints about homes in the neighborhood.



When I first began reading, I was certain that a lot of the negative reviews were based on reviewers’ misplaced opinions that Kathleen whines and complains too much about the ongoing renovation of the neighboring property and the pettiness of many community residents. I wondered how these same readers would feel if they were constantly inconvenienced by careless and negligent construction crews eating their lunch and urinating on their deck, casting construction debris onto their decks, rooves, and property, for a monstrosity that blocks their enjoyment of the view for which they had specifically purchased the property; contaminating her water supply, landing her in the hospital; creating a constant noise and air pollution nuisance about which neither the construction contractor or ABSENTEE owners cared. (At the end of the day, the construction crew repeatedly blows the debris that missed the refuse bin onto Kathleen’s property!!! In actuality, this, alone, would merit an actionable case against a home improvement or construction contractor resulting in disciplinary action against the company’s license holder and might also create liability for the absentee property owners who willfully disregarded the actions of the company they hired.) All of Kathleen’s complaints are justified. Thinking about a real-life situation in which the property owners and contractors disregard the neighbors made me furious. Just reading about this fictional, yet entirely plausible and realistic account was infuriating. I found nothing in this aspect of the story worthy of criticism of the author.



However, it was disappointing to discover that the entire book was devoted to this single purpose, complete with Kathleen’s frequent correspondence to local town officials, her pondering over her complaints when she wasn’t drafting yet another inquiry or raising a new concern. It became extremely irritating, especially when the reader discovers that the story is solely about this woman’s dissatisfaction with her neighborhood and there is no redemption, no life affirming relationship, no action beyond the typing of yet another email.

Thank you to NetGalley and Anchor Books for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an objective review.

I tried hard to like this book. As someone who has stayed in beach houses, and knows the ins and outs of beachfront property, I thought I would really enjoy a funny book about this subject. However, I found this book to be tedious. Everyday the house next door bigger, and every day she would tell the one friend who cared. She would go to the town planning board, who gave her the exact response one would expect. So far, where’s the fun? Then her ex comes to town and all the ladies love him. Pretty predictable. That’s as far as I got. One third of the way into the book and the fun had not started yet….

Save What’s Left is set in a coastal beach town on LI and gives every appearance that it will be just that a fun beach read. It isn’t really fun though- it’s frustrating and annoying. I’m not sure why I kept reading/ maybe to just see how it ended? Kathleen moved to the beach town after her husband unexpectedly leaves her, hoping for a relaxing life in a slow-paced town. What she gets is a former oyster shack turned cottage, a ginormous McMansion being built right next door, and a town that’s divided over saving the beach town and letting all the rich people take over and build mansions. It was full of back biting and coverups. It was not a relaxing read. I just looked up the blurb and it says it’s outrageously funny and I didn’t find it to be that at all. Maybe I’m lacking a sense of humor? I don’t know. If you’ve read it let me know your thoughts. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced ebook.

This was certainly a unique and "quirky" beach read, especially because of the setting. However, I felt that this story kind of drug on, was repetitive and included lots of unnecessary descriptions. It was lighthearted but I didn't find it outrageously funny although I did chuckle and roll my eyes a few times. It felt like one big ramble about politics in a beach town, but with small themes of forgiveness and second chances.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of Save What's Left by Elizabeth Castellano!

‘Save What’s Left’ is Elizabeth Castellano’s debut novel. The story about the woes of owning and living in a beach town are funny and not so far fetched. Nice job Ms. Castellano, I look forward to your future books.

I gave this one a try, but just couldn't get past 20%. I found it vapid, whiny, and uninteresting. Just not my cup of tea.

Kathleen's life seems to be upended when her husband asks her for a divorce. She moves to an ocean front "oyster house" and he leaves on a cruise. She becomes an activist with whom no one seems to listen to. She writes emails about the wrongs that she is seeing in the house that is being built next door to her. She attends town meetings that no one seems to want to hear her. We see snippets of her life as it is going on.

Amazing gorgeous

Thank you soooooo much netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book💗
"I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Over pancakes, Kathleen's husband Tom told her that he wasn't happy in their marriage and had booked a world tour trip so he could find himself. She decides that she wants to move to a small beach town where one of her friends lives. She has her realtor buy her a house, sight unseen, and moves. The town is nothing like the ideal beach town she was expecting. They are building the "Sugar Cube" next door, which is a house that is breaking all kinds of codes. Her neighbor across the street, Rosemary, is cranky. And the town is full of politics about all kinds of "beach rules" - yet Kathleen can't get the town supervisor to return her emails or get any action on the many issues with the Sugar Cube.

This book was a lot like Seinfeld - it's basically about nothing, there's a lot of complaining, and there are funny bits scattered throughout. The biggest issue I had with the story was that I am not a person who tends to look on the negative side and this book was just filled to the brim with complainers. For me, it wasn't quirky, it was annoying. But I held out faith that something would happen and make it worth reading. It didn't. I'm very undecided - I wouldn't go so far as to say I didn't like it, but I also wouldn't say I did.

Thank you to Netgalley and Vintage Anchor for the advanced reader copy.

From the beginning of this book, the humor had me charmed and laughing out loud. I was ready to settle in for a delightful read. However, after the first third or so, the charm wore off and the story went nowhere. 😞

As our main character details all the shenanigans going on with her dump of a beach house and the out-of-control construction job going on next door, what starts out as funny quickly becomes boring and repetitive.

I really wished I had loved this one all the way through but unfortunately, it just wasn’t a hit for me. There could have been so much more to the plot to actually give it a story instead of just a quirky setup. It wasn’t plot-driven, but it wasn’t really character-driven either. It had so much potential, but unfortunately, this book really fell short for me.