Member Reviews

Poignant yet hilarious, this book traces the life of Kathleen, whose husband leaves her not for another woman but out of boredom of their life together. So she picks up and moves to a beach town where her oldest friend, Josie, also lives.

While there, Kathleen just can't keep out of everyone's business. Especially because the town operates JUST LIKE A LOT OF TOWNS and the only business is everyone's business. Especially when it impedes on her bought-sight-unseen beach shack of a house.

There are two ways to read this book.

One is literally - in which case you will probably get a headache.
The other way is to realize it is HILARIOUS. - and you just have to roll with what happens. I found myself laughing out loud and my kids thought I was crazy. It's kind of like a "Series of Unfortunate Events" for Adults!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC of this novel. #sponsored

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I requested this thinking it would be a fun, beachy summer read, the story of a woman finding herself at midlife. Unfortunately, it wasn't what I expected and it didn't work for me - I DNF'd at 20%. It was a stream of consciousness melange of stories and complaints and felt like the narrator was throwing out every random thought she wanted to share. Thanks to Netgalley and Anchor Books for the advance digital copy.

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I really enjoyed!! Not at all what I was expecting in that the characters were much more dry-witty and unlikeable in the likeable kind of way.

I would have liked a bit more character interaction as far as where their relationships with each other went (they just felt a bit shallow) but overall I loved getting to know them.

A great beach read about a woman later in life trying to figure it out. Proves that no matter what age you are, you can always pivot, decide to speak up for yourself, and get involved in something that sets your soul on fire. Even if it is stopping the building of new homes in your brand new, little beach town.

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I kept wondering why I was reading this book because nothing ever happened but it kept making me laugh so I'm glad I finished it. It's not your usual divorcee moves to a beach town story. It's a slightly dark, quirky stream of consciousness tale of a Karen who is concerned with fairness... I think it's a good beach read because it's a pretty straightforward book that's not too challenging as long as you know what you're getting into.

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“I would rather have a clever person for an hour than spend a minute with a dull person doling out compliments.”

This was quite a funny little debut novel. The main character, Kathleen, is about to turn sixty and just moved to a beach town after her husband of 30 years left her to tour the world. Before moving to this little town she considered herself outgoing and social but the small town drama and life’s curveballs have turned her into a bit of a curmudgeon.

This book had me laughing so hard at times tears were running down my face. That alone will leave a fond and lasting memory of this reading experience. Even though I’m not at the age to understand retirement life I did enjoy Kathleen’s version and somehow, even with all the drama, found myself wishing I could move to a beach town. The only thing that missed the mark for me were some letters Kathleen writes to the city supervisor that felt a bit drawn out and ultimately lost my attention. But overall I l appreciated the tone of the story and will definitely read whatever Castellano writes next!

Thank you Vintage Anchor for the advanced reading copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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I enjoyed this book. Kathleen, Tom, Josie, and RoseMary are well written. All are pretty quirky !
It’s kind of reads like an I love Lucy show.
Kathleen has had it with her husband, Tom, she is ready for a new life in a tiny beach house in a small beach town. Life is anything but quiet for her as she gets involved with everything! Each chapter starts with a complaint letter, then the first person analogy on her life and the odd characters in her town, and how they annoy her

Soon, Tom is back and has a motorhome parked in her yard and he loves the neighborhood. Rosemary has become a good friend and someone equally annoyed by the young rich and the rule breakers. Kind of an Ethel to Kathleen’s Lucy.

It’s a fun story to read sprinkled with lots of humor. Thank you, NetGalley , and author, Elizabeth Castellano, for this ARC in exchange, for my honest opinion .

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A debut novel. A mid-life crisis. A small beach town. The newcomer becomes a local. Told with a welcome side of humor. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Kathleen's story. Also excited to listen to the audiobook when released as Therese Plummer is the narrator. A cute beach read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC. All opinions are my own.

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This story is outrageously hilarious. The cast of characters are wonderful and unforgettable. Kathleen upends her life and moves to a beach community with all kinds of problems. Her husband Tom goes off to find himself and ends up back at her house. Amongst all the fighting and e-mail writing, readers will be delightfully entertained. I love the author’s first person telling through Kathleen as the plot unfolds. This is really an awesome debut novel.

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The title of this book, Save What's Left, is a perfect metaphor for everything in Kathleen's life. Married to Tom for 30 years, she is suddenly thrust into wondering what is left and what she really wants after Tom announces he wants a divorce. Decision #1 is leaving Kansas for Whitbey, a small beach community. Decision #2 - 10,001 is saving what's left in the real world of small town politics and beach development. Maybe saving what's left is about saving Kathleen herself. Interesting read that will be hard to put down.

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This is such a funny, unique little book. It defies genre to some extent, though it’s definitely a genre novel because the character exploration/growth/development is limited. I guess it would be women’s fiction/humor. I loved the ensemble of characters and the setting. There’s not a ton of plot, though there’s enough of a story to move things along. I liked how it was kind of a later midlife type of book, which you don’t find very often. I would recommend it to readers with a quirky sense of humor and tolerance for books that are a bit offbeat. I’m giving it 4 stars but would probably round down to 3.5.

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Save What's Left by Elizabeth Castellano

This book isn't what I expected it to be. For some reason I was expecting a fun look at the quirks of living in a beach town, with the locals dealing with vacationers. But this book is very true to the description, and there just wasn't much actual fun in the portion I was able to get through. If I'm at the 20% mark of a book and would be fine not picking it up to continue, I don't. None of the characters were particularly likable. Sometimes that fits with a story, but it didn't work for me here. There wasn't anything glaringly wrong; it just wasn't an enjoyable use of my time.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Vintage Anchor for a free copy of #SaveWhatsLeft by Elizabeth Castellano. All opinions are my own.

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I received a complimentary electronic ARC of this hilarious domestic debut novel from Netgalley, author Elizabeth Castellano, and publisher Anchor Press. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read Save What's Left of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I am pleased to recommend Elizabeth Castellano to friends and family. She writes a witty, human tale with just enough angst to make the lemonade sweeter. I thoroughly enjoyed laughing with/at Kathleen and Tom, and could easily empathize with them. This is going to be my favorite beach read of 2023.

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This book was a ride. The first third had me laughing out loud, the middle dragged, but it all wrapped up sweetly in the end. Overall, it was a solid book, and I would recommend to those looking for a light and funny summer read.

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I had a hard time getting into this book. Not enough character development to allow me to sympathize with her complaints in life.

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Hilarious summer read! It's by no means an award winner - but if you are a woman reaching that "certain" age - it hits the right notes! Kathleen is so funny and sounds just like several of my friends! Life after retirement is definitely a transition time. Looking at it with humor definitely helps!

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This is a very entertaining novel, I don't know that I've ever read anything quite like it. The entire thing is written in the first person as a rant from Kathleen, who has a horrible experience after buying a beach house following her separation from her husband of 30 years.

This book is clever and laugh out loud funny at times. Poor Kathleen is just griping about everything and nothing is going her way. Because I'm a rule follower, her frustration with the construction next door and other bad behaviors in her town resonated with me. She was unlikable yet I could understand where she was coming from.

I highly recommend this one for readers of fiction looking for something different.

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Let me start off by saying that this book is very witty and sarcastic. However, the dialogue is choppy, and very minimal, to be honest, most of the book was reading Kathleen's inner ramblings and rants. And then the rest of the book was ranting emails she sends out. The premise was so promising, but I would have liked to see some character growth and redemptions at the end, bit it just wasn't there.

*thank you Netgalley and Publisher for the ARC of this book.

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This is a fast paced fun womens fiction read for summer. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinions are my own.

This is a fun read about a newly divorced women who moves to a beachside home only to find out her neighbors are a nightmare . A McMansion is being built next to her and ruining her peace and quiet. Other neighbors are complaining to her constantly and she is definitly not fnding the peace she needs. She finds her way through the contentious neighbors and is slowly rebuilding her life to suit herself.

I liked this story for its strong main charcter. The supporting charcters are funny and all add to the story. Set on the beachside this is a perfect beach read to enjoy this summer..

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I was hoping that this book would have a more positive, fun tone based on the synopsis but the story was very different than I expected. Kathleen is so unhappy and making a huge change to her life (moving to a beach house) didn't do much to improve her outlook. Her chaotic new neighborhood was filled with some amusing characters but it was hard to really root for anyone there. The book was definitely funny in parts and I thought that the pace moved pretty fast. Overall is wasn't a hit for me but I am interested to see future work by this author because I did like her writing style. Thank you to Elizabeth Castellano, Netgalley and Vintage Anchor for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

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A funny summer read about a newly separated middle-aged woman who buys a beach house and the petty squabbles she has with her neighbors, her ex and the town as a huge house gets built next to hers.

In turns ridiculous and heartfelt, this was an entertaining read and good on audio narrated by Therese Plummer. Recommended for fans of books like It all comes down to this by Therese Anne Fowler. Many thanks to Netgalley and @prhaudio for early digital and audio copies in exchange for my honest review!

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