I could relate to the family dynamics and family situations in this story of a family reuniting in Sandwich, a town on Cape Cod. I can relate to the term "sandwich" as a menopausal women caught between her children and her parents. Lots of thought provoking dialogue and feelings in this well written book.

Newman masterfully captures the raw complexities of family life at every stage. The writing is stunning—vividly descriptive, with a natural rhythm that seamlessly mirrors the ebb and flow of the story. Reading it feels like sitting at the feet of a gifted storyteller, completely immersed in their world.

While the narrative centers on a single day at the beach, it is, at its heart, the story of Rocky and her family. The language, though occasionally intense, and the graphic—yet skillfully written—descriptions may push some boundaries, but they are undeniably effective. Newman’s ability to authentically depict the stages of motherhood and womanhood is unmatched.

One of Newman’s greatest strengths lies in her ability to normalize what many might view as unconventional. The family engages in candid conversations, tackling topics like mental health, sexuality, and identity with honesty and nuance. These layers remind us that life is rarely simple—a lesbian woman might accidentally get pregnant, and the parts of ourselves we reveal to others are only fragments of our whole.

Although the “big secret” didn’t feel particularly earth-shattering to me, the narrative wisely reminds us, through Willa and Rocky, that it’s not our place to judge the weight of someone else’s secret.

This book left me longing for a summer in a musty old house on the Cape, surrounded by my loved ones and a familiar old cat. Newman transported me to that world, and I can’t wait to return.

I wanted to love Sandwich more than I did. While it's very well written, I just didn't connect with the characters.

I'm not sure if I loved or disliked this book! I'm in my mid-forties and identified with many parts of this book. I loved the author's writing style of free-flowing thought from the menopausal main character. The main character's inner thoughts and worries are ones that I think every mother identifies. This was a quick read that I really enjoyed! Thank you to NetGalley and Harper for the ARC.

Catherine Newman is a national treasure. I recommend Sandwich and We All Want Impossible Things nearly every day in store for their ability to see, know, and walk along the reader. Impossibly funny, heartfelt, and a voice all her own.

Books about menopause brain are so important.
Family dynamics will give book groups a lot to discus
S
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Let’s start with the fact that the book is called Sandwich, which is a town on Cape Cod, and is clearly a nod to the character’s place sandwiched between generations… but there is no way the book actually takes place in Sandwich?? Although the town and beaches and ponds are not named, everything indicates this book takes place on the Outer Cape, far from Sandwich. It was so remarkably distracting I couldn’t focus on anything else. Then, the main character is a jerk. I did not care about her at all. The kids are too precious. The family secrets are not remarkable. And did I mention it can’t possibly take place in Sandwich?? If it doesn’t take place in Sandwich and isn’t supposed to take place in Sandwich why is it named after a Cape Town?? Is it just about the generations thing and that she makes lots of Sandwiches?? But there is still a town named that and you just cannot do that. It’s like she intentionally wanted to make Cape people go bananas. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

*Sandwich* is a heartfelt slice-of-life novel centered on Rocky and her family during their annual Cape Cod vacation. As her children transition into adulthood, her parents age, and her husband remains a constant, the story explores themes of family, love, and motherhood.

While the book is short and accessible, delving into deep topics with ease, it also uses flashbacks to reveal more about Rocky’s past. The characters felt genuine, though I found Rocky’s angst at this life stage a bit much for my taste.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Books for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am not quite yet the target age for this one, although I am told I am perimenopausal. According to this book, I have a lot to look forward to (sarcasm LOL). This book is multigenerational and covers an extended family's annual family cape cod trip. I really identified with Rocky in many ways. I have an adult child who is making her way in her first year in college. I related the feelings of separation and the bittersweet moments described. I really loved the wit and the humor that this author brought into this book. I cannot remember the last time I read something so full of heart. I definitely couldn't put it down. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

Rocky and her family have gone to a rental in Cape Cod for 20 years. This year, the vacation feels different. Rocky's kids are almost fully grown, but not quite, her parents are getting older faster than she would like and she is experiencing all the joys of menopause.

As they spend the week together, Rocky sees things differently than she has in the past. She has secrets that she no longer wants to keep.

Why Jackie loves it

This 236-page book is an absolute must-read. I related to Rocky's mood swings and inner monologue so much I was screaming with laughter. The way she simultaneously loved her husband and felt the urge to slap him was all too familiar (sorry honey). I also loved the relationship that she had with her kids. This book is perfect for any woman who is in the sandwich generation and trying to find her place as a mother and daughter.

Why Kirsten loves it

I savored this book and it ended too soon for me. Newman's portrayal of being a mother, a wife, and a daughter were spot on. I laughed out loud and even cried a little too with this 5-star book.

(2.5 stars)
Sandwich is set during a one-week family vacation on Cape Cod, in a house they’ve rented for a week for decades. Not a whole lot actually happens during the week, so be prepared for a lot of conversation, making of sandwiches, and personal memories, all told by the mother of the family, Rocky (nickname for Rachel). I was bored for a good portion of the story. The main narrator (Rocky) is a really whiny, annoying person! She’s in her 50s and is going through menopause - and she’s REALLY going through menopause! (I’m thankful my experience was nothing like hers. She should really see a doctor about it.) Her two adult children are with Rocky and her husband for the week, along with the son’s long-time girlfriend. So there’s five people sharing a relatively small house with one bathroom. And then Rocky’s aging parents arrive for a couple of days. So that’s the set-up.

The current story is told in the present tense (“I say” versus “I said”) and Rocky’s flashbacks are told in the past tense. It took me a while to catch on to that.

Rocky keeps thinking back to when her now-grown children were little and how much she loved them, as well as reliving two traumatic episodes from those days. I thought her husband, Nicky, was pretty much a saint to deal with Rocky.

I believed I would relate to the people in this book, having raised three sons and having lost both sets of parents/grandparents, but I just didn’t connect with any of these people. The writing at times was quite lovely, which is why I rounded up my rating a bit.

There’s a lot of blunt language (plenty of cursing) and frank talk about pregnancy and abortion, among other topics. The family is Jewish, but not in a very obvious way (they certainly don’t keep kosher, since some of their meals consist of scallops and lobsters), but during a discussion with Rocky’s parents, the fact that Rocky’s grandparents died in the Treblinka concentration camp came to light. Really? Not until that moment? I found that truly unbelievable. And the secret that Rocky was keeping from her husband was just terrible. I’m not sure how he stays with her, to be honest. Like I said, he came across as practically a saint.

Sorry, but this one just wasn’t for me. At least it was short.

Thank you to Harper and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book was a bit too vulgar and had some strange, overtly sexual language in reference to the narrator’s children. Overall, it was just not my niche, but I could see some appeal for other readers.

Thank you for a book that puts women in their 50's, and experiencing menopause at the forefront of a novel! It is nice to be seen! The author, character and I do not share the same background or race, but we are both women and that is often enough to have shared experiences.

The events in this novel take place over a week, the story is told by Rocky (wife, mother, and daughter in her 50s), who is on a family vacation with her grown kids, husband, and aging parents. It is a day in the life, with flashbacks to events Rocky is re-living that still haunt her and still have a lasting impression on her current life events. If you are looking for a bunch of thrilling action, this is not the book for you. But if you are a woman of a certain age ( 40+), then you will get this story, and it will be satisfying to see yourself! Dealing with marriage issues, aging parents, kids who are adults, but not quite adults, and the dreaded menopause, it's all in this compact story, and the writing is very enjoyable! This book is a fast read, but I was never bored.
This book was provided by Netgalley.
I am now interested in this author's prior books.

What a lovely book that hit at a great time for me. In this story we follow Rocky as she and her family take their annual summer vacation for a week to the beach. Rocky uses this time to reflect on her children when they were little, and how fleeting that time is. And to look forward to when her parents might not be able to join her on the trip any longer. She is part of the sandwich generation where she is helping her adult children, and also her own parents as they age. Especially reading this this summer, after having just lost my father, I loved the way Newman captured how fleeting time can be, and to enjoy it while we can.

There were so many good quotes from this book but I just want to share one:

“Maybe grief is love imploding. Or maybe it’s love expanding. I don’t know. I just know you can’t create loss to preempt loss because it doesn’t work that way. So you might as well love as much as you can. And as recklessly. Like it’s your last resort, because it is.”

Really torn on this one. I had been looking forward to reading this one as soon as I heard about it. I was thrilled to get it this week as a Libby hold. It was very easy to read, certainly relatable, in regard to the age of the main character and also with the angst of having young adult children who have flown or are about to fly the nest. There was much to enjoy with this book. I am always a sucker for a family going to Cape Cod. I have never been there but always enjoy stories that are set there. I enjoyed the passages about Rocky and how much she missed her children’s childhood. She was very irritating though. Just too over the top and frankly mistreated her husband. The commentary about menopause was hilarious and often spot on but again over the top. I just really was not fond of her. I loved the final chapter and the poignant statements about love and family and grief. Beautiful prose but the characters got on my nerves.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review of the book.

Perfect. I loved how this book covered the motherhood of adult children. And how place brings back all the memories. There were sentences where I nodded along- everything was so true and relatable. A beautiful short novel that I will recommend to all mothers.

Genre: Contemporary/Literary

Format: Audio/Physical

5🌟 - I loved it!

I loved this slice-of-life novel! Visiting the northeast this summer made me want to prioritize this one especially after seeing my bestie @booksbyheath rave about it!

This is an epitome of a character-driven novel! I think if you love being dropped in the middle of the lives of characters in a book, you’ll love this one. Although this book from the outside is a story about normal things and a normal life, it has a lot of deeper themes and topics explored. It made me want to go back to the northeast ASAP!

A family continues their tradition of staying at their beachside house; this slim novel looks at one particular summer in recent memory, particularly the wild events that occur and the secrets that come to the surface.

This had a lot of potential but didn't live up to a lot of it for me, unfortunately. The verisimilitude was absolutely stunning, and Newman's a great writer; with that, Rocky's narrative voice did feel flat and a bit heavy-handed in parts for me. Part of this also might have been that I was going in anticipating a light, summer read - but there are some heavy, serious topics discussed here. So that's not really a dig on the book but just about my own expectations.

This one hit home. Sandwiched between two generations, taking care of your parents and half grown kids, while dealing with your body going through changes. This made for an engaging read!
Thank you #harper and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

I highlighted so many lines throughout this. So much golden wisdom

I’ve also never read a more perfectly accurate description of the Cape in summer.