It was such a pleasure to read this heartfelt family story, featuring Rocky, who is in the "sandwich" generation, caring for her aging parents and her adult children, not to mention herself and her husband. Each year, her family spends a week in the same charming old cottage on Cape Cod. This year, there are lots of changes, and Rocky finds herself reflecting on the past and worrying about the future. The author takes her time building the story, and the payoff is all the richer for it. A "beach read" that will make you laugh and cry.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

This is the story of Rocky who is sandwiched between having to care for elderly parents and not-grown children while on a vacation at their yearly escape at Cape Cod.

I loved all the details of what it means to be taking care of all the people who depend on you while also experiencing your own aging and grieving process. I thought the characters were thee dimensional and interesting.

If you're at the same phase of life, and I am, this is one of those books you read and feel seen and not alone. It makes you laugh and cry and scream out loud.

At the same time, I felt like some of the dialogue read more like a speech/preaching to the audience. It didn't feel as natural. I think this book will be well loved by people who are experiencing the same phase of life and maybe not as deeply understood by those who are not there yet.

with gratitude to netgalley and Harper for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to Harper for the free ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review! This is out June 18!

Rocky and her family (husband, two adult children, her son’s GF, and her parents) all make their yearly trek to Cape Cod for the week, a tradition they have been repeating every year. Over the course of the week, we dive into the mundanity of a family on vacation and all the simple pleasures - home made sandwiches, rainy days inside being lazy, treks to the beach, midnight swims. But with Eocky firmly in middle age and going through menopause, she can’t help but feel stuck - she loves her husband but he infuriates her, she is proud of her adult children but doesn’t want them to leave her, and feels like she still doesn’t know her parents even though her time with them is limited. Amongst all this is a secret she’s kept for years that she doesn’t know if she can keep anymore.

A very solid beach read. The writing was excellent and this is extremely character driven. Rocky’s voice is very strong - HOWEVER - this also made me not relate so much to the character, mostly because she really dives into menopause and the side effects in great detail and it…kind of bummed me out? I’d prefer to remain oblivious to how now fun that whole process is until I actually have to go through it, but that’s just me. I loved the parts where it was just time spent with family (so cozy and feel good) and the descriptions of food were *chefs kiss*. I’ve read so many books set in Massachusetts in the summer and this one ranks up there with them all - loved the setting, loved the food, love the stories of people on vacation there.

I loved this by novel about a middle-aged woman sandwiched between her elderly parents and young adult children. Told over the course of a one-week summer vacation on Cape Cod, Sandwich made me laugh and cry and feel seen, all while dealing with some tough, timely topics. I keep recommending this to everyone -- I loved it so very much.

I requested Sandwich because I love reading books set in Cape Cod. This book packs a lot into a pretty short time, and I went on a bit of a journey with it.

Suffice it to say that Catherin Newman explores the vast experiences of a woman through the lens of her fertility. This book explores the rage, regret, love, and grief that women and mothers can experience in a moment.

While the kids remained a bit one-dimensional (and the husband could have been made of cardboard, but some husbands are close to that in reality, too), Rocky's tumultuous internal experience has more than enough action. Unlike some of the more navel-gazey reflections on what it means to be a woman, I appreciated that we saw Rocky imperfectly attempt to untangle a life of worry, stress, and uncertainty in a mostly messy way.

In the end, I think this is an important read, and, well... I am really dreading menopause. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sandwich, by Catherine Newman
Thank you to Harper and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

Motherhood, marriage, and menopause interweave in this book about an annual summer week vacation with a family of four.
The prologue zooms in on Cape Cod as if from a distance, focusing gradually on a car, then the people in it: “Rocky” (Rachel), her husband, Nick, and their two grown children, Willa, 20 and Jamie, 24, and Jamie’s long-time girlfriend, Maya. The story continues in Rocky’s voice, the 54-year-old who is halfway – sandwiched - between her adult children and her aging parents, the only other characters who appear in the book.

The week begins with an overflowing toilet, which leads Rocky to jump on the bathtub, only to fall and pull the curtain rod off the wall, which lands in Nick’s face. There are other mishaps, mostly minor, that continue through the week and the story, emblematic of the clumsiness of body and mind Rocky is experiencing.

As the days go on, the self-searching story unspools, moving back and forth between revisiting the children’s baby- and toddler-hood, Rocky’s anxiety about them throughout their lives, her deep love but ambivalence toward Nick, her lost pregnancies, her beloved parents, and the unexpected rage that menopause seems to be stirring.

Told with humor and deep affection, especially between Rocky and her daughter, the week helps Rocky find some resolution for issues of loss that have plagued her since childhood. It is a satisfying and enjoyable read, with insights many of us can appreciate.

By turns touching, heartbreaking, hilarious, and so so sweet. A lovely family drama that takes place over a week's vacation in Cape Cod, told from the point of view of the mom, Rocky, sandwiched between her aging parents and her twenty-something year old kids. I loved the daughter and loved their relationship so much. It all felt so real, so slice-of-life. Quick, very enjoyable read.

I really enjoyed this book. It was different than anything else I've read recently. I couldn't put it down! I will keep an eye out for this author's future work!

Sandwich
by CAtherine Newman
Pub DAte: JUne 18, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
For the past two decades, Rocky has looked forward to her family’s yearly escape to Cape Cod. Their humble beach-town rental has been the site of sweet memories, sunny days, great meals, and messes of all kinds: emotional, marital, and—thanks to the cottage’s ancient plumbing—septic too.
Great book! I laughed, I cried- I felt.
Marriages, aging parents, children who grow to find their own love and the complicated dance of a marriage between two that ebbs and flows over the course of several decades. There is no sweeter story than that of family - and with that comes all the heartaches and tribulations - and culminates with love.
HIghly recommend.

This book felt so familiar to me as someone who knows these characters in real life. I enjoyed Catherine's writing for the most part; her wit and honesty shine through. However, it took quite awhile to get into the story and I found myself wanting something more out of the read.

This book had so much going for it, but it seemed as though there were just too many sub-plots that took away from what could have been a great story.

Based on the description, I was really excited to read this book, however, I agree with another reviewer - I got bogged down in many places and had no idea what the character was talking about. This is a quick read, but there were a LOT of pages I skipped over.

I’ have so many conflicting opinions about Sandwich, by Catherine Newman. This was really your typical family. Willa, the daughter/sister, was very likeable. She seemed to have her head together the best out of the 7 family members. Her brother, Jaimie, was a nice kid with not much personality. Nick, the dad, was bland and just there.. He didn’t add anything to the story, Rachel, the mom/wife was a little bit of a nut and kind of annoyed me. In some ways, I could relate to her feeling sandwiched between her elderly parents and her young adult kids, but sometimes I had no idea what she was rambling on about. It’s a quick read that I would tell someone to definitely read it and decide for themselves if they like it. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC of Sandwich, by Catherine Newman.

This was a hilarious, quick-witted, story set in beautiful Cape Cod. The location itself becomes another character in the story. The topic of menopause is handled originally and with great humor. A fun summer read.

To the extent this novel is about menopause, it’s perfectly timed. Menopause is the new black and here’s a funny short novel that captures some of the crazy feelings, bodily responses and mood swings that go with it. So far, so appealing. But then there’s the rhapsodic love for children and family, delivered with such intensity and repetitiveness that it crosses the line, from “usual American preoccupation” to something obsessive and wildly over the top. Is the author sending it up, or just gilding the lily? Whatever, for this reader, the emotional intensity was a step too far. Otherwise, the novel’s good humor and excellent dialogue carries it a long way. So, more of the latter and less of the former, for me, please.

Fantastic! This was an utter joy to read! Before I even got to the halfway point, I was recommending it to friends and ordering it for the library.
An absolutely perfect read for the Gen x woman, with bonus points for being a New Englander. I grew up going to the Cape in summers, but you do not need that background to FEEL every bit of this book. Laugh out loud funny in chapter after chapter…like my husband was asking what was wrong with me! No, it’s not a Facebook video, leave me alone, I’m reading! Great characters, good length, topical themes, and just about the perfect summer read. Congratulations!
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Publishing for this advance reader copy. Easily joining my top 10 of the year.
5*

i devoured this book. the organized format that highlighted each day of the week made my brain happy. the writing, the characters, the sentiments, the arguments, the memories, the heartbreak, and the love made my heart happy.
reading catherine newman's latest book was like watching a tv show. it's not always easy for me to really visualize the characters, the settings, the tense conversations, but for this book, it was. i didn't want to stop reading sandwich!
set on cape cod, rachel (rocky) and nick's family is having their annual vacation in their favorite spot. the (mostly grown) children are with them and rocky's parents join them for two days. rocky is our narrator and you watch her interact and dive into the lives of her children while, at the same time, interacting with and worrying about the goings-on in the lives of her parents. the true definition of the sandwich generation.
i really, really enjoyed reading sandwich and i look forward to recommending it to those readers around me that i know will enjoy it, as well.

Thank you to Harper Collins for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Writing: 5/5 Characters: 5/5 Plot: 4/5 Humor: 5++/5

Ok, this book is just flat out funny. I snorted, giggled, and guffawed my way through it with only occasional pauses. But while it gets top top grades for humor, it has plenty of depth, too. Ostensibly about a week at the beach with an extended (and all adult) family, it’s a study of functional (as opposed to dysfunctional) family dynamics. Many readers seem to want intense drama, with earth shattering impact, but I love these close looks at how real people work and learn and connect. The themes are family, love, and life with plenty of personality, philosophy, and interaction thrown in and a strong focus on parenting, pregnancy, and reproduction. Also the (new to me) phrase “anticipatory grief.” Wow — I should have learned that one a long time ago…

I loved the characters and the way they interacted. Our first person narrator is Rocky (Rachel) — a mother so full of emotion and worry and menopausal heat she is constantly threatening to (metaphorically) explode. I liked the way husband Nick — even as told through her eyes — is depicted so completely and not just a bit player in Rocky’s drama. Without giving anything away, I thought he was masterfully written. I loved the multifaceted views of all of the characters — both as themselves and also as they were in relationship with each other. I also appreciated the way Newman dealt with daughter Willa — the requisite lesbian through whom plenty of social commentary on LGBTQ+ issues was included in a nice relaxed, off key way that both made me laugh and made me think.

I also loved the dialog — it was written the way I wish people would speak — fast, humorous, and with a high signal to noise ratio. General banter and friendly family squabbling throughout but always overlaid on clear, honest, and trusting communication. I could be laughing at the (over-the-top-of the-top menopause complaints and then be tearing up at the essential humanity and love concisely tucked into an honest exchange. Kind of a combination of Nora Ephron (humor), Matthew Norman (human exchange), and Anne Lamott (parenting and reflection).

I will say that the inside of Rocky’s head is a fun, but very tiring place to be and I’m glad I don’t live there permanently.

Quotes:

“Ugh, my voice! You can actually hear the estrogen plummeting inside my larynx.”

“… I say quietly, but my veins are flooded with the lava that’s spewing our of my bad-mood volcano. If menopause were an actual substance, it would be spraying from my eyeballs, searing the word ugh across Nick’s cute face.”

“People who insist that you should be grateful instead of complaining? They maybe don’t understand how much gratitude one might feel about the opportunity to complain.”

“I’m always Sherlock Holmesing around them all with my emotional magnifying glass, trying to figure out if anybody has any actual feelings and what those might be.”

“Also he will get out the innocuous-sounding foam roller that is actually a complex pain device designed by people who hate everybody. I’ve seen enough videos of cats terrorized by cucumbers to know what my face looks like when I suddenly see the foam roller.”

“Nick’s curiosity about feelings and the people who have them is fleeting at best.”

“Forty percent of my waking thoughts were about the children dying — the other sixty about sleep. I was ashamed of this demented pie chart.”

“A conversation like this might be a wolf in clown’s clothing, and he knows it. My rage is like a pen leaking in his pocket, and before long there will be ink on his hands, his lips.”

“I mince down the spiral staircase in my memory-foam slippers, all of my joints clacking like the witch in a marionette performance of Hansel and Gretel.”

“All of the names of everything have oozed out and away from the drainage holes menopause has punched into my memory storage.”

“My ancient father actually swimming in the ocean feels like a bridge too far in terms of what I can handle fretting about.”

The protagonist, Rachel (affectionately known as Rocky), navigates the challenges of intergenerational relationships in Catherine Newman's novel "Sandwich." As Rocky grapples with the complexities of her aging parents' declining health and her adult children's evolving life milestones, compounded by her own experience with menopause, she finds solace in humor amidst the chaos.

Annual gatherings at a quaint Cape Cod beach house serve as the backdrop for the unfolding narrative, symbolizing the aging process mirrored in the deteriorating beach house. Culinary imagery, particularly sandwiches, underscores the themes of sustenance and being caught between generations.

Through authentic dialogue and nuanced characterizations, Newman portrays a relatable family dynamic, tackling sensitive issues such as abortion with candor. "Sandwich" appeals to readers seeking reflective narratives with organic exchanges and resonates particularly with mature audiences grappling with similar familial transitions. Newman's characters, flawed and genuine, confront life's hardships with raw emotion, embracing the messy realities of relationships and transitions, thus offering a poignant and realistic portrayal of family life.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

I have to admit that I skimmed through several sections of this, because it felt redundant and because some of it read like nonfiction personal essays about mothering, marriage, and menopause. On the other hand, the author’s writing about these topics in the fictional parts of the story were spot on, and the writing is vivid and rich with wisdom about life and love and loss. Thanks to the author for my favorite line: “ How alive your heart to feel such sorrow.”

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.