This novel is about a fictional family spending a week in Cape Cod on vacation. They eat lobsters and go swimming and reveal secrets and make each other laugh. It doesn't sound as great as it is. The characters are so warm and alive on the page, and this is the rare book that actually made me laugh out loud as I read it. This book is delightful. If possible, readers should try to enjoy it during their own beach vacations.

"And this may be the only reason we were put on this earth. To say to each other, I know how you feel. To say, Same. To say, I understand how hard it is to be a parent, a kid." Catherine Newman, Sandwich

I laughed, I cried and I laughed some more. Family, parenting, love, Cape Cod and the underestimated smell of being on the beach that brings both clarity and relaxation. Sandwich is a wonderful representation of how families live - love - disagree and how they endure. 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.

Deeply moving in such a small package!

As a woman in my mid thirties, I am finding enjoyment in books featuring more mature women, discussing things pertinent to my life and this touched on so much.

Rocky is our protagonist, and she has loved her summer vacations in Cape Cod with her husband and kids for decades. They rent a little cottage with all of its quirks and eccentricities and spend a whole week on the beach. This year, though, Rocky is dealing with the hormonal change of menopause and it’s doing funny things to her mental health.

While she is going through her change, her daughter is dealing with changes of her own and the combination of everything at once sends Rocky into a spiral, rehashing her past and combing through her present at the same time.

This was such a wholesome slice of life experience. Rocky and her husband Nick were so real. The relationship they share with their children was so painfully accurate and real. There was no sensationalizing… there was no sugar coating. It was just so painfully raw and real and I loved it!

This is a super quick book, but really makes an impact. I adored the relationships and the ways in which they communicated with each other. So many aspects of this book spoke to me and it will leave an impression for a while to come.

A lot of poignant moments. The visceral way Rocky loves her family is palpable. The closeness of the three generations is heartwarming. The reader understands this family, during the week long vacation at the Cape, where they go every year. Some of the dialogue, among the family members was, at times, a bit base but I got over it because the essence of this book shone. Thank you NetGalley and Harper for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. #NetGalley, #Sandwich, #Harper.

Rocky has been struggling for decades alone, and as her family heads to Cape Cod for their annual week's vacation, she is looking forward to it. Things changed during this annual vacation, as she is sandwiched in between her grown children and her aged parents, plus, she now is going through menopause. She seems to start to unravel, and knows she has to tell her family the secrets she has been hiding for years
This is three generations, under one roof for a week, and a lot of things are coming out. It isn't only Rocky who has secrets. One week, one family, and in one week's time, who will they be, what will be changed, and you should really read this book to find out.
I received an ARC from Harper through NetGalley.

This book made me laugh, but it's definitely a book filled with grief and all the messiness that comes with family, marriage,menopause... Life. My favorite thing about Catherine Newman's characters is that they are real. They aren't perfect or even necessarily likeable, their thoughts aren't always full of joy and loveliness, hard decisions are made and the endings aren't tied up nicely with pretty bows. I love that she doesn't shy away from hard topics. The family dynamic in this novel was interesting, especially that middle age dilemma of caring about kids who are actually adults now, and also caring about parents who are getting to the point of needing more help.
I received an ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review .

This is my first read from Catherine Newman but I know it won’t be my last.

I thought this was going to be a beach read turned out to be a beautiful family story woven into their yearly week of vacation. Moments from other years are so beautifully woven in, it almost reads like a memoir.

Newman has captured Cape Code life in a clamshell. She sees the essence of what being a mother is like, how we deal with aging, and coming to terms with our own empty nests.

I will be thinking about this book for a long time to come.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

A fun and lighthearted novel that also looks closely at serious issues--family dynamics, growing children,, marriage and illness. So important at this moment in time to read this book centered on reproductive choice as well--this book demands our attention.

What an expertly written and well crafted novel. The characters (especially the main character) were so well developed, realistic, and human. Such a lovely read.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/198635222

3.5⭐️ A fun frolic of a story.
Witty character banter is completely engaging.
Certain dialogue lines / character reflections so resonated!

With thanks to NetGalley & HarperCollins for this e-ARC!

I have read some of Catherines other books and enjoyed them, and enjoyed this story as well. A fun beach read and escape for a lazy afternoon. Thanks for the opportunity to read.

A well written beach read with a first person narrator I found easy to relate. At times, her musings felt a bit repetitive. I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sandwich by Catherine Newman will sweep you up and into the lives of this precious family, taking you with them on their multi-generational family vacation and deep diving into their past with a little glimpse into their future. Catherine Newman has such a special way of discussing difficult topics of life with the perfect touch of humor.

Newman sure knows how to pack a big punch in a small package. This got me right in all the feels and is best-of-the-year material.

It is not easy to write a book that will make a reader laugh hysterically and cry on the same page. Sandwich manages to brilliantly capture what it means to be a woman, a mother, a daughter, and a wife all while injecting such humor that is unmatched in today's literary landscape. I am the mom of a toddler and Rocky's experience of toddlerhood felt reflective of my own experience. I thought the length was perfect. I don't think I could have loved it any more!!

I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this book. It takes place over the course of one week on Vacation, and is mainly a character study of a middle aged wife and mother. The dialogue was on point, but I felt like there could have just been more meat to the story. I guessed at some of the secrets that were exposed during the week, and it just felt very one dimensional to me.

Rocky and Nick, their semi-adult children Willa and Jamie and Jamie’s girlfriend are spending their annual vacation, in the same rental they’ve always used, on Cape Cod. And as usual, they will be joined later in the week by Rocky’s parents. One week. A week that is long enough for many secrets to be revealed, memories and traditions shared and past hurts remembered. None of these things are extraordinary. This story is, in fact, so ordinary that you could be reading about your next door neighbors or the couple down the street.

Catherine Newman has delivered a lyrical, emotional and beautifully written novel that will stay with you after you turn the last page. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper and Catherine Newman for this ARC.

Rocky and her family gave vactioned for years on Cape Cod during the summer. Now jer grown kids and her aging parents are back at the summer house. Growing up close to the Cape, you want to love this book. The trashy dialog and context is very unappealing and loses the storyline. I couldn't finish this book unfortunately.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this book. I really liked it a lot. Rachel (aka Rocky) and Nick host their two kids, Rocky's parent's, and their son's girlfriend for a week at a rental house on Cape Cod (hence the title of the book). During the week, the family squabbles, shares secrets, and rebuilds bonds that sometimes get a little weak. I really liked all the characters--they will well drawn, interesting without being cliched, and only one (Willa) a bit stereotypical. You really get a good feeling for this family--the twists would have been sooooo dramatic in the hands of another author but how the family deals with the twists seems very realistic. I read this fairly quickly--the style (and short chapters) make it easy to read and I didn't want it to end. 4 1/2 stars

First, let me thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. I am always anxious to read a novel based on Cape Cod - a place I call home. I'll be honest, I wasn't really sure how I felt about this novel. I had thought it would be more beachy. It is in fact, the thoughts and experiences that a lot of women go through in one way or another. I clearly could relate to all the menopause issues and the love/hate relationship with my husband during that time. I had a hard time with the secrets that Rocky kept. Those always come back and bite you one way or another and the guilt will eat you up. I thought Rocky's relationship with her children was interesting. She really needed to get over the past to move on with the future which I think she did at the end.