I must admit to DNFing Newman's first book "We All Want Impossible Things". But I am so so glad that I gave this author another shot. I could not put this book down! So much love I am going to give the 1st book another try. I'm also going to recommend Sandwich to my book club.

Today is National Book Lovers' Day and I am going to recommend one of my favorite book of the year so far: SANDWICH by Catherine Newman. The main character is a woman called Rocky who is dealing with life changes – the physical ones associated with menopause and the shifts in her identity as a mother, spouse, and grown child. She says, "Life is a seesaw, and I am standing dead center, still and balanced: living kids on one side, living parents on the other. Nikki here with me at the fulcrum. Don't move a muscle, I think. But I will, of course. You have to." The story takes place at the home her family rents every year on Cape Cod and over the course of a week Rocky reflects on other years and the activities of her children Willa and Jamie, on the many joys and difficulties that motherhood brings. She faces some sad times, too: "I've heard grief described as love with nowhere to go." But so many of her observations are heartfelt and hilarious ("she is long married to a beautiful man who understands between twenty and sixty-five percent of everything she says"); readers will be laughing out loud at her commentary and the family dynamics. SANDWICH by Catherine Newman was also recommended by Ann Patchett on PBS and is the Top Pick for LibraryReads in June. Plus, it received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, and Library Journal. This is one not to miss: "We keep showing up for each other. Even through the mystery of other people's grief. What else is there?"

Sandwich is a book that made me laugh out loud while also being so relatable as I find myself parenting and having aging parents. I loved seeing a complex middle aged woman at the center of this story. Rocky was a character honest about the ways that we love, disagree, make decisions, move on, and heal. A fantastic summer read that captures the pain and joys of being human.

A family-in-dither read. . .felt very familiar, especially reading it in summer, just at the tail-end of vacations nested in other family members' vacations as families do when a number of separate moments coalesce into a huge joint vacation. That's what this reminded me of. Big joint ponders on life and how it gets ya. Especially the girls, young, old, frisky, Not Frisky, indifferent, jaded, alarmed, Ever Helpful, and grouchy. Boys happened, but they were good for one thing (ok. three: bringing in the groceries, wandering off and well, yeah. That.)

It moved slower than I expected, but warm moments happened that left me with a smile, and there were a lot of sandwiches consumed.

*A sincere thank you to Catherine Newman, Harper, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.*

This book made me so nostalgic for family beach trips and honestly made me wonder what was going through my mom's head during those times.. This novel is told through the mom, Rocky's, POV and I absolutely loved the raw honesty that we were able to experience. I feel like as children we look at our mom as a being whose sole purpose is to take care of us, but as we age we start to see that our mom is human too, and that she experiences all the same human emotions we do. This book embodied this fact for me. We see Rocky go through the struggles of menopause, navigate through having adult children and aging parents and find comfort in the stability of her marriage while also recognizing that she and her husband are both changing as they age. I also love the family relationships and dynamic that you see in this book. Specifically, the relationship between Rocky and her daughter was beautiful and honest and felt like a safe space that I wanted to be in. As I start my own family, I want to embody some of the qualities I saw in Rocky, including her selflessness and her acceptance of her children being who they want to be. Overall, this book is all about how we deal with and accept change, and looks at it through an honest and vulnerable lens, which I really enjoyed. I would definitely recommend this book and think it is the perfect read for a family vacation at the beach or lake.

"In the Cape photos from when the children were little, I'm squinting grimly into the sun to make sure they're not drowning or choking on sand or catching spontaneously on fire. A deep, worried line divides my forehead in half".

"What does loss look like, in your body? Where is it? It feels like an air bubble stuck in your psyche. It feels like peering into a dep hole. The vertigo of that. The potential for obliteration. It's in your stomach. Your spleen. Or it's just your heart losing its mind".

There are several moments in this book that I really felt Rocky's emotions. Unfortunately, the rest of the times I felt a great distance from understanding her.

It was a good story, and I have no judgment of any of their lives, I just couldn't bridge the distance in too many moments.

Thank you to Harper Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read this eARC.

“Sandwich” follows a family who is vacationing in the same house on Cape Cod that they have been for decades. It’s old and plainly decorated; the plumbing is touch-and-go, but it offers a sense of comfort and continuity for the family. Our narrator is Rachel AKA “Rocky”, a fifty-something mother of said family. Also joining her in the house are her husband, Nick; her young adult kids, Willa and Jamie; and Jamie’s girlfriend, Maya. Rocky’s parents join the group for their two-night maximum and contribute some comic relief.

We learn early in the book that Rocky is in the throes of menopause. She is dealing with every mood swing and hot flash like a champ. Her husband seems understanding and kind, if not a bit clueless. And Rocky is struggling with being an empty nester, while also admiring her kids from afar. She seems to be extremely close with her daughter, Willa, and it seems like she shares more honesty with her than with Nick.

This book is about families, and specifically the lies and secrets that exist within families. It examines (albeit lightly) the dynamics that exist within families and how marital relationships change over time, particularly when kids grow up, move away, and take on so-called grown-up lives of their own. We learn about pregnancies, miscarriages, abortions, regrets and some light lying along the way.

This book was equal parts lighthearted/funny/witty and serious. I enjoyed it thoroughly, but I’d recommend readers to check out trigger warnings before reading because there are several.

Overall, I’d give it about a 3.75 star read (rounded up to 4 stars). I like that the narrator was an older woman. I have not read many fiction books told from the perspective of a fifty-something woman, and it was honestly quite refreshing. I like what the author did with the story, but it was annoyingly cutesy sometimes, and that annoyed me.

This was such a fun and different read than I'm used to. One of the most relatable books I have read. I found my self laughing out loud on numerous occasions. Highly recommend.

I was really excited for this one as someone that spends summers at the beach with her family and has since she was little and is at the age where she can now be friends with her parents, I thought this book would be for me. However, it was a little dull, not much was happening. It needed more significant plot lines. It was just a normal family's vacation at the beach, and maybe that book is for some people, but this ADD girl needs more than that to really enjoy a book.

Its amazing how much life can change in just a week, but it does in this beautiful story simply by sharing life with family. Absolutely loved this story and empathized with the main character's anxiety over motherhood. Highly recommended.

Sandwich was a book that felt like it could have been telling the story of so many people in my contacts list…albeit a handful of years older than we are now, Rocky is one of those characters who absolutely was written by someone who knows what it’s like to spend the summer on the Cape.

The crowded sandy houses, the secrets that never stay secret, the hashing of family problems, the ability of the beach to heal everything no matter how big, and the absolute reset you get every year for that week at the shore.

One thing that resonated with me was the author’s description of what life is like going to the beach house with kids through their life stages. We are solidly in the “one word answers” and “embarrassed by their parents” stage, but every single stage was spot-on.

If you spend a week or more at a beach house every year (or did growing up)—whether it’s the Cape, Rehoboth, OBX, etc., you’ll get something out of this book. If you aren’t a beach house person, this might seem far-fetched and unrealistic. But especially if you’re a Cape/Vineyard/ACK woman in your 40’s or beyond, this will resonate as deeply as any summer book possibly could.

Sandwich is the best book I have read thus far in 2024! I am an avid reader of Women's Fiction and this story explores so many issues that resonate with "women of a certain age". The main character Rocky is 54 years old and the novel takes place during a weeklong annual vacation to Cape Cod. Joining Rocky are her husband, her young adult children and one significant other. Her elderly parents are also present during part of the vacation. There are so many relatable issues in this novel. Menopause, coming to terms with the fact that you children are grown, and the challenges of managing aging parents are a few of the main life struggles that are covered in this novel. I found this book to be incredibly relatable. I really enjoyed the conversational style of this author. This was a very fast read. Thank you to the publisher and #netgalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really didn’t care for this book.
The characters were unlikable, the main character was insufferable, and the story was trying to be sentimental but failed.
I just really didn’t enjoy reading it at all.
Thank you netgalley for the ARC

While the main character of this book was a few years older than me I can relate to how her feelings shift over time as a mother. It was ver relatable.

This book is gorgeously written, poignant and will hit mothers hard at any stage. I’ve read Newman’s other books and was reminded how her writing will stop you with how apt and aching it is. So well-done.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Catherine Newman’s “Sandwich” is a delightful literary feast—a layered concoction of family dynamics, humor, and poignant moments. Set against the backdrop of Cape Cod summers, this novel serves up more than just lunch.

For two decades, Rocky has cherished her family’s annual escape to Cape Cod. Their humble beach-town rental has witnessed laughter, tears, and the occasional plumbing mishap. But this year, as Rocky grapples with menopause, her emotions churn like the tides. A chain of events catapults her into the past, reliving bittersweet summers. As secrets resurface, Rocky must confront her family’s history and her own hidden truths.

Sandwich” is Newman’s culinary masterpiece. Her prose simmers with authenticity, capturing the messiness of relationships. Rocky’s hormonal rollercoaster mirrors life’s unpredictability. The novel balances nostalgia with the urgency of the present. Like a perfectly crafted sandwich, it’s layered, satisfying, and leaves you craving more.

or readers who savor emotional depth and relatable characters, “Sandwich” is a delectable choice. Bon appétit!

***Sandwich is another case of beautifully wrought complications and mutual adoration from Catherine Newman, with unapologetically contradictory and menopausal Rocky at the heart of the messy, wonderful extended family.***

Rocky's family has been vacationing in Cape Cod for twenty years. She's built years of happy memories in their low-key beach house rental.

This year, she's sandwiched between her half-grown children and her aging parents. And the carefree vacations of the past feel light years away, because Rocky's menopausal rage threatens to undo any joy she might gain from spending time in her favorite place.

To save their treasured family time together, Rocky may have to share secrets she never intended to reveal.

I love Catherine Newman! She writes characters that are so funny, so poignant, so beautifully oddball, and so wonderfully open about their deep adoration of their complex loved ones--and the frustrations and challenges that make up a perfectly imperfect life.

Rocky is menopausal and adjusting to her own shifts--in thinking, in physicality, in mood, and all--as she struggles to remember the joy of the past and accept the beauty in the present with her aging parents and her growing young-adult children.

Sandwich made me laugh, twisted my heart, and kept me interested throughout. I just adored all of the heart and humor in Sandwich.

I received a prepublication edition of this title courtesy of Harper and NetGalley.

Catherine Newman is also the author of other books I love: We All Want Impossible Things, Waiting for Birdy, and How to Be a Person: 65 Hugely Useful, Super-Important Skills to Learn Before You're Grown Up.

Told from a first-person perspective, which I absolutely love, this book spans a week in the lives of its characters, seamlessly moving between past and present. Typically, books with slower pacing tend to slow me down, but this one was exceptional. It’s a beautiful beach read about family, growth, and navigating life’s challenges together.

This was a five-star read that I'd make six stars if I could, just for the gift of having been able to read this IN the town of Sandwich on Cape Cod. Newman has crafted an elegant, perfect novel of motherhood and marriage, love and family, time and time and time and the passing of time. I adored every page.

Catherine Newman shares a family's week at the beach in "Sandwich," a great read for the summer.

Rocky, short for Rachel, finds herself sandwiched between her husband, two grown kids and a pair of aging parents in their humor-filled annual trip to Cape Cod. But now she's traded in kids' sand shoves for menopause and replaced snacks with wine. Sometimes she's sad. Other times she's happy for what's been -- and will be.

With its themes of love, family and motherhood, this is a fun read perfect for an afternoon under a beach umbrella.