I went into this blind because I liked the cover and live in Maine 😊

5/5 ⭐️ I was going to give it a 4/5 but I can’t stop thinking about it.

I liked that the story kept getting more intricate and by the end every element was tied in. This would be a great summer read!

This book was very cute! I enjoyed the characters and setting (the fact that this is an important place to the author is so clear) but I found the plot to be a bit drawn out. Overall a solid read, I just could have used a little bit better pacing!

Rating: 4.5 Star
*Maine Character* by Hannah Orenstein is a delightful and heartfelt novel that blends love, personal growth, and the beauty of the Maine coast. The story follows Tilly, a woman who returns to her family’s small-town home in Maine after a personal and professional setback. The setting itself is wonderfully immersive, with Orenstein capturing the charm of Maine’s landscapes and the sense of community that feels both comforting and genuine.

Tilly’s journey of self-discovery is relatable and well-paced, and her interactions with the colorful cast of characters – from quirky locals to her own family – bring a lighthearted yet meaningful layer to the story. The romance is warm and slow-burn, perfectly balanced with Tilly's evolving sense of independence and self-worth. Orenstein’s writing is smooth and engaging, making it hard to put the book down.

The book does fall short in a few areas, as certain plot points feel a bit predictable, and some secondary characters are underdeveloped. However, these minor drawbacks don’t overshadow the novel’s charm or the emotional depth it provides.

Overall, *Maine Character* is a sweet, thoughtful read that will appeal to fans of contemporary fiction looking for a cozy, uplifting escape. It’s a wonderful blend of personal growth, romance, and the magic of Maine – a novel you’ll want to curl up with.

Thank you Dutton Book/Penguin and NetGalley for a copy of Maine Characters!

Ahh Maine, I love books set in New England and this one had beautiful imagery of the fictional lake town of Fox Hill.

If you were sold by the description calling this a “Parent Trap for adults” please don’t be fooled because that was not what this was. I can honestly say the writing left more to be desired. Almost every character was so unlikable and I just didn’t like Lucy at all. I kept hoping she would get better throughout the entire book, but she just pissed me off the entire time.

The story and the characters had so much potential, but in my opinion, it never got there. The cover is beautiful and there are some interesting moments but I’m not sure there were enough to redeem the characters.

A heartwarming easy read that will tug at the heart strings. Seeing the way the sisters bond and grow to like each other felt real and well written. I wasn’t a fan of the pacing and the romance felt needless. The first 120 pages were great and made up for a dull ending.

Great read. Perfect for the beach or a vacation. Sweet story of sisters also. Recommend if you have ever waded through family drama and came out still loving your relatives at the end of the

After her father’s death, city-girl Vivian heads up to his beloved Maine lake house only to discover she has a half-sister she never knew existed. Part family drama, part romance, this had strong Elin Hilderbrand vibes, with rich descriptions of the food, wine, and Maine lakefront setting that had me ready to book a trip to Bar Harbor.

It started off a little slow for me, but the strong finish made up for it. I wasn’t expecting such an emotional punch behind such a cute cover.

3.5⭐️ rounded up.

This book gave me whiplash! The adorable cover does not adequately express the drama in this book 😂

Lots of villains in this one, but lots of character growth and a happy ending!

OK "they" say not to judge a book by its cover but I usually do and this one is gorgeous (I even likethe kitschy title). The story has a little something for everyone. Some romance, some family drama, some summer lake life. I enjoyed the read but I never really connected with any of the characters, and I don't expect this one to stick around long in my memory. However, I think this would be a great summer read for a lot of people

I read this as a NetGalley ARC.

The beautiful cover lured me in and the story kept me around until the end. I loved the depiction of Maine and the lake, Hannah Orenstein really painted a beautiful picture.

I can’t recall another book that had me rooting for and hating so many of the same characters, it was an emotional roller coaster! It feels like everyone had a transformation (well, almost everyone), and that can be a lot for one book. There’s a lot happening in one lake house over the summer. At first I felt like some reveals were a little too much, but after getting to the end they worked.

This book left me intrigued about reading more from the author. If other people’s messes and dramas are your thing, definitely grab this book. It will make for a perfect summer read. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Hannah Orenstein´s book Maine Cabin has a setting I really enjoyed. The story focuses on two half-sisters, Lucy Webster and Vivian after the unexpected death of their father.

Lucy lives in Maine and teaches high school, but her marriage is ending and her life is complicated. Vivian lives in New York City and works as a sommelier. Following their father's unexpected death, the two women, who have never met before, find themselves at their father's beloved cabin. Although they have both spent time there with their father separately in the past, they are now suddenly thrown together.

The book explores grief and the complex family dynamics between the sisters. They spent most of the story fighting, and I didn’t particularly like or root for either of them. While the writing is good and the story flows well, I wanted these women to act more mature and found their actions petty at times. Despite this, I think this would be a good book club pick because there are a lot of emotions to unpack.

Thank you NetGalley and Dutton for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I had some difficulty getting into this book at the beginning, wondering how this story about two young women , close in age discovering that they are half sisters was going to pan out. Vivian and Lucy are two young women who spend part of their respective summer vacation time in Maine with their father, Vivian is he “ legitimate “ daughter, whereas Lucy is the “ love child “ of a relationship be for marriage.. Lucy and Vivian meet at the cabin after their father’s unexpected death and decide to spend the summer together to work out selling the cabin. The women initially hate each other, but both women experienced difficulties that summer with jobs and relationships, they ultimately come to a summer of discovery for each of them regarding their future and be coming sisters. I have to say I ended up enjoying this story, I liked the characters and the interaction that they had with each other.

I found this book was nothing like the blurb-nothing like an adult Parent Trap. I found both main characters to be incredibly unlikable and borderline insufferable and difficult to finish this book. There wasn’t much to connect to with either character.

First, I’d like to say thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc. There are a lot of positives to mention about this book. The cover is stunning! This book covers several topics in an easy to digest manner. Such as grief, new beginnings, and sisterhood. Hannah Orenstein creates a setting of picturesque Fox Hill Lake, written with such detail that you fully picture yourself in this fictional town. Character wise, at the start Lucy is very likable and I felt myself sympathizing for her situation. Vivian her long lost sister is quite the opposite, she is insufferable for the first 75% of the book. Celeste (Vivian’s mom) is not likable either. But Dawn (Lucy’s mom) is a likable character as well. As the book moves forward all characters develop and all become very likable. A few things I didn’t love about this book were the pacing, it’s extremely slow. I did really have to push myself to continue it for about the first 75%. Once you get past that chunk it picks up and I really enjoyed it. Another thing I didn’t love that went along with the overall pace of the book was the chapter length. This could be due to the fact that it’s an arc, but certain chapters were over 45 mins long on my kindle. Which is something that puts me off as a reader. The ending was fantastic, it gives you full closure and doesn’t leave you with what ifs. So major win there! Overall this is a fantastic book, especially for a summer read that is not your standard romance book. I recommend picking this up in 2025!

this was such a cute and touching novel. I was drawn by the beautiful cover and could not get over the journey

Maine Characters is a heartfelt exploration of two half-sisters discovering each other after the death of their father. Vivian, a driven New Yorker, heads to her father’s cabin in Maine to prepare it for sale after his sudden passing. There, she meets Lucy, the other daughter she’s heard little about, who had been spending summers with their father and was expecting this one to be no different. The story follows the sisters as they navigate their grief and their budding, yet strained, relationship.

While I enjoyed the premise and the setting, with the lake house adding a beautiful backdrop to the unfolding drama, I found the pacing a bit slow. The emotional depth was certainly there, as the story delves into the grief of losing a parent and the complicated feelings that arise when secrets come to light. However, the constant arguing between Lucy and Vivian throughout the book started to feel a bit repetitive. While their conflicts were understandable, I couldn’t help but wish for more resolution and less tension as the story progressed.

That said, the setting really shines, and I could see this being the perfect summer read by the lake. The writing captures the atmosphere of Maine beautifully, and the idea of these two sisters, so different yet bound by family, is compelling. While Maine Characters didn’t quite captivate me as much as I’d hoped, I think it would be a great pick for those who enjoy slow-burn family dramas with a bit of emotional heft.

If you’re looking for a thoughtful, summer-ready read about family, grief, and the complications of getting to know a sibling, this book could be right up your alley.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to receive an ARC.

A grown-up parent trap - after the unexpected death of her father, Vivian heads to his lakehouse to prepare the property for sale. There she finds Lucy, his daughter and Vivian's half sister... who she's never met. The two of them tussle over the sale of the house, and each decide to hang out for the rest of the summer before deciding what to do.

A little slow-going at first, but sets its pace around halfway through. There's romance and complications, affairs and broken marriages, family drama and lakeside lazing. Vivian is a sommelier and I loved the descriptions of wine (although I have no idea if they're correct). There's luscious descriptions of food as well - the key to my heart.

(SPOILER) I loved the ending - we get that deus ex machina of "hey there's trust funds!" Which allows for the characters to keep the house, and we get that continuation of the relationship. It's a little too easy, relies a little too heavily on this very unrealistic money-can-solve-everything trope, but dang it just feels good.

There were many things to like about Hannah Orenstein's new novel hitting shelves May 13th. For me, the two main lures were the idyllic small, lake town setting in Maine and the juxtaposition of its two main characters, half sisters Lucy and Vivian.

The plot is rather detailed as the half sisters, now 30 and 31, meet in the beginning at the lake house in Maine foll0wing their father's death. At first, the reader is lead to believe that Vivian, the city gal from NY, knows nothing about the existence of Lucy, her half sister who has always lived in small town Maine. As the story progresses though, we find out much more about not only their pasts, but also their father's past.

It is a tangled web with many supporting characters thrown in - Dawn, Lucy's mom and Hank's (father's) first love; Celeste, Vivian's mom, Hank's wife, a snobbish and successful NY author; Patrick, Lucy's soon to be ex-husband; Caleb, small town bartender and a possible love interest for Vivian; Harrison, a lawyer working with his realtor father to possibly sell the lake house and a possible love interest for Lucy; and Oscar former lover/married boss of Vivian, serving as the book's antagonist.

The book is being touted as an "adult Parent Trap," and that can certainly be seen through so many of its plot threads.

Loved the setting and the two main characters in Maine Characters, and it would be a fun summer or vacation read. Maine Characters has a little bit of everything - family drama, mystery, romance. Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton, for this lacustrine ARC. 3.5 stars from me

It took me a little while to fully settle into the storyline, but about a quarter of the way through, I found myself completely hooked. I typically shy away from books with longer chapters, as they can sometimes feel daunting, but I’m so glad I kept reading—this one was well worth it.

*Maine Characters* was both cozy and emotionally complex, balancing heartwarming moments with deeper themes of family, identity, and belonging. I can’t imagine the shock of discovering a half-sibling at 30 years old, but the author did a phenomenal job of capturing the mix of excitement, uncertainty, and emotional upheaval that would come with such a revelation. The way Lucy and Vivian navigated their newfound sisterhood felt raw and authentic—there were awkward moments, tender ones, and everything in between. As someone who only has brothers, I especially loved seeing their relationship evolve, from hesitant strangers to true sisters. It was touching to witness their bond strengthen as they unraveled the pieces of their shared past.

The small-town setting of Fox Hill completely charmed me. There was something so immersive about how the town was described—the sense of community, the deep-rooted connections between people, and the breathtaking lakefront scenery. The time spent outdoors, especially on the lake, stirred up so much nostalgia for my childhood summers, bringing back memories of long days on the water and the carefree joy that only comes with being surrounded by nature.

The book’s description promised undeniable heart, depth, charm, and humor, and I couldn’t agree more. Calling it *The Parent Trap* for adults and a love letter to lake life was spot on. It perfectly captures the novel’s mix of heartfelt family dynamics, personal growth, and the unique magic of summer by the water.

I enjoyed this one. I liked how the characters grew and were able to forgive others for things that were done in the past.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.