I really enjoyed reading this book. It was such a different pace from everything I’ve been reading lately. I definitely cried.

It took me a minute to get used to the third person and her writing style but overall I really loved the story. It kind of felt like reading someone's recollections of what happened that summer. Like someone was telling not showing and I didn't feel like I was in it. Which is absolutely okay. I just had an adjustment period.

I was so invested to see how it would all pan out. There were so many times where I was frustrated with Vivian or Lucy or both 😅 It definitely added to the drama. All in all, I’m really glad I read it!

thank you netgalley so much for the opportunity to read this book as an arc in exchange for an honest review

this was a book about sisterhood and women... while also being fun and keeping the reader interested
the beggining reminded me of the parent trap and i was having so much fun. i loved the atmosphere and the ending, would really reccomed this book

This book started out wonderful but it seems that the+author lost her way about half way through the book and never found it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this title. This is the first time I read a book by this author, and sadly, it was not for me. I found the two main characters unlikable and childish. And while the premise, a rewrite of the parent trap was good, it fell flat for me.

I really enjoyed Vivian and Lucy. Vivian, an ambitious sommelier from New York City, arrives with plans to spread her father's ashes and sell the cabin. She's shocked to find Lucy, a high school teacher from a small town in Maine, already there, waiting for their father. While they've lived entirely separate lives, this unexpected reunion forces them to confront their shared past. In an ideal world, they'd support each other through their grief, but instead, they face a summer of suspicion, hostility, and the unraveling of long-held secrets. As they navigate the choppy waters of their parents' pasts, they must decide whether to hold onto the house or let it go. Vivian is desperate to escape the betrayal she's experienced, while Lucy clings to the hope of preserving the only home she’s ever known.
Through witty banter, heartfelt moments, and a beautiful lakeside setting, the author weaves a story brimming with undeniable heart, depth, charm, and humor. Will Vivian and Lucy find a way to become a family after thirty years apart?

Dive into this charming lakeside story and find out!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the opportunity to read Maine Characters, by author Hannah Orenstein. At first, I had a difficult time sticking with the book due to feeling rushed into the story. Eventually the writing and plot calmed down a bit, enough to get to know each of the characters and even identify with their journeys of loss and love. The storyline is sweet, relatable, and endearing. Orenstein’s writing gives definite Emily Henry vibes, making this an enjoyable, easy read.

This was so cute! Gave me Emily Henry vibes. If you love chick flick movies with feel good themes, this is for you!

The beautiful cover originally drew me to this book, but the story ended up being better than anticipated. Vivian and Lucy are sisters, but they’ve never met. Vivian lives with her mother and father in New York, while Lucy lives with her mother in Maine and spends the month of July with their father at his lake house. After he dies, Lucy shows up for her summer visit and has no idea he has passed away. Vivian comes to get the house ready to sell and they finally meet for the first time. The sisters can’t be more different and have grown up in completely different worlds but they slowly come to terms with each other.
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

I really wanted to love this book more than I ended up liking it. I love Maine and liked the story of finding a sibling that wasn't known to exist but the two women in this book were just annoying and childish and so hard to relate to. I think it would have been better to get to know each of the sisters a BIT before throwing them together.

This cover was beautiful and it is my first book by Hannah Orenstein! It took me a while to get into the book (about 1/4 of the way) but once I got that far I really enjoyed it! Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the opportunity to read Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein. The setting was so perfect, i wanted to be there. Character development was amazing; i ended up caring a great deal about characters I started out not even liking. A terrific story.

When Maine Characters is released in May, it will definitely be a summer hit. It has already earned the fitting label of “The Parent Trap for adults.”

Lucy and Vivian (two half-sisters who were kept apart their entire lives) meet for the first time, as adults, at their dad’s lake house in Maine, after his passing.

This read slowly grew on me much like Lucy and Vivian’s character growth through the pages. This was one of my favorite parts- you could really see the women’s hearts change for each other and their surroundings.

The reason this gets 3.5 ⭐️ from me is that certain situations/writing style felt rushed. I love to wallow and be drowning in details, but this book probably wouldn’t work in that way. There wasn’t lack of depth, but I was curious for more of the emotions at times.

I appreciated the more closed-door romance elements within the different characters, while still leaving room for tension, sparks, and the relationship of a sister to shine at the forefront.

Overall, it’s a warm and tender read, like the blueberry pie Lucy makes after a berry picking date. The ending felt like the perfect scoop of ice cream to go with it.

side note: I am loving the resurgence (maybe it’s been around and I’m just now noticing?) of second chance/love in late 30s, 50s etc. happening in fiction and rom-com type genres. It’s fresh, relevant, and necessary!

Two half-sisters—who have never met and grew up in completely different worlds—retreat to their late father’s lake house, one to sell it and the other to heal from heartbreak. Beautifully written with well-developed characters, Maine Characters is like a grown-up version of The Parent Trap with more drama. Themes include family, sisterhood, grief, betrayal, privilege, romance and forgiveness.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

This is a character driven book which isn’t always my favorite; I prefer a plot driven, but I do think readers who enjoy characters more could really like this. I did like Vivian and Lucy, but I felt the book was a bit slow overall because there was not really much the way of the plot moving forward it’s just the way that they interacted with each other, their friends, and their moms.

The cover is absolutely stunning!

Genre: Women’s Contemporary Fiction
Tropes: family drama, long-lost sisters, platonic enemies to friends
Spice: 🌶️
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cliffhanger (Y/N): No!

When Vivian Levy’s father dies she is tasked with selling his beloved lake house in Fox Hill, Maine. Leaving her job as a sommelier and boyfriend in NYC is the last thing she wants to do, she never expected to arrive at the lake and face her sister- a woman she suspected, but never confirmed, existed. Lucy Webster is looking for her father and gets blindsided by the news of his death from Vivian, the sister she’s always known of but never met. Will they be able to move through a relationship fraught with assumptions and resentment? Can they uncover betrayals and lies from their father and get to a place of peace and forgiveness?

There’s something so wonderful about a new beach (or lake) read. This novel reminded me of books I’ve read by Elin Hilderbrand and Kristin Hannah- from the thoughtful way the characters were crafted to the intricate threads of family, love, and loss being tied together so neatly. Vivian and Lucy aren’t without their flaws- perhaps we all have been or have known one or the other, but the way they’re able to process their grief and frustrations to come out on the other end full of such love and understanding is so beautiful. I’m so grateful to have read this book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for a copy of this ARC!

This was such a fun read! I loved the premise and thought that Vivian and Lucy were interesting protagonists. They both had great character development and it made me happy to see how they grew in their relationships with themselves, each other, and their significant others. The side characters were also great and I liked how their mothers, Celeste and Dawn, were also included. Overall very cute and the perfect summer read!

Hannah Orenstein’s *Maine Characters* is a poignant story about family and identity, set in a cozy lakeside cabin in Maine. It explores the complicated relationship between two half-sisters, Vivian, a hardworking sommelier from New York City, and Lucy, a small-town high school teacher, who must confront each other and their shared past after their father's death.

Orenstein skillfully captures the sisters' mixed emotions—grief, jealousy, and curiosity—while revealing the emotional complexities of their lives. Their tumultuous relationship reflects the troubled history of their parents, adding depth to the themes of love and forgiveness throughout the story. The lake house serves as a powerful symbol of both their shared past and the possibilities that lie ahead, driving the plot forward.

The writing is vivid and immerses the reader in the beauty of Maine, creating a warm atmosphere that contrasts with the characters' struggles. The narrative flows smoothly between moments of self-reflection and intense confrontations, leading to a satisfying conclusion.

*Maine Characters* is a beautifully crafted family drama that illustrates how even deep wounds can heal with time and honesty. It’s a must-read for fans of books like *The Dutch House* and *The Paper Palace*.

The relationship between the two main characters, Lucy and Vivian, left more to be desired. I wanted so badly to side with Lucy, but the character truly felt insufferable. I felt for her, given the circumstances, but quite honestly she was the one that came off seeming entitled and set in her ways. It was hard to find her like-able at all which made the ending seem skewed in her favor versus Vivians. I would have loved to see both of these women showing their vulnerable side and more developed as characters rather than one being a city girl and one being a lake girl.

I truly enjoyed this book! Such a good story of found family and forced proximity between two characters that couldn't be more different. I loved the way the characters were developed, and each of the two main female characters had so much depth to them and well crafted back stories that were extremely important to the story. As someone who spent my summers growing up at a family lake house, this was so nostalgic and brought me back to the days on the water with my sisters. I had only hoped for a little more of the story once we reached a resolution, and just wanted to be able to learn more about their lives after that. I did love the little bit of romance sprinkled in as well!

Cute story that readers of Elin Hilderbrand and similar authors will enjoy. This is in the Romance section but it's not really a romance, although there are two minor romance subplots that take a backseat to the relationship between the two half sisters who meet after their dad has just died.

While I loved the vibe and setting that Orenstein creates, Maine Characters has a bit of a hallmark feel to it that I didn't really connect with too deeply. I will say that I liked the back half of this book significantly better than the front half.

Readers that like complicated family dynamics, messy relationships, and themes of sisterhood wil enjoy.

3.25 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the eARC.