DNF at 30%
A book about unhappy people with mediocre decision-making skills who don't care about whether or not other people are happy. I didn't feel any desire to learn more about their stories. They are all very whiney. Writing is fine but not interesting.
Could be a hit for other readers.

Vivian arrives at her father's family house in Maine to sell it after his death. She doesn't expect to run into Lucy, who claims to be her long lost half sister. Can these two completely different people possibly form any type of relationship?

Thoughts 💭
This book was hard to get into at first, but I'm glad I stuck with it. In the beginning, neither sister was really likable. Both of them were extremely immature for women in their thirties. But, they had just enough redeeming qualities for me to push through, and in the end, they both showed some growth. Some things were also hard for me to believe. Vivian shows up to the house, and a complete stranger announces she's her half-sister, and then they stay in the house together without verifying in any way that this is true. Also, no one in the small town that was described as gossipy told either sister about each other? But, the drama between all the characters had me coming back to the story. The sisters were good foils of each other as one was raised in NYC and the other in the slower-paced Maine. Even their mothers and their romantic interests were fun. This story was emotionally complex with a lot of moving parts, and that's what really invested me in this story. The house on the lake in Maine alone kept me coming back and sounds like absolute paradise to me.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

3.5 STARS
The first thing that drew me to Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein was its gorgeous cover, and the story inside was a quick read. Set on a serene Maine lake during the summer, the novel perfectly embodies a dreamy summer read.
The story has a bit of an adult Parent Trap vibe, following two women in their 30s who, after their father’s passing, retreat to his cabin in the woods—only to discover they are sisters. As they navigate their newfound relationship, they also begin to unravel long-buried family secrets that kept them apart for 30 years. Alongside this emotional journey, both women have their own romantic storylines, adding even more depth to the plot.
While I found the book to be a fast and engaging read, I did struggle with the main characters in the first half. Their behavior frustrated me at times, and I found them difficult to like. However, I was fully invested in their journey and enjoyed watching them grow and evolve throughout the story.
Overall, Maine Characters is an entertaining and quick read with a stunning setting and a strong emotional arc. I'd rate it 3.5 stars, deducting -.5 due to my initial frustration with the protagonists. If you’re looking for a heartfelt, drama-filled summer novel, this one is worth picking up! Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the digital ARC so I could give my honest review

This was such a wonderful story of grief, sisterly love and a coming to terms with a relationship that you may not have felt ready for at first but ended up truly needing and leaning on. I absolutely loved this book and would recommend it!

3.75⭐️

Vivian and Lucy are half sisters who each spend one month with their dad at his cabin in Maine every summer, one in July and one in August. Vivian doesn’t know she has a sister, but Lucy knows about Vivian. Lucy is from the small town where the cabin is, whereas Vivian is from the upper echelons in New York City. After their dads sudden death, Vivian shows up to the cabin to find Lucy and discovers she has a sister, who she also has to tell that their dad just died. Vivian decides she is going to sell the cabin, but to Lucy, it’s her home and one safe place while she is also going through a divorce.

At the beginning, Vivian and Lucy cannot stand each other. They purposely do things to be mean to the other. Vivian really irritated me - trying to get rid of their dads stuff without consulting Lucy, not giving her space to be with her friends, and her relationship with a married man.

One both of their lives have crashed and burned, Vivian and Lucy come to a sort of truce- they will both stay in the house for the rest of the summer and try to get to know each other.

I really enjoyed the slow burn of Lucy and Vivian coming to not only accept, but also love, one another. I wasn’t sure if Vivian’s character could be redeemed for me, but I did end up liking her at the end - she goes through a lot of character growth. The romance side plots were also very sweet and I liked how they didn’t take over the main storyline, but you also root for them to continue after the conclusion of the book. Overall, this was an emotional but delightful read!

As a Mainer, I absolutely loved seeing such a loving portrayal of not just Portland, but small town Maine, too! It's clear that Hannah Orenstein has spent a lot of time in Maine and understands how Mainers live and why we live here. I loved that aspect of the book. Setting aside, Maine Characters started out super strong but eventually fizzled for me by the middle. Half-sisters Vivian and Lucy must confront one another and their relationships to their father after his sudden passing and they need to deal with the lakehouse he separately shared with each of them. The premise is strong and I was intrigued to learn more about the sisters and their complex relationships, but eventually, Vivian and Lucy began to feel more like caricatures and less like fully fleshed out characters. Their growth felt rushed and too easily won. All that being said, it was an enjoyable read with a beautiful setting, but maybe I'm biased!

She had me at Parent Trap for adults! Indeed, this was a twisty sister story with meaty drama and character growth, but it’s also a transportive ode to Maine and lake living, whispering on a dock with wine. Hannah’s prose builds quietly and is drenched in detail that brings the sisters to life. I loved the pacing and the POV shifts, always done strategically. There’s hints of romance, but this is ultimately a story about family, and all of the mess and joy that comes with it. A juicy, evocative, very millennial beach read.

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

Thanks @netgalley @duttonbooks and @hannahorens for the chance to read Hannah's next book, Maine Characters. It releases on May 13, 2025.

First of all, is this not the MOST BEAUTIFUL cover you have ever seen? As soon as Hannah announced the title of her new book, I was hooked after seeing her posts about her idyllic summers spent at a tiny lake in Maine. I have been a fan of Hannah for many years and have to say that she completely knocked this one out of the park. It's a beautifully complex sister story coupled with a very real exploration of grief set in the most atmospheric setting imaginable.

After the unexpected loss of her father, Vivian returns to their summer lake house in Maine determined to sell it and go back to NYC as soon as possible. She didn't count on discovering Lucy, her secret half-sister, waiting for her father to join her at the house. Forced to spend the summer together, they untangle the messy truth about their father and how the secrets and lies influenced both of their lives. Has too much happened for them to be family?

This book was such an emotional ride! Two half-sisters meet for the first time after their dad passes away, and they’re forced to spend the summer together at his cabin in Maine. I’ll be honest, I didn’t like most of the characters — they’re messy, flawed, and kind of frustrating. But honestly, that’s what made it feel real. It’s all about family, forgiveness, and figuring out what you need to move forward, even if it’s messy. Definitely not a light read, but it’ll stick with you.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the eARC!

First off, this cover is gorgeous! I went into this hoping there would be some humor mixed in with the emotions, especially since it was marketed as The Parent Trap for Adults. Unfortunately, it lacked humor. The setting of Fox Hill Lake and the overall plot of meeting your long-lost half sister was interesting. Vivian and Lucy however were not particularly interesting or likeable characters so I never felt fully invested in their story. It was overall readable, but just not a story that will stick with me.

thank you to the publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

i wanted to like this book and there were some really good pieces of it. i loved the plot concept, thought the setting was strong and really liked hannah orenstein's writing style. BUT the biggest thing i couldn't fully get past was that the narrators were just... not very likable? i guess i related more to vivian despite her making what feel like bigger, more serious mistakes, but lucy was so unbearably whiny and self-righteous that it was almost impossible for me to root for her. ultimately i started to get through it pretty quickly after about the 1/3 point and the conclusion did feel satisfying, but it was not as much of a hit as i wanted it to be!

as a smaller, nitpicky thing, i find the chapter organization to be fully baffling. it would've worked much better, in my opinion, to break up the chapters whenever there's a pov switch rather than having long chapters with constant pov switches between two characters. i am a short chapter lover in general, but it was weird and i think part of the reason why it took me a while to get into it.

overall, i'd read something by hannah orenstein again. but this was just ok for me!

Unfortunately this was a case of "hooked by the cover, disappointed by the book".

Being a 30 something myself, I had a very hard time with Vivian and Lucy being in their 30's but acting like they were snotty 17 year olds. I know people age differently, but man their characters were very unlikable to me, despite all the growth. I did however like the premise of the story which is what kept me going, but even that didn't win me over. This book is forgettable, and I don't know that I would recommend, but boy the artwork is beautiful.

3.5/5 stars.

I was so excited to read this one. I absolutely loved this story and was sucked in almost immediately. I found the character development deep, however it was a fairly predictable story which left me at the 3.5 stars. I definitely will recommend this one to my friends and family !

I read this quickly and enjoyed it, but verrrrry emotional which i was absolutely not ready for lol. i would recommend this book to others. it was well written.

The cover of this book is absolutely beautiful and the summary really drew me in! This is my first impression of this author and this book was a bit of a miss for me.

Unfortunately I spent the majority of the book disliking Lucy and Vivian. They come off as immature and bratty and I had a really hard time connecting with them. Actually, I didn’t like most of the side characters either. This was the biggest downfall of the book for me. Though the characters did get more tolerable toward the end, it wasn’t enough to redeem them from the first 85% of the book. I got lost in the middle and didn’t find it easy to root for any sort of resolution.

I did think Maine Characters was great at mirroring the past and the present. There were a lot of tie-ins to how each character was wounded in the past and how that showed up in their current life. The closure at the end of the book was also very well done; I liked that each of the women found their own sense of peace with all the secrets that were revealed that summer. I even really enjoyed the ending! I just wish I got more of that from the rest of the book.

This would make a good summer read if you need something quick with a lake vibe. Though it was a miss for me, I have no doubt there are folks out there that would definitely enjoy it!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group- Dutton for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Maine Characters by @hannahorens
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.25/5 rounded up to 4!)

I am a huge Hannah Orenstein fan which is why I was so excited to get this arc! I always enjoy everything she writes. For me, this is not my favorite book by her BUT I still enjoyed the read! I love the concept of the book — two half sisters meeting for the first time after their father unexpectedly passes. They not only build their relationship but also find themselves and repair other relationships along the way. Also, the descriptions of the lake and the lake house were so well done that every time I read this book I felt transported to Maine, where I also spent every summer growing up ❤️

I struggled with the dual POV because the girls were so similar which makes sense (they’re sisters, duh!) but I sometimes found myself wondering which POV I was in.

Overall this is a good read, perfect for summer! If you’re looking for a book with an idyllic setting, sisterhood, a bit of romance and family drama — this book is for you! Out May 13, 2025.

Thank you to @netgalley and @duttonbooks for this digital arc!

4.5 / 5 Stars

I LOVED this book and its beautiful, messy, nuanced characters and story. Everything in Vivian’s life is slightly messy. She has an amazing job as a sommelier and a great relationship except that her relationship is with her married boss (he swears that he and his wife are basically strangers, of course). She’s grown up in New York with financial support from her family, but her mom is emotionally immature and her relationship with her dad has been fractured for a while. When her dad unexpectedly passes away, he leaves her and her mom the lake house in Maine. Vivian has gone there every August with her father. Vivian wants to sell the house and spread his ashes and figure out a way to attempt to move on. Except when she arrives at the lake house, she meets Lucy, her half-sister she’s never met.

Lucy’s life is also pretty messy. Her husband just asked for a separation. Her mom needs money to help fix her house. Lucy is untethered and the lake house, where she spent every July with their dad, is the only thing holding her together. She’s known about Vivian and has both been jealous of Vivian’s life and desperately wanted them to be friends, but their dad kept them apart. And PS, no one told her that their dad had passed away until Vivian showed up and now Vivian wants to sell the house. This is like a really fucked up Parent Trap if the sisters had to actually deal with and talk about the incredibly insane custody arrangement their parents made.

I loved the tangled webs that these characters built and how they knocked into each other and became even more tangled when they met. Their lives intersect in so many ways without them knowing. Vivian knows Lucy’s best friend, Caleb, without either of them knowing about the other sister. Lucy meets Vivian’s real estate lawyer without either knowing it. Their moms had impacted each other’s lives too.

I loved that each character was so nuanced. Each one has clearly been impacted by their father’s decisions and it’s a real study in nature versus nurture for the two sisters. And yet, there are no villains. Even their father, who at best was selfish in his decisions, isn’t the villain but a flawed, flawed human. And the sisters are flawed too. And, don’t get me started on likability and female characters. We tolerate so much from the male characters but if one woman makes one bad choice, she’s unlikeable? Not in my (metaphoric) book. Because you could see why each woman made the decisions that she had because the writing was so good! I may not have supported each of their choices but I understood the choices. And the writing was so full of rich detail that I think upon re-reads, I will catch new items that help me understand all of the characters.

This book had an amazing blend of beautiful character study and fascinating plot twists. It was truly hard for me to put down because I had to know how it would end. Hannah Orenstein is an auto-read author for me now.

Thank you to Penguin Group (Dutton) and NetGalley for providing this eARC! All opinions are my own.

I was drawn to this book by the cover and the title. This was my first read by Hannah Orenstein. The descriptions call this a grown up parent trap. Overall, I enjoyed the story and the last 3/4 of the book was great, but the two female leads were just not likable. Lucy was supposed to be the down to earth sister, but she was the least likable in my opinion. She felt very entitled and never really gave Vivian the opportunity to be a good sister.

The relationships between Harrison & Lucy and Vivian and Caleb were far more interesting to me than the rest of the story. Hank's wife was a jerk, I'm not sure I'd be able to forgive her for ruining the lives of multiple people and acting so careless about it. I think Maine Characters deserves a rewrite where Hank & Dawn end up together.

This book releases in May 2025.

Thanks to NetGalley & Penguin Group Dutton for the eARC.

Maine Characters first caught my attention by the cover. Secondly, the title interested me as I love to visit Maine and I was hoping this would transport me to small-town, summer Maine life. When Vivian's father passes away, she is tasked with prepping his Maine cottage for sale, she is brought face to face with his other daughter, Lucy. The storyline wasn't wholly original and the pacing seemed off at some points. Some parts dragged while other parts felt rushed. Overall, this character driven novel is heartwarming and enjoyable. However, it didn't leave a lasting impression on me.

I went into Maine Characters blind, and honestly, I really enjoyed it. It’s a story about family, secrets, and what happens when two very different people are forced to figure out their connection.

Vivian is driving her father’s ashes to their summer cabin in Maine after he suddenly passes away on Father’s Day. When she gets there, she finds Lucy—who turns out to be the secret sister she always suspected but never had proof of. The problem? These two could not be more different, and they can’t seem to agree on much of anything. Their summer together ends up being a rollercoaster of emotions, discoveries, and unexpected bonding.

Both women are stubborn, which made me want to shake them at times. I found myself relating more to Lucy, while Vivian was harder for me to like—her questionable morals didn’t help. I also wished we got more of the backstory on their moms, especially Lucy’s mother, Dawn.

One thing that didn’t quite work for me was the title and cover. It has a rom-com feel, but the book itself is more about complicated family dynamics than lighthearted romance. A different design could have better captured the depth of the story.

Overall, I’d recommend this to anyone who loves women’s fiction with a mix of family drama and a little romance. If you’re a fan of Barbara O’Neal’s writing, you’ll probably enjoy Hannah Orenstein’s style too.