Overall, good read with likeable characters. The setting and premise were both interesting. The only thing that felt off was the descriptors- I think it was too much for my personal taste.
I appreciate the opportunity and was glad to have read it !

Being from Maine myself, and familiar with the area Fox Hill is based on, I appreciated the details that made the lake town feel authentic. I typically love it when characters have enough flaws to feel three dimensional but I had a tough time rooting for any of the main characters here, and the way one man’s poor choices dictated their lives left me feeling frustrated.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for the ARC. I really enjoyed this book — it hooked me quickly and the plot setup felt fresh. The development of Lucy and Vivian’s relationship was well written, and I loved Caleb/his friendship with both sisters. I’ll be looking forward to future books by this author.

4.5⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for this arc! This book was so freaking good! Towards the beginning I really didn’t know if I was going to enjoy this, but it pulled me in and I was hooked! Such a beautiful story centered around two sisters meeting after a tragic event and how it pulled them together. This is my first book by Hannah Orenstein and certainly not my last! Might be too early to say, but I think this is gonna be one of the biggest books next summer!

I really enjoyed this one! Super cute novel that begins with two sisters who, while mourning their fathers death, are also meeting for the first time ever. While Lucy & Vivian are from essentially two different worlds, the two spend the summer together in the father’s Maine lake house. Dealing with their own traumas, relationship and family issues, the two are able to cohabitate together and face A LOT. This story is about forgiveness and shows that there’s always so much more than what’s at the surface. After all, ‘we are all just human ‘🫶
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed the back and forth in this book and character development. They were all a bit flawed but I felt like that made it a much more interesting read. I would definitely recommend this to friends and followers, especially if you’re looking for a summer Maine read.

As a seasonal Mainer, i loved this book. The lake life environment was captured. Loved the story and the characters and really appreciated how it all tied together in the end. Would love a sequel!

Thank you Dutton for a free ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Out 5/13/25, I’m sure this will be one of the bigger summer reads of next year’!

Every summer since they can remember, Sisters Vivian and Lucy spend a month with their dad at his cabin in Maine. The catch? Lucy is there all of July and Vivian is there all of August, because the sisters have never met. Lucy has always dreamed of meeting her sister - the one that grew up with an intact nuclear family and all the privileges she was denied - but Vivian grew up with nothing but suspicions. When their father died unexpectedly, the sisters are united for the first time at the cabin, and they could not be more different. Vivian is a master Sommelier, entitled, and set on selling the cabin so she can open her own wine bar with the profits. Lucy grew up in the small town town in Maine, recently separated from her husband, and cherishes both the cabin and her father. Over the course of the summer, the sisters cope with their grief, anger, relationships woes, and their complicated relationship between themselves and their father.

Loved this one. Both characters are unlikable at times but have you simultaneously rooting for them both to figure it out. The setting in Maine is perfection (and makes me want to visit asap) and I loved the family drama. Yet again - this is another book that makes me happy I do not have a sister (or a secret sibling, at that).

Maine Characters is a book centered around family secrets, navigating grief, and understanding the importance of forgiveness.  

When Hank suddenly dies, his daughter Vivian chooses to fix up and prepare his lakeside Maine cabin for sale.  The cabin wasn't a huge part of her life, but the funds secured after the sale would help her advance her life and career in the direction she'd been working toward.  But when she arrives at the cabin, she discovers it's already occupied by another woman, who she learns is Lucy - her hidden half-sister.

Vivian insists that the cabin be sold while Lucy refuses to accept its fate.  The cabin was the biggest piece of her dad she was ever able to have and losing it felt like another heartbreak she wasn't ready to face.  The two struggle to find common ground, Vivian, the big-city sommelier, and Lucy, the small-town English teacher.  The choices their dad made created bitterness between them; Vivian had received financial security and closer proximity, while Lucy experienced a month each summer at the cabin with a more emotional version of Hank.

Through the course of the summer, the sisters struggle to work through their own relationships, employment situations, and personal lives while also navigating everything that was hidden from them and the loss of what could have been.  The characters experience a roller coaster of emotions as they navigate the lies, half-truths, and how to find their way to common ground.

Set in my home state, Maine was a beautiful setting for this moving story.  It was interesting to read about places that were familiar to me, though I'm not sure why the author chose to create a fictional small town when there are so many she could have chosen from.

Overall, I really enjoyed the way the characters developed and were able to make peace with the past and create a new future with a greater understanding of each other and more confidence in themselves to make their own way.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this advanced copy.

This is such a good read, especially if you have a sister. I love the setting of this book- I’m always a fan of a small lake town. You follow two sisters and their complicated family dynamics. I would say the romance is a subplot, which I enjoyed because the character growth taking place with the sisters was much more important for this story. I think this will make for a fantastic Summer read!

sisters vivian and lucy meet for the first time at a cabin in maine, one to spread his ashes, and the other to wait for his return. this sister must stay together the summer while navigating their families past.

this book has parent trap appeal with a lot of heart. i am definitely a fan.

I was so excited to read this one and escape into summer in Maine. Unfortunately, it didn’t really work for me as I truly did not like either of the main characters. I like flawed characters, but Lucy and Vivian both annoyed me so much!! Yes they were grieving, but they were also entitled and whiny. I also feel like the conflicts got wrapped up and I didn’t really understand how/why we got where we ended up. On the positive side, I did like the place making in the book and enjoyed the descriptions of the house, lake and town. thank you to Netflix and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review!

Wow. This is such a beautiful book of grief, found family, love, and the feeling of home. This is my first Hannah Orenstein book and I really enjoyed it!! The characters were messy and real and there were secrets until the last few chapters. Maine Characters felt authentically human and perfectly displayed the messiest of family and rediscovering who you are in the aftermath of grief.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for this ARC!

I loved this! The book is compared to the Parent Trap movie for adults, and that’s the perfect way to describe it. I love the format of the book as it flips back and forth between the two sisters points of view. Two half sisters meet as adults after the passing of their father, but neither had the opportunity to know about each other from their dad himself. Vivian was the legitimate child, growing up with her mother and father in the city and vacationed with her dad at his cabin in Maine one month of the summer. Lucy was born to a local woman in Maine and never got to experience a complete family, but had a sheltered relationship with her dad only. Lucy arrives at the cabin to spend her summer month with her dad…only to find Vivian. The book shows the struggles of reconciling their family, their relationships with their dad, decades of secrets and how to move forward. Is this the opportunity to build a relationship with each other or is it far too late for these polar opposites? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I’m always a sucker for books that take place in Maine (since I’m a local), and the second I read the summary of this book I knew I had to get my hands on a copy of this arc.

It’s like The Parent Traps but for adults. You’re hooked, aren’t you? So was I. The whole book!

This book is about sisters and mothers with secrets, love and falling out of love, and what life is all about—family, the truth always coming out, and always knowing you can start over. This book made me laugh, cry, and hate men on and off throughout. Yet it also made me feel warm inside at the ending. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Thank you, NetGalley for a copy of an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed Maine Characters, as Lucy and Vivian navigate grief, family secrets, and moving on. Great character development and story. This is a perfect summer/beach read.

3.5⭐️

Parent trap and lake house setting drew me in! There’s a lot I liked about this book - the pacing was great, the side characters were sweet, and the setting was perfect.

The story follows two half sisters who find themselves at their fathers lake house. One sister grew up with her dad and the other was hidden her whole life. Both Vivian and Lucy aren’t extremely likable main characters but Lucy bugged me with her accusations of Vivian growing up with money when their father supported Lucy financially as well. Also in general Lucy is upset at Vivian the whole time when it’s their father she should be mad at.

As it goes along we meet their mothers and learn the full story. Would recommend to people who like family drama, messy relationships, and a beautiful setting.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

I will start by saying that I feel terrible leaving a bad review, but I had such a hard time with this book. This story is about two thirty some years old who cannot have a mature conversation until halfway through the book. The book felt extremely long because it was so many unnecessary descriptions like how well the chicken was cooked and seasoned at dinner (literally 2-4 pages of that!!!) The pacing also felt a little off and I probably would have enjoyed and understood the two main characters better if it was written in their point of views.

A fun and easy read about family, secrets, growth, and change. Completely enjoyable.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217453225

While I liked the premise of the book, I didn’t care for the execution. I’m usually a fast reader and this book took me days to get through. The writing felt overly detailed and very drawn out. For example, we don’t need to know every detail of each meal and who ordered what. It was a lot of fluff. This was definitely more women’s fiction / drama versus a romance. I think with some editing, this could be pretty good, but as it stands, this is a pass for me.

Thank you Penguin Group Dutton for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.