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From beloved author Hannah Orenstein, this love letter to lake life is “the Parent Trap for adults,” the story of two half-sisters who meet for the first time at their father’s cabin in Maine after his unexpected death. Every summer, Vivian Levy and Lucy Webster spend a month with their father at his lake house — separately. Raised in New York City, Vivian is an ambitious sommelier with a secret that could derail her future. Lucy grew up in a tiny Maine town, where she now teaches high school English while watching her marriage unravel. They’ve never met. While Lucy envied her half-sister from afar, their father kept Vivian in the dark. When Vivian arrives at the lake to spread his ashes and sell his cabin, she's shocked to find Lucy there, awaiting his return. In an ideal world, they’d help each other through their grief. Instead, forced to spend the summer together, they fight through a storm of suspicion and hostility to untangle the messy truth about their parents’ pasts. While Lucy is desperate to hold onto the house, Vivian is scrambling after a betrayal. After thirty years apart, is it too late for them to be a family? For fans of Carley Fortune and Elin Hilderbrand, this sister story set on a lush lake brims with the undeniable heart, depth, charm, and humor that have endeared Hannah Orenstein to legions of readers.
Publication Year: 2025
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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.
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