Book Review: Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein

 

Pages: 400

Genre: Adult Fiction/Romance

Pub. Date: May 13, 2025

Publisher: Dutton

Source: Publisher for review

Other Books By Author: Meant to be Mine

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "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."

 

Vivian Levy grew up in a wealthy neighborhood in New York City. She is a sommelier and hopes to open her own wine bar one day. After the upsetting and untimely news that her father has died, she heads to his beloved lake house at Fox Hill, Maine, with the hope of selling it and scattering his ashes there. With that money, she could open her own wine bar, as she had no plans to keep the vacation home. Upon her arrival in Maine, she discovers that the house is occupied by Lucy Webster, who claims to be her half-sister. Lucy didn't even know their father had died, so this is an upsetting revelation. Vivian has no interest in her newfound half-sister; she is angry that he has been kept in the dark about this while Lucy knew of her existence and always hoped they would meet. Vivian still wants to sell the house, but Lucy is sentimental about it and wants to hold onto it as she has so many special memories here with her father; they spent every July there together. As the summer unfolds, not only do the sisters get to know one another better, but they also learn more about themselves and what they want out of life. Hannah Orenstein's Maine Characters is reminiscent of an adult version of The Parent Trap; it has all that readers want in a lakeside story, complete with some family drama and soul searching.

I must admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of Vivian at first in Maine Characters. She is kind of abrasive and off-putting, with only one mission in mind. When Lucy enters the scene, this blows up her plans, and she is constantly reminding Lucy that she doesn't have a legal claim on the cabin. I did like that as the sisters spent more time together, they did come to appreciate one another, and their relationship grew from there. They also did a lot of soul searching at the lake as Lucy's marriage is at a crossroads, and Vivian has to tackle some life issues as well.

Orenstein truly knows the setting of a lake town in Maine in Maine Characters. She brought it to life beautifully, and all that a summer there entails - everything from the loons, the sunsets, the small-town feel, and lapping waves on the dock.  Fans of Carley Fortune's lakeside summer reads will especially appreciate the vivid setting.

While it is a fluffy beach read at heart, Orenstein does tackle some more serious issues like generational patterns and complex relationships with family. But don't worry! It is nicely balanced with a summer at the lake; plus, a side subplot of blossoming romances.

While this isn't my favorite beach read of the summer, readers who enjoy a lake story filled with sisterhood moments and emotional depth will especially appreciate Maine Characters. In the comments below, let me know if you plan to read Maine Characters this summer and if you are a fan of Hannah Orenstein.