Maine Characters - by Hannah Orenstein (Paperback)

About the Book

"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"--

Book Synopsis

A May 2025 LibraryReads Pick

Named Most Anticipated by Today.com, New York Post, Bustle, PureWow, and BookRiot

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.

Review Quotes

Praise for Maine Characters
"Hannah Orenstein crafts a story about love and family that's poignant, funny, and impossible to put down. Maine Characters is a perfect summer by a lake distilled into book form. Even if you're not reading it in an Adirondack chair with a very good glass of wine, Hannah Orenstein's writing will make you feel like you are."--Dana Schwartz, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Anatomy: A Love Story

"Every family has secrets, but this father has a whole secret family. Maine Characters is a juicy, escapist read--a grown-up Parent Trap, only with affairs and great wine."--Jo Piazza, nationally bestselling author of The Sicilian Inheritance

"Hannah Orenstein writes wonderfully about family, and this novel makes me want to drop everything and move to Maine."--Gary Shteyngart New York Times bestselling author of Lake Success

"I was delighted to escape the dreary real world to spend a sun-soaked summer at Fox Hill Lake -- a place overflowing with gorgeous sunsets, sweet romances, and family secrets. Hannah Orenstein's loving care for this place and these characters is obvious on every page, and she was so generous to host all of us for the perfect Maine getaway."--Kate Stayman-London, bestselling author of Fang Fiction

"Sisters, secrets, and of course, an idyllic setting: Maine Characters has everything I love in a summer read. Hannah Orenstein is a gifted storyteller with a knack for revealing the innermost workings of the human heart."--Camille Pagán, bestselling author of Good for You

"An absolute treasure of a book that perfectly captures the beautiful messiness of family bonds in all their forms. I adored it."--Kate Spencer, author of In a New York Minute

"Secrets, sisters, and sunsets combine in this unforgettable family drama. Hannah Orenstein masterfully brings Maine to life in this nuanced, heartfelt story that feels like an endless summer. As juicy and delicious as your favorite chilled white. Think Elin Hilderbrand on a lake... smart, sexy."--Georgia Clark, author of It Had to be You and Most Wonderful

"This book is Orenstein's best yet! Drenched in family drama with a serene lakeside setting, I gulped down this story about secret half-sisters. Pairs well with a glass of crisp Sancerre savored in a boat going wine speed (iykyk, and if you don't you will soon!)."--Becca Freeman, author of The Christmas Orphans Club

"A story of conflict but also growth, and the shy appearance of hope."--Boston Globe

"A time­less and heart­warm­ing nov­el infused with hon­esty, love, and com­pli­cat­ed dis­cov­er­ies about sis­ter­hood, self­hood, and what home real­ly means."--Jewish Book Council

"A perfect spring beach read."--Red Carpet Crash

About the Author

Hannah Orenstein is the author of Maine Characters, Meant to Be Mine, Head Over Heels, Love at First Like, and Playing with Matches, as well as the Deputy Editor of Lifestyle and Wellness at Bustle. She splits her time between Brooklyn and Maine.