Catherine Newman | Book Chatter

Wreck
By Catherine Newman
Harper, October 2025, 224pp.

The Short of It:

A standalone story but one that brings back a beloved character from Sandwich.

The Rest of It:

Rocky is back.

In Newman’s previous book, Sandwich, Rocky and her family spent the summer in Cape Cod. An iconic, idyllic setting. I fell in love with that book and that family.

In Wreck, Rocky and the fam are back two years later, at home doing the things every family does but in a totally Rocky way. Rocky way? Rocky is a character. She is the type of person who says what you are quietly feeling. Honestly, she is a lot like me. I just blurt out my thoughts for all to hear. Most of the time with dead accuracy. Much like Rocky.

This time around, the story is centered around home and some irritating medical challenges that Rocky faces. An unknown rash, slowly taking over her body. Her internal dialogue about said rash, and the doctors who keep bouncing her back and forth between specialists is what women of this age go through daily. Ahem, myself.

Rocky has no filter. If you enjoy that kind of thing then this is the book for you. She talks about her day in a very witty, self-deprecating way. It’s often laugh out loud funny. As she goes about her day, and the many doctor’s appointments that follow, she thinks fondly of her adult children and reminisces about when they were younger. It’s what we do.

There’s not a lot of plot. You need to know this going in but it’s comforting in a way that visiting with an old friend is. Dealing with every day trials in the form of laughter and snippy comebacks. My only complaint with this story is that it ended abruptly. There didn’t seem to be a lead up, I just turned a page (on my device) and boom, it ended.

Episodic is a good way to describe these books. I like them and I recommend them both. They could each be read as a stand-alone.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

Sandwich
By Catherine Newman
Harper, 9780063345164, June 2024, 240pp.

The Short of It:

Reading this book was like curling up with your favorite throw.

The Rest of It:

For the past two decades, Rocky has looked forward to her family’s yearly escape to Cape Cod. Their humble beach-town rental has been the site of sweet memories, sunny days, great meals, and messes of all kinds: emotional, marital, and–thanks to the cottage’s ancient plumbing–septic too.

What you see above is just a little tease of Sandwich, which I found to be utterly delightful. I do not describe many books as delightful so hear me when I say it. Reading this book gave me all the feels and was delightful to read.

One precious week at the beach house. Both adult children able to attend as Rocky and her husband happily recreate all of the memories from years past. The seafood dinners, the snacks on the deck, the trek to the beach, and this year, their son’s girlfriend has decided to join them.

The dynamics have changed. The kids are no longer babies, requiring Rocky’s constant attention, they have their own ideas of how to spend time at the beach house. What’s also changed is Rocky. Experiencing menopause while happily remembering how she raised two small children is touching, but also terribly bittersweet for Rocky. She is definitely going through it in this story.

As the days tick by, the joy of just being together takes center stage. There is a lot of internal dialogue as Rocky comes to terms with her new, older self. I love internal dialogue and for those who love food mentions, all the good stuff is here too. The sandwiches on the beach, the trips to the fish market, the clam shack, etc. I adore these domestic moments.

It’s not all fluff though. Rocky, also known as Rachel, has some secrets of her own as she fights to remain level-headed and not be so hormonal, all of the time. As her body betrays her, and that’s really how she sees it, she can’t help but wonder what’s next for her. Her whole life was tending to littles. Now that they’re no longer little, what now? When her aging parents visit them at the beach house, that too becomes a heavy topic. Aging parents. Seeing the slow markers of decline but trying to ignore them and maybe even wish them away.

Sandwich is about a family, in the past, present, and future set amongst a gorgeous Cape Cod backdrop. Newman hits on a few social issues such as pro-choice / pro-life, women’s health, a touch of mental health as well. I’ve been really gravitating towards these types of “life” reads. I was jokingly calling these types of books menopausal fiction but no, it’s not really that. These stories are more about life than anything else and I just love them.

This book reminded me of Same as it Ever Was, which I recently reviewed but this one is happier, cozier, just more enjoyable overall. I loved it so much that I plan to buy my own copy as the one I read was borrowed.

Highly recommend.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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