Catherine Newman, I’m a super fan. You’re a marvel at writing slice-of-life books. 𝘞𝘦 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘞𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 was my favorite debut of 2022. It was a beautiful story of deep friendship, unconditional love, and carrying on while sinking into grief. Now, you’ve taken on a different chunk of life with 𝗦𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗪𝗜𝗖𝗛, and again, delivered a remarkable story.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ At the heart of 𝘚𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘩 is Rocky, a wife, mother of two young adults, and the daughter of aging parents. She’s the very definition of a woman sandwiched between generations, but she’s also exactly where she wants to be. As they all arrive in Cape Cod for their annual vacation, Rocky wants everything to be perfect. She adores her kids and her parents. This week together is special to her. But, nothing ever goes quite as planned and Rocky herself, in the throes of menopause, adds in plenty of her own complications.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ This may sound like a usual story, but I assure you it’s not. 𝘚𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘩 brims with humor, thanks largely to Rocky, but it also has depth, real emotion, hidden sadness and so much love. Once again Catherine Newman has shone a light on a time in life often not examined and I appreciate that. I also loved her wisdom in sharing just how difficult it can be to move from being the mother of children to being the mother of adults. She always gets it right. At a slim 240 pages, this is a book I flew through and highly recommend! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ “It’s always so easy with grown kids! Okay, that’s not true. They struggle and stray and are sometimes heartbroken. They can bristle, take offense, go silent. They chafe against the very fact of you, the parents - against the judgment seeping out of you even while you’re busy impressing yourself with your own restraint. Still there’s so much joyful contentment…”⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ “This is how it is to love somebody. You tell them the truth. You lie a little. And sometimes you don’t say anything at all.”⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ Thanks to @harperbooks for an electronic copy of Sandwich.

This is the first book I’ve read by Catherine Newman. She is truly a gifted writer. Unfortunately she has decided to write about one of the most obnoxious families I’ve ever met in a novel. Every female character, except for grandma, is pretentious, clueless, immature, and in need of therapy. The storyline involves the absolute, all-consuming passion the main character has for being pregnant and being a mother (obsessed with her “perfect” children) for instance when she talked about them, saying “I ached with love…and I felt like a gaping wound. If I could have stuffed the children into it, I would have. Into me. To fill the hole. To keep them safe. To keep them,” while also being completely cavalier about abortion. One character says: “I got pregnant in high school. Having an abortion was a super easy decision then. I got it done during a free period between chem and Spanish.” She laughs. “Those were the days!” I am a liberal, a feminist, and I fully believe in women’s reproductive rights and the right to choose but this is obnoxious. I find it difficult to care for characters who speak this way. Newman does write the relationship between the main character and her elderly parents in a very touching and real way. And she can be very funny, but so many times, I just wanted to throw the book across the room. Oh well…not for everyone.

This is an easy summer read, and it's quick and not too demanding of the reader. It's chick-lit, and I mean that in a positive descriptive way. The title "Sandwich" has a double meaning, it's referring to the town on the north shore of Cape Cod and it's also referring to the narrator's generational place in her family, "sandwiched" between her parents and her almost-adult children. The family has a long history of week-long summer rentals on the Cape, and there is meaning in those vacations. There are funny, tender moments, and the reader will experience many flashes of recognition. Families tend to have a lot in common, and the reader will recognize some of herself in the story.

A hilarious and fun story with tears and joy about all things in motherhood we never imagined when we became mothers. I laughed out loud, and got teary eyed as i read through her life story. Touching and lovely and funny. Another reminder of how women must band together to protect the rights that we have, have fought for and deserve. Great read!