3.5 stars

Like all other bibliophiles, I really enjoyed Catherine's previous book, We All Want Impossible Things, and was eager to see how she'd follow it up. And if I'm honest, I'm conflicted.

We All Want Impossible Things was heart-breaking, and I'm sure most of us found ourselves in tears whilst reading it. This didn't have that same effect. I mean, it's a completely different story, completely different angle, it didn't strike me as much, it didn't have as much feeling, for me, as I was expecting and what I wanted.

I'm sure a lot of people will relate to this. I don't have children or ailing parents, so my relation to it is a bit further afield. But there will be many who have adult children who are still dependent, and older parents who need a bit of help. It's very normal and very real, and it is that realism that helps plant your feet into the world she's created.

Let me just say now that this is well written. It's a book that, I assume, didn't need a whole lot of research, it's not set in a fantasy land or with historical scenes or whatnot. It isn't highly detailed. It's an exploration of character more than plot. That could have made it a bit boring, as you normally want escapism with fiction, but I think she's mastered it well. I've said before that I prefer character study over plot anyway, and that is the case here, but even I would have liked just a teeny bit more plot, something to get my teeth into. What is there is fabulous, don't get me wrong, I just wanted a bit more.

I loved how imperfect everyone was. We tend to put fictional characters on a pedestal and make them perfect, but nobody is perfect, and nobody in this book is perfect, and that made it more relatable. We see a range of relationships: husbands and wives, girlfriends and boyfriends, brothers and sisters, mums and dads - so everyone should be able to identify with at least one of the characters, however minimally.

It is hard to rate this book, which is why I generally don't do star ratings. I want to give it 5 stars because the writing is so good, but then there are bits I wasn't keen on and wanted expanding on, so shall we say somewhere between a 3-4? Perhaps a 3.5. I've seen reviews ranging from 3 to 5 stars, so everyone is getting something different from it, which is what you want from a book.

It is a good book, enjoyable and entertaining an interesting, but there were a few things I wanted tidying up, changing, or expanded on for it to reach the same level as her previous book. But I can't hide from the fact that Catherine is one of the finest storytellers around at the moment.

Thanks to Netgalley, Random House & Doubleday for the arc of this beauty of a book.

Catherine Newman has created such a real book - thoughts and feelings and running consciousness throughout made it feel how I feel on busy days when I'm stretched with a list of everyone to sort out but who I love deeply. "I know how you feel Willa says. And this may be the only reason we were put on this earth. To say to each other, I know how you feel. To say, Same. To say, I understand how hard it is to be a parent, a kid.....there are wounds that never really heal, no matter how much time they take."

Family, relationships with others and yourself is at this books core, love and loss "Maybe grief is love imploding. Or maybe it's love expanding". I resonated so much with the pregnancy losses, the wounds that we just carry with us and that become a part of the fabric of the person we become after a loss.

No words will do this book justice, it is impactful, beautifully written and has a genuine realness to it that many many women will be able to relate to very easily. I will recommend forever 💗

I really enjoyed the first half of this, but found the second half a little repetitive and lacking in substance and my sympathies for Rocky waned a little. But overall it is a thought-provoking novel about facing up to lost youth while parenting young adults and worrying about older parents. The sandwich generation to a tee.

Published 6 June 2024. Having read 'We All Want Impossible Things' which I loved so much, I was always going to pick up this new one. While I enjoyed it and it made me smile, sadly, I did not feel the connection to it that felt with 'Impossible Things'. Rocky is in her 50s and is going through the menopause - the descriptions of her journey are so funny at times. She and her husband Nick are on their annual holiday to Cape Cod with their two children, Willa and Jamie, and Jamie's girlfriend, Maya. Joining them on their holiday will be Rocky's parents so she is sandwiched between the young and the elderly. What this book is full of is her love, her overwhelming love for Willa and Jamie - and their love for her even is she is totally inappropriate at times, that she says things without thinking, but they always forgive her because she is 'just Mum'. But, as with most families, there are secrets. Rocky finds that her parents had kept things from her, Nick finds that she has kept things from him and what we have is the ebb and flow of family life as it deals with all of the revelations. But even though this touches upon some deep issues, it is all done with humour. Rocky is larger than life and any woman of a certain age will recognise what she is experiencing at this time of her life; any mother will recognise the overwhelming love she feels and the constant fear that it can all disappear in a heartbeat. And most women will recognise the anger that she feels at times. A read that made me chuckle many times.

I was drawn into this book by the cover alone, but I'm so glad I decided to pick it up. Whilst I'm not necessarily the target demographic, I lapped this one up, and finished it in a day.
All of the relationships fet so real - Rocky and her husband's perfectly imperfect marriage, the revelations of her parents, and ofncourse I loved reading of all of Rocky's interactions with her adult children; such wholesome, interesting conversations, and so respectful of each other.
This novel was funny, relatable and thought provoking all at once, and has left me only wanting more of Catherine Newman's writing.

I love the thought of being in a ‘sandwich’ in life. Caught between some point in adulthood where your kids are grown up and making their own life changing decisions, and your parents who suddenly seem old and vulnerable. These are points which often one is not aware of until some way into them.
I felt this story summed this up well. The vulnerability of the narrator Rocky was very apparent, as she reminisced about past pregnancies, trying to come to terms with loss. What Catherine Newman did so well was highlight how impactful this type of loss is, years after it has happened. Something she was still trying to come to terms with. I also really enjoyed the family dynamics and banter they all had with each other.
However I found Rocky’s narcissist nature - she literally had to know EVERYTHING about her family - grating. Plus even though there were ‘revelations’ not a great deal happened and the plodding pace of the book was just a little too slow for me.

This is a warm, funny tale tinged with sadness narrated by Rocky, a woman in her early fifties on her family’s annual summer vacation to a rental cottage on Cape Cod. There with her are husband Nick, children Jamie and Willa (in their early twenties) and Jamie’s girlfriend Maya. Later they are joined by Rocky’s ageing parents. Whilst there, Rocky reflects on summers gone by when the kids were little, ‘running across the sand with their little pails. Her own parents laughing in their beach chairs, shrinking inside their clothes as the years pass.’

The story is immediately engaging and makes you feel like you are there with them at the beach or in the clam shack as they exchange amiable banter and squabble at the candy store or the bakery over pastry choices. Newman manages to say so much between the lines of this novel about the dynamics within the couples’ marriage, Rocky’s menopausal state of mind and her yearning for past times and past losses.

The dialogue is a real strength of this novel – it pulls you in and makes you feel a part of the narrative. I especially enjoyed the back-and-forth banter between mother and daughter. It felt so authentic that I found myself wondering how much of this story was based on the author’s own familial conversations and experiences.

As the story plays out, it becomes clear there is something that our narrator is not fully sharing with us. She skirts around it but always preludes these sections with the ages her children were when this ‘something’ happened or when the after-effects occurred, e.g. ‘The fall Jamie was five and Willa was not yet two…’ This event is eventually shared with the reader and gives deeper resonance to their time at the beach house, throwing some shade onto their seemingly happy family set-up.

I really enjoyed this book and skipped through it quickly. I preferred it to the author’s previous novel We All Want Impossible Things. Whether that was just because this one resonated with me more I’m not quite sure. This is not a story where a huge amount really happens, so if that’s your jam then avoid. Otherwise, I would highly recommend this one. Double thumbs up from me.

With thanks to both NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for the digital ARC for this review. Sandwich is published in the UK on 6 June ’24.

With thanks for the early copy through Netgalley.

I don't even know how to attempt to describe this book. It is truly excellent.
I want to be part of this family, I see traits of my own family and my own experiences of raising children.
I laughed and I cried.

I loved it, thoroughly recommend.

Sandwich by Catherine Newman

Rocky and Nick have had a holiday in Cape Cod every summer since their children were very small. Rocky is now sandwiched between her adult children and her elderly parents, and feeling grief about both. This year they all get together as usual but there are secrets bubbling beneath the surface.

Wow, this is one of my favourite books ever and I will be encouraging/insisting everyone around my age (fifties) to read it! Catherine Newman is a GENIUS - what a smart, funny, poignant and so very relatable book... it's like she read my mind! Meg Wolitzer's 'Ten Year Nap' was my go to novel when my children were young and now that they are adults this book will take its place - I will be re-reading it lots! Very VERY highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Having read 'We all want impossible things' I was keen to get hold of Sandwich by Catherine Newman. It reminded me of 'Tom Lake' by Ann Patchett with the similar themes of secrets and the exploration of family relationships/ dynamics. Despite its short length, Sandwich was packed with raw emotion and some unexpected moments of humour as we learn more about secrets Rocky (Rachel) has kept. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more by Catherine Newman in the future. Thank you for the review copy.

We All Want Impossible Things was one of my favourite reads of last year so I dived enthusiastically into Sandwich, I really enjoy Newmans style of writing and that lovely mix of humour and tenderness that she excels at.

Sandwich tells the story of Rachel ( Rocky) who is 53, menopausal and feels things deeply. The book is set over a weeks holiday in Cape Cod- with Rocky, her husband and her two adult children and her sons girlfriend and her husband elderly parents.

The eat, swim and enjoy doing all the things they’ve been doing for years- they have been visiting the same holiday rental for years and Rocky basks in the nostalgia of summers past whilst being struck down with anticipatory grief about future summers. Rocky feels all the emotions- something I identified strongly with and this is a quite lovely read at times.

Unfortunately it’s lacking much plot or substance. Some past traumas are revisited and there are some buried secrets which come to light but there was one element in particular , I won’t post a spoiler, that just seemed to be added for the sake of adding it.

It’s quite a short read and I think I would have enjoyed it more had there been more detail but overall a warm summer read about aging and family life . Maybe my expectations were too high for this one but I was a little disappointed when comparing this book to Impossible Things.

3- 3.5 stars

A moving and empathetic meditation on the complexities of family, ageing and love, I really enjoyed this book. The setting on Cape Cod is deliciously beautiful and underscores the book's message regarding the joy in the everyday. I feel like most people would be able to relate to an aspect of this book in some way and I found the author's voice sharp and witty. Perfect for a thoughtful beach read.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Fifty-something Rachel, also known as Rocky, feels things very deeply. In particular, she is torn apart by anticipatory grief for her children and parents, and wonders if she's passed on her anxiety to her daughter Willa, who has 'generalised anxiety disorder.' But Rocky knows that if she didn't feel things so strongly, life would lose some of its taste. In between exasperating and nurturing her family with sandwiches for the beach at Cape Cod (hence, along with 'sandwich generation,' the title) Rocky makes peace with a decision she made when the children were tiny, and its aftermath that echoes down the years.

I loved We All Want Impossible Things and this could almost be a sequel, as there were a few things the characters had in common such as a sensitive and random queer daughter, an unflappable husband and a heroine who can't help but make everything about herself, but at least realises she's doing it. I loved Catherine Newman's other book so much that I actually *didn't* want anything different - a return to the joys and pains of family, a few good laughs and 'grief is the price we pay for love,' is just fine with me.

The wonderful Catherine Newman's latest novel may not be long but she packs it to the brim with her exquisite winning brew, a finely tuned concoction of fun, humour, love, tears, authentic characters and their development, heartbreak, joy, grief, the all too real nature of marriage, families and the wonders of life itself. Rachel, aka Rocky, has been looking forward to the annual week long family beach hut holiday to Cape Cod, they have been going there for so many years. An ordinary family with soul, all of them resonate, with all their flaws, in this multilayered, and honest portrayal, the middle aged Rocky is married to Nick, with her now grown up children, Willa, and son, Jamie, with his girlfriend, Maya, plus there are her elderly ageing parents, and the issues that arise with getting older.

Rocky makes the sandwiches, whilst being sandwiched between the different generations. Rocky is now undergoing the menopause, the hot flushes and the rages, as she looks back on her life with her in depth reflections, poignant memories, covering areas like pregnancy, motherhood, the process of raising children, and the sacrifices. There are the changing aspects of parenting now they are adults, the enduring yet shifting relationships, the connections, and the conflicts. There is the loving desire to eternally imprint the present for the future, in the awareness and understanding that nothing stays the same, not the body, not the family, and the fallout from secrets.

There is a strong feel of the everyday to savour and appreciate, along with the conversations and banter taking place amidst the marvellous beauty of the location. I cannot express just how much I loved this, it is a moving illustration of what it is to be human, and the complexities, secrets, and imperfections that underpin families, and the inevitable changes and drama that can accompany them. This is a delightful read, with its astute observations and beautifully drawn characters, that will have you running through the whole range of emotions, laughter, and sobbing, sometimes simultaneously! Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

On a tender and moving portrayal of love, family and all its complexities. I read this book in one sitting and loved it. There’s so much that I can relate to and it makes me wonder how my parents and grandmother are feeling about their family these days. ⁣
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The premise of the book is about the main character Rocky (or Rachel), a woman with grown children and aging parents who’s looking forward to her family’s annual vacation at Cape Code. There’s the transporting and relaxing part to read - the bits about the beach and the sandwiches, but there are also the more intense part about the secrets that are revealed as you continue reading. I won’t spoil them for you.⁣
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Ultimately, I think the book explores the complex dynamics of having a family, being in a marriage and parenting in a realistic and relatable manner. I love how the characters are so real and imperfect, and it really makes you think about how it’s really about love. ⁣
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“…What, exactly, are we doing here? Why do we love everyone so recklessly and then break our own hearts? And they don’t even break. They just swell, impossibly, with more love.”⁣
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I enjoyed reading this book. You get the witty and moving aspects, which I think make a great summer read (although don’t let it stop you reading the book during any other time of the year!).

Overall a decent novel but not one of my favourites by this author. Will definitely keep reading her work though as she is incredibly funny

Rocky looks forward every year to the family holiday in Cape Cod. The house is run down, the two kids are now adults, her parents are becoming more frail as they get older and she herself is suffering raging hot flushes and mood swings from the menopause. Rocky is someone who loves perhaps a little too much, in that she spends a lot of time worrying about loss and anticipating grief. This time in particular, the break is momentous in several ways as secrets emerge, memories are rekindled and relationships affirmed. An engaging, bittersweet story of family, particularly motherhood and its joys and troubles, which I very much enjoyed. The characters are likeable but believably flawed, and there is a strong sense of how it is wonderful to see children growing up and finding their own way, but also how sad it is when they are no longer those little beings totally dependent on their parents. The writing is very sensual- you can almost smell the sea breeze, feel the coolof the pond water and taste the food being prepared, including the titular sandwiches. It was great to be a part of this family for a while.

I haven’t read We all want impossible things but I’ve heard amazing things about it so when I saw this I requested it immediately. Now I need to rush out and buy her first book too! As a woman of a *cough* certain age, I related to Rocky so hard. Although my kids are still much younger I’m also facing peri menopause and nostalgia for my youth and summer’s past, Sigh. Catherine’s writing is whimsical and beautiful, with humour and wit.i adored this book and will recommend it to everyone. Thanks Netgalley and the publisher,

I so enjoyed reading this book -it was a joy from start to finish and I can't wait to start telling people about it. I hadn't read Catherine Newman's previous novel 'We all want impossible things' but I am definitely going to, along with anything else she writes in the future.

It's a simple plot - a family holiday with (nearly) grown up children, their parents and their grandparents. A precious week in the year where our protagonist Rocky gets to spend time with her beloved children and her parents in their rustic, beach house rental in Cape Cod. And that's it, we get to see their week in Cape Cod where nothing very extraordinary happens, but it's the warmth and wit with which this book is written that makes it so special and the pages fly by. Things do happen but I don't want to give any spoilers (such as they are) so I would just urge readers to pick this up - it's a short book, but the family will stay with you a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

On the face of it this is just a description of a family's annual vacation week on Cape Cod, but it puts Rocky (Rachel) in the middle of events, an empty-nester sandwiched between her grown-up kids and her frail parents, slap bang in the middle of her menopause, which she describes with amusing bewilderedness (I screen grabbed quite a few pages here because I could relate so much, especially the word finding), while at the same time reflecting back to when her kids were young and she had two miscarriages - or were they? (Seriously, it wasn't hard to figure out with all the cryptic clues).

There really isn't much plot but you enjoy the closeness this family has and the love they feel for each other, even though they bicker all the time and lie to each other because they want to protect their family from uncomfortable truths about medical histories or past events.

It's a searingly honest account of what it's like to be a woman with all the issues that can entail.

I really enjoyed this perfect mixture of funny and sad -
all the different feelings that can exist inside you at the same time.

The only thing I didn't like were the descriptions of all those weird American sandwiches!

4.5 stars