Save What's Left

by Elizabeth Castellano

An outrageously funny debut novel about a woman who moves to what's meant to be her dream home after her marriage disintegrates . . . only to find herself embroiled in the trials and tribulations that come with owning a beach house.

When Kathleen Deane's husband, Tom, tells her he's no longer happy with his life and their marriage, Kathleen is confused. Who said anything about being happy? They live in Kansas, for goodness' sake! But with Tom off finding himself, Kathleen starts to think about what she wants. And her thoughts lead her to a small beach community on the east coast, a town called Whitbey that has always looked lovely in the Christmas cards her childhood friend Josie sends every year.

It turns out, though, that life in Whitbey is nothing like Josie's Christmas cards. Kathleen's new neighbor, Rosemary, is cantankerous, and the town's supervisor won't return Kathleen's emails, but worst of all is the Sugar Cube, the monstrosity masquerading as a holiday home that Kathleen's absentee neighbors are building next door to her quaint (read: tiny) cottage. As Kathleen gets more and more involved in the fight against the Sugar Cube and town politics overall, she realizes that Whitbey may not be a fairytale, but it just might be exactly what she needed.

Genres: Fiction, Audiobook, Contemporary, Humor, Romance, Chick Lit, Summer

294 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 27, 2023

About the author

ELIZABETH CASTELLANO grew up in a beach town. She lives in New York. Save What’s Left is her debut novel.

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

So. Where do I begin?

Okay. This is a Good Morning America Book Club Pick. Let’s begin here.

And…People Magazine said that this was one of the best books of the summer, so when this book was donated to my Little Free Library Shed, you can imagine how excited I was to begin reading it!

But…When I opened it up and started to read…

Well…I’ve been-here-before, and that doesn’t mean that it is…

Well, let me just begin.

I typically love novels with a beach setting. Why not? I live in Morro Bay. I love the beach. So, this works for me. Check one. Good.

I typically am attracted to quirky characters. Yes, they can add some interesting flavor to a story.

But…Novels that are been-here-before, and over-the-top ridiculousness? No, that is not my type of read.

But…I wasn’t totally giving up. Yet.

Now…I was even feeling a bit sympathetic for the protagonist, Kathleen, whose marriage ended abruptly and without any cause after 30 years. I actually thought I could feel some empathy for her.

She decides to leave Kansas and purchase a beach house sight unseen to live in the coastal town her best friend lives.

(First of all, who in their right mind does that?)

And because she did that…

What could possibly go wrong?

How about everything?

Is this where this reviewer says…

Been-here-before?

Over the next 200+ pages are lots of unbelievable mishaps, lots of rants (maybe some are mine?), council meetings, unanswered emails, quite a bit of annoying behaviors that became uninteresting quite quickly.

(No… it wasn’t me being annoying – even if that is how you are perceiving me through this review!)

I’m up for some humor and fun, but this story was a bit much!

This is Casellano’s debut novel. And while I could see her talent in character development, and setting an interesting stage – small DIY beach house next to huge development/construction next door annoyance, I was still fighting the voice in my head going…

“Stop! Please!”

Still…I do believe in second chances. I will be open to what this author presents next time around.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably not a good sign that my first thought when turning the last page was geez, that was stupid. This book definitely has some funny moments but it’s written as a long rant about the same stuff over and over again. I wouldn’t rule out reading this author again because I did keep turning pages but I was disappointed that it didn’t go anywhere.

A big deal is made of the fact that the main character used to live in Kansas City but it would appear that the author doesn’t know the difference between KCK and KCMO, which is a huge pet peeve to those of us who really do live in the area.

Thanks to Goodreads Giveaways for the ARC.

[Jazzmin Glover · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review of Save What’s Left:

I love a book with a funny premise that promises light hearted charm…
I feel bamboozled a bit.
This is supposed to be a quirky story about a woman whose husband left her to go on a world cruise, so she sells everything and moves into a tiny beach shack on the water.
She then starts to argue with the town and neighbor who is building a huge monstrosity next door and calamity ensues.
By calamity, I mean the worst kind of Karen (sorry for those lovely humans who are actually named Karen) comes out of this woman.
Her husband comes back in an airstream and stays and I just don’t get what part of this book was supposed to warm my heart.
She completely ignores her pregnant daughter to engage in neighbor warfare and never once thinks her priorities might be off.
I thought in the end she would find redemption, stop complaining, find some empowerment, and maybe become a better person…but nope.
Her victim mentality and gossipy neighbor were horrible.
Gosh.
I love feel good books and this one so completely missed the mark.
The silver lining?
A good script writer could transform this into a pretty entertaining movie I feel like.
I felt a lot of scenes had good cinematic potential.
But overall, blah.
Glad to be done and also so grateful to @goodreads for picking me to get a free copy!
🌟🌟1/2
There were a few good moments, but not enough to give it more than that.

[Basic B's Guide]

Very witty but too repetitive. Moving on after 100 pages.

[Meagan (Meagansbookclub) · Rating 2 out of 5]

A royal waste of my time.

[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book AGES ago (and was even lucky enough to score a paper advanced copy) but never reviewed it because when it comes to the question of “who wants to read a book about a lady fighting with the local homeowner’s association in order to stop a glass McMansion from being built next door”?!?!?!? The answer is probably . . .



A million and a half years ago when my husband and I were looking for our forever home we didn’t know exactly how much to spend (even way before the housing crisis the banks would approve you pretty much whatever amount you dared to ask for), or what style we wanted, or what part of the city (actually, we did know that but we either couldn’t afford it or were afraid of “up and coming” neighborhoods or the ability to manage private school on our budget). The one thing we were sure of was that we wanted to avoid the dreaded homeowner’s association at all costs. We have been left with people across the street who have chosen a very unfortunate turquoise color as their window trim and who leave their Christmas lights up the entire year, but they are also the same people who will lend you any tool you ever need or would pull you out of a burning building so you take the good with the bad. I stand by the decision of avoiding an HOA at all costs, but I LIVE to hear about other people’s issues with theirs.

If you’re like me, Kathleen’s story might be for you. I love good chick lit, I love some sort of midlife crisis and I really love the idea of moving from flyover country to live in a little oyster shack on the coast.

[Amina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't at all what I expected. I went into this book thinking the main character Kathleen would evolve, grow, but the negativity was draining. It doesn't relent until the last chapter, and it just wasn't worth the wait..

Kathleen's husband Tom decides he wants a break from their marriage of 30 years and walks away, traveling and living his best life. Meanwhile, Kathleen leaves Kansas and goes to living in a small coastal town. What ensues is Kathleen's tug of war with the community. All things beneficial to the town, but her relentless frustration felt more like being on the nextdoor app. It was too political and I kept waiting for a shift--it never came.

I went into this book hoping for 'A Man Called Ove,' or a 'Oliver Kittredge' vibe that never came. Even when her husband comes back living in the driveway.

This isn't a feel good book, but more of a book that will make you want to never move to a beach town. Not what I was expecting...The last chapter tries to make you feel vested in the story, but by that time, I wondered why I read the book at all...

2 stars. Sorry if this review is negative...but negative is the key word.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

this audible book was a great story to listen to while driving or exercising. I think that I might have felt different had I read it.
very broadly it’s about a husband who leaves his wife to go on a cruise. she buys a beach cottage and gets involved inthe town drama. her husband arrives in her driveway in a trailer and stays.
He also gets involved in the town drama. you can guess the ending.

[Lauren (lololovesthings)]

DNF @ 41%. I told my husband that if I ever get to be as annoying as Kathleen is when I turn 59, to simply lead me out to pasture and drive away from me. My god, Kathleen is a Final Boss Karen! If I wanted to read about city codes and bylaws and loopholes and infractions, I would join my city's local government, not a piece of fiction. I am stuggling to maintain even a modicum of interest in this book. It started out really compelling and even funny at times, but has quickly devolved into just the most annoying, snipey, grating book I think I have ever read. If you want to not have neighbors, don't buy a house on the beach! Seems like a no-brainer! Kathleen and her grumpy neighbor Rosemary find something new to complain and commiserate about whenever they see each other, and it got to be way too much for me. Kathleen TELLS US she's not a nice person, that she would rather have one bad friend who is a mean person than have someone lie to her and tell her platitudes and compliments. That tells you everything you need to know right there. Not my cup of tea.

Thank you to NetGalley, Vintage Anchor, and Elizabeth Castellano for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for my review.

[Angel (Bookn.All.Night) · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK so my cheeks hurt from laughing so much. Save What's Left will definitely be one that is either a love or hate for most readers. Happily for me...it's somewhere in-between. There is a lot I adored about this one (Kathleen and Rosemary are a hoot) and a few things I didn't like (Kathleen and Rosemary and their incessant whining and interfering). It's a double-edged sword with this one LOL

I don't live in a beach town and have never visited one. I do, however, live in a small town in Alaska so to a degree...I get it. It's different and there are certainly some interesting characters. What I don't get is the over involvement and cantankerous attitudes. Maybe those who live in a beach town will get that reference more than I did.

However, that being said I thoroughly enjoyed reading about their antics and their plotting. You know the whole better their drama than mine. Love that in books and boy was there some drama in this one LOL. Yes, at times, it was irritating but overall didn't make me love this any less.

I don't feel like this is warm-hearted read and the term un-beach read definitely fits. It's more like grabbing a tub of popcorn and watching the SHTF 😂 If that sounds like your type of read, then grab this one and have fun. I certainly did.

I sincerely appreciate Anchor Books for the review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Dina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking for a summery beach read that would feel escapist and lovely. This wasn't it. The characters weren't particularly likable, very glass half empty the pacing wasn't great, I gave up at the 20% mark. This might be for others, but wasn't right for me. Some reviews suggest if you get past the half-way mark it gets better.

Thank you to Netgalley and Vintage Anchor for the advanced reader copy.

[Chapters of Chase · Rating 4 out of 5]

Save What's Left 🌊
Thank you, PRH Audio, for the gifted copy of this audiobook! {#prhaudiobookinfluencer}

Genre: Fiction
Format: 🎧
Audiobook Narration: ☆☆☆☆☆
Pub Date: 6.27.2023
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆

The audiobook narration for Save What's Left was truly phenomenal! Therese Plummer gave it her all, and I could tell how much effort she put into getting each character just right. She put the perfect inflection where needed, and I love that she added genuine laughter to the narration - it pulled me into the story.

I also adored all of these characters, and they provided more than a few laugh-out-loud moments. While each person had the community's best interest at heart, everything kept going wrong, and as much as I hated to, I found it hilarious.

My biggest complaint about Save What's Left (and why it has a lower rating) is that it became overly repetitive after the 50% mark. It felt like these same conversations and events took place. I hope this will be addressed when the author writes her next book because she truly has a talent for creating fun, lovable characters.

🌊 Small beach town
🥸 Quirky characters
🤭 Beach town politics
🏘️ Nosy neighbors

I recommend reading Save What's Left if you're looking for a quick summer read to escape from reality.


______


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[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky, unique beach style read about a very busy Kathleen after her husband Tom decides to leave her and travel, she buys a cottage on the beach unseen and then turns into the neighborhood Karen that attends zoning meetings about this monstrosity of a beach house that’s being remodeled next door. Kinda repetitive, lots of words, lots of descriptions. Overall kind light read.

Thanks to Netgalley for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Sloane · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am not really sure how to rate this book. On one hand, the writing and dialogue was decent. On the other, it was a story that went nowhere. It served no purpose. Listening to the main character, Kathleen, whine about unfair local politics in her new beach town home became tiresome. I kept waiting for the story to be “about” something, some sweet reconciliation between Kathleen and her husband, Tom; some life changing friendship between Kathleen and an acquaintance…but no. It begins and ends with Kathleen’s complaints, first with the code-violating construction of the house next door to her, but then with her complaints about various other homes in the neighborhood.

When I first began reading, I was certain that a lot of the negative reviews were based on reviewers’ misplaced opinions that Kathleen whines and complains too much about the ongoing renovation of the neighboring property and the pettiness of many community residents. I wondered how these same readers would feel if they were constantly inconvenienced by careless and negligent construction crews eating their lunch and urinating on their decks, casting construction debris onto their decks, rooves, lawns, and property, for a monstrosity that blocks their enjoyment of the ocean view for which they had specifically purchased the property; contaminating the water supply, landing her in the hospital; creating a constant noise and air pollution nuisance about which neither the construction contractor nor ABSENTEE owners cared. At the end of the day, the construction crew repeatedly blew the debris that missed the refuse bin onto Kathleen’s property!!! In actuality, this, alone, would merit an actionable case against a home improvement or construction contractor resulting in disciplinary action against the company’s license holder and might also create liability for the absentee property owners who willfully disregarded the actions of the company they hired.

All of Kathleen’s complaints are justified. Thinking about a real-life situation in which the property owners and contractors disregard the neighbors during a major renovation made me furious. Just reading about this fictional, yet entirely plausible and realistic account was infuriating. I found nothing in this aspect of the story worthy of criticism of the author.

However, it was disappointing to discover that the entire book was devoted to this single purpose, complete with Kathleen’s frequent correspondence to local town officials, her pondering over her complaints when she wasn’t drafting yet another inquiry or raising a new concern. It became extremely irritating, especially when the reader discovers that the story is solely about this woman’s dissatisfaction with her neighborhood and there is no redemption, no life affirming relationship, no action beyond the typing of yet another email.

Thanks to NetGalley and Anchor Books for an ARC in exchange for an objective review.

[Jessica Strawser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parts of this book -- the first half especially -- were laugh-out-loud funny, putting me in mind of some of my favorite other shrewdly witty midlife-crisis stories (think Where'd You Go, Bernadette and Agatha Arch Is Afraid of Everything). Elizabeth Castellano does a beautiful job of capturing the essence of the old lyrical adage that life is what happens when we're busy making other plans, so we can't help but cheer for our heroine as she at last starts making plans of her own. At the end of the day, it turns out we can only feel so sorry for someone who lives in a gorgeous beach town, but what a fun ride this book was. A good read for the off-season when you're landlocked at home.

[Helene · Rating 5 out of 5]

To those of us who live in the small town on which her book is based, it is the funniest thing to read. Her biting humor is right on and as we know who the characters are based on we get a real kick out of it. I laud her on this debut piece. As a writer I would have some suggestions as to how avoid repetitions and improve the story line but I am sure the author will address those issues in her next book. I hope it will be about the same scenario.

[Katy Williams · Rating 1 out of 5]

"For most of my life, whenever some sort of argument or disagreement cropped up, I would ask myself is it worth is? Is it worth fighting about? And in almost all cases the answer was no. Then I moved to a beach town where they only fight about the little things, and I happily joined right in."

This is the first time I’ve rated a book before finishing it, but at the 75% mark, I’ve heard enough.

There was probably a time in my life when I would have found this book amusing, assuming it was satire or a parody. But now, as a cynical and world-weary home owner, I am here to tell you that Kathleen and Rosemary are very real and ruining towns and HOAs literally across America.

I could use so many examples. Like the time my neighbor complained to the HOA that I was replacing a broken A/C at 2pm, saying it was disturbing her work. Would you rather it disturb your sleep? Or the time one of my parents’ neighbors crossed state lines to mail an anonymous letter complaining about the type of trash bags another neighbor was using. Or the time my HOA had an emergency meeting because someone had installed an electronic lock so now their door did not match the other doors, and after said meeting electronic locks were banned. In the 2020s. While the rest of us are trying to work full time, or raise kids, or bless the people doing both, our grumpy retired neighbors with infinite time on their hands are wreaking absolute havoc. So I’m sorry, no this wasn’t funny, and I’m sorry, nothing about Kathleen was relatable. What an obnoxious human being to share a first name with. Save yourself the stress and aggravation and just skip this.

[AndiReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kathleen is shocked when her husband leaves her. Living in land locked Kansas for all her post college life, and married to her husband for 30 years, she does what any sane person would do and moves to a beach town. The beachtown however, is filled with small town politics and Kathleen finds herself enmeshed in the town drama. As the story continues, Kathleen becomes more and more...unhinged. This is a novel more a character study with some funny portions then a comedy or beach read.
#vintage #SaveWhatsleft #ElizabethCastellano

[Danielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF!!! Not what I expected for a GMA book,or a People suggestion. Don’t waste your time too many good summer reads out there.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A witty satire of our current society!

[Bbecca_marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Save What's Left was a quick and entertaining read. I will just jot down my positive of this book because this is a GMA Book Club Pick, it has to be way better than what I read (maybe just my mindset while reading). I enjoyed the small beach town setting, it was witty, and I enjoyed the storyline. If you're on the fence about reading this, or it's on your TBR, pick it up and give it a shot! You might just love it.

Happy reading!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book with an eccentric character and a beach setting sounded right up my alley. Too bad this ended up being a book about complaining. Our main character complains about one thing or another the entire book. Her 30 something year old daughter complains and whines about her mom every time she is in the book. All of the complaining got old really fast. 2.5 stars rounded up for Goodreads.

[Bobbie Simoni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh man, this was a bit of a tough read for me. The main character just wasn’t that endearing so it got harder to root for her.

[LESLIE J (mrsj_readsbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Penguin Random House for my complimentary arc and PRHAUDIO for my complimentary audiobook.

Save What’s Left was an enjoyable listen for a recent road trip. Funny enough, I was headed to a beach town and begin to wonder if there was a “Kathleen” and “Rosemary” near by !

While I did not find the book outrageously funny, I did chuckle a few times. This story is mostly one huge rant over politics in a small beach town. Although forgiveness and second chances are also highlighted.

Thérèse Plummer is fast becoming one of my favorite narrators. Her voice is pleasant and she really brings
the characters alive.

[Therese Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up in a town on Lake Michigan, but never realized what could be going on behind the scenes. Maybe that was a good thing?


This hilarious tale of small town bribery and politicians being persued by a middle aged divorced housewife artist transplant with the fervor of a religious zealot made me laugh at the absurdity of town codes and committee meetings. Honestly, I felt like I was plunged into Waiting for Godot in a sunny seaside town where all was surreal and not what it seems. It gave me multiple chuckles about the craziness that can be life in our society.

PS: I need a Rosemary in my life!

Thanks to Goodreads and Penguin Random House for this wonderful read.

[Crystal FloridaGrams Of3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Kath is dumped by her husband,Tom, so he can basically find himself, which doesn't take long as he shows up at Kath's new place, which is a few states over from thier old home together in Kansas. Their only child lives in Seattle.
She's definitely not a nice person (not that she's mean to others, just a pain in the ass to town government. I saw it as she was still telling after Tom left her. She had to place her anger and ot started with house construction beside her home, which was called Sugar Cube.
I had a delightful few laughs.
Thank you to goodreads to give me a chance to review this book.

[Renata Annese · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to commend the writer for keeping me chuckling pretty much all throughout the book. This book may be more enjoyable if I were around retirement age. I do think it could have been shorter and still have the same story.

[Patti · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I could give it zero stars I could. It was just a rambling, stream of consciousness mess. I still don't know what it was about.

[Courtney Halverson · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up. When Kathleen Deane's husband, Tom, says he's unhappy with his life and their marriage, Kathleen is perplexed, noting their mundane life in Kansas. With Tom leaving to find himself, Kathleen begins to reflect on her own desires and decides to move to Whitbey, a picturesque beach town on the east coast. However, life in Whitbey is far from idyllic. Her neighbor, Rosemary, is grumpy, the town's supervisor ignores her emails, and a hideous holiday home called the Sugar Cube is being built next to her small cottage. As Kathleen becomes more involved in opposing the Sugar Cube and engaging in local politics, she discovers that while Whitbey isn't a fairytale, it might be exactly what she needed.
This one left me disappointed. I didn't love any of the characters and it felt very repetitive. I was hoping for growth from any of the characters but they didn't seem to evolve much. I did like the ending but honestly it just wasn't worth the wait. I feel like this book needed more quirkiness with all of the town fighting. That would have made it more of an enjoyable read.

[Jennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is definitely funny but the plot leaves a little bit to be desired. It’s one of those books when you finish it you realize how much time you wasted reading this book.