Wreck: A Novel | 
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4.25 stars. Catherine Newman is the kind of writer that can make you chuckle one moment and tear up the next. It was a treat to spend more time with Rocky and her family, in all their neuroticisms and devotion. What a gift for my last book of the year to be one that left me with a feeling of tender gratitude and love.
pick12-25 Dec 2025
This was both funnier and more heartbreaking than Sandwich. The heartbreak does not come from any particularly tragic event but simply from the poignancy of aging, watching parents age and lose their soulmate, witnessing your children grow up and move on with their lives and make choices that you may not make. And dealing with an aging body.
I love Catherine Newman, but of course I am exactly her target audience.
pickI know I am the exact target-audience for Catherine Newman's books, but regardless, I feel like she is in my head, taking pieces of my life and psyche and feeding them back to me through this wonderful family she has created. From the snarky family dynamics and the emotional roller coaster of parenting adult children, to the anxiety around health and navigating the medical world that is now a big part of my life, I feel seen. I loved this book ❤️
pickA sequel to Sandwich, which I enjoyed more. Still a fun, quick read with an older female protagonist wrestling with health issues, an aging father, missing her mom and adult children.
pickI love Rocky and her family so much. It feels like she has more time in her day ( and more grace) than I do. I hope we get another book
Sunday soccer breakfast and starting a new book. I‘m so happy to be back with Rocky and crew
pickNewman created these characters in her book Sandwich and then brought them back for Wreck. I adore this family, maybe because I recognize the realness of them - their inside jokes, weird snacking habits, and inherited anxiety disorders. I loved seeing Rocky again as she faces an unknown illness and a fraught situation with her son. Newman writes about the ecstasy and agony of parenting in the most beautiful, profound, and hilarious ways.
pickI enjoyed being able to revisit Rocky and her family. This book is quietly relatable until it makes you burst out laughing unexpectedly, then it is relatable but not as quiet. It was a momentarily jarring every time she described the cats' doing typical cat things when one of them shares my name lol
pickRocky is an interesting woman to ride along with as a book character so I was thrilled to read her in their hometown. Although I don‘t suffer her anxieties over potential medical possibilities, I do tend to plan through scenarios that probably don‘t need my time. Rocky may drive some readers crazy here but the found myself laughing out loud several times.
pickWow! So good, a great follow up to Sandwich but one that stands all on its own. Bringing together two storylines that examine health and consequences, this compelling story packs a lot of funny, heartbreaking, and meaningful moments into 209 pages.I had the honor of meeting the author and she is just as approachable and kind as you would expect. Releasing Oct 28, you won‘t want to miss this one! #netgalleygroup @AllDebooks
