Thank you Netgalley and Gallery Books for this tender story of two sad souls falling in love. In Me for You, you’ll fall for Lolly Winston’s sweet widower Rudy. I thought I wasn’t ready for a gentle book directly after reading an intense thriller, but the level of emotion portrayed in the protagonist grabbed me from the start. This is a simple, but touching novel about moving on after the loss of a loved one.

I love Lolly Winston’s previous books (Good Grief 5 stars, Happiness Sold Separately 4 stars), but this feels like a retread. Her portrayals of the mental healthcare system are impractical and unrealistic unless you are part of the 1%. Even then, psychiatric institutions are generally not so homey and helpful as in her fiction. The current state of mental healthcare in this country is far more grim and not what one wants to read about in lighthearted fiction like this. Add in a heartwarming, Hollywood ending and this book is just a subtle shadow of her earlier work.

Overall it's a nice read that can help you try to believe even in the midst of darkness that the world may still be a kind place. Rudy and Sasha make beautiful music, but for me the plot didn’t sing. I’ll give it 3 stars.

This book in 3 words: Sweet Tender Unrealistic

This story accurately portrays grief over the loss of a beloved person and at the same time it gives the reader hope that there is life after loss. The characters were believable and likeable. The prose is easy to read, and frequently charming. This is a good beach read - Light with some depth.

Bleak and depressing, but with moments of sweetness- this book just wasn't what I wanted it so badly to be. I adore Lolly Winston and loved Good Grief. Perhaps it's unfair to expect to love this book as much but I feel like in some ways it was a rehashing of Good Grief, but not nearly as magical or well done. I did enjoy the characters and I felt like they were well written.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I have been waiting for a new book from Lolly Winston for years, ever since I read “Good Grief.” When I saw a chance to read an advanced copy of this book, I swooned with delight. Unfortunately, as many reviews have noted, “Me For You,” is like the less desired sister of “Good Grief.”

In this novel, Rudy’s wife dies unexpectedly in her sleep just as the two of them are looking forward to the adventures of retirement. As a result, Rudy falls into grief and depression (much like did in Sophie did “Good Grief.”) As a part-time piano player in Nordstrom, Rudy befriends Sasha, a salesperson who has also suffered an unimaginable tragedy. As Sasha and Rudy begin a relationship, Rudy falls victim to his deep depression and ends up institutionalized.

Parts of this book felt very preachy, as if trying to teach the reader about grief and though I admire Winston for tackling depression in such a manner, I often felt as if I was being lectured too.

Rudy was a wonderful character and I enjoyed how the relationship between he and Sasha (who gets her own backstory) develop. I imagine for readers who haven’t read “Good Grief” might view this novel differently than I did.


I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. My thanks also to Simon and Schuster and the author, Lolly Winston.

I did not care for this book. It's about moving on after a death of a love one. The reader is taken through the emotional and physical pain of losing someone you love. The main character loses his wife from natural causes but because she is a pharmacist in a hospital the police think there might be fowl play. This causes a lot of anxiety for the main character. The other main character in this book is his female co-worker who has also had tragedy in her life. The co-worker has lost her young daughter in an accident and her marriage has fallen apart.
The main character even ends up in a mental hospital. The story itself is an important one , on how individuals cope with loss and the depression that follows. The characters strength and weaknesses were established but needed to be woven into the story line in such a way to keep the story interesting and pertinent to it's goal.
The ending was a cop out.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Rudy and Bee are still very much in love when he awakens one Saturday morning to find she has died in her sleep. Working his way through his grief is difficult but life goes on and so must he. While playing the piano at Nordstroms he befriends Sasha, another employee. She also has suffered a devastating loss, and they form a bond while navigating their lives and dealing with friends and family along the way. This book started out good but unfortunately it slowed way down and became very predictable. There were a few enjoyable moments but for me it was just ok.

Rudy wakes up one Saturday morning to discover his wife has died in her sleep. He visits all the stages of grief: convinced that it was somehow his fault and he was a terrible person, depression so deep that he can't get out of bed, disbelief that she is really gone and sure it is all a mistake. His job as a pianist at a department store is the only thing that keeps him going until he starts spending time with Sasha, who works in "fine watches". Their unique friendship is exactly what both of them need.
This book made me laugh and cry. Lolly Winston is such a gifted story teller, and even though the book is about grief and finding one's way forward, she writes in such a way as to not only make it human,but also humorous, I loved this book and I think you will too.

This sweet book offers a close look at grief and how it manifests itself across generations. I loved the writing of this, but had trouble staying interested in the storyline. I ended up not finishing about halfway through. It has promise, and I think this author did a great job, it just didn't quite do it for me.

First I would like to thank the author and publisher for gifting me a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was a new title and new author for me. The cover first drew me in and after reading the summary, it sounded similar to a Man Called Ove ( a book I absolutely loved). This did have some similarities to Ove, but also enough differences to be its own story about grief and losing a spouse. I wasn't sure about the mystery aspect of the novel and was afraid a lot of the story would be devoted to finding out who had killed his wife -or was it him?. To be honest, I thought it was going to ruin the story and was a little nervous about reading it. I was so pleased to find that the mystery over her death is just a small sideline of the story, not the main focus. I was totally drawn in to the character and felt his grief, pain, and despair over unexpectedly losing his wife and also his hope of finding new joy in the future. I found this story to be touching and hopeful over a difficult, painful subject. It was an enjoyable, easy read.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were interesting and well-developed. The story had some surprises, but not too many. The changing points of view made the story more enjoyable, though I am not sure about the wife sections being necessary to the story. I would recommend this book to others.

I thought this book was okay. There were a couple subplots that I felt were unnecessary and did not improve the book.

Fans of Jennifer Weiner and Fredrik Backman will love Lolly Winston's newest book, Me for You. You'll meet Rudy, a man who like most people doesn't expect to wake up one morning during his 54th year of life and become a widower. And what's even more surprising is his decision to downsize his job from one in finance to being a piano player in a Nordstrom's store. 

But for Rudy, doing something he loves to bring others joy is worth the pay cut. And it doesn't help that Sasha, the attractive men's watch clerk joins him on his bench occasionally. 

But when the circumstances around his wife's death become complicated, Rudy realizes life sometimes turns out completely different than you'd expect, but there may be an incredible beauty in that.

This was such a lovely book, but also one with humor unique to Lolly's writing. I loved it!

I couldn’t really get into this book. I was looking forward to reading it because I enjoyed the author’s previous books. This one just didn’t hold much appeal for me and I gave up after a few chapters.

Lolly Winston has long been a favorite of mine and I was glad to see her releasing a new novel.

This book covered grief and how it impacts us and those around us differently. A man has lost his spouse and is befriended by a woman who has left her husband. The story follows them coming to terms with the new state of their lives. Things take a turn when the police start looking at Rudy for his wife's death and then with Sasha's husband's reappearing.

I hoped to love this book more but it seemed to fall flat and be missing that element that makes a book a page turner. Nonetheless, it was still a good book with a great message.

“Me For You” is a story about Rudy, a man who tragically has his wife pass away. How does he handle this lose? You follow Rudy as he finds a new life as well as finds a new love.
I had a hard time getting into this book. I found it to drag a bit. I really was confused with the quickness to put Rudy in the hospital. The love story between Rudy and Sasha was just ok.
I had a hard time getting through this book. I kept losing interest . I did finish the book so I could see what happens with Rudy and his relationship with Sasha.
I was provided an arc of this book by NetGallery in exchange for a honest review.

A touching story of dealing with the loss of a loved one, and moving on. A middle aged man loses his wife to a heart attack, and his daughter is trying to help him carry on. He plays the piano in a department store, and a woman works there that befriends him. This woman had lost her daughter, and left her drunken husband. The two mourners find common ground.

I’m not sure this book felt like it was ready to be published yet. It just isn’t complete in its story of plot development and there are some areas where the story feels jumpy, not on point and just incomplete for me. It wasn’t awful, just not ready IMO

Too often I don't give the opportunity to a "new to me" author, but in this case, I did. I thought the premise sounded like something I would like and would deal with some serious subject matter and have an air of humor to it. It had those things, but it just didn't hit home for me. The plot, while interesting didn't feel fully developed and there seemed to be holes throughout. I found myself skimming a lot of the book because I wasn't gripped by it. May I have missed some of the story? Sure. But it wasn't holding my attention, and I would rather skip to a book that had all these missing factors.

The story starts off with a very dramatic entrance. Rudy is married to a successful woman and they seemed to have it all. When she dies suddenly, that puts Rudy in a total tailspin. He is the pianist at the local Nordstrom and that is his outlet. He has a daughter that loves and supports him, but otherwise he is by himself. He finds himself in a nice friendship with a younger co-worker named Sasha. They are both dealing with their personal matters and they are there to support one another. After Rudy's daughter helps him deal with his depression, that is when Sasha and Rudy really develop their relationship. But the relationship and the whole story just fell flat for me unfortunately. I hate to leave a review for a book that had all the components to be a good book, but it just didn't flow and connect where it should have.

I'm sure Lolly Winston has succeeded in past books, but this time did not do it for me. I could say things I wish she would've done to the story, but this was her journey to take. This may appeal to some, just not for me this time.

Me For You is a great book covering the subject of grief. While fiction, it does a good job of delving into the different ways that grief affects people and their relationships. I enjoyed the book and read it in a couple of days. I found the ending very unsatisfactory though. It just leaves the reader hanging.

Interesting start to this story. The intrigue and guess work keep you turning pages. Not an easy plot to figure out.