I thought this was a very sweet book, while tackling some scary parts of life. Sort of in the genre of curmudgeonly old man, but not very curmudgeonly, or old.

Very easy to read, hard to put down. I liked the characters a lot and was anxious to find out where they all went with their lives.

Highly recommend.

Wonderful book about rediscovering yourself in middle-age. Rudy is 54 and just downsized when his wife dies in her sleep. Rudy is heartbrokened but picking up the pieces and enjoying his "retirement job" playing the piano at Nordstrom. He is even a little smitten with Sasha, the Hungarian woman who works in men's watches. But when a police officer informs Rudy that he thinks Rudy's wife was murdered, Rudy begins to unravel. ME FOR YOU does a great job of making us realize, that we are not defined by our jobs, our spouses, or even our children. We each have to work to discover that essential part of ourselves that truly makes us who we are, the rest is just noise.

I enjoyed the characters in this book. You could understand exactly where their feeling were developing. This book makes understanding depression easier.

Me For You by Lolly Winston had the makings of a really sweet story. However, it fell short and became a depressing book. Too much negativity and not enough positive reinforcement. Would not recommend to those looking for an escape or for a Happily Everafter.


#MeForYou #LollyWinston #NetGalley #Deathofalovedone #Depression #PsychHospital #picking up the pieces

Not a light read at all. This storyline is thick. Grief, depression, with a little bit of hope. I have to say it wasn't for me.

I liked "Good Grief" that I read many years ago---the author's playfulness, her writing and her characters. I was a bit letdown by this book, although her exploration of the grieving process was very well done. The characters were a little over the top and there were parts that should have been edited. That said, it was interesting, as is.

Rudy lives in Silicon Valley. Since being downsized from his job, he works part-time playing the piano at a fancy department store. He enjoys taking care of his wife Bethany, cooking her nice meals, planning surprises, while she continues to work to get her full pension. Then they are going to relax and travel together.

That was the plan, until the horrible morning that he woke to find that she had passed away suddenly during the night. As the book tells Rudy’s story, we share his grief. He misses being married. And in a way, he is still married to his dead wife.

Rudy remarks on the solace of seeing another person’s shoes by the door. I agree- I am always happy to see my loved one’s shoes all helter-skelter by my back door.

At the urging of his stern, practically perfect, yet loving daughter CeCe, Rudy tries internet dating. But it is the friendship he made at Nordstom’s that begins to guide him to peace. Sasha from Hungary, who works in Fine Watches and loves Rudy’s piano playing has her own sad story. “They were each afraid that their grief would seep into the other’s psyche…”

The moment that Rudy and Sasha call each other “Comrade” is endearing.

Author Lolly Winston writes in a beguiling way, alternating unexpected humor with poignant musing. However, it is the author’s skill that made this a difficult book for me to read. The characters in the book use the term “trigger warning”, and for some readers this book may have grief triggers. I was quite overcome with the character’s sadness. However, this is a book that I recommend. I read it straight through and was glad I did.

I received this ARC digital copy from Netgalley. Thanks also to Touchstone Gallery Books. This is my honest review.

“Me for You” is a poignant story about heartache and despondency after the sudden death of Rudy’s wife. It’s a book about hope as Rudy later on climbs back and finds a new life and love again. Then life suddenly becomes more complicated than Rudy could have imagined. Rudy learns that things never remain the same. They get better, they get worse, but they will never remain the same. I enjoyed this book, the characters were well developed. It had a very interesting plot. I would be interested in reading more of this author. I was provided an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

A quiet book about grief, depression, and hope. Rudy' s wife unexpectedly dies and how he deals with the aftermath is the study of this book. It's soft and gentle in his dealing after being run over by life. His daughter and friend from work help him to find new ways to deal with his crushing grief while finding their own way through life's changes. I was glad to read when mild mannered Rudy got mad and told the detective how he felt, it was about time for Rudy to stand up for himself.. Although the books description made it sound a bit of a murder mystery, it is not at all, just a quiet study of a man's life and finding his way.. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I absolutely adored this book. Read it in two nights as I couldn't put it down. I want to read everything this author writes. She has just the right blend of wit, despair mixed with the mundane aspects of life. Loved it!

"Things will never be the same. They'll get better, they'll be different, but never be the same."

This is a journey of sudden loss, grief and climbing back to find a new life and love.
Rudy finds his wife dead in her bed. Why couldn't he save Bee? How did this happen?
He finds himself slipping into a deep depression. His friend, Sasha is his biggest support.
She knows what Rudy is feeling and makes the time to care.
Will Rudy and Sasha find happiness ?
I felt the emotions of both Rudy and Sasha as I turned the pages of this novel.

Definitely not a light read.

No one in the town of Ludlow will ever forget the vicious attack that left a single mother dead and a little girl orphaned. And no one will forget when that little girl now a bride to be mysteriously disappears. While gossip and suspicions swirls around the small town of Ludlow, one unlikely resident holds the truth.

Only Ever Her had me gripped from the first page. I found myself yearning for a glass of sweet tea as I quickly got caught up in the lives of the main characters.

Reviewed for Netgalley in exchange for my unbiased feedback.

I initially really loved this book. Loved Rudy, Bethany & Sasha. Plot started out great ....however you can take the entire part of Rudy's mental breakdown, time in the psych ward and throw it out. Totally unbelievable, boring, so over written. This segment ruined the entire book. That being, I do love this author, I would still another book by her.

I was drawn to Rudy at first read. HIs love for his wife Bethany was clear. It was heartbreaking to read his wife's death had affected him. I had to read more because I cared what happened to him. It is great when an author can write about characters that the reader will root for. I wanted Rudy to be happy and to find love again. The mystery was a bonus. You don't want to miss this gem. The pacing was also great as well.

What I liked most about this book is how real the emotion is. It felt very true for a man who truly loved his wife but overcame the obstacles to make sure he lived a full life again. He tackled depression head on but not without difficulty. Sasha brought him back.

Couldn't finish. Same old same old. Poor grieving widower that becomes ensnared in mild mystery. Decent writing but kind of dull.

I received this ARC digital copy from Netgalley.
I was so excited to see this author have a new book. It has been a long time since her first novel Good Grief and after all these years, she has written another novel surrounding grief.

Since I read this during the Christmas holiday season and it being a sad and nostalgic time, this story should have been comforting. This is a story about a man who loses his wife and he is mourning over her loss. We learn he works as a piano player at Nordstrom’s and develops a crush on a young woman. As part of the grief of feeling responsible for not saving his wife to feeling guilt for moving on, this story takes off in some bizarre tangents. One being that they think the wife was murdered to him being mentally hospitalized because of his inability to care for himself. I would have enjoyed the story without all these curveballs and if we were able to stay focused on grief and it’s process. I think the major point I felt worth reading was the part when the doctor explains about dealing with grief by cutting it off like a stalk. I tried to relate to the main character but found it very difficult.

I loved this author before but this book was a very difficult read for me.
Seems some liked it and others agreed. Its hard to follow previous ones maybe.

I started this book but can not finish the story. It did not hold my attention Sorry if I did not have more books to read I might come back and try it again.

Not so long ago I wrote a blog post about authors I liked who never wrote much past a few books and Lolly Winston was one of those authors I mentioned. I am glad to see that she has written a new book which will be out in March 2019. Lolly, where have you been since writing Good Grief (this book was sad, funny, charming, heartfelt) one of my favorite books back in 2004?!

The important thing is there is a new book to read and its call Me For You. I am loving the pretty cover. The description appeals to the part of me that loves quirky stories about regular people.

Take a look:

The last thing Rudy expected was to wake up one Saturday morning, a widow at fifty-four years old. Now, ten months after the untimely death of his beloved wife, he’s still not sure how to move on from the defining tragedy of his life—but his new job is helping. After being downsized from his finance position, Rudy turned to his first love: the piano. Some people might be embarrassed to work as the piano player at Nordstrom, but for Rudy, there’s joy in bringing a little music into the world. And it doesn’t hurt that Bella, the Hungarian men’s watch clerk who is finally divorcing her no-good husband, finds time to join him at the bench every now and then.

Just when Rudy and Bella’s relationship begins to deepen, the police come to the store with an update about Rudy’s wife’s untimely death—a coworker has confessed to her murder—but Rudy’s actions are suspicious enough to warrant a second look at him, too. With Bella’s husband suddenly reappearing, and Rudy’s daughter confronting her own marital problems, suddenly life becomes more complicated than Rudy and Bella could have imagined.

I expect this one to be gentle, touching and sweet. Looking forward to it very much!