A sweet, heartwarming read about a daughter's love for her mother. Very touching.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the complimentary early review copy of Rachel Gibson's latest book, "How Lulu Lost Her Mind."

This book was just okay for me. I was intrigued by the synopsis due to the references to mother/daughter struggles and Alzheimer's so I was expecting to somewhat relate. I feel like the story got bogged down by random, seemingly irrelevant side stories and way too much superfluous chatter throughout. I knew I was forcing myself to trudge through when I started wanting to skip sections and not being excited to pick up the book every day. But I chose to continue because when the book was good it was good.

Ms. Gibson took a horrific disease and painted an accurate portrait of its effects on those who battle Alzheimer's and their caregivers. Her book is a beautiful exploration of the often complicated relationship between mothers and daughters and how those issues are compounded by role reversals later in life. I'm still confused as to how this book got its title because I didn't leave with the feeling that Lulu had lost her mind but rather that she'd found herself. Overall, what I choose to take away from this book is the poignant portrayal of the powerful bond and love between a mother and daughter in spite of everything they experience over their lifetimes together.

This was such a cute and wonderful read. A daughter who gives up her big time business in order to spend the last few months of her mom's life with her. This was a delightful read and glad I am read it !

Only child, Lou Ann, is a media mogul when it comes to her baby, Lulu the Love Guru. At 38, she has spent her whole adult life nurturing this baby, which has given her fame, fortune, and much happiness. Patricia, Lou Ann’s mom, is truly the love guru. At 74 and with Alzheimer’s, she has already managed to be thrown out of three care facilities for her “passionate nature”. Patricia likes to wander into other patient’s beds at night.

This time, though, Lou Ann can’t buy Patricia’s way back into a care facility. Lou Ann is due in Los Angeles tomorrow morning. Patricia has nowhere to go but home with Lou Ann. In desperation, Lou Ann comes to grips with the fact that Lulu the Love Guru is going to have to take a hiatus so Lou Ann can care for Patricia.

But she can’t do it alone. She finds a nurse, Lindsey, who is more than happy to start immediately. A few days later when Patricia decides she wants to go “home” to Louisiana, and her childhood home, Sutton Hall. Having decided that what momma wants, momma gets, Lou Ann packs up Patricia and Lindsey and heads out to Louisiana to fulfill her mother’s last wishes.

How Lulu Lost Her Mind is a wonderful story told with charm and sensitivity toward a difficult subject. Lou Ann is tasked with her mother’s now mercurial moods, but she shares with us how momma has always been a little bit on the difficult side. Gibson writes about the challenges of living with someone in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s in a matter-of-fact but in a keen way. A way that is not degrading or depressing, just the truth. The threesome of women have moments that are spit-your-coffee out funny.

Rachel Gibson writes in a way that makes a tough subject matter something to be treasured. Lou Ann not only finds her mother happiness in her end days, but also finds herself along the way, learning things she never dreamed. Loved every bit of this one.

A heartwarming story of an adult daughter taking her mother with Alzheimer’s back to her birth home to die. This story was a mix of emotion for me. I laughed out loud, I cried. To read about a mother/daughters relationship through the years and what they have learned about each other was wonderful.

Let me just started off saying that I am a big fan of Rachel Gibson's books. I have read every single book she has written and loved all of them. Saying that this is not her typical Romantic comedy book.

The book is about Lulu a blogger/love expert extraordinaire and has found herself taking care of her mom who has Alzheimer's. There is a small love story and a lot of mother/daughter relationship conflicts and joys.
As a Gen X I can appreciate that relationship between a mother and a daughter and the tribulations.
Navigating as a child relationship with your mom to being an adult relationship with your mom.
Always Rachel's writing makes me laugh out loud and even though it is not her typical Romance type book, I still enjoyed it.
Thanks for a chance to read the ARC

I'm writing this review on April 15, which just happens to be the six-year anniversary of my Dad's death. During his last eighteen months I visited almost weekly, taking him to Mass on Saturday night and then fixing supper for him. I started that routine when we realized it was no longer safe to leave him alone for long stretches of time. We had hired help during the week, one brother lived next door, and another took the Sunday shift. I live an hour and a half away so those few hours a week cost me most of my Saturday afternoon and evening, and during those eighteen months I only missed a few weeks. Looking back on it, I can say those months were hard, but worth it. I had to adjust my life, but I didn't have to make wholesale changes to it.

Lou Ann is a writer, blogger, speaker--an expert on relationships, or at least she plays one on-line. For all her expertise she has never found Mr. Right. Her mother, on the other hand, has always found Mr. Right for now and is still looking, despite her Alzheimer's, which, as noted above, gets her kicked out of her nursing home. Her mother wants to go home to Louisiana, and Lou Ann has enough money to make that dream come true, so they pack up their stuff and move to the old home place.

My Dad never became hard to deal with, and kept his mental faculties until the end. Patricia, Lou Ann's mother, wasn't so lucky. She could be mean and, of course, she had dementia. As they went through family treasures Lou Ann learns about relatives she never met. She meets neighborhood people who are unlike those she chose to be with in her "real" life. Yes, one is a man.

The book is set in southeast Louisiana, which is where I live. While there were things that sounded familiar like Lakeside Mall and chicory coffee, the plantation is outside a small town where people speak with a Cajun accent, and honestly there aren't many (any) of those with easy access to Lakeside Mall.

I enjoyed the book and there was one serious plot thread--Patricia wanted Lou Ann to promise to put her out of her misery when things got too far along. Lou Ann didn't fee right about doing that, but toward the end of the book, Lou Ann made a decision about a similar issue which turned out not to be important, but which could have been.

Actually the ending was pretty much the only part of the book that I didn't like. For some reason it just seemed sudden, almost like the allotted number of pages had been filled and it was time to wrap things up. But, maybe that's the way life is--we don't usually get to go out at what we consider to be the perfect time on the plot arc.

I'd like to thank the publisher for providing a review copy via NetGalley. Grade: B.

The characters are great and well written! I loved the relationship between mother and daughter, especially in light of Patricia’s illness. Really good read, thanks to netgalley for allowing the preview!

This was a sweet book about losing your mom. It was fun of love, laughter, and heart. The characters are rich and warm. You enjoy all of them. Patricia with her passionate nature is a treat. Lou Ann and her desire to be better and enjoy her mother. Simon is a breathe of fresh air and give Lou Ann some much needed advise and breaks. The topic of Alzheimer's is not light but this book makes it a little easier to take.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for my ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Rachel Gibson has been a long time favorite author of mine, mixing romance with her humor.
This book was no different, but combines more women's fiction than romance. The main story-line of this book is between a successful daughter and her M other who is battling dementia. While Lulu is at the height of her career, she is also struggling with the care of her Mother, and getting her in the right facility.
Many emotions went through me reading this book. While there are mild parts of romance, the relationship between Lulu and her Mother was something that hit home.

I absolutely loved this book. My mom is also suffering from dementia , so I can find the humor in some of the situations she put her daughter in. Also the feeling of helplessness and overwhelming need to "fix things". Bought tears to my eyes and got to my heart.

Lulu the love Guru has spent her life building her brand. She’s wealthy & successful living in Seattle but she’s alone. Until she finds herself the guardian of her elderly mother who is suffering from dementia & has been banished from several nursing homes. When they inherit her mother’s childhood home in Louisiana, her mother’s last wish is to return to the south. The once stunning plantation house is in disrepair & a handsome local contractor is called upon for more than just home repairs. While I enjoyed the characters in this book I feel like it could have benefited from some editing - it felt disjointed to me.

Gibson's latest novel is a lighthearted read. It's full of quirky characters that are fun to read about their interactions. The mother daughter relationship was fraught with drama, but each one relies on the other in so many ways. One scene, towards the end, is wrenching and quite emotional. The dialogue is smooth and kept my interest.

I adored this book! Lulu is one of my new favorite characters.. She managed her relationship with her mother with dignity, love and honesty. The romance was tender and the setting perfect. What a great summer treat.

Rachel Gibson is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of 23 additional books & I was excited to start reading her most recent novel. Her backlist is impressive and her first Women's Fiction novel was something I was eager to read, How Lulu Lost Her Mind started off sharply with some good writing but by page 10 had described non-consensual behavior that is clearly sexual assault. I don't know why the author thought it was funny or a good idea to describe that situation when there are a variety of situations that the author could have used to put the character into a compromising situation. But instead Ms. Gibson chose to write a scene in which the mother, who has dementia, crawls into bed with a comatose patient & "wrapped herself around [him] like an octopus." " Tell me that you did not take that man's pants off.' Mom shrugs a shoulder & continues to stare at the clock. 'I have a passionate nature.'"

Ugh. Sexually assaulting someone isn't funny. The situation was used as comic relief and to set up the characters but it was written without a basic understanding of the definition of sexual assault (ie: touching someone in a sexual way without their consent). I immediately stopped reading the book & cannot recommend it to my audience & followers because I am a Sexual Assault Victim Advocate looking for books to share with my readers.
I received an advanced readers copy of this book from Simon and Schuster and Netgalley and was encouraged to submit an honest review.

How Lulu Lost her Mind by Rachel Gibson is a well-told, entertaining and foundational story about the complicated relationship women have with their mothers - and not just women, but independent adult women and their elderly mothers. It is a story a lot of us are living. It's a story I have lived, and I think that might be why I enjoyed this book so very much.

I immediately recognized Lou Ann, the main character. She is me, and she is my friends, caught in that uncomfortable time of role reversals where children become caregivers to their aging parents. I get it when Lou Ann teeters between adoration and guilt, between resentment and sacrificial love because I've teetered there myself. Kudos to the author for neither sugar-coating nor blinking amid all those big emotions,

The story itself is just plain fun. It's authentic and engaging, and stays true to the character arcs without being too predictable. There are moments of levity and there are moments of introspection, of laughter and tears.

If you're looking for a wonderfully-written work of women's fiction, How Lulu Lost her Mind might be a terrific choice for a long flight, a rainy day or poolside afternoon. If you're looking for bodice-ripping romance or chick lit, this title might not meet your needs.

This review is based on a advanced copy reading provided by the publisher.

When her mother is ousted from yet another care home, Lou Ann, aka Lulu the Love Guru, stops work and moves to a neglected mansion in Louisiana to care for her mother. I was expecting something a little deeper on someone caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's but this was pretty silly story and the Lou Ann was kind of annoying, as was her mother. I guess this is pretty much a typical chick-lit romance so if you like that sort of thing this book would probably be enjoyable, just not really for me.

Lou Ann aka Lulu the Love Guru, has to take care of her mom as she is once again kicked out of her care facility for being too loving to the other patients. Patricia has Alzheimer's and she has always been a loving person as she was married 5 times. Lou Ann doesn't quite understand her mom but decides to do what Patricia wants. This story is both funny and heartbreaking at the same time. I did find the story a bit slow at times so I ended up skimming some parts. I did like the relationship between Lou Ann and Patricia as every mother daughter relationship is very hard to navigate most of the time. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

Lulu is a major influencer whose brand is The Love Guru. Lulu's life gets upended when her mother, Patricia, who has Alzheimer's, gets thrown out of a nursing home for inappropriate conduct with the male residents, which is a habit of hers. "I have a passionate nature," the unapologetic Patricia explains. Patricia yearns for the family estate, a run-down Louisiana manor called Sutton Hall, and Lulu agrees to take a long leave of absence from her company and live with her unpredictable mother for. . . Lulu's not sure how long.

When mother and daughter get "settled" on the estate, there's a handsome handyman in the neighborhood, of course, but the Love Guru doesn't know much about how to manage her own love life very well. I was disappointed that Patricia's imaginary boyfriend didn't turn out to be real and show up in Louisiana.

Who says you can't go home again? Lulu finds out that when life spins totally out of control, surprises can unfold in both heartbreaking and delightful directions. Cute, funny, and with just enough depth, this novel will prove a nice diversion in the summer for readers who enjoy southern family yarns.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from Simon and Schuster and Netgalley and was encouraged to submit an honest review.

I have been a fan of Rachel Gibson's contemporary romance novels for a long time. She's one of the first authors I really got into and binged on back in the day. When I saw she was releasing a book in the women's fiction category, I was both intrigued and slight disappointed. So many of my longtime favorite romance authors have been moving over to this genre. It makes me a little sad. That being said, once I got started on How Lulu Lost Her Mind, I knew I was in for something special.

How Lulu Lost Her Mind was a gem. It was all about character growth for Lulu. She got to reexamine her relationship with her mother, her job, and her feelings. All of that was done in a beautifully described setting. I have to admit that I didn't love Lulu at first due to her nature, but she quickly grew on me.

The rest of the characters were just as fabulous. I loved Patricia, Lindsey, Simon, and Raphael. Patricia added both funny and heartbreaking parts. Lindsey added a special friendship aspect. Simon added just the right tough of romance to the story. And Raphael... Well, that parrot was something else.

How Lulu Lost Her Mind was a heartwarming tale that I won't be forgetting anytime soon. Rachel Gibson's foray into women's fiction was a smashing success!