This is a book that tugs at the heartstrings and does a great job with an accurate portrayal of what it is like to love someone with Alzheimer or dementia. With that in mind this book may be difficult for people currently struggling with that to read. Overall I really enjoyed the mother daughter story line and I liked Lulu a lot as a character. The book has a lot of funny moments as well as quite a few endearing ones and is worth the read!

Not my favorite book by Rachel Gibson. I kept waiting for the story line to get better. But I felt like I needed more romance.
Maybe her next book will be better than this one.
Thanks Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I just recently finished HOW LULU LOST HER MIND by Rachel Gibson , celebrated and storied writer of 20 books in the romance genre over 18 years , who just dived into her first foray into women’s fiction. Though it is her debut women’s fiction novel it has already created a splash and garnered attention and praise on several of this summer’s hot lists. According to Off the Shelf it is one of the “6 books as refreshing as an ocean breeze” and Get Literary urges readers to “start a summer romance with these 13 must-read live stories”, of which include HOW LULU LOST HER MIND.

Gibson manages to keep humor and lightness admist tough family transitions and struggles in her new book. The story follows LuLu the Love Guru, a self made woman used to a jetsetting fashionable self help empire, who now has to navigate her mother’s Alzheimer’s progression into its end stages. Not only does this bring its own daily caregiver challenges, but a whole new lifestyle and home in Louisiana. Albeit it can be rife with certain devastating turns, Rachel Gibson creates an equal balance with heartwarming mother-daughter moments, lots of laughs, and a modern fresh style. She is able to infuse a Southern feel and comedic tone in a variety of ways, including use of fun and popular Cajun French phrases, the restoration process of a hundreds old family plantation home, sordid family secrets, and cultural clashes.

Although there is still some romance in the novel for the author’s romance fans, I would argue that the real love story is the love between LuLu and her mother as well as in the healing and strengthening of their relationship as it encounters the bumps of parent-child role reversals. Despite encountering her share of stumbling blocks and barriers, LuLu emerges with a different outlook on life and home, as well as a renewed understanding of Patricia and their relationship.

While we are in the throes of summer’s final hot, humid, and buggy days, grab a bowl of a Patricia favorite snack -Pirate’s Booty- and settle in on the porch with a drink and HOW LULU LOST HER MIND. This book debut into women’s fiction is creating a strong case for another book in this new genre. Also for those who like to delve further into the books they read personally or for book clubs, Simon & Schuster does a spectacular job online with resource information and background details of their books and authors. Check out HOW LULU LOST HER MIND on their website for an interesting book follow-up and adjunct to your reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of How Lulu Lost Her Mind by Rachel Gibson.

Luann must choose between her successful business and taking care of her mother Patricia with Alzheimer’s who has been kicked out of yet another assisted living home. At her mother’s insistence, Luann takes her mother back to the home where she was born in Louisiana. Lindsey is hired as Patricia’s nurse and all three women are off to the bayou. Once there, Simon, the foxy doctor as Patricia calls him, comes to the house to offer his assistance as handyman and to help take care of the bird, Raphael. There are many loveable characters in the story as you read and get an understanding of the love between mother and daughter.

Overall, I’m rating this book 4 stars. Very endearing characters and enjoyable to read.

Alzheimer’s and a Mother-Daughter Relationship

Lou Ann Hunter, aka Lulu the Love Guru, is scheduled to start a trip to publicize her empire. Her specialty is giving advice on love, sex, and relationships. Lulu’s mother, Patricia, resides in a care home for the elderly because she has Alzheimer’s.

Unfortunately, Patricia loves men and has a propensity for wandering at night and getting into other people’s beds. The result is that she’s being expelled from the care home, her third one. With no where else to put her mother, Lulu cancels her trip.

Patricia expresses a desire to return to Sutton Hall, the plantation in Louisiana where she grew up. Wanting to honor her mother’s last wish, Lulu engages a nurse and they head for the plantation. Unfortunately the building is in serious disrepair, but Lulu has money and hires the local handyman, Simon, to make the house livable. He’s a hunk and after some disagreements, romance ensues.

Although there is romance, this is primarily women’s fiction highlighting the relationship between mothers and daughters. The book is often humorous, but in reality there’s nothing funny about Alzheimer’s. I thought the author did an excellent job describing the progress of the disease. The book is worth reading for this insight into the mental deterioration of a loved one.

I thought Patricia was a remarkable character. Suffering from a serious disease, but also remarkably humorous. Lulu is a good character, but I found her much harder to like and relate to than her mother. She seemed very self-centered. If you enjoy women’s fiction, this is an enjoyable read with a good message.

I received this book from Gallery Books for this review.

How Lulu Lost Her Mind is a bit of a departure from the romances that I have become a fan of by Rachel Gibson, but I was definitely here for it! In this book, Gibson paints an authentic portrait of what it is like to care for an ailing parent and how difficult the transition can be. She tells the story with grace and humor. This book is not one to be missed.

Delightful, charming, witty, warm, and poignant. This is a lovely, realistic book about the relationship between a successful daughter and her mother who has Alzheimer’s. The setting of Louisiana, with its humidity, alligators, and unique language added a fun and authentic layer to the story.

LOVED THIS BOOK! LOVED IT! Yes, it had some sad moments, you felt the pain of the main character, but the love she felt for her mom, the bond, it was captured in the author’s writing.

Fast paced, light-hearted with a touch of sadness, but the bond between a mom and her cubs.....can’t be broken. Well written and really do recommend!

This book caught me off guard. It is well researched, well developed and well written. Definitely had to take a few days break after this one to process everything before starting another book. It is definitely not a light-hearted read but I would definitely recommend it!

Lou Ann, or Lulu the Love Guru, never expected her life to be uprooted from Seattle to New Orleans, but here she is, breaking her Manolo heel in the rotting deck of the old Sutton family home to make her mother happy.
Patricia has been slowly losing her mind to Alzheimer's, and after being kicked out of her most recent nursing home due to her "passionate nature", decides she wants to go home to die while she still remembers.
Lindsey is keeping a secret, and hoping moving to New Orleans with her new employer, Lou Ann, and charge, Patricia, might be the perfect opportunity for a fresh start.
Alzheimer's isn't an easy diagnosis under the best of circumstances, and when Rattlesnake Patty rears her ugly head, Lou Ann finds herself becoming increasingly frustrated with her mother and her insistence that everyone is out to get her - particularly that bitch Wynonna - and that everything must stay the same in the Sutton plantation house. Despite the barbed tongue she's regularly on the receiving end of, Lou Ann keeps reminding herself that her mom doesn't mean it, and that she still loves her. She's determined to create as many good memories as possible with her mother, and she seems to be doing better once they arrive in New Orleans. But Lou Ann's attention is also drawn to the "House Doctor", Simon, a New Orleans native that LuLu the Love Guru can;t quite seem to figure out. Or resist his charms.
She never expected to find everything she needed in Louisiana, but maybe the bayou doesn't just hold gators for Lulu, Patricia, and Lindsey.

Wow! I read this book in a day!
I just had to see how Lou Ann dealt with her Mom- Patricia's changing world with dementia.
When Patricia gets tossed from her facility for unbecoming behaviors, Lou Ann needs to find a solution. and like right this minute! Patricia must be out now!
However, Patricia with her dementia, can only focus on the fact that she wants to go back to her old family home in Louisiana to live her days and to be buried in the backyard where her relatives all have been placed.
Lou Ann decides that "this is the time" the take care of her Mom, hires a home nurse, puts her job on hold, and off they go!

I have to say that Rachel Gibson definitely did her research with dementia and the feelings people and families experience with a loved one battling this horrible disease.
I must also reflect on the fact that there are many good days as well as LOL moments that were nicely depicted in this story!

I truly laughed, cried and felt the emotions that Lou Ann portrayed as well as Patricia!
It is a beautiful story of family, love, and friendship!

This sweet little novel is a quick read. The writing style is easy and it almost feels like your reading someone’s journal. The topic, taking care of an ailing parent, is a very realistic occurrence in a person’s life. However, this mother:daughter relationship is a bit different than average, which gives the characters their shine.

Lulu (the love guru) is the only daughter to Patricia who happens to have a very passionate nature and healing powers, if you count a good cuddle as healing anyway. Mother and daughter have not always met eye-to-eye, have had times when they didn’t speak to one another, but the love was always there. It turns out Patricia has Alzheimer’s and would like Lulu to take her to the family plantation for however long she has left to live. Toss in some mishaps, meet ups, and medicine and what you get is a better understanding of the people you love and cute women’s fiction novel.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very well written story about a mother/daughter relationship & dealing with Alzheimer’s. Patricia (the mom) has been quite the handful in all of her nursing homes & has a tendency to get kicked out. Lou Ann runs her own business, LuLu the Love Guru, & has to travel the country speaking on love. After this last booting from the nursing home, Patricia wants to go back to the family home in Louisiana. Lou Ann decides she needs to take the time she has with her mom & they go with their new nurse, Lindsay. I highly recommend reading this story & seeing how they get along in this new place.

Not really a quick read and is sometimes an intense read. You can put it down and go back later and you should. You can then muse and fully appreciate the story.
It is laugh out loud get choked on your popcorn funny at times and others you can feel the dismay and sadness of dealing with a person with dementia or Alzheimer's. I've never had to care for a parent with dementia but I can imagine it is a pretty close analogy. Jacket cover gives an adequate description of content. The mother daughter banter is realistic and both funny and sad. There are few French or Cajun words and slang thrown in for which there is no definition provided or available when you use lookup but it doesn't deter from the story. Overall a good read.
I was provided an Advanced reader copy of the book and was under no obligation to provide a review. The opinions expressed are my own. Thanks to the author,publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Lou Ann’s mom is evicted from yet another assisted living facility on short notice, causing her to cancel her latest Lulu the Love Guru tour and move her mother in with her. Her aging mom, stricken with Alzheimer’s, is difficult on her best day, but Lou Ann loves her and realizes it’s time to spend time and make memories with her. One night, Patricia begs Lou Ann to take her home to Louisiana and a crumbling old family home. Between Patricia’s flirting with workmen hired to fix up the house and her angry outbursts at Lou Ann and her stress about her suffering business, is Lulu going to lose her mind?

How Lulu Lost Her Mind is an emotional rollercoaster where I cried along with Lulu as her mother slowly succumbs to Alzheimer’s, felt her anger and frustration at Patricia’s lost or incorrect memories, and laughed out loud at Patricia’s antics involving her passionate nature. I love books where the main character grows and changes into a better human. This book has all of that and more. Highly recommend!

Oh, my gosh. I’m a caregiver for a husband with dementia. This book came along just when I needed it. I laughed (out loud a couple of times) and cried at other points. Of course, along with the story is the complicated relationship between mother and daughter as Lou Ann comes home to tend to her mother’s needs. I thought it hit the nail on the head as Lulu came to the decision to accept giving up her life and diving head-on positively into caring for her mom. That’s exactly how you have to do it to keep from resenting what is happening to your personal life.

This was a new author for me and I Loved this story!! I adored the mother daughter relationship.... Highly highly recommend

Loved this book! Made me laugh and made me cry. Story of a Mom with Alzheimer's (Patricia) and her adult daughter (Lulu). The antics of the very funny Patricia made me laugh and at the same time her constantly changing mental state would then make me cry. Loved that it takes place in Louisiana and has a Cajun flair. Lulu, who has made a living as the Love Guru in Seattle is very displaced caring for her mother there, which also makes for funny reading. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity.

Lou Ann, a.k.a The Love Guru, has built her “brand” and thriving business from a highrise in Seattle. She travels IRL and virtually, spouting relationship advice to thousands of followers. In fact, she’s in the middle of her ten-city Find True Love in February tour! Now her mother, Patricia, age 74, diagnosed with Alzheimers four years ago, has been tossed out of the third care facility and is requesting to spend her last days at the family home near New Orleans. Lou Ann begrudgingly takes Patricia to Sutton Hall, an old sugar cane plantation that comes with its own “To Do” list. Packing for speaking engagements and book signings is not exactly the same as packing for south Louisiana; heat, humidity, possible alligators, a century old cemetery and a crazy bird named Raphael, soon take the place of fame, fanfare & fortune!

Lulu experiences the culture shock of moving across country to a locale of unfamiliar culture and landscape- swamps & bayous; not to mention dealing with the mood swings of Patricia as they both begin to deal with how these last days together would unfold for each of them. Lulu relies on meditating and Patricia gets caught up in TV game shows. Finding common ground and a good mattress turn out to be crucial! Lulu is grappling with saving her business or spending the last days making her mother happy- something many readers may know first-hand or have experienced vicariously. Either way, juggling family, business & volunteer commitments, are always a struggle as ill or aging parents take precedence in our lives. Rachel Gibson deals with the emotional struggles of such a life changing situation with honesty and laugh out loud humor.

How Lulu Lost Her Mind is a magnified view into the dynamic day to day battle of thoughts and emotions that emerge in times of crisis, but also the self analysis & reflection involved. Gibson juggles Lulu’s emotional episodes with Patricia by wrapping the “daily dilemas” in Cajun dialect and taking readers to local shops like Rouse’s market, Monique’s Chic Boutique, and Boots ‘N Roots! Readers will savor the poignant moments of mother-daughter time; and “laugh to keep from crying,” when those heart felt tensions ring so true.

Title: How Lulu Lost Her Mind
Author: Rachel Gibson
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5

Lou Ann Hunter’s mother, Patricia, has always had a passionate nature, which explains why she’s been married and divorced five times and spooned enough male patients to be ousted from three elderly care facilities. She also has Alzheimer’s, which is why she wants to spend her remaining months or years surrounded by memories at her family’s decrepit old plantation in Louisiana with her only daughter.

Lou Ann, a.k.a. Lulu the Love Guru, has built an empire preaching sex, love, and relationship advice to the women of America—mostly by defying the example her mother has set for her. But with her mother suddenly in need of a fulltime caretaker, Lou Ann reluctantly agrees to step out of the spotlight and indulge her mother’s wishes, even if it means trading in her Louboutins and Chanel No. 5 for boots and mosquito repellant.

Upon arrival at Sutton Hall, Lou Ann discovers that very little functions at it should, least of all her mother’s mind. She is haunted not only by creaky floorboards and things that go bump in the night, but also by the living ghost sleeping downstairs. Every good day Patricia and Lou Ann have treasure hunting in the attic seems to be followed by two days of meltdowns and cold shoulders. And as Lou Ann adjusts to this new and inevitably temporary dynamic, she is forced to confront the fact that her mother’s fate is completely out of her hands—and the end may be coming quicker than she even thought possible.

I have a family history of Alzheimer’s, with three straight generations of the women on my mother’s side of the family getting it. In that respect, this was a hard read—because I related to the idea so much. Lulu—Lou Ann—is a great, relatable character, but her mother is wonderful. Patricia made me laugh so many times in this novel! I haven’t worn lipstick in years, but I felt the urge to buy some after reading this.

I really enjoyed the journey in this book. It was great seeing how Lulu evolved, and I loved the Cajun flair of the novel!

Rachel Gibson is a bestselling author. How Lulu Lost Her Mind is her newest novel.