This book was amazing. It was sad and funny and heartbreaking. I loved it from the start till the end. Definitely one to read.

A new release from the author of the delightful How Elizabeth Barrett Browning Saved My Life, Minus Me is the story of Annie’s health scare and what it does to her relationship with her mother and her husband. Sam and Annie are a cute couple who hasn’t quite figured it out yet (has anyone?), but when Annie thinks she’s dying, she writes Sam a manual for how to get along without her, hence the title of the book. Her life-minus-me handbook makes for some really charming, clever reading, but the bigger problem (than, well, dying) is that these two really don’t know or trust each other well enough for either of them to a) communicate this information to each other, and b) succeed in life if they continue on like this.

When Annie is whisked off to New York to see specialists by her difficult mother, a famous actress, they leave Sam completely in the dark. Marriage red flag here—if you can’t tell your husband that your doctor thinks you’re dying and you need a lung biopsy, you have big problems. I got a little frustrated with Annie here, I mean, come on, this is Marriage 101. But as Annie takes us on her journey, we get to know and like her mother better, and while Sam and Annie’s popularity falls with me for a while, they figure it out and become a better couple for it. They’re journey is just that, a journey, not an ending, and I like that.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review. When I read what the book was about it intrigued me because it is one of those things no one is sure what they would do until you're faced with it. This book tells us what Annie decides to do so we can see all that she goes through, how things can change and improve, plus how much her relationship with her mother improved. We also get to see what her husband goes through because all he knows is his wife abandoned him.
This is a wonderful book of what-ifs that is going to be great for people to read because it is going to have great discussions after reading it. It makes us think about what we would do and I have a better understanding of what someone goes through so it will help me if or when I am faced with it. This is a great book that shows us so many emotions and someday we all will face our mortality so it is nice to have a better understanding of it.

I was delighted to get to read an advance copy of this book as I am a big fan of Mameve Medwed's books. It's been a long wait since her last one; I hope we won't have to wait so long for her next! As always, this one was a pleasure to read. There was something for everyone- humor, tragedy, relationships, etc. I think book groups would enjoy discussing this book, since there are a lot of issues which could be debated and discussed- marriage, mother-daughter relationships, health privacy. The author does a wonderful job bringing her characters to life, and I enjoyed the book being based mostly in Maine. I highly recommend this book.

I have only one problem with this book, WHY DID I HAVE TO WAIT SO LONG TO READ IT? I have loved every book that MEDWED ever wrote. I have never missed one. I have never been disappointed, but this was just the best.

I find it hard to love anything during this difficult time, but here I am sobbing and satisfied after finishing this book. Such a lovely story of Annie and Sam and the hell they went through, separately, to find their ending.

Every character is well formed, every bit of the book was well researched. I loved the character of Ursula, Annie’s mother. Of course, as a total hypochondriac, I really am awfully grateful that I live in NYC.

I promise every woman’s reading group, you will all love this. Plenty to discuss and perhaps disagree about. After I finishing this galley, I am sorry that my friends will have to wait until December to read it. No worries, it will be on all my winter 2020 Best Novels Lists. At least, I’ve found something good about 2020.

Thank you Netgalley for this delightful and engaging novel!

BTW, CANT GET THE REVIEW ON GOODREADS, HELP!