I know this isn’t a holiday read, but it FEELS like a holiday read.

But, like, significant.

Between the family dynamics, the deep themes of care, health, blended and multi-generation living, and female friendships, it’s like a weighted blanket for the soul.

Now, that’s not to say I liked every character (I’m lookin’ at you, Lisa) at every moment – I even wondered if Jodi was going to have an Unreliable Narrator Reveal – but I was certainly rooting for all of them, by the end.

Well, maybe not Milton. I was perversely pleased with his comeuppance.

I’m not sure that speaks well of my character, but I said what I said.

thank you negalley for the e-arc. i was excited to start reading this one because it's rare to find a book with older characters when you're tired of reading 20something's lives. its nice to see a true generational story where you get to meet most of the family and more. i didn't know this author beforehand so now i'm looking forward to her backlist.

These characters are …characters. From Di’s bigger than life persona to Grannie Annie’s lopsided love affair, there’s always some kind of interference ruining Jodi’s time with her granddaughter. The writing is serious yet delivered in a humorous way. There’s alot of details about everything, some could be done without to make it flow a little faster. Overall, it’s a fun read with a big twist within all the other twists poor Jodi has to deal with.

A HUGE thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of this amazing book!

Have you ever read a book that you connected to on such a level, it feels like it was written just for you? Who Loves You Best is that book for me. Now let me say - there were LOTS of things in this book that are nothing like my life, but there were so many things that I just felt in my heart, I could have been Jodi, the MC.

Who Loves You Best is just an absolute gem of a book with so many life lessons and messages. On the surface it's about a grandma learning to accept the other grandmothers in her granddaughter's life. But it's so much more than that. It's about mother/daughter relationships, keeping the connection to your grandchildren when you're 1000s of miles apart, understanding that there's often more to a person than just what you see, finding friendships in the unlikeliest of places, taking control of your own life, and when you see that someone needs a friend, be a friend. I could go on and on! I've never seen an author tuck so much into 250ish pages!

Some little personal side notes:
You simply CAN NOT help someone understand the love they will have for their grandchildren. It's something you just have to experience for yourself. There's a passage that says grandmothers are chemically drawn to their grandchildren. I 1000% know this to be true. I can't explain it. It just is. The MC comments that there's nothing finer than the scent of a child - the world's most beautiful fragrance. I 1000% know this to be true also. I know what Jodi was feeling; I live nowhere near my babies and I struggle every day with feeling like I'm not doing enough for them and that I'm missing out on their small moments. But I'm pretty sure they know Who Loves Them Infinity. ❤️

This is the first book I've read by Marilyn Simon Rothstein. I promise I will be reading the rest in 2025!

This one wasn’t for me at all. It follows a grandmother that lives out of state from her granddaughter. She wants nothing more than to spend more time with her. She finally gets the chance and is met with two other grandmas with their own quirks that she has to deal with. She learns something about herself along the way.

This is a very character driven story. I didn’t really like any of them. I found myself annoyed at some of the behavior. Definitely not a story for me, but try it out if you can relate more to the story.

This is a tough one for me to rate, because it's not particularly bad. It just wasn't my cup of tea. I am an admitted plot girly, and at its heart this is a book about female connection. This is more of a character driven book. Some people love that, but for me I simply suffer through it. I simply think I wasn't the target reader for this book.

There were a couple lines I liked "you don't stretch before you run" / "no I just jump right into it before I change my mind." And a couple I hated re: joking about a man having relations with a "twelve" year old (the age was a joke, as a insult to the man - the woman was his age) which gave me major ick. Literally any other consenting age would have gotten the point across.

This isn't something I would recommend to anyone personally. But if youre looking at this review, I'd recommend it if you like character focused books with all the keynotes of a Hallmark movie.

Thank you @marilynsimonrothstein @amazonpublishing @netgalley and @suzyapprovedbooktours for the #gifted ebook.

WHO LOVES YOU BEST is a fun, humorous and heartfelt story of family and friendship. Jodi is a 67 years young podiatrist living in Florida with her husband who was forced into retirement. Jodi drops everything to go to Maine to watch her granddaughter Macallan for a week while her daughter Lisa is away for business. She is excited to spoil and spend time alone with Macallan.
Little did she know that she would have to fight to spend time with Macallan with two other grandmas. Di is Lisa's MIL and is a narcissistic real estate agent and Grandma Annie is a 27 year old living with Di's ex-husband.

The characters are relatable and the story is well written. As you can imagine, the three grannies clash with their very different and colorful personalities. I enjoyed Jodi's internal dialogue that always made me laugh. Di slowly won me over and Grannie Annie I just wanted to give her a hug. This is a realistic and witty story of what it is like to be a grandparent and learning to put yourself first. If you would like to read story that is guaranteed to make you laugh, I highly recommend WHO LOVES YOU BEST.

What a happy surprise this book was! I loved Jodi and her adventures when babysitting Callie and the interesting modern family they have. My only gripe is that I need to know what happens next!

This book made me feel so blessed to be close to my family and it made me miss my Nani so much <3

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my e-ARC of Who Loves You Best!

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
👵🏻 are a grandmother
👀 enjoy multiple POVs
⏰ wish that you had done things differently
😆 love to laugh

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

For Jodi Wexler, a Florida doctor with a flourishing practice, only one thing’s missing: the chance to spend more time getting to know her eight-year-old granddaughter, Macallan.

When Jodi’s restauranteur daughter asks her to watch Macallan in the Berkshires while she takes care of some business out of town, Jodi can’t say yes fast enough. Neither Jodi’s podiatric patients nor her just-fired, suddenly retired husband can keep her away. But when Jodi arrives, she discovers she’s not the only grandma at Lisa’s house. Lisa’s mother-in-law, Di―a hard-nosed real estate agent―has moved into the house. What’s more, there’s Grannie Annie, the twenty-seven-year-old girlfriend of Lisa’s oddball father-in-law. They’re not the only surprises. Lisa’s marriage is faltering even as her new restaurant is taking off.

As the competition for Macallan’s attention among the three “grandmas” increases, Lisa drops a bomb about her life that changes everything. Under pressure, and determined to help her daughter, Jodi must choose her next step. Her decision surprises everyone―Jodi, most of all.

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

This was such an emotional roller coaster of a read! I am not a grandma yet, but I could really understand each of these women’s POVs. The struggle to be there for people, to make sure that you’re in their life often enough. It’s especially hard when we don’t live near them. This definitely made me think a lot about how I want to be when I am older and my sons have children of their own. This book also made me laugh a lot, which I always love!

I loved Jodi’s character and found her internal monologue to be humors at times. What she wanted to say verse what she did say to some people I found relatable. I felt like it showed a realistic version of the grandparent/parenting styles. The way Jodi raised Lisa is different than how Lisa is raising Macallan, and I liked how Jodi was mindful of that but also wanted to give Macallan good memories. There was some family drama that wasn’t over the top but I never knew where the plot was going which made it even more enjoyable. It had a satisfying ending and I loved the growth of some of the character.

Thank you @marilynsimonrothstein @suzyapprovedbooktours for the gifted copy

I really love this story about family. Families come in all shapes and sizes, and sometimes get confusing, but in the end everyone wants whats best for family. I love seeing these grandmas bond over that. I have to admit that the daughter, lisa, was not my favorite character, i found her quite unlikeable and im also not sure if her extra part of the story was really necessary for this to be a good book. However, all of it was well written and easy to read and the story was relatable and likeable.

Thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review

I really wish I liked this more. Instead, I found it boring, cringy, and really annoying. When I read the synopsis, I was expecting an epic, action-packed story. However, when I read this, I was hit with foot-fetish humor on the first few pages, which made it harder to read. In addition to that, almost every character is extremely selfish and self-absorbed, including Macallan's mother, Lisa. After all, who names their child after an alcoholic beverage? At the beginning of the story, Jodi is mommy-shamed by Lisa for feeding her infant formula and is teasingly questioned as to why she didn't breastfeed. This was done by Lisa, who is a neglectful mother herself who cares more about her restaurant business than her child. Macallan is the nicest character, but nobody cares much for her. I didn't like the ending either.

We get into the weeds with the drama of grandparenting and the precarious tight rope of prioritizing family vs self.

I think this would make a great book club read. It’s funny, timely, and has subjects that would lead to interesting discussions.

The main character, Jodi, is a 67 year old podiatrist that lives in Florida. She clears her work schedule to be the grandma to babysit her 8 year old granddaughter, Macallan in Maine.

When Jodi gets there thinking she is THE babysitter, she finds that she is one of three “grannies” that are hovering around. Jodi is also upset by the fact that her daughter, Lisa, does a quick dash out of town without a lot of discussion about what’s happening in Lisa’s life.

Jodi is also dealing with her husband who is back in Florida and is out of sorts because he was fired from his corporate job.

I felt like this book has a lot of authentic elements about having adult children and being an out of town grandparent. The read also does a nice job as the three “grannies” find their grove together.

Oh my gosh, this was such a refreshing book full of laughs and the knowledge that you didn't have to figure out exactly what you want out of life at a young age.

Jodi gets the chance to go spend some time with her grandchild in the Berkshires. She expects to be the one to dote on Macellan but she has to share a house (reluctantly ) with her daughter's mother in law, Di. This leads to some wacky situations, a big blowout, and even more surprises you won't expect.

Di was so over the top and I was constantly laughing at her ideas and the way she behaved. I eventually felt for her as some things were revealed near the end. "Grandma Annie" was such an interesting character (given her age) and I was just kind of in love with her.

3.5 stars

A somewhat quirky account of a grandmother who travels far to help care for her 8 year old granddaughter. Jodi is a professional who leaves her podiatry business and her depressed and recently made redundant husband when her daughter calls for assistance.

She and her daughter have a prickly if affectionate relationship. Her son in law is living and working in another city and Jodi isn't sure about the status of their marriage. But the real upset comes when she arrives to bask in some grandma time and finds two other women already there -- her daughter's mother-in-law Diandra and her son-in-law's father's young girlfriend!

The three snipe and jockey for position while events unfold. At times this feels like a situation comedy but the three eventually come to appreciate each other and their roles and individually adapt their styles. There is some comedy, some poignancy and a lot of introspection. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a fun read about three women competing for the role of grandma. Jodi who is the main character has decided to drop everything to go be with her granddaughter when she gets a call from Lisa asking for her help. Excited to do this, it is hardly what she expected. First her husband drops the bombshell that he has been fired and now she worries about leaving him alone and then when she gets to the Berkshires she realizes she is not the only grandma there for Macallan. Di, the loud mother in law of Lisa is there, since she has made plans for her hour to be occupied with guests and this twenty seven year old who is entangled with Di's ex, is also there and called Grannie Annie as well. Odd?! Jodi is quickly learning she is the odd one out, being in FL and hardly around. She has been demoted as the grandma Macallan hardly sees. All three feel they have Macallan's best interest at heart, but it's a struggle as they all clash and fight over what is best. Then Lisa drops a bombshell and Jodi is also starting to realize things about her life and what she wants. Can these women all pull together for what's best for Macallan as well as being there for each other and Lisa? This was a funny heartfelt read. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the complementary ebook and to Suzy Approved Book Tours for the invite.

whilst I appreciate the concept, the characters were far too annoying for me to enjoy this fully - for me there's a fine line between flaws and annoyance

This book ended up being deeper than I expected. Yes, it was ridiculous at times, for sure, but in the end it was all about the heart. The heart all 3 "grandmas" had for Callie.

It's weird to think sometimes of who really has the most impact on you growing up. Of course, you assume your parents, and any siblings, but what about the "others" who nurture you in some way or another?

I'm glad I read this book as it made me think more about those special people in my life.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I’m loving these authors choosing to have an older MC. I am really appreciative of this trend.

Jodi is getting closer to retirement and travels to watch her granddaughter and finds much more than she bargained for. She is in the midst of family drama while also reevaluating where her life is heading.

It’s a really good book club book as there are so many things to discuss. Jodi and her relationships with her daughter, granddaughter, husband, her son in law’s mother and other people she meets on her trip.

It’s a whole lot of unexpected from the MC to all the wholesome and heartfelt interactions between the characters. In addition to the older MC I also loved how honestly her granddaughter was written.

Making yourself a priority is definitely something we can all strive for.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in return of my honest review.

I was excited to read this highly rated book but sadly it wasn’t to be for me.
I persevered with this for a couple weeks longer than I normally would, hoping I would become more absorbed in the story and characters. I found the characters self-absorbed and unrelatable. The story line didn’t seem to go anywhere and sulked from one whinge to another which fell flat for me.
Clearly I am not the target audience for this book, and also I’m clearly an outlier in my experience as many have given rave reviews.