Throughly enjoyed reading this witty and heartfelt story exploring the greater dynamics of family relations both blood and formed, my first book of this author.

To begin, I was skeptical of the unique, single POV of older female protagonist but Marilyn has done a spectacular job of developing Jodi’s character as she grapples with familial, personal and professional challenges. The drama and humor balanced with poignant moments make this narrative truly engaging and the characters extremely relatable.

An utterly delightful quick read with profound life lessons woven through engaging characters and entertaining family drama!

Thanking Lake Union Publishing for gifting me this ARC through NetGalley for my honest review.

I heard the authentic humor & quick wit of my friend, Marilyn Simon Rothstein, throughout as I read this. It’s such a wonderful, fun, & quick read. What Rothstein does best is write a beautiful work of contemporary fiction & add in the entertainment factor that only she can. I inhaled this book in one day. It’s one of my favorites of 2024 & Marilyn’s best yet.

Thank you, Marilyn Simon Rothstein, Lake Union Publishing, & netgalley, for my early copy! All opinions are my own.

4.5/5 stars

Who Loves You Best is my first book by this author. I would classify it as a combination between women's fiction and a humorous family drama.

The main character is 67 year old Jodi Wexler. She is a podiatrist living in Florida. She drops everything to go to the Berkshires (in Massachusetts) to take care of her 8 year old granddaughter.

This book looks at real life situations but in such a funny way. I could not put this book down. It was a quick but interesting and thought-provoking read.

There is something happening with Jodi's daughter Lisa. She owns a restaurant in the Berkshires, but needs to go to Boston. But she is very vague. When Jodi arrives there are two other grandmothers at the house. Di, a real estate agent (Lisa’s mother-in-law) and Grannie Annie (the 27 year old girlfriend of Lisa's father-in-law).

At first I could not understand why Lisa was being so secretive. And I disliked Di and Annie being around so much. There was a lot of fighting and disagreeing. However I really enjoyed all of the family drama. And I have no idea how the author did this, but by the end of the book I was completely obsessed with the granny trio (Di/Annie/Jodi).

I really liked the Jewish rep. And I liked seeing characters of all ages, including an older narrator. This book was serious yet also funny. I would definitely recommend it!

As a mother and grandmother this story really hit home with me. It was so good and made me feel so many emotions. I would highly recommend this book.

A bit too dramatic for my tastes tbh. I wasn't expecting this to be a book about three battling bubbies aka Jewish grandmothers. When podiatrist, Jodi Wexler's daughter asks her to come watch her granddaughter for a few weeks, she jumps at the chance to spend some quality time with Macallan. However she didn't expect to be competing for her granddaughter's time and affection from two other important older ladies in her life - the other grandma, a real estate agent, and the kind neighbor who acts as her stand in grandma when the real ones aren't there. Humorous with lots of family antics and old woman drama, this just kind of missed the mark for me. I could see it being a fun movie with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as two of the grandmas. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

What a cute read!!! Mothers and daughters, grandmothers and granddaughters are all explored in this fast read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Full of humor and fun I read this book in just a couple of sittings.

Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the chance to read and review this book.

“Grandmas exist to spoil grandchildren”
I loved this book about dealing with family dynamics and deciding what is best for yourself.
Jodi Wexler, a podiatrist currently living happily with her husband Jake in Florida is asked by her daughter Lisa to come and care for her granddaughter. Macallan is eight years old and Lisa needs to go away for business for a few days. Jodi puts her patients on hold to go to the Berkshires to help out. She would do anything to see her granddaughter. She believes that her role as a grandmother is to make her granddaughter happy and she goes out of her way to spoil her while there. Things get a bit awkward when Jodi arrives and is greeted not only by her daughter Lisa, but also by “Granny Annie”. Granny Annie is a 27-year-old who babysits for Macallan (Callie). Eventually, Jodi also meets the other grandmother (don’t say the “G” word to her), Di, a very pushy real estate woman.
This is a laugh out loud story that resonated with me at many times. I am also a “full-fridge person” unlike Jodi’s daughter Lisa who despite owning a restaurant, usually has an empty refrigerator.
After spending time with Callie, Jodi is anxious to return to Florida, despite her daughter Lisa wanting her to stay longer. Along the way, Jodi learns a lot about herself. She realizes that she has always put everyone else first in her life, pleasing her parents, marrying while she was young, following her husband Jake to Florida even though she had a thriving doctor’s office in New York City, taking care of her children and the household. She now wonders about herself. When will you take care of yourself and have a life of your own.

This story goes quickly with a lot of drama happening along the way. Jodi is a beloved character, who always tries to please others until it becomes impossible to make everyone happy. Her daughter Lisa is not a very likable person, thinking of herself first, and not her family. Di was my least favorite character, a know it all, who always seems to have a negative spin on everything. She is definitely not the grandmotherly type! Annie is a lost soul, looking for happiness, but is immature and needs guidance. I loved that Jodi took her under her wing to give her some much-needed advice.
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. To be published on October 15, 2024.

Who Loves You Best by Marilyn Simon Rothstein was a humorous, heartfelt and a feel-good novel.
An engaging and uplifting novel that combines humor and heart.

Another great, funny and Jewish novel from Marilyn Simon Rothstein! Marilyn’s books always crack me up and even though I’m not a mother (or grandmother) - her books are approachable and enjoyable for readers of all ages!

Jodi Weixler is a 67 year-old podiatrist with a thriving practice in Florida. Jodi has three adult children, including a daughter, Lisa, who is the mother to her only grandchild, Macallan. Unfortunately, Lisa and her family live far away from Jodi in the Berkshires and Jodi’s relationship with Macallan has been limited to a handful of visits and FaceTime calls. So when Jodi receives a phone call from Lisa asking her to watch Macallan for a week, she naturally jumps at the opportunity to get to know her only grandchild better. Things get dicey, however, when Jodi arrives only to find Macallan’s other (and extremely unpleasant) grandmother, Di, has moved in for the week. Jodi is further surprised to find Macallan’s 27 year-old babysitter, Annie, is affectionately referred to as “Grannie Annie” and spends most of her time at the house as well. Suddenly, Jodi is vying with two other grandmas for Macallan’s affection. Everything comes crashing down when Lisa drops a bomb about her life which forces Jodi to reexamine her priorities as a professional and as a grandmother longing to be closer to her grandmother.

This is an incredibly wholesome, humorous, change-of-pace read from a grandmother’s POV that quite frankly made me tear up a few times. Despite the fact that we all know how special relationships between grandparents and grandchildren are, it’s rare to read a book from a grandparent’s POV versus a grandchild’s POV. Marilyn Simon Rothstein inserts just the right amount of humor and heart in her characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this arc.

WHO LOVES YOU BEST by Marilyn Simon Rothstein is a heartwarming and engaging story of family, love and finding what is truly meaningful in life. I have adored all of this author’s previous books and this one is no exception. It has a unique storyline and is filled with heart and humor and a fun cast of characters. Sixty-seven-year-old Jodi Wexler reluctantly moved from New York to Florida for her husband. It took some time, but she has finally established her flourishing podiatry practice there and also made good friends. The only thing she misses is spending with her daughter, Lisa, and her eight-year-old granddaughter, Macallan. When Lisa unexpectedly asks Jodi to come to the Berkshires to take care of Macallan while she goes out of town, Jodi jumps at the chance. But when Jodi gets there, she is shocked to find Macallan’s other grandmother, Di, Lisa’s mother-in-law, has moved in. Jodi also learns there is another “grandma” in the picture. Grannie Annie is the twenty-seven-year-old girlfriend of Lisa’s father-in-law and is like family to Macallan. Soon the three grandmothers are competing for Macallan’s attention and love. When Lisa returns, she drops a bombshell that will change everything for this complicated family. How will the characters, especially Jodi, deal with the new situation? Even though there are some serious underlying themes, the author approached them with humor, compassion and kindness. I truly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

4.5 ⭐️

Who Loves You Best is a lovely, humorous, delightfully heart-warming story full of quirky characters and a thoroughly modern family full of women struggling with life, love, and navigating the often-outdated societal expectations that plague us all. I definitely recommend it.

Thank you Marilyn Simon Rothstein, Lake Union Publishing, Brilliance Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

What happens when 3 Grandmas are all under the same roof?⁣
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👵🏼 It’s the Clash of Nanas.⁣
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👵🏼 The Grudge of Grandmas.⁣
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👵🏼 The Battle of the Bubbes.⁣
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I dare you to read one of Marilyn Simon Rothstein’s books without laughing like a lunatic. Her witty words and charismatic characters always blend into the perfect mix of heart, humor, and snarktastic banter. ⁣
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Who Loves You Best is the perfect read of friendship and family that is riotously relatable, with hilariously genuine perspectives on aging, motherhood, and charting your own course. Chock full of wisdom and delightfully messy misadventures, this book is a refreshing celebration of all the different kinds of women in one’s life, and it made me miss my grandma in the best kind of way… and also thoroughly appreciate a really good foot joke.👣

Jodi Wexler is 67 years old, happily married, has 3 adult children and a flourishing podiatry practice in Florida. She lives a very normal life until her husband loses her job and her daughter asks her to come to the Berkshires for a week to babysit her 8-year old daughter, Macallen, while she has to go to Boston to take care of some things. Jodi jumps at this opportunity to spend time with her granddaughter and looks forward to getting to know her better. She has always regretted living so far away from her daughter’s family. When Jodi arrives at Lisa’s house, she is more than surprised to find Lisa’s mother-in-law also staying there, and then there is Annie, the 27-year old babysitter who everybody knows as Grannie Annie. The battle of the grandmothers begins.
This is the first book I read from this author, and I truly liked the writing style, it’s easy to read and full of humor. The story is slow but charming with a diversity of characters. These are your every day multi-generational family problems that most of us can relate to. I highly recommend this book.
Thank you Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing and the author for the opportunity to read this advance copy. I truly enjoy it and the above is my honest review and own opinion

Jodi Wexler is a successful podiatrist living in Boca Raton, Florida. At sixty-seven, she is happily married to her college sweetheart Jake. While life is good, Jodi wishes she was able to spend more time with her young granddaughter, who lives in the Berkshires. When her daughter Lisa asks her to visit and babysit, Jodi jumps at the opportunity for some one-on-one time with eight-year-old Camden. But once she arrives, she finds that her bonding time will be shared with Lisa’s mother-in-law, Di, who is also temporarily staying at Lisa and husband Brian's house. Plus, a young woman dubbed "Grannie Annie" seems to be there all the time. Jodi is clearly the outsider and all she wants is some quality time with Camden. But things are about to get even more tangled.

Grab a cozy blanket and snuggle up with Marilyn Simon Rothstein's Who Loves You Best. This delightful book will make you laugh, smile and shed some tears. The characters are complicated, and things get pretty messy for all of them. But count on a steady flow of great zingers from Rothstein to keep things on the lighter side. 

4.5 stars.

Who Loves You Best was very hard for me to keep reading. It was full of ethnic phrases which I was not familiar with. I did finish it, but had to put it down quite a few times in frustration. I did not enjoy the book and would not recommend it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC.

Another gem from Marilyn Simon Rothstein about grandmother, Jodi, finding her place in her granddaughter's life, competing for her affections alongside two other 'grandmothers' who live very different lives to the one she does.

It's about mothers and daughters; grandmothers; love; and home.  It's about career and work, and realising your worth.  Another great read from this author, who manages to write about families with such heart and humour and relatable insight.  I really enjoy her style and look forward to each new book she writes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read and review it, and to Marilyn for writing another great book.

Here is my feedback for who loves you best! Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book early in exchange for an honest review!!!

I wasn't sure I was going to like this when it started. I could tell the grandmas were going to be constantly bickering and fighting for attention/love, and that is not my jam. However, I stuck it out and I'm glad I did. I really ended up enjoying it. I hated Lisa; what a piece of work she was.

A story to warm your heart!
What a delightful read, I had the best time reading this funny and moving journey. A story about finding yourself in different stages of life that made me laugh, cry and smile. This is the perfect fall read.

Thank you Suzy Approved Book Tours for this tour invite.

𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 by Marilyn Simon Rothstein releases October 15, 2024.