2.5/5

this was promising at first, then it completely fell apart.

i was drawn to this book because you rarely ever follow older protagonists, but also because my mom has a similar relationship with my sister's mother in law in regards to my nephew, so i was interested to see how it would play out. then, everything got messy as the book progressed, and it lost my interest and attention. wasn't a fan of the diet talk shoved in there, either. i know it's a different generation with different beliefs, but yuck yuck yuck

thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for sending me a free arc of this book in exchange for my honest review

With crisp wit and comedic timing, Marilyn Simon Rothstein delivers a bittersweet story about life and the culmination of results that come from the decisions we make.

Jodi Wexler, a podiatrist in Florida, sees her granddaughter Callie through video calls, but geographic distance makes her feel isolated and a distant part of Callie’s life. When Jodi’s daughter calls and asks her to come watch Callie for a week while she goes out of town, Jodi rearranges her busy work schedule to fly to her daughter’s home in Massachusetts to get some hands-on grandmother time in person.

She couldn’t anticipate that her husband would get fired from his decades-long job just before she is set to leave, nor that Callie has two other women serving in the grandmother role in the very small town where they live. Jodi anticipated having Callie all to herself, but she is surprised to find Callie’s other grandmother moving in for the time Jodi is in town and that there is a twenty-something woman who helps Jodi’s daughter and spends so much time with the family that she is crowned Grannie Annie. Jodi’s daughter leaves Jodi so that she can attend to some personal business (with Callie’s father who has taken a job across the state) and abandons her to deal with the dynamics and chaos that the daughter has created in her household.

I found Jodi’s daughter to be selfish, bratty, and entitled and this part of the book made me almost put the book down. Jodi stood and endured her daughter’s treatment for Callie’s sake but I wanted the daughter to realize some harsh realities which did not materialize in the real come-uppance kind of way I was hoping for. The total experience did teach Jodi a life lesson, helping her to evaluate what she wanted for her life in her later years and making the choices that would prioritize her needs and wants after decades of putting her family’s first.

I thought this story was a tribute to grandmothers and the importance they play in our lives.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Jodi Wexler is a doctor, wife, mother, and grandmother, and she has been balancing it all for years. One thing she knows for sure is that she misses her granddaughter Macallen, who lives too far away in her opinion. When Jodi’s daughter Lisa asks her to come watch Macallen in the Berkshires while she needs to travel for business, Jodi jumps at the chance to be a grandparent involved in the day to day of her grandchild, not just someone to see on holidays and special occasions. When she steps away from her practice in Florida to help her daughter out, she gets a close up look at the “local grandma”, Di. I’m currently a mother of two young kids, around Macallen’s age, and we are close to one set of grandparents while being a bit further away from another, so I could understand and empathize with the family dynamic. I have not read many books from the perspective of a grandmother, so this was a great way to experience a new viewpoint. The book had a slow start for me, but by the end I was fully invested in the various characters (Annie is my favorite). Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Cute family book with me hoping to be a great grandmother one day. All the messed up family dynamics. Very enjoyable and breezy
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this early copy. As always my opinions are MINE!

I received a complimentary copy of this book "Who Loves You Best" and all opinions expressed are my own. This book seems to get high ratings so I guess I'm not the target audience for this one. Overall it just wasn't heartwarming or funny. I found the writing off for me.

Who Loves You Best
Marilyn Simon Rothstein

This is not the first book I have read by Marilyn Simon Rothstein, nor will it be my last. I love the way she writes. Her characters become very real to me, almost as if I was part of their lives.

Would you drop everything in your life to go stay with your granddaughter across the country? But once there you find out things about yourself that you didn’t realize were part of you. In Who Loves You Best Jodi Wexler does just that. She leaves her life in Florida, including her husband, and travels to the Berkshires to spend time with her granddaughter while her daughter goes out of town. What transpires next takes Jodi on a whirlwind journey through a variety of experiences that make her rethink her life.

I enjoy reading books by Marilyn Simon Rothstein. I will get one as soon as I know it is ready to download. She writes like it is. She creates characters that you and I could be friends with. But the story doesn’t always end the way you expect it will.

06.29.24

I found this novel hard to get through, although the premise was interesting and unique. I have never read a book before about how to grandmothers compete for a granddaughter‘s attention. I thought the writing style was choppy and I didn’t like how pessimistic everyone seemed.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

June 28, 2024
“Proof that there were all kinds of grandmas, bubbes, me-maws, and nanas”

“Willing was not wanting.”

“Never react when you can overreact.”

“Being a grandmother is different than being a mother. Being a grandmother is a lot more fun.”
This quote really hit home for me! It really is true.
I loved this story!
An interesting mix of family dynamics and drama that had me laughing. A competition between the grandmas.
A journey that takes you through the ins and outs of love, marriage, motherhood with very relatable characters.
Had me thinking about my own grandmothers.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Press for the opportunity to read this entertaining b

This book was filled with family drama and charm. It possessed light and cozy feels with a touch of humor. The story is about a Podiatrist who barley gets to see her granddaughter and takes a trip to babysit and spend time with her. The book follows the grandmas perspective which gives you a great refreshing fluffy easy quick read.

Witty and charming, Who Loves You Best was a sweet story on familial love and relationships. I enjoyed reading from the grandmother's POV as that type of POV is hard to come by. The characters were also relatable and likeable. My issue was the overall writing style which was a bit clunky at best. I liked the story but didn't like reading it, if that makes sense.

With sparkling wit and delightful heart, Marilyn Simon Rothstein brings together a colorful cast of characters in the name of familial love. You’ll laugh, smile, and cry right along with Jodi as she navigates the joys and challenges of being a 60-something wife, mother, and grandmother on the brink of a major life change. WHO LOVES YOU BEST is smart, perceptive, and poignant—the kind of book you’ll cherish.

This charming story warmed my heart from the beginning. What Grandmother wouldn’t do whatever is necessary to take care of her only granddaughter when asked. Dr. Jodi Wexler, a Podiatrist, did just that when her daughter, Lisa, called and asked her to leave her home in Florida and come to Massachusetts to care for eight-year-old Macallan while she is out of town.
Jodi’s husband, who recently lost his job, and is retired, was planning to go with Jodi, until he had an unfortunate Pickle Ball accident, so Jodi left him at home in sunny Florida, excited to be spending time with her only grandchild. She was thinking of all the things they would do together. What a surprise to find, upon her arrival, Macallan has two other grandmothers close-by. Lisa’s mother in-law, Di, was scheduled to be out of town, however, her plans changed, and she’d already offered the use of her house to others, so she was bunking at Lisa’s house too, in the only guest room. Grannie Annie was unexpected, however. At age 27, she wasn’t old enough to be anyone’s grandmother, although she truly believed she was. Grannie Annie is the live-in girlfriend of Macallan’s screwball paternal grandfather, who is divorced from Di.
There is some heavy, humorous, competition between the grandmothers regarding Macallan’s time, and activities. I had to pause reading a few times to laugh out loud. When Lisa returns home at the end of the week, she shares some shocking and unexpected news.
The interesting, fun characters in this book are lovable and unforgettable. I nearly read the book straight though – very entertaining!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All comments and opinions are my own.

Who Love you Best is an humorous novel about a busy Podiatrist grandma who doesn’t get to see her granddaughter as often as she’d like. When asked to fly from Florida to Massachusetts to babysit for a week she jumps at the chance. I really enjoyed the story, it was a quick light hearted read from a fellow grandma’s perspective.
Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book
In exchange for my honest review.

“I was a foot doctor. I chose podiatry because I loved feet. I fell for my husband when I saw his big toe. The sexiest.”

This line! Why couldn't the grandmother have another occupation that didn't involve obsessing over the feet of people around her? Other than that, it was too contemporary for me
I love that it is family-oriented, which is something rare to read about. However, It's not for me I couldn't get into it

Marilyn Simon Rothstein's newest novel, Who Loves You Best is an insightful mix of family drama and dynamics blended with humor. The characters are "real' people" who are relatable to the reader.
As I was reading, I found myself highlighting so many poignant and pertinent lines in the book:
"That was the thing about old people. We passed them up . We rarely asked questions."
"Proof that there were all kinds of grandmas, bubbes, me-maws, and nanas."
"Never react when you can overreact."
"Willing was not wanting."
The author is one of the best at making her readers laugh and shed a few tears as her character grow emotionally. Ms. Rothstein also writes for and about women of all ages and is totally relatable.
A huge thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Press for early advance reader copy of this delightful novel!

I’ll be honest, this book was off putting from the start. It managed to double down on insulting formula feeding within the first few pages, and that served no real purpose other than to make this mom feel like the book was judging her about a very normal way to feed a baby.

Overall, the writing was clunky and felt forced. It meanders to the point where the purpose is lost- they spend a full page talking about where to get dinner only for the grandma who has already established she can only cook by microwaving prepackaged food to announce that she can cook dinner.

An example of bizarre writing from the book: “I was a foot doctor. I chose podiatry because I loved feet. I fell for my husband when I saw his big toe. The sexiest.” Then goes off to something else completely different.

The fighting between the grandmas becomes a bit tiresome and, again, just feels forced.

This book has the cute idea of a grandma being able to spend time with her grandchild, but it doesn’t actually end up giving me the heartwarming feeling I was looking for. None of the characters feel genuine or realistic. I would not recommend this book. I only finished it to be able to give it a rating, but I would have stopped reading if I hadn’t been reading the book to give a review.

I loved this story!
It's funny, touching and a light read that had me swiftly reading to see how Grandma Jo was going to "be the best Grandma" to her only granddaughter after she accepts the offer to babysit while her daughter goes away to solve a dilemma.
But... nothing ever goes as it should...

If you are a Grandma, this book is definitely a must read to truly understand that all Grandma's want to be the best and to make memories like Grandma Jo.
If you are a mom, you need to read this, to understand why your mother or mother in law loves her grandchildren so much that they do almost anything to show their love.
It seems impossible now that she raised you.
Who is that woman who is now a Grandma?
If you are a person who has or had a Grandma, then read this to remember your own Grandparent.

"Being a grandmother is different than being a mother. Being a grandmother is a lot more fun." This quote tells the story!
Read it!

Thank you to @Netgalley, and @Lake Union Publishing for this ARC and allowing me to read and provide my own review.
Well done Marilyn Simon Rothstein!

Thanks to net galley for this arc! I truly disliked everyone in this book except the 27 year old grandma and the child. Everyone else was a horrible person who did horrible things. This book meandered, had no resolution and wanted us to care about characters that were barely sketched. Woof.

More books from this author please! And hurry. I feel like we have so much in common inside and out. It may have taken her years to write this book but I read it in one sitting. Still laughing.

Who Loves You Best by M.S. Rothstein is a witty and fun read. The novel, published by Lake Union Publishing gives all the feels, is witty and highly entertaining with characters you can only fall in love with. A slow burn with a 67 year old main character who's thrilled to care for her only grandchild when asked by her daughter, the mom.
And so it begins, the competition between the grannies.
" As the competition for Macallan’s attention among the three “grandmas” increases, Lisa drops a truth 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. "- Blurb.