A Relatable Struggle

The novel resonates with readers who have ever felt unseen or unappreciated. Forman portrays Maribeth's struggles with raw honesty, making her a character you can't help but root for. The pressure to be everything to everyone, the constant state of "on" – these are experiences many women will recognize.

A Fresh Start, With Questions

Maribeth's escape prompts a journey of self-discovery. As she navigates a new life, she confronts buried desires and secrets. The novel raises questions about societal expectations and the sacrifices women make. Is it ever acceptable to prioritize yourself, even if it means leaving your family behind?

Strengths

Compelling Character Development: Maribeth's transformation is both believable and inspiring. The supporting characters, though not as fleshed out, add depth and complexity to the story.
Thought-Provoking Themes: The novel tackles relevant issues like self-care, societal pressures on mothers, and the importance of communication within families.
Engaging Writing Style: Forman's prose is clear yet evocative, drawing you into Maribeth's world.
Weaknesses

Polarizing Choice: Maribeth's decision to leave might alienate some readers who find it hard to condone abandoning a family.
Focus on Maribeth: The perspectives of the other characters, particularly her husband and children, are somewhat neglected. This limits the reader's understanding of the impact of her actions.

I’m cleaning up my bookshelf and trying to give reviews for past books I’ve read. I know I read this when it came out - I gave it 3 stars on Goodreads back in 2016. I RARELY give out 4-5 stars, so it must have been a good story. Thanks for the advanced reader copy!

This novel by Gayle Forman is a heartbreaker: Maribeth Klein is so consumed by her life as a wife and a mother that she doesn't even know that her health is in a steep decline. A heart attack and the subsequent recovery compels Maribeth to leave. She moves out and rents a place on her own so she can recover in peace and without causing strife to her family. Of course that distance gives her a whole new understanding of her life and she's left with a decision to make. I read this book years ago when it came out (I never submitted my review!!) but it still lingers with me today.

Such a great book! As a mom of four I understand needing a break from time to time. This mom did what she needed to heal and get answers. How could she heal with constant worries, physical demands, stressors etc? An excellent book!!!

Thanks so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for giving me access to this book. I thought this book would be more interesting to me based on it's plot. But it just didn't catch my attention. I don't think I will be recommending it to anyone..

I'm sure everyone has fantasized about running away when they reach their breaking point. Maribeth did just that. She left. Left her husband. Left her kids. Just left. After suffering a heart attack, recovering hasn't been easy. She is still responsible for everything. So she ran away.

To a degree, I get the desire. But Maribeth did it all wrong. It made it really hard to sympathize for her. Despite my frustration with her, the book was a quick, easy read. The ending was very rushed though and left a lot of things unresolved.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book really touched my heart. I had fat, silent tears rolling down my cheeks at the end but I was smiling really big. I loved it! ❤️

I enjoy Gayle Forman as an author, and I have very much enjoyed all of her young adult titles. Typically, when she releases a book they are an automatic addition to my TBR list, and this was no exception. However, reading this made me feel uncomfortable because I could never imagine just packing up and leaving everything. Worthwhile, read, however. This one will make for great book club discussions.

I am usually such a huge fan of Gayle Forman. Her writing is so beautiful. The writing was fantastic as always in this book, but I didn't love the plot, and i strongly disliked the main character.

Thank you very much for allowing me the opportunity to read this book! I appreciate the kindness. <3

Gayle Forman is a titan of Young Adult literature and this book follows through on its promise. I know Forman books will be checked out repeatedly in my library, and I love this story. This is one I recommend often!

I finished this book and enjoyed it, but I wouldn't recommend it to most people. It was frustrating at certain parts, and the plot left me feeling unsatisfied. I would have to say it's not her best work.

Thank you for the chance to review this book, however, unfortunately, I was unable to download this title before it was archived

Thank you for the opportunity. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it past 50 pages. I will not be rating or reviewing anywhere.

Once again loved Forman's writing, but I unfortunately wasn't the biggest fan of the main character.

Personally, I did not find this story of an overworked and under-appreciated wife and mother very satisfying or believable. Due to her family's lack of care, she suffers a medical emergency, and her husband can't even bring himself to step up while she recuperates. With this in mind, the ending just made me extremely angry. I guess some people might call me vindictive, but I think I'm just aware of value—anyone with half a brain would cut ties with a business partner who so neglected their responsibilities and so devalued their partnership, so why not a spouse?

The main character was selfish and unloveable but the author truly broke through the genre wall and crossed over into adult writing.

It kept me reading, but definitely not my favorite of Gayle Forman's books. As an often busy and overwhelmed wife and mother, I found Maribeth selfish and that made me not care a whole lot about her story. In other Forman books the main characters were appealing and interesting but this one, just meh.

Well paced story that is incredibly wonderful and engaging.

Leave Me
By Gayle Forman

I haven't read Gayle Forman's YA books, but of course I've heard good things about them, so I was eager to read her first book of adult fiction. (I feel weird and grown up at the same time calling it that.) Anyway, while her writing was undeniably compelling, I found the subject slightly too close to home, having myself been a 40-something working mom with toddlers at one time. Happily, I have never had to deal with a health crisis like Maribeth's, but abandoning my children is an idea I could relate to only in theory. My own experience was more of a peculiar longing upon passing hotels — wanting to spend a long, uninterrupted night, and leave late in the morning with the bed unmade and the dirty dishes from a delicious breakfast by the door — but maybe that's just me. A lot has been said of the premise of the book, so clearly Forman has hit a nerve and sparked a conversation.

The logistics of Maribeth Klein's departure from her family and her job did not seem all that realistic to me, and the life she led in their absence strained belief, but thankfully Forman's crisp writing kept me reading. I find it hard to lose myself in a story where I do not like the main character, and honestly, I did not really like Maribeth. I can't help but think that despite what she considered compelling reasons to leave (prior to her health issues), most of these were "first world problems". Meanwhile, her husband Jason has to be the most unrealistic character of all, barely fazed by her behavior and eager to accept a good part of the blame for her abandonment. If only.

There were many things I liked about the book; many minor characters were depicted with fine detail and clarity. While I liked Maribeth's ultimate search for her adoptive mother, I felt that it should have been more of the point of her leaving, rather than the backhand way she happened upon that search. As a reader, you knew where this was going, there were just some parts along the way you might have wanted to skip.




For Goodreads:

Why I picked it — because I hadn't read a Gayle Forman book yet
Reminded me of… I Let You Go by Clare MacIntosh
For my full review — click here