From the author of Husbands and Other Sharp Objects comes a witty, bighearted novel about the happy accidents that lead to love and second chances.
Forty-one years old, the last of her friends to marry, and down to a size 12, Lauren Leo is in her gown and about to tie the knot. There’s just one thing missing: the groom. With one blindsiding text, Lauren is unceremoniously dumped at the altar.
In the aftermath, her mother is an endless well of unsolicited advice (Stay on your diet and freeze your eggs). Her sisters only add to the Great Humiliation: one is planted on Lauren’s couch while the other is too perfect.
Picking her heart up off the floor, Lauren turns to her work in advertising as she gathers courage to move on and plan her next step. She should know by now that nothing in life goes according to plan. What lies ahead is the road to self-acceptance and at long last feeling worthy. With a new way to measure love and success, Lauren chucks her scale—and finds a second chance in the most unexpected place.
Marilyn Simon Rothstein is the author of Lift and Separate, winner of the Star Award presented by the Women’s Fiction Writers Association for Outstanding Debut. Husbands And Other Sharp Objects is her second novel.
Marilyn grew up in New York City, earned a degree in journalism from New York University, began her writing career at Seventeen magazine, married a man she met in an elevator, and owned an advertising agency for more than twenty-five years. Marilyn received an MA in liberal studies from Wesleyan University and an MA in Judaic studies from the University of Connecticut. She enjoys speaking at book festivals and community events.
Poor Lauren. It’s her wedding day and her skittish groom just bailed. Apparently in a Zen-like moment of enlightenment, deciding he wasn’t mature enough to get married. (I believe he just proved his point)! Left heartbroken and humiliated Lauren dives into the one thing she enjoys most… her work.
During her commute her car slides off the road (this girl just can’t catch a break!) leaving her with a badly fractured wrist. Her boss thoughtfully arranges for the company car to be at her disposal, taking her anywhere she needs to go. Not your average car though. This vehicle comes with a special accessory…a very handsome driver.🚙😉
A cute, quick read. But it lacked a bit of spark and snarkiness that I always hope for. I was expecting more of a rom com from the cover art. I’d say this read more like a straight-up contemporary read. Overall still an enjoyable read.
I have meant to get to Husbands and Other Sharp Objects for quite some time now and reading Crazy To Leave You made me realize that I really need to stop putting it off! I loved Marilyn Simon Rothstein's writing style, and the mix of humor, romance, and serious subjects hit all the right notes for me. I loved the fact that Lauren is in her 40s, which isn't really a POV I get to read from too often, and she also felt incredibly real and relatable. I couldn't remember what this book was about, so the shock of her getting left at the alter via text was very real for me, and I think because of not remembering the synopsis, I got quite a few surprises. Another great thing about Lauren is that she is so good at her job, and she is the kind of fierce, loyal, and frank character I love to see in my books.
The story is told completely from Lauren's POV and through her eyes we get to see how her relationship with her friends, sisters, and mom all affect her life and how she views herself and her weight. There is some romance in Crazy To Leave You for sure, but I felt like this was only a very small part of the actual storyline. I thought the pacing was perfect throughout, and this was a really quick read that I finished in just a couple of days. The end definitely left my eyes a little misty, and this is a book I could totally see being made into a movie. You watch Lauren get more and more assertive as the story goes on, and I loved seeing her growth both in her personal and professional life. I highly recommend Crazy To Leave You to all fans of women's fiction, romcoms, romance, or anyone who just needs someone to root for and a good laugh.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
(Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for a honest review)
Publication date: 24 May 2022 Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
2.5⭐
Plot
Lauren Leo, a 41 year old finally managed to loose weight and step her foot on the wedding altar, only to have her fiancé dump her at the last minute. This drives her down a tangled and confusing life journey where we see her battling her self-destructive tendencies and eating disorder inclinations. To add onto the problems she has, her family also creates additional trouble for her which she has suffered with her entire life. What will Lauren discover when she ditches her scale in favor of a new way of measuring love and success?
Thoughts
I liked that this book tackled various important issues such as eating disorders and body shaming which is very relevant in our community now. It's not often that you get an older FMC's pov and I think it made the experience of reading it a little more personal. The romance isn't a big subplot because the book focused more on her journey of self-love. Lauren had good character development through the book as I read the chapters.
However the writing style just made it difficult for me to be absorbed into the book. It took me a couple of tries to pick up the book again. I also felt that the plot was a little disorganised where the focus of the book changed a few times and I didn't know what was the intention of the book.
Please check your trigger warnings (toxic family, body shaming, abandonment, cheating) and especially regarding eating disorders while reading this book because this book has quite a few descriptive lines.
It’s a good thing that I read this book in the privacy of my home—otherwise strangers might have been startled and confused by my sudden bursts of laughter, often followed by a sigh and even some tears. Crazy to Leave You features Marilyn Simon Rothstein’s sharp wit and hilarious sense of humor, but there is also poignancy and a wide range of emotions. Along with the laughs, there is so much to unpack in this novel. The main character, Lauren, is left at the altar, and as she is reeling from the Great Humiliation, she realizes that life doesn’t always go according to plan—not just for her, but for her loved ones, as well. Lauren, her sisters, her parents, and her friends, are all dealing with pain, disappointment, and humiliation, and I loved being with them on their journeys to find self-worth and acceptance and healing. My favorite character in the book was Rudy, a driver who is hired to take Lauren to appointments and meetings after she is injured. Rudy adds so much warmth, understanding, and compassion to the story, and I loved the conversations he and Lauren had as he drove her around in his Escalade.
What does the world need now? LAUGHTER. Read this book for the perfect escape!
My review: Rothstein does it again with a hilarious, laugh-out-loud rendition of one woman's journey from being jilted at the altar to finding herself and true love. We need more laughter today, and this one hits all the right notes.
This was exactly the book I needed to read this week while stuck at home in isolation! It was fun, witty, insightful, beautifully written and featured a fabulous cast of characters. I may have even fallen in love with a certain driver... (can't say more, no spoilers allowed!) This is the first book of Rothstein's that I've read, and it certainly won't be the last.
Lauren Leo is 41 years old and her now ex-fiancé just left her, on the day of their wedding. This sends her down a chaotic and complex rabbit hole and we see her fighting to overcome her self-destructive behaviour and tendencies to binge eat, which is something that she happens to have dealt with throughout her entire life.
Lauren’s relationship with food is a huge part of the story and her evolution did seem both realistic and believable, though I found it somewhat unpleasant that this was of such big importance to the plot of the novel. The first few chapters of this novel was filled with very vivid depictions of disordered eating that I at times had to force myself to read through, and that kind of put me off from the story.
Other than her fighting to overcome her negative self-image and the disordered eating, Lauren as a main character fell flat to me. She had all of these horrible people around her that kept pretending to want to best for her but who at the same time always behaved in the most condescending way possible. Her parents, her sister, and her ex-parents-in-law were all annoying and treated her like she was a child, which was probably so easy for them because Lauren didn’t stand up for herself. Personality plays a huge role here but at the age of 41 I expected for her to be able to speak up and set some boundaries, and maybe even cut ties with the people who have been treating her horribly for years.
It’s clear how Marilyn Simon Rothstein in this novel tries to shine light on diet culture and how destructive this can be. This is an incredibly important life lesson and is of course something that needs to be talked about more, though this novel wasn’t my favourite attempt at getting this message across. And with a novel about finding yourself and regaining confidence in yourself and your abilities, I expected for a better connection to the main character, which i unfortunately didn’t find here.
This ARC was kindly provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Questo libro è un completo disastro, lo stile di scrittura è infantile, tipico di uno scolaro di seconda elementare (mia nipote, terza elementare, scrive già in modo più articolato e fa un miglior uso di frasi principali e subordinate), non è altro che una lista di frasi brevi, composte da soggetto,verbo e complemento...Mi alzai. Feci colazione con un caffè. Il telefono squillò. Era mia sorella. Io Risposi. "Come stai? Disse mia sorella. "Bene, grazie" risposi... oltre 300 pagine così, terribilmente noioso e illeggibile. La trama è inconsistente: un donna viene lasciata dal fidanzato all'altare e da allora, leggiamo semplicemente dei dialoghi insulsi con il resto della sua famiglia, con un paio di amiche/conoscenti e con quello che alla fine (ma che sopresona!), diventerà il suo nuovo fidanzato. Per il resto, il vuoto cosmico. *** This book is a complete disaster, the writing style is childish, typical of a second grade schoolboy (my niece, third grade, already writes in a more articulate way and makes better use of main and subordinate sentences), it is nothing more than a list of short sentences, consisting of subject, verb and complement ... I got up. I had a coffee for breakfast. The phone rang. She was my sister. I replied. "How are you? Said my sister." Well, thank you "I replied ... over 300 pages like that, terribly boring and unreadable. The plot is inconsistent: a woman is left by her boyfriend tyhe day of theri weeding, and ever since, we simply read silly conversations with the rest of her family, with a couple of friends / acquaintances and with whom in the end (what a big surprise!), will become her new boyfriend. For the rest, the cosmic void.
If, like me, you like to finish what you start…don’t start this book! I really enjoyed Husbands and Other Sharp Objects but this was a huge miss for me. I feel like I wasted a bunch of time that I wish I could have back.
I enjoyed this! It was a quick read with many life lessons in the mix, so sweet but also touching.
Main themes that I absolutely adored revolved around overcoming heartbreak, second chances with love, learning to love yourself, embracing women empowerment .
There are a few triggers to be mentioned: being left at the altar, car accidents, cheating, body shaming and binge eating. I do however feel these topics were perfectly and respectfully handled so hats off to the author.
This book was highly entertaining, but the plot was a bit scattered. The whirlwind of Lauren picking herself up after the wedding and rebuilding her relationships was a bit all over the place in the beginning, but I started to fall in love with the book because of her sarcastic banter with Rudy. I admire the elements of development that was added, I think I would have enjoyed the book more though if the main focus was just the romance.
I think a lot of readers will relate to Lauren, and the tenacity she showed is so empowering! Can’t wait to read more of this author in the future.
A hilarious, feel-good novel with a forty-something heroine who discovers life begins when she's dumped at the altar. Via text. While squeezed into a size-twelve wedding dresses.
I loved watching Lauren blossom as she took on the male hierarchy in her advertising agency, reclaimed her life from decades of weight-shaming by her mother, and allowed herself to trust in a budding friendship with her handsome company driver, Rudy.
While on the surface this is a laugh-out-loud romp about dysfunctional families, the bond of sisters, and second chances at love CRAZY TO LEAVE YOU also touches on serious issues of addiction. And reminds us that the grass isn't always greener on the seemingly perfect side of the street. Three cheers for Lauren. She's my new hero!
Witty, sage, and irresistible, I dare you to resist falling for Crazy To Leave You and the book’s underlying message that any woman—despite her worries and self-doubt—can navigate a world of disappointment and come out triumphant in the end.
I downloaded this book because it was on Kindle Unlimited and am so happy I did not spend any money on it. I have absolutely no idea how this book has 4 stars on Goodreads. This book was moronic, fat phobic, and naggy and the ending was idiotic. DO NOT EVEN BOTHER.
I have Rothstein's Husbands and Other Sharp Objects on my TBR about which I have read great reviews. One of the main reasons why I picked this book. Aaaaaannd I am not disappointed! (yay!)
The Story: Lauren Leo, 41, is ready to get married. Everything is in place. Except for the groom. He sends a message to Lauren's sister, telling her he cannot go ahead with the wedding. Lauren is devastated, naturally. But then her mother gives her the golden advice of "freezing her eggs and continue dieting."
Lauren has thrown her all into this marriage. She wants children and she has worked hard to lose weight. She is now a size 12. And now this.
So, Lauren does what she knows best. She gives her best to her work. Through her work, she tries to forget the heartache and disappointment. But wait, there is her mother and her two sisters to contend with. And a very attractive driver.
A perfect coming-of-age story: maybe not all that glitters is gold.
The Positives:
1. Lauren - Again, it is so refreshing to see an FMC in her 40s. With all her jaded cynicism, Lauren is what I hope to become in the next five years.
2. The plot - The twists keep coming (even though this is a romcom/coming-of-age) and each of them is resolved by the end of the book. Exactly how I like a book <*chef's kiss*>
3. Topics - When we pick a romcom, we don't expect it to tackle real issues. This one does - and does it well. First, there is Lauren's troublesome relationship with food. She eats when she is depressed and when she is happy. But she is also always aware of her weight. Second, her mother takes absolutely every chance to gaslight her. Her father is no support. Third, there is this side-story of sexism at work and how Lauren tries to overcome it unsuccessfully. Fourth, the growing obesity and diabetes and what we do to ignore the whole thing. All of these are topics we face daily and yet are silent. What would happen if we took action?
4. The writing - Even though the book is written from Lauren's POV completely, we do not get bored through the story.
5. Margo - I want a sister like Margo. I don't mind if she sleeps on my couch.
The Negatives:
1. The romance - True, Rudy was the perfect gentleman but I did not feel the VIBES!
2. The mother - What is it with her? Fat-shaming everyone seemed to be her hobby.
3. Lauren - Yes, I had to mention this here. Lauren is a 41-year-old high-flying advertising executive yet sometimes I felt I was reading the account of a teenager.
Overall, great book. The humour is incisive and elicits laughs (though more of the cynical "Ha!" variety). I WILL read Rothstein's other books because I think she is good.
4 stars.
Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC.
Solid Tale Of Discovering Yourself In Mid-Life. There is an overarching theme through many of the lower-starred reviews (at least as I read Goodreads early on release day, just after finishing the book myself) that they "didn't know where this tale was going". To me... *this is the very point of the book*. Our main character suddenly finds herself directionless after what she thought she had in the bag collapses around her, and we get to watch as she picks up the shattered pieces and rediscovers herself - and discovers her voice for possibly the very first time - in the aftermath. In this, Rothstein does a truly tremendous job of having a solid combination of support and antagonism - often in the same supporting characters. Thus showing that *everyone* is flawed to some degree, but also that *everyone* is good to some degree as well. The banter is great, the emphasis on her time at summer camp as a teen is excellent nostalgia reminiscent of Wet Hot American Summer, the slow burn romance is well executed, and even the very serious issues discussed - workforce discrimination (though never truly fleshed out there), diet "culture", overbearing but well intentioned parents, etc - are done well, with just enough weight to give substance without becoming truly overbearing. Very much recommended.
This story was a great fun read! Thank you Marilyn Simon Rothstein for choosing me as a winner in a contest and sending me an autographed book, along with a few bookmarks.
CRAZY TO LEAVE YOU by Marilyn Simon Rothstein Lake Union Publishing Pub Date: May 24
Marilyn Simon Rothstein's books keep me in stitches as characters and their families struggle with crazy challenges. Her latest follows this charming signature style and kept me happily engaged from page one.
Lauren, 41, finally makes it to the altar, the last of her friends to get there, when she is dumped by text. The horror! And just when she reaches size 12, alas.
She deals with a judgmental mother, two sisters with their own issues, and as Lauren struggles to recover, she wonders, "Will I ever succeed?"
But she turns to her job with fervor, even when it threatens to swamp her. And as she shows grit and wit in dealing with life's lemons -- and chucks that scale for good -- we grow to love her and pray she gets the second chance she truly deserves.
Perfect for readers who love hilarious tales with relatable MCs. A treat!
Thanks to the author, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.
I have read Marilyn Simon Rothstein's books since her first, and I've loved each of them. I think Crazy to Leave You might be my favorite thus far. It has the sense of mortification of the bride (41) being left at the alter, a mother who seems to think her daughter's worth is set by the scale, sibling issues (also in part created by mom) and laughter. It made me think of the adage of not knowing what others might be going through until you walk in their shoes. Perfect lives aren't exactly as they seem, distance by one sibling is for reasons that aren't as clear as appear on the surface, and along the way, Lauren learns that she has to value herself before others will value her. I loved the characters in this book (and those I didn't love were well done.) This book is a light read with a lot of good insight. Highly recommended. (Preorder! I think you'll be happy you did.) Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an e-ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
This was a warm and often hilarious tale about forty-one year old Lauren who gets left at the altar. Throw in a body shaming mother and two sisters all dealing with the things life can throw your way. There is also the handsome driver assigned by the company Lauren works for to drive her around. This was a fast and engaging read. A story of familiy dysfunction and second chances. This was touching as much as it was fun and quirky. A must read.
Marilyn Simon Rothstein returns with her classic blend of heartbreak and hilarity. She has quickly established herself at the top of today's best writers of humor. This, her third novel, follows on the path set in the first two where family, heartbreak, forgiveness and finding self worth are the strongest themes. Forty-one year-old Lauren journeys from humiliation to triumph and takes readers along on an unputdownable journey of laughter, tears and moments of tremendous poignancy. A must read!
I recently purchased this authors prior books, but this is the first one I have read and I made a fabulous choice.
Going in I thought this would be your typical Rom-Com but this charming and laugh out loud book, was far from typical. The author made the characters come alive and completely relatable to so many women, in regards to weight, mothers, family dynamics, work life, siblings and so many more topics that we all can relate to on some degree.
Maybe I’ve read too many contemporary romance stories lately, but this one wasn’t too memorable for me.
Lauren’s journey was nice, believable, I guess I just have a disdain for books that have to focus on a woman’s size. I get, she wanted to lose weight for her wedding, and stops dieting later on, etc. I just hate the level of importance and focus in so many stories.
On the surface, Crazy to Leave You is a funny, lighthearted story. But underlying Rothstein’s signature humor and wry, engaging voice is the shattering dilemma of every woman who has ever believed that she is not enough—not thin enough, not successful enough, not loved enough. Lauren’s journey to loving herself is one to which we can all relate. I think every book club is going to want this one!
You need to try to read Marilyn Simon Rothstein books in the privacy of your own home where no one will look at you funny when you burst into laughter. Not only does she write a humorous book but she also provides a great story line and wonderfully written characters who are facing obstacles in their lives. She provides her readers with some laughs, an important life lesson and characters that you feel like you know in real life.
Forty-one year old Lauren Leo is finally getting married. She's starved herself to fit into a size 12 dress and can't wait to show her new figure off in her bridal gown. Until...her boyfriend calls off the wedding with a text to her sister. She's totally humiliated and her dysfunctional family isn't a lot of help. Her two sisters are supportive but she has a mom who has no filter on what comes out of her mouth. She decides that her only choice is to return to her successful advertising job as soon as possible. After she's in an accident, her boss hires a driver to take her to meetings. Rudy becomes the voice of reason in Lauren's chaotic life. She begins to wonder if she was really in love with her fiancé or in love with the idea of getting married because all of her friends were married. It was fantastic to see the changes in Lauren throughout the book as she learned to accept herself, her weight issues and gains the courage to look for the next step in her life that will make her happy. Lauren is a great character and I was cheering for her to get a second chance at happiness and a fulfilled life.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Shout out to Lake Union Publishing and Marilyn Simon Rothstein.
Forty-one-year-old Lauren Leo is moments from walking down the aisle when her entire life begins to fall apart - her about-to-be-husband breaks up with her VIA TEXT TO HER SISTER'S PHONE - and leaves her at the altar.
What follows is Lauren trying to pick up the pieces while navigating work, family and body issues, and maybe kinda sorta possibly falling in love again.
While Marilyn Simon Rothstein's 'Crazy To Leave You' starts with promise, it quickly devolves into a story about a woman obsessed with her body, desperately trying to lose weight - or at least not gain back what she already lost - and fed up of her mom shaming her, but somehow also constantly does the same to her sister, Margo.
We're told time and time again how massively fat Margo is - she doesn't even want to get up off the couch to pick something up off the floor. BUT somehow also has a fledging acting career that sees her often dressed up and going out. Which definitely involves, you know, moving and stuff 🙄
Margo's character also happens to binge her way into diabetes. A convenient little side plot to make our girl Lauren feel better about herself because she's "not THAT fat" and her life isn't "that bad". (A comparison, by the way, Lauren makes constantly throughout the novel. "I thought I had problems", look at these side characters making me look and feel so much better...)
Then there's the fact that despite spending practically the entire novel not-so-lovingly mentioning Margo's fatness, Lauren of course stands up for her sister to their mom, so she can conveniently be the hero. The moment isn't dwelled on in the novel but it made me roll my eyes so hard I got a headache.
There's a message somewhere in this novel about finding your feet after heartbreak and standing up for yourself, but it is completely snowed under endless references to weight, losing weight, being obsessed with losing weight, being obsessed with food and (rather flippant) mentions of food addiction (which is very valid but which she never gets treatment for so I guess we're supposed to just 'forget' about that part and applaud Lauren's 'sheer force of will' when she starts making better food choices?!)
Whew, a mess. The book was hard to get through. I found myself zoning out by the 40% mark, and while I'm not mad I actually finished it - the last 20% or so gets good - overall, it was a big fat meh to me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This is my third book by this author, and I adore her snappy sense of humor so much! This book was quite different from her first two, but all involved immense character development from her main character and a significant emphasis in family relationships. Lauren's character arc was beautiful, and I loved reading as she came into her own, stood up to those who deserved it (I'm looking at you, Lauren's mom!), and took big risks. The secondary romance plot was absolutely adorable as was the love interest. Where can I find someone just like him? I'm already looking forward to her next book!
I am only giving this 2 stars because the writing is good, but the message it sends is misogynistic and depressing—and it’s written by a woman! Coupled with the theory that a woman can only be truly happy if she’s married and a mother, the author tries to find humor in the main character’s toxic and abusive relationships. I felt so sorry for the pusillanimous milksop, but also wanted to shake her until her teeth rattled.