This was not my favorite Amy Reichert novel—despite the wonderful title—but it's always pleasant to spend time in the worlds she creates.

4.25/5

Ever since reading The Kindred Spirits Supper Club last year, I have really wanted to read more of Amy E. Reichert's backlist, and I'm not mad that I started with The Optimist's Guide to Letting Go. While this was not a funny story like the other book, it was touching, heartbreaking, and hopeful, and did still offer me plenty of moments that put a smile on my face. There is a lot of loss in this story and so there were also many times I had tears in my eyes, but it also left me with such a sense of love and in a way, was an inspirational story as well. I loved watching the relationships between Gina and May as well as Gina and her mom Lorraine grow and change, and this was a really great generational story with a dash of secrets thrown in. Reichert digs into how keeping a large secret can change lives and the different ways we deal with grief and loss.

The audiobook is narrated by Teri Schnaubelt, and she did a superb job of getting all the emotion of the story across, as well as all the awkward moments as well. Due to the jumps between characters and time periods, I do think the audio would have benefited from having 3 narrators instead of 1 (a different person for Gina, May, & Lorraine). I did get a little confused at times as to whose point of view I was in and what the time period was, so in that sense reading The Optimist's Guide to Letting Go might be the better option. However, I still genuinely enjoyed the audiobook, and Schnaubelt is a very talented narrator, so I would still recommend checking it out. Also, the food in this book!! Grilled cheese especially, but there are so many mouthwatering descriptions of food that you might not want to go into this one hungry. I felt very invested in the characters, and they all felt so real and relatable which is just 1 of the many reasons I enjoyed this book and why I love this author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was my first Amy E. Reichert experience, and now I want to get my hands on all her other novels. Her characters are so personable and genuine. I loved going back and forth in time to learn more about Gina and Lorraine's pasts and how similar they truly were. It was interesting to see Lorraine's secret unfold and see the impact it had on her daughters. I loved the teen perspective from May, as well. I wish Vicky would get her own book at some point, as I want to see what's next in her story. The grilled cheese truck made me want a grilled cheese sandwich (which I made for dinner while reading this novel).

Overall, this was a great story. Even though there was some romance in it (mainly through flashbacks), it focused on family for the most part. If you are a newbie to Amy's books, I would recommend checking this one out first, although I heard her others are great too.

Movie casting suggestions:
Gina: Lake Bell
Vicky: Joanna Douglas
Lorraine (present): Jane Seymour
Lorraine (past): Victoria Pedretti
May: Sterling Jerins
Roza (present): Grace Zabriskie
Roza (past): Lauren Lapkus
Drew: Michael Cassidy
Floyd: Cameron Monaghan
Joe: Patrick Schwarzenegger

Intergenerational story that is sort of right where I am in my life now - totally relatable. LOVE the cover, and the optimism seeps through this heartwarming story.

A really enjoyable story about a young widow who's struggling with her own grief and her middle-school daughter's, when her very demanding, social-climbing mom suffers a stroke. In caring for her mom, Gina discovers a 40-year-old family secret that explains a lot -- and demands even more explanation. Terrific read (and great advice on making terrific grilled cheese!).

In The Optimist's Guide to Letting Go by Amy E. Reichert, Gina is just trying to get through each day. She desperately misses her late husband, dead only two years, and is struggling to know how to care for her heartbroken teenage daughter, May. Meanwhile May is frustrated that her mother doesn't seem to show any sadness at all or any attention to her. On top of all this, Gina's difficult mother, Lorraine, has had a stroke and Gina must figure out what she needs. When an earth-shifting secret is revealed and a whole lot of together time is required, everyone's perspective gets just a little bit wider.

Gina's struggles with widowhood are heartbreaking and feel very real. Add to that the perplexities of parenting a teenage daughter and it becomes so much more complicated.

..she wanted more than anything to be a good mother. She wanted to be a mommy, or a ma, or a mama. Not the cold "Regina" May had taken to using the last year...when she deigned to address her at all. Gina missed the unconditional love of a baby.

Gina then strives to know how to care for an ailing mother that she never felt cared that much for her. A lifetime of biting criticism and harsh judgement has left Lorraine and Gina unknown to one another.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a quick, easy read about characters who were easy to like, or at least understand. Everyone has secrets- from each other or from themselves. This book explores a bit about what happens when they are finally revealed.
Add this one to your summer reading list.

Gina has a happy life running her food truck and raising a (currently) sullen teenage daughter. Her mother suffers a stroke and turns from a crotchety old woman into a relentlessly chipper one. Gina and her sister stumble upon a family secret and then become determined to track down the details.

I had such a good time reading this. It was great to see the mother/daughter perspective. Grief can hurt people in so many different ways. Thank you for allowing me to read this.

The Optimist's Guide to Letting Go is a multigenerational story of family relationships and secrets long hidden. I love Amy Reichert's writing!

A good parallel story of a mother and daughter. Very Gilmore esque. I didn't care as much for this one as a few of her others but it was good.

A novel about family, twisted pasts, love, sadness, forgiveness, gratitude everything that could make a novel a favorite all wrapped in humor and heart.

Heartwarming. Story about a woman who is doing the best she can following the death of her husband. Both her daughter and her mother are difficult and rather unlikeable but as the story unfolds, we start to understand all the characters better and they start to understand each other as well. Liked the growth of the characters, the heart, and the grilled cheese sandwiches!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a free e-ARC of this book.

I was really looking forward to Amy Reichert's latest book and this did not disappoint. I enjoy "food fiction" and I think this would appeal to anyone else who likes to read this genre.

A very emotional mother-daughter story that pulls at your heart strings.When Lorraine suffers a sudden stroke, her daughter Gina stumbles upon a family secret Lorraine's kept hidden for forty years. I truly loved and was invested in the well-being of these likable characters, even more so as they tried to heal and find meaning and hope.

3.5

Two sister's try to navigate life after their mother has a debilitating stroke.

I thought this was simply delightful. Such an honest story about mother, daughter and sister relationships. About what we bring to the table - both in strengths and weaknesses. About pulling together while learning to let go. I liked all the characters and thought this was both heart-warming and uplifting.

My thanks to Gallery Books and Netgalley.

I love reading anything by Amy Reichert! She has a way with feelings and food that make me want her as a best friend. Her latest book is endearing and meaningful and honest. We’ve got the matriarch the Lovely Lorraine and the daughters Gina and Vicky. Momma Lorraine has kept a secret for decades and she is stuck because her secret is coming out and she is powerless to stop it. Gina is a grieving widow and can’t seem to do anything well unless she has a list and a routine. Her daughter May is struggling too. Loved the storyline and was rooting for these strong women. Highly recommend!

This was a really good book. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline. I would read more books from this author in the future.

The Optimists Guide to Letting Go by Amy E. Reichert is a touching story about three generations of women and how they relate, imitate, and let go. Lorraine is the matriarch who has a secret past life that her daughters know nothing about, and only discover after she has a stroke. Gina is the daughter who is unknowingly following in her mother’s footsteps. And May is the granddaughter dealing with her father’s death and growing up. The novel is set in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which was fun for me since I grew up in that part of the state, but was also just a little bit exotic compared to many contemporary novels set in the same old larger cities.

This book was a bit of a challenge for me to read, since my dad had a stroke a year ago. I ended up putting the book down for about 2 months before coming back to try to read it again. I am so glad I did. The story starts a bit slow, but once I was about a third of the way into the story I was caught up in the women’s lives and finished the book in two or three days.

I thought the structure of the book was really beautiful, the chapters divided into sections based on a series of questions that Gina wants to ask her mom. Each section contains three chapters told from the point of view of each of the different generations of women. Their stories are compelling. Lorraine and Gina’s stories are often told through flashbacks that shed light onto current circumstances. The deeper into the novel you get the more you see the effect of life choices by one woman on the next generation. The books ends with a happy/sad ending that leaves the reader feeling more hopeful about life than when the book began.

I am giving this novel 4 stars because it was slow to start and allowed me to put it down for a while. Now that I am finished with the novel, I plan to go back and read more by this author.

A very sweet and fun book that addresses some difficult subjects. The lives of three generations of women are affected by choices over the years, and how they treat each other in the present and feel about each other is a huge factor. They must learn to let go of the past and secrets in order to have a good future.

Must-read women’s fiction: ‘Limelight,’ ‘Best Beach Ever,’ ‘How to Walk Away’ and ‘The Optimist’s Guide to Letting Go’


By: Leigh Davis | May 17, 2018 12:00 am


May, the harbinger of summer, is as busy a month as June, July and August, filled with graduations, parties, gardening, lawn work and planning for summer activities. But don’t let all these events derail your reading, because there are some great May novels that you won’t want to miss. Plus, you deserve to reward yourself after sitting through 500 names being called for just that one special one.

Here are some perfect books for your well-deserved “me” time …

Limelight by Amy Poeppel

What it’s about:

In a smart and funny new novel by the author of the critically acclaimed, “big-hearted, charming” (The Washington Post) Small Admissions, a family’s move to New York City brings surprises and humor as their lives merge with the captivating world of Broadway.

Allison Brinkley—wife, mother, and former unflappable optimist—discovers that a carefully weighed decision to pack up and move her family from suburban Dallas to the glittery chaos of Manhattan may have been more complicated than she and her husband initially thought.

Allison learns that New York is unruly and bewildering, defying the notions she developed from romantic movies and a memorable childhood visit. After a humiliating call from the principal’s office and the loss of the job she was counting on, Allison begins to accept that New York may not suit her after all.

When Allison has a fender-bender, witnessed by a flock of mothers at her son’s new school, she is led to the penthouse apartment of a luxurious Central Park West building and encounters a spoiled, hungover, unsupervised teenager who looks familiar. It doesn’t take long to recognize him as Carter Reid—a famous pop star who has been cast in a new Broadway musical. Through this brush with stardom, Allison embraces a unique and unexpected opportunity that helps her find her way in the heart of Manhattan.

Why you should read this: There is no doubt — Amy Poeppel is an exceptional storyteller. Her first book, Small Admissions, was simply charming, as is this one. Allison, a former teacher and mother of three, uses her experience, intuition and training to attempt to manage bad boy Carter Reid as she also deals with helping her children adjust to the move from Texas to New York City. Poeppel’s story of domestic life is filled with humor, outrageous scenarios, genuine family relationships, while avoiding clichés. Her biggest strength is bringing the characters to life and making you care about them, so much so that you just hope that there might be a glimpse of them again in future stories.

Best Beach Ever by Wendy Wax

What it’s about:

Forced to rent out or lose their beloved Bella Flora after the loss of their renovation-turned-reality-TV show Do Over, Maddie, Nikki, Avery, Kyra, and Bitsy move into cottages at the Sunshine Hotel and Beach Club believing the worst is over. Only to discover just how uncertain their futures really are.

Maddie struggles with the challenges of dating a rock star whose career has come roaring back to life while Nikki faces the daunting realities of mothering twins at forty-seven. Avery buries herself in a tiny home build in an attempt to dodge commitment issues, and Kyra battles to protect her son from the Hollywood world she once dreamed of joining. And Bitsy is about to find out whether the rewards of seeking revenge will outweigh the risks.

Luckily, when the going gets tough, the ladies of Ten Beach Road know that their friendship—tried and tested—can chase away the darkest clouds and let the sun shine in…

Why you should read this: Don’t you just eagerly await the next installment in the Ten Beach Road Series? From the very first book, this cast of characters captured our attention. In this newest release, Kyra faces her biggest challenge, allowing her son to act in a movie, directed by his married father and his wife. The joy of the book is that we catch up with all the characters and the new challenges that they face. Wax has the talented ability to give her characters their happy ending, but still show the realistic challenges facing them as they move forward. And don’t you just love the wonderful sense of karma running throughout the book?

How to Walk Away by Katherine Center

What it’s about:

Margaret Jacobsen is just about to step into the bright future she’s worked for so hard and so long: a new dream job, a fiancé she adores, and the promise of a picture-perfect life just around the corner. Then, suddenly, on what should have been one of the happiest days of her life, everything she worked for is taken away in a brief, tumultuous moment.

In the hospital and forced to face the possibility that nothing will ever be the same again, Maggie must confront the unthinkable. First there is her fiancé, Chip, who wallows in self-pity while simultaneously expecting to be forgiven. Then, there’s her sister Kit, who shows up after pulling a three-year vanishing act. Finally, there’s Ian, her physical therapist, the one the nurses said was too tough for her. Ian, who won’t let her give in to her pity, and who sees her like no one has seen her before. Sometimes the last thing you want is the one thing you need. Sometimes we all need someone to catch us when we fall. And sometimes love can find us in the least likely place we would ever expect.

Why you should read this: Katherine Center writes amazing heartwarming stories. If you haven’t read her, you’ll be excited to discover that she has a backlist. While she definitely puts her characters through the wringer — this story is filled with a tragic scenario — in Center’s expert hands, it becomes more about family and less about loss. A marvelous example of acceptance and healing and a celebration of family — warts and all. (See an interview on HEA with Katherine.)

The Optimist’s Guide to Letting Go by Amy E. Reichert

What it’s about:

Gina Zoberski wants to make it through one day without her fastidious mother, Lorraine, cataloguing all her faults, and her sullen teenage daughter, May, snubbing her. Too bad there’s no chance of that. Her relentlessly sunny disposition annoys them both, no matter how hard she tries. Instead, Gina finds order and comfort in obsessive list-making and her work at Grilled G’s, the gourmet grilled cheese food truck built by her late husband.

But when Lorraine suffers a sudden stroke, Gina stumbles upon a family secret Lorraine’s kept hidden for forty years. In the face of her mother’s failing health and her daughter’s rebellion, this optimist might find that piecing together the truth is the push she needs to let go…

Why you should read this: The parent-child/mother-daughter bond is one of the most complex relationships there is. And when a parent has rigid expectations, the child either gives in or rebels. Amy E. Reichert wonderfully explores multigeneration mother-daughter relationships in her latest book. Lorraine, the distant, disapproving mother, is difficult to like, but Reichert brilliantly peels back the layers to show that she, too, had to deal with parental interference. Not only will you be entertained, but also in the end have a better sense of the limited options that women had in the past and a new appreciation for challenges that they faced. (See an excerpt on HEA from The Optimist’s Guide to Letting Go.)

Happy reading!

Leigh Davis is a former contributor to Heroes and Heartbreakers. When she is not reading, she’s usually outside throwing balls to her insatiable dogs. She loves hearing and talking about great books. You can connect with her on Twitter and Goodreads.








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