I thought this book strarted out strong had a particularly engaging open. I liked Rudy and felt for him as he navigated life after his wife’s death.

But the second half of this book lost me. It was all over the place and it just didn’t work for me.

Book #3 "in the books" for the Booksparks Winter Reading Challenge! #WRC2019

Eek. I'm not having the greatest luck with these Winter Reading Challenge selections. Sorry!

Caution: there may be some spoilers as it's challenging to share my thoughts on this one without some more detailed discussion of the plot.

Me for You is a charming story of a middle aged man named Rudy who wakes up one morning to find his wife lying beside him dead, having passed away in the night. Of course he freaks out, calls 911, and tries to revive her but there's nothing that can be done to save her. Fast forward a year later and Rudy is still trying to navigate through his grief and figure out how to move on from losing the love of his life. In walks Sasha, his lovely coworker who he's had a mild crush on for years (yes, even while he was married) and a romance begins to develop. But, despite his feelings for Sasha, he still struggles emotionally with grief, depression, and survivor's guilt which lands him a first class ticket to the medical/psych ward at the hospital for some targeted therapy.

I think I enjoyed the first half of this book more than I enjoyed the second half. It showed a lot of promise early on and I liked where I thought the story was headed. And then it kind of pivoted in a completely different direction. There was this detective mystery angle in the beginning when Rudy's wife's death was being investigated as a murder and then it was like the author just gave up on that idea and said "scratch that... I changed my mind." The whole murder subplot disappeared into thin air which I found really odd.

Then there was this back story with Sasha's previous marriage to an abusive husband and the tragic loss of her daughter. While I understood how Sasha's struggles helped Rudy to navigate through his grief, I still felt like there were a lot of unanswered questions with this particular plot line.

I guess what I'm saying here is that there were a few too many plot lines and, honestly, not a whole that transpired in the grand scheme of things. Many of the subplots were introduced but never really felt resolved or fully addressed.

My favorite part? That Rudy's wife was a hospital pharmacist! So fun to read a story about a character who shares my job. But if that was my favorite part, that's not all that promising.

While I think this book had a ton of potential and I appreciated the author's attempt to write a book about the painstaking journey through the grieving process (with a powerful message about overcoming tragedy), the execution was really off for me. The author incorporated a few too many ideas that didn't really come to fruition in my opinion. That being said, I always say that no two people read the same book. So if you have a particular interest in grief management or need an inspiring read about overcoming tragedy, I would encourage you to give it a try.

-I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Lolly Winston, and Gallery Books for the opportunity to review.-

Thank you Netgalley and Gallery Books for this tender story of two sad souls falling in love. In Me for You, you’ll fall for Lolly Winston’s sweet widower Rudy. I thought I wasn’t ready for a gentle book directly after reading an intense thriller, but the level of emotion portrayed in the protagonist grabbed me from the start. This is a simple, but touching novel about moving on after the loss of a loved one.

I love Lolly Winston’s previous books (Good Grief 5 stars, Happiness Sold Separately 4 stars), but this feels like a retread. Her portrayals of the mental healthcare system are impractical and unrealistic unless you are part of the 1%. Even then, psychiatric institutions are generally not so homey and helpful as in her fiction. The current state of mental healthcare in this country is far more grim and not what one wants to read about in lighthearted fiction like this. Add in a heartwarming, Hollywood ending and this book is just a subtle shadow of her earlier work.

Overall it's a nice read that can help you try to believe even in the midst of darkness that the world may still be a kind place. Rudy and Sasha make beautiful music, but for me the plot didn’t sing. I’ll give it 3 stars.

This book in 3 words: Sweet Tender Unrealistic

This was an ok book for me. Not for the topic of grief but more for the clumsiness of the book. Its flow was choppy at times and the last half of the book felt long and disjointed. I did appreciate the awareness it brings to mental health, though, as one grieves or goes through a difficult season in life.

This story accurately portrays grief over the loss of a beloved person and at the same time it gives the reader hope that there is life after loss. The characters were believable and likeable. The prose is easy to read, and frequently charming. This is a good beach read - Light with some depth.

Bleak and depressing, but with moments of sweetness- this book just wasn't what I wanted it so badly to be. I adore Lolly Winston and loved Good Grief. Perhaps it's unfair to expect to love this book as much but I feel like in some ways it was a rehashing of Good Grief, but not nearly as magical or well done. I did enjoy the characters and I felt like they were well written.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I have been waiting for a new book from Lolly Winston for years, ever since I read “Good Grief.” When I saw a chance to read an advanced copy of this book, I swooned with delight. Unfortunately, as many reviews have noted, “Me For You,” is like the less desired sister of “Good Grief.”

In this novel, Rudy’s wife dies unexpectedly in her sleep just as the two of them are looking forward to the adventures of retirement. As a result, Rudy falls into grief and depression (much like did in Sophie did “Good Grief.”) As a part-time piano player in Nordstrom, Rudy befriends Sasha, a salesperson who has also suffered an unimaginable tragedy. As Sasha and Rudy begin a relationship, Rudy falls victim to his deep depression and ends up institutionalized.

Parts of this book felt very preachy, as if trying to teach the reader about grief and though I admire Winston for tackling depression in such a manner, I often felt as if I was being lectured too.

Rudy was a wonderful character and I enjoyed how the relationship between he and Sasha (who gets her own backstory) develop. I imagine for readers who haven’t read “Good Grief” might view this novel differently than I did.


I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. My thanks also to Simon and Schuster and the author, Lolly Winston.

I did not care for this book. It's about moving on after a death of a love one. The reader is taken through the emotional and physical pain of losing someone you love. The main character loses his wife from natural causes but because she is a pharmacist in a hospital the police think there might be fowl play. This causes a lot of anxiety for the main character. The other main character in this book is his female co-worker who has also had tragedy in her life. The co-worker has lost her young daughter in an accident and her marriage has fallen apart.
The main character even ends up in a mental hospital. The story itself is an important one , on how individuals cope with loss and the depression that follows. The characters strength and weaknesses were established but needed to be woven into the story line in such a way to keep the story interesting and pertinent to it's goal.
The ending was a cop out.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Rudy and Bee are still very much in love when he awakens one Saturday morning to find she has died in her sleep. Working his way through his grief is difficult but life goes on and so must he. While playing the piano at Nordstroms he befriends Sasha, another employee. She also has suffered a devastating loss, and they form a bond while navigating their lives and dealing with friends and family along the way. This book started out good but unfortunately it slowed way down and became very predictable. There were a few enjoyable moments but for me it was just ok.

Rudy wakes up one Saturday morning to discover his wife has died in her sleep. He visits all the stages of grief: convinced that it was somehow his fault and he was a terrible person, depression so deep that he can't get out of bed, disbelief that she is really gone and sure it is all a mistake. His job as a pianist at a department store is the only thing that keeps him going until he starts spending time with Sasha, who works in "fine watches". Their unique friendship is exactly what both of them need.
This book made me laugh and cry. Lolly Winston is such a gifted story teller, and even though the book is about grief and finding one's way forward, she writes in such a way as to not only make it human,but also humorous, I loved this book and I think you will too.

This sweet book offers a close look at grief and how it manifests itself across generations. I loved the writing of this, but had trouble staying interested in the storyline. I ended up not finishing about halfway through. It has promise, and I think this author did a great job, it just didn't quite do it for me.

First I would like to thank the author and publisher for gifting me a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was a new title and new author for me. The cover first drew me in and after reading the summary, it sounded similar to a Man Called Ove ( a book I absolutely loved). This did have some similarities to Ove, but also enough differences to be its own story about grief and losing a spouse. I wasn't sure about the mystery aspect of the novel and was afraid a lot of the story would be devoted to finding out who had killed his wife -or was it him?. To be honest, I thought it was going to ruin the story and was a little nervous about reading it. I was so pleased to find that the mystery over her death is just a small sideline of the story, not the main focus. I was totally drawn in to the character and felt his grief, pain, and despair over unexpectedly losing his wife and also his hope of finding new joy in the future. I found this story to be touching and hopeful over a difficult, painful subject. It was an enjoyable, easy read.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were interesting and well-developed. The story had some surprises, but not too many. The changing points of view made the story more enjoyable, though I am not sure about the wife sections being necessary to the story. I would recommend this book to others.

I thought this book was okay. There were a couple subplots that I felt were unnecessary and did not improve the book.

Fans of Jennifer Weiner and Fredrik Backman will love Lolly Winston's newest book, Me for You. You'll meet Rudy, a man who like most people doesn't expect to wake up one morning during his 54th year of life and become a widower. And what's even more surprising is his decision to downsize his job from one in finance to being a piano player in a Nordstrom's store. 

But for Rudy, doing something he loves to bring others joy is worth the pay cut. And it doesn't help that Sasha, the attractive men's watch clerk joins him on his bench occasionally. 

But when the circumstances around his wife's death become complicated, Rudy realizes life sometimes turns out completely different than you'd expect, but there may be an incredible beauty in that.

This was such a lovely book, but also one with humor unique to Lolly's writing. I loved it!

I couldn’t really get into this book. I was looking forward to reading it because I enjoyed the author’s previous books. This one just didn’t hold much appeal for me and I gave up after a few chapters.

Lolly Winston has long been a favorite of mine and I was glad to see her releasing a new novel.

This book covered grief and how it impacts us and those around us differently. A man has lost his spouse and is befriended by a woman who has left her husband. The story follows them coming to terms with the new state of their lives. Things take a turn when the police start looking at Rudy for his wife's death and then with Sasha's husband's reappearing.

I hoped to love this book more but it seemed to fall flat and be missing that element that makes a book a page turner. Nonetheless, it was still a good book with a great message.

“Me For You” is a story about Rudy, a man who tragically has his wife pass away. How does he handle this lose? You follow Rudy as he finds a new life as well as finds a new love.
I had a hard time getting into this book. I found it to drag a bit. I really was confused with the quickness to put Rudy in the hospital. The love story between Rudy and Sasha was just ok.
I had a hard time getting through this book. I kept losing interest . I did finish the book so I could see what happens with Rudy and his relationship with Sasha.
I was provided an arc of this book by NetGallery in exchange for a honest review.

A touching story of dealing with the loss of a loved one, and moving on. A middle aged man loses his wife to a heart attack, and his daughter is trying to help him carry on. He plays the piano in a department store, and a woman works there that befriends him. This woman had lost her daughter, and left her drunken husband. The two mourners find common ground.

I’m not sure this book felt like it was ready to be published yet. It just isn’t complete in its story of plot development and there are some areas where the story feels jumpy, not on point and just incomplete for me. It wasn’t awful, just not ready IMO