I really enjoyed this book. Definitely would read again. Thank you for the opportunity to read this special book and giving me a great time while reading it.

This is a lovely memoir of a deep friendship between Lucille, a centenarian, and Judy, the author. I could feel the joy they had in each other's company and the genuine delight in their Friday lunches and other excursions. Lucille's charm and zest for life made me smile and the stories of their unique bond were heartwarming.

I was my father's caregiver for 3 years after he had a massive stroke following a procedure to insert a deep brain stimulator to help with Parkinson's disease. There was so much in this story that brought back memories of our wonderful adventures together. He taught me so much and was my buddy till the very end of his life on earth. It was truly a blessing to be able to celebrate his final years and honor him and the way he always cared for me.

I believe that there are moments in this story that will touch everyone's heart and quite possibly take you on your own emotional journey alongside of theirs. I hope that this book inspires everyone to be kind to their elders and appreciate life. Hopefully someday we will be elders and possibly centenarians too.

I don't know about you but there are some days (like today!) when I need to read something that I know will lift me up and put a smile on my face. Love, Life & Lucille by Judy Gaman is exactly that book.

This biography/memoir tells the delightful story of the friendship between the author, a busy workaholic who's juggling family, work and life in general, and Lucille, a centenarian she interviews for a book she's writing on aging gracefully. The two immediately click and their bond changes both of their lives in ways they never could have imagined.

Judy and Lucille have some wonderful adventures, share heartwarming moments and have some serious laughs. I found myself learning along with Judy as I read Lucilles stories and wisdom and this book left me hopeful at a time when it can be hard to be positive. Don't get me wrong - I shed some tears along the way too - but you can't help but feel joy at Lucille's love for life. We should all be lucky enough to find the person who is a Lucille to our Judy and I'm grateful to the author for sharing her with us.

Thank you to NetGalley, She Writes Press and the author for the gifted copy to review.

Love, Life and Lucille

This book is about hope, friendship and positivity. It is the sweetest book I have read in a long time. The cherry on the cake is that it is actually a true story and memoir of the author, Judy Gaman!

The story is about Judy, a career-oriented woman in her forties, living with her loving husband and juggling day to day jobs like most of us do. She decides to write a book about life longevity and interviews Lucille, a 100 year old woman, who is full of life and energy, and enjoying every moment of her life. From that day, develops a deep friendship between the two, each encouraging and uplifting each other, with Judy learning the secrets of a happy fulfilled life from Lucille.

Lucille was a ball of energy! She would wake up and dress up in vibrant outfit, with matching flower and accessories. She would enjoy the little things in life – be it a dessert on the menu or a sunny day. We all need someone like Lucille in our lives, especially when we are feeling down, to remind us that life is precious and should be lived to the fullest. Instead of waiting for the big things, Lucille taught me that we should enjoy what we have every day. As I read this book, I created an image of Lucille based on her description. Later I saw her photos on @judygaman official page and they are the sweetest! Head over to her page if you are curious!

I would rate this book 4 stars out of 5 and would recommend you to get hold of a copy!

Such a touching, sweet read. Really enjoyed this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Loved reading this account of lessons learned from 100 yo friend. How special that these ladies found one another and built love and friendship in spite of many years separating them! I had to keep reminding myself that Lucille was a real woman and actually existed as described ! What a joy to grow old and be loved like that!

Linda's Book Obsession Reviews "Love, Life and Lucille" by @Judy Gaman, She Writes Press, April 14, 2020, for Suzy Approved Book Tours

Judy Gaman, author of "Love, Life, and Lucille" has written a memorable, delightful, entertaining biography and memoir that tug at your heartstrings. Judy is a workaholic, and has a wonderful second marriage with a family similar to "The Brady Bunch", Yours, Mine, and Ours".  Judy is the head of a business aspect of medical practice, has a radio program and writes,

 This book is a dedication of love to a special friend, that was a centenarian, Lucille. Lucille was a vibrant, colorful, cheerful, and dramatic influence on many people, especially Judy. Judy learned many lessons in dealing with life from her senior friend. There was no age discrimination, and for a few years, there were some wonderful memories that were made.

 In this book, Judy mentions the ups and downs of life, good and bad, and good health and illness.  Together, no matter what setbacks, the two set out to live life. They shared their outings in restaurants and on television, and radio. I love when the author vividly describes the food, waffles with ice-cream, or blue-berries and whipped cream. 

I would highly recommend this intriguing and thought-provoking novel for readers to enjoy.

Wonderful read loved meeting Lucille a hundred year old women.The authors friendship with her the fun the conversations the wisdom a pleasure to read.#netgalley#shewritespress

I had a good time reading about the friendship that developed between Judy, a radio host of a show about longevity and Lucille's, a woman who is over the age of 100. Lucille seemed like a fascinating person who was full of live and wisdom. And I liked reading about how Judy and Lucille's friendship went from friendship to being more like family. The one thing that I didn't enjoy about the book was that the author seemed very quick to judge others. She got better about not being so quick to judge others by the end of the book, but there wasn't as much growth in that area as I had hoped.

Sweet and endearing. I enjoyed the storyline and of course, Lucille who I would love to have lunch with! I enjoy reading books like this about unexpected friendships, especially with a 100 year old woman. We could all learn something! Thank you Net Galley and PR by the Book for giving me the opportunity to read this inspirational book.

The story of Judy and Lucille is, as the author put it, symbiotic. Quite frankly, Lucille made Judy a better person. And I think Judy helped Lucille flourish. Before Judy met Lucille, she spoke about “workaholism”; she seemed very quick to judge someone from a glance (although I don’t necessarily think that changed, just her willingness to try to look past something like tattoos); and as we were to discover, she had some unresolved feelings about her own childhood. Because of Judy, Lucille was able to be interviewed on TV, travel a bit, and to shine her light.

It’s hard not to fall in love with Lucille. She has a joi de vivre for life that I think those of us in our prime of life want to forget old people in nursing homes can have. As she said (and I paraphrase), she was too old for the worries, so she just put the worries on God.

Which is a nice segue to mention this book is more religious than I expected from a non-religious publisher. Both Judy and Lucille had strong ties to their faith (Mormonism and Catholicism respectively). It was at times, a bit much; but as this is a memoir, and faith was and is a part of their life, not to be unexpected. There were some moments of brow-raising when, while talking about a long ago night with Lucille’s husband before they were married sharing an unexpected night together – though, like in many 90s sitcoms, the problem of 1 bed and two unmarried people was solved with a wall of towels to separate the two – there was a follow-up remark that they wished other young women had that same . . . what? Sense of dignity? Seemed a bit unnecessary, and shamey, and distanced me as a reader.

Something else that stood out in these life lessons is the way facilities where our loved seniors are placed are managed. It’s strongly implied that Lucille died due to the lack of care from such a facility. It raises concerns. Are such instances the norm, or the outlier? Sadly, I think it’s the former.

Judy took Lucille into her home after a fall, though at least one of her sons lived close by. Both Judy and Lucille called each other “best friends”, but I think Lucille was an adoptive mother – the mother Judy wished she had; maybe the ideal mother all daughters wished they had, if they didn’t already have that relationship with their own mother. When Judy struggled with Lyme disease, she mentions that her mother took days longer to be with her when Judy’s husband was away, and it was Lucille she turned to for support.

I wished I had heard more about Lucille’s past. What we got were mere teasers. Who was this “Honourable John A McDonald” who’s son Lucille dated? As a Canadian, I was intrigued, but there was no follow-up. It’s almost as if we got to peak through a barely-opened door right before it closed on us again.

It is a good book to remind us of something we often forget. People do not stop existing at a certain age. They don’t stop experiencing life, or needing companionship of all forms. Lucille’s story is one of thousands that still need to be told.