4.5 stars
Marilyn Rothstein does it again! This story is packed with her signature sarcasm but with so much more added in! Dr. Jodi Wexler, a podiatrist in Florida, flies to the Berkshires to babysit her only granddaughter while her daughter flies to Boston to meet her husband. Jodi plans to spend all her time spoiling her granddaughter and doesn’t plan on the two other grandmothers showing up. One grandmother refuses to be called a grandmother, is a demanding PITA and has no need for her granddaughter is hiding secrets and the other grandmother is a 27 year old who is not even related to the family but calls herself Grannie Annie. Drama is all over the place and you just can’t help not laughing out loud at some of the shennigans! A few twists in the story and a lovely ending made for a wonderful read! I loved all the Jewish references throughout the story and it reminded me of when I was a child!

This book is truly one of a kind. When Jodi gets a call from her daughter asking her to watch her granddaughter Macallan - she jumps at the opportunity. She doesn’t expect that there will be not one but TWO other grandmothers to share the spotlight with - her daughter’s mother-in-law and Grannie Annie (a woman in her 20s who is dating her daughter’s father-in-law).

What ensues is an adventure that is equally enlightening and at times humorous. As Jodi tries to care for her granddaughter while also supporting her daughter through whatever crisis she’s in, she learns a little something about herself along the way too.

I love books about family conflict - it reminds me that no family is perfect and we all have our struggles - but what defines us is how we deal with them.

A lovely story that kept me engaged and really had me laughing out loud at some parts… I might’ve shed a few tears as well 🤫

This book will keep you guessing. Set in the late 1970’s we get a glimpse into the terror surrounding a town when a serial killer is on the loose and cell phones don’t exist yet. There are a few men in Rebecca’s life and most of them are not good for her. I liked the flawed characters and interesting story.

I absolutely adored this book and could not stop reading it. The humor throughout caught me laughing out loud. Jodi is the grandma that I hope to be lucky enough to be one day.

This book is a story of families and ultimately acceptance. I loved that Callie has three grannies that she can depend on. It’s also the story of a mother and daughter relationship between Jodi and Lisa.

On a side note, I have enjoyed every book by this author. Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this wonderful book.

You want me to watch Macallan while you are out of town?

Absolutely.

When Jodi agreed, her husband had some bad news. The place he worked for fired him via an email, and he was devastated.

Should she leave him home since he is so upset?

He told her to go without him.

Everything was great until she got there.

Lisa was distant, and there were two other grannies there.

Jodi was not happy, but Lisa asked her to keep the peace.

How could she keep the peace when one of the grannies was treating her terribly.

And…on top of all of this, Jodi knows something is going on with her daughter.

She came here to enjoy time with her granddaughter…what goes on here when she isn’t here.

Plenty goes on, and Jodi was ready to get back to her own life and not the whirlwind life of her daughter.

WHO LOVES YOU THE BEST is funny as well as heartbreaking, and is Ms. Rothstein’s signature enjoyable read with some advice on life.

It also has you realizing what's important in life...your family and more importantly YOUR own happiness.

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

Who Loves You Best by Marilyn Simon Rothstein is an absolutely wonderful book that I absolutely LOVED!!!!

Though I will never be a mother or grandmother I enjoyed the wit, humor and thought-provoking story. I am always overjoyed to read main characters that are older.

I enjoyed reading about the different grandmothers and I fondly thought of mine that are no longer with us.

The characters were well written, complex, funny and fleshed out.

What a wonderful womens fiction novel that I really enjoyed.

I loved everything about “Who Loves You Best” by Marilyn Simon Rothstein. Kudos to Marilyn Simon Rothstein for this well-written, powerful, memorable, witty, and thought-provoking novel. The author has a gift for both writing and telling her story. I loved the themes surrounding this story. Has anyone received admission to the Exclusive Grandmother Club? The one simple requirement is that you become a Grandmother, biological or not. It starts with a notification that you will be a Grandmother. After the initial shock wears off, it is like hearing trumpets or bells in a big band or orchestra. That is, until the pause and reality sets in. You may not be the only Grandmother in this group. There are also your daughter’s and son’s rules to contend with.

Marilyn Simon Rothstein has that magical way of making me laugh and smile what she writes. The author strongly describes the different types of Grandmas. This almost reminds me of “Battle of the Grandmothers” or “The Wars of the Grandmas”. Of course we don’t forget our grandchildren, and hope that they provide the correct answer when asked “Who Loves You Best”? Marilyn Simon Rothstein vividly describes the scenery of the locations, and the colorful and dramatic characters.

The Genres for this novel are humor, family and friendship, and women’s fiction. There are three grandmothers with distinctive personalities, and a lovable granddaughter. Jodi Wexler, is a married, successful Podiatrist, who lives in Florida. Jodi’s daughter, Lisa owns a restaurant in the Berkshires, and requests Jodi to come and help with her daughter Macallan. When Jodi arrives she discovers that Lisa’s mother-in-law Di, a top realtor is there, as well as ‘Grannie Annie” the life partner of Jodi’s father in law. Lisa has to go on a business trip, and anticipates that this visit will only last about a week. Of course there is much more to this request.

I appreciate that the author is empathetic, and sensitive to the many issues that arise, and discusses the importance of family, friends, neighbors, community, love and hope. The author also emphasizes honesty, communication, and finding and believing in yourself. I highly recommend this memorable novel! Happy Reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read an ARC of Who Loves You Best by Marilyn Simon Rothstein, in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! Witty, heartwarming, and at times, laugh out loud funny. A wonderful story with family drama, quirky and lovable characters, and some lessons learned.

I look forward to reading more by Marilyn Simon Rothstein.

I laughed. And then I paused to think about the competing grandmothers craving every bit of affection they could from a sweet eight-year-old girl. Who was grandma’s favorite? The book is charming from the start.

The author had fun with names. Macallan was the bottle the parents were drinking when their daughter was conceived. The narrator and grandma, Jodi, was a podiatrist in Boca Raton with an office on Butt Road. The other grandma went by Diandra Summer Lake, a successful realtor in the Berkshires. The 27-year-old known as Grannie Annie decided to call the young girl “Mac” rather than Callie or Macallan. She lived with Diandra’s first husband, 68-year-old retired doctor and the Callie’s grandpa. The mother, Lisa, owner of a restaurant, was good friends with a famous chef – well, of course: Will Cook.

Besides some laugh-out-loud lines, there was a lot of serious issues going on with the characters sending them into a state of panic – issues related health, religion and the competition of grandma’s time in the loop. It’s easy, enjoyable reading especially for those who are retired and can relate to extended families. Times have changed with how young kids are raised and Jodi tries her best to go with the flow.

This is one book that I could feel a flash of fingers pointing directly at me. My stepson’s wife is pregnant. They live several states over and both mothers are right there to help. Who do you think this little boy is going to know? This is a book I didn’t want to end.

My thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy with an expected release date of October 15, 2024.

This book was gripping and hard to put down. It didn't feel like everything else you see out there, it felt very fresh. I really enjoyed this book!

This book is pretty messy in terms of the plot, although the characters are just great! There are some interesting relationships explored here, ones that I don't think I've read before. We follow an older protagonist- Jodi- who flies to her daughter's place to be with her granddaughter for a while. Apart from that bond, which I really enjoyed, Jodi has some encounters with other people from her daughter Lisa's life, including her mother-in-law, which results in chaos. Everything was very unpredictable and that resulted in me being so confused as to what to think. Again, the characters here were pretty cool and I think if the book reworked its plotline, I'd definitely give it another chance

Such a good read that I enjoyed! I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

This is a cute and entertaining story that touches on several serious themes in a totally delightful way!

Podiatrist grandma Jodi is invited up from Florida to the Berkshires to babysit her only granddaughter for a week. Excited to get some one on one time with her granddaughter she is caught by surprise when two other grandmothers show up and "help".

I enjoyed this story and the dynamic between the three grandma's. Jodi feels in competition with the other two and left out at times. The story also touches on parents letting their grown children make their own decisions about life and raising their kids. While the story has serious topics it has an overall light tone which made it a fun read.

This was a quick read for me and a book I will recommend.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion which I have given.

Rothstein’s blend of quirky characters, sharp dialogue, and family drama creates a story full of wit and heart. The Jewish humor and relatable protagonist added to the charm, making this a thoroughly entertaining read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This had promise until it didn’t. I really liked the concept of this book but the story itself fell flat for me. The characters weren’t likable and had little to no redeeming qualities. Everyone is selfish and no one is thinking of Callie until like the last two chapters.
and the most frustrating thing for me is that we never find out the backstory to the Pilgrim!

Jodi is a podiatrist from Florida. Her daughter Lisa calls her from the Berkshires to babysit. Jodi jumps at the chance to spend time with her granddaughter Macallan. Unfortunately Jodi doesn't get that one on one time with her granddaughter. She is soon to meet Grannie Annie , and energetic 27 year old girlfriend of Macallan's grandpa and Di (grandma) a real estate agent. Di was supposed to be out of town but things didn't work out. Di moves into Lisa's house with Jodi and Macallan. All of the grandmothers have to learn to work together which makes this story laugh out loud funny. I really enjoyed this very real feeling family tale. I however hate the character of Lisa. She has no redeeming qualities that I can see which I guess is also very real life.

Jodi Wexler is living in Florida with a thriving podiatry practice get the chance to go the Berkshires to help out her daughter with her eight-year-old granddaughter, Macallan. Her husband is retired and she sees this as the perfect opportunity to spend some one-on-one quality time with her.
When she arrives, she realizes her other grandma, Lisa’s mother-in-law is living with them. Lisa’s father has a young girlfriend who is also a grandmother figure to Macallan. Three very different ladies are influencing Lisa and Macallan. Other complicated scenarios add to this story.
Can the ladies come together to help Macallan thrive? Instead of making it a competition. Family, wisdom and a little bit of comedy made this one a lovely novel about life.

I absolutely LOVED "Who Loves You Best" by Marilyn Simon Rothstein! I am a big fan of this author, have enjoyed all her novels, and this new one certainly does NOT disappoint! Family drama, with great twists in the plot, wisdom, love, dedication, and reflection, all written with an entertaining tone, was just wonderful. I highly recommend. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

First off, thank you to Netgalley for an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.
I can't say I loved this book, unfortunately. I didn't really like any of the characters and the story kinda drug on a bit. I'm a grandmother, so I thought I might be able to relate at least a little, but I just couldn't make a connection. I didn't hate it, but I wouldn't recommend it either.

Light-hearted yet emotionally weighty but always entertaining and sometimes laugh out loud funny. Maybe it was relating to the protagonist because of age or maybe it was the Jewish humor, but this soon to be released book by Marilyn Simon Rothstein tickled my fancy and left me with major feels.

Sixty-seven-year old Jodi Wexler is a podiatrist living in Boca Rotan,FL with her husband Jake who just found himself retired and not by choice. When her daughter Lisa asks her to come to the Berkshires to watch her eight-year-old granddaughter Macallan for a week while she’s in Boston, Jodi jumps at the opportunity. She envisions spending alone time with Macallan doing everything Grandma’s love to do to spoil their grandchildren. But no sooner after Lisa walks out the door, all of Jodi’s plans start to unravel.

With a heavy dose of comedic dialogue coming from a cast of characters that are either quirky or self-centered, this story blended family drama with wit, humor and heart. Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for proving me with an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. This was my first Marilyn Simon Rothstein book and I’m happy to see there are several others waiting to entertain me.