The Optimist's Guide to Letting Go

I have loved each of Amy Reichert's previous books and have been anxiously awaiting this one. She did not disappoint - although this book had a different feel than the rest, and I couldn't put my finger on what it was. (I couldn't put it down, either.)

The story and emotions (and oh my goodness, the teen drama) was all very relatable. Mother-daughter relationships are tricky beasts, and when you mix in loss and family secrets, it doesn't take much for things to get messier. Reichert continues to create believable, complex characters and food once again almost becomes a character itself. (It took me three days but I finally got a gorgeous, perfect grilled cheese sandwich that this book made me crave.)

The storylines and the emotions were show more authentic and, yes, she made me cry. This book won't disappoint.

Disclaimer: I was thrilled to get my hands on an advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own. show less

This is an intergenerational story following Lorraine, her two daughters, Vicky and Gina, and Gina’s teen daughter May. Their relationships are fraught and characterized by discord and silence. But when Lorraine suffers a stroke, things begin to change.

I really liked this book and the way Reichtert wrote these women. Gina is a young widow who uses her chef talents to run a gourmet grilled-cheese food truck. She’s hard working and afraid she’s repeating her mother’s mistakes with her own daughter, May. Gina’s always felt that her mother disapproved of her. She never wanted to spend time with the children of other members of the country club, to hair, makeup, clothes and manners. Vicky’s always been the “favorite.” She has show more the perfect husband, three great kids, a beautiful house in a Chicago suburb, and Lorraine’s sense of style and attention to appearance.

Despite the troubles in her life, Gina maintains a sunny outlook, which just seems to further annoy both her mother and her daughter. Vicky and Gina, despite their differences, are close sisters. They clearly love and support one another. They share the memories of their late father’s aloof manner, they way he ran the household with an iron fist, and the way their mother acquiesced without complaint. And they share a love of Roza, their childhood nanny, who has helped Lorraine keep her own secret for over forty years. She becomes the pivotal character in revealing those skeletons in the closet, and helping them all forge ahead.

It’s a delightful and heartfelt story. I find it interesting that once Lorraine loses her speech the communication between her and her daughters becomes clearer. She is forced to acknowledge the love her daughters have for her, the care they’ve provided and continue to provide, and the mistakes she’s made by keeping her secret and blindly following her husband’s wishes even after he died.

The book is divided into ten sections, each with three chapters, one each from Lorraine, Gina and May’s point of view. The ten section titles came from a list the author found in an article on “What to Ask Your Mother Before She Dies.” At a book club discussion meeting where Reichert was present, she encouraged us to ask our own parents and grandparents these questions. One attendee remarked that she is already writing her new grandchild a letter answering the questions. Great idea.

I also have to give a “warning” about the food descriptions here. Reichert’s books always have this element in them, and readers should be aware that they will find themselves craving all sorts of delicacies. Alas, this book did not contain any recipes. show less

Zowza!!! (I saw this word in a book I read this week, sorry I can't remember which to give credit to, but I love it!!

I loved this book!!!

It was filled with so many great characters. There were so many times that I just wanted to haul off and slap a couple of them. They grated my nerves so much, especially Lorraine. That was, of course, before I started shedding tears for those very same people.

The story was amazing, the writing was amazing and I'm still crying over it. Even after I took a break before writing this review. A story that was fraught with emotions and surprises that I never saw coming.

An excellent read that I thought was this author's best one yet! I will always say "yes, please" to Amy Reichert's books.

Thanks to Gallery, show more Threshold and Pocket Books and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. show less

Gina finds her mother in the floor after a stroke. After the frantic rush to the hospital, Gina is going through her mother’s papers. She finds a picture of her mother with a strange man. “What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.”

Gina is a hard-working mom. She is trying to overcome her husband’s recent death and to basically survive in her life. She finds her mother incapacitated, then her daughter in a compromising position with a boy, she is about done! Then, on top of all this, she realizes her mother is harboring a secret. But like most strong women, she does not give up.

I fluctuated between 4 and 5 stars. I settled on 5 because this book dang near made me cry…TWICE. Plus, Gina is one of my favorite show more type characters….strong woman! This is a powerful novel about surviving death, overcoming hardships and accepting family for who they are.

This is the best Amy Reichert has ever written and I have read them all.

I received this novel from Netgalley for a honest review. show less

I love books about the relationship between mothers and daughters so this book has the extra treat of a grandmother - mother - daughter. There are misunderstandings between the mothers and daughters in both generations and the question is whether love will solve all of their misunderstandings with each other

Regina's husband Drew has been dead for two years. Instead of grieving with her daughter, May, it has added to the normal problems mom's have with their teenage daughters. Regina's mom, Lorraine, never approved of Drew and was always quick to criticize her daughter, so there are problems there too. Gina who runs a food truck that specializes in grilled cheese sandwiches uses her work and the lists that she obsessively makes to help show more her deal with the problems in her life. When Lorainne has a stroke and secrets come to light, it will either strengthen the bonds between mothers and daughters or make them impossible to repair.

This is a lovely book full of love and problems within a family and how love is really an unbreakable bond between mothers and daughters. To make it even better, there are food descriptions that will make you want to go make a grilled cheese sandwich to eat while you are reading it. show less

Cook up some grilled cheese sandwiches before starting this story about a widow named Gina who runs a grilled cheese food truck and tries to manage relationships with her angst teenager and her cranky mother.

At the beginning of the book, Gina’s mom Lorraine suffers a stroke. This leads her daughters to discover her biggest secret. It’s a secret her husband insisted she keep but once her husband passed away, she still didn’t tell her daughters the truth.

Now Lorraine has no chance of keeping her secret and no way to really explain it because she can’t speak.
She enlists the help of her oldest friend Roza to tell her daughters everything.

I found Lorraine’s inability to speak to be an interesting idea.
It meant that Lorraine had to show more sit quietly while her daughters absorbed the truth.
It meant she was able to really see her daughters for a change. Lorraine is a very critical mother. She is not likable at all in the beginning. So, when she can’t open her mother to criticize her daughters, she finds herself actually admiring how they’ve turned out.
I liked that.

But I felt bad for Gina and her sister because they were basically required to accept an apology from their mother that she wasn’t able to give them.

I liked the chapters based on Gina much more than the chapters based on her teenager daughter. I thought she was really rough on her mom. She was hard to like too.
We definitely learn a lot about why Lorraine acts the way she does. And May is a teenager who is sad about losing her dad.
But I felt so badly for Gina who was just dealing with drama from all directions while also trying to deal with the loss of her husband.
Everyone had their issues and none of them was really helping the other with theirs.

What I liked best was all the fun foodie talk. This author has a way with the foodie fiction. I wanted a million more ideas about grilled cheese sandwiches. They sounded fantastic.

At this point, The Simplicity of Cider is still my favorite book by this author. I look forward to future books by her. show less

The Optimist’s Guide To Letting Go
By
Amy E. Reichart

What it's all about...

This book is about a disjointed dysfunctional family. Lorraine...the grand-dam...the mother of two grown daughters...Gina and Vicky...has kept this secret a secret for all of her daughters lives. Gina...a recent widow...has issues with her teen age daughter. Vicky...mother of four young children...has issues with her husband. When Lorraine has a stroke...the secret finally comes out into the open.

Why I wanted to read it...

I truly enjoy this author’s books and this one was no exception.

What made me truly enjoy this book...

Lorraine was a critical mother...she fought so hard to keep her secret that she was distant and difficult...especially to Gina. These show more dysfunctional relationships were key to this book. It seemed as though everyone was having some sort of problem...

Why you should read it, too...

Readers who love this kind of family dysfunctional book should really enjoy this one...if anything readers will be craving grilled cheese sandwiches before this book is finished.

I received an advance reader’s copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss and Amazon. It was my choice to read it and review it. show less