Cute story overall. Lauren Leo is dressed in white and ready to head to the altar, but then her sister gets a text from the groom... The story revolves around Lauren's journey to reclaim her life after such a humiliation. Eager to put the wedding behind her, she jumps back into the saddle at work. Unfortunately, the post-wedding fiasco exhaustion leads to her totaling a rental car on her way home from meeting with a client and messing up her wrist. Plus, her weight-obsessed mother is always at the ready with a barb. And, her prodigal sister is camping out in her apartment. That's not all. Her favorite client died. Her company is sexist. Oh, and, her brother-in-law just got arrested. The only bright spot is Rudy, the driver her company has put in charge of transporting her while her wrist heals. Rudy accepts Lauren as she is, no judgment about what she weighs or what she eats, or pity because of the called-off wedding. He's a great listener and is a little slice of happy in her otherwise crazy life.

Some of the dialogue is choppy. And, there's just too much going on in the periphery. Most of all, it really needed an epilogue - the ending was a bit abrupt for my taste.

Nonetheless, I did enjoy the story and I am thankful for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in return for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing.

This was a nice, light read. Enjoyed it overall but found it wasn't quite rom-com as the cover would lead and yet it lacked depth.

A classier (albeit not always), Jewish version of Bridget Jones' Diary.

This book was a real and raw visual into the life of the aging woman, and how that ticking biological clock can lead us down the wrong path.

The female characters in this novel were funny, real, and really felt like people i knew. Eric was THE WORST, but I think that was the point - also a little too similar to many men his age nowadays...

Definitely an easy read when you need some angsty comedy. I don't think I would reread but I did enjoy it!

Thank you @getredprbooks and @lakeunionauthors for this fun-loving book by @marilynsimonrothstein

At forty-one, Lauren Leo is finally getting married! She’s dieted and fits into that dream dress, and then with a single text (gotta love technology), she is left at the altar.

After running to the nearest diner to down some carbs, which her mother belittles her for, Lauren regroups and throws herself into her work at the advertising agency. But she has her sisters to contend with as well.

𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 starts with a romance gone wrong but develops into a quirky, layered family story with a lot of self-reflection. I loved Lauren’s self-dialogue, and she is very open, even self-deprecating at times, about her relationship with food and her body. Her mother’s snide little digs were so annoying but relatable; we all have that person that gives us unwanted advice.

This was a fun, quick read, but it had me re-thinking that next cookie.

After struggling to get down to size 12 and finally fitting into her dress, Lauren is left at the alter on her wedding day. Worse, the groom didn't even have the decency to tell her himself... he sent a text to her sister. In the aftermath, Lauren eats her feelings and starts to gain the weight back. After returning to work, she gets into an accident, breaking her wrist. Her boss decides to get her a car and driver to get her back and forth to client meetings. Her conversations with her driver help her realize she needs to make some changes in her life, standing up to her boss, her mother, her ex, and her meddling sisters.
I thought this would be a light and sweet romance, but the story delves into deeper topics like sexism in the workplace, body shaming, binge eating, diabetes, and toxic family relationships. These real problems were sometimes difficult to read about, especially the constant sniping by her mother. I was glad that by the end Lauren found the confidence to tackle her issues and stand up for what she really wanted.
I received an advance reader copy of this book. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was sweet, funny and held my interest. I wanted to find out what would happen. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

A Rothstein novel is going to make you laugh and it's going to make you cry. You are going to love some characters and hate others. The lighthearted writing style that Rothstein uses allows for difficult topics to be explored without weighing to heavily on the reader. As with her other novels, Rothstein's main character is a woman in her 40s. Lauren has a successful career but has not managed to gain that same level of success in her romantic life. As Lauren's family swoops in to "help" her cope with her latest relationship failure, other challenges rise to the surface. The dynamics of Lauren's family unveil much about the woman Lauren grew up to be. As the sisters learn how to love and lean on each other Lauren finds strength and comfort in an unexpected friend. Rothstein's books are delightfully heartwarming and laugh out loud funny. I will read everything she writes!

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.

Lauren is a 41 year old first time bride who lost weight for her wedding, only to be left at the altar. Lauren throws herself into her work and her binge eating tendencies. Crazy to Leave You highlights Lauren after one of her biggest life embarrassments in figuring out what and who she wants out of life.
I loved this book having an older (41) MC something not often highlighted in books. Lauren’s relationships with her sisters were a high point for me.
There are a lot of plot points at all times, highlighting that you never know what’s going on behind closed doors.
Crazy to Leave You was funny, but touched on serious issues such as weight, discrimination and family dynamics

Diet obsessed from the outset, I have no tolerance for that. Unfortunately a DNF for me.

I do understand the reasons for this, but its a trigger for many people.

Happy pub day to this new release novel!

MC Lauren is stood up at the altar by her fiancé Eric. Eric let her know that he could not go through with the wedding by text to Lauren’s sister Stephanie. The story flows as Lauren begins to pick up the pieces of her life. Many of Lauren’s insecurities about her weight and her perceived faults swirl around her in light of her break up.

I loved the fun and quirky characters including Lauren, her sisters Margo and Stephanie, and her mom. Throughout the book, Lauren is witness to the fact that everyone has bad things happened to them and other peoples lives are not always what they appear. Because of this realization, Lauren begins to grow into her own self and self-confidence. This is a story of learning to love and trust others, but also learning to love yourself as you are.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this eARC in return for my honest opinion.

4 ⭐️

Solid Tale Of Discovering Yourself In Mid-Life. There is an overarching theme through many of the lower-starred reviews (at least as I read Goodreads early on release day, just after finishing the book myself) that they "didn't know where this tale was going". To me... *this is the very point of the book*. Our main character suddenly finds herself directionless after what she thought she had in the bag collapses around her, and we get to watch as she picks up the shattered pieces and rediscovers herself - and discovers her voice for possibly the very first time - in the aftermath. In this, Rothstein does a truly tremendous job of having a solid combination of support and antagonism - often in the same supporting characters. Thus showing that *everyone* is flawed to some degree, but also that *everyone* is good to some degree as well. The banter is great, the emphasis on her time at summer camp as a teen is excellent nostalgia reminiscent of Wet Hot American Summer, the slow burn romance is well executed, and even the very serious issues discussed - workforce discrimination (though never truly fleshed out there), diet "culture", overbearing but well intentioned parents, etc - are done well, with just enough weight to give substance without becoming truly overbearing. Very much recommended.

BLIND LOVE VS. REAL LOVE!

Author Marilyn Simon Rothstein writes classic women’s Jewish humor and she is good at it. Her plots are full of angst caused by a man who manages to find a way to bring some form of humiliation to the main character. What follows, and what keeps me reading, is the main character’s journey of growth into becoming the woman she was created to be – living her best life, surrounded by a family that loves her through it all, friends that support and encourage her, and a career that challenges her and she enjoys. In Crazy to Leave You, Lauren Leo finds herself left at the altar. She realizes that she had been blinded by what she thought was love. After Rothstein takes readers on Leo’s journey of self-discovery and growth, she finds real love in the most unlikely place.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence.

CRAZY TO LEAVE YOU by Marilyn Simon Rothstein is a heartfelt and engaging story of love, family and second chances at happiness. It features the author’s signature blend of humor, wit and emotional insight that had me both laughing and crying while reading. The main character is forty-one-year-old Lauren Leo who has just been unceremoniously left at the altar via a text to her sister. She finally thought things were going her way, but after suffering the “Great Humiliation”, Lauren is left to re-examine everything in her life including her career in advertising, her struggle with eating and her weight and her relationships with her family and friends. In doing so, she soon realizes that she is not the only one dealing with disappointment and pain in their lives. Can Lauren pick up the pieces of her shattered life and find happiness and self-acceptance along the way? You’ll have to read the book to find out! I so enjoyed this delightful and heartwarming story and highly recommend it. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

(Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for a honest review)

Publication date: 24 May 2022
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

2.5⭐

Plot

Lauren Leo, a 41 year old finally managed to loose weight and step her foot on the wedding altar, only to have her fiancé dump her at the last minute. This drives her down a tangled and confusing life journey where we see her battling her self-destructive tendencies and eating disorder inclinations. To add onto the problems she has, her family also creates additional trouble for her which she has suffered with her entire life. What will Lauren discover when she ditches her scale in favor of a new way of measuring love and success?

Thoughts

I liked that this book tackled various important issues such as eating disorders and body shaming which is very relevant in our community now. It's not often that you get an older FMC's pov and I think it made the experience of reading it a little more personal. The romance isn't a big subplot because the book focused more on her journey of self-love again. Lauren had very good character development through the book as I read the chapters and it was heart warming to see it.

However the writing style just made it difficult for me to be absorbed into the book. It took me a couple of tries to pick up the book again. I also felt that the plot was a little disorganised where the focus of the book changed a few times and I didn't know what was the intention of the book.

Please check your trigger warnings (toxic family, body shaming, abandonment, cheating) and especially regarding eating disorders while reading this book because this book has quite a few descriptive lines.

This book was just ok, in my opinion. I liked it enough to finish it and not DNF it, but it just fell short of being great to me.

In this story we basically follow Lauren and how she moves on with her life after being stood up at the alter by her fiancé.

While I felt the story was a little lackluster, I did like how by the end Lauren was able to stand up for herself, demand what she wanted and fight for what she deserved in life.

While it was just ok for me, if you enjoy contemporary fiction with a touch of romance, you may very well enjoy this book!

Read this if you like: Clean romance, funny stories, dysfunctional families

Lauren Leo is 41 and finally getting married. She is in her gown There’s just one thing missing: the groom. With one blindsiding text, Lauren has been dumped at the altar.

In the aftermath, her family is anything but helpful. Her mom gives terrible life advice, one sister is too perfect, and the other is smothering her. Lauren turns to her work in advertising as she gathers courage to move on and plan her next step.

This is a really a story of learning to stand on your own and accepting yourself. Don't get me wrong, there is a handsome man involved. There is romance. This book reads super fast. There are some hilarious laugh out loud parts.

My biggest issue is there was wayyy too much focus on eating, her size, her mom talking about her eating, her friends talking about her eating, etc. I didn't enjoy that. I felt like that was the focus of the story for the most part. It didn't need it at all but I think the author was trying to add in serious subjects. That aside the story was a funny, quick read, and I would definitely read more by Marilyn. This comes out May 24th!

Check the triggers as there are many especially with disordered eating**

Thank you to NetGalley, Marilyn, and Lake Union Publishing for the gifted copy. ❤️

Marilyn Simon Rothstein's new novel Crazy To Leave You will make a reader laugh and cry-simultaneously. When forty-one year old Lauren is left at the alter she thinks she has lost her chance for marriage and children. She quickly returns to her job as head of accounts at an advertising agency, and throws her pre-wedding starvation diet to the wind. While Lauren tries to piece her life back together, the lives of those closest to her fall apart. Rothstein's plot combines life lessons, fantastic characters and her amazing humor. This combination makes her novel a reader's delight. Crazy To Leave You is entertaining and thought provoking-a perfect combination.

I thought this was such a cute, heartwarming novel! There’s lovable Lauren, our MC who’s just about to get married when the groom, well, he ghosts her. The story follows Lauren as she navigates life after being left at the altar.

I really enjoyed the characters in this one. Lauren is adorable, and I kind of want to be friends with her. She’s got some family members that drive her up the wall, and I thought they created an interesting side-story dynamic!

This is a romance, but I liked that it’s also about the healing and growth for Lauren. There is room for both in this one! Overall, I would recommend this for readers who want to slip into an easy read that will have them smiling and happy!

Lauren faces one of the most humiliating situations, being left at the alter. It actually, inadvertently, turns out to be just what she needs. I liked how Lauren got real with herself and her family. Two of my favorite scenes are when she confronts the worm ex-fiancé and her mother. I like it when she found her own self worth and demanded what she rightfully had earned at her job.
Crazy to Leave You delves into several themes that will definitely resonate with readers.

Whoa! What a ride. It was very fast-paced. The writing style kept me hooked and I didn't find myself losing any interest. I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters and how real the story felt. The author did a great job painting the setting, so it was easy for me to visualize the scene played out before me. I recommend giving this one a chance!