My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Crazy To Leave You by Marilyn Simon Rothstein, is a story about acceptance and empowerment. It’s also about the complicated bonds and dynamics within families. Although it wasn’t what I’d expected, I enjoyed it overall.

Lauren Leo is 41 years old, and got dumped via text on her wedding day. That’s right, her fiancé sent a text simply stating he didn’t feel he was mature enough to get married. He sent the text to Lauren’s sister, so she could be the one to break the news for him 😬. This is based on the aftermath of Lauren’s life imploding, on what she expected would be one of the happiest days of her life. Along with the heartbreak and humiliation, she must also face her difficult family members and pick up the pieces of the wedding that never happened.

I expected the focus of the story would be Lauren, but that wasn’t the case. There were a few storyline tangents about different family members, which took away the focus from Lauren’s journey. Considering all that Lauren was dealing with, I wanted more focus on her journey alone. Instead, I’d say this was mostly a story about the Leo family.

What I enjoyed most about this story were the Jewish traditions and customs. Lauren and her family are Jewish, so I appreciated learning about the customs and traditions they followed. I also liked the vulnerable way in which the Leo family was presented, with flaws and all.

This story wasn’t quite what I’d expected, but I enjoyed the positive direction and growth the characters experienced. This story is a reminder that families are complicated. However, when life gets messy it’s family who will be there for you, because they’d be crazy to leave you.

Have you enjoyed any stories by this author? If so, which would you recommend?