Leave Me

Written by Gayle Forman

Narrated by Eva Kaminsky

For every woman who has ever fantasized about driving past her exit on the highway instead of going home to make dinner, for anyone who has ever dreamed of boarding a train to a place where no one needs constant attention, here is Maribeth Klein. A harried working
mother who’s so busy taking care of her husband and twins, she doesn’t even realize that she’s had a heart attack.

Surprised to discover that her recuperation seems to be an imposition on those who rely on her, Maribeth does the unthinkable—she packs a bag and leaves. But, as is often the case, once we get where we’re going we see our lives from a different perspective. Far from the
demands of family and career and with the help of liberating new friendships, Maribeth is finally able to own up to the secrets she has been keeping from herself and those she loves.

Gayle Forman is a dazzling observer of human nature. Her trademark sensitivity and humor abound as she confronts the ambivalence and complexities of modern motherhood head-on and shows us that sometimes you need to leave home in order to find it again. With bighearted
characters—husbands, wives, friends, andlovers—who stumble and soar, grow and forgive, Leave Me is about facing the fears we’re all running from.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 6, 2016
• ISBN: 9781501923883

Gayle Forman

Award-winning author and journalist Gayle Forman has written several bestselling novels for children and adults, including Not Nothing, the Just One series, and the number one New York Times bestseller If I Stay, which has been translated into more than forty languages and in 2014 was adapted into a major motion picture. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her family.

Reviews for Leave Me

[Kristi Sneegas · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Didn’t like it at all. The main character only thought about how her actions would help her and not hurt those around her. Terrible ending. No consequences for her actions. I loved the other books by this author but not this one.

[Aimee Drews · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Kept me entranced and holding on through the whole book

[nyiper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm sorry I missed reading this for so long and now I'm truly sorry she hasn't written any more "adult" novels. I really couldn't put it down, wondering how Maribeth was going to manage her situation and the story evolved in so many different directions. Thoroughly enjoyed reading Forman's way of writing.

[flourgirl49 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This story started out in an interesting fashion - a harried mother trying to balance work and family life has a heart attack and, unable to cope with the continuing demands of her life once she gets home from the hospital, deserts her family. Once she did that, however, I found the story boring and the ending, in particular, was resolved far too quickly and left several unsatisfying loose ends. Disappointing.

[kemilyh1988 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Meh. I will say the protagonist's husband is a saint. Underwhelming.

[velmeran · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was given a free galley of this books from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the story of a multitasking, type A personality who has a near death experience that shakes up her world. In a radical move, she walks away from her overly controlled, and overly booked life in order to take the time she needs to find herself.

While I understand her reasons for leaving, I was not entirely satisfied with her personal epiphany for returning. I would have liked to invited into her thoughts and beliefs more so that I could understand the resolution and her motivations.

[abergsman-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I appreciate this novel tackling the subject of a mother packing up and spontaneously leaving her family for personal reasons, and not painting her as a villain for it. Maribeth absolutely views herself as the villain at one point, but the story does not:

"Sure, she’s written letters. But those letters would never appear in her movie. They would not be submitted as evidence to her defense, proof of her love, flawed though it might be right now.

In Maribeth’s made-for-TV movie, she was the villain."

The difficulties that she experience are real, and often left unsaid in today’s society. I appreciated Gayle Forman’s approach, as Maribeth is neither picture-perfect, nor perfectly evil. She is imperfect and true to life. However, I expected more depth to the story, to the pressures of working moms, and mothers with health issues, and the unrealistic and unhealthy expectations that are more-often that not placed upon them.

[heike6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good story. Really unexpected.

[oldblack-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Yes, this is chick lit, I think, and somewhat romantic, but down the higher quality end of the scale. It's not great literature, I guess, but Forman does connect well with the emotions, especially if you're in one of the categories of people she's writing about: parents, husbands, wives, workers under pressure, people who have a major health crisis, middle class, American, adopted, people who fantasize about escaping from their difficult lives. It's ideal escapist reading if you're in one of these target groups. Too romantic to take seriously, but it took my mind elsewhere when I needed to escape from the grim reality of my real life.

[izzybellae · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I wanted to like this book much more than I actually did. This was an awkward read for me, and I wish that it was formatted differently. I will stick to Gayle Forman's teen books.

[bibliovermis · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Personally, I did not find this story of an overworked and under-appreciated wife and mother very satisfying or believable. Due to her family's lack of care, she suffers a medical emergency, and her husband can't even bring himself to step up while she recuperates. With this in mind, the ending just made me extremely angry. I guess some people might call me vindictive, but anyone with half a brain would cut ties with a business partner who so neglected their responsibilities and so devalued their partnership, so why not a spouse?

[emma_manolis · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I feel like this was trying to be two different stories at once and needed a clearer focus. On the one hand it's this story that so many of us can relate to, overworked, tired mom who just needs a break. Then it becomes this other story about finding a birth mother and realizing in the process that she just needed to know that she was important and that people cared enough to not leave her the way her birth mother did. Because it was trying to tackle so much in such a short amount of time, I finished the book feeling unsatisfied. I honestly think this should have been two different books or there should have been some additional time for some better development.

[laura.w.douglas · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful sweet story.

I read a review that stated "I can't root for Maribeth because she leaves her family." Get over yourself. That's the point of the book. As mothers, wives, and women, we are not perfect. We screw up.

All airplane safety briefings tell us to use the oxygen mask on ourselves before trying to help others. That's true in all life.

[olegalca · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love Gayle Forman's YA books and this first adult book did not disappoint. Lots of emotion. The ending was a bit too neatly wrapped up and that's the only reason it didn't get 5 stars.

[kimmeyer-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5 stars. This is a really sweet novel written in spare prose and short chapters. Most of it is set in Pittsburgh, where I am, so that's fun too.

[pdebolt_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The main character, Maribeth Klein, is a 44-year old working wife and the mother of mother of 4-year old twins. Her career is not going well, and she suspects that her best friend/boss is slowly replacing her. Her husband works long hours with little recompense and her adoptive mother is less than helpful in every situation. She suffers a heart attack and subsequent surgery, and begins to question the genetic link to heart disease since she is adopted with no information about her maternal or paternal health. When she is overwhelmed during her recovery with all that she has to do to keep life running smoothly, she decides to "run away" to Pittsburgh, the place of her birth. Surely a less drastic, more constructive solution might have occurred to her. Life is tough at times for everyone, but most of us muddle through. Maribeth selfishly made life much tougher for those she left behind. I found it difficult to comprehend how she could abruptly leave the twins, especially wanted and born after multiple IVF attempts and miscarriages. Her life in Pittsburgh is enhanced when she meet a troubled cardiologist. Their relationship began as doctor/patient and evolved, which is probably an ethics violation.I expect Algonquin to set a high standard for the books they publish, so I was very disappointed. This is a book with an unlikeable character in a series of implausible situations.

[shazjhb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good read. Interesting issues.

[lilibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

After having a heart attack and emergency bypass surgery at 44, Maribeth tries to recuperate at home. But with her husband working long hours, 4-year-old twins, and a mother who won't really help she finds herself doing much more than she can physically or mentally handle. At the end of her rope, she runs away, hiding in the city where she was born and beginning the search for her birth mother and herself.

[cas2199 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Maribeth Klein is a mother than many of woman can relate to. She is overworked, under appreciated, and can't seem to catch a break. She's busy at work and busy at home; it's never-ending. That is until one day she starts to have some strange symptoms; indigestion, nausea, exhaustion and while at the doctor's she comes to find out that she is having a heart attack. She didn't even know she was having one! She comes to find that she needs surgery and to add fuel to the fire, there are some complications. After her surgery, she is supposed to be taking it easy and eating healthy, but life keeps marching on and her kids need her. Instead of her husband and her mother stepping up to the plate to help her out, she realized that her recuperation is actually harder than being at work. She decides to leave it all behind: her kids, her needy husband, and her ridiculous mother. Leave Me by Gayle Forman, her adult debut, is a novel that many mothers can relate to whether you disagree with Maribeth's choices or not. The first fifty pages of Leave Me were really, really hard for me to read. I almost put it down for good, not because I found Maribeth to be upsetting, but because Forman's writing was so realistic and her description of surgery was so realistic that it brought back some bad memories for me. I personally could connect to this aspect of the story as I just had three surgeries in two months and it's hard to recuperate and take care of your kids. A mother doesn't get a day off or a sick day, but if you have a supportive husband and supportive family, they can help you out. But in Maribeth's case, her husband is just as bad as one of the kids. I really couldn't stand him. Her mother, while there to help, wasn't exactly helpful all the time. So, I started to get stressed out along with Maribeth. One thing is for sure: Forman gets the push and pull of motherhood. The endless demands and how mothers often have to put themselves last, even when they should put themselves first, like in Maribeth's case. When Maribeth leaves, she hides out in Pittsburgh, not only to take some time for herself, but to also figure out who her birth mother is. So, she goes on an emotional journey as well as a physical one in Leave Me. While I didn't care for this subplot as much as the other, I still found it interesting.But Leave Me is important because I think it's a reminder that as mothers we can't do it all. We can't. Something always has to give and it's not always bad to put your needs first once in a while. In fact, it's healthy! Now I am not saying I agree with Maribeth's decision to leave her family behind, but I understand why she did. I think Leave Me is also a reminder that even though women have come a long way in many situations it's still not exactly fair in both the workplace and the home. Women have more pressure placed on them than men when it comes to family life and oftentimes women are expected to have it all figured out and have everything perfect. But that's not life. Life is messy and Leave Me captures that very well. Forman is a talented writer and although Leave Me wasn't my favorite of her novels, I still cared about Maribeth. That is a testament to Forman's writing; she always makes me care for her protagonists even if I don't always agree with them. If you are looking for a smart novel and one that lends itself to much discussion, I recommend Leave Me. It would also be a great novel to read with a book club as I'm sure everyone will have an opinion regarding Maribeth's choices.

[nbmars · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I feared picking up this book, because ever since reading Forman’s If I Stay and Where She Went (both of which I loved), I have been disenchanted with her books. This one, though, thankfully did not disappoint me.In Leave Me, a 44-year-old woman, Maribeth Klein, with a demanding job and family life, has a heart attack followed by by-pass surgery. Prior to this event, she had been “overtaxed and overtired,” and the people in her life just kept making more and more demands on her. Musing about all she had to do stressed her out even more:“…someone had to get the kids to their ballet classes, their soccer clinics, their speech therapy sessions, their playdates, their birthday parties. To take them shopping for their Halloween costumes, to the pediatrician for their flu shots, to the dentist for their cleanings. Someone had to plan the meals, buy the food, pay the bills, balance the checkbooks. Someone had to get it all done, while still getting all the work-work done.”Maribeth's husband Jason, head archivist for a music library, always claims to be too busy to help, and he is not all that responsible. In a way, he doesn’t have to be; he knows Maribeth will take care of what needs to be done. So unless Maribeth does it, the house is never clean, the laundry is never done, and the food is never shopped for or made.Even after her heart attack and surgery, everyone expected Maribeth to go back to taking care of everyone and everything. No one seems to understand that she needs time to heal, and she is increasingly disaffected with her life; Maribeth worries she will never have the chance to recover. The idea of running away and never coming back started to become very appealing to her, in spite of her attachment to her job working for her sort-of-former BFF Elizabeth, to her husband Jason, and especially to her four-year-old twins, Liv and Oscar. Feeling increasingly desperate, Maribeth concluded the only way for her to heal was in fact to leave, at least for a while. She pulled her savings out of the bank and headed from New York to the Pittsburgh area, where she was born. She took on a new identity, got an apartment, found a new doctor, and made new friends. She even decided to look for her birth mother (she was adopted), because her cardiologist thought she might have a hereditary heart condition, and Maribeth wanted to know.Her new young friends, Todd and Sunita, are delightful, as is her new cardiologist, Stephen Grant, who has a mysterious background too, and they all become close. Maribeth feels torn. Will she keep her new life, or return to her old? Discussion: I was so happy to read another very good book by Forman. The side characters are well-drawn, and all the pop-culture references by Todd and Sunita were fun and not overdone. (I especially got a kick out of the very amusing reference to The Hunger Games.)The ending put me through an emotional wringer, and I cried of course.Evaluation: This novel is a bit of a fantasy, in a sense, giving voice to secret thoughts many women have, and with an ending not completely tied up, leaving room for a sequel, one hopes.

[bookczuk · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Driving home from class the other week, I heard an interview with Gayle Forman on NPR about this book. I came in midstream, and couldn't hear the end because grocery shopping didn't allow for a driveway moment. Nonetheless, the discussion and the snippet read grabbed my attention. It was not particularly because I related to adoption, or being an overworked mother of twins, or having a heart attack (though I do sometimes have chest pain, but it's always been relieved by albuterol, and thus far, stemmed from my lungs. My dad conked out at 61 from Coronary Artery Disease, so the question does wiggle around in my head.) I've never wanted to just walk away from it all and start anew, though have had at least two friends who wanted to, one who did, and one who got 141 miles down Interstate 26 before deciding to turn around and go home to her husband and two sons. Something about the personal backstory, the whys behind Forman writing this book, and also the tone in her voice when she talked about the experience grabbed my attention, so very shortly after, I grabbed the book. It was a quick read for me, (it's not been 24 hours since I picked it up, and I'm done) and I liked it. It fit the need for a book that took me out of my own experience, without making me grimace in pain, or plod through sorrow. For all the issues it deals with (early onset heart attack, abandonment, stress, relationship stuff. motherhood, adoption, running away) it was approachable, and the characters, while confused, even deadened emotionally, remained of interest for me. And yes, there was growth and resolution, and humor, which is always a bonus. It was a romantic book, not in the sense of heaving breasts and bed hopping, but it the way the author crafted a dark time optimistically, and let frozen lives thaw.To be fair, I was very underwhelmed by a previous novel by Ms Foreman, and had no intention of reading this until I heard the interview. It's a good reminder for me to stay open-minded.Tags: heard-interview-with-author, i-heard-about-it-on-npr, read, rounded-up-in-star-rating, thank-you-charleston-county-library

[nnjmom · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have thoroughly enjoyed Gayle Forman's YA novels, and this, her first foray into the world of adult fiction, does not disappoint. I think every working mother can sympathize with Maribeth's plight: she has done everything for her family, and now that she needs to take care of herself, it just doesn't seem possible. There is a reason that a common fantasy of working mothers is an extended stay in the hospital - forced rest without guilt. Forman deftly addresses the conflict Maribetth feels between her need to meet her own needs and the love she feels for her children. The time away from her family allows Maribeth to address not only the needs of her physical recuperation, but emotional issues that have been shoved to the side. Many mothers may have difficulty accepting Maribeth's choice to run away from her life, but Forman is still able to make Maribeth a character who is relatable and likable. I only wish the ending was as fleshed out as the rest of the book; it seemed a bit abrupt.

[susan.macura · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Forman always creates likable characters. Maribeth Klein is an overachiever who somehow manages a crazy work schedule with maintaining a home that involves raising twins. She is so busy that she does not slow down for a heart attack! Fortunately for her, she has a doctor’s appointment later that day, and is forced to deal with her health. After open heart surgery and coming home to a house that is in chaos, Maribeth runs away from home. Her adventures and discoveries about herself are what made this a great story! One is never disappointed with Forman’s stories.

[dianekeenoy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I actually liked Gayle Forman's YA books better. Maribeth is a very busy woman and when she has a heart attack in her early 40's, it's a shock to her and her family. However, once home from the hospital, she feels like she's unable to recover properly since everyone seems to expect her to just get back on track. She leaves her family, including her young twins, and settles in Pittsburgh where she decides to find her birth mother and recover properly. Not a bad book, by any means, but perhaps I've aged out of this type of running away from the busy life book.

[twink_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoy Gayle Forman's writing. Her newest book - Leave Me - is a departure from young adult fiction and is geared towards adult readers.Maribeth Klein leads a busy life - wife, mother to twins and magazine editor. There's always somewhere to be, something to do and not enough time to do it in. And so, when she feels chest pains, Maribeth ascribes it to stress or perhaps it's simply indigestion. But it's not - it's a heart attack - at forty-four years old.No, Maribeth doesn't die. But, she comes close and everything changes for her. When she returns home though, nothing seems to have changed. Barely into recovery, her husband and children treat her as they did before the heart attack, expecting so much from her. Her mother is there to help, but she too adds to the workload. And Maribeth? She simply can't take it - and she leaves. Leaves her husband, her children, her mother and her job. Takes her half of the savings, hops on a bus, rents a furnished apartment and stops. Stops to take stock of her life, her health, her relationship with her husband, her role as a mother. And her role as a child. Maribeth is adopted, but does not know her birth mother. Where does she want her life to go from here?I think you would be hard pressed to find a mother who has not felt stretched to the limit with her time, energy and physical and mental capabilities. Let alone having a major health crisis. I know I did when my kids were younger. I can absolutely empathize with Maribeth's decision to leave. Although, I was a little annoyed with her for not being able to say no - both before and after her heart attack. But without that inability, there would be no story.I liked Maribeth, liked her a lot. I was definitely sitting in her cheering section as she worked her way through her past and into her present. Forman throws in challenges and different avenues that Maribeth could travel along the way. What will she choose? I had my druthers, but won't spill the beans. Suffice it to say, I had a hard time liking her husband Jason. I just couldn't get past his initial introduction and actions despite further developments as the book progresses.(And is it bad if I say, I really didn't like the four year old daughter either? Her behaviour and dialogue seem older than four. But really annoying) I adored the upstairs neighbours - their quirkiness and kindness made them the kind of friends I would love to have in my circle.And yes there are further developments and resolutions. And deep down, I know it's the only way the story could go, but that little bit of me just wonders what if.........(and I'm only talking about Jason here, not the kids) I did however find the ending a bit rushed considering the path to it.Forman's writing flows so well and is very easy to read. I'll absolutely pick up her next book. Although Leave Me was a good read, it isn't my favourite from this author.I think there will be Maribeth lovers and Maribeth detractors. Book clubs would have a field day with Leave Me - lots of fodder for discussion! The title is clever as leave me can apply to so many of the characters and their relationships.

[indygo88 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I've read some of Gayle Forman's YA novels, and while I didn't absolutely love them, they were decent enough. Decent enough to make me curious about and want to read her debut adult novel.Furthermore, the storyline of this book was especially appealing -- married, working mother of twins feels overwhelmed & underappreciated. She suddenly suffers a heart attack while in her early 40's, recuperates for about a week, and then her family continues on as before as if nothing happened. She gets fed up & makes a split decision to just run away for a while.I've not suffered a heart attack (yet), but yeah, I could relate. I've wanted to, and indeed HAVE run away (for very short periods) from my own family. I continue to have that fantasy. I'd never have the guts to do it long-term, but reading a novel about someone who does was intriguing to me. And yet, this story was not really what I expected. I expected more emotion from a storyline such as this, but it, and the characters, fell flat. Though I could relate to the main character of Maribeth, I really didn't like her. Ultimately, this was a promising book, but one that didn't deliver to its potential.

[mrsmommybooknerd7 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is NOT to be missed. You will be captured from start to finish. There is such a richness in the characters and story that will pull you into this book and force you to close out the rest of the world. You may stay up way past your bedtime reading!!! Pick up this book and read it...but remember I warned you that you will be sucked right in!!! Enjoy!!!

[kikoa_8 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I so identify with this Novel. The idea of taking a few things and driving away from a husband that has forgotten what you look like, let alone what you need. Leaving the children is the difficult part. I did the same many years ago . I stayed extremely active in my sons life. Am I glad I did it- oh yes! Now I am 73 and have had adventures with my son and my friends that I would have never had. So my fingers flew through the pages of Leave Me! Thank you Librarythings.

[beamis12 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5 Immensely readable and entirely easy to relate. How many times when all my seven children were growing up, when I was ferrying them back and forth to school, outside activities, trying to keep up with housework, cooking, laundry, did I feel like getting in my car and running away? Way too many to count and I bet many other feel or have felt the same. In this book a 44 year old woman, suffers a heart attack, has bypass surgery and on release from the hospital finds her life with three year old twins and a husband who is always working, simply exhausting. She does the unthinkable and leaves. This is her story, her time away, people she meets and her search for her biological mom. What she learns about herself and how she works her way forward. Was quite fascinated with the intrepid Marybeth, but was she? On the surface tough but oh so vulnerable, all the insecurities and fears of years, why I liked her despite the sorrow I felt for her little ones. If near the end it got a bit smaltzy, a little too, too, I could go with that. She had maybe earned it.One of those books that could easily be rated a 3 or 4, depending not on the writing which was fine but on how the reader relates to the message. Sometimes we just have to learn to take care of ourselves first, easier said then done I know, before we can fully take care of others. So for this message and the fact that I quite enjoyed this one, I have gone with the four. Can't help feeling this will appeal to many women and their stressed out lives.ARC from publisher.

[willowone_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received a copy of this book for the purpose of review.Maribeth Klein is drowning. She is in a job that has become much more than she planned, working more hours than she expected and then must go home and care for her twins, husband, house and bills. Juggling life has become too much. She doesn't even realize she is having a heart attack. When life changes she must ask for help, but she finds that no one understands just how much help she needs. She feels unseen & undervalued, forced to make what seems to be her only decision, to leave.When I received the book I wasn't completely sure I would like this book. The story-line morally felt wrong to me. As I dove into the book I found myself rooting for Maribeth. I felt the author did a wonderful job of making Maribeth come alive. I could feel her pain, fear, angst. I ended up really liking the book and the lesson of love, respect and forgiveness that it told. I breezed through its pages in 2 1/2 days which to me makes it a good rainy day or beach read book.