Reader Report: Two Kisses for Maddy

I read all the time. And I am not joking when I say allllll the time.

Working at Barnes & Noble does not slow this down. If anything, it helps me out find the new must-read.

That being said, after a recommendation by a customer, I picked up a newly released book called "Two Kisses for Maddy." Written by a guy named Matt Logelin, it chronicles the birth of his daughter, Maddy, and then 27 hours later, the death of his wife, Liz. The book shares how the couple met and then how he moves on with Maddy after that tragedy struck their new little family.

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I could not put it down. I say this with the most sincere authenticity: I could not put it down.

I was afraid that it was going to hurt to read this book. I was afraid that I was going to mourn and feel pain because of Matt's writing and the loss that he was writing about. I have suffered a similar unwanted loss, and I was afraid that this piece of literature was going to put me in some black hole of emotion that would take time and processing to crawl out of. It addresses two of my biggest fears: losing my soulmate, and leaving behind a child. I just didn't know if I could handle reading a book that contains two very harsh nightmares.

However, one review got me to pick it up (unfortunately I couldn't find the real one on the web, so I'm paraphrasing):

"You hurt for him, but you cheer for him from beginning to end. Such sorrow and sweetness have never met. This is what true love looks like."

So, I decided to check it out and have a go at it.

I read it in two days.

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

Matt's language is very...um, flowery. Very colorful. Very...well, he uses the f word a lot. So, let me warn you about that. But other than that, I have no complaints about it.

At the end of the book I kept thinking: But I need to know that Maddy is ok! I need to know that their life goes on after the pages of this book!

You love Matt, Liz, and Madeline just like you do your own family by the end of this book. Thanks to modern technology, I do get to watch Madeline grow up from afar and see that she and Matt are still thriving and happy through Matt's blog. It's now been added to my list of daily reads and I have loved scouring through it for the past few days. It's amazing to me how much Maddy looks like Liz (I can tell thanks to the pictures from the book as well on Matt's blog). Matt even comments on "how much she looks, and acts just like Liz even though Liz never got to hold her." 1

I give it five out of five stars for sincerity, honesty, genuine love, and just a good read.

Fellow readers: Keep the tissues near and the pages turning. Just when you think your heart is going to break for Matt, the story does go on.

Just like life.

It's funny how things work out.