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Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss & Love [Kindle Edition]

Matt Logelin
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (185 customer reviews)

Print List Price: $13.99
Kindle Price: $7.99 includes free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
You Save: $6.00 (43%)
Sold by: Hachette Book Group

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Book Description

Matt and Liz Logelin were high school sweethearts. After years of long-distance dating, the pair finally settled together in Los Angeles, and they had it all: a perfect marriage, a gorgeous new home, and a baby girl on the way. Liz's pregnancy was rocky, but they welcomed Madeline, beautiful and healthy, into the world on March 24, 2008.

Just twenty-seven hours later, Liz suffered a pulmonary embolism and died instantly, without ever holding the daughter whose arrival she had so eagerly awaited. Though confronted with devastating grief and the responsibilities of a new and single father, Matt did not surrender to devastation; he chose to keep moving forward-- to make a life for Maddy.

In this memoir, Matt shares bittersweet and often humorous anecdotes of his courtship and marriage to Liz; of relying on his newborn daughter for the support that she unknowingly provided; and of the extraordinary online community of strangers who have become his friends. In honoring Liz's legacy, heartache has become solace.


Editorial Reviews

Review

"A tender memoir that combines the deep sadness of loss with the joys of parenthood even under incredibly trying circumstances." -Kirkus Reviews

"Heartbreaking, raw, moving and uplifting at the same time." -The Hollywood Reporter

"TWO KISSES FOR MADDY is less a conscious piece of writing than a spontaneous eruption from the heart. It will make you cry but not only out of sadness. Some of your tears will be for the beauty of love and its miraculous power to heal even the deepest wounds." -John Grogan, New York Times bestselling author of MARLEY & ME

"No one wants to read a depressing book. But how can you possibly call depressing what is so filled with love and life and the unstoppable message of how lucky we are to have what we have. Read this book and put your life back in perspective." -Brad Meltzer, New York Times bestselling author of HEROES FOR MY SON

"In Matthew Logelin's honest and poignant story, we learn a great many lessons about the fragility of life, and about the strength we all can summon to move forward. With two kisses and an open heart, he shows how love can sustain us." -Jeffrey Zaslow, New York Times bestselling coauthor of THE LAST LECTURE

"Almost unparalleled as a raw and unapologetic portrait of grief, TWO KISSES FOR MADDY is a stunning testimony of the kind of love-- fated, magnificent-- that inspires novels. So vivid, so powerful and pitch-perfect, is his evocation of his beloved Liz that I could hear her laughter and see her face for days after putting the book down." -Claire Fontaine, national bestselling author of COME BACK

About the Author

Born and bred in Minnesota, Matt Logelin was a project manager at Yahoo! until he left the company to focus on writing this book and raising his daughter, Madeline. The two live in Los Angeles, traveling often to see as much of the world as possible. Please visit them at www.mattlogelin.com

Product Details

  • File Size: 3130 KB
  • Print Length: 273 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0446564303
  • Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (April 14, 2011)
  • Sold by: Hachette Book Group
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B00495ZE2Q
  • Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
  • X-Ray: Not Enabled
  • Lending: Not Enabled
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #33,117 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Customer Reviews

I've followed Matt Logelin's blog for a few years and new his story. Sara Mc in OKC  |  53 reviewers made a similar statement
It is a truly touching story written very openly. boilermaker0508  |  33 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 40 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Heart-breaking and heart-warming, all at once April 7, 2011
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I've been reading Matt's blog since a couple of months after Madeline's birth and Liz's death. He and I have chatted via email briefly, as I'm also the dad of a 32-week preemie girl, born a couple of years before Maddy. Thankfully, I have no experience with what it's like to be a widowed, single father.

Everything that's funny, heartbreaking, emotionally raw and wonderful about Matt's blog is also here in this book. Part I of the book goes into a fair amount of detail concerning his & Liz's courtship and marriage, their careers, and their decision to start a family. I read with trepidation as Maddy was born, and reveled in Matt's joy for the 27 hours before his world came crashing down the next day. The book goes into greater detail (though not gory) about the circumstances around Liz's death, and that was a very hard chapter to read. I can't imagine what it would be like for Liz's family and friends to read it, and it's almost unfathomable to me how Matt could write it.

Parts II and III deal with the remainder of the first year, up to Maddy's first birthday and the first anniversary of Liz's death, with a short epilogue written a couple of years later.

Matt's rather "salty" language as found in his blog is echoed here in the book as well, and I was very pleased to see that. If his editors/publishers had forced him to tone down the profanity, the book wouldn't have been in his "voice."

A must read for any parent, and for anyone who's ever been in love.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed two kisses for maddy. Unlike some other reviewers, I read this from the perspective of someone who has never read his blog. While the focus is on coping with loss and grieving, his insight into the NICU experience and the loving connection he develops with his daughter during those first days are equally touching. He does a very good job capturing the thoughts one has after losing someone close so if you are trying to understand what someone else might be going through, this is a great read.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read! April 4, 2011
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Matt is an incredible and talented writer. As a reader, he drew me in and kept me wanting more. He's super transparent, telling stories from his life with all the details that made me feel like I was right there with him. Reading this book, I felt a whirlwind of emotions. One moment, I'd laugh, then my heart would start racing, I'd cry, and laugh again. Don't you just love a book like that?!

I finished his book in a day - I literally couldn't put it down. Matt experienced such pure devistation with the loss of his wife, and was walking into unchartered territory knowing he'd raise sweet Maddy without his love. But, he made it. He did it. He survived. And, after closing the book, I now know, if I am ever faced with something similar, I'll see the sun again.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars Two Kisses For Maddy April 26, 2012
By jaybird
Format:Paperback
Being a longtime reader of the blog, I was eager to read this book. I find myself somewhat disappointed, and not for the same reasons others have stated. I have really no problem with the language. For me it just seemed after the death of Liz, the only things left to talk about were the trips. I have to go here to remember Liz, I have to go there to remember Liz. Every single trip was because he traveled there with Liz and needed to embrace the grief to move past it. Which I totally get, and I do not begrudge anyone travel if they have the means to do it. But after the third trip he took to move him along in his grief, I felt it was redundant. I wanted to hear more about Maddy, about Liz's family, and about Matt himself working through his grief on a daily basis. I found the thing with the trips redundant.

I did like, however, finding out about the day of Liz's death with more detail. But I thought the way he presented her was as a controlling, foul mouthed, cold woman instead of the wonderful person I read about on the blog.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Heartbreaking Inspiration November 10, 2011
Format:Hardcover
This is a really hard book to review. It was even harder to read.

On March 24th, 2008 Matt Logelin experienced the greatest day of his life, the birth of his daughter Madeliene, premature but perfect in every way. Just 27 hours later, on March 25, 2008, he suffered the worst agony he could ever imagine, the death of his wife Liz. It was an embolism, striking just as she was about to see her daughter for the first time since a brief glimpse following and emergency cesarean section. This book is a memoir detailing Matt and Liz's life together and the first year of his life after her death, raising their daughter alone. This memoir is a labor of love, written for both his wife and his daughter.

I listened to most of this book, read by Matthew Logelin himself. It was heartbreaking and I cried through almost every page up through the funeral. I cried less after that, but it never got easier to hear him detail how difficult it was to navigate his new life. His story is a true tragedy, but it is also an inspiration. Since his wife's death, Matt has created the Liz Logelin Foundation, a charity organization dedicated to proving help to widows and widowers with a young family. He also spends every day making sure that Maddy gets to know the mother she will never meet. I cannot imagine being in his shoes, and not only has he survived, but he has thrived, creating a loving home for his daughter and hope for others who know his pain.

You can tell the book was written by a real person, not a professional writer and I like that about it, but it could also be jarring. Matthew Logelin is a man who likes colorful language and it's liberally sprinkled throughout his memoir.
... Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Moving and Funny
Matt perfectly captures the overwhelming sadness of losing your spouse, but also captures the absurdity and craziness of living a new and unexpected life. Read more
Published 4 days ago by S. Carr-Smith
4.0 out of 5 stars working on this book now
So far I do enjoy it. Hearing it from the dad perspective is wonderful. I do believe single dads get looked at in a different way. For what every reason for being single. Read more
Published 10 days ago by john woodman
5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended
This book was recommended to me by none other than the authors dad. I found it very touching. What a great dad!!
Published 24 days ago by Lisa Roy
2.0 out of 5 stars Great story, Poorly told
It kills me to write a negative review of this story.

The Author, Matthew, clearly has a lot of love in his heart for his daughter and for his wife, and I suspect he's a... Read more
Published 27 days ago by Perry
4.0 out of 5 stars Raw and brutally honest
Matt tells his story exactly as he feels it. He doesn't sugar coat or romanticize his experience. Sometimes it is hard to sympathize with him, 'cause he has a Cush job with Yahoo... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Napa Felix
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing read!
I laughed, I cried, I did them both at the same time! What a sweet, sweet tribute from a loving daddy!
Published 1 month ago by Ashley G
5.0 out of 5 stars Pulls at your heartstrings! Couldn't put it down!
I got this book not expecting all the emotions. You laugh, cry, and feel the words as you read along. Literally could not put it down!
Published 1 month ago by Momof2
5.0 out of 5 stars Heartbreaking and heartwarming
It's no doubt a sad story, but also inspiring. I cried many tears while reading it -both sad and happy ones! I've given it to everyone I know to read!
Published 1 month ago by AngelaReimus
2.0 out of 5 stars Sad but true
A lot of bad language, the author is obviously dealing with and working through a lot of anger which comes out in this book. Read more
Published 1 month ago by JR
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read
Amazingly touching! I admire Matt and wish him and Maddy the best life has to offer. This is an amazing memoir!
Published 2 months ago by Cherie
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