📖 Overview
Two Kisses for Maddy chronicles Matt Logelin's experience as a new father who loses his wife Liz shortly after she gives birth to their daughter. The memoir tracks their relationship from their teenage years through marriage and pregnancy.
Logelin documents his navigation of single parenthood while processing grief and maintaining connections with family and friends. The narrative moves between past memories and present challenges as he raises his newborn daughter Madeline.
His blog about fatherhood becomes an unexpected source of support and community during this period. The writing maintains a raw, direct style as it follows the first year of Madeline's life.
This memoir examines themes of love, loss, and rebuilding - demonstrating how parenthood can provide both purpose and healing during profound grief. The work stands as a testament to resilience and the transformative nature of father-daughter bonds.
👀 Reviews
Readers connect with Logelin's raw grief and his struggles as a single father following his wife's death. The book resonates with many who have experienced loss, with several reviews noting they "read it in one sitting."
Readers appreciated:
- Honest portrayal of early parenthood challenges
- Inclusion of blog comments showing community support
- Clear, conversational writing style
- Photos and personal details about Liz
Common criticisms:
- Too much focus on pre-marriage dating history
- Repetitive descriptions of grief
- Some found the tone self-centered
- Unpolished writing in certain sections
Ratings:
Goodreads: 3.9/5 (14,000+ ratings)
Amazon: 4.5/5 (1,100+ ratings)
Barnes & Noble: 4.4/5 (200+ ratings)
One frequent comment from reviewers: "This story needed to be told, but the execution could have been better." Multiple readers noted they preferred Logelin's blog posts to the book format.
📚 Similar books
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
A wife chronicles her first year of grief following her husband's unexpected death while simultaneously caring for their hospitalized daughter.
Once More We Saw Stars by Jayson Greene A father's account of rebuilding life after the death of his two-year-old daughter while supporting his wife through their shared grief.
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi A neurosurgeon faces terminal cancer and writes about mortality while his wife prepares for the birth of their first child.
The Light of the World by Elizabeth Alexander A poet documents her journey through widowhood after losing her husband unexpectedly, raising their sons and preserving his memory.
H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald Following her father's death, a woman processes her grief through the experience of training a goshawk while living alone.
Once More We Saw Stars by Jayson Greene A father's account of rebuilding life after the death of his two-year-old daughter while supporting his wife through their shared grief.
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi A neurosurgeon faces terminal cancer and writes about mortality while his wife prepares for the birth of their first child.
The Light of the World by Elizabeth Alexander A poet documents her journey through widowhood after losing her husband unexpectedly, raising their sons and preserving his memory.
H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald Following her father's death, a woman processes her grief through the experience of training a goshawk while living alone.
🤔 Interesting facts
🌟 Matthew Logelin started a blog to keep family updated during his wife's complicated pregnancy; after her death, the blog gained millions of followers who connected with his story of loss and single parenthood.
💝 The title comes from the ritual Matthew and his wife Liz planned before Maddy's birth: they would each give their daughter a kiss when she was born. Since Liz never got to give her kiss, Matthew gives Maddy two kisses—one from him and one from her mother.
📱 The blog-turned-book sparked a Netflix film adaptation called "Fatherhood" (2021), starring Kevin Hart as Matthew Logelin.
🌍 The Liz Logelin Foundation, created in memory of Maddy's mother, has provided financial assistance to hundreds of young widows and widowers since 2009.
👶 Madeline Elizabeth Logelin was born seven weeks early, and her mother Liz died just 27 hours after the cesarean delivery due to a pulmonary embolism, having never held her daughter.