As much as I tried to get into this book by Christine Bell, I am afraid I failed. I found the story too disjointed the characters unbelievable and the storyline left me confused and unwilling to continue.

There was much to enjoy here, but I found I couldn't connect with it. I'd read more from this author in the future though.

This book took me by surprise. It kept me interested throughout the story and I needed to see what was going to happen. l truly enjoyed the pacing of the story and the well written characters. I would recommend this story to all thriller lovers.

Lily Declan is a young widow who after a year still finds herself deep in mourning. She goes through the motions of being a mom and working but still has a hard time coping without her husband. Then, a letter arrives from someone claiming to have been very close to her husband and soon it’s not just a letter. The insistence of this woman to be heard and be understood sets Lily on edge and very soon she doesn’t know if she’s imagining things or there is something more sinister at work. An interesting premise, not quite a thriller but had some good moments of suspense. More than anything though I found it a good character study on someone processing grief.

What can I say but it sounded pretty good when I read the description of the story but now I wished I had checked out some of the reviews first. This book is long, tedious, and the endjng becomes just pure fantasy. Was not for me.

I am not 100% sure how I felt about this one.

What I Liked:

I did enjoy the play on words with the title; discussing both the grief that the protagonist is going through and her complaints of the “do-gooder” around her. I thought that was a really clever aspect.

I also liked Bell’s voice throughout the text. I found that I was absolutely curious enough to keep reading, even though I was finding myself overly thrilled or connected to the text.

I also found that the aspect of grief and the psychology of grief that was core to the plot was quite interesting; it is a concept that is not discussed often in fiction so I found that was very original and had me intrigued.

What I Struggled With:

Grievance was not a thriller. I feel as if it was completely mis-marketed as such.
I also found that this one was quite a bit slower than I was expecting. It did pick up the pace near the end but, for the most part, it was pretty slow moving.

I also found that I couldn’t connect to any of the characters; I didn’t really feel anything throughout the whole text.

Overall, I feel like this one read like a contemporary drama or family fiction. If you like that style of novel, then maybe this one would be a better fit. However, if you want a thriller or something to keep you on the edge of your seat, this would be one I would skip.

Really loved this book and the plot kept me intrigued. A must read for all.

Loved the description and cover of the book. The book didnt disapoint either. It was very easy to read. I felt there could have been a whole lot more to the book, that would have made it better. But there wasn't.

3.5 stars

This story centers around a thirty-something year-old widow and her two young sons as they navigate life after the death of their loved one. As the title and blurb mentions, dealing with grief plays the starring role in this story. The chapters are short, each titled with interesting phrases and features likable characters. This book is divided into three parts and Lily is the protagonist.

Part one: melancholy in tone, Lily is celebrating the one-year anniversary of her husband's death and the reader learns that her younger son is being teased at school for being fatherless.

Part two: a series of strange events happens and some are explained, most are not, and the police are notified.

Part three: Lily is on high alert and convinced without a doubt that she has a stalker.

Loved?
The secondary characters and the grief therapy sessions conducted by Miriam! I cackled so hard at the responses by the other group members! Getting that cast of characters to remain focused on the subject at hand was like herding wild horses together!

Miriam's patience and tough approach kept the circle of grief-stricken members from spiraling out of control and that wasn't an easy feat with adults of varying ages, personal histories, and backgrounds. Those characters were so colorful and fun! Olivia provided the baked snacks, Carly's no-budget Googling investigations caused some contention, Leon's reincarnation stories had me on edge, and Emma's auditory hallucinations and lactating breasts proved to be hilariously entertaining!

Most profound?
The group exercises used to express grief: writing poems, memory boxes, the empty-chair exercise, letters of gratitude to the deceased, etc. was an eye-opening experience. It depicted just how differently each person dealt with grief at various stages of life, maturity levels, and areas of faith.

► While this story caught me off guard in a good way, the revelation of the stalker's identity and agenda seemed to come out of left field and I felt let down by it. I think the ending was supposed to blow me away, but it didn't.

Yes, it was something I NEVER guessed, but it was such a stretch in believability for me! (view spoiler)

► Despite the difficult subject matter, this was a great story and fully enjoyable!

Lily's grief and confusion are the basis for this novel- the plot of which I felt like I'd read before. Parts of it were better than others but I wanted to tell her to go see a counselor and take her kids with her. Or to move to another city. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This one didn't grab me but it is a fast read and fairly well written.

Grievance is a psychological tale of a personal vendetta towards a grieving widow. Lily is grappling with her first year without her husband Desmond. With her two sons, Sam and Finn, she struggles to keep up with the pace of life. One day she receives a strange letter from one of Des's old flames. Suddenly Lily must not only navigate through her despair but the harassment of an emotional and potentially dangerous stalker.

I enjoyed reading this book, but I gave it the 3.5-star rating rounded to 3 for several reasons.

The psychological plot was well paced and entertaining. When the intrusive letter is received, Lily's reaction and rumination of its details was credible and generated tension for the backbone of the novel. The phone calls, a strange package on an anniversary, the intimate knowledge contained in a couple of letters sets the stage for a full-scale thrill ride. However, Bell does not fully commit the novel to the dark side. It only brushes with the suspense in small ways leaving the story more psychological rather than thrilling. And the perpetrator, a DSM-V type character once again was not fully invested and appeared twistedly soft.

I would like to commend Bell on a brilliant job with character development, especially with the minor characters in the story. Lily's grief was touching. Her sorrow was thinly veiled as it has been less than a year since Desmond's passing from Cancer. Her innermost thoughts obsessions and hallucinations made her sadness and anger poignant. Her support group meetings contained characters that showed various shades of mourning. Bell gives grief a face with multidimensionality detailing the physical, psychological and social aspects of family's grief in everyday life. The subset of grieving compelled me to wonder about the totality of this universal emotion.

Overall, an easy, read with some exciting and creepy moments. Although I was left unsatisfied, I would recommend this book only for the thoughtful portrayal of grief.

Great book! Looking forward to reading more by this author! Highly recommend!