Gracie is a little girl who has undergone a trauma and dies. She is miraculously brought back and survives.
When she recovers, she knows there is more "on the other side" and begins to tell Jen who she saw and exactly what these souls look like.
Can it be?
There is a mix of suspense and mystery as the plot unfolds and Gracie speaks of Catherine, a tiny soul and who her mother is on earth.
I certainly enjoyed this story!

Gracie's Secret by Jill Childs

My rating: 5 Stars

Jennifer's daughter Gracie was in an accident that left her in a brief coma. Jennifer is furious because her ex-husband's girlfriend Ella was driving and her ex wasn't even with them. Jennifer is a caring, very protective mother and prays vigorously for Gracie's recovery. They are blessed, because Gracie does get better. Jennifer is very happy, but notices that Gracie now seems different. This articulate, nearly four-year-old tries to convince her that she saw things when she was going "to sleep".

Why did this accident happen? What is really going on with Ella that there had to be such a terrible accident? Watch out for Ella as there are startling things about her that you will read about. But not just Ella, though. Because there is Matt. He and Jennifer become very close. Does Jennifer finally have the chance at happiness that she and Gracie needs? Also, Gracie is a child that needs listening to.

From an emotional standpoint, I was completely hooked. I felt the angst that Jennifer had with Gracie's comments and behavior. Jennifer's point of view was quite powerful to read. For some reason, I was very cautious about Matt. This book was utterly impossible to put down! Wow! I read it from cover to cover in one sitting. I was quite enthralled with this very intriguing story. It is truly an intense psychological thriller. While reading Gracie's Secret, my interest was piqued from the very start to the shocking conclusion! Jill Childs writes a stunning debut novel. She is an author that I certainly will watch for in the future.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review.

Date of publication: June 15, 2018

Oh. My. Gosh. Just trying to catch my breath. Masterful storytelling by Author , Jill Child’s. I was enjoying the story and the emotional roller coaster of Jennifer as she navigated a cheating husband, getting “that” call from the hospital, and insult to injury, having to share her daughter with the woman who helped ruin her marriage. My emotions were heading down a completely different path when I realized the story was heading in a completely different direction. I loved that I didn’t have to guess what was happening as in most stories. This author flat out told you and it still made me question it. My one irritation with the book was how often this child got away from her mother and ran to hide. It can happen to all of us once, and if a second occurrence happens, you re-examine your parenting skills. I found this annoying and frustrating. Overall, started reading this late yesterday and actually cancelled plans this morning to finish it. Excellent !
#netgalley #jillchilds #graciessecret

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Gracie's Secret by Jill Child's that I read and reviewed.
This book was just okay for me. I really could not get I into it like I wanted too because I just did not like the style that the author wrote the book in. The story was good but the connection between the characters and myself, as a reader just was not there so I struggled with getting through the entire book and I found myself jumping around.
I have to give this book three out of five stars.

This wasn't at all what I expected when I started reading this book. I didn't expect the mystery and sadness but I'm so glad it happened that way. A wonderful and different story that made me smile and cry. Well done to the author for keeping me hooked right from the beginning. Made all the more special as I read this ahead of my 2nd visit to Venice

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the Publisher, Bookouture for this review copy given in exchange for an honest review. Also thank you to Kim from Bookouture for organising the Blog Tour.

Jen is a single mum to her young daughter, Gracie. The book begins with her ex-husband ringing Jen and telling her to get to the hospital as there has been an accident. Jen discovers that her ex-husband’s new partner, Ella was taking Gracie out on her own and there had been an accident in the car. Gracie was seriously injured at the scene and for a brief time stopped breathing until the paramedics manage to bring the little girl back to life. Jen is understandably relieved, but also furious with Ella, who she has never trusted. On the road to recovery, Gracie begins to tell her mum strange stories about what she heard in the car just before the accident and also what she saw in those moments where she had stopped breathing.

This was my first book by this author. I have to admit I didn’t read the blurb before I read this, and went by the book cover. Initially, I thought the book was a tug-of-war battle between Jen and her ex-husband, with the disliked new girlfriend being the bone of contention between them. As I got further into the book, it suddenly changed. As Gracie recovers, she tells Jen of vivid memories that she experienced whilst she was, as such, dead. For me, the book then become an emotional story of the near death experience of the little girl and how Gracie and Jen dealt with this. Obviously, unless you’ve ever been in that position I imagine it’s very difficult to prove or disprove near death experiences, and this is Jen deals with it. Gracie is telling her such detailed information about things that she saw, but Jen finds it difficult to understand it.

Personally, I found this a highly emotionally charged book that brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion. I like Jen’s character and felt total empathy for her, but disliked so many of the other characters! It’s a story of the unconditional love that you have for your child and how far you would go for them. It’s also a gripping story of full of lies and betrayal. I would definitely recommend this book!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This novel starts out with Jen receiving a phone call from her ex-husband stating that there has been a terrible accident - his new girlfriend and Jen and her ex's daughter.

Gracie is pronounced dead at the scene and miraculously is able to be saved.

Throughout the course of the book, Gracie seems to be making up stories about seeing things, and knowing things, that Jen can't quite wrap her head around. And these things lead her to believe that her ex's girlfriend, Ella, has secrets that she doesn't want known...

Gracie's Secret is a gripping psychological thriller that will keep you gripped from beginning to end and what an amazing ending!!

Wow it does take your breath away as it says, absolutely loved this book and couldn't put it down.

Loved the way this author writes, such easy reading, reasonably short chapters and it kept me engrossed throughout and I got wrapped up with each individual character and what can I say about the ending only fantastic.

Well done Jill Childs a great debut novel and I will definitely read more from you and I can thoroughly recommend.

When Jennifer’s 3 year old daughter Gracie is in a car crash with her ex-husband’s girlfriend Ella at the wheel, Jennifer is left reeling. As Gracie fights for her life Ella becomes her number one enemy. The accident changes Jennifer as she becomes overwhelmingly protective of Gracie to the point of claustrophobia. Gracie too has changed and her chatter is now centred on bright lights, people she saw while experiencing her near death event, much to the distress of her Mother.

I found Matt a strange guy who I never really trusted any of the words he spun to Jennifer and as I read each chapter with trepidation I had a foreboding feeling that he was out to hurt Jennifer or Gracie.

This is sad tale which explores grief, love and death and had me questioning my own beliefs and judgements on those subjects. A great story with a few unexpected surprises which popped up along the way added to enhance the tale.

My thanks to Net Galley and Bookouture for the digital ARC. This is my own review and opinion of Gracie’s Secret.

Jen is young Gracie’s mother and when she receives a phone call telling her that Gracie has been in a car accident she is devastated. Gracie had been in the care of her estranged father, so Jen had trusted she would be safe for the short visit. She rushes to the hospital where she learns that Gracie has been resuscitated. She lays vigil besides her daughter’s bedside waiting for her to wake up. It’s a miracle that she survived the car crash at all, as the driver of the other car had died and Ella, her husband’s girlfriend, who was driving the car with Gracie the only passenger, survived the impact with barely a mark on her.
As time goes by Gracie makes a full recovery but is left with vivid memories of the out-of-body experience she said she had experienced at the end of a tunnel of light where St Michael was waiting for her. She even recalls Ella arguing on her mobile at the time of the crash and even what happened when she was deeply unconscious and being rushed to the emergency room. Jen does not know what to make of her daughter’s claims, but they fuel her dislike of Ella, who she is convinced was not fit to look after Gracie. She is determined to find out the truth and initiates enquiries of her own.
‘Gracie's Secret’ is the story of a mother’s efforts to get to the bottom of why the accident happened and to keep her treasured daughter safe. It’s a story of mother love and romantic love but also of manipulation, lies and betrayals. I was absorbed in the story from the beginning and really enjoyed the fluid storytelling. I liked the gentle development of the characters whose stories were told and the ease of the plot development. I felt real empathy with Jen, betrayed by her husband and unknowing, then suddenly left alone as a single mother. She was a very caring mother deeply affected by her daughter’s accident. Their relationship was a key factor in this story. I was taken in by the lies and subterfuge and worried for Jen’s fragility. I did not expect the ending that was conceived by Jill Childs and I did not like it at all, although I did enjoy the suspense and the undertones of instability and mental fragility.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from publisher Bookouture through my membership of NetGalley. These are my own opinions about this novel, received with thanks and in return for an honest review. It’s a good read and kept me turning the pages. It’s a 3.5* review from me.

Confession: At about the halfway point in the book, my brain was already writing the review and giving it three stars. For me, that's a decent story. Good enough to finish, not particularly memorable, and probably not blog-worthy. But luckily I rarely review books at the midpoint because this is one that definitely moved up in the ranks by the end.
The story starts out in dramatic fashion. Little Gracie's been seriously injured in a car accident. As Jen takes her place by her daughter's bedside, she finds herself hoping for the best but expecting the worst. Gracie is her entire world, especially after her separation from Gracie's dad. But Gracie does recover. And she has quite a story to tell. Thankful to have her daughter back, Jen loses herself in caring for her. When Matt comes into her life, she thinks her luck in life just may be changing. Of course, it wouldn't be much of a story if things were wrapped up all nice and neat and tidy.
I was a bit thrown off by the tone of this story. For most of it, Jen's talking to Gracie, narrating what happened right before and after the accident. It works in some places but is annoying in others. So maybe that's why my initial impressions weren't as favorable. But it redeems itself as the story hits a few twists and turns and then ends with a bang. Definitely worth reading!

'Gracie's Secret' is marketed as an emotional page-turner that will take your breath away. I wouldn't say it's overly emotionally evocative, and I found the plot itself dragged somewhat, and therefore it took me a little while to finish this book.

Jen's daughter, Gracie, is involved in a terrible car accident which leaves her pronounced dead at the scene. She soon discovers that the car was being driven by her ex-partner's new girlfriend, and this leads Jen on a journey to find out what was really going on.

The plot was fairly novel, however I could not get on board at all with little Gracie's proclamations of having died and returned to life, having seen an angel and experienced some out-of-body experiences. This took the realism out of the plot and made it very hard for me to really enjoy. This also somewhat ruined the ending of the book for me.

This is a fairly pleasant read, but nothing particularly stood out for me.

Gracie's Secret is a heartfelt book that takes a strong look at a mother's love for her child. The ending was unexpected, but thr0ugh0ut the book we were given unexpected things to think about.

Such a twisted story, but I loved it! I wish the mom would listen to her daughter and believe her easier. I am definitely purchasing so I can read it again later!

The story starts off with Jen getting a phone call telling her to get to the hospital. Knowing it was to do with her daughter my heart was literally in my mouth. To come so close to losing your child, I could feel the emotions washing over me.

Gracie is an adorable little girl. Even though her parents are no longer living together she seems to take everything in her stride. To a certain extent, this story will stretch your beliefs. We hear so much about near death experiences and I suppose unless it happens to any of us, we will never quite know but either way I do think it brings some comfort. From Jen's point of view I could totally understand her concerns on how to react to what her daughter tells her.

Gracie's Secret is a definite page turner of a read. It's very much about a mothers love and how far as a mother you would go for your child. In parts it really does make for an emotional read and I had to take a moment to compose myself before carrying on. Packed full of suspense, Gracie's Secret is a gripping and emotive read. Look forward to reading more by the author.

I am on the fence about this...it wasn't as mysterious as I thought it was going to be..I did love mums devotion to Gracie, almost to the point of smothering her. Her love affair with Max was intense, and beautiful. You never know what way a story will go, and I did work it out early on.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review fro Netgalley! Thank you!
I found this book very easy to get into...the characters were likeable, I really didn’t see where the story was going, It was a good twist.

Jen’s daughter, Gracie has died in a car accident. Luckily, emergency workers were able to revive her, but plenty of questions remain. The car Gracie was riding in was driven by Jen’s ex-husband’s girlfriend, Ella and Gracie has begun to remember things about the crash. About the things Ella said and did right before and during the crash. Ella has an ugly past and she doesn’t want anyone knowing the truth, not even a child and she’ll do anything to keep Gracie quiet