Thank You Netgalley and Post Hill Press for the chance to read and give an honest review!

If you enjoy books about books, bookish people, and the world of writing a story (I DO) then this is the story for you. I found Sara to be such a strong lead and really funny with a dash of crazy, all bookish people are a little crazy. While I was expecting this to be a little funnier this did not deter me from reading at all! It was so amazing watching Sara go from this women so no full of confidence about her abilities in to a power house that was truly believing in her self and her craft.

This was such a wonderful heartwarming story about learning to believe in your self and striving to prove not only the people around you but yourself wrong when it comes to the little you feel you can do. LOVED IT.

I really enjoyed this book! It was such a fun read! I decided to take a break from mystery and thrilled to read this feel-good book. Joani Elliott did a great job at making the characters realistic and likeable. This book had a great mix of humor, emotions, and drama. I was rooting for Sara the whole time and wanted her to find out her family secrets. I was hooked up until the very end of the book!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

"The Audacity of Sara Grayson" is Joani Elliott's debut novel. However, much to this reader's delight, it reads like the workcraft of an experienced and seasoned author! To say that I enjoyed this sweet little literary read would most certainly be an understatement! I was "in for a penny, in for a pound" from beginning to end! This novel had excellent character development wrapped up within a compelling storyline. All things considered, it is one of my favorite reads thus far in 2021 and I eagerly look forward to Joani Elliott's next work of fiction! She possesses a bright new voice that I for one, could read all day long!

📚📑📚📑📚📑📚📑📚📑📚📑📚📑📚

Many thanks to NetGalley for gifting me with an advanced digital copy of this book and to Joanie Elliott for writing a story that "spoke" to me from page one! I LOVED THIS BOOK!👩🏼‍🏫

#TheAudacityOfSaraGrayson
#JoaniElliott
#PostHillPress
#NetGalley

Thank you to the publisher, author and netgalley for my digital arc of The Audacity of Sara Grayson.
The blurb of this book drew me in, however it wasn’t as exciting as I hoped it would be.
Sisters Sara and Anna Cath are trying to process the shocking death of their famous mother, Cassandra Bond. She had written best selling novels which had been turned into films.
Her will is read and during this Sara is told that her mother had stated that she wanted her to write her final novel in her best selling series. Sara is a struggling writer and is currently working for a coupon company. Her life changes drastically once she accepts the huge task in-front of her.
There are many lies and secrets surrounding her family which she will uncover during her writing journey.
I wanted so much more from this book. There were plenty of likeable characters but their story lines weren’t prominent. Most of the secrets that were revealed weren’t as shocking as I was hoping they’d be. All in all I did enjoy reading the book and felt Sara’s frustrations with her writing clearly.

The audacity of Sara Grayson: I absolutely loved reading this book. A wonderful story, well written and so full of every emotion. The subtle links that accumulated into a crescendo at the end was just brilliant.

The Audacity of Sara Grayson was such an unexpected surprise. I loved this book. Saras’s mother Cassandra Bond is the super famous author of the Ellery Dawson series. Everyone is eagerly awaiting the fifth and final novel, but before Cassandra can write it, she loses her life to pancreatic cancer. In her will, she names Sara as the author she wants to write the final book, but Sara hasn’t written more than greeting cards in years.
This story follows Sara’s path to finding the courage to write, uncovering family secrets, and discovering her soulmate in the process. I absolutely adored this book, the characters, the scenery and Sara’s metamorphosis. It was perfection.
•
•
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Joani Elliott knows how to write! Well crafted novel with a realistic depiction of the art of writing — the insecurity and hopelessness and futility and accomplishment, cycling in an endless, introspective loop. If you think the story synopsis above sounds interesting, the book storyline should be right up your alley. Elliott’s writing is empathetic, and feels uplifting, in a real, truthful way. As someone who dabbles in writing, I found much of this book inspiring. I definitely recommend if you are a writer. You will love Phil, because he’s the best.

The book also has a couple of adorable and believable romances.

My only issue with this book (which, unfortunately, is a big one), is that we spend the majority of our time with Sara Grayson, and Sara Grayson is… kind of awful. Whiny, full of excuses. Literally everyone she knows is like, “Your writing is so good! You need to do this! Also, you’ve been unhappy. Trying this new thing may help you realize what you want and feel fulfilled.” And she doesn’t trust herself, she doesn’t trust those she loves, and she’s fucking annoying about it. It’s probably realistic, but it’s very difficult to spend so much time with her when she’s insufferable, and, like, not in a fun way.

4.5 Stars
Meet Sara, a 32 yo greeting card writer with a teaching position at college. She’s the daughter of the great author Cassandra Bond, whose Ellery series 50 million copies and is being made into a movie. The fifth book of this suspense thriller is supposed to be released. But Cass passes away, and there is no book.
She leaves a letter asking Sara to finish the book. Sara, and not her perfection-craving elder sister Anna-Kath! With barely any writing experience and even lower self-esteem, can Sara even take up the audacious responsibility? Her mother definitely wants her to. Her sister is supporting and encouraging her.
But can Sara do it? Can she finish the book without help from the dreaded Phil? Can she overcome the hurdles set by Jane from Iris Publishing? What about the whispers of plagiarism, and who is this Meredith Lamb?
The book is about Sara learning to get back her confidence in life (after her husband walked out on her a few months ago) and understanding that writing is not scary; it’s terrifying and soul-satisfying.
The book is 400 pages long, and I was a bit skeptical in requesting it. I like my books small and compact.
However, the writing was engaging, and the narration flowed well from start to finish. The book is a potpourri of emotions, and that made the characters more real. No one is perfect, and no one is really a villain or a baddie.
While I didn’t identify with Sara, I could understand her insecurities and vulnerabilities. It’s no small feat to finish a book from a bestseller series written by another person. As a writer, I know just how stressful it is. It’s hardly surprising that Sara wants nothing to do with the book or the series.
But it’s time she accepts a challenge and proves her worth. How long is she going to mop around? What follows is Sara’s journey of self-realization while digging up a dark past that further complicates things.
The book has its share of romance, but it is sweet and comforting, a perfect balance to Sara’s growing anxiety.
We see Sara understanding what it is to be a writer. The words on paper are just letters stringed together if the writer doesn’t feel them tear their insides, isn’t it? What I love most about the book is how writing is presented to the readers. There is no glossing over writer’s block. There’s no exaggerating the frustration or the satisfaction when words flow. Each chapter in the book starts with a quote from a writer, and I love them all.
The book has several elements, and at times, I wanted Sara to go ahead and take the plunge. There were instances I fast read a few paragraphs to get on with the story. That’s just me, though. I’m not the kind that relates to anxious heroines who take helluva time to decide their next move.
However, the relationship between the characters more than makes up for Sara’s indecisiveness. Overall, The Audacity of Sara Grayson is a warm and inspiring book for book lovers and writers. You won’t regret reading this Thank you, NetGalley, Meryl Moss Media, and Post Hill Press, for the ARC.

Sarah Grayson is an interesting character. The first half not so much, as she is depressed, unhappy and lacking life skills to cope with her mothers death and the consequential position it puts her in to finish her esteemed mothers novel, per her mothers wishes. We can relate to the insecurities she feels being left such a challenging chore.

The second half has us liking her a bit better, and there are some humorous moments that I enjoyed but I expected more from the cute cover of her book. I found myself impatient with the writing at times. I think the author was reaching for too many things, although it was a sweet story. The ending left something to be desired as well. I think the author has potential and I wish her every success.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this prior to publication and express my honest opinion of this work.

Thanks to NetGalley and Meryl Moss Media for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book was published May 25, 2021.

This was a fun book to read. The protagonist Sara learns her mother, a famous author, has tasked her with writing the final book in a famous series after her death.

I’ve always been interested in the writing process and this was a fun story to learn more about it, albeit fictionally. I really liked how each chapter started with a quote from a famous author about the writing process.

I like that Sara gained confidence as a writer and when given the option to take the easy way out, chose not to.

I had two complaints near the end: I felt like the London part got a bit confusing and somewhat off track. I also would have liked to know how Book Five did once it got published. My guess was it beat all expectations!

Original review posted on GoodReads.

#TheAudacityofSaraGrayson

The world building is fantastic! I love Sara, she is so relatable! She goes through a full range of emotions while trying to fulfill her mother's dying wish! A heartwarming read.

This book had humor and heart. Sara Grayson is a likable and relatable character. When her mom dies she is tasked with the huge job of writing the finale to her mom's best selling series. Sara teaches writing, but doesn't call herself a writer so the task of writing her moms novel seems insurmountable. As the doubts pile up and the deadline looms, Sarah must learn to believe in herself. 4.5 stars for this lovely tale. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This latest book by Joani Elliott looked great from the cute cover but I didn’t care for it. Sarah’s mother is a famous author who passes away and asks her daughter to finish her last book after she dies. I found myself skimming pages and stopped at 27%. I found it all rather boring. Not for me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

The Audacity of Sara Grayson was generously provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sara Grayson is a semi-depressed middle aged woman whose mother has just died. During the reading of the will, Sara learns that her author-mother has stipulated that Sara is to finish writing her bestselling series. Yikes!

The Audacity of Sara Grayson was a very sweet book, and was especially emotional for me since I am very close with my own mother. The whole story is told from Sara’s POV. It is linear but there are a few time jumps. The characters are well developed and relatable. Overall, it was a nice book and one that I would recommend to a friend.

Sara Grayson has pretty much given up on life after a divorce and working in a job she's apathetic about when her very famous writer mother passes away. She's forced to face some truths when her mother's dying wish is for her to write the last book in the world's most highly anticipated series. Problem is, she hasn't written anything since her mother's old editor decimated her first novel. Not to mention that things about the past are being brought to light, making her question everything about her parents. And there's also a guy that she has no time to get involved with, but that just might be the inspiration she needs.
It's a series of scenes that show Sara at her worst and slowly working her way back towards something that she was once passionate about. Along the way, she learns new things about herself and her family and finds that she actually does have the audacity that her mom believed her to posses.
The story inspires you to start facing your fears and giving it your all. Well written, expertly characterized, and with great twists that kept me guessing. It's definitely worth the read.

Many happy thanks to NetGalley and Post Hill Press for the early read!

Sara isn't someone who has everything together and is swept up in a whirlwind opportunity to live her dream of being a writer. She's afraid to put her writing out there, recently divorced, dealing with the loss of her mother, trying to unravel family secrets, and under great pressure to fulfil her mother's legacy and appease thousands of fans. The Audacity of Sara Grayson is a tribute to the writing process, family and self-discovery.

I absolutely loved it! It’s so good. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it thoroughly exceeded my expectations.

This is a feel good story of self-discovery for Sara as she grieves the loss of her mother, learns more about her family’s history, and most importantly finds herself along the way. There are sweet & endearing moments mixed with intrigue as Sara untangles her family’s secret. Throw in a sweet romance and you’ve got a wonderful book.

Sara Grayson is about to embark on an almost impossible task and has the audacity to do just that. Meet Sara, a thirty two year old greeting card writer who suddenly finds herself in a daunting situation after her superstar suspense author mother's death. Not only does she have to deal with the death of her mom but she finds out that she has been tasked with writing the the final book in her mother's best selling series. Not wanting to admit defeat Sara starts off on the adventure of a lifetime.

Debut author Joani Elliott keeps the reader entertained as the story unfolds --- Sara has quite a challenge ahead of her and it is not without some drama. Add a sprinkling of romance and this book is one that was hard to put down once I got started.

Witty and entertaining, this novel will keep you smiling as you watch Sara come into her own as a writer and fulfill her mom's deepest wishes for her. Success and happiness are just around the corner and we all hope that Sara can embrace all that is hers to embrace.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for a free copy for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. Joani Elliott has written a soulful novel, layered with unexpected bursts of humour and heartache. After losing her mom, Sara finds herself in the unenviable position of having to fulfill her mother’s dying wish. Her journey through grief and self-discovery is both audacious and honest.

“I have no doubt your feelings are real, but that doesn't mean they're telling you the truth.”

I picked up this book as a NetGalley ARC, honestly not sure what to expect. Let me tell you how pleasantly surprised I was.

I tried reading it a month earlier to this review but just couldn't sink into the plot - however, I do believe a pertinent aspect of this has to do with life circumstances and not with the truly enjoyable story written by Joani.

I connected with this book on so many levels. I grieved with Sara, as I recently lost a parent. I could feel the same sense of loss and abandonment, with an ounce of blame for the parent that had passed on. I'm also a creative who deals with imposter syndrome regularly - this often stops me from doing what I truly enjoy, since the small voice in my head whispers "you're not enough" on a daily basis. I saw a lot of similarities and reflections of myself and my journey in Sara's trials and frustrations

Joani truly writes with a painter's hand - her words describe and emote at an artistic level that helps submerge you into the plot and setting. I felt the beauty of the Maine coastline, the familiarity of Sara's mother's home and the sense of belonging when surrounded by comforting smells and loving memory.

I felt the plot drove forward well, with anticipation for the next event and surprises that were not predicted. The ending was left to interpretation - a chance for the reader to fill in the blank and an easy segue into a potential sequel.

Sara's experience of writing a debut novel easily mirrors what I imagine to be a very thrilling and terrifying experience - and I believe Joani can speak to this first hand with this amazing read.

Brava for a job well-done on such an inspiring debut novel. I look forward to reading more!