Member Reviews
I will be honest I didn't like this story as much as I had hoped. I kind of felt it was trying too hard to be 2 different books, the family dysfunction/drama and a bit of psychological thriller (a bit) and unfortunately both fell a bit flat for me.
Narrated by Elise Arsenault, Jesse Vilinsky, Suzanne Toren, Stacy Glemboski was very well done the narration of each person truly brought the emotions.
3 stars
I received this audiobook from the publisher Blackstone publisher and NetGalley for a fair and honest review.
This was an easy listen with multiple point of views and deep characters, but I don’t think it’ll be very memorable.
This book!
I didn't know quite what to expect when going into this one. It sounded interesting, but it was so much more!
I'll be honest, it took me a bit to get into this story. I was convinced thisnwould ve a 3.5 star read. The story was good, but it starts out a bit slow, jumping timeliness and perspectives. You kind of get a sense of what's going on and the background of the characters, but the halfway point is where it really opens up.
Once they story opened up a bit more and you have a good sense of the characters, omg! This book made me cry a couple times. It's such a beautiful, yet broken story. After getting the whole story and the emotions I felt, I knew I needed to bump my rating up.
This was my first introduction to this author and you best bet I'll be checking out their other titles!
In this book we follow the story of Melanie, Louise, Grace and Delilah (at least for a few chapters). I liked how the audio book dealt with the different ages of the protagonists. For example, Grace was voiced by an older lady, appropriate for her age. I really liked it and it was easy to listen to.
It took me a long time to understand where the story was going. But that didn't take anything away from the tension, on the contrary, I've always asked myself how does it all fit together?
Of all the protagonists, I hated Delilah the least, she really got on my nerves at times. 😅🙊
Sure, her story is tragic, but she does have some weird beliefs and fears 🙊
I also had to warm up to Grace first. It wasn't until halfway through the book that I changed my mind about her.
This is probably the best audiobook I have listened to this year! I loved the narrators and the story. It kept my attention the whole time. I was hooked from the beginning and I couldn't wait to find out what was coming next. I will definitely be looking up more books by this author! It was fabulous!
Finding Grace by Janis Thomas
Narrated by: Elise Arsenault, Jesse Vilinsky, Suzanne Toren, Stacy Glemboski
Two women and a girl, connected in more ways than one. Louise doesn't even bother to battle the voices in her head, they drive her to act, even when that has meant walking away from her young daughter, long ago, over and over. Grace, daughter of a mother who is clearly mentally ill, has broken all contact, and lives in a kind of internal isolation, her bitterness towards her mother and her childhood exhibiting itself in such foul language I was ready to walk away during her parts of the story. And then there is twelve year old Melanie, having lived in foster home after foster home, some okay, others not so good. Louise is back in Grace's life and dragging her across the country to save Melanie and Grace knows this is her chance to put Grace where she needs to be, for good.
The four narrators of this story do such a good job. Louise, crazy as she is, also comes across as sincere in the things that she believes. She lays no blame for the things she's done and that she will have to do, she is doing what she must do. Grace's voice spews the foulness lodged in her heart, not willing to trust anyone's intentions, she's going to stew in her own bitterness and resentment until the day she dies. Sweet Melanie, so young but so worldly in what she's already lived and seen, with a special friend that conveys messages to her in a way that could get her in trouble if anyone found out.
Grace might have the most control over her life but she's the one that is the most lost, and as this story progresses we see her change into a Grace I'd want to know. This journey that Louse and Grace take together is worth the ride and I'm glad I took it. I'm going especially miss Melanie and would love to see her grow up.
Thank you to Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks and NetGalley for this ARC.
Thank you #Netgalley and #Blackstonepublishing for the audio copy of Finding Grace in exchange for my honest review.
The story, FINDING GRACE, is told from the perspective of 4 women: Grace, a mother, who is now an old woman, Louise, Grace's estranged daughter, Melanie, a young girl on the opposite side of the country in trouble, and Delilah, Melanie's foster mother. There are dual timelines to set up the story and give you all the necessary information. Grace is said to be crazy, when there is a much deeper truth to why she is the way she is. Louise wants nothing to do with her mother until she finds her back in her town, requiring her help. The two of them go on a journey to help save Melanie from "something bad" that is supposed to happen, they just don't know what that is yet. Can they make it to her in time? And what is their connection to her? How does Grace know she even needs help?
Overall, I enjoyed this fast paced thriller. The characters all came together and were developed well. I found the ending with Delilah a bit coincidental. I was left dissatisfied, hoping for something more for Melanie and Louise, but it was a very interesting family story that will warm your heart.
I really liked this book and also the pilot that seemed well thought out and also very easy to understand when it comes to this real world to talk about and touch on with new terms and lessons that I think are very important.
Audiobook - I love audiobooks that feature more than one voice and this fabulous tale has 4!
Finding Grace is a very unexpected thriller - this story paints a picture of three women whose lives intersect in atypical ways. There is Grace, who is Louise’s mother - and has been in and out of psych wards for many years. Louise, who is trying to embark on a life of her own in New York but is still pulled into her mother’s orbit. And Melanie, a 12 year old in foster care on the other side of the U.S All very different people, but all three have premonitions in the most unique ways.
This multiple viewpoints and easy going style kept me pulled in as I tried to piece together how these three related to one another. It was a truly pleasurable read!
Pick up Finding Grace to learn the stories of three remarkable people. It’s a tale you have not heard before nor will you guess the twists and turns.
I flew through this audiobook about deep-rooted misunderstandings and ultimately what it means to be a family, however flawed. The narrator is excellent and I had no trouble following along. The characters are well-drawn and heartfelt. There is some suspense which propels the plot forward nicely. This would be good for teens as well as adults.
Cover: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Writing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Character Building: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ending: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook arc.
First off the narration was superb, I think multiple narrators really brought this audiobook to the table.
Grace is thought to have a mental illness, but it's actually so much more.
Louise is afraid that she might have inherited her mother's mental illness problems.
Melanie is in foster care, keeping her head down and grateful for a great foster home.
This book's character building was really good. The dual timelines for Grace and Louise really gave great insight and understanding into how their lives have turned out like it did. I felt connected with all three characters right through the entire book.
This is a great book that will tug a little on your heartstrings!
Louise’s mother Grace has been in and out of mental institutions her entire life, now she’s back in Louise’s life begging for her help. Grace needs to travel from New York to California to save Melanie, a twelve year old foster child who hears a voice no one else can. Grace is convinced something terrible will happen if she and Louise don’t get to Melanie in time. Is this a case of a shared delusion, tragic mental illness or is it something more sinister? This story held me spellbound, I truly didn’t know what was going to happen