This book is definitely interesting, though I wanted to like it more. The timeline is all over the place, making it hard to follow and harder to stay engaged. What it really offers is a deep look into the grief-filled, chaotic life of Grace Adams, who thinks delivering the perfect birthday cake will fix everything. Spoiler: it doesn’t. Instead, you get a whirlwind of menopause, bad decisions, and emotional turmoil that’ll have you crying while your family carries on as if nothing’s happening. As the story unravels Grace’s painful past, the chaos can be overwhelming, but her grit and resilience stand out. If you’re expecting laughs, move on—this is a heavy emotional rollercoaster about motherhood, marriage, and perimenopause, and not in a fun way. If you don’t mind shedding a few tears and don’t need a tidy ending, you might find something to appreciate here.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC.

I enjoyed this book, although the two timelines being close together confused me at first. Grace is a dedicated mother who is navigating loss, love and adolescents and like many mothers, makes mistakes along the way. The mistakes do not negate her love or dedication to her daughter, as evidenced by her adventurous journey to deliver a birthday cake.

I'm excited to see this become a movie.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood in exchange for my honest review and opinion. This was a good read but not a light hearted book by any means. I did enjoy it but not what was I expecting.

I don’t have teenagers yet, but I’m almost there and I felt like this book captured so much real emotion for that phase of motherhood. Grace Adams is a mom entering menopause and trying to keep her life from spiraling off the tracks while navigating divorce and her teenager’s angst. It is lighthearted while also really making you feel for Grace when you understand the hurdles she has faced.

I enjoyed this one and recommend grabbing it if you are entering that phase of life where you feel like you’re babies are gone.

Fran Littlewood’s debut novel, “Amazing Grace Adams” is a heartwarming and poignant exploration of one woman’s journey through midlife, family breakdown, and self-rediscovery. At its center is Grace Adams, a woman who, on the verge of turning fifty, finds herself overwhelmed by the weight of her past, the demands of her present, and the uncertainty of her future. With a day in the life narrative structure, Littlewood crafts a story that blends humor, heartbreak, and resilience as we follow Grace through a single, chaotic day that changes everything.

On what seems like an ordinary day, Grace finds herself at breaking point. Her marriage is crumbling, her relationship with her teenage daughter, Lotte, is on the rocks, and her once-promising career as a linguist has stagnated. When a particularly bad day at the supermarket pushes her over the edge, Grace decides to take matters into her own hands, embarking on a spontaneous, reckless quest to win her daughter back. As the story unfolds, readers are taken through flashbacks that reveal the pivotal moments of Grace’s life, offering insight into how this once-brilliant, confident woman ended up feeling so lost and invisible.

What stands out most in this story is Littlewood’s deep understanding of the challenges women face as they navigate midlife. Grace is not just dealing with the external pressures of family and work, but also the internal, often unspoken struggles of aging, societal expectations, and the sense of losing oneself. Littlewood captures Grace’s frustrations with raw honesty, but also with a sense of humor that prevents the novel from becoming too heavy. Grace’s sarcasm, wit, and occasional outbursts make her a deeply relatable and likable character, even when she’s spiraling out of control.

The novel’s pacing, with its alternating present-day narrative and flashbacks, creates a layered understanding of Grace’s emotional journey. The flashbacks are particularly powerful in showing her passionate early days with her husband Ben and her hopeful early years as a mother. These glimpses of her past contrast starkly with her present-day struggles, highlighting how time and unspoken grievances can erode relationships and self-identity.

This book is a lot. I found myself engaged for most of it but it feels like the author threw everything in at the end. A woman destroyed by grief, anger, and fear goes on a journey through distance and memories to get a cake to her daughter on her 16th birthday. Grace is an intriguing character but I couldn't really get a feel for who she was. Amazing isn't a word I would have used to describe her. Confusing Grace Adams fits better. The book has humor but isn't necessarily funny, it has heart but isn't necessarily touching - I really can't figure this one out. I never considered stopping it though and this Littlewood did a good job revealing layers of what brought Grace to this point. Overall an ok read.

REVIEW: Amazing Grace Adans==ms

“It’s as though her life has shot forward while she was looking the other way, and there’s a grief in it that wrenches her soul.”
― Fran Littlewood, Amazing Grace Adams

Okay, "Amazing Grace Adams" by Fran Littlewood is a fun read. It's about Grace, this woman who seems to have it all, but things start falling apart. Littlewood's writing is super sharp - she gets into Grace's head and shows you everything she's struggling with. It's funny but also sad at times.

Grace's journey is super relatable, even though she's got this fancy life. You root for her to figure things out. The story keeps you guessing; there are some twists and turns you don't see coming.

The only thing I'd say is that some parts felt a little predictable, and the ending was what you'd expect. But overall, it's a great book. It's funny, it's thoughtful, and it's just a good time.

Thank you, Netgalley and Henry Holt & Company, for the free advanced copy for my honest review!

You really feel for Grace Adams after reading this book. A family tragedy upends Grace's world. Getting married at a young age due to an unplanned pregnancy was the first of many obstacles Grace would have to encounter. From her early pregnancy, to the problems in her marriage, to the conflicts with her teenage daughter, her life is in turmoil. Throw in a family tragedy and Grace is lost. What should be a sad, emotional novel, has you laughing throughout. The predicaments Grace gets is hilarious. There's nothing more important to Grace than mending fences with her daughter by delivering her 16th birthday cake. She runs into obstacle after obstacle trying to get there. She gets stuck in traffic and leaves her car on the freeway, gets in trouble cruising through a golf course where she steals a golf club and fights with a golfer, to getting arrested. This book is worth reading if you love stories about families, love, and hilarity.

Thank you NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company!

I know the complexities of grief. I know the standard stages of grief and I also know the less discussed stages of grief. With that being said grief is not an excuse to burn every single living soul around you. If you want to destroy your own life, fine. Don't however destroy others in your path of pain, especially your own child!

Grace came across as immature, self centered, and out of control. Her inability to see past her own pain was difficult to read. This one was just not for me.

The story unfolds with Grace Adams in the midst of a horrible day. She is stuck in traffic, recently lost her job, her husband has left her, and her teenage daughter doesn’t want to speak to her. It’s also her daughter’s sixteenth birthday and Grace is determined to bring her a birthday cake. Over the course of several hours and various obstacles, we travel with Grace on this journey. Along the way, we are also taken to earlier points in her life to explain her struggles.

This was an interesting read that evoked several emotions as I was reading. At times, I was upset over Grace’s choices or those of her family members. I also shared in Grace’s grief and was compelled to cheer her on in her mission to see her daughter. Slow at times, the last quarter of the book helped me relate more to Grace and the ending felt realistic.

Thank you to @netgalley and @henryholtbooks for the ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

I made it about 1/3 of the way through the book, but it just didn’t grab me.. I tried coming back to it a few times, but I just didn’t enjoy it.

Unfortunately I could not get into this story. The plot and characters fell flat for me and I ended up not finishing.

Whew wasn’t expecting this to be as difficult emotionally as it was.
I'll put the trigger warnings behind a spoiler because they are spoilers, but if you have some you might want to check them out before embarking on this book. I thought from the cover and the description that this would be lighthearted and it is definitely a lot heavier than anticipated.

I got about 30% through this book and decided not to finish. However, I found the story very relatable and enjoyable. I chose not to finish for my own reasons, but from what I read, I understand what people like about the book.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #HenryHolt&Company for a free copy of #AmazingGraceAdams by Fran Littlewood. All opinions are my own.

I don't think I'm the target audience for this novel whatsoever. I just couldn't really get into the story or relate to the characters.

Amazing Grace Adams is an emotionally realistic novel, with a writing style that reflects that emotion in its often chaotic and disjointed approach. The novel reads like it feels. In some ways it made me think of Mrs. Dalloway. I appreciate this book and the voice it gives to women in their late 40s and some of their challenges. I related to Grace in many ways that I didn't expect to.

The cover was misleading--Grace looks put together with her manicure and a hint of a smile that seems optimistic yet not caring what others think... for me, the Grace on the cover of the novel was not the struggling Grace that I met inside the book.

However, the novel made me feel my feelings and I prefer to read to escape. So, while reading about Grace was occasionally humorous, for me more often it was overwhelmingly stressful and depressing. It made me (a 40+ woman) ruminate. It reminded me of my own stressful stuff. It made me ruminate more. I had to highlight passages. I was not expecting the novel to dig into the emotional areas that it did.

Grace is amazing simply because she keeps going, she perseveres.

This book was really confusing with jumping from various timelines in their life. I usually love a book that has a story told from more than one timeline, but this book is just confusing to read. There are also major plot points that aren't revealed until toward the end of the book that would have helped to make it less confusing.

Grace Adams is made to look like she is breaking down for no real reason the first half of the book and then you learn that she had a daughter that died, her teen is acting out and she's gotten divorced. Then the author throws in going through peri menopause on top of all of that.

The author tries to tie the book up with a nice ending, but it doesn't feel realistic. I just really didn't like this book and can't recommend it.

My heart ached for Grace Adams -- who was so much more than a woman who had reached her breaking point. For me, this was more of a tear-jerker than the humorous read I'd expected, but there were so many moments in this book that every mother can relate to. I'll be looking forward to more from Fran Littlewood.

I read this recently, so significantly after the initial promotion tour and the Read with Jenna choice, but I am puzzled as to how it has not resonated with more readers? I thought Grace Adams was delightfully quirky, and the story was fast paced despite being character driven. I’m hopeful that we sell more of this as a beach or vacation read—it’s a great story and a memorable character.

Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood was so much more than I thought it would be. New author for me and so glad I read this humorous work of contemporary fiction. Lots of banter and desparately reminded me of when my kids were teens.
The cover alone sold me!!