Moving and character-driven and brilliantly narrated. I cried and I laughed and I cannot wait to listen/read more by this author. Thank you to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advanced copy.

I had high hopes for this book as I have read all the books it is described to be similar too. However, I found it very sad. All the mishaps were not funny, they made me think that this very sad person was going through more than she can deal with. In where’d you go Bernadette, the funny things were what was going on around her, not necessarily to her. It was enjoyable to read and very well written but my expectation was to laugh, not cry.

Amazing Grace Adams was a thoughtful story about a woman who feels as though she's falling apart and at the same time due to her age feels that no one sees her- she is invisible. As she struggles to get through each day with determination that will (she hopes) result in more positive outcome, she reflects on her life with her husband and daughter, giving us a glimpse of the woman she used to be but lost along the way. The last part of the story enlightens us to when and how she ended up being the invisible person she feels she's become. I loved this book. Claire Skinner the narrator was fabulous. Thank you to Net Galley and MacMillan Audio for opportunity to listen to this Audio ARC

It’s scorching hot, traffic is at a stand still, and Grace has…Hit. Her. Limit. She ditches her car in the gridlock. She doesn’t yell or scream, she simply walks away. She will get her daughter’s sixteenth birthday cake. She will get to the party on time.

Jumping from her meet cue with her husband Ben, to several other important milestones throughout the last fifteen years, as well as multiple events in the last four months, we find out exactly how Grace has gotten to this point—one where she will not let anyone or anything stop her from getting to her daughter’s birthday celebration.

In the same vein as Where’d You Go Bernadette, Amazing Grace Adams is a complex woman who has faced a tidal wave of disappointment and is ready for a change. Grace is a linguist, a bit impulsive, and fiercely loyal to those she loves. She’s imperfect and sees nothing but her imperfections in her forty fifth year of life with perimenopausal symptoms causing her to have almost manic thoughts about every aspect of herself.

Fran Littlewood does an “amazing” job of illustrating all the ways women are stretched thin, and how easily it can all fall apart. It’s been several years since a book made me both laugh and cry out loud while reading. Bravo to this debut novel!

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and of course the author Fran Littlewood for the advanced copy of the audiobook. Amazing Grace Adams is out on September 5th. All opinions are my own.

For those who like “Where’d You Go Bernadette.”
Touches upon grief, parenting a teenager, loss of a young child, separation, divorce, perimenopause, a statutory relationship, and so much more.
This is a lot to fit into one plot, but provides representation to many topics I feel aren’t always present in adult fiction especially mental health, grief, and perimenopause.
As for the similarities to “Where’d You Go Bernadette,” which was an Alex Award book; I don’t think this title would have as much crossover appeal to high school students or teens due to the emphasis on Grace’s inner dialogue.

Woah. Did NOT see where this story was going!

The first 70%-ish was very “Where’d You Go Bernadette” or “Eleanor Oliphant”. But the twist was shocking.

So much insight on mother-daughter relationships, maintaining identity through parenthood, mental health, and depression.

I do think I would have enjoyed it even further in physical form. The timeline switching between years was just a bit confusing over audio, and made it difficult to track characters. But the narrator was REALLY great!

"Amazing Grace Adams" is a powerful and emotionally gripping novel that takes readers on a journey of self-discovery, resilience, and ultimately, redemption. With its beautifully woven narrative and compelling characters, the book delves into profound themes of forgiveness, second chances, and the transformative power of love.

The story revolves around Grace Adams, a young woman burdened by a troubled past and haunted by her own mistakes. As the narrative unfolds, we witness Grace's evolution from a broken and desolate soul to a determined and strong-willed individual seeking redemption. The author skillfully portrays her inner turmoil, allowing readers to empathize with her struggles and root for her every step of the way.

One of the most commendable aspects of this book is its exceptional character development. Grace is portrayed as a multidimensional and flawed protagonist, making her relatable and believable. Her growth throughout the story is both realistic and inspiring, reminding us that no matter how far we have fallen, there is always a chance for redemption and personal growth.

Moreover, "Amazing Grace Adams" tackles important social issues with sensitivity and authenticity. It explores the repercussions of one's actions, the effects of trauma, and the power of forgiveness. The author's ability to tackle these complex topics with grace and thoughtfulness makes this book a compelling read.

Amazing Grace Adams starts off with the protagonist on her way to her daughter’s birthday party at her dad’s house, She has the best of intentions at heart, but being perimenopausal and walking in the blistering London heat, she has lost all sensibilities and patience and breaks a few laws on the way there.
The story has a lot of flashbacks and was sometimes hard to keep track of timelines, the beginning, when the story started, few years after and now.
Grace is a polyglot and gains fame and publicity by winning a competition. She starts out as a woman living a life full of promise but tragedy and heartbreak, wear her down. She does not want to lose her daughter in the bargain and goes out of her way to make amends with her.
I enjoyed the narrator and the book is well written.

I was really excited for Amazing Grace Adams, but I have to confess I was a bit let down by it.

Grace’s husband is divorcing her, her daughter isn’t speaking to her, and her life is falling apart. Instead of breaking down, she decides to fight for the life she had.

I just did not like ANY of the characters. Gr of herself and bratty, her husband was self-centered. The timelines were so disjointa flow for me. The big reveal came late and by that time, I had checked out and kind of missed what actually happened. I was sick of the characters at this point and their redemption just ended up falling flat because of it.

I do think that is probably a “me” problem, because there’s some fantastic reviews for this book. It might work for you! Thanks to @macmillan.audio for the review copy.

DNF at 44%

I typically love multiple timeline narratives but found this one difficult to follow for the first 20% of tbt book. Once I got used to it the story was dizzying; too many accessories paired with an outfit. Take something off! The author had so many themes and subplots I developed a headache trying to manage them all.

The MC also… hmm… I didn’t dislike her but I didn’t like her or care about her; the author failed to endear her to me.

The other issue was how preposterous the story became (other reviews seem to suggest it gets even more inane). I understand Grace is having a bad day but it seems statistically improbable that this many things can happen to one person on the same day in X hours.

Thanks netgalley for my ARC ALC

SUMMARY: in the “now” 45yo Grace is recently separated from her husband, she also loses her job and her 16yo daughter wants nothing to do with her. There’s some kind of mystery about what she did to spark this (at nearly halfway through it is still a mystery. Grace is also unhappy with her body/struggling with being premenopausal and can’t stop complaining. Graces day is about to get much worse from here.

The story also flashes to 4 months ago when Grace fonds out her daughter has been skipping school and may be bullied online or is seeing someone in secret. Her daughter also seems to be acting out and grace doesn’t know what to do and has been reading her daughters diary/computer history/following her secretly on IG.

The story also flashes to 2003? Some years ago when Grace fell pregnant / got married / was at tbt height of her career and “amazing” the 45yo grace wants to get back to that version of herself.

Grace Adams used to be amazing. Now she just feels invisible. These days, Grace feels like she’s taking grief from all corners, especially from her teenage daughter Lotte and her estranged husband Ben. But today, Grace has finally had it. She’s had all she can take, and she’s not going to take it anymore.

This story has a lot going on, with three timelines and a whole host of issues and themes. It’s probably easier to keep track if you’re reading the physical book, but it was a bit difficult to keep them all straight while I was listening to an audiobook. The fabulous narration more than made up for it though! The narrator is outstanding – so expressive and gives so much life to Grace’s thoughts and dialogue, I felt like I was in Grace’s head and feeling all her feelings.

I can’t remember the last time I’ve ever identified with a character so strongly. Grace is in her mid-40s and perimenopausal, and her hot flashes and gamut of emotions are so relatable! The mother-daughter dynamics were spot-on. Every time she struggled to connect with her daughter Lotte, her frustration with teen slang and being out of touch absolutely resonated with this mom of a 16-year-old.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Henry Holt & Company, and Macmillan Audio for providing me an advance copy of this book.

*ARC review*

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for providing me a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Oof, this was one hell of a terrible, horrible, no good very bad day. This book felt kind of like a personal attack through a lot of it as a woman in her late thirties with a teenage daughter. I felt for Grace a lot, but also wanted to shake her. The missing piece of her story coming so late and providing much needed context kind of hurt the story (for me).

I am always so sad to read stories about middle aged women who have lost themselves like Grace has. I find myself hoping that she has found more peace in her fictional after book life!

4 stars!! Ugh, Grace, Grace, Grace. Shes a hot mess and is going THROUGH it trying to deal with her teenage daughter. Among all the other things going on in her life. But I was rooting for her because she just wants to show her daughter that she is there for her and wants to make things right. Such a good read!! I teared up at the end. Loved it!!

Amazing Grace Adams has a bad day and snaps! She walks out of her car and all the problems she has. She’s been dealing with a daughter who no longer wants to talk to her and a husband who is divorcing her.

The story is told in many timelines, with the current one occurring in a day. We see how amazing Grace’s life was. We learn about her relationship with her husband Ben, what an exciting career she had, going through perimenopause, all the burden she’s had all these years. We see what causes the relationship between the mother and daughter to cause a rift.

While I appreciated all the themes going on throughout this book, I felt myself lost and confused multiple times. I couldn’t tell what timeline I was in throughout the audiobook, making it hard to keep engaged with the book.

This book reminded me of a series of unfortunate events. The bottom line is life happens so what to do about it
The flashback timeline was a little disorienting to me

This book has so many levels that it is hard to categorize it. I started out thinking that Grace would be another Bernadette, wise cracking trenchant observer of life's absurdities from Where You'd Go Bernadette, and I did love her in that way, But then the author began to explore themes of regret, the joys and pains of motherhood, life's disappointments, and heart stopping grief, in a way that left me nodding my head in agreement at parts and wiping tears away in others. I loved this book and will be recommending it widely.
With respect to the audiobook, I found the narrator to be spot on -- engaging and perfect in tone for the characters.

I picked this one up because of the comparison to books like Where’d You Go, Bernadette? And, perhaps because of the high expectations set by those comps, it just didn’t rise to my hopes. Narration was good.

When I picked up Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood, I had high hopes for a funny, touching, and unforgettable story. While the book was an okay read, it fell short of the emotional punch I expected based on comparisons to beloved characters like Bernadette, Eleanor Oliphant, Rosie, and Ove. However, it did offer an interesting exploration of mother/daughter dynamics and the resilience of an everyday woman.

One of the strengths of Amazing Grace Adams is the portrayal of the protagonist's journey. Grace Adams, the central character, is relatable and her struggles resonate with readers. The story touches on themes of self-discovery, resilience, and the power of never giving up. Littlewood's writing style is engaging, and the book provides some insightful moments and relatable experiences.

However, the emotional connection I sought was somewhat missing, leaving me with a sense of unfulfilled potential. Although it didn't quite live up to the emotional punch I anticipated from the comparisons to iconic characters, it offers an intriguing exploration of mother/daughter dynamics and the power of resilience. While it fell short of my expectations, it still provides moments of insight and relatability.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING! I saw part of the surprise coming, but honestly, without spoilers I cannot say a word. Already said too much perhaps.

Comparisons to "Where'd You Go Bernadette?" and "This is Your Life, Harriet Chance" are appropriate, but not nearly poignant enough. This one was a very worthwhile read.

🎧⭐️⭐️⭐️

Grace Adams’ life is falling apart and this book set in one day with flashbacks into her past is one bad event after another as she tries to get her daughter’s birthday cake to her.

It started out really strong, and then it started to get a little confusing with all of the crazy events taking place in the then and now of the story. In the end I thought it was pretty good.

Themes: 👩‍👧❤️💔🤪🌪️🔀

My feelings: 🙂🤪😜😵‍💫

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