This was such a good book to listen to! The main characters were really good. I absolutely love the narration on this book! Will totally be recommending it to friends that read, thanks to NetGalley and publishing for allowing me to listen and review this book.

I'm so pleased to have been given the chance to listen to an early copy of this audiobook. Overall it was a delightful, if sometimes heavy, story and a very fast, easy listen. I did find it to be a bit farfetched at times, but that did not greatly affect my enjoyment of the story.

Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood is an engaging story about a woman at her wit's end with her teen daughter not speaking to her, a divorce, and job loss - what has happened to her life and how can she get it back? Great for fans of women-centered redemption stories!

The audiobook narrator is fantastic with great pacing, expression, and inflection. She made the listening experience relatable and enjoyable. The only issue I had with the audiobook is that the nonlinear timeline within the book can get a bit confusing, so I recommend it with reservations for those listeners who may also find nonlinear timelines challenging to auditorily process.

AMAZING GRACE ADAMS gives us the type of protagonist we need more of: a middle-aged woman trying to balance all her expectations, challenges and insights with the added pressure of accepting the same from society. That said, this book had me puzzled throughout. The timelines kept the action interesting and gave the background necessary to show Grace's inner demons, although the history of Grace and Ben was more interesting (to me) than Grace's present day predicament. Basically, the overall tone had me confused: some of the situations that Grace goes through seem humorous, and her decision to abandoned her car in traffic gutsy and compelling, but as her actions become more and more illogical, the deep fractures in her well-being show through and I was not sure how to "see" her. Oddly, although I struggled to stick with the book through the middle, I found the ending excellent. The narrator on the audiobook also did a great job, so my response to this novel is divided.

A MUST-READ! If you enjoyed Where'd You Go Bernadette, you will absolutely love this book. Grace Adams finds herself in her mid-forties, questioning her vitality, her relationship with her teen daughter, and her place in the world. What I wasn't expecting is the complex dynamics examined in this story between the perceived loss of vitality within Grace and the transference of youth to her daughter. This brought up heavy emotions that so rarely are given a voice in novels. 5 stars!

Title: Amazing Grace Adams
Author: Fran Littlewood
Proposed Publication Date: Sept 5th, 2023
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚Synopsis:
Grace had a pretty amazing life in 2002. Having earned Polyglot of the Year, she asks the second place winner, Ben, if he’d like to enjoy her prize with her and a whirlwind romance ensues. She briefly works on a television program, after her win, showcasing her language knowledge until her world is turned upside down.
Jump forward 16 years and Grace Adams no longer feels so amazing. She’s entering perimenopause, she’s separated from her husband, and she’s on the verge of losing her 15 year old daughter. She’s sick and tired of sitting back and taking a passive role in life. She’s determined to right her wrongs and that starts with her abandoning her car in standstill traffic.

✨Thoughts:
This book was a punch in the gut for me because of how relatable it is. I know what it’s like to become perimenopausal, seemingly overnight, and to find the world no longer admires or values you in the way it used to. I get the pain, frustration and guilt Grace feels as she reflects on her role as a mother. I understand that moment of clarity when you would walk across fire to get to your child and say the things you should have said sooner.
I appreciate how close to the mark the author hit with Grace and I hope to see more characters who are middle aged and older showing they are still as amazing, if not more so than ever.
I would recommend this to anyone who is also peri, or full fledged, menopausal; who understands loss, divorce, and the need to make amends. This was an incredible book and currently my favorite of 2023.

📚Thank you NetGalley, the author, and the publishers for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook ahead of its release in exchange for a candid review. I am greatly looking forward to what the author has in store next!

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio/Henry Holt and Company, and Fran Littlewood for an audio ARC of this book. Grace is 45, recently separated from her husband Ben and the mother of 15-year-old Lotte. Unbeknownst to her parents, Lotte has a secret life as a (age inappropriate) blogger with a very large following. Grace is struggling with various life issues including her growing distance from Lotte and reconciling the life she has now with the young and single media darling polyglot translator she once was. This book has multiple timelines and takes place over just one day. Parts are a bit implausible while other parts are definitely relatable, especially to mothers with teenage daughters growing up in today’s very complex world. This book is not the light read I was expecting but fairly serious with all the issues it deals with. This book is well written, the narrator has a pleasing voice and the narration flows smoothly. This is the debut novel for the author and, judging from it’s quality, will very likely be the first of many.

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC of Amazing Grace Adams. I am enjoying that there are more books with middle aged female protagonists. I had expected a light and funny book, but this had a lot of heavy themes. The book is told in multiple timelines following Grace through different periods of her life. The book starts with her trying to deliver a cake to her daughter at her ex's house. The daughter is not speaking to her. The book describes the events of her going from her car, which she abandons to her ex's house, but also the events which led up to her daughter not speaking to her. The book covers, child loss, divorce, and grooming.

Title: A Genuinely Touching Journey - Amazing Grace Adams

First and foremost, I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to Netgalley and Macmillan Publishing for providing me with an advanced copy of this extraordinary book, Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood. This novel truly captivated me from beginning to end, delivering a raw and unapologetic portrayal of the main character Grace's struggles.

Grace is a character that readers can easily relate to and empathize with, allowing us to feel an instant connection with her. Fran Littlewood has managed to craft a character who is not only intelligent but also incredibly human. The author's fearless approach to exploring the darker, uglier aspects of Grace's journey is both refreshing and poignant, allowing for a more authentic representation of the challenges many face.

The subject matter within Amazing Grace Adams is certainly difficult, but Littlewood masterfully avoids clichés and patronizing undertones. As someone who has personally experienced similar life events, I can attest to the book's honest portrayal of such struggles. It is a true testament to the author's skill and sensitivity in handling such delicate topics.

Throughout the novel, Littlewood strikes a perfect balance between the emotional weight of the story and moments of levity, creating a narrative that is equal parts touching, sad, and funny. Amazing Grace Adams is an undeniably entertaining read that keeps you hooked from the first page to the last.

In conclusion, Amazing Grace Adams is a phenomenal book that will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression on readers. Fran Littlewood's fearless exploration of life's challenges through the eyes of the lovable and relatable Grace is a journey worth embarking on. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone seeking an authentic, engaging, and beautifully written story.

I’ll admit that this one was iffy right up until the very end. I honestly didn’t think I was going to give it 3 stars but the ending saved it and pushed it over. It just felt like there was a lot that we were waiting to hear and it finally ended up coming to a screaming point at the end.

🌀Synopsis
Grace is not only getting divorced but her daughter has decided she also wants to live with her father. Grace has a crappy job that she ends up getting fired from. Initially, she’s upset but it truly turns out to be for the best.
Her daughter moving into her ex-husbands house is the biggest blow. She actually wants a relationship with her but her daughter is in a rebellious phase. She’s dating one of the teachers at her school and Grace is the one who speaks up about it, causing a major rift between them.
Then one day, she’s determined to fix her relationship with her daughter. In the middle of traffic she leaves her car and starts walking with the cake. By the time she gets there, the cake is ruined and there is a trail of chaos behind Grace.
Turns out it’s just what they all needed though because all the truth finally pours out of all of all of them.

Engaging and expertly narrated. A recommended purchase in all formats for collections where women's fic is popular.

I really enjoyed this book. I teach Freshmen, so it isn't one that would make it into my classroom, but for me personally, it was a great book. I enjoyed learning about Grace and her family as the story went on. This would be a very difficult read if you have experienced any kind of child loss.

I appreciated how this book explored the good and the bad of marriage and motherhood and also growing up.

This is the story of Grace, a 45 year old mom, who’s daughter wants nothing to do with her and it’s now her 16th birthday and Grace has decided that a special cake will make all the difference so she arranges for one for her. Only when she goes to pick it up, there’s horrendous traffic and she, for some random reason, decides to abandon her car and walk to the bakery to pick up the cake and then walk to her ex husband’s house with the cake to give to her daughter. And along the way, Grace basically has a breakdown as so many things go wrong and they trigger emotions and thoughts that lead to this situation.
The story is told solely from Grace’s POV, but from many different timelines so it can be tricky to keep up with if you’re not paying attention. And her daughter, Lottie, was quite unlikeable, which once I got to the end I understood why, but it made it hard to put up with listening to because you didn’t want Grace to be going through all this for her because she was so awful.
Very frenetic pacing and sometimes farcical it felt like the author tried to throw too many things in and see what stuck. I think the potential is there for a good story, just missed the boat for me.
I did like the narrator though.
Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this audiobook arc in exchange for my review.

I had such high hopes for this book, especially because it’s being compared to one of my favorite books, Eleanor Oliphant. There was just too much jumping around and too going on. I just started getting bored and confused. And I grossed out when the author kept talking about how Grace was dry and itchy. This one just wasn’t for me.

I loved Where’d You Go Bernadette, so was excited to dive into Amazing Grace Adams. It started out good. I had high hopes, but the story being told in three timelines got confusing at times, especially on audio.

I enjoyed the backstory of how Ben and Grace met. And I actually liked reading about a women experiencing perimenopause, as this is the season of life that I am in. I could totally relate!! The struggles that Grace had with her teenage daughter in regards to social media had me thanking the heavens above that I did not grow up in a time of social media.

BUT…Sadly, the story became too far fetched (especially the current story line). I couldn’t stay focused on what time line I was in (maybe this wouldn’t have been a problem if I had read the book vs audio). It just became too chaotic and over the top.

5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.



I finished this last night and let me say that I did shed a lot of tears towards the end but in a good way. Grace and the other characters in this novel are all very complex. At times they are not always likable but for this kind of story that fits. The complex relationship Grace, her husband and her daughter were very well written. This story is told in a nonlinear way so if that is not your thing you may want to take that into account.

I truly enjoyed this. The writing was great and the narration by Claire Skinner was fantastic.

This audiobook did not keep my attention at all. I DNF'ed at 40% after my desire to keep trying stopped. Thank you, Netgalley for approving me for Amazing Grace Adams to read.

This was extremely uncomfortable to read.

Grace is the present is losing control of her life. He child is growing up and now sharing as much about her day to day or struggles, her husband and she have separated and are headed for divorce and she can’t function enough to meet her job requirements.

Grace is the past was on fire until a one off weekend with Ben results in a baby she never thought she’d wanted.

It was frustrating to watch Grace struggle with the basics and be unable to allow her child space to be her own person. I get that it’s an often realistic but I had a lot of second hand cringe.

Short and sweet review time…

This debut novel is a heartbreaking look at one woman’s journey through perimenopause, motherhood, marriage, loss, grief and ultimately love.

🌿What I Liked

✨I enjoyed the narration by Claire Skinner. A good narrator can make or break a book, and I felt she really brought the story to life well.

✨That the story is incredibly emotional with moments of hilarity woven through as well.

🌿What Could Have Been Better For Me

✨While in many ways I could relate to Grace, there were just as many that I couldn’t relate at all and felt my investment in her as a character wane over time. She made several seriously questionable choices in these pages.

✨Sometimes the plot seemed a bit melodramatic in my opinion.

With all that said, I did find this to be a quick and enjoyable audiobook experience and recommend it with four stars. A word of warning, though: don’t come for the humor. At its heart, this is a very emotional and heart wrenching story.

My thanks to @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book before its publication date.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance audio of this title. This story takes place in the space of one day. Grace is frantically trying to deliver a birthday cake for her daughter's 16th birthday to her estranged husband's house where her daughter is currently residing. The circumstances that lead to this day are described in flashbacks. For the majority of the story, I found the character of Grace to be annoying and overreactive. As the book concludes, the reader learns the reason for all of Graces annoying qualities. I would like to say that reveal increased my empathy for Grace, but I still found her character lacking.