I received a digital ARC from Alcove Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This story is sad and hopeful at the same time. Six-year-old Gracie tries to help her Grandfather get rid of the “worm” in his brain by taking him on an adventure. The “worm” is Dementia and SunDowning Syndrome, and Gracie is convinced that if they chase the sun the “worm” will stay asleep.

The story is told through multiple points of view; Gracie, her mom Leanne, and her dad Dan. With each chapter, we learn more about the family, and what led to these events. I found each character relatable, and found myself getting emotional throughout the book.

The characters were not ones that I could connect with. Gracie was a very precocious six year old and the only one i liked. Her mother was a bitter woman. Yes, she had things in her past that made her that way— but get over it already. If you are going to have a child with someone, please don’t raise them in bitterness and animosity toward their other parent. Dan was a cheater and not present in Gracie’s life. Gracie’s grand scheme of running away with her grandpa to teach her parents how to work together? That seems quite an extraordinarily ambitious plan for even a precocious six year old. My rating would be 2 stars but I rounded up to 3 because I am completely out of sync with other reviewers. I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and Alcove Press. This review is my own.

Title: Sun Seekers
Author: Rachel McRady
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Six-year-old Gracie Lynn is perpetually curious and big-hearted. Convinced she knows how to save her beloved grandfather John from the “worm” that is eating his brain—a metaphor her mother once used to explain John’s dementia and sundown syndrome—she helps him break out of his nursing home, and the two disappear together on a quest to chase the sun. But what’s an adventure for Gracie is a nightmare scenario for her estranged parents, LeeAnn and Dan. There’s no way to predict where John might have taken their young daughter, or if he’s capable of keeping her safe.

Jaded beyond her years, and struggling with her own mental health, LeeAnn has no delusions about what might happen if they don’t locate Gracie soon. Dan is no less frantic, but communicating with LeeAnn isn’t easy, even under the circumstances—too much stands between the hopeful young couple they once were and the people they’ve become.

I enjoyed this a lot! It reminded me vaguely of Fredrik Backman’s My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry because a lot of the story is from Gracie’s point-of-view. LeeAnn…I did not like her at all, except towards the very end. She is completely self-absorbed and wants to blame everyone but herself for all her problems. I found her to be almost hateful for most of the book and had a hard time being sympathetic. Dan…I didn’t have a lot of sympathy for him, either. He cheated on his wife, after all, but I liked that he was actively trying to figure out how to fit in Gracie’s life. This ended up being a deeply engrossing read, and I recommend it.

Rachel McRady is an award-winning entertainment journalist. Sun Seekers is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of Alcove Press in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 1/13.)

This is such a good story. It's by first by this author and she did not disappoint.

A young girl of six takes it upon herself to help her grandfather. He has dementia and she thinks if she can keep him in the sunshine that he will be ok. This story goes back and forth in time so you get a backstory also. While I absolutely did not like her parents, they played a huge part in this story. In the life of this child. In the child's decisions. Gracie was extremely smart. Some things were a bit over the top but it made for a couple of chuckles. Overall though she was a serious little girl who loved her grandfather.

This book is so well written and just so touching. It will make you weep in parts. It's worth every tear though. I highly recommend this to all my reading friends.

Thank you #NetGalley, #RachelMcRady, #AlcovePress

5 big stars from me.

As a parent, a retired geriatric specialist and as a current caregiver, I have to say that this book is an absolute gem! Rachel McRady has beautifully captured so many emotions in a captivating and honest way. Thanks #NetGalley #AlcovePress

Gracie, her mother LeeAnn, and her father Dan tell the story of what happens when six year old Gracie decides to chase the sun with her grandfather John, who has dementia. LeeAnn has explained sundowning to Gracie but she doesn't (because she's well six) understand - she thinks that John will be fine as long as the sun is out. This moves back and forth in time to tell the backstory of LeeAnn and Dan's marriage, among other things. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. The relationship between Gracie and John is sweet and if their tale is a tad implausible, read this as a story of family love.

The concept of the story was interesting, but this one was not for me.

SPOILERS BELOW

The story features a six-year-old Gracie Lynn, but I had to constantly question how old she really was for the things she was capable of doing, or what she said.

I almost DNF when we got to the driving lesson. This style of car? A kid that age (strength and size)?

And the scene with the car at the cemetery is so confusing. While I'm at it... how does Gracie see her aunt's muddy very tall shoes when she's just woken up in hospital all dazed?

I can forgive some things as long as there's someone I'm invested in, but I didn't get emotionally involved with any of these characters.

I also felt there were many questions unanswered at the end.

This is the story of 6-year-old Gracie and her grandfather, who has dementia. Gracie is a very bright and precocious little girl. her grandfather has dementia. Gracie's mother has explained Sundowners Syndrome to Gracie, where confusion and violence get worse during the evening. Gracie's solution is to go on an adventure with her grandfather and follow the sun. She thinks that as long as they stay in the sunshine, her grandfather will be ok.

The story is told from Gracie's point of view and that of her mother and father. We follow Gracie on the “adventure” and experience the search with her separated parents when they realize that she is missing

It's an interesting but sad story.

Besides the story about the adventure it’s also a family tale. Lots of back story during the narration of the mother and father. There is longstanding dysfunction in the family. Though they mean well, both mother and father could use some life skill lessons.

The grandfather is a very interesting character but his whole life story is based on “tall tales”.

The characters of Mom and Dad are hard to like. But that's what makes the story evolve.

Gracie is a sweetheart, sometimes a little too smart for her age. She is also very intuitive.

The ending is satisfactory.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

Warning: spoiler

This emotional debut explores the theme of family and what it takes to be better for the sake of our loved ones. Told in three first person's perspectives, I enjoyed Gracie's the most because it gives the most insight to the whole situation as well as providing important context to the story (sometimes I wish it was written completely in Gracie's POV, but then the genre could change to be children's fiction). I get that Dan's POV might be necessary since LeeAnn's relationship with her dad affects her relationship with her husband. But sadly I couldn't empathize with him especially after he makes excuses about cheating on LeeAnn for his happiness, even though he changes in the end. And Ashley–the AP–is depicted too nice IMO (doesn't she realize it's bad to date someone's husband?). Meanwhile, LeeAnn's POV contains more flashback so it can slow down the pace, but I like that some of it mirror Gracie's own experience later, like the drive to the beach.

I started it slow and gave it some time to really steep in my brain and once it did, it was a quick read full of reflection and meaning. I love that everything closes nicely and each character (except Corrine and the cronies) develops well. I'm also glad Gracie is surrounded by more people who love her even though she can't see his grandfather anymore. If you are in the mood of family drama and general fiction goodness, this book can be the right choice for you. 3.5 stars rounded up for our Gracie!

Thank you Alcove Press and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

What a heartbreaking family saga. I expected this to be a quirky and fun grandfather-granddaughter jaunt, but instead I got a tearjerker of a novel that reminds you how getting old is traumatic for all generations.

I love the way the author told the story through multiple POVs and she did a great job not dumbing down the child’s perspective. In fact. she was my favorite narrator, reminding me how literally kids see everyday events.

Highly recommend. Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for the early ebook.

The majority of my career was spent in the long term care field so I was immediately interested in the plot about a young granddaughter breaking her beloved grandfather out of a nursing home. The story is presented from each family member’s viewpoint - Gracie, the young girl and her separated patents, Dan and LeeAnn. They live in South Carolina. Gracie’s thoughts and actions are quite engaging, authentic and age appropriate, I thoroughly adored her. Her absentee father made some egregious mistakes. Grandfather has dementia and LeeAnn hasn’t been entirely truthful in explaining it to Gracie. The spiteful mother has every reason to hate Dan but her vengeance only hurt the blameless little girl. LeeAnn was my least favorite, she tried to do and be everything for Gracie and she failed miserably The result was a petrifying wake-up call when Gracie and grandfather go missing. If it wasn’t such a serious situation, I would’ve giggled at the hilarious group of entitled PTA hussies who rally to help lead the search for Gracie. The story was easily read and has lessons we can all learn from. Dementia affects the entire family and is a devastating disease. Caregivers are overwhelmed, exhausted and are offered few resources for support.
Now, I’m going to get on my soapbox about the authenticity of the plot in regards to the nursing home references. Perpetuating the long held misconceptions of nursing home substandard facilities, care and the quality of life for those residents is shameful. They don’t all stink, they aren’t all depressing and gloomy. There are many beautiful, cheerful facilities where the focus is on living the best possible last stages of life, not dying. Each state has standards of care and policies which must be maintained in order to be licensed and funded. Stricter Federal laws supersede State and apply to all licensed nursing homes. A missing resident must reported to the police and the appropriate State agency immediately. Further, a resident exhibiting the behaviors referenced in the story would likely require placement in a secured unit, certainly would not be allowed to drive themselves.
Thanks to NetGalley for the digital advance reader copy of “Sun Seekers” by Rachel McRady, published by Alcove Press. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

“Sun Seekers” is a debut novel by Rachel McRady. This story follows Gracie, a six year old, who wants to have an adventure with her grandfather, Big Joe. However, Gracie’s mother, Ashely, isn’t linked in on the adventure, so Gracie & Big Joe’s disappearance causes a number of issues. One issue is the fact that Gracie’s father, Dan, who is estranged from Gracie and Ashely, gets involved. In some ways, this was a rather bittersweet story - the love between Gracie and Big Joe is played out wonderfully on the page. I also thought care was given to explaining the horrors of dementia very well - especially in the mind of a young child. However, I could not really stand any of the other characters - especially Dan and Ashley. Because this is a debut novel, I’ve bumped my rating of 3.25 stars up to 4 because I do think the overall idea was good and I’d probably read another book by this author.

Absolutely fantastic. As a family therapist who worked with families/caregivers and those with dementia- this book is spot on to the struggles. Not only addressing the challenges of dementia, but what does it mean to be family, to love, to forgive. Highly recommend this book!

Sun Seekers is a bittersweet family drama. There are lots of misunderstandings, hurt feelings, difficult moments and frustrating memories for these beleaguered family members. There is sun but not enough to make their lives shine which is why a six year old runs away with her demented grandfather seeking more sun for their solemn lives.

Thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Written in the first person from the perspective of a six year old, her mum and estranged father. The mother is a difficult person to like, even given her history, the child is rather precocious and a bit too knowing even when she gets things wrong, and the father Dan a little under developed. The grandfather, with early dementia, seems the most interesting character. With such a bright child and I didn't understand why the mother wasn't a little more honest re his diagnosis.
After the child and her grandfather go missing, the mother finally realises she needs help and is ultimately able to rebuild relationships with her sister and soon to be ex-husband.
I'm not over fond of first person narratives and found the three main characters rather annoying, and the child a bit unbelievable, which may have stopped me from feeling fully immersed in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the free e-version of this book.

This is an emotional book about parenthood, dementia, raising kids and families that get reconfigured due to divorce and/or death. But the story is sweet about a little girl who has an adventure with her grandfather who has dementia. As a daughter of a woman who had Alzheimer’s and a husband with Lewy Body dementia, I found this book touching and heart warming. May we all love our family members the way this little girl did. May all families reunite in a new ways accepting new relationships , new feelings, and even new siblings. It is not a treatise on dementia but rather an emotional story about the ways people are perceived as their lives change. Kudos to the author for uniting the generations.

Thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the Advanced Review copy.

A beautiful sad story written about a family and a trip the 6yr old and her grandfather who has dementia take. Great perspective written in different people's parts makes it easy to follow along. A heartfelt story.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

This was a great easy read. Nice summer book! Loved how the author changed the way she wrote when she was “Gracie” to match how a 6/7 yr old thinks and talks. That was such an added fun feature! I also loved how the story unfolded and how the reader learns more and more about each character the deeper the story goes. Very well done! Looking forward to more “works of art” from this author!

I very much enjoyed this book. The story is very engaging. I also found that development of the characters was well done. I appreciate how the story is told from three characters' perspectives but still works well to tell a seamless story. It's easy for the reader to follow along with.
McRady does a good job tackling difficult topics in ways that are palpable to readers making the characters flawed but not villians.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Grace's grandfather has dementia. She has an idea. She decided in her young age that they should take a vacation together. Her parents are frantic and have no idea where they are. I enjoyed this book.