Leanne Abernathy has a lot on her plate she is raising precocious six year-old Gracie she also shoulders most of the care for her daddy big John who is now in a home due to his early onset dementia. Unlike Leeann and her sister Sarah Gracie is enamored with her grandpa big John, as is most of the town of Redding South Carolina. Big John was kind harded and always seemed to have a story that made the normal fantastical but him and his daughters relationship is fraud with anger. Instead of explaining to a four-year-old Gracie that her grandpa had dementia with the side effect of sundowners syndrome Leanne told her he had a worm in his head that woke up at night and that’s why grandpa did not act the same when the sun went down. This is also why Gracie came up with the idea to go on one last adventure with grandpa they would get in his old El Camino in drive to chase the sun that way his worm would never wake up. It will take Leeann losing Gracie and the dad she believes she doesn’t care about to learn lessons she never would have known otherwise. This book is told from different points of view sometimes Gracie sometimes Leanne and a couple of times Gracie‘s dad Daniel but every POV pushes the story forward and comes together to make it a great story. I will be honest and say I connected with Lee Ann unlike any character I have read about before because her relationship with her mom and dad seem to mirror my own and I know how it is to feel slighted and cheated out of a parent and yet have others tell you what a great parent they are. Just like Leanne I too recently lost my father and although our relationship was much better the last few years of his life I still could totally get what Leanne was going through. They say out of the mouths of babes in this book is a great example of that Rachel McRaedie has a great writing style and one I thoroughly enjoy. I am getting tired of reading in Books where people can’t talk about hurts that happened years before because they get choked up or they find out devastating news and it throws their equilibrium off a bit this is not the way real people act at having to hold on to furniture to help you stand up, if that was the way the world reacted to trauma nothing would ever get done but I know this is entertainment and hyperbolic is the law I think I just get tired of all the unrealistic reactions from these characters. I get when it’s apropos to the plot but sometimes the character reactions are just out of the box and ridiculous. HavingSaid that this is still a great solid read and one I thoroughly enjoyed love little Gracie because it can’t be easy to grasp the thought process of a six year old and I think the author did an admirable job. Sorry for the rant. I want to thank Al Cove press and Ned Galley for my free Ark copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Thank you to Alcove Press and NetGalley for an advanced e-copy of Sun Seekers by Rachel McRady.

What it’s about:
LeeAnn Abernathy is tired. Caught in the "sandwich season" as she cares for her 6-year old daughter Gracie and her aging father who has dementia, each day is a struggle. LeeAnn has suffered tremendous loss during Gracie's lifetime, including separation from her husband and Gracie's father, and the death of her mother. Additionally, she is estranged from her only sister and sibling, and has been left by herself to make the decisions regarding their father's increasing need for care. However, she finds a tremendous bright spot in her daughter, and will stop at nothing to be sure she grows up happy, healthy, and whole. Gracie is an extremely bright and bubbly first grader, whose curiosity knows no bounds. Even though her mom has never been close to Grandfather, he and Gracie have formed a tight bond and she loves hearing his incredible stories. Her mom does her best to explain how the effects of dementia are affecting Grandfather (Big John) by describing it as a "worm" that is eating his brain and comes out at night to do its damage (sun downing). When Grandfather has an "incident" involving her, Gracie decides to come up with a plan for the two of them to escape the nursing home and chase the sun so the worm can never come out again.

What I loved:
This story hit very close to home because my own father suffered with Alzheimer's, and I am all too familiar with the effects of this terrible disease. When McRady describes the change in Big John's expressions and his various episodes, she is spot on as to what we witnessed during the last year of my dad's struggle to live with his debilitating illness. I felt LeeAnn's struggle as she tries to manage motherhood, work, and being a primary caregiver. Although my own child was in college at the time, he was very close to my dad, and it affected him in many of the same ways as Gracie. McRady has captured a family in peril from a lifetime of the things that can go wrong. She makes a strong case for the importance of being vigilant regarding mental health and dealing with the ghosts of your past, especially to prevent toxic familial cycles from being repeated. I do wish she had resolved the ending differently with Big John. That particular outcome was a little odd for me, but overall, this is a very good family drama that will give you all the feels.

Big John Abernathy -perpetual yarn-spinning, tall-story telling life of the party - is languishing away in a nursing home when his granddaughter, six-year-old Gracie, busts him out with her mums stolen car keys and a daring plan to go on one more adventure, to chase the sun so that the "worm" in his brain she thinks makes him mean and confused stays away. But Big John has dementia, sundowners, and the threads of his life get muddled as he and Gracie visit his favourite places one last time.

Meanwhile Gracie's mother, Lee-Ann is frantic with worry as she searches for her missing daughter, but struggles to bring herself the accept the help of her ex and the gossiping PTA.

Told through the alternating viewpoints of Gracie, Lee-Ann and Gracie 's estranged father Dan, Sun Seekers tells the story of fractured families. As Lee-Ann and Dan frantically search the town for any sign of Gracie, we learn more and more of the struggles Lee-Ann has faced as a single mum in a small town, the toll it had taken on her mental health, the reasons why Dan left, and why Lee-Ann has the troubled relationship with Big John.

Its a story of loss and of heartbreak and redemption and forgiveness. A story of lies and memories. A story of walls and loneliness and the village we need when we tell ourselves we will be fine all alone.

Gracie 's chapters are exceptionally well written from the POV of a 6 yo trying SO HARD to do the right thing without the full understanding of the situation. Dan and Lee-Ann's chapters are cleverly crafted and filled with remorse, venom, loss, and regret as their own story unpacks and trauma forces them to reassess their roles in the past.

Sun Seekers brought me to tears. Its a powerful story and a stunning debut novel.

~Many thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ~

3.5★s
Sun Seekers is the first novel by American author, Rachel McRady. Grandfather has had the worm in his brain for two years: Gracie Lynn Abernathy knows it’s why he had to leave the house where Mama grew up, where they have lived since Daddy made a big mistake three years ago, and go to live in the home. The worm only wakes up when the sun goes down, so Gracie, almost seven, has a plan for fooling the worm. She and Grandfather will go on an adventure, in his 1985 Chevy Impala: they will follow the sun.

Dan Clarmont knows most people in Reading, South Carolina see him as the villain of the story of his broken family, something he truly regrets, and he knows the fact that a sleep-deprived and grieving LeeAnne refused his help with baby Gracie, excluded him from her care, is no excuse for seeking solace with Ashley, but he really wants a bigger part in Gracie’s life. Turning up at her swim meet without warning LeeAnne probably wasn’t the best idea; more unfortunate that the (now-married) predatory woman he dated only once in high school latches onto him right then.

LeeAnn Abernathy seems to be a damaged soul, full of resentment that prevents her from enjoying life: she resents the alternate days visits to the man who was such a poor parent; she resents her not-quite-ex-husband’s life with his girlfriend and new baby son; she resents her boss’s demanding and condescending attitude; she resents the clique of critical PTA moms who seem to take malicious pleasure in her every misstep; and she resents her older sister Sarah’s perfect life with her lawyer husband.

Augmenting her resentment is the grief over the loss of her beloved mama the day Gracie was born, Gracie now being her only true joy. And on this hot June day, Gracie and her demented grandfather are missing, and she will have to ask for help.

There’s nothing like a crisis to crystallise emotions and launch epiphanies, and each of the adults dealing with this terrifying ordeal has their own. Both the adult narrators spend a lot of time analysing their emotions and feelings; their behaviours, like social media hate-stalking and avoiding confrontations, don’t make them very likeable or easy to connect with.

Often, in spite of her tender age, Gracie shows more maturity and insight than her parents: “Grown-ups never think kids can hear them” and “Necessary lies are for when you don’t want to upset people. I never want to upset people, so I’ll probably have to tell many necessary lies”

Gracie’s take on her grandfather: “I don’t know why everyone says I’m so sweet for visiting Grandfather. He is the most interesting person I know” is very different from that of his daughters: “a washed-up fraud with great dreams and zero follow-through. Big John was always in search of an audience. I didn’t want to be another faceless member of his congregation, my worth only measured in my reactions. Sometimes I wanted him to listen to me, to care about my stories, my life. But that never happened.”

Where LeeAnne comes across as whiny, Gracie Lynn is a delight: she has an espionage notebook to note down clues, because “To a spy everything is a clue. And since I’m not old enough to know things yet, I’ll try to figure them out by putting the clues together”

Gracie is expressive: “Grandfather says I can’t let fear run my life, but sometimes it feels like fear is hugging me. When I feel fear I feel other things too, things that come out of fear’s belly. When I feel fear, I feel panic and I feel pain because when I am afraid I bite my bottom lip… I want to scream, but I’m too scared. Fear has my voice in her belly.” Some aspects of the story (eg the driving lesson) definitely require suspension of disbelief. An adequate debut that will resonate with some.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Alcove Books.

I wish I had known this would be told, in one part, by a six-year-old; I would not have requested it; it’s not a point of view I can connect with. The other two narrators, however, were not much better. LeeAnn is the most unlikeable, selfish, martyr wannabe, that just grated on my nerves. I get she feels wronged but her inability to forgive is ruining her. Even when she is distraught about the fact that her daughter is missing, it’s all about her. The only things I enjoyed in this story were the fantastical stories that Big John shared and his relationship with Gracie. This story was just not for me.

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.