What a way to start! The first few chapters sucked me immediately. Unfortunately, that same intensity wasn’t continued and I think that is a case of reader’s expectations gone wrong. I was expecting something more twisty, so had I gone in with a different genre expectation, I may have resonated with this one more.

I did, however, appreciate the unique narrator choice, the deeper themes of grief and second chances, and the exploration of family. Overall, I liked it fine.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advance reader copy. Finding Grace is a contemporary fiction story and immediately starts off with a bang— a huge, life altering event happens in the first few chapters of the book and sets off the plot. Without giving any major spoilers, I will say the narration of this book is unique and interesting, taking on an omniscient style voice.

This novel is thick with moral questions, dramatic twists and turns, and very emotional. After the initial dramatic event at the beginning of the book, I found the book to be a bit slow in setting up for the remainder of the story; I did struggle to remain interested in some of the flashbacks and the general exposition of the story. However, in pushing through, I did think this was a good debut. There is a lot of built up tension that drives the plot forward and a lot of heavy questions and emotions that made me invested enough in these characters.

I know this book will find its readership and would definitely recommend it to fans of contemporary fiction, and plot driven novels. This a unique concept and the plot twists will definitely keep readers engaged!

Wow. This book. Beautifully written debut novel. It is full of sadness and tragedy, but also filled with joy and hope. I will be looking forward to the next novel by this author.

FINDING GRACE had me hooked from the very first chapter. Loretta Rothschild has written one of the most unique contemporary fiction novels I've ever read. It's almost impossible to describe the plot without major spoilers, so I highly recommend going into this one without reading anything about it. The story is one that will stress you out, make you chuckle, bring tears to your eyes, and have you praying for a happy ending for these great characters. This is one I will be thinking about for years to come!

Finding Grace is a heartfelt debut that begins with a gut-wrenching tragedy, drawing readers into a story of love, loss, and second chances. Narrated from beyond by Honor, a wife and mother killed in a devastating attack, the novel follows her husband Tom as he grapples with grief and unexpected new life. Rothschild’s writing is poignant, with emotional depth and moments of hope, though the romantic arc feels predictable and occasionally drags. Fans of Jodi Picoult and Liane Moriarty will appreciate the moral dilemmas and character-driven storytelling. A compelling, bittersweet read worth exploring.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Thank you to Loretta Rothschild and publisher St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC for the novel Finding Grace. I was very interested because of its recommendations by my favorite authors Geraldine Brooks, Chris Whitaker, and Jodi Picoult.

Rothschild does a great job of starting the book with an unexpected plot twist and keeping the story moving with zigzags throughout.

I appreciated the characters and their friendships, however, after such a great journey, it was a little too much of an easy ending, thus my ranking of three stars, not four.

Honor has a sweet young daughter, Chloe. But she hungers to have another child. But it's not straightforward for her and her husband Tom. They've had difficulty getting Chloe safely here and the only way for Honor to have another child is through a series of complicated medical procedures. Tom has had enough and wants to end the heartbreak and just go on with life. But it isn't to be. Life for Chloe and Honor is cut short. Tom is devastated and regrets his earlier frustration with attempts to have another child.

After their deaths, Tom is unexpectedly granted a miracle. And Honor, narrator of the book, can only watch him from beyond and hope things work out for him as he makes more than a few mistakes.

This debut novel by Rothschild has more than a few surprises, moral dilemmas, and plot surprises. Fans of Jodi Picoult, Lianne Moriarty, and Anna Quindlan will be captivated by this book.

Note: I read an ARC provided by NetGalley.

I was interested in reading Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild because Jodi Picoult recommended it. I have never before read a book whose plot twist came at the start of the book instead of of the end. That shock is what kept me reading until the end. Finding Grace is a good story with great characters. It was a little too "romantic" for my taste, but otherwise was an interesting read. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

“You can’t boycott grief, unless you want to boycott happiness with it. You don’t get the meat without the bones.”

Finding Grace starts out unbelievably sad. I teared up at least 3 times in the first few chapters. Then, it turns into a fairly typical romance that feels ready for a Hallmark movie adaptation. The writing is great and I enjoyed the characters, even though the story got a little draggy toward the end.

Tom’s life is upended by tragedy: his wife and daughter, Honor and Chloe, are killed by a suicide bomber when they are on their annual Christmas vacation. In the wake, Tom can barely function. Until he finds out their surrogate is pregnant. Tom must go on for the sake of he and Honor’s child; and so he does.

The love interest becomes obvious early, as does what will happen. You know things are going to explode and wait for the moment over and over, and that’s what felt like it dragged on too long for me. Had I not enjoyed the writing so much, I might have skimmed through some of that—especially the last two near misses.

Overall, the romance of Tom and Honor and then Tom and Grace, told from the perspective of the deceased Honor, is a lovely one. Recommended. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately had to DNF this one. The first chapter had a great hook at the very end, but the narrator being the dead wife was just too weird (as I read it, it seemed that Tom needed to have the first person POV). I didn't like Tom either. Sad to DNF as this had great reviews, but just not for me.

This is an excellent book that I throughly enjoyed reading. I was captivated by the 3rd page and read it in a two day span. A whole range of emotions were experienced while reading this book. This storyline was very suspenseful but nicely wrapped up at the end. Already anticipating the next novel from this new and aspiring author. I can also easily see this book being made into movie. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to read this novel before publication through NetGallery!

thank you to netgalley and st martin's press for the opportunity to read this book now. i was given 48 hours to read it and finished early. hard to put this book down. but also difficult to stay with some of the nail biting aspects of the story line. it was a really good read. excellent for sitting by the fireplace this winter or at the beach next summer. and on a plane trip. this would be a great book to get lost in. this book is not for someone who is raw and/or struggling with the sudden loss of child or spouse.

This book took me completely by surprise. I was jaw dropped the first chapter by the shocking event that forms the plot of the book. Honor has an idyllic life and everything she has ever wanted, but a shocking event will change her and her family lives forever. The story is gripping and will have you hooked from the very beginning. The writing in this book is spectacular! I’ve never read anything like this. Highly recommend and thank you to the publisher for the chance to read this ARC.

I never thought I would spend my afternoon feeling sorry for a man who went to Eton, but here we are! By the end of the first chapter, I knew I was about to read something special. The author does a marvelous job of creating tension and intrigue in what could be just another relationship drama. I am not sure I buy the ending, but nevertheless enjoyed the novel and was riveted throughout (hard to believe it is a debut!). 4.5 stars.

Thank you very much to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
This was spectacular; it leaves me speechless that this was a debut novel. The narrator points of view really worked and helped along the way to appreciate the many threads to this story. Love, loss, grief and resilience in a well paced, well written hard to put down book. Brava!!!

The protagonist of this story is Tom, who has lost his wife and daughter in a suicide bomb attack. Soon after he finds out that the surrogate woman his wife Honor had arranged is successfully pregnant. The surrogate, Grace, was chosen by Honor because she is closely similar in looks and affect to Honor. Grace is sworn to anonymity. The story jumps to 5 years later when Tom strangely receives a piece of mail including a CD and document that discloses Grace’s identity. Long story short he finds her, falls in love and makes the decision not to reveal to Grace that she is the donor to his son. After their lives are deeply entangled she discovers his lies and leaves him. But of course it doesn’t end there.
This is the author’s first book. The pacing is good, the cast of supporting friends is interesting and the twists and turns keeps the reader involved. There are only a couple of things that keep me from giving a higher rating. One, there is too much given to Tom’s crying. Grieving isn’t just about crying and we are not shown that. It makes Tom seem one dimensional. Two, the story could be enhanced if the ladies who are in Grace’s Sunday group were more developed. In summary while the premise of the story has promise, the lack of character development makes it unremarkable.

I received an ARC for my review of this book.
Wowza, the concept of a novel narrated by the protagonists dead wife seems a bit out there but this one sucked me in and I couldn’t put this book down.
When the book opens we lean of Honour and Tom’s relationship and their hardships of conceiving a child. I can relate very well to this as we also had difficulty conceiving and it makes you a different person and often not the wonderful person you hope you are. When Honour and Choles lives are gone in a moment after a terrible disagreement, my heart was floored.
That as a reader we get to imagine Honour following Tom around and having thoughts and emotions about his life and decisions he is encountering is a fascinating idea, and one I dove in to wholeheartedly. So just as we are reeling from the shock of Honour and Chloe’s death we learn that Tom is about to become a dad again with the child conceived by surrogate.
When 4 years later Tom receives his surrogates personal contact details by mistake and he follows her and finds a women with whom his wife would and could have been friends with is a tantalizing idea. Will he be a good guy and reveal the truth, as many of us when faced with fessing up find, sometimes you just can’t find a way to tell all. At first he just seems in awe of this women, but you can see quickly that he is falling in love with Grace and all of her tragedy as well.
I throughly enjoyed this book. I tire through it in 2 days. It’s sad but heartwarming all at once. Give her a chance and you also will enjoy Finding Grace!

This was not what I expected but in a good way. It was a unique book and quite emotional. I do not want to give much away but there is an event that takes place. This book has grief and love and starting over. It was very well written and it will stay with me for sometime.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book. I truly enjoyed all the emotions it put me thru. Happy dad anxious. I was pleasantly surprised with the unique storyline and would recommend anyone this read.

Look how beautiful this cover is! Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild was such a great book. A must read.