The book begins with a bang. Christmas Day at the Ritz Carlton in France where this couple usually spends the holiday. Friction is in the air. She is separate for another child. So much so that she often ignores their little girl Chloe. He wants to enjoy the life they have built and not on whether the embryo takes in their surrogate.

Fast forward four years. There is a little boy.

The story is told in two time lines which isn’t particularly annoying. It’s told from a very strange voice which can bring the reader to tears at any moment. It is a page turner. Once the letter arrives you know the story with the exception of a couple of twists. The gratuitous sex scenes really don’t add anything to the book.

It is impossible to figure out the years over which this book unfolds. Who flies from London to Paris when the Eurostar is so much easier? They have cell phones and can text, but it seems as if the iPhone and Android devices are not yet available so are we back in the early years of the century? I find many authors are writing without a defined time and in doing so not checking to see what was the norm. I gave the book a 4, but it leans to a 3.5. We just knew and the ending is such a cliché.

Unusual plot, sweet love story, I loved this so much! Honor seems to have everything, gorgeous husband, aand sweet daughter . But she longs for another baby and that longing seems to have taken over her life and foreshadows everything else. And then a tragedy occurs and her life and the life of her family are turned upside down.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was provided by NetGalley for my review, and all comments are my own.

the first book review of 2025!

From Amazon:

Honor seems to have everything: she adores her bright and beautiful daughter, Chloe, and her charming, handsome husband, Tom, even if he works one hundred hours a week. Yet Honor’s longing for another baby threatens to eclipse all of it―until a shocking event changes their lives forever.

Years later, Tom makes a decision that ripples through their families' lives in ways he could never have foreseen. As the consequences of that fateful choice unfold, two women's paths become irrevocably intertwined. But when old love clashes with new, who will be left standing? And what happens when your secrets come back to haunt you?

Blending a page-turning moral dilemma with satisfying emotional poignancy, Finding Grace is a sweeping love story that explores the price of a new beginning, how the ghosts of our past shape our future, and whether redemption can be found in the wreckage of what we've lost.

My Take:

If you like novels that grip you, then you will love this one!
Themes of love and grief, regret, and the human connection are deep within this book. You will learn a lot about each of the characters as the author chose to spend a good amount of time developing them into the unique people they are. From the first shocking scenes ( and I do mean shocking!) to the ending that you couldn't imagine, this first time novel shows us what to expect in the future by this author.

This is a story that will stay with you long after you finish the book. Finding Grace is deeply ingrained into your very memory. I cannot wait to see what the author does next.

About the Author:
Loretta was born in East London, England. She is a novelist, with a keen interest in telling tangled, modern love stories. Loretta is particularly passionate about writing compelling and propulsive novels with strong female voices at their core. She lives with her husband and young son. FINDING GRACE is her first novel.

When old love clashes with new, who will be left standing? And what happens when your secrets come back to haunt you?

First I want to say thank you so much for allowing me to read this book. I enjoyed beyond my wildest beliefs. This book had so many twists and turns. I couldn’t put it down. The love story was great friends make all the difference when dealing with grief. Lessons learned proves truth always prevail. I look forward to getting more books in the future.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: ✍️Literary Fiction
Recommend:✅

“Finding Grace”’is a completely unique, heartbreaking and pulse pounding novel. I don’t know if any other novel has made me nervous before, but somehow this story did. From the first few chapters on, I was completely enthralled with everyone in this story and the decisions they were making, including our narrator.

Every so often a book comes along that I simply refuse to summarize because I want to give everyone a chance to experience it the way I did, completely blind. And, this is how “Finding Grace” should be read. Don’t read a synopsis, don’t go reading too many reviews. Just pick it up and let yourself get lost in it. You will not regret jt.

You’ll love this book if you love:
✅Family Secrets
✅Female POV
✅English Setting

I loved the synopsis and had high expectations for this novel but it is so poorly written that it was a struggle to read. I don’t recommend it.

Okay wow. What a debut! This book was incredible. I was hooked from the very beginning and couldn’t put it down. I needed to see what happened after “the event”.

4.5! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I knew nothing about this book when I started, and it was totally unexpected in a great way. I was frustrated with Tom for a lot of the book, but the ending redeemed him.

Trigger: Tragic deaths of spouses and a child
Infertility

This book is a tear-jerker written from the perspective of the deceased spouse of the MMC.

Tom (MMC) and Grace (FMC) both experienced loss of people very important to them. Tom is wrestling with the things left unsaid and his actions on the day of the tragic death of this spouse and child. Grace is grieving the sudden death of her spouse.

I truly empathized with both Tom and Grace. I found myself crying as I read their stories. Both had excellent friends who supported them during their grieving process. Their friends gently reminded them that their spouses would want them to continue living.

The author’s handling of these sensitive topics (death, grieving and infertility) was excellent. Overall , I would recommend this book to friends. This author is a first time read for me and a must buy in the future.

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to provide feedback. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The book hooked in from the first chapter. The story was fast-paced. It was heart breaking and hard to read at times. Keep tissues handy asyou are reading it.

Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild
Writing: B+
Story: C+
Characters: B
Setting: A-
Best Aspect: Loved the first chapter and it totally had my attention and the potential for a 5-star read.
Worst Aspect: Chapter 2 to the end. The characters were interesting, and the writing was good, but the story did not go at all where I expected and it was a strange read for me.
Recommend: Yes.

Wow! What a wonderful debut novel!
I loved the way it was told and the character telling the story.
It made for an unusual, yet different perspective in the plot and journey of this family. It is different!

It is an emotional, happy, definitely sad and heartwarming book and though the ending was expected, I loved how it came to be!
Thank you to @NetGalley and to @St. Martin's Press for this ARC and allowing me to read and provide my own review.
I believe it will be a hit!

Hard to believe this is a debut novel. It is an emotional packed beautiful read. The storylines without revealing details is recovering and healing after an unbelievable tragedy. The book will pull at your heartstrings.

Very well written and flows well and liked the characters.





Thank you Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the digital advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book, and would have given it another star, except the ending was a little bit unsatisfying and predictable to me. The narrator's storytelling was great and fresh. The whole premise was interesting and not something one would expect. Thanks to #netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

An AMAZING story. I know a story is good when it makes me cry - twice.

This is a story of heartbreak, love and the question of right and wrong.

When Tom loses everything he loved in a horrible act of violence, he questions whether he can go on. But then, he is given the best gift possible in time of such grief.

One simple decision made, a gut reaction acted on causes one to question what is right and what is wrong.

Tom is learning to live and love again but at what cost?

I really like this book until the very last chapters. The end felt rushed and like they wanted to wrap up the story quickly and it honestly ruined the story for me. It felt like the build up to the end was wasted by the desire to end it by wrapping it up with a bow rather than ending a complicated and messy story all along in the same fashion. Characters don’t have to be liked, stories don’t have to have a perfect happy ending especially when the entire story all along has been complex and controversial, it felt like the ending didn’t match the rest of the story.

Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild

Loretta Rothschild’s Finding Grace is a heart-wrenching tale of love, loss, and the enduring strength of human connection. From the very first chapter, the story grips you with its raw emotional power, as we meet Tom, a widower grappling with the bittersweet gift left by his late wife—a child carried by a surrogate mother.

Just when it seems his life has settled into a rhythm, a mysterious letter arrives, one meant for the anonymous egg donor who made his family possible. This discovery propels Tom into an emotional odyssey to meet the woman who unknowingly saved his life when he was ready to end it.

The narrative is both tragic and uplifting, with moments that will break your heart and others that will leave you hopeful. Rothschild paints Tom’s grief and longing with such authenticity that I found myself shedding more than a few tears.

The story’s central theme—how love transcends loss and binds us to one another—resonates long after you’ve turned the last page. Rothschild’s prose is elegant and poignant, capturing the complexity of grief and the courage it takes to embrace second chances.

Finding Grace is a must-read for anyone who enjoys stories that explore the depths of human emotion and the beauty of unexpected connections. Prepare to be moved and inspired and don’t forget your tissues

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a story that tugs at your heartstrings,makes you sad,angry,happy and hopeful at the same time. It is the story of a family shattered by the tragic deaths of a mother and daughter by a suicide bomber right before getting news of their chosen surrogate egg donor. The husband Tom and his son Henry go on with life then Tom makes the mistake of not being truthful and one lie leads to another until it breaks the heart of the woman both he and Henry have come to love
These characters will stay with you long after you have finished the book. It is well written and has lots of tense and tender moments that leave you wanting more.. they are very human ,real characters.

thank you for the advanced reader copy of this book... I had no idea what it was about and was kind of shocked when "it" happened....... i thought that the book was very well written and i liked the character development. it was a very satisfying read and i will look for other books by this author