This was crazzzzzzzzy. This is a quiet, soulful unraveling of grief, identity, and healing. Like the first chapter has you HOOKED. It holds space for the messy parts of being human, like loss, longing, and the slow return to yourself. A reflective, tender story that lingers long after the last page. Definitely a book I won't forget.

Honor has the perfect daughter, a career she loves, and a husband, Tom, she loves. despite his 100-hour work weeks. But her need for a second baby starts to put a terrible strain on their family, and when a shocking event happens, their lives are changed forever. Years later, Tom makes one decision on a whim and it ends up changing the courses of everyone's lives.

First of all, the twist at the end of chapter one is something I never saw coming. i thought the overall story was a great view on grief, second guessing yourself after something terrible happens, and the endless questions on what is right for your child in the aftermath of something awful. Typically a storyline around omitted truth is one of my least favorite tropes, but in this case it felt natural for the story. While Tom was a terribly unlikable character, I did find his motivations and thought processes along the way to make some sense. This story was not what I expected, which made me love it even more.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest revierw.

What a lovely and haunting story! This one will stay with me for a long time and was sure an emotional roller coaster! I loved the flawed, but beautiful characters! I can’t wait to read something else by this author!

I WASN'T MENTALLY AND EMOTIONALLY PREPARED FOR THIS BOOK.

I had to read the last paragraph of chapter 1 at least 3 times to make sure I read it right.

I've never read a story like this before. It begins with Honor, her husband Tom, and daughter Chloe on a trip to Paris for Christmas. Though they're trying to enjoy their trip, Honor is preoccupied with their surrogacy situation back home. Dynamics are muddled. Tensions are high. Then BANG. Everything changes.

This is one of the most unique books I've read. A fictional testimony to grief, family, the stories we tell, and the lives we weave. Not a typical 'fun in the sun' summer read, but absolutely worth checking out.

This was such a fabulous and interesting novel and an amazing perspective for parents, grief, marital dynamics and love after loss. I was certainly not expecting a shocking event early on in the story, but it was very interesting to see how the aftermath unfolded from the initial trauma. The emotional depth was so lovely and seeing the transparency of the characters involved.

Thanks for the early copy via NetGalley.

Wow what a debut!!! This is one of those books you’ll have to discuss with others - I found the more my friend and I talked about it, the more I realized how well written this book was. The point of view the story is told from is so unique but adds a ton of depth to the book. As the events of the book progressed, I felt so incredibly anxious - it was like a car wreck where I knew I should look away but couldn’t!! I did a mix of audio and physical copy and enjoyed both formats! I don’t want to give away too much in my review because I think this book is best experienced knowing very little about it if possible. Content warnings include death, grief, and infertility.

😔Grief
👓Unique POV
📚Compelling reads
📖Would be a great book club pick
♥️Relationships (family, found family, romantic, friendship)
😮Shocking events
🎧Great on audio

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my ARC! Finding Grace is out now!

FINDING GRACE
3.0 ⭐
Genre: fiction, romance
🔥 Spice level: 5/10
❗️Trigger warning: Infertility

This book started off SO strong. I even told my husband, "I think I am reading my next 5-star read", but then it fell off so quick.

📚 This book is told from the point of view of Honor, who just died in a tragic way with her young daughter. She is telling the story of her widowed husband and son, as they figure out what their life is supposed to look like. He makes some pretty dumb decisions that puts their family in a sticky situation. There's SO much going on in this book, but I don't want to spoil it too much.

👍🏻I liked:
· the first chapter of this book hooked my attention better than a book has in a LONG time! I audibly gasped and it HOOKED me!

· the POV being from the dead wife is something I have never read before and was so interesting to read!

👎🏻 I didn't like:
· I don't think I will ever read a romance and not have a complaint about how unrealistic some parts of it are. My kindle notes have several "would never happen", and maybe I am just too much of a realist for romance. 😂

· THE widowed HUSBAND IS AN IDIOT. I think I am supposed to feel bad for him (which, at times, i did), but he JUST KEEPS MAKING DUMB DUMB DUMB DECISIONS?!?!?! Which makes it hard to feel anything for him.

· the ending.........if anyone has a brain, you don't forgive this man for what he is done, but the ending makes it hard and I wanted better for one of the characters.

❣️for fans of:
· stories about grief
· complex family dramas
· unrealistic happily ever afters

I got this book early to review, but it is out now!

Honor, her husband, Tom, and their daughter Chloe seem like a perfect family. Still, Honor and Tom's marriage is beginning to show the strains of repeated fertility issues, when something catastrophic happens that will forever alter their future.

Years later, Tom makes a decision that will impact every aspect of his life as he manipulates information, hides truths, and flat-out lies his way into someone's orbit because of their connection with is family.

Trigger warning: infertility

Why Jackie Loves it: There was a moment that shocked me and I had to go back and re-read. This was the moment I knew this book had me hooked. I had high expectations and it did not disappoint. I do not want to give any spoilers so I will just say to read it for yourself!

What a lovely surprise. When I was reading the first chapter, I thought I might end up DNFing. I had a hard time with the protagonist’s obsession with having another child, and wasn’t in the mood to read an entire book about that. WELL. Chapter 1 ended and IYKYK. I read half the book in one night and finished it the next day. The writing was just right, describing the little moments of day-to-day life with tenderness and honesty. I loved the supporting characters, especially Colette and her French sass. My only gripe with the story is how it ended. I don’t need every book to be dark and sad but I thought more consequences would arise from some of the characters’ decisions. Either way, a great premise, a great read, highly recommended!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Loretta Rothschild is a new author for me and I always like to find new authors to read. This is her debut novel, and it's a good one.

Description:
Honor seems to have everything. She adores her daughter Chloe and her husband Tom (even if he does work one hundred hours a week). But her 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 not 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?

My Thoughts:
This is an emotional read, so get the tissues out. There are themes of grief, loss, infertility, egg donation, ethics, second chances, and hope. There are secrets and lies to be revealed. The book has some major surprises - shockers really. Tom makes a bad choice that could destroy everything for him. This book will stay with me for awhile - it's a good one.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy.

Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild is a deeply character-driven novel that explores the emotional aftermath of a man’s tragic loss. Through richly drawn relationships and raw vulnerability, the story unfolds with quiet intensity. It’s a poignant journey of grief, healing, and the unexpected grace found in new love.

Tom and Honor seem to have a good life together. However, Tom works too much, and Honor is obsessed with having another child. They are waiting anxiously to hear if their surrogate is pregnant. When a tragic event happens, Tom is lost without her and their beautiful daughter Chloe. After the baby is born, Tom learns how to be a single parent. He and Henry settle into a routine. Fast forward a few years and Tom receives a letter in the mail that turns his life upside down again. I wish I could say more, but don’t want to share any spoilers. A lot of the book is narrated by Tom’s deceased wife, Honor. Tom made many choices throughout the book that made me want to shake him. But who can say what choices they would make under the circumstances? I found the characters well developed and the book held my interest. I highly recommend this book.

Also reviewed on B&N and Kobo (IrishEyes430)

Wow, what a story! This is best read going in blind, so pardon me for being vague. It's about a young family, a mother who desperately wants to have a second child but can't, and the aftermath of a tragedy. It's a love story with a gripping plot that made me so tense at times, I didn't want to turn the pages. But there's no way I couldn't go on--I had to find out what happened. The writing is so crisp and clear that the narrative just flows. Be sure to have some tissues nearby--there are some very emotional moments. It's one of the best books I've read this year so far.

You've already heard this many times already - I can't tell you really anything about this book or it would just be spoiler galore. Go in blind, meet Honor and her family and enjoy the story that follows. This is a well written novel that will tug at heartstrings in surprising ways and give you lots to think about.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy. Finding Grace is now available.

A phenomenal debut novel that was clever,, unique, and well written. The best way to read the book is to go in blind as knowing too much about the story could ruin it for the reader. The story revolves around Honor and Tom who are a married couple who seem to have it all but are struggling with infertility. Honor is desperate to have another baby and Tom seems to care less. When one day an event will change everything for this couple. Years later secrets and lies will cause a chain reaction of events that will further change everything for this family. All the characters were so well developed and as the novel unfolds the reader will feel the deep and raw emotions surrounding grief, trauma, forgiveness, and love. My only criticism may be the ending and how the drama wraps as up as it seemed to clean for such a messy and dramatic story.

The first chapter of this book left me SHOCKED. I will say the opening to this book was absolutely unmatched. I also really liked that Honor narrates the book. That being said, Tom really made me mad. The miscommunication / hiding information trope is my absolute least favorite and this book's writing is so high quality and insightful it made me really upset that was the way the Rothschild decided to go. I felt that this really took away from my true enjoyment of the book because as Tom digs himself deeper I just dreaded getting to the truth and wanted to be done before it even climaxed. Again, the writing was beautiful and the plot was so interesting. I just really dislike that trope. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this eARC.

“He knew firsthand that “the stages of grief” were a myth. It was disobedient and unruly. This was grief—being hit from the side by unexpected turbulence.”

Thank you, @netgalley, for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Told from the perspective of Honor, who was killed alongside her daughter Chloe in a terror attack on Christmas 5 years ago. Upon returning home, widowed Tom has a message from his and Honor’s surrogate that their transfer was successful. 5 years after their son is born, Tom is still grieving, but has started living his life. He discovers a letter accidentally sent to him from their anonymous egg donor. Finding that his late wife chose a donor, Grace, who looked eerily similar to her, he is immediately drawn to her. As Tom and Grace get closer, he is reluctant to tell her the truth, but the deeper he gets in his lies the harder they are to maintain.

Review: This was sooo unique and compelling. I was drawn into the story of Tom and Grace and the dynamics of his found family. It was also such an interesting twist to have it told through the eyes of Honor from the great beyond. Despite being a sad situation, there is a hopefulness to it as well.

Tom and Honor, parents to their young daughter, Chloe are spending a holiday in France. Because the reader is privy to Honor’s inner thoughts, it is evident that stress is occurring between the couple due to their differing desires regarding having another child. Soon, tragedy strikes, and Tom finds himself alone.
Many years later, due to a clerical error, Tom finds himself transfixed by Grace who bears a strong resemblance to Honor. This emotional novel asks if there is room for second chances, and when is it okay to conceal the truth?
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

An incredible debut! A very different novel with an interesting perspective on marriage, regret, and honesty. The tension felt in the chapters builds in all the best ways and I enjoyed it from start to finish.

4.5 rounded up!

Finding Grace has an unreal first chapter, and then dives right into a plot that’ll leave you clenching your jaw from the tension! It’s not a thriller whatsoever, but in its own way, it is SO deliciously suspenseful.

As the synopsis says, it’s hard to go into more detail without giving anything away. But just trust me — if you like a family/suburban drama (or just want something different and fast-paced to mix up your reads), give it a go.