Member Reviews
Wow ! Another intense and mesmerizing thriller from K.L. Slater . Full of secrets , one of them jaw dropping , that I just couldn't put this book down .!!
A delicious page turner ! Don't miss this one ! Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review ! #Netgalley #Bookouture #FindingGrace
Lucie has the perfect life; a husband who tells her he loves her every day, two children - a boy and a girl, best friends, and good health. Her daughter, Grace, has turned 9 and declared her independence. She begs to walk home from her best friend's house; it's not far, just at the end of the road. Lucie caves and agrees when her overbearing mother-in-law disagrees. There is a bend in the road, but Lucie's misgivings are allayed when the two fathers agree to watch Grace unobtrusively from their respective houses. As often happens, one father receives a text, looks at his phone, and the other goes back into the house after he thinks Grace is at the bend. When Grace goes missing in those few seconds, it soon becomes apparent that everyone has something to hide including Grace's best friend Olivia.
Perfect psychological thriller for Valentine's Day. Slater has written a complex tale with multiple subplots, all of which add to the horror of the situation. Every parent can relate to Lucie and Blake's self-recrimination. I love it when I can't identify the "bad" guy and predict the ending. Fast-paced, it held my interest until the very end.
Nine year old Grace Sullivan is nine years old. The day after her ninth birthday her parents allow her to walk home from her friends house for the first time. Her friend Olivia lives in the same road and it is only a five minute walk. Grace never makes it home.
I was hooked from the first page and finished this book in one sitting. Graces parents both have secrets, is it possible one of these secrets is the reason why Grace is not at home ? I devoured this book, I could not put it down, I just had to keep on reading. The tension was palpable and so many twists and turns. In places while reading I was sat on the edge of my seat. As for the ending OMG it was a shock and definitely not what I was expecting.
This author has done it again and I know that each time I read one of their books I am going to run the gambit of emotions. I am glad to say that this this book is another hit from a writer who is at the top of her game. I loved it and so highly recommended.
Lucie and Blake decide to let their daughter, Grace, walk home a short distance from a friend's house a day after her 9th birthday. When she never returns home, Lucie, Blake, the police and their community work tirelessly to try and find out....what happened to Grace? And what secrets to her parent's harbor that may have led to her disappearance?
This book was fast-paced and had so many twists and turns - I read it in a couple of days! I really enjoyed it!
Thank you to K.L. Slater, Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC of this book!
‘Finding Grace’ has a good story as well as maintains the suspense right till the end. Life seems to be going well for Lucie & Blake – they are happily married with two kids and Blake has a great career in public life. However, one day their elder daughter Grace goes missing while walking home from a friend’s place which is just minutes away. It all happens in a flash, just about the time Grace would have been seen by Blake after a bend.
The police get involved very quickly, but as the hours pass, very little information emerges. It looks like someone is deliberately putting them through mental agony. Is it due to business dealings Blake has had, or something from Lucie’s past? It is difficult to discuss the story any more without introducing spoilers, hence, will stop here.
While the story is good, as is the suspense, there is a portion in between where it stalls focusing excessively on Lucie’s mental state. Some of the behaviors of the characters feels unnatural in parts. Nevertheless, the last portion ties all aspects of the story (past & present) logically, and the story ends very well.
This is the first book of KL Slater that I read, and liked the story as well as the tempo she maintains. I certainly look forward to reading more of her books, and certainly recommend this one!
My rating: 4.25 / 5.
Finding Grace, psychological thriller by K.L Slater, and my first book by this author.
The book begins with the disappearance of Blake and Lucie's little 9 yr old daughter, Grace. Grace had just turned 9, and wanted nothing more than to be able to show some independence, and walk home from her friend Olivia's house, which was just a few minutes from her home.
Her father, Blake was waiting for her outside after Olivia's parents sent little Grace on her way.
But she never showed up. how could she have disappeared so quickly? There was only one blind spot over a hill that she was out of view.
Frantic, her Mom begins searching for her, asking everyone she passes if anyone has seen her, she is sick with worry and fear, and the police is finally called.
The books alternates between the past and present, revealing secrets each parent has been hiding. Lucie, has a secret she has kept from her husband for many years, and he has his own as well.
Do these secrets hold the key, as to what has happened to little Grace? Who can you trust?
I found the book to a fast paced, a great plot, and storyline. The author was able to keep my attention, and has great writing skills. I have become tired of missing children books, but this was different,. i found myself tearing though the pages to see what happened to Grace. The book is full of suspense with a lot of twists.
I think anyone who enjoys thrillers, will like this book very much. I loved Slaters writing style, and want to read more of her books, I have heard so many positive things about her books, and know many who are fans of hers.
I will leave my review on Goodreads @S.L Reads, Twitter, @StefaniReads, on Bookbub, @Bookingitup (SReads), and on Instagram @Bookedup22. I will also leave my review on Amazon, (S.R) once the book is released.
Thanks so much @Netgalley and @Bookouture for giving me the chance to read this ebook!!
Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy of Finding Grace by K.L. Slater for review. It did not take long to read this thriller about a child abduction. Lots of suspects and twists to hold my interest throughout. Great read.
Finding Grace is a story that is chilling to every mother's heart. Grace is taken as she's walking home from a friends house. What unravels are many many lies and hidden truths as they try to find and rescue their daughter. This book pulled me in from the first page and was a quick and easy read. Not as predictable as some thrillers and i truly did not know how it was going to end until the very last page. I enjoyed this quick fast paced book. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
3.5*
Nine year old Grace wants only one thing! To walk from the house of her best friend Olivia back to her own home. Most importantly without her parents! That’s right, like a big girl! She’s nine now and determined to be treated with more responsibilities!
Against their better judgment Blake and Lucie agree. The caveat? Both fathers will keep watch from a discreet distance. Grace will never know.
Well, in theory that would normally be a fairly sound plan. That is until one of the fathers takes his eyes off her for just a moment. Now Grace has vanished!
As the police become more involved with the investigation, the motives for Grace’s disappearance come to light. Who has more secrets to keep?
This was the fourth book I’ve read from K.L. Slater. And while it was a good solid thriller, it wasn’t one of my favorites I’ve read of hers. Unfortunately I can’t elaborate on the ‘why’ without giving something away. So my friends, you’ll just have to read for yourself and see...
But that being said, I will still be reaching for her next release..
A buddy read with Susanne!❄️
Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and K.L. Slater for an ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
Loved this book! Great characters and a story that is every parents worst nightmare when 9 nine year old Grace convinces her parents that she can walk back from the neighbours alone. As the hours of her disappearance tick by you can feel the desperation of the family build. With flashbacks to the Mothers past revealing dark secrets and the Fathers mysterious calls and behaviours the scene is set for a tale full of twists. Excellent.
Thank you so much to Bookouture and KL Slater for another fantastic read. I loved Finding Grace
If you are looking for drama, thriller and a book that will take you through all the emotions then Finding Grace is the one for you. Kl Slater is definitely becoming one of my favorite authors with the gritty subjects and the writing approach. This book is about a missing girl, Grace and how the family cope in the aftermath. Believe me all is not what it seems. A must read.
In a sense, this is a cautionary tale about how much freedom one should allow a nine-year-old girl whose independence wings are flapping badly. As a point of interest as a golden oldie, it struck me pointedly how these matters have changed. I walked the mile or so to school or bussed in bad weather at five-years-old upwards. Of course, there were fewer cars on the roads in those days. It was drilled into us about not speaking to strangers or taking sweets from them. As I progressed to motherhood in the '70s children were taken and collected from school for geographical reasons, fewer buses and more traffic. Now children can be abused or snatched within spitting distances of school and home. There's plenty of time for learning independence.
I didn't get the impression that Lucie, Grace's mother was a hundred per cent in agreement with her daughter's insistence on freedom - a short walk from her friend's house, but she didn't seem unduly concerned about the arrangement in the end and was having a nap while her husband botched matters. Grace didn't return home. The blame game theme kicks in. Comfort is sought and given. Judgement is made by neighbours, friends, the media and social media (good and bad) I was concerned it may have lost its momentum at this juncture in an overkill of repetition and reinforcement of facts and feelings. A lot of undisclosed secrets from all directions make the whole incident gruelling. There was too much deceit from too many quarters which made the plot over-complex. Lucie's past rises up and hits her in the face. Secrets between Lucie and Blake and their two best friends play the largest part and Olivia, Grace's best friend doesn't disclose a vital clue. Who can we trust? Lucie, of course, has a delicate emotional constitution and a chequered past. She was too trusting in the friends she chose in her youth. A lot of the long-held revenge didn't feel too credible in an attempt at twists and turns. An enjoyable read, however and tense waiting to find out if Grace is found safely. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.
This was a very enjoyable book to read. I was engaged with the main character and could feel her distress as she tried to handle her daughter's absence. I did feel some parts were a little hard to believe and the mystery from her past was built up to such a degree i was expecting more when it came out. Overall though a very good book.
There has been so many books flooding the “child missing” book market that I second guessed whether to read this or not.
But how could I pass this by. I reasoned with myself that this book was written by KL Slater whose books I’ve always enjoyed. Could I pass this one by without at least giving it a “go”?
I couldn’t.
I am so glad I read this as the book has so much to offer than a topic plot that’s been hashed to death over the last year or so.
This is so much more than Grace goes missing.
We all have to learn to allow our children to grow in confidence and independence.
We can’t ‘baby’ our children forever.
But was it too early to allow a nine year old girl to walk just a short distance down to her friends house?
Her father watched her go. The girls father the other end watched her arrive. Both doing this secretly
so that Grace wouldn’t know. But on her way back she never returns.
It’s not just based on the disappearance of Grace though and I was soon to find out more about Lucie the mom. The dad. Lucies friend Bev and her husband down the road.
There were many puzzling factors that kept me turning pages.
The dark side was brilliant! I loved this......a lot!
Finding Grace was a good read. Perhaps a little predictable but enjoyable. When 9 year old Grace is finally allowed to walk the straight 5 minutes home from her friends house it is an awful shock to all when she doesn’t return. Sure Dad had his head in his phone (cautionary tale of our over use of mobile phones) when he should have been watching, but really it was a straightforward walk home.
But as the hours tick by and there are no sitings of Grace, no one is above suspicion.
We have flashbacks to Mom’s past in university and how no one ever knew why she abruptly left university mid semester but the past always has a way of catching up with us. Even when we think it is dead and buried......is it ever truly?
All In all a satisfying read. Special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me this ARC. K.L. Slater continued to turn out good reading!
Great book.
Kept me interested. Will be recommending this time to family and friends.
Will be in the lookout for more book like this and by this author
5**** very good
This is my second novel by this author and I'm hooked!
Lucie and Blake are very attentive and loving parents to 9 year old Grace and baby Oscar. Lucie reluctantly agrees to let Grace walk home from her best friend's house one day, despite her inner voice screaming that it was a bad idea. Thinking she may be projecting her own fears onto her child based on incidents in her past life, she decides to give in. They've installed a fail safe plan where nothing could go wrong...or so they thought. Once quick glace at a phone, one little slip on a slippery walkway was all it took for their lives to be turned upside down in an instant. Grace never rounded the bend from her friend's house. She's just vanished...
Lucie has secrets. Huge secrets that she's kept from even those she holds most dear. But those could have nothing to do with Grace disappearing, could it? Blake is the one on his way up the political ladder,surely his career would be more likely to attract someone with a vendetta to snatch their daughter and cause them to suffer. As the story unfolds with it's many twists and turns, we find out that no secret can stay buried forever and some people just won't let go.
I really enjoyed this story. My only criticism would be that maybe all of the twists weren't necessary? Some felt rushed to resolve and tie up at the end. But overall it was a great book and I will definitely be reading more from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy to read and review.
Finding Grace is one hell of a book! Twists and turns everywhere while managing to be still believable with a strong plot...I mean what else can you ask for!? I was a little put off since I've read plenty of other books recently with a similar storyline but Finding Grace puts them all to shame.
Stop reading my review and read the book instead! 5/5
Where do I start with this story? I have been tied up in knots due to the storyline, what an amazing psychological thriller. We all have to have that discussion at some point about what age our children can walk down the road a little, to a friends house, without being accompanied. Imagine the first time you let your child do this and they go missing - this really is every parents nightmare.
A fantastic two sided story of now, with Grace missing and when Graces Mum was a university student years ago. What would you do to get your child back? Who can be trusted? Amazing story telling by the author, I totally devoured this book in one sitting. I highly recommend this book
This morning, my daughter sat right here, munching her breakfast, too excited to finish it. Now, she is missing. The day after her ninth birthday, Lucie and Blake Sullivan agree, for the very first time, to let their daughter, Grace, make the four-minute walk back home alone from a friend’s house just down the street.
Despite the best efforts of the police and local community, Grace seems to have vanished into thin air. With hope fading fast, Lucie knows she can rely on her husband to support her through such dark times. That is until the day she makes a shocking discovery, hidden in Blake’s desk, and suddenly she begins to doubt everything she knew about the man she married.
But Lucie harbours a terrible secret of her own. One that she has never shared with anyone, even Blake and as the search for Grace reaches fever pitch, Lucie receives a terrifying message. If she is ever to see Grace again, Lucie has no choice but to face the past she tried hard to bury forever. And she must do it alone.
K.L. Slater is one of my absolute favorite authors and this book just proves why! She knows how to write the perfect thriller, Finding Grace is another fast paced, heart racing thriller.
Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC of #FindingGrace
Pub Date: 14 Feb 2019