This is a frustrating book to read.

On the one hand, Jill Childs makes you feel everything that Jen feels when her daughter Gracie is in an accident in the car Jen’s ex-husband Richard’s girlfriend Ella was driving. You feel Jen’s terror, her relief, and her rage at Ella for her perceived carelessness, her hurt over Richard’s earlier abandonment.

On the other hand, Jill Childs makes you so frustrated with Jen when she cannot figure out that her romantic partner is not to be trusted. Jen isn’t stupid, but she sure acts dumb.

Jen narrates most of this book, but some chapters are in Ella’s head. We need those breaks from Jen, even though Ella is not easy to like, either. She’s the Other Woman, and the characterization of Richard–from both women’s perspectives–feels weak and insubstantial. You start to wonder why either one of them would be interested in him.

The big mystery turns out to be not that big of a mystery. If anything, it makes you sympathize all the more with Ella. Maybe it’s because Jen likes to sound superior to everyone else? Regardless, by the time Jill Childs gets to the reveal, you’re sort of over it.

One word to the editor of this book: for the love of Gutenberg, why did you allow the repetitive use of “judder”? That was almost enough to make me DNF. Do your job.

I would say that this is a good choice for a book club, if for no other reason than I’d love to hear other women’s perspectives about Jen. There are better choices out there, but if you’re looking for a book that’s fairly easy to read, this one works.

"Gracie's Secret" was rather different from the books I usually read, but the cover and description were intriguing, so I decided to give it a shot. I'm glad I did because I found it to be suspenseful and engaging overall, though I have to agree with the other reviewers who found Gracie's mom, Jen, to be a bit obsessive and annoying at times. I can understand Jen's desire to cling to her daughter after nearly losing her, but her vibe was a little too much for me at times.

Ella wasn't a particularly likeable or sympathetic character either, though I'm not sure if she was actually supposed to be. She was certainly caught in an unfortunate situation, but it seemed like that situation was mostly of her own making and she could have improved her circumstances (and those of the people around her) if she had just told the truth about her past. It doesn't quite seem fair that Ella didn't face more consequences in the end as a result of her lies, while Jen and Gracie suffered so much.

At any rate, I did enjoy this book and thought it was well-written. I would pick up another one of this author's books in the future.

*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly could barely make it through Gracie’s Secret because, for me, it was too depressing and just plain sad. I did not find myself wanting to continue until the end but did any way out of duty. Not a favorite at all.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

London - 2000

Jen gets a call from her estranged husband, Richard, telling her to hurry to the hospital. He has taken their daughter, Gracie, age 3, for the weekend. Richard’s partner, Ella, and Gracie have been hit head-on in a car accident. Ella is badly bruised, but Gracie is in a coma. The child had had to be resuscitated. The doctor hopes the bleeding in her brain will recede.

As Jen waits in the hospital, Matthew Aster, a doctor from pediatrics, stops to talk to her. He tries to encourage her about Gracie’s recovery and also encourages Jen to eat. He is even kind enough to purchase some food and drink for her.

Ella feels so bad worrying about Gracie and remembering the face of the young woman who slammed into the car. Her name was Vanessa and she died. Ella met Richard when Jen was pregnant with Gracie. She pulled Richard right into her web when she saw that he seemed unhappy.

Soon, Gracie comes out of the coma and is able to return home. Jen is still nervous about what they have been through and she can’t help but feel like she is being watched. After Gracie was born, Jen had a type of post-traumatic shock and was given medication for it. Gracie tells Jen some of the strange things that she saw such as angels. Jen is not a religious woman and has not introduced Gracie to religion. However, Gracie describes how after the car crash, she went to Heaven and saw an angel. When the angel asked her if she wanted to stay or go home, she asked to go home.

Back at home, Jen finds herself very protective of Gracie and resents it when Richard insists that he have Gracie more often. Matthew steps in and becomes a part of Jen’s life, sharing affection with her.

But some things aren’t right and Jen knows it not just from the things that Gracie tells her but from her own feelings.

This is a good story and I think readers will really enjoy it. I have tried to "dance around” the plot so I don’t give away any spoilers. There’s a lot more to this book than you know. I gave the book only 4 stars simply because I wish the author had written Jen a little less obsessive of Gracie.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

No Rating-DNF

What would you do if you got a phone call saying your three old child was in a car accident and is now in a coma? Right from the start, this story had me guessing. Was this a romance? A thriller? I did go into this blind and as I was reading I was caught off guard a little. This read more like a Christian suspense than anything else (however; I did not finish this so I am not sure if that changed).

I have to agree with others though. I just never could get into this story. It had so much potential, but it just feel flat. It was repetitive at times, and I wanted more. I feel the characters and the plot were all service level. There was never really much development around either. I kept reading as I was hoping something would happen to capture my attention, but I found myself trying to force myself through it. I did want to know what happens at the end, so I skimmed to find out. The ending did pick up more than the beginning and middle.

Overall, this one just did not connect with me. I ended up DNF and skipping to the end. I was sent a copy from the publisher.