Loved this book!! I will totally read more from Joani Elliott, she rocked it with her debut! This was a funny, emotional, exciting page turner. I need to convince my library to order copies to shelf. I was invested from the first to the last page!

I felt like this book was just ok. Sarah seemed like a pretty immature character. I had a really hard time relating to her. It was a light and easy read, which is always a good thing every once in a while!

This a cute, light, fluffy read and was a great pick up for when I wasn't sure exactly what genre I wanted to read next. I adored the premise and the plot didn't disappoint at all. What a fun idea for a book! There were a variety of emotions going through my head while I read this book, and I ended it with a happy sigh.

Hilarious book, I just wish it went a little deeper. Ultimately it's a fun, light read that would help anyone out of a reading slump!

Thank you to Netgalley, Joani Elliott, and Post Hill Press for a copy of this E-arc in exchange for an honest review. This book was such a delight to read, I loved it. This storyline and characters drew me in almost immediately and kept me reading while I dealt with a variety of emotions. 4,5 Stars rounded up.

I'll admit it: I stayed up after everyone else went to bed just to finish this novel. The protagonist, Sara Grayson, is a part time college professor and (mostly failed) greeting card writer. After the death of her month, a famous novelist, she's informed that SHE has been chosen to write the final book of her mother's most popular series.

Already grieving her mom, now she's faced with an impossible deadline, a publisher that hope she fails (so they can choose the writer to finish the series), and a lack of confidence in herself as a writer.

Along the way, she has to deal with unearthed family secrets, her belief that she's unable to have a healthy romantic relationship, and more.

The Audacity of Sara Grayson is everything I look for in a good read: characters I root for and can empathize with, a storyline that moves at just the right pace, and

I just loved this book in so many ways - especially reading it from the space of being a writer. This is Joani Elliot's first book - and I'll be on the lookout for her future books.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity. All opinions are my own.

THIS BOOK!! This is definitely in my top 3 for 2021 reads. I absolutely adored it. I fell in love with every single character, and I didn’t want it to end. This book gave me all the warm, fuzzy feelings.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I started and stopped at about 10% - I was very busy and I wasn't compelled to pick this up, I thought the beginning/set up of Sara being asked to write the book - was kind of tedious. The rest of the book went more quickly for me, though Sara was not an audacious person, she was honestly kind of bland to me. She didn't know much about her mother, even though she was supposedly devastated by her death, she doesn't really seem to know much about anyone or communicate really well with anyone. I couldn't figure out why Nik would be drawn to her, and she didn't even know the relationship between her bf, her editor, and her boss. And she was not very smart in joining the writing group. By the end there was a bit of redemption arc, as she did get some insight/understanding into her parents and called her brother-in-law by first name only. After reading the book, which was overall easy and light and honestly what I needed for a plane ride. I felt let down that I didn't get to know what was in the box or what was up with Ellery's father. 3 stars for entertainment value.

The Audacity of Sara Grayson by Joani Elliott is an excellent book I really enjoyed. This book had more twists and turns, and an excellent mystery that kept me reading. I found this book to be a quick read, with a well developed plot and characters. I am looking forward to reading more books by this author. I'm always excited about new authors. If you love quirky and fun books, I highly recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Sara Grayson is a 32 year old teacher/ greeting card writer, divorced after 6 years of marriage,  and left depressed and floundering. Her mother,  bestselling author of the Ellery Dawson series, dies suddenly of pancreatic cancer,  leaving 30 million fans desperate for the last book in the series. Sara is totally shocked upon hearing that her mother expects her to write that book,  especially after her own novel was rejected before she could find a publisher. But after negativity from her mother's publishing group,  Sara is determined to make her mother proud. Facing impossible deadlines, Sara fights tooth and nail to prove herself to the publisher,  the millions of fans, and her mother's memory,  finding herself along the way.
Although parts of this book were a little drawn out and slow, I ultimately loved how Sara struggled with this seemingly impossible book. The family secrets she uncovers along the way made the book more interesting.
I received an advance reader copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

Not my cup of tea. Thank you to the author, NetGalley, Meryl Moss Media, and Post Hill Press for an e-ARC to review.

Looking for a book about an underdog? Then this is for you. Sara is comfortable in life, maybe a bit bored with routine, but she likes it enough. When her mom, a great novelist, dies, it's up to Sara to finish her mom's fifth novel.
Afraid and unsure of herself, will Sara find her voice?

I really wanted to like it, but having constant information about Sara`s writing and all the drama was feeling extremely unnecessary. The blurb made me go into it with high expectations and it felt like it was going to give me more than I got here.

Sara Grayson is a 32-year-old lecturer at a respected college, but she's a little lost. It hasn't been that long since her husband left, and she is still trying to figure out who she is and what she wants from her life.

Sara's mother is Cassandra Bond, arguably the world's most famous suspense novelist. The world is eagerly awaiting the final book in her best-selling Ellery Dawson series when Cassandra dies.

But the series must go on, and according to Cassandra's will, she wanted Sara to write the final book, despite the fact that she hasn't written anything in years... unless you count greeting cards.

In a bold move that surprises everyone (including herself), Sara takes on book five. She's working against a seemingly impossible deadline and a publisher who has no faith in her ability to complete this project, but Sara is committed to fulfilling her mother's dying wish.

What she doesn't anticipate is the journey this novel will take her on, the family secrets it may unearth, and the people she'll meet along the way.

I had a little trouble getting into this book initially - I think it was because so much time was spent making sure we knew that Sara had lost her sense of self and was bored/depressed with her life (even if she wouldn't admit it). But once she really started writing Book Five (and we met Nik!), things picked up, and by the time I hit the 60% mark, I was fully invested and couldn't put it down.

I am drawn to any book where the heroine spells their name like mine. 😂 After Sara's mom passes away, she is willed the task of writing the final book in her mother's iconic novel series. Sara starts out as timid and unsure, unconfident and a little downtrodden. As the book progress she finds her voice and her rhythm. I recommend this book if you like a little drama with a side of humor and a dash of romance!

This was a story about many things- but i liked the mother daughter aspects best. Its easy to read and somewhat light and very sweet.

Sara is in her early 30s and at a bit of a crossroads when her extremely famous writer mother dies. Her mother's most popular book series (it was about as mammoth as Harry Potter) has one book left to be written and Sara is nominated in the Will as the writer.
The book follows Sara as she tried to uncover this new part of herself as a writer, but also some family secrets as she tries to find out more about her mother.

This was a pretty easy read, even if somewhat unrealistic at times. A good holiday read!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Audacity of Sara Grayson is not that audacious. Bold, brash, nervy are not words to describe the title character. Unstable and neurotic? Not quite (no to the former, but yes to the latter). Sara Grayson is somewhat generic and stuck. Not even the passing of her mother really moves her forward in any significant way at first. But she is capable and it takes the support of new friends and old to guide her on her way. The family dynamics are mildly interesting, but where it truly shines is Sara's romantically complicated relationships, which are unfortunately lightly detailed. Sara Grayson is a mild character which makes for a pleasant enough read.

After being down or when things don't go exactly as we plan we tend to give up on ourselves. This book shows you that pushing beyond your comfort zone and trying new things can sometimes be exactly what you need, it also shows you that sometimes mama does know best.

Two and a half stars rounded up. This book was a slog with some really nice moments throughout. I never felt like I wanted to quit per se, but I kept thinking "Come on, come on, when is something going to happen?"

The premise is lovely and it's what drew me in. Sara is a writer of greeting cards and coupons. When her mother's dying wish is for her to write the last installment of her best selling book series, Sara is confused and doesn't believe she can do it.

This is a story about believing in yourself and about the power of having people around who believe in you too. It's about family drama and secrets and how that impacts future generations. All of that stuff was interesting but it was bogged down in a really slow timeline. The entire book takes place over just a few months but it feels like years. If it had been about 100 pages shorter, it would have picked up the pace and made it more compelling.

I liked Sara, and the other characters, but I never felt attached to or invested in them. I wanted to find out what happened with the book but not necessarily because I was rooting for Sara to succeed. My biggest complaint is the ending did not satisfy all my curiosities that had built up over the course of the story.

But with all this said, it's not a bad book, it just could be better. I still recommend it for readers who enjoy slow paced, character driven stories.