"Audacity. Four fabulous syllables."

Sara's mom, brilliant novelist Cassandra Bond, has recently passed away after a bout with cancer and leaves Sara with an audacious request - for Sara to write the fifth book in her highly acclaimed Ellery Dawson series. Sara is currently a struggling teacher at a university and is trying her luck at writing for a greeting card company. So for her mom to choose her to write this long awaited novel feels like a joke. Or at the least, an audacious request.

I absolutely adored this book. I can't believe it's a debut novel! Each chapter begins with a quote from a writer and I love that. The story of Sara, learning to push herself and grow, often against her own desire to do so, is not only life-changing for her, but for the other characters in her life. Sweet but realistic relationships were woven throughout her story, as an affirmation that we are best when we are in community with other people.

A heart warming story you will love to read.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book, in return for my honest review.

Sara Grayson's mother is the bestselling writer of a much-loved series of books. When her mother dies, she discovers it is stipulated in her will that Sara needs to write the next book in the series- something that millions of people are waiting for. I thought this was a really interesting idea but just didn't connect with the characters at all. It was a quick read otherwise I might have given up around halfway through but it just wasn't for me at all.

4.5 Stars.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! While Sara's mother is a famous author, Sara herself has a complicated and disappointing relationship with writing. Shortly after her mother's death, Sara finds that her mother has specifically requested that she author the final book of her mother's much acclaimed series.

This book is the story of Sara's journey of self discovery and growth, but it's also the story of family and love and uncovering secrets. It's about learning to take risks and living audaciously. As a bonus— It's filled with insight on (and quotes about) the writing process. The chapters were short and the storyline was intriguing. I only wish there had been an epilogue, as there was one final question that was unanswered.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion, which I'm always happy to give. My thanks to author Joani Elliott, publisher Post Hill Press, and #NetGalley for the opportunity. #TheAudacityOfSaraGrayson

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.
5 Stars! I highly recommend this book.
The Audacity of Sara Grayson is by far one of the best books I have ever read.
Definately a feel good book that stays with you after you've finished the book. A great book for when you've had enough of life and need to read something uplifting, inspirational, light and fun. This story has humor, drama, mystery and jaw dropping moments.

I thought the premise of this book was really interesting. A famous author dies and leaves her daughter (Sara) in charge of finishing the much anticipated final novel in her series. If this happened to me...I don't know what I would do. That kind of pressure is too much for me! I love that Sara's mom anticipated that Sara would need something to help her cope with her grief. She knew exactly what she would need to grow into a better person.

This book goes to a few different locations. It brought back my desire to go to Maine. Sara's little cottage that she retreats to sounds lovely. For the majority of my read I was leaning toward a 3-3.5 rating, but the end pushed it up for me! The book comes full circle in a way that both made me cry and made my heart swell.

Thank you to Joani Elliott, Post Hill Press, and NetGalley for the ARC which did not influence my review.

The Audacity of Sara Grayson is a well developed book with that draws you in from the start. Sara Grayson is a 32 year old greeting card writer. She has been married to someone that seems to control their activities until one day he decides that he is going to leave and have a personal journey that is similar to Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love. To further impact her life, her world famous author Mother dies. Three weeks after her Mother's death, she finds out that her mother has left instructions that she finish the 5th book in her series. Sara had written a novel years ago but was so upset at the criticism of her book by her mothers editor that she felt that she was not a good writer. She decides that she is not good enough to finish her mothers series and tells the Editor this at the meeting to discuss it. The Editor immediately made it know that she thought Sara wasn't capable and immediately talked of getting someone else. This made Sara change her mind and insist that she was going to write the book. The Editor appears to be trying to make Sara fail by switching her contact person to someone that knows nothing of that genre of books.

Sara contacts her months boyfriend, Phil, who had one time been her mother editor. He helps Sara make progress with the book. He feels that she definitely has talent but needs direction. At the time she is trying to write the book, she discovers some family secrets that she becomes obsessed with finding the answers to. Phil tells her that he is unable to give her the answers to the secrets and he pushes her to keep writing to meet the close deadline for the book. She decides to go to Maine to write the book as that is where her mother did her writing, Phil offers his cottage for her to stay in while in Maine. Sara learns more about her mother in this town that her mother loved. This book really makes you feel the attraction to Maine and its beauty. Throughout Sara's journey journey of writing and discovering herself, she finds answers to the secrets and to what she wants in life. I highly recommend this book..

I was originally tempted by the blurb of this book - it looked light but interesting. And in fact, that's exactly what this was. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the story. Sara is a flawed heroine, but feels surprisingly human, as does her grief.

My only critiques really are that the story lags a bit in the middle, and the supporting cast of characters could do with a little bit more fleshing out. Also the tea. Too much about the tea...

That being said, I really enjoyed my week of reading this story and it's certainly something I could imagine as a tv mini-series in time.

I just finished this book, and I find myself smiling at this touching story of a woman discovering the potential within herself to be a writer. It's an idea that's very close to my heart, one with which I resonated as I read Joani Elliott's pages.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Post Hill Press for allowing me to read the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Honestly, this is a 5-star concept, as I absolutely loved the premise, but there were a few things that only made it a 3.5-star read for me. While there's a certain kind of ironic beauty in that I felt the author really hit her stride about halfway through the book, it didn't take away from the fact that it took me about that long to really "get there." As an editor myself, I try not to let myself get too caught up in others' stylistic choices, but I found myself distracted by the choppiness of the sentence stucture more often than not. It often felt that I was being told the story more than shown the story, and it wasn't until the second half of the book that I felt truly immersed in the narrative.

That said, there was so much I loved! The multimedia components were great and so relevant, and I really enjoyed the dialogue—so much so that I think it actually carried the book and kept me reading. Sara Grayson's witty self-deprecation is hilarious and relatable, and I loved Phil Dvornik's dry crankiness; he's how I imagine Simon Cowell and Benjamin Dreyer's love child.

Overall, the book gave me major Emily Belden vibes (which I love!), and I loved how everything wrapped up nicely at the end. There were a few things I wanted to know more about, like *spoiler* what was in the box (though I've a pretty good guess!), and I would have liked to see a little more self-awareness on Sara Grayson's part regarding the way she's missed so much of her mother's and sister's lives.

I would definitely read more from this author!

What if you were responsible for writing the conclusion to a best-selling series which were authored by your mother? That seems to be Sara Grayson’s new dilemma!

After losing her mother to cancer, Sara finds out that her mother has written in her will for Sara to complete the most anticipated conclusion to her best-selling series. Sara is a writing professor but has only written one manuscript which was rejected many years ago and is baffled by why her mother would do such a thing. As Sara embarks on her new project, she is under the strict orders of her mother’s previous editor, Phil, who she greatly dislikes. To complicate matters, she has some pesky journalists investigating a lawsuit her mother quietly settled years ago which uncovers some family secrets. With the support of her sister, Phil, the hilarious office assistant Binti, and an unexpected friend she meets in Maine, Sara begins to not only believe in herself but also convince others to believe in her.

I enjoyed this novel as Sara learned to trust herself and developed a relationship with Phil who she thought she hated. The side story of the lawsuit added some mystery to this novel which kept me turning the pages to find out how it all panned out. Although the ending is predictable, there were enough twists in the story to keep me interested.

Thank you to @netgalley for providing me with this Advanced Readers Copy.

You can also find this review posted on Instagram @maria.needs.to.read and on Goodreads

What a heartwarming read! Sara Greyson is one of the most relatable characters I've ever read, her journey in this book was so genuine and touching. How would you feel if your mother was a best selling author and book 4 in her series sold millions of copies and she names you as the writer that must write the finale in the series? Sara's struggles, grief, disbelief, and anger are so understandable in the first half of this book. As she comes to accept and continue on her writing journey after a lot of doubt from the publisher, she finds herself and comes to terms with a lot in her life and it was very inspiring. I was so invested in the story from the beginning and didn't want to put it down.

I'm not a writer but reading this perspective really made me appreciate authors even more than I do now. Every once in a while you read a book that sticks with you and has a permanent positive influence in your life. As a reader this will make me take a step back when reading, even if its a book I may not be enjoying, and appreciate the work that goes into the books we read, love, hate, love to hate and everything in between. I definitely recommend picking this one up!

The Audacity of Sara Grayson by Joani Elliott. #thirtyfourthbookof2021 #arc

CW: parent death, discussion of child death, discussion of former alcoholism

This story introduces us to Sara, whose author mother dies at the beginning of the book, and who is bequeathed the responsibility of finishing the last book in her mother’s book series.

I think this book was charming, and I enjoyed it. But I can’t help but feel that it made writing a book seem easy. And I know it’s not. It glossed over the actual writing part, summarized it too much, and I wished I could have seen more into Sara’s thought process in getting her story on the page.

One small thing—the author switched between two names for a minor character, and it took me a bit to figure out it was the same person. This switching happens more in the beginning of the book but does taper off as it goes.

I did like this book overall. There is light romance, travel to England, a dog named Gatsby—how can you beat that name? This is a nice, light read, and I enjoyed it.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Post Hill Press for the advance copy. (Pub date 5/25/21)

The Audacity of Sara Grayson is a great debut novel. Cassandra Bond is a best selling author, after her passing she instructs her daughter, Sara to finish the last book in Bond's popular book series. Sara reluctantly accepts, unsure of her own ability and with no guidance on where to start. She soon learns not all is what it seems with her family and that she is more accomplished than she knows.
I really liked Sara as a character, although I was a bit irked with her at the beginning with her defeatist attitude, just when it was on verge of being annoying she began her growth and I was all there for it. The story was fun but emotional, a bit of a mystery added in and a little romance. Overall a great story. A perfect beach read.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an advanced readers copy.

Great novel dealing with many themes! Grief, romance, and family. I enjoyed seeing Sara deal with all of those emotions through the book and seeing how it all wrapped up at the end. A really fun read.

Sarah Grayson is feeling stuck. Her marriage has ended, her career is flatlining...and her Mom is only becoming more and more famous by the minute. Sarah's mom shot into the spotlight after writing a book series (turned movie franchise) that captivated readers everywhere. There is one book left in the series to write when Sarah's mom passes away, leaving the book (and the entire series) unfinished. Suddenly, it's up to Sarah to pick up where her mom left off.
•
This book has a little bit of everything. Grief and loss? Check. Romance? Check. Mystery? Check. A badass female protagonist ready to take on all of the bay sayers? Check, check and check! Joani Elliot takes a very "audacious" approach to her first novel and I think a lot of readers will really love this one.
•
Unfortunately for me, there was just too much to keep track of. I loved the idea of the story line and definitely found myself rooting for Sarah but there was so much going on at one time it was hard to keep track of. And, I felt like there was so much that could have been left out in order to focus on the really good.
•

There is a certain romanticisation about writing that dwells steadfastly in the hearts of anyone who hasn’t actually written.

Truth be told, it probably resides in the souls of those who do write; however, there it is quickly ripped asunder and stomped upon and filled full of self-recrimination as rose-coloured ideas of the creative process give way to the hard slog of simply getting it done.

This, of course, makes writing seem the most dire of pursuits, and yes, often times it is, but then like many creative pursuits, there are those transcendent moments when all the pieces come together, when what you long for and imagine and what you accomplish actually sync and all that angst and struggle seems euphorically, or even quietly happily, worthwhile.

Joani Elliott’s novel The Audacity of Sara Grayson perfectly and insightfully captures both the glorious highs and desperate lows of writing a novel in ways that will have any writer nodding their head in complete recognition.

Even better than this though, she sets this wonderful and emotionally muscular of books against the sometimes harsh realities of life which rarely plays along in creating the perfect conditions in which to write that great novel that has been coursing through the marrow for years, even before you were aware of its existence, and which is begging to be let out to see the light of critical day.

In an idealised world, writers have faithful spouses plying them with tea and biscuits (or wine and cake – your choice) while they sit happily ensconced in their book-lined eyrie up in the rafters of the house, one which looks out on a bucolic scene which aptly matches the serene life within.

But that is fantasy, and this is reality, and in The Audacity of Sara Grayson the titular protagonist comes hard up against the salient truth of being creative which is that it rarely takes place in a world ideally suited to the task.

In 32-year-old Sara’s world, the cold reality is that her beloved bestselling writer mother has just died from cancer, her husband has divorced her and the closest she is getting to writing anything are cheesy greeting cards and coupon blurbs.

Not exactly the stuff of Nobel Prize writing dreams now is it?

Even worse than this, in her final will and testament, Cassandra Bond, her bright, effusive, wise and caring mother, beloved by millions of devoted readers, has given Sara one last great task to complete on her behalf – writing the MUCH longed-for book number five in her mega-selling series, Ellery Dawson, a final entry that is supposed to wrap everything up and makes fans sigh with the sheer perfection of neatly finished-off storytelling.

Sara’s first response, and this rings so true, is to say “thank you but no thank you”, convinced as she is that she hasn’t got what it takes to fulfill her mother’s dying wish.

To be honest, neither do a lot of people with the exception of her older sister and her best friend at the college where she teaches creative writing Binti (and the initially grudging editorial assistance of an old flame of her mother’s), and yet in the face of own massive self doubt and active efforts by the president of the publishing company to sabotage her efforts, she decides to honour what her mother wanted, unleashing life change on a grand scale that is never easily wrought but ultimately deeply satisfying.

For all the wish fulfillment contained within its highly readable pages, The Audacity of Sara Grayson is a resolutely grounded and unstintingly honest book.

Whether it’s addressing the end of a relationship, sisterly bonds, the death of a parent or the uncovering of long suppressed family secrets, which form one of the core narrative threads and which come close to derailing the publication of the fifth book and entire Sara’s mum’s entire legacy, The Audacity of Sara Grayson is beautifully, affectingly honest.

This adds a real depth to the novel which has its fair share of happier than you might think possible moments but which also acknowledges that these moments are hard won from life’s more difficult and challenging times which are far more numerous than anyone likes to admit.

Certainly Sara, who is as self-assured, confident and talented as anyone could hope to be, has to struggle against a debilitating lack of confidence that comes from the end of her six-year marriage, her fading writing dreams and a saddening sense that all the whispered words of encouragement from her mother that she would do great things as a writer seem to have come to nothing.

Sara is a million miles from being any kind of trainwreck but she is a real, flawed and uncertain at times person, and it’s this innate relatability that makes her such an appealing protagonist because what she faces feels intimately real, and thus what she achieves feel less fairytale than actually, deliciously possible.

That’s important of course because what good are dreams, even those populating a charmingly wonderful novel, if they don’t feel like they have a chance of coming gloriously true?

Elliott’s great gift as a writer is that she balances beautifully what it means to dream and yet know that a long, hard and challenging road lies ahead of you.

Imbuing The Audacity of Sara Grayson with this sensibility means that all its wish fulfillment moments seem entirely possible, a remarkable achievement given how often books in the self-realisation genre often feel like they possess endings so wildly out of reach that they are good for escapist entertainment but not much more. (Having said that, escapism without real life outcomes is often what we need and is a vibrantly good thing in and of itself.)

The Audacity of Sara Grayson however sits happily in the realms of both “this is gloriously diversionary in the most fanciful of ways” and “you know, with some work, this might just happen” and that makes it one of the best books of its genre to come along in some time.

Possessed of the heart of a starry-eyed dreamer but also mindfully aware of the cold, cruel harshness of life which takes away far more than it ever seems to give at times, The Audacity of Sara Grayson is a delightful novel, one that allows us to make our peace with the brutal and sad realities of being alive while offering giddily, lushly-written hope that just around the corner lies something good and wonderful if we can just hang in there to find it.

Thanks net galley for an advanced copy of this book. An enjoyable read which highlights a journey of self discovery through the highs and lows and how circumstances, people and places can have a dramatic effect on ones life and the difference between failure and success in both ones personal and working life

I loved, loved, loved this book its fun, quirky and show how the world of writing is pure agony. The cover is what made me want to read this novel its so fun and funny and boy it didn't disappoint. The bases of the story is Sara the daughters of a best selling author, finds out she is willed to finish the fifth and final novel, of a very successful detective series, after her mother death. Not having ever sold a book before and believing she is a complete failure at writing, she goes through the process of writing the novel and from there the story is nothing short of a great ride through the perils of creating a novel. Through the process of writing the novel she finds herself, she finds love and she learns how to go for the gusto and create from the heart which is what all good writers do.
If you are looking for a great inspiring and wonderful story this is it and you will sigh at the end.
Did I say I loved this story. I also love the quotations from other authors about how they feel about the work of being a writer. There quite thoughtful.

I want to thank Meryl Moss Media, Post Hill Press and NetGalley for this fabulous book.

This is a story about writing, and I loved all the quotes about writing at the start of each chapter. It is also a book about family, and love, and personal growth. Sara is tasked with writing a book in her late mother's famous series. The process is challenging and does not go smoothly, as would be expected. There is an interesting backstory about her parents' early careers, romantic ties, and a series of characters that are interconnected in real-world ways making for a richer storyline. I enjoyed the character growth and cared about what happened to everyone. I liked Nik's poetry that he shares with Sara as part of the storyline. Overall, a light read with depth and warmth.


'There were times to avoid your triggers and times to chew them up slowly and deliberately..'

'It was a smashing tribute to someone who didn't actually exist.'

'Sara had never seen Phil in socks. Maybe he would have been less intimidating all these years if she'd seen him in socks. Even Mussolini was probably less menacing in socks.'

'Years of aggressive frowning had carved deep ridges between Phil's brows,...'

'It tasted like not being alone.'

Thank you to Post Hill Press and NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a charming love letter to writing and writers.

Sara Grayson's mother dies before writing the final book of her hit series. In her will, she specifies that Sara is to be the author of the highly anticipated book. The problem - Sara has never published, and she's only written one manuscript, which never made it to fruition. The book follows Sara's journey from reluctant appointee to rediscovering her love of writing and creating.

Sweet, emotional, earned, I enjoyed it. 3.5. Why didn't I round up to 4? A few reasons. The "mystery" of Sara's family was largely unnecessary and the pacing related to it and any romance-related subplot was uneven and odd at times. Actually, I could have done without the romantic subplot at all. The protagonist goes through the struggle of SO MANY rewrites (loved the peek into the writing and editing process), while ironically, with a little more revision, I could easily see this as a five-star read.

As an aside, I particularly loved the quotes from writers on writing at the beginning of the process. I'm not usually a fan of quotes at the beginning of chapters, but these ones were curated perfectly and I found myself highlighting basically every one.

The Audacity of Sara Grayson by Joani Elliott
Pub Date: May 25 2021
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sara Grayson's mom, a very popular and well known author, dies unexpectedly and leaves sara to finish the conclusion of her best selling book series. Although it was always her dream, sara never published her own book. But as she is thrown into the world of writing, she not only "finds the words", she finds herself.

This book was filled with sadness, laughter, love, loss and a little bit of mystery. I found myself anticipating each word.

I loved this book and feel so lucky I was able to read it.
Thank you netgalley for gifting me an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.