Grace is a middle aged woman who finds herself adrift and without purpose. Estranged from her daughter and left by her husband, Grace needs to find a way back to the person she used to be.

On the day of her daughters sixteenth birthday, Grace leaves her car in traffic and sets off on foot to deliver a birthday cake and try to mend their relationship. Along the way, Grace encounters obstacle after obstacle, but she is not going to let anything stop her. The journey leads to a look back on her life, the choices she has made, and how she got to where she is now.

This is a lovey, heartwarming look at what it is to be a mother, wife and woman and the expectations we and others put on ourselves. You will cheer for Grace.

Oh my gosh I loved this book SO MUCH. It's a complicated story that moves back and forth through time as we follow Grace throughout one current very important day of her life. There are really a LOT of timelines to follow and I had no trouble doing so, but I recommend making sure you have time to get through this book, it's not one to put down and leave for a few days.

This is a book for any mother who has lived through the teenage daughter years. It's for any mother who had a difficult time *being* a mother. It's for mothers who had daughters who had more issues than, say, what you *thought* other mothers had to deal with. It's for mothers like me who are already well past those years but remember how absolutely insane you can feel just trying to keep your 16 year old baby alive. For some of us mothers, perhaps all of us, it's a time on the brink of insanity and then *poof* it's over and your daughter is a lovely young woman who made it through. But we know not all daughters make it through safe and alive and... SAFE, and so we are frantic and overwhelmed and helpless and also outraged just hoping to get our daughters through to the other side.

I was frustrated with Grace for a lot of this book, as it seemed like she let Lotte walk all over her and there were absolutely no consequences for anything, not one thing. But as the timelines go back and forth we learn there are likely reasons for Grace's inability to deal with the situations. There were unexpected heartbreaks that we learn of, that I cannot imagine, but that explain more what Grace is going through.

In the current single day that Grace moves through she descends from an irritated and frustrated woman in traffic down into straight madness as she makes her long journey to save her daughter, save herself as a mother, to save both their lives. I thought I was starting a quirky fun book but instead I moved through Grace's very serious journey and lived through my own past journey again. I found the book to be emotional and real, and I look forward to anything Fran Littlewood writes in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley for gifting me the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book, and Grace, are going to stay with me for a long while.

The plot, while filled with just enough everyday intrigue to keep the pages turning, for me was overshadowed by a main character I personally found annoying, perhaps because I am not a 45 year old mother. A little too much woe-is-me and hasn’t life been unfair (which to be fair it had been to her). Sped through this in a day though, just could’ve done with less of Grace’s whining

WELL. This one was a surprise! From the description, I walked in expecting an enjoyable women’s fiction type read with some humor - and at under 300 pages, I figured I’d breeze through, get a light palate cleanser with some laughs and some heart, and move on to the next.

Nope. This one is deep, and it’s powerful, and to tell you the truth it’s been a few days since I finished and I still haven’t stopped thinking about it!

You can tell from the first pages that this story is going to be a little bit wild and unbelievable, but rooted in something true - I think that’s a big part of its appeal. At its heart, it’s a mother fighting for her family back, for her daughter back, after some emotionally tumultuous years. By placing Grace in an over-dramatized, desperate, and somewhat hopeless physical journey filled with confrontations, you get a better glimpse into the frustration, anger, and sadness driving her mental and emotional journey.

I definitely recommend it, but I will warn that parts of this book are HEAVY. May want to check the trigger warnings - there’s some big and scary things going on in the lives of Grace and her family. But it’s a really moving storyline, even with characters that aren’t always particularly likeable - which I think is super hard to achieve! So glad I picked it up.

Thanks to Henry Holt Books, Fran Littlewood, and NetGalley for my copies! Amazing Grace Adams is out on Tuesday. 9/5.

I found switching back and forth among the many timelines in this book to be a big distraction, but the characters are so real that I kept reading to see where the story would take me. I have read books about mid-life crises that were hilarious, but Fran Littlewood gives us a version that is complex and with triggering situations that are a reality to many. Grace Adams seems to have to deal with more than her share. Thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with an ARC ebook to read and review.

I wanted to love this book so much. The description and buzz was speaking to my 45yr peri menopausal heart. But the jumping between time lines left me more confused. As I was looking for some talk about the journey of women I kind of felt that I had a hard time connecting with Grace.

Fran Littlewood has written the story of a woman whose life has gone to h#ll, and in doing so, will tug the heartstrings of mothers and women 'of a certain age' who will recognize bits of themselves in this wonderful character.

I loved this book, though I found it to be a tough read. My heart broke for Grace, and also for her husband, Ben, and daughter, Lotte, as she struggled to make it to Lotte's 16th birthday. The opening scene of the novel set the stage beautifully, as Grace, fed up with the traffic jam and on the verge of a breakdown herself, walks away from her car and sets out on foot to pick up the cake for her daughter's birthday. I just knew that she was a strong woman whose emotional string was stetched to its limit, but she was not giving up easily.

The format of the book, told in three timeframes, was a little difficult to follow, but gave the reader a thorough understanding of the cause of Grace's meltdown. I had a real sense of the depth of Ben and Grace's love for each other and for Lotte, and also how things became such a mess.

As a mother whose children are grown, this novel resonated strongly with me, and I recognized myself in some of Grace's interactions with her daughter. Though I have not lived through some of the same trials, I could empathize with her stress and volatility. 4.5 stars, rounded up.

Thank you to Netgalley, Henry Holt & Co. and Goodreads for the digital and physical ARCs of Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood. The opinions in this review are my own.

Grace Adams is a woman who realizes that she gave birth to a child and is now 45 and perimenopausal. She is unhappy and her child is giving her fits, One day she gets stuck in traffic and walks away from her car and starts walking .This book was so funny and I think all women can relate to this story. Grace just wants to be amazing again,

This is the story of a perimenopausal woman losing it. And unless you've been there, you're just not going to understand it. If you are a woman and haven't started the transition to menopause, Grace's life will seem terrifying. She had everything going for her, and then due to circumstances that will likely happen to all uterus-carrying adults and there's very little you can do to prevent it. She loses everything that matters to her, and that's so terrifying that people will reject the book. Understandable.

The title of this book isn't Amazing "Grace Adams", it's "Amazing Grace" Adams, and that tells you what it's about- one person's quest to find forgiveness for her sins. Is it funny? No, not really. Is it chaotic and messy? Yes, because that's what it feels like. Does Grace constantly complain about how hot she is? Yes, and because when you hit perimenopause you lose control of your body and mind, and the simple things like being warm become all-encompassing, and that's what Littlewood wants you to feel. It's not pretty, or comfortable, to read and experience. And maybe it will help others understand just a little of what it's like to go through The Change, and maybe, just maybe, you'll give us a little Grace.

Debut novel about a woman who is desperately trying to get a birthday cake to her daughter’s 16th birthday party in time despite so many roadblocks and situations that delay and prevent her from getting to the party on time. While I appreciated the writing technique of multiple timelines and how the “now”
Is one day bit by bit, this one didn’t land with me. I think the author took on too many directions and didn’t create characters that I really cared about - which is necessary when characters are struggling. There was a lot going on - too much - so much so that I didn’t feel much about any of it. There’s lots of fun writing which I always appreciate. Thanks to Henry Holt and Co for the copy.

This is a book I will remember for a long time. Grace Adams is every woman. Her story resonated with me at a deep soul level. I think everyone should read this book.

Faced with a failing marriage, an angry out of control teenage daughter, and a floundering career, Grace Adams’ life is in a free fall. On the hottest day of the year, Grace sets out to make amends with her daughter by bringing a perfect birthday cake to the 16th birthday party she wasn’t invited to, and ultimately completely loses her shit.

Alternatingly funny, moving, and heartbreaking, the story is told across multiple timelines, each one revealing a bit more about what led Grace Adams to the break she’s currently experiencing.

Though the structure was a bit confusing for me, I struggled a bit to keep track of which timeline we were in, I think it made sense given the disjointed state of Grace’s mind on the pivotal day she finally unravels. So much has happened to her, and all of it right there, top of mind, breaking her open.

Midlife is a tough time, the most unhappy time in a woman’s life as quoted by The Guardian, and those of us in this stage will likely identify with the feelings of being invisible, lost, and irrelevant, along with the unnerving physical symptoms of perimenopause: heat flashes, exhaustion, brain fog.

Amazing Grace Adams is an amazing story about love, grief, and hope. You’ll find yourself rooting for Grace and her family until the very last page.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and Fran Littlewood for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Three timelines here.

Billed as the next Where'd You Bernadette? and I just didn't see it. The humor never resonated for me and I just felt frustrated constantly with how far-fetched this was. I struggled so much with Grace on top of the world to Grace abandoning her car in traffic. This reminded me a lot of In Her Shoes by JoJo Moyes so if you liked that one this may be a great book for you to take a peak at.

It might be a sign of my age (ahem) that I am drawn to the stories of middle aged women and the challenges we deal with as we age. I found the premise of this book really exciting - middle aged woman snaps and ditches her car in a traffic back up to make it to her daughter’s birthday party.

I always enjoy reading about the complexities of life- they impact us all and I think too often we don’t consider what other people are going through. If you are ready for a roller coaster of emotions this is a book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I tried really with this one. I made it to 42% before admitting defeat. Everyone keeps calling this book funny, but I found zero humor in it. It was endlessly depressing. And as a 48-year-old woman who lives in southern Kentucky, I understand hot flashes in the heat of summer, but the constant repetition of how hot she was and how hot it was outside was wearying. At first, I wanted to find out why her life had spiraled out of control, but the more the story drug on, the less I cared. This book simply wasn't for me. Thank you to Netgalley and Henry Holt and Company for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was OK - it wasn't my favorite because it was giving me FInlay Donovan vibes with the slapsticky type of antics, and I struggle with those.

I think this book will resonate with many readers and despite my age and the description it just didn't strike a chord for me. However, the Amazing Grace Adams definitely told the tale of a woman with the determination to start over and overcome. I think that will attract many readers.

Have you seen the 1993 Michael Douglas movie, Falling Down? As I read through Grace’s trials and tribulations, I kept thinking about that film, only to find out in the author’s notes that yes, in fact, this book was inspired by the movie. So be prepared for a wild ride.

Told in triple timelines, we follow Grace, a 45-year-old linguist whose teenage daughter’s birthday is that day. The daughter is living with her dad, and even though she hasn’t been invited, Grace is determined to deliver a 16th birthday cake to her daughter, Lotte. Something went down with the teen in the recent past, but you have to read the book and flashbacks in order to find out what happened. That’s the second timeline, occurring four months prior. The third timeline is the beginning of Grace’s adult life, when she wins an award and hooks up with a guy named Ben and then subsequently finds herself pregnant. We follow their relationship over the course of the past 17 years.

As a woman of a certain age, I found myself relating to Grace in a lot of ways. Can you say mid-life crisis? There’s teenage drama, a marriage that’s disintegrating, perimenopause, you name it, it’s being thrown at Grace. And she has. had. enough. I do love the fact that while the world around her is falling down around her, Grace, while seemingly suffering a mental health crisis, loses nothing of her forthrightness, feistiness, or humor. There are so many layers to Grace, and slowly, throughout the course of the story, we find them revealed.

For a debut author, I thought Fran Littlewood created a great novel. I’ve not read any of the books it is being compared to, but it certainly held my interest. My only complaint was that there was enough drama in the book to sustain it until it’s end, and then she threw in something else which was wholly unnecessary to drive the story along. It felt like a little bit like the kitchen sink being added. Grace had enough on her plate without adding to it; women can go a little crazy without extreme drama piled on with more drama.

My favorite timeline was the four months prior one, only because I have four teenagers (three girls!) and could predict the drama that surrounded Grace and Ben’s daughter, Lotte. And I did enjoy meeting the feisty Grace prior to having a baby and comparing her to the modern-day, middle-aged woman she became.

If you’re looking for some good women’s fiction and are of a certain age, I highly recommend this book. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Henry Holt in exchange for an honest review; all opinions expressed are my own.

The blurb for Amazing Grace Adams lets us know that the novel "tells the story of a life, a marriage, a family, set against a single north-London day. A rollercoaster ride of redemption and discovery, it's a powerful celebration of womanhood." But the book tells another darker story of loss and longing and it is this piece that makes this book both deeply moving and unsettling. I wanted to like Grace more than I did for most of the book - her life experiences as a middle aged women who no longer recognizes herself in the mirror are certainly relatable but her slightly slapsticky actions are not. And yet, when Littlewood unspools the devastating core of this novel (and not the subplot, which is devastating on its own too), I better understood Grace Adams for her approach to this challenging period of motherhood, career, and womanhood. Kudos to Littlewood for crafting a compulsively readable complex novel about a woman barely hanging on. Thank you to Henry Holt & Company and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was, unfortunately, a bit of a disappointment to me. Maybe it was just me, but it was not funny or touching or heartwarming, as the description promised, but rather a bit crude, depressing, and painful to read.

The premise was interesting - a book about motherhood and finding yourself... not as a parent of a young child but rather a teenager, later in life (but not too late in life). From the beginning, it is clear that Grace is a determined woman, independent and strong. Yet she has been hurt and is seeking to heal now. Overall, this book had potential but fell short for me. I thought that all the bad things that happened to Grace over the course of one awful day (when she is trying to win back her daughter's affection) detracted from the message of the book - that she is worth it, that life is something she can overcome, that she shouldn't be counted out yet. The bad stuff overshadowed the heartfelt elements/lessons learned by Grace.

I also found the timelines confusing. There were varying timelines in this book - both pre and post divorce, but also multiple years ago and several months ago. I felt the timeline piece made this book a bit confusing to keep track of what happened when. Perhaps others will love this book and I'm just in the minority.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the eARC. All opinions are my own.