Many thanks to NetGalley, Henry Holt & Company, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the debut novel by Fran Littlewood and wonderfully narrated by Claire Skinner - 4 stars!

Grace Adams gave birth, blinked, and now suddenly she is forty-five, perimenopausal and invisible. Today of all days, when her estranged daughter, Lotte, is turning 16 and she is desperate to make things better between them, everything is going wrong. Grace is so worried about Lotte's recent behavior and is at a loss to make things better. Because things used to be so good. Ben and Grace, both polygots, seemed perfect together and Lotte made them a family. Grace just needs to prove to them and herself that they can work.

Told between three different timelines, we see Grace then and now. While I found myself sometimes yelling at Grace's behavior, I also felt her pain. Life interferes for all of us and it all becomes too much sometimes. I really enjoyed the language factor in this book - how Grace was so easily able to express herself in so many languages, until her words failed her when she needed them the most. It's a story of growing older and missing our younger selves and lives, while hoping to change the future for the better. Grace was a funny, fierce, emotional character and I enjoyed this debut novel fully!

4.5 stars. Grace Adams is awesome. But it seems a few people closest to her have forgotten this fact. And as Grace struggles w/ all kinds of failures, grief, separation, teenage angst, she just seems to snap. And the day she snaps happens to be her daughter’s 16th birthday.
Full of humor and with a fantastic character we can all relate to, this book shows how we can lose ourselves and find ourselves all over agin.

* Special thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Company for this e-arc.*

This book is told in multiple timelines, which at times, was difficult to follow.

In 2002, Grace Adams was amazing in the sense that she speaks five languages and was awarded the polyglot of the year award at the annual convention. She also meets her future husband Ben and they connect instantly.

Flash forward to the current timeline, Grace's husband Ben serves her divorce papers, and her daughter Lotte and Grace are estranged.

So, basically, in a twenty year time period, Grace went from AMAZING to hitting rock bottom now jobless and divorced..

What I did like about this story is Grace's determination and perseverance, to prove to Lotte that she loves her unconditionally and that they are still a family. Unfortunately, with all of the flashback and timelines, the main focus of the story seemed to go on the backburner. It was simply a mother trying to understand her teenage daughter, which is something I feel EVERY mother has experienced.

Well, not exactly what I had expected after the publisher's description. I had a difficult time getting into the story of Grace Adams and certainly didn't find her amazing. I appreciated the opportunity to read it and based on other reviews I'm sure others enjoyed the book much more than I did.

I have nothing positive to say about this book. Horrible writing coupled with non-existent character development make this a hard no for me.

The description of this book does it a disservice. This book is deeper and sadder than Elinor Oliphant and similar books. The quaintness of those books doesn't really exist in this book. Grace Adams' life is a mess and her 16-year-old daughter's life might be a bigger mess. This book outlines the day she loses it while telling the complete story through flashbacks. I am sure I would have liked it a bit better if I had been prepared to read something that is fairly depressing.

PUB DATE: 9/5/23
PAGES: 272
RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐✨
GENRE: Drama/Literary Fiction

A BIG “Thank You” to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Co. for gifting me this advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review!

SYNOPSIS: This book is told through 3 different timelines, the early 2000s, Present, and 2-4 months prior to Present (very easy to follow). When Grace is in her early 20s, she’s on top of her A-game! She’s a translator and she’s fierce in everything she sets her mind to. She enters a Polyglot competition, an excelled contest for those that speak fluent, multiple languages (she speaks 5). She’s determined to win! At the competition she meets the ever-so-handsome and equally talented Alex. That one meet & greet with him changes the rest of her life. Fast forward to present day, Grace is at odds with her sixteen yr. old daughter, and everything is going wrong that day. Having had enough, while sitting in unmoving traffic on the freeway, Grace gets out of her car and simply…walks away.

REVIEW: I enjoyed this debut novel so much! I went in blind and thought it might be a comedy/romance, and in some places, it is, but this story primarily deals with the struggles of a middle-aged woman who used to be such a Superwoman, but she’s lost her A-game and her finesse. It explores the exceedingly difficult things Grace has experienced since marrying and having a child. She’s going through perimenopause, and everything just seems to be going downhill. This story was so original! There aren’t many books about FMC in their 40s, and I really appreciated it. We see so many books around girls in their 20s and older FMCs. It was very realistic to me, and it reminds that life can & does throw you curveballs, but the outcome can be all in how you set your mind to something. I hope to read more by this author!

Happy Reading!

This story is not told chronologically; rather, the chapters bounce back and forth in time. It's the story of Grace Adams, linguist extraordinaire, who meets Ben, the love of her life, at a linguistic competition. Years later, Grace's life is unraveling. Ben has moved out, she's lost her job, her teenager is on the warpath, and Grace is trying to survive menopause. But basically, the story is about grief, and the ways in which it can destroy us. I loved the ending.

This book was so bizarre. Not 100% sure how to rate it either. On the one hand, I hated Grace and her daughter drove me nuts. I was very confused through half the book. But, I couldn't put it down. I was so curious to figure out what was happening at why Grace and her daughter were so unlikeable. The ending, although sad, did answer many of my questions and explain what was going on in half the book. It was written in varying timelines from Grace's perspective - present day, the years ago, and 2-6 months ago. This part of the book was well done and I was never confused as to which timeline I was reading. Overall, a book that kind of reflected the main character's life... chaotic but hard to turn away from.

Grace Adams can't believe that she is 45, perimenopausal and her life is in shambles. After leaving her car in a traffic jam, she sets across London with a birthday cake to win back her teenage daughter on her 16th birthday. Can she prove that she is amazing to her daughter, (ex) husband and mostly herself.

PUB DAY: September 5, 2023

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

Grace Adams is having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Her husband has left her. Her beloved daughter, Lotte, has chosen to live with her father and won’t speak to her. She has lost both of her jobs. Today is Lotte’s 16th birthday, and Grace has one goal: to make it to Lotte’s birthday party and deliver the Love Island cake she specially ordered for her in the hopes of healing the rift between them. Stuck in traffic in London, Grace is late to pick up the cake. When she suddenly can’t take it any longer, she gets out of her car and walks to the bakery. As she makes her way across London, with some unusual and interesting encounters, Grace flashes back to the pivotal times in her life that have led her to this very moment. Her story is gradually revealed, beginning with the early days of her relationship with her husband, Ben, and leading up to the falling out with Lotte. How did the once amazing Grace Adams get to this point?

Compared to the likes of Eleanor, Rosie, Ove, and Bernadette, I was expecting a lighthearted comedy, but what I got was a gripping, emotional story about joy, love, grief, and hope. Yes, there were some very funny moments, but this novel was incredibly moving and, at times, heartbreaking. I found myself laughing out loud and also wiping away tears. This was an unforgettable read that had me captivated until the very end. Just a beautiful debut novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I tried listening to this as an audiobook, but the novel moves back and forth in time and confused me. I switched to reading the book and that was better. The main character, Grace, has almost everything in her adult life going wrong. I felt quite a bit of angst just reading what this character was going through. Her stress reactions reach crazy levels as the reader follows her during one awful day. The ending left me feeling how strong Grace was and sure that nothing would really break her spirit.

Grace has had enough. So when she’s stuck in a traffic jam, at the prime perimenopausal age of 45, she exits her car and walks away. Because it’s her estranged daughter’s 16th birthday, you see, and she’s bought Lottie a cake, and come hell or high water, Lottie is getting her cake.

Grace's memories flash as she walks to her daughter. And slowly we begin to understand not only what she’s suffered, but that there’s a reason why Grace Adams is amazing.

Never did I see coming the emotion that permeates Fran Littlewood’s debut novel. I went into "Amazing Grace Adams" expecting an almost absurdist, satirical portrayal of a middle-aged woman on the verge of snapping, and though I did find some of that, I was also rewarded with a thoughtful and sensitive story of a mother fighting to regain her family and her life.

As revelations about Grace’s past came to the forefront, my heart ached. I felt such empathy for her, and I knew that if I were Grace, I’d too be pushing back at the world. I’d be screaming my frustration to the universe, all while swinging my golf club at whatever tried to keep me from my child.

A relatable and empowering read, "Amazing Grace Adams" is a standout 2023 debut.


My sincerest appreciation to Fran Littlewood, Henry Holt and Co., and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions included herein are my own.

This novel was trying too hard to be cool and relevant. I didn't like Grace and sure as heck did not root for her. This is basic and run-of-the-mill chick lit, and I think I'm too old for this genre anymore. I also didn't like the British humor. It felt forced and awkward.

4 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.


Truth be told, I struggled a bit with this one. While in the end the struggle was 100% worth it, I felt as though the story plodded along a bit at parts.

Grace Adams is a perimenopausal women of 45, struggling to keep her life together. Her daughter Lotte is 15, and a bit of a handful right now. Her husband Ben can’t do it anymore. The marriage and family thing just isn’t working for any of them.

At one time, Grace was famous. The polyglot hottie was what she was called when she was on a TV show as their resident wordsmith. She speaks many languages, and that’s how she met Ben. They competed against one another, and Grace won by 1 point. It was the beginning of something beautiful.

But now, things are a mess. Grace needs to repair her relationship not only with Ben but mostly with Lotte. And Grace is determined that Lotte’s sixteenth birthday party is the time to do it. Only nothing from the moment she sets out goes right.

As I said, I did struggle through parts of this one. The mixed up timeline might have been part of it - jumping back and forth through the various stages of Grace’s adulthood. Or maybe there was just too much backstory. However, the end was very much worth getting to. I enjoyed this book despite the slow times.

Grace used to be amazing. She used to feel amazing. Now at the age of 45 with a marriage in peril and a daughter who she can no longer relate to, Grace decides to remind the world of who she is. Dammit she is determined to be the woman she once was.
•
THOUGHTS
Hearing this book compared to Ove and Bernadette I was sold. Two of my favorites and I couldn’t wait to dive in to this one. It started out well and somewhere along the line things became too far fetched. I was no longer as invested as I was when the book started. Still I believe there are readers who will really love this one. Sadly it was just okay for me. Thank you Netgalley and Henry and Holt for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was surprised by this emotional, raw story about a woman unraveling in midlife. I thought it was going to be a light-hearted, funny read, but it was much deeper than that. And that is a good thing!

Grace is an intellectual genius with languages who just wants to get a cake to take to her daughter’s 16th birthday party. As she leaves her car stranded on a congested highway to walk to the bakery, you learn the reason why she is completely unhinged and emotionally unstable (in a funny not scary way).

The author uses two different flashback series to tell us about Grace's life, one from the moment she meets her eventual husband and one from just a few months prior. Mixed with the craziness from the present day story, I was continually surprised at the events and how they affected her life. The author tackles a lot of heavy issues that were handled in a nuanced way.

I really enjoyed reading this, finishing it in one sitting. I just had to know all of the twists and turns. As a woman around Grace’s age, I understood her longing for the past and her grief at how much life has gone by. I wasn’t expecting to be so emotional but it was a cathartic, heartfelt read.

Poor Grace Adams may be amazing, but she’s having a very rough day, and her current life is challenging beyond belief. As a linguist, she’s had some ups and downs, but it’s her love life and family life that sting the most.

You can’t help but feel for quirky Grace who encounters one ludicrous event after another. Yes, she had a hand in creating many of these events, but it’s her emotional reactions that sink her into a crater I couldn’t imagine her climbing out of.

In truth, I felt a bit overwhelmed sometimes by all of Grace’s predicaments. Can’t this woman get a break? And why so much hysteria? And then, toward the end, it all begins to make sense, and my exasperation with her melted.

An amusing read with multiple timelines that are sometimes difficult to follow. But if you stick it out, you will be rewarded, and your heart will be at peace.

"Amazing Grace Adams" by Fran Littlewood is an Emotional Family Fiction Story!

Grace Adams is a genius. Really. She's an award winning Polyglot who's fluent in five languages. With all the great things she's achieved in her forty-five-year-old life, all she thinks she is now is perimenopausal. She feels like it defines her.

Today Grace is having a particularly bad day. She's stuck in traffic and all she wants to do is hand deliver a cake to her daughter, Lottie, on her sixteenth birthday. She's had enough, so she bails. She simply gets out of her car, lets it stand where it sits in traffic, and off she goes.

Unfortunately as she walks, life keeps getting in her way and Grace becomes more and more distraught and agitated. She just wants to talk to Lottie. She needs to talk to her.

The problem is, Lottie doesn't want to see her mum. Lottie wants nothing to do with her and my heart just simply breaks for Grace...

"Amazing Grace Adams" tore me up, touched my heart, and resonated with me like no other book has in a long time. It's sad, edgy, heartbreaking, and yes, there's a little bit going on in this story. But who doesn't have a lot of stuff to deal with at some point in their life when one more thing may put them over-the-edge?

As the present timeline 'Now' plays out, we slowly learn about Grace's backstory through two additional timelines of 'Four Months Ago' and 'Sixteen Years Ago' when she met Ben and gave birth to Lottie. We find out how passionate, fierce, and complicated Grace can be. We also discover why this family is separated and so broken.

"Amazing Grace Adams" was an enjoyable immersion reading experience through a DRC and an ALC. Either format will deliver a pleasant connection, however my preference is the audiobook with the excellent narration of Claire Skinner, whose voicing of Grace is exceptional.

"Amazing Grace Adams" is a wonderful debut novel and I found it to be a relatable story that stirred memories in me from long ago. By now I'm sure you realize that I think Grace Adams is simply amazing. I love Grace's story and I look forward to what this author comes up with next.

I highly recommend "Amazing Grace Adams" to readers who enjoy Family Fiction with a fierce, edgy, and memorable female main character!

5⭐

Thank you to Fran Littlewood, Henry Holt and Co., and Macmillan Audio for a DRC and ALC of this book through NetGalley. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.

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.