Finding Grace was not what I was expecting, in fact, it was so much more!

Reviewing this will be tricky because one slip can spoil the entire book. What I’d like to say is that Rothschild touched upon so many deep and impactful themes; that of grief, loss, trauma, love, regret, and forgiveness and then she enfolded it all into a story that just captivated me.

The characters were endearing to me, even in their worst moments, and this is because those moments are the realest and the moments everyone can relate to. This story broke my heart and then put it back together again.

I really don’t want to say too much other than I hope you give this one a read or listen. I did both, co-reading while listening and it was splendidly narrated by Fiona Button. Bravo, and well done!

My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and MacMillan Audio for these gifted copies!

Well I sure didn’t expect the first chapter to end the way it did. This was quite a unique story. It’s about loss and grief. I wasn’t a fan of tom but overall it was an engaging story.

DNF 20%.

Unfortunately this book did not work well for me as a reader. The first 10% of this book had a rough start, with not one character sticking out to me as even likeable; therefore as I progressed through I lost complete interest in the story and how the main characters end up. Personally, I think this is a great book for a different kind of reader; wrong time and right book!

Nothing can prepare you for the bang at the beginning of Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild! Wow! Buckle up for this and hang on because it is one crazy, extremely well written ride. I couldn't put this one down!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & the publisher for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild offers an emotional look at the depths of grief and the difficult journey toward healing after a devastating loss. The story was relatively enjoyable, and the exploration of grief felt genuine and heartfelt. However, the book falls short when it comes to tackling the true complexities of recovering from trauma, often skimming the surface instead of digging deeper. The main character was often infuriating, which made it hard to fully connect with his journey. While the ending was satisfying, it was also a bit predictable. Overall, it’s a decent read with strong emotional moments, but it left me wishing for a little more depth and nuance.

i really enjoyed finding grace from start to finish! this is a great book to start blind - don’t seek out any spoilers. the narrator is unexpected and the choice elevates the story to the next level.
tom and honor’s lives are cruising along at a million miles an hour - tom’s especially busy at work and all honor can think about is having another baby. she can’t fathom their daughter being an only child. the desire has become all encompassing. how far will they go to expand their family? what are the consequences of their choices?
love. infertility. death. dealing with loss. multi-generational relationships. tough choices. fate(?). truth.
finding grace is a great book if you’d like to suspend your own life for a bit and dive into their world.

thank you to st. martin’s press for providing this book for review consideration via netgalley. all opinions are my own.

I really don't know how to review this book without giving anything away. It was an emotional, read dealing with love, loss, and the ability to heal.

I love reading debut authors! This was quite good, and a unique story. The only thing I wish for is an epilogue.

Over Christmas, Honor, her husband Tom, and daughter Chloe are off to celebrate in Paris when a tragedy occurs, completely changing their idyllic life forever. Honor is dead-set to have a second child (which has become a huge point of contention), which must be via surrogate after medical issues prevent Honor from carrying any more children.

As the family continues to navigate life after tragedy, one seemingly minor mishap with the postal service changes everything. The choices made in the time to come redefine the lives of everyone.

The voice of the novel was unusual and enjoyable. It's not often you read from this perspective. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Tom and his mother-in-law, and seeing it evolve.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Loretta Rothschild for the eARC.

Pub Date Jul 08 2025 #NetGalley #StMartinsPress #FindingGrace #LorettaRothschild #BookReview

Thank you to St. Martin Press and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review.

The first chapter was really gripping but I felt it really slowed down after and I just didn't find myself connected to the characters. Still, solid writing and plot, I think the pacing just wasn't for me.

Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild
🎙 Narrated by: Fiona Button

This debut novel impacted me deeply, in the best possible way. It’s haunting, reflective, and told in such a unique, compelling format. Grace’s narration—drifting between past and present—felt like peeling back layers of memory and emotion, and I loved how beautifully that structure worked to reveal the heart of the story slowly.

I listened to this on audio and did an immersive read. Fiona Button’s narration was perfection. Her pacing was spot-on and her tone carried the emotional weight so effortlessly—it gave the story legs and brought Grace fully to life. Total immersion. Zero regrets.

✨ Tropes & Themes:
Nonlinear storytelling
Family secrets
Introspective character journey
Grief, memory & healing
Quiet strength of women
Finding identity and truth

Would I recommend this book?
Absolutely—especially on audio! This is the kind of story that lingers. And for a debut? Rothschild knocked it out of the park. I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Thank you to St. Martin Press and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review.

This was not the book for me. I thought it would be a bit more emotional, especially with the BANG in the very first chapter. However, it moved slowly after that point, with characters that I really didn’t care for. It did manage to pick up a bit in the last couple of chapters, but honestly, I did not care for the ending at all.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

The synopsis of this book is a little vague and I wasn't sure what I was going to get, but I knew after finishing the first chapter that I was in for a hell of a story. I genuinely gasped — loudly enough that my dog gave me a look like, "Are you okay?" Honestly - I was shooketh.

The thing about this book is: I can't — and won't — say too much about the plot. I know that's frustrating if you're someone who likes to know what they're getting into, but trust me on this one. Part of the power of this book is going into it a little blind. I want everyone to experience the rollercoaster the same way I did — raw, unprepared, and completely at the mercy of Loretta Rothschild's storytelling.

On the surface, the synopsis might make you think you're picking up a domestic thriller or a twisty mystery. And while there are twists and emotional gut punches, that's not what this book is. This is much more of a slow-burn character study — a deep dive into grief, obsession, loss, and regret. It's a story about the coulda, shoulda, woulda moments of life. About how a little honesty at the right time could have spared so much pain. About how sometimes we cling to things — to people, to memories, to guilt — long after it's healthy.

I was surprised to learn that this is Rothschild's debut. She writes with the confidence and emotional intelligence of someone several books deep into her career. She captures all the messy, complicated emotions of love and loss so authentically that you can't help but see pieces of yourself — or someone you know — reflected in these characters.

Honor, the main character, is a fascinating case study all on her own. She seems to have it all at the beginning: a husband she loves (even if he's married to his job), a daughter she adores, and lives a pretty privileged life. But there's a yearning in her, a sense of incompleteness, that sets everything in motion. When tragedy strikes — and trust me, it strikes hard — the decisions that follow ripple outward in ways that no one could have foreseen. Years later, new characters are drawn into the mess left behind, and it's so compelling to watch it all unfold.

The pacing is perfect. The author never rushes things, but the story never drags either. Rothschild knows exactly when to let moments breathe and when to tighten the screws. It's beautifully written without being flowery — straightforward prose that still manages to be sharp and lyrical when it needs to be. And the ending? Satisfying. It's not a fairytale bow-on-top ending (which would have felt wrong here anyway), but one that felt earned and right given everything the characters had been through.

I also want to talk a little about the narration style because it's different, and I think it may throw some people off. I can't say much (again) without spoiling things, but I will say that it took me a bit to settle in. The choice of narrator struck me as odd initially, but after a while I had settled in and it made sense as to why the author chose to go the route she did.

Also — a quick shoutout to the audiobook, which is narrated by Fiona Button. She nails it. Her voice captured every nuance: the longing, the anger, the aching sadness that simmers just beneath the surface. If you're an audiobook fan, definitely consider listening to this one. Fiona's performance elevated an already great book.

If you love quiet, character-driven stories that aren't afraid to break your heart a little (or a lot), this book is absolutely worth picking up. Just… be prepared for that gasp moment early on. And maybe have tissues handy, just in case. This is an impressive debut. I will definitely be checking out this author's future books.

Wow! Finding Grace pulled me in immediately. Beautifully written, a phenomenal debut! I am not including a synopsis for fear of spoilers. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Honor knew she wanted to be a mum. She and her workaholic husband Tom were blessed with Chloe. After a tragic and unforeseen loss the Wharton family was then a family of two. A few years after Honor’s biggest dream came true Tom was way over his head trying to keep his secrets and his true love from slipping away. Though it all came crashing down with shocking twists. Will Honor have found the happily ever after she wished for Tom? This story had me crying from the start. Truly a heartfelt novel through to the end. Terrific storytelling.

Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild. I read an advanced copy from @netgalley. This story doesn’t waste any time getting right to the most tragic event possible, rips your heart out, and then shows you to the path that will hopefully mend the broken pieces. It’s going to be messy and it’s going to be so so good and worth it. Read it!

“Finding Grace” by Loretta Rothschild is an innovative debut that completely floored me by the end of the first chapter. That was not what I had expected at all. Honor, Tom, and Grace’s lives are forever intertwined, and yet, Tom is compelled to keep a secret that could destroy his happiness. I dare not say more, because I don’t want to spoil the excitement for others.

Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. My opinions are my own.

From the beginning, Rothschild pulled me in with the premise of her story. A woman desperately wants to have a child, but then dies before that dream is realized. The story twists when we find out the embryo did implant, and the surrogate gives birth after the death of Honor and her first child Chloe. The story offers an intriguing narrator, as Honor tells the story of her husband, Tom as he tries to move on from this terrible tragedy. The narration weaves from flashbacks to modern time, always infused with Honor’s opinions about the situation that Tom is confronted with.

The story continues to get messier as Tom withholds the truth from Grace as they fall in love. It goes from bad to worse, but what is compelling is Honor’s perception of the situations Tom finds himself in. The story is intriguing, but at the end Rothschild takes the easy way out and gives us a happy ending which is entirely uncalled for. It seems like she didn’t know to end the story and took the path of least resistance.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild.

The cover of this book is so beautiful, but also lends itself to the possibility of many genres. Is this a thriller, a story about a stalker, some kind of sci-fi clone story? Turns out it's a romance, but told with an unlikely narrator, it was unique and I enjoyed it.

Honor is being consumed by her desperate desire for another child. She of course adores her husband and daughter, but her fixation for a second pregnancy is starting to affect her relationships.

Years later, after a shocking blow, Honor's husband is now navigating the world a changed man. Upon inadvertently stumbling into a woman's group, he meets Grace, a woman who is familiar to him in more ways than one...

I mean, this is an incredibly unlikely story, and another one of those instances where one SIMPLE conversation could have shortened this story down to about three chapters. However, the style in which it was written, and all of the romantic tension definitely served to make this interesting and enjoyable.

Special thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. I'm really not sure how this could be described as a love story, it was pretty morbid. I just couldn't get past how disturbing the whole idea was.

3.25 ⭐️

Honor and Tom are part of the elite Londoners, vacationing in Paris for Christmas. Honor desperately wants a second child, and they have started the IVF process with an egg donor and surrogate.

The publisher doesn’t give much away in its description, so I was gasping at the surprise at the end of the first chapter.

➕There’s a unique voice throughout this novel.
➕I think this novel approaches grief in a refreshing way.

➖Aside from the first chapter, the rest of the novel is very slow-going. As someone who is usually fond of slow-going, I was surprised I got a little frustrated by the slow pace.
➖I also got frustrated by Tom. So much so that I don’t think I was ever rooting for him.
➖There was a bit of a whackadoo plot element (that you kind of see coming) around the 85% mark that I also wasn’t fond of. I didn’t feel it was resolved in a good way.

While I appreciated what this novel was trying to do, I don’t think it worked for me in the way it was intended because I never became fully invested in the characters, particularly Tom.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

It publishes June 10, 2025.