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.

FINDING GRACE is a story that I won't stop thinking about anytime soon. In the first chapter, something happens that sets the tone for the entire book. I think the author is brilliant and I'll be reading more of her books. I would definitely go into this one blind. It's hard to discuss without revealing too much of the story! Enjoy!

Many thanks for my gifted copy!

This review will be shared to my Instagram account @coffee.break.book.reviews closer to publication date.

I absolutely can not believe this is a debut! Floored!
Finding Grace will make you gasp in the very first chapter, cry in the next, and then fall in love all the way through.
The characters have this beauty and complexity.
And I lovedddddd the POV. It made it so interesting and unique. Rothschild’s imagery is intoxicating. I just soaked this story and her words right up.
I honestly don’t want to give anything away in this review and I feel like I easily could, so I’m going to leave it at here.
Read this gorgeous piece of fiction by Loretta Rothschild, someone I will be anxiously awaiting another book from.
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins press for the Arc!

5 STARS ⭐️

Finding Grace hooked me from the first page. I did not expect the early twist, and it completely shifted the story in the best way. This is a moving exploration of grief, love, infertility, and the messy, complicated ways people try to heal.

Honor’s story felt so raw and real—her desperation, heartbreak, and hope all hit hard. And watching Tom navigate the aftermath was just as emotional. The characters are flawed, human, and easy to connect with.

It’s one of those books that lingers long after the final page. Beautifully done and hard to believe it’s a debut. I’ll absolutely read whatever Loretta Rothschild writes next.

<i> Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an e-ARC! <i>

This book starts off with a shocking twist you won’t see coming at the end of chapter 1. It’s a story of infertility, grief and second chances. It would make an excellent movie and I really enjoyed this debut. Such an interesting premise that I don’t want to reveal. I feel like it’s best go into this book blind. It would also make an excellent book club selection because there are so many moral issues to discuss. Great read! Lovely debut

Thank you for this ARC! I found the premise of this story to be interesting and original. Sometimes it meandered into over the top, romantic comedy land, which I don't love, but it had some serious moments, too. I was rooting for the characters to be together and was surprised by the twists it took. Overall, I recommend this book to those that love romance and family dramas.

𝑭𝑰𝑵𝑫𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑮𝑹𝑨𝑪𝑬 𝒃𝒚 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒂 𝑹𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒔𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒅 is an intense drama of the different facets of love coming out June 10th by @stmartinspress & @macmillan.audio which were so graciously #gifted to me through @netgalley & @librofm #parter.

This begins with Honor and Tom and their daughter, Chloe. They are in Paris for Christmas and Honor is very much seeking to have another child through surrogacy after many failed IVF treatments. Tom is exhausted by it and this rift threatens their future when an atrocious event occurs.

Years later, Tom stumbles upon some information that sets everyone on a trajectory of secrets and lies, all for the sake of a possible new start.

This is an impossible story to discuss without spoilers, and they happen so early, but need to be held safe, so go into this family drama as blind as possible.

I was quite shocked by the beginning chapters. I wasn't too sure it would surprise me going forward, and for a lot of this, it did not. Since this is not a thriller, I wasn't needing surprises and settled in to explore the way Tom navigated and Honor told this story. I loved the way it was told. I will say I wished for an ending a bit different, and those of you who know me will know why, but it was a satisfying one that will be loved by the majority.

I found the topics of infertility and surrogacy dealt with in a compassionate and real way, though I have not personally experienced either. I do know people who have experienced both, however, and it felt authentic to me.

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up. This book is challenging to describe without giving anything away. My advice: go in as blind as you can and enjoy the ride. I will keep my review simple to avoid spoilers.

At its core Finding Grace is a story about love, grief and parenthood. It is a complicated and complex family drama. Told primarily from Tom and Honor’s perspectives. Tom and Honor are a well off couple who have a young daughter named Chloe. Honor desperately wants a second child and has made great sacrifices on your journey to make that happen. She has also made mistakes including pushing away her husband and her real life daughter. The fertility journey takes a big toll on Honor and Tom’s marriage. That’s the nutshell to start the novel. Fairly early on, a big event that shapes the rest of the story.

I really liked that this was just a little bit different than other novels out there. A perspective in the novel is definitely unique. This deals with big issues (love, grief, infertility) in a satisfying way. While mostly a family drama/love story there were also some surprises. Honor’s perspective manages to give some introspection on the sacrifices and mistakes she made. Tom also makes some key mistakes early on with Honor and later in the story. He is so frustrated by Honor’s focus on trying for a second child. THey both felt relatable and very human. The quest for love and happiness can make us very fallible. As humans we hurt the ones we love and often focus on big picture things instead of the day to day connections that really make life meaningful. The author painted a meaningful and poignant picture about relationships. An exploration of how do we find joy and meaning after significant loss. I connected to the characters and deeply cared for them. While very character driven, this also had plot that had me quickly flipping the pages.

This is an emotional story that made me think. I read it a few weeks ago and it still resonates. I absolutely understand the hype that I have heard from many trusted readers. Perfect balance of heartbreaking and hopeful.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s for the ARC.

A husband and father who loses his wife and daughter in a devastating act of terrorism searches for love once again when he meets someone completely unexpected. This has an original and intriguing plot line. It is not the typical type of book I read. It is more of a romance than anything, but it is a feel good story. I got a little tired and bored with some of the protagonist’s repetitive behavior and wanted the plot to move along a little more quickly at times. This will appeal to readers looking for something light and uncomplicated with a fresh storyline.

Wow, I am speechless!! This is a profound, unique, and thought provoking debut novel. I read this in one sitting.

This is a twisty book with romance elements. I truly can’t even say a single word about what the book is about. There is a huge plot twist in chapter one. I’d say it’s best to go into this one blind. There are some potential triggers around infertility, though, so be mindful of that if you are sensitive to that topic.

The dynamic of Honor, Tom, Grace, and their friends really adds to the depth of this story. The characters all felt so real. I’d be interested to get other readers’ thoughts on Tom’s character. 🤔 And the whole thing being told from Honor’s POV - loved that 🥹

🍰 “Was this cruel or was this a saving grace?”
🍰 “If you’re feeling guilty, ‘Can we talk about something?’ is one of the most terrifying questions.

This book is spectacular. It had me hooked from literally the first sentence and from there I was totally under its spell. A fantastic debut!! I can't wait to read more of Loretta Rothschild's work!!

I don't know how to rate this book. I thought it was one kind of book, but then it turned into something I was not expecting. And not in a great way.

I'm not going to spoil anything, which will make this a short review. This is a book about grief, love, and family. It's also a book about lying and gaslighting, but the main characters don't seem to be too concerned with that. This book could have gone so many places and made the reader really think about things like loss or surrogacy. It could have been some psychological thriller with a twist you'll never see coming.

Instead, the part you never see coming happens in the first chapter and the twist at the end is more of a what just happened...and why? Surprise! It's a romance after all! The first chapter really started the book with a bang and then it just got icky.

I may not be the reader this book was looking for.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Finding Grace is an original debut that packs an emotional punch. The second chapter brings a devastating, unexpected twist. I had to stop, re-read, and make sure what was happening was actually happening. What follows is a twisty, mysterious, tense story of constructed realities, lies, love and family drama. This wasn’t totally what I expected it to be, which isn’t bad because it kept me guessing and engaged with the story. I thought I knew where the twist was heading, but I was pretty off base, and I liked that about this reading experience.

It’s hard to share much about this book without giving the whole thing away, but I will say there are some heavy topics, so tread lightly. Overall, I think this is a strong debut, and I really enjoyed the writing. The narrator is unique and haunting. This will be a polarizing book — I feel like there will be very few “it was fine” readers. People will either love it or hate it and for that reason I think it would be an excellent choice for book club.

It took me until the first twist to get into the story and then I couldn’t put it down because I had to know what was going to happen.

I have to be honest—I really struggled with this book. The concept is definitely interesting: the narrator is dead, which immediately caught my attention. But the execution just didn’t work for me. The biggest issue was the narration itself. Tom’s voice and emotions are being told through his wife, Honor, which felt really strange—especially when it came to emotional depth and inner thoughts. How does she *really* know what he’s thinking or feeling? It pulled me out of the story more than once.

What made it even more distracting was how the narration would switch—sometimes within the same chapter—from Honor to Tom to what felt like the author’s voice. By the time I got to chapter 9, I was completely lost in the shifting perspectives. I found myself rereading passages just to figure out who was talking.

If I set aside the confusing narration, at its core, this is a love story. But was it unique or emotionally moving? Not for me. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters, and finishing the book felt more like a chore than something I enjoyed. I know this style might work for some readers, but personally, it just wasn’t for me.

I would like to express my deep gratitude to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for their generosity in allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed Loretta Rothschild’s latest book, Finding Grace, very much. Being so much more twisty and turny than I had expected, it left me transfixed throughout. That being said, I plan to reread it as soon as I can to hopefully answer so many questions that I have now that I’ve finished. Very enjoyable!

Talk about starting with a bang. If you want a book that’s going to hook you in from the get-go and deliver a gut punch at the end of each chapter that forces you to turn the page, look no further. I thought this was going to be a family drama, a story of coping with grief in an unusual way. No. This reads like a thriller of the best kind. A love triangle with an ever-present ghost. The entire time, Tom, the MC, is just digging his grave. Every time you think it couldn’t get worse, the author ratchets it up another notch. Simmer simmer simmer, boiling poor Tom alive.

The less you know, the better this book will be. Do not read the synopsis. Do not read the reviews. Just pick up this book and trust.

Holy moly does this give you a heck of heartbreaking jolt at the end of Chapter 2. I'm not often left with my jaw hanging open and caught off guard, but this did that. This is a story of love and loss, the playing out of the adage of familiarity breeding contempt within a marriage and doing the wrong thing for the right reason and/or the right thing for the wrong reason. So much goes very wrong here, but there is no intent to harm. I truly felt bad for Tom. He had so many opportunities to make things right, but his little untruths or omissions of information piled up until he couldn't get out from under them. I wanted to shake him time and again and tell him to suck it up buttercup, get the truth out there sooner rather than later, and let things organically go from there. It's the only way he had o move forward, but fear and, let's face it...selfishness...prevented him from doing so. When things finally did all come out, there was a giant cleanup on Aisle 7 needed and not too many inroads back to happy ever after.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Literary Fiction

This is the author’s debut novel with an unusual perspective and deep emotional resonance. The book's synopsis gives a brief overview of what to expect, but it's just a taste of the story. I won't say more, as I think it's best if you read the story without spoilers. Fortunately, the synopsis itself doesn’t spoil anything.

The novel depends a lot on character development. The characters, be it Grace, Honor, or Tom, are all given their due, and throughout the book, we see a lot of character growth in them. Their relationships give the story lots of dramatic and emotional weight.

This is a beautifully written debut novel. Loretta Rothschild’s prose is lyrical, making this character-driven story a pleasure to read. I’d expect nothing less from literary fiction. I think the author has delivered in that aspect.

There is a bit of mystery surrounding the characters, especially Grace, and this makes the plot more interesting. It is indeed one of the slow-burning varieties, but that is not a bad thing. The novel exhibits several important themes that many readers could relate to, like grief, loss, healing, and emotional connection.

The narrative structure alternates between the present and the past, which enhances understanding of the characters and their perspectives. With the gentle pacing, it feels like peeling layer after layer from the story until reaching the core. Finding Grace is undoubtedly among the best stories I have read this year.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book.