I strongly believe you have to go into this one blind because no one can prepare you for all the WTF’s in this book. It is shocking & painful the entire time and heartbreaking to read. The story is told in a unique way with the narrator sometimes giving us morsels of opinion which develop the plot. I think we could have used more from the narrator but I enjoyed the way the story was told.

Some of the things that happen in this book are just insane & it certainly kept me on my toes but I don’t totally know how I feel about a lot of it. Definitely an interesting read that would make for a great book club discussion.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

The cover and description were what initially drew me in. I found the book to be well written and genuinely enjoyable. It was hopeful yet emotional. This book touched on many themes like loss, parenthood, grief, and love. There are several trigger warnings to be aware of. I found myself rooting for the characters but was also often frustrated with them. Overall, I really enjoyed the story and thought it was a good debut novel.

TW:
Recurrent miscarriage
Child death
Grief /Loss

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I can not review this book without giving anything away. But the book starts off with a bang that turns out the book is not at all what you were expecting. I almost didn't pick this up at the time because I didn't think I was in the mood for it, but it turned out great. Really enjoyed it, enjoyed the story and the characters and the father-son relationship. More a story about coming clean. Will say the ending is predictable, but the journey to the ending is enjoyable. A fun read. Kind of a crazy premise, but quite a story after that.

Thank you to NetGalley for the preview copy of this book. I will be looking forward to more works by this author!

This is getting great reviews, but is just not the right book for me. I really dislike overly sentimental books. I mostly read mysteries and thrillers!

BUT iff you love tragic and unusual love stories, you should definitely try it! I don't want to give too much away, but it's about a man who falls in love with a very unlikely person. It was hard for me to tease out whether this relationship was truly love or just trauma bonding. Give it a try! Just because it wasn't for me does not mean that you won't really love it!

Thanks to the publisher for the advance review copy!

Usually huge surprises and WTH’s in a plot come late in the story, but damn, this had me exclaiming,”Wait, WHAT?!” rather early on, then I was irrevocably hooked. I could not put this one down, and finished in one day.
Rothschild’s debut novel is a total standout. She delivers a masterful narrative with a most unique, yet completely relatable, protagonist, whose ‘voice’, wit and humor are like a familiar, comfortable friend.
I had all the feels with this one- ALL of them. Grief, tears, laughter, secrets, lies, disappointment and hope; at one point I was literally laughing so hard tears were streaming down my face, and I will never think of ‘purple’ in the same way again! There are stories within the story, beautifully woven, and the writing is detailed and creative. I haven’t read a novel this layered and truly excellent in a long time. Seriously, read this book, you’ll thank me later!

I am so sorry I hated this. SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

I hated that this is narrated as if by a ghost that was also somehow the most rational person ever despite dying horrifically and tragically. I also hated the romance with a passion. I understand it's complicated but holy shit I wanted to kill this man.

As a happily childfree person, a few pages into this book, I wasn’t sure I would finish it; I just couldn’t empathize with Honor at all. And then the twist and wow. FINDING GRACE dramatizes the most implausible mess but somehow makes it compelling. Or maybe I just really love wine. A fine debut.

Loving. Longing. Shocking...and that's just the first chapter...

"Finding Grace" has an intentionally vague synopsis, but as you read, you'll discover the nuggets along the way. It's edgy and a bit of a nail-biter, but it's also quiet and intense. Very intense, actually, and challenging to put down when life gets in the way.

I loved spending time getting to know these characters, listening to their stories, and learning about each of them. They are diverse, complex, and mostly likable, and all of them hold this story together.

The writing is lyrical and straightforward, and I love how the author chose to narrate the story. It fits just right. I appreciate the touches of humor that help to lighten the atmosphere a bit, as well.

This was an immersion read; the audiobook is narrated by Fiona Button, whose voicing skills brings the story to life. The author's words flow effortlessly through her voice; she doesn't read the story, she becomes the story. She's quickly becoming one of my favorite English narrators.

"Finding Grace" is an impressive debut, and I'll be there for Loretta Rothschild's next novel, too!

4.25⭐

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and Loretta Rothschild for the gifted DRC and ALC through NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Thanks, St. Martin's Press, for the opportunity to read a review copy. Unfortunately, I found the main character grating and couldn't get engaged in the story with her narrating. The big twist at the beginning was jarring and threw me out of the story. I wasn't a good fit as a reader for this one, but I have seen many favorable reviews.

Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild (book cover is in image) unfortunately was not the book for me. The plot was cringy and the narration by Fiona Button came off as monotone and found myself easily distracted. Since I had the eBook as well, I switched over to that, but still found it hard engage in this book. I am sure that there is an audience for this one, but I am not it.

Thank you to St Martins Press, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC and listen to the ALC. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 2 Stars
Pub Date: Jun 10 2025

#MacmillanAudio
#StMartinsPress
#Finding Grace
#LorettaRothschild
#FionaButton
#WomensFiction
#yarisbooknook
#NetGalley

Bit of an outlier here. Male main character was very unlikable and it was overall just an odd premise/story.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

Wow, it's so hard to review this book without giving anything away. It's unusual, and so I think it will work best for readers when they don't go in with a lot of expectations. I enjoyed the unconventional structure, narrator, plot choices. Life is messy and this story is messy in a very real way. I think anyone who enjoys family dramas and relationship stories that feel like they are happening between real people will enjoy this.

Title: Finding Grace
Author: Loretta Rothschild
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:
"Finding Grace" by Loretta Rothschild

My Insight:

"Finding Grace" is an enchanting love story that beautifully weaves the lives of Honor, Tom, and Chloe. This novel is brimming with unexpected twists, masterfully exploring themes of love, heartbreak, and family secrets. From the very first page, it grips your attention and pulls you into a whirlwind journey where tragedy strikes and life spirals out of control.

By the time you reach the final chapter, you'll be left in awe of how the narrative unfolds, with shocking revelations that will leave you breathless. It's an absolute must-read that showcases the author's extraordinary talent for crafting a compelling narrative, leaving you yearning for more once the last word is turned.


Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance reader's copy.

Finding Grace was an emotional debut, a page turner, and thought provoking novel where the main protagonist struggled with a moral conflict. From the first chapter, I was pulled in immediately with a tragic event that sets up the rest of the story. I don’t want to give anything more away but make sure you don’t miss out on this one. Finding Grace would be a perfect book club pick to discuss.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own. I give this one 3.5 stars. I know other reviewers were more positive but I struggle a bit with this one. The beginning was unexpected but then I felt like the story lost its way a bit with implausibility. I don’t want to provide any spoilers but I will say I did not care for the choice of the narrator. Made the book feel voyeuristic in a way. Tom the main character, is flawed but I think a lot of that can be because of the grief. I struggle with unlikable characters so this was not the book for me. The writing was well done though.

It’s hard to review Finding Grace without giving anything away, because the best way to read this book is to go in knowing nothing.

Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild has one of the strongest openings I’ve ever read. The first chapter, then the second, both are incredibly compelling. The choice of narrator is clever, with consistent and meaningful callbacks. The writing throughout the book is beautiful, especially when addressing [redacted] topics.

That said, the powerful beginning sets a high bar. With the reveal hanging over the entire story, I found the ending disappointing. It felt almost like a romance, when I had expected something more in line with literary fiction. The tone of the conclusion didn’t quite match the rest of the book, and it didn’t land for me.

4.25 ish? So strange for me to have enjoyed a literary fiction this much.. such a unique plot. A great debut!

The cover of this book drew my attention. For the most part I went in blind and was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the story a lot, it is something that I would normally not pick up. Great debut story from this author.

I was surprised this was Loretta Rothschild debut novel, she was meant to be an author. This story starts out strong, and keeps on going. Her writing style was different, but it held the story together. The synopsis tells you what the book is about, but the story will take you deeper into the complexity, their lives, and into what I thought was the finale, only to see there was more. This story is amazing, honest, and made me feel like being a part of it.
I received an ARC from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley, and I highly recommend this book.

This is a hard book for me to review as I’m trying to keep this spoiler free. The first chapter left my jaw on the floor. The second left my heart broken and encouraged that I’d like the remainder. I had empathy for Honor’s situation, her focus was extreme and took over her life. As we learned more about her background, we got to know and understand her better. Tom was caught in a no win situation with Honor. The couple’s lack of communication frustrated me. When an important turn of events fell into his lap, it led him down an odd path that piled lie upon lie. As I neared the end, I started to enjoy it more, then it all fell flat. I did enjoy the writing, especially Honor’s narrative. I really wanted to like this book, the write-up promised so much and the storyline was original, but I found the majority of the characters so unlikable that I couldn’t get past it.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.