Loretta Rothschild you have a definite fan and I will eagerly await your next read! Finding Grace evoked so very many feelings as I read this beautifully written novel - grief that made me cry, loneliness, hope, love, secrets, uneasiness, living a lie, love for a child, unrequited love, and then pure love that was always meant to be. The topics included difficulty becoming pregnant, using donor eggs, using a surrogate, catastrophic death, lying, a friend’s betrayal, and finding love again.
Loretta Rothschild immediately pulled me into the story and kept me there throughout, making the fascinating characters so very real. You will grow to love Honor, Chloe, Tom, Henry and Grace and they will each leave footprints on your heart. I was shocked to read that this is a debut novel…kudos to Loretta Rothschild for making me feel and care about something other than the real life chaos around us.
Many thanks to Loretta Rothschild, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this soon to be published novel that will long linger in my thoughts. I am sharing this title with everyone I know.

Finding Grace
By: Loretta Rothschild

5 Stars

I loved this book. It was magical and powerful. When Tom loses his wife and child in an unthinkable tragedy, he knows his future will be full of pain. A series of miraculous events occur, and his future is forever changed in ways he could never imagine. A story that will compel and shock.

This story was a wonder. It begins in a shocking way, and throughout it, it left me speechless. It was tragic and moving. It was ugly and beautiful. I loved the tone of the book. The way it was written, from a point of view, it gave it a unique feeling. It was like peaking from the outside in, through a window, so to say. I loved the characters, all of them, and the story as a whole.

This story was a mix of sadness, tragedy, grief, forgiveness, healing, and romance. It was a story that kept me captivated and is well worth the read.

*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Reviews

Just when I thought I’d found my favorite women’s fiction book of 2025… along came Finding Grace. What a phenomenal, engrossing, and deeply touching story!

The brilliance of this book begins before you even open it. The title Finding Grace is a clever double entendre—one character is literally searching for someone named Grace, while another is on a journey to find grace within themselves.

This book is everything at once: heartbreaking and hopeful, tragic and tender, sorrowful and uplifting. It’s full of unintentional lies, unexpected truths, and the kind of forgiveness that takes your breath away.

It’s been a long time since a book actually broke my heart while reading, and this one did it early on. From that moment forward, I was hooked and couldn’t stop until the final page.

Without a doubt, this is one of my FAVORITE women’s fiction reads of 2025. And honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if I keep adding to that list—there are so many incredible female authors writing such poignant, unforgettable stories this year.

Huge thanks to NetGalley, Loretta Rothschild, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read and listen to Finding Grace ahead of its proposed release date of July 8, 2025

Honor and her husband Tom seem to have it all. Money, great friends, and a wonderful young daughter. Still, Honor desperately wants another child. She's so hyperfocused on it that it's angering Tom. Then a tragedy strikes while the family is on vacation and it changes their lives completely. Fast forward a few years, and Tom makes a decision that again changes several lives. This book is blurbed in such a way that you think there will be an earth-shattering twist, but there really isn't. The story ended up being pretty slow-moving and I was constantly angry with Tom for passing up so many chances to do the right thing. I was glad that I received both digital and audio copies of this book from NetGalley because I don't think I could have finished it without the audio.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a review copy of Finding Grace.

Finding Grace is beautifully written with a fascinating narrator and a story best experienced spoiler-free. But fair warning: if miscommunication makes you want to throw a book across the room, maybe wear a helmet.

I think it’s very important to do a very careful review of this book. Any wrong word that gives the premise away would spoil it for the next reader. I read one review that told too much, but luckily I read it after reading the book! Anyway, this is a wonderful story of romantic love as well as parental love. One of the main characters, Tom, irritated me while I waited for him to do the right thing. The end of the story made me realize that he had to make the choices he did in order for the events to turn out as they did. Great story that I couldn’t put down.

✨ Book Review ✨

Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pub Date: July 8, 2025

Thank you, @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for the gifted physical book and audiobook.

Wow, this was unlike anything I've read before. The first chapter was jaw dropping and sucked me in! I did a combination of reading the physical copy and listening to the audiobook. The audiobook was very well done. The publisher left the synopsis vague so not to give anything away. I don't want to give anything away so I'll just say this was a unique debut that you won't be able to put down!

“Grief’s iron grip never weakens. You just become accustomed to its hand around your throat, moving forward but never moving on.”

So this book starts off with a BANG. I was hooked! I couldn’t wait to see where the author was going with the story.

But then it stalled a bit. And then it stalled a lot. I kept going waiting for some major twist or plot point to happen to keep me engaged. But that just didn’t happen. I believe with a tad more editing and a few less pages this book could have been great! It was still enjoyable, though.

“After a certain age, no one ever gets into bed alone. There’s always someone else in the room in some form or another. Whether it’s holiday memories or drunken mistakes or ghosts, the past cannot be rewritten.”

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the complimentary eARC.

What an original book! I was pulled into the story immediately, although I felt a little annoyed with Honor, initially, and then boom, my jaw dropped. Having Honor narrate the book took a little getting used to, but it worked well. The characters were well drawn and, for the most part, interesting. A really good debut novel. 4 Stars

I received an ARC for free and gave my honest opinion voluntarily,

A loving family of 3 with the plans for an addition. A tragedy, a misaddressed envelop, the search for the intended receiver, memories and secrets fill the pages of this romantic and suspenful novel.

Though I don’t normally read romance books, I did enjoy this story.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press

This will be an unpopular opinion - and it may quite possibly just be me - but I didn't really care for this book. I truly like the beginning and thought there was great promise for this to be something special. But as the book progressed, I found that none of the characters were at all likable.. Not just that, the direction that the storyline went in really bothered me. I had some intense opinions about who the narrator was and the subject matter of the story. There are parts that just felt completely disgusting and icky to me.

Overall, I believe this author has talent. I just didn't like the storyline that she chose to use in this book. It was one that I personally did not connect with and truly felt wasn't at all realistic in many sections. I do hope that this author puts more books out. I will definitely give another one a try in the hope that this was a one-time fluke for me.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The narration was solid for the audiobook. However, given I didn't really like the subject matter and the storyline, it brings the rating down a bit.

Thank you to NetGalley for the early copies of both the ebook and audiobook.

Despite the publisher’s description, this book is neither twisty nor gripping. This books starts with a huge dramatic turn… and then nothing really happens after that. The thing that should have happened around 25% didn’t happen until around 85%. Unfortunately, that thing didn’t create enough tension to keep me interested.

This book also has an unusual narrative perspective starting in chapter two. I thought this could be interesting, but I ended up disliking her voice and how each chapter began with a piece of her own personal history that predates the main timeline of the book. The effect was intrusive, creepy, and depressing, all at the same time.

The author does a lovely job of describing settings and writes dialogue well. I liked the protagonist’s friends. If you’re in the mood for a book that is a very slow burn and that explores grief and life after loss in a different way than usual, this is the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Disclosure: Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing this book for advance reading and review consideration.] This book's beginning goads the reader into a false sense of security, revealed when a tragic event occurs and upends the life of one of the novel's core characters. In this way, Rothschild cleverly plays with the reader's expectations, subverting them around every turn. It is difficult to discuss the book without spoiling the plot's main shock factor, but I will note the narrator is a unique one: a deceased person watching the lives of their loved ones continue on without them. This is not only unique, but provides for ample emotional investment on the reader's part. The only aspect I disliked about this deceased narrator was the logistic of such observation; I feel there was never a clear explanation as to how this person could observe their family after death, though this observation itself stands as a genre-defying, courageous creative act. At its heart, this novel analyzes motherhood, grief, persistence, and the saving grace of found family. With a cast of compelling, relatable characters and frequent bursts of humor to lighten the grief, the book accurately portrays the lives of ordinary people continuing on in the face of insurmountable loss. What's more, the novel is well-written with eloquent, fresh prose and elegantly crafted imagery. The novel is not simply something to witness, but rather, to experience. Rothschild is surely a literary talent to keep watching.

DNFed at 60% I just didn’t care about the characters and it felt like nothing was happening. Tom is creepy in his obsession with Grace and it wasn’t fleshed out enough to know if that was the point or not.

One woman is desperate for another child while still dealing with previous heartbreaks. One woman is wrapped in her own grief makes a decision thinking it will help her process. Their lives are soon intertwined even though they will never actually meet. One man, the first woman’s husband, wanted nothing to do with the plan for another child because he was too busy with work and of course had no idea the other woman existed. But then the unimaginable happens and his world is shattered into a million pieces and then put back together into one unexpected one.
One day a letter comes in the mail that changes his whole life and despite it not being meant for him, he opens it amd reads it and now he can’t let go of what it contains. But now he’s on a mission and can’t stop what he’s begun.
There was a lot to unpack with this one but I got invested early and stayed that way throughout. There were some point that it dragged some and the MMC made some questionable decisions that made me go huh? But overall this one will put your feelings all over the map.
Thanks to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

What a debut novel! If I knew the synopsis before reading this arc, I forgot it once I picked it up, which wound up being for the best. I think this book is good to go into blind because the premise is so unique and unlike anything else I’ve read before.

It’s also a book I really need to talk through with someone, so I need you to read it and talk with me about it! I have so many feelings about this book and can’t even begin to process them on my own. Because of the dramatic irony, it is a bit like watching a car crash happen in slow morion. The reader knows things that make the events of the novel cringey at times, which I usually hate, but it was tolerable and worked here. Rothschild is skilled at creating a tense mood; I had a hard time setting this book down. I think it would make for a great book club discussion because, regardless of whether readers love it or hate it, there will be plenty to discuss.

TW: multiple miscarriages, egg donor and surrogacy, terror attack

I struggle to give this a rating, but I think Finding Grace is a strong debut that is sure to get people talking. Many thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for an advanced digital copy of this novel. I can’t wait until others get to enjoy it.

4 stars. To keep this short and spoiler free; -this is a truly unique debut (you’ll just have to read to find out) that explores parenthood, love, loss, grief and tragedy. You’ll feel all the feels, good and bad, while reading as it’s a slower, character-driven novel that follows how these individuals attempt to work through crisis after the fact. Really enjoyed and is fantastic on audio!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was such an impressive debut novel. I was shocked after reading the first two chapters and couldn’t wait to see what would happen. Overall, I enjoyed the story so much, although Tom did get off pretty easily for all his lies to Grace.

The heart wrenching beginning immediately drew me into the story. This story is a mixture of romance, grief, secrets, and second chances. It also addresses a moral dilemma that can occur with modern technology (cannot say more to avoid spoilers). This thought-provoking debut novel will stick with me for a long time to come.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"Finding Grace" by Loretta Rothschild is an emotional and suspenseful novel that intertwines the past and present lives of two women, exploring themes of motherhood, grief, secrets, and the complexities of love. The story begins with Honor, who seemingly has it all—a loving husband, Tom, and a beautiful daughter, Chloe—yet is consumed by an intense desire for another baby. This longing creates friction in her marriage, culminating in a shocking tragedy that shatters their family. Years later, a decision Tom makes, driven by grief and a desire for a new beginning, sets off a chain of events that irrevocably links his life, his son's, and the path of another woman named Grace. The novel is praised for its unexpected narrative voice and its deep dive into the emotional landscape of loss, healing, and the moral dilemmas that arise when trying to rebuild a life after profound devastation. It promises a blend of romance, mystery, and profound emotional depth, with twists and turns that keep readers engrossed until the satisfying, albeit sometimes morally complex, conclusion.