I absolutely loved this book- one of my favorite romances I’ve read this year! The core of the story centers on Gracie, who is coping with the loss of her husband and how it reshapes her identity and relationships while she creates a path toward healing. As she learns to move forward, she explores the possibility of finding love after loss. All the characters were charming, sincere and relatable. Hash flawlessly intertwines raw, emotional moments with humor and wit to create a perfect balance of depth and lightness throughout the story. A tender, heartfelt take on second chances, grief, and self-discovery. Cannot wait to read what Kate Hash comes out with next!

What a glorious, complex, heartwarming story. Gracie Harris is Under Construction is the definition of believing in a second chance for yourself after the loss of a partner. I’m not just referring to a second chance at romance, but also in personal will to live outside of her children.

In personal experience, grief can be a topic of conversation easily directed away from especially since it brings considering ones own mortality into question. This book does not shy away from the harsh realities and layers one faces while surviving the loss of a loved one.

Not only do you walk through the story of who Gracie was as she reflects upon the past year for the memoir she’s writing, but who she becomes during the time spent in small town Canopy. She comes to face that not only is she a mother, a daughter, a writer but also someone who doesn’t deserve to be alone forever. From starting small talk conversations with local business owners to building up the confidence to face big interview opportunities, we watch Gracie transform into someone she’s proud to be.

Speaking of small talk with local business owners, I absolutely loved the found family Gracie made along the way. Her support system after the loss of her husband was beautiful, but seeing her be a brave little introvert was just as precious. The dynamic between Gracie and Josh is so wholesome and tender. I loved seeing his patient love and how he continually respected her boundaries especially with the children.

Pub Date July 29 2025

ARC provided by Dutton and NetGalley. Thank you.

review posted to NetGalley & Goodreads

I finished this in less than 24 hours after seeing it in my NetGalley queue. It made me laugh and then made me cry at the end. It feels like exactly what it is - an incredibly promising debut. There are some genuinely outstanding examples of line level work scattered throughout the novel, glimmers of a future talent that could become a definitive voice in the genre.

I loved Gracie - by the end of the novel she felt deeply rendered and well known. I do wish we'd gotten to see a bit more of her with her kids? And I think I wish I'd seen a bit more nuance with Josh, who seemed almost too perfect to be true. I loved that Kate showed up some of Gracie's flaws, it made her more believable as a character.

But all in all - the novel delivers on precisely what is promised - it's a wildly entertaining story of personal growth with a ton of heart and some genuinely funny writing along the way. Really well done and I hope it's successful! I'm thinking about making it our inaugural book club pick!

I enjoyed this one! It was very refreshing to read an emotionally mature romance book centered around grief and healing. I loved Gracie and Ben, I also loved Gracie and Josh 🫶🏾 can’t wait to read more from Kate Hash!!

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Groul Dutton for the ARC ❤️❤️❤️

Gracie Harris is Under Construction is Kate Hash’s debut novel and it should 100% be on your TBR this summer. Gracie, a mom of two, is a recent widow navigating life without her husband and the massive changes to her life after losing her love. She goes to Canopy for the summer to the house that they had bought right before her husband passed while her children are at summer camp. The house needs work and in comes Josh, a local contractor who is taking a break from his business to work on historic homes. This story had me crying over Gracie’s struggles, giggling and kicking my feet at the glance between Josh and Gracie, and falling in love with her kids and their relationship. This story showed such a difficult time in Gracie’s life and the process she was going through to recover and move forward. Josh and Gracie were both such likable characters and I loved their story so much.

This will 100% be in my top 10, if not my top 5 this year!!

I liked this book, but dating within a year of this tragic event isn't realistic. If you've gone through this like I have, you'd know.

Thank you to Dutton Books for the ARC of this book! This was an absolutely beautiful book and an incredible debut from Kate Hash! I could not put this one down. It was devastating but also written with such hope at the same time. The book follows Gracie Harris, a mom of two who is reeling from the sudden and unexpected death of her husband in his early 40s. She has made a name for herself in the world by writing essays chronicling the grief she has experienced and how she navigates it while still being there for her kids who are 10 and 12. Her fame has come somewhat unexpectedly and as a result she has a regular column in the Times and a publishing deal to write a memoir. While her kids are at summer camp, she is going to go to the small town of Canopy to stay in the house her and her husband purchased as a second home just days before he passed. It needs tons of work and she hires the brother of her real estate agent to fix it up. Josh and Gracie spend tons of time together and the book begins to include new beginnings and falling in love again. This book honestly tore my heart out and had me crying multiple times, but it also stitched my heart right back together again. A beautiful story of grief, motherhood, finding yourself and letting yourself love again. I cannot recommend it enough!

This was a cute read. Gracie, our titular character, is a widow and mom of two. She writes an online essay about her dearly departed and her grief over losing him. Lo and behold, it goes viral and ends up getting her a book deal. While her kids are away for the summer, she decides to go to the mountains to write, and that's where she meets Josh, the contractor who is renovating her mountain house. Gracie has to ask herself if she is ready for a second chance at love and willing to risk her heart.

I found the character of Gracie a little unrealistic. She has a lot on her plate, and less than a year after her husband dies, she is considering a new romance? I find it hard to believe that someone who is hurting as much as she is, and has two kids, no less, would walk into this so easily. I also wish there were more of the kids in the story. They're only there in the beginning and a little at the end. I think it would have added a little more dimension to the plot. A lot of the book ended up being just a little too perfect for me; I like angst and drama, and this was just a little too idyllic. Some inconsistencies in the story threw me off, but maybe that's because it's an ARC. For example, the husband is mentioned as the baby of the family, but he is also mentioned elsewhere as the firstborn. I will admit there is an audience for this type of book; I am just not one of them. Not bad for a debut, though.

I absolutely love stories centered around grief, so I’m really bummed this didn’t work for me. Gracie Harris lands in the spotlight after a viral essay about her late husband earns her a book deal. Seeking solitude in the remote mountain house she and her husband purchased before his passing, she meets Josh, the charming contractor helping her renovate.

This story had a lot to say about grief, therapy, and healing. There were definitely some beautiful, quotable lines that clearly came from a thoughtful place. I loved what this story was trying to do, and I think a lot of readers will connect with it, but the execution just didn’t work for me. Gracie’s journey through grief felt a bit idyllic. Everything developed so perfectly—too perfectly.

The dialogue between Gracie and Josh seemed stilted and kind of interview-like. To be fair, that’s partly because Josh is helping her prep for interviews—but still, I struggled to feel any real emotional connection between them. And while I know grief looks different for everyone, Gracie’s openness to start dating so soon after her loss felt somewhat inconsistent with her emotions.

There just wasn't enough conflict. No real tension. Not even with her kids. Their quick acceptance of everything felt too easy, too convenient. It all felt too good to be true. It lacked the heavy, complicated feelings I look for in stories like this. But if you’re ok with a more picture-perfect take on grief and healing, this could be a comforting and hopeful read.

A heartfelt story about grief, growth, and starting over. Gracie is dealing with loss while trying to rebuild her life, and it’s messy but real. Honest writing and a relatable journey — quiet but powerful.

Gracie Harris Is Under Construction by Kate Hash is a heartwarming, funny, and emotionally rich debut that completely captured me from the first page.

I absolutely love discovering new authors, and Kate Hash knocked it out of the park with this one. It was refreshing, and honestly a bit rare, to read a romance featuring a heroine in her 40s who’s messy, honest, and navigating the complexities of grief, identity, and starting over. Gracie is a widow and mom of two, and is unexpectedly thrust into the public eye after an essay she wrote about her late husband goes viral. With a looming book deadline and her kids away at camp, she escapes to a crumbling mountain house for some solitude and healing.

Enter Josh, the charming contractor helping renovate the home she and her husband had once dreamed about. Their chemistry is undeniable, and while the romance is a slow burn and closed-door, it’s full of emotional tension and depth.

This book made me laugh out loud and cry (sometimes in the same chapter). It’s raw and tender, full of imperfect choices, unexpected moments of joy, and so much heart. If you love second-chance love stories, emotionally layered characters, and novels that explore what it means to rebuild your life (literally and figuratively), you’ll fall in love with Gracie Harris Is Under Construction. One of my favorite debuts of the year!

Usually when I write reviews, I do it immediately after finishing the book so all of the details are fresh in my mind. This one was different- I had to sit with it for a bit first.

While I’ve never lost a spouse, loss of a loved one is an all too familiar friend of mine, especially as a child. As as adult, romance novels are my genre of choice but I always feel particularly drawn to ones that also deal with grief because I tend to feel a connection to them straight off the bat, which was such the case with this one.

Right from the start of the book, Gracie has already lost her husband Ben, and is working to pick up the pieces of her life with her two children. Part of that means fixing up the summer house that they bought together right before his death. Gracie gains internet celebrity status by channeling her grief into a series of essays that really resonate with people because of the raw and honest subject matter, and she is spending the summer writing a book. Josh walks into her life in the form of a general contractor who slowly shows her that maybe she can love again.

Even though he isn’t physically present, Ben is very much a character in this story- not in a haunting the narrative way, but in the way that it feels like he was there with his hand on Gracie’s shoulder the entire time, giving her the strength she needed to move forward with her life.

I really, really loved this book. It tackles grief in a really poignant way, but is also so full of hope and love that you’re crying one minute and then grinning with the biggest smile on your face two minutes later. Gracie is wonderful as a main character. You root for her right from the very first page, and you love her just as much as all of the other characters in the book do. And Josh! Oh my Josh. I’d like one of those in real life, please! An absolute gem of a character. And together, they’re exactly what the other one needs.

I genuinely can not believe that this is Kate Hash’s first novel. If your first one is THIS good, I can’t imagine what your next one will be like (no pressure!) Whatever it may be, I will be first in line to read it (and hopefully can get an ARC for that one too!)

Read this one- you won’t regret it!

What a great debut this one was! This book follows Gracie Harris, the “Queen of Grief”, and her healing journey after the loss of her husband … and maybe her second chance at love? I just loved these main characters, the absolutely raw depiction of grief (make no mistake, this one also tackles the MANY different ways in which people grieve, not just limited to 💀, in a really graceful way). The slow burn romance (soft spice, closed door — if you’re looking for spice, that’s not the point of this book!) between Gracie and Josh is so satisfying to watch as it builds. I also loved the town Gracie spends her summer in — you all know I love world building. and this town, fictional Canopy, NC, feels like its own fleshed out character. The children felt a bit unbelievably accepting of their mother moving on, and their handling of the grief, but I let that slide since this book isn’t about them — it’s Gracie’s story alone.

Perfect for fans of Katherine Center and Annabel Monaghan, GRACIE HARRIS IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION follows widow Gracie as she maneuvers life a year after the sudden loss of her husband. Gracie’s Modern Love essay, written the night of his memorial, launches her writing career, and now, she’s got a memoir to finish and a house to renovate — a summer home she and her husband bought a week before he died.

While her kids are at camp, Gracie spends the summer writing while her handsome contractor works on the house. Of course, sparks begin to fly.

This was a really sweet, small-town women’s fiction/romance book with low stakes and no angst. Everyone is Very Nice. But it also offers a really lovely reflection on grief and love, particularly once it hits the 75% mark and Gracie finally digs into some of the messier emotions that come with loss

Gracie Harris is Under Construction
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“We’re grieving the future we were supposed to have. Meant to have. We’re grieving the end of one life and trying to figure out how the hell we start a new one. A new one we never expected to have. One we never asked for. And we need a new version of ourselves to do this.”
📝🔨🧡
I didn’t expect to love this one as much as I did 🥹 A story of grief, motherhood, figuring out your new normal, dating, community, giving yourself permission to give love and be loved. It was tender and honest, this romance felt like a warm hug, but I was also smiling and felt giddy! The small North Carolina mountain town will suck you in and you’ll be in love with this community and all the people in it 🫶🏼 I was rooting for Gracie the whole time! It’s a romance where you feel the sparks immediately, but the friendship they built was so special, they took their time getting to know each other on a cellular level and Josh is there for Gracie in such a beautiful way.
🌄
“The hardest thing for me is that all this happiness that I feel is the result of you losing the love of your life.”
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This one reminded me of Evvie Drake Starts Over (3.5 stars for me) but everything I missed or wanted in Evvie I got with Gracie! I felt like we dived deeper into what grief can look like and how it’s not linear and can take many different forms and show up with no notice. I loved that the growth didn’t feel rushed just so we could wrap it up, it was gradual, raw, messy, and real. We get some fade to black moments and I think it worked here. I also loved Gracie’s mother in law 🥹 I think for a debut this was great and I can’t wait for more books by Kate! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5)
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Thank you @katehashwrites @duttonbooks and @netgalley for this e-arc, Gracie Harris is Under Construction comes out July 29th!

very heartfelt, very interesting, and very well-done book about grief, recovering, and finding love after loss. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting access to this arc and to PRH Audio for the ALC.

This was a delightful read filled with raw emotions and humor. I loved watching the character of Gracie grow and open her self back up to love again. I also enjoyed the more vulnerable parts of the story and the romance was very sweet.

Furthermore, I was super excited that Brittany Pressley was picked to narrate the audiobook as she is one of my favorite narrators. She did an amazing job (as always) bringing the characters to life!

I can't wait to see what Kate Hash writes next!

This is a heartfelt, emotionally nuanced novel about loss, resilience, and the beautiful mess of starting over. Gracie Harris is a deeply relatable heroine—grieving, overwhelmed, and unsure of her next step, yet still managing to press forward. After her husband’s death, an unfiltered essay about her grief unexpectedly launches her into the public eye, giving her a new, if unwanted, platform. With a looming book deadline and her kids away at camp, Gracie seeks solitude—and maybe clarity—in a crumbling mountain house she and her husband once dreamed of renovating.

Enter Josh, the steady, kind contractor who brings not just skills but a quiet emotional intelligence. As the house takes shape, so too does the connection between them. Their relationship unfolds naturally, grounded in shared vulnerability rather than grand romantic gestures. The chemistry is real, but it’s Gracie’s internal transformation—raw, awkward, and ultimately hopeful—that gives the novel its emotional power.

This is a beautifully told story about letting go, moving forward, and learning that even when life doesn’t go as planned, it can still lead somewhere meaningful.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton | Dutton for allowing me to read an ARC of Gracie Harris Is Under Construction by Kate Hash, in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! Books like this need more than 5 stars!

This was such a beautifully written and powerful story! Brilliantly written story of loss and grief, re-discovering self, while also restructuring your life and a house.

There were so many moments that were relatable not only to grief, but to life in general, to examining oneself, and moving forward while not forgetting where you were.

Emotionally heartbreaking as well as heart-lifting, with a perfect balance of humor.

I look forward to reading more by Kate Hash.

WOW!! For me this was an absolutely stellar debut moving on after losing a loved one romance that sees columnist Gracie Harris struggling to write her memoir after going viral for an essay she wrote after her husband died suddenly from a heart attack.

On a deadline and with a summer to herself while her two children are away at camp, Gracie decides to move to the vacation house she and her husband bought but never got around to renovating. With the help of Josh, a local contractor (who is on his own mental health reset journey after work burnout), Gracie slowly finds herself opening up to a friendship that turns into something more as the summer progresses.

I absolutely loved the conversations Gracie and Josh had throughout the book. It might have seemed like she moved on fast after her husband's death but she had already been casually dating for a few months before meeting Josh and they were together every day for months. The best parts of the book for me though was the emotional depth and the self-reflection Gracie goes through thanks to her therapist, friends and Josh.

AMAZING on audio narrated by Brittany Pressley and perfect for fans of books like Elissa Sussman's Totally and completely fine and Katie Sturino's Sunny side up. HUGE thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review. I cannot wait to see what Kate Hash writes next.

Steam level: closed door/fade to black (very mild details)