An emotional story! It’s best to go in blind, but no that it’s not a light story. Characters were frustrating at times but if you enjoy messy characters with lots of emotion, give this one a try.

The synopsis of this book got me, two women's lives intertwined, a shocking even that changed their lives, and secrets. I can't really say much without spoilers, but I really was shocked at the events that took places, never saw it coming. But...I feel like I just couldn't really dig into the story and connect with the characters. I did like the narration, it was an easy listen and the point of view it was from added to the story.

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.

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.

Wow! The only thing I am sad about after finishing this book is, that it is not being published until June 2025 and I have no one to discuss it with! This book is a debut novel from Loretta Rothschild and it was amazing! There is a shocking moment in the first chapter that made my jaw completely drop. I cannot even tell a synopsis about the plot of this book because I don't want to ruin it for anyone. I don't even know how to categorize this novel: slow burn thriller family drama??? The plot and narrator of this book were so unique, that is just all I can say.

I highly recommend this original story for a book club because there are so many details to discuss.

I read this book on audiobook and the narrator was incredible.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. I loved it and will recommend it to several of my book friends. #NetGalley @Macmillan.Audio @MacmillanAudio #FindingGrace

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 to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my gifted ALC.

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!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. I am not sure how to give a review on this one as there are parts of the book that I really liked and then parts that were like "as if". Honour, her husband Tom and their daughter Chloe are in Paris over Christmas and even though it should be a magical happy time, Honour & Tom's marriage has been struggling lately as Honour has been obsessed with having another baby and they have found a surrogate to help them. Instead of enjoying the trip like Tom wants her to Honour keeps checking her phone for messages to see if the surrogate is pregnant or not. Honour and Tom are arguing again and as he storms out of the room she yells unthinkable words at him that she can never take back. Honour & Chloe head out to see the huge Christmas Tree decorated in the lobby and Tom decides to stay in their room. Minutes later there is a life altering moment that will forever change all of their lives. I can't expand on this review as it will give the whole story away so I will just say..... Enjoy!!!

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. Fiona does an excellent job narrating and helps bring the characters to life. It reminded me a little bit of Bridget Jones’ Diary. This will appeal to readers looking for something light and uncomplicated with a fresh storyline.

“You can't boycott grief, unless you want to boycott happiness with it. You don't get the meat without the bones”

Grief is messy, and this book gets that. Finding Grace is one of those rare debut novels that sneaks up on you. I went in blind—no spoilers, no expectations—and within the first chapter, I was completely hooked. Loretta Rothschild writes with quiet power and emotional clarity, and the result is a story that’s deeply human, uncomfortably honest, and utterly absorbing.

This is literary fiction that leans into the emotional slow-burn: alternating between past and present, unraveling characters layer by layer. There’s a touch of mystery, a heavy dose of heartbreak, and a steady, deliberate focus on character development that pays off. Grace, Honor, and Tom aren’t just names on a page—they feel real, flawed, hurting, and trying. Their relationships are messy and complicated, but that’s what gives the book so much weight.

“However you want to dress it up, every mother lies to her child… We all protect our babies in the way we think is best”
I’ve seen some pushback on Tom, and I get it—his choices aren’t easy to forgive. But grief does strange things to people. Sometimes we lie to survive the moment. And then the lie spirals until even we don’t recognize ourselves. If you’ve ever made a mess trying to hold yourself together after everything falls apart, Tom’s story might hit a little closer to home than you expect, for me it did.

The audiobook deserves a mention too—beautifully narrated, with just the right level of restraint. There were a few moments where the tone didn’t quite match the emotional beat of the scene, but overall, the audio enhanced the experience, especially with such introspective prose. This isn’t a thriller, though it dances around the edges of that genre. It's not just a family drama, either. It's a meditation on what it means to love someone when you're broken. A story about how we find our way back—if not to who we were, then to who we’re becoming.

Beautiful, haunting, and quietly bold. A strong debut, and one I won’t forget anytime soon.

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advanced audiobook and to St. Martin’s Press for the advanced physical copy of this novel. Available 6/10/25

The last sentence of the first chapter took my breath away and sets the structure for the whole book. I've only read maybe one other book from this perspective, and I really like the way the story is revealed. I did find myself frustrated with one of the main characters for omitting information readers will be screaming for him to reveal! Overall, I was entertained and would recommend to others. Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC!

This is not what I was expecting and it just didn't work for me. I think other readers may enjoy it.

[3.5 stars rounded up]

A beautiful debut, Finding Grace is a novel about grief, and the time following grief where you find yourself again and love again. This is one of those novels with a major twist event happening at the end of one of the first chapters, so events within the book will be spoken of very broadly here.

This book is a liar revealed trope. I, personally, do not enjoy reading liar revealed tropes. This is the main drawback of my rating as, though the book kept my interest the whole time, it snagged a bit in the middle and lead-up to the climax as these features of the trope made up the majority of the story. However, this is one of the best executions of this trope that I have seen. There is no wasted time in this book. Each chapter works both as a contained episode of the character’s lives as well as building the momentum of the plot. We don’t waste time on extended failed attempts at fourth-wall breaking humor or anything of that like nor do we have to suffer through lengthy secondhand embarrassment towards Tom (though, naturally, there is a touch of that).

If you like the dread, tension, humor, secondhand embarrassment (but not too much), and everything else that a liar revealed plot gives you, then you will love this book because it has the best instances of each of those things that I have seen done.

Each character, main and side, are distinct and given the perfect amount of pagetime. I started to get worried near the start, especially once the ladies of the wine club were introduced, but those fears were quickly dissuaded as the author’s skill at handling everyone came through. The women of the wine club (sans Grace, of course) are the least developed personally, but they work best as a conglomerate device while also being really charming. Each of Tom’s friends are given the perfect amount of time to develop and, especially in Lauren’s place, run through a believable and well-written character arc. Colette surprised me the most as I assumed that she would not stick around so often, but I really appreciated her being there. Her character became very enjoyable over the course of the novel. The main characters are, of course, in nearly every scene and utilized well.

Some characters come off as irritating, though I never hated anyone (other than maybe Honor). How did I not hate Tom? I am always the first person to hate the man when he does these things in other novels, but, somehow, the author did such a good job of writing him that I didn’t hate him. Honor had some very unbearable moments, but over time they dissipated. Same with Grace at multiple points. Mostly, these made the characters feel more human and well-built, but this still created a few moments of frustration and thoughts of "I would not be friends with these people in real life."
Narration style is done so effortlessly that I had to take the time to appreciate it during my reading. I have read some very good and very bad attempts at this narrative choice, and this is definitely on the very good end of the spectrum. It’s, again, so effortless that you don’t ever question it. It also allows for so much creativity with what we as the audience know or don’t know.

She's also a very tight writer. I mentioned much earlier that no time was wasted. It’s hard to describe, but we get off-handed mentions of what Tom will do to resolve or plan something without showing us every little filler interaction. The story is constantly moving and things are constantly building up to the climax, but it’s never rushed or crammed in there.

The author writes grief so well. The first several chapters of the book were gut-wrenching in their descriptions. It's palpable through the pages. I’m so glad that Tom could cry without being judged or deemed weak. It’s refreshing compared to the amount of stoic non-feeling male leads I’ve seen in the past. I would love to see this author write more around this theme.

The ending is really interesting in that I, and apparently a good amount of other reviewers that I see, would not have forgiven Tom. But, that does not make it a bad ending at all. I felt slightly underwhelmed at the reaction to the reveal by the side characters, but the actual conversation between Grace and Tom carried the scene, as did the reveal about Lauren.

A very mature ending. If these characters were in college, then this would have ended with the collapse of the entire friend group. Instead, we get a very mature and reflective ending. If it were not for my personal dislike and boredness of the main trope of this book, it would have been an easy five stars and I do think that, for so many other readers who like the areas I addressed, it will also be for them.

Finding Grace follows children's author, Honor, and financier, Tom. They love each other madly, but their relationship is suffering from a lengthy battle with secondary infertility. We open to Christmas in Paris where all should be magical, but the two are fighting over Honor's obsession with their surrogate's pending pregnancy test and Tom's insistence that they should be focusing on their daughter Chloe.

When a suicide bomber tragically ends Honor and Chloe's life, Tom struggles to move on. His story is told from Honor's POV--focusing on Tom's nature and with all the love and guile of a long term partner. Shortly after Tom is widowed, their pregnant surrogate produces son Henry. Tom has the support of Honor's friends and is doing, ok. Right?

A clerical error unveils the identity of Henry's closed embryo adoption, and Tom is so curious to meet the woman. Ethical and moral lines are blurred as the two begin an affair. This book is sad, sweet and discussed grief in the most tangible and sometimes humorous ways. Finding Grace made me nostalgic for all the little ways I would be missing my partner if I were Honor.

Loretta Rothschild wrote a stunning debut here and I cannot wait to read her next novel. Fiona Button beautifully performed the voice of Honor. Her soothing posh, London voice and serene veneer brought love and levity to the entire story. Thank you MacMillon Audio and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this gorgeous debut novel.

🎧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 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 Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review.

this was so different and i really enjoyed it. the audiobook was amazing and i would definitely recommend it!! this was my first book by loretta rothschild

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and MacMillan Audio for the digital copy of this book and audiobook; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The publisher synopsis was sufficiently vague, because this book was written in such a unique way that to say certain things would give away a major plot point. So, I will try to do the same. The first few chapters of the book reminded me of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, but I won’t tell you what parts–sorry!

I didn’t quite connect with the characters in the book, but I was still compelled to find out the whole story. Red herrings, Maguffins, this book has it all. It definitely will make you react emotionally. What emotions it evokes depends upon how much you like how the story unfolds. I really can’t figure out how to tell you about this book without giving spoilers.

The audiobook was narrated by Fiona Button, who did an excellent job. I would definitely listen to another book narrated by her.

Very impressive debut- such a unique structure and plot device. Had to find out what happens. Interesting characters and journey. Fantastic narration.

5 stars!

I liked the book (read the ARC a while back), but I loved the audio. The narration really brought the story to life! It's hard to discuss the book without giving it away. As I posted in a TikTok video, the biggest takeaway I had was that keeping secrets is like building a house of cards - you never know when it's all going to crash down on you!