Thank you to Macmillan and St. Martin’s Press for the review copies of Finding Grace. This is one I’ve taken some time to sit with, as I think it will land differently for each reader. I highly recommend going in blind—but also with the understanding that this isn’t a book to pick up when you're looking for an escape. Instead, it’s ideal for a book club ready to dive into emotionally complex and layered narratives. While the audiobook is well-produced, I personally found the physical copy easier to process, as the intensity of the themes felt more manageable on the page. Rothschild creates a tense, moody atmosphere and uses dramatic irony effectively, even if the plot occasionally felt repetitive and some character decisions were hard to follow. The unique narration added texture but sometimes pulled me out of the story rather than drawing me in. Still, I couldn’t fully step away. It’s raw, heartbreaking, and messy—and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since finishing.

This book will trigger because it is quite manipulative. It whitewashes very serious issues and glamorizes and idolizes other potentially even more problematic ones. It is a 'poison' that goes down fairly smoothly though. I will definitely seek out future books by this author. Also 5 stars for the narrator.

Can you fall in love with a person, like truly and deeply fall in love with another person, just by looking at them? And what if the very moment you met was created under the false pretenses and then one lie led to another, one manipulation after another. And what if the person you are interested in reminds you of someone else and that seems to be the only reason you pursue them. And of course the presence of a very cute innocent child is supposed to excuse some of the issues.
The book does not pose those questions, even though they all inevitably come to the surface, it just rolls with a narrative that love conquers all, and that pregnancy can solve the lack of trust. And maybe in theory love does conquer all however the way the book depicts "love" is hugely problematic. The first person narrative from Honor's perspective is clearly to greenlight and excuse all those problematic situations.

Unfortunately, "Finding Grace" was a difficult listen for me. Loretta Rothschild is undeniably a beautiful writer. Her prose is elegant and thoughtful, but I struggled to connect with Honor, the protagonist, simply because of where she is in her life and where I am in mine. Sometimes, timing just makes all the difference in how a story lands.

That said, this is a richly layered, introspective novel that would be excellent for a book club. There’s a lot to unpack in terms of character, relationships, and personal growth, and it invites meaningful discussion.

Fiona Button's narration adds an additional layer of polish, her voice is smooth, steady, and well-suited to the reflective tone of the novel.

Thank you to Loretta Rothschild, Fiona Button, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for sending me the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Tom and Honor take their daughter Chloe on a trip to Paris. As mother and daughter wander the Ritz’s foyer, a bomb detonates, and the two die. Tom returns to America and pieces together a semblance of a life. His depression consumes him, but he receives news that his and Conor’s surrogate is pregnant, and Henry becomes his sole reason for continuing. Later, Tom accidentally discovers the supposedly anonymous egg donor’s contact information and seeks her out. As Tom befriends Grace Stone, an owner of a wine bar who also grieves her late husband, he keeps his knowledge of her part in Henry’s life a secret. The secrets swell as the two fall in love, and Tom proposes with Honor’s diamond ring by accident. At their engagement party, a lifelong friend of Tom’s sabotages the merriment because of her unrequited love for Tom. Grace leaves Tom for 6 months but takes him back when he apologizes because she’s pregnant with their child.

After Honor’s death, her ghost narrates Finding Grace, reminding me of Wyld’s The Echoes. Similarly, I did not enjoy the ghost narration, a ghost who sometimes holds all-knowledge and sometimes learns. I try not to read abstracts before starting a book; if I had known the story would center on the idea of romantic love, I likely would’ve tried another title. Moreover, the premise—dating your kid’s egg donor without your partner knowing—gave me icky feelings. This may have been all issues with me rather than Rothschild’s work as such.

My thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for an ARC. I shared this review on GoodReads on June 14, 2025 (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7431154464).

What a heartbreaking and innovative book.

Honor has a beautiful life, a handsome husband and a sweet four-year-old daughter. But she wants another baby. Exhausted by her constant worrying about the surrogate, Tom asks Honor to stop bringing up whether or not the surrogate is pregnant while they are celebrating Christmas in Paris. When tragedy strikes, the characters must work their way through and prove that love is enduring.

I did not expect this book to be what it is. I recommend going in pretty blind because it emotionally rocked me.

The writing is superb and the story was not what I expected at all.

The audio narration is perfect and handles the pronunciation of a variety of words, including Italian and French with ease. I will admit that I was unsure whether the main character was named Anna or Honor due to the way some Brits pronounce Anna, but was able to look at the description to determine.

I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

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. The beautiful voice of Fiona Button really brought the deep feelings of this book to life; hearing someone read a story aloud is a much different experience than silently reading it. And this listening experience hit me harder and deeper than reading it. She did an incredible job!

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 hyper-focused 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. I enjoyed the audio narration quite a bit.

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

Thanks to Macmillan Audio 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.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC of this book.

4.25/5. Wow! I was not prepared for this. From an opening chapter that I will never forget to a truly unique story by a debut author, this book will stay with me for a while. While certainly flawed, I really enjoyed reading this novel.

Wow, this book is unlike anything I've ever read before. The end of the first chapter was jaw dropping and had me hooked. I don't want to give anything away so I'll keep it vague but this book is definitely a page turner. The audio version was really well done. I loved the narrators accent. Highly recommend!

“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.

I did enjoy the audiobook in addition to the ebook. The narration is great (beautiful accent) and really got me through those slower bits.

“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 Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest thoughts and to St. Martin’s Press for the complimentary eARC.

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.

Publishing TODAY!
4.5

First off, this is a truly impressive debut, I can't wait to read what the author creates next! The narration by Fiona Button was superb.

This book is in fact GRIPPING. It's sad, it's uncomfortable, and I felt dread and anxiety about the choices made when the characters felt they had no other paths to take. It's also optimistic and left me feeling that love and grief can be transformative.

Be mindful of your trigger warnings on this one, though I'll hide them from this review. [(spoiler)Infertility, miscarriage, death of a child, death of a spouse, terrorism (hide spoiler)]

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an audiobook ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

How is this a debut!?

I went into this one blind, and I encourage you to do the same. I was enraptured and shocked within the first chapter. This is about loss and grief, about a love found, and the ghosts that linger of those lost, and all the missteps in between. I experienced a range of emotions as I read this, and I’m still grappling with some of my thoughts—that's a sign of a great book.

🎧Fiona Button does a beautiful job narrating the audiobook. It added another raw and emotional layer to my reading.


Thank you @macmillan.audio for the gifted audiobook via #NetGalley.

I listened to the advance listener copy of Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild narrated by Fiona Button and I really liked this book. From the opening line, "The last time we were at the Ritz in Paris, I had my fifth miscarriage at breakfast" to Honor reciting Beaudelaire's Hymn to Beauty to the gorgeous love story and a second chance this book broke my heart and patched it up again. It is a story not for the faint of heart and that is all I will say because to give a synopsis of the story is to spoil the story. Don't read reviews or the back of the book or the dust jacket - just go into blind. It is heartbreaking and hopeful and messy - just like life.

I need to thank Net Galley and MacMillan Audio for my advance listener copy. This book releases on Tuesday, June 10, 2025.

⭐️⭐️Review⭐️⭐️
📖 Title: Finding Grace
🧍‍♀️Author: Loretta Rothschild

This book was such a surprise. The synopsis was so vague I went in completely blind. This was an edge of your seat, nail-biting, anxiety-ridden, super exciting literary thriller. It was one of those stories where you’re just walking along reading and everything is good and the sun is out, everyone is smiling, and bammmmm! A surprise comes out of left field that you absolutely did not see coming!! But the initial surprise is nothing compared to the building tension throughout the book and the conclusion before the conclusion!!! This is one that you will start and not be able to stop and it won’t matter if it’s 2 AM. I loved this book!!! I had a book hangover after this one !!!! Highly, highly recommend. How is it even POSSIBLE that this is a debut?!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to #Netgalley for an advanced audible copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

What a stunner of a debut. Finding Grace caught me out and had me shook from the very beginning. I went in blind, and when that first twist hit—my jaw dropped. It’s shocking, to say the least, and completely changed the trajectory of the story in a way I absolutely didn’t see coming.

The tension in this book gave me massive anxiety (in the best way possible). The lies, the secrets, the constant shifting of truth—it was all so claustrophobic and intense, I couldn’t look away. I read it in a single day, completely consumed. If you’re planning to read it, I highly recommend going in blind to get the full impact of the initial twist.

Honor's life seems nearly perfect—she has a bright, beautiful daughter, a husband she loves (even if he’s rarely home), and the dream of expanding their family. But one shocking event changes everything. Years later, a decision Tom makes sends lasting ripples through all their lives, entwining the fates of two women in ways neither could have foreseen.

I’m not even sure how to classify this book—it doesn't fit neatly into one genre. It blends a gripping moral dilemma with a sweeping, emotionally charged story of love, loss, and what we’re willing to sacrifice for a new beginning. Absolutely loved the full concept with the surprise narrator. My only negative was that the ending felt a tiny bit rushed, but it was still satisfying and, honestly, the only way I could have been happy with it ending.

Twisty, emotional, and impossible to put down—Finding Grace is one of those books that stays with you. A bold, unforgettable debut.

Fiona Button did an impeccable job as the audiobook narrator. Enjoyed the cadence and rhythm of her voice and she perfectly captured the emotional nuances of the story.

"Finding Grace" was like watching an impending train wreck and I am absolutely here for it! Filled with deep emotion, ethical dilemmas, and poignant love, this book is best read by going into it blind, so the less I say the better. I really enjoyed Rothschild's unique choice for POV, and that decision alone would make for excellent book club discussions. I highly recommend it to those who like their literary fiction on the lighter side, enjoy character studies revolving around romance, and are ready and willing to wade into morally gray areas. This is an impressive debut!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, NetGalley, and Loretta Rothschild for an advance copy for honest review. The audiobook production is very well done and Fiona Button delivers an excellent performance on narration. 4.5 stars rounded up.

I listened to this book on audio and absolutely loved it!! I was pulled in from the very beginning and found myself listening whenever I had a free moment. I enjoyed the characters, the storyline and it pulled together nicely at the end.

FINDING GRACE by Loretta Rothschild is a remarkable debut that’s bound to receive a lot of great buzz this summer. People will definitely be talking about this book, that’s for sure. It’s also the second book I’ve read this week that’s been difficult to review for the exact same reason. You really can’t say too much about the plot without totally ruining it for other readers. The publisher’s synopsis is quite vague, and thankfully doesn’t give anything away, but I still advise you to go in blind. Don’t peek at too many reviews! Trust me! Just prepare yourself for a complicated, morally grey, train-wreck type of situation. Ha! It also has strong themes of marriage, motherhood, and friendship. I will say that the male protagonist had me pulling out my hair with his awful decision-making. My gosh! Here’s a few phrases I whisper-screamed at him all throughout:

“𝙉𝙤, 𝙣𝙤, 𝙣𝙤, 𝙣𝙤!”
“𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩!”
“𝘽𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚, 𝙗𝙧𝙪𝙝!”
“𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥. 𝙋𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚!”
“𝘿𝙐𝘿𝙀! 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜?”
🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

If you’re in the mood for a juicy, shocking, and addictive read that you’ll find impossible to put down, this is definitely it. The narration is top-notch, so I highly recommend the audio route if you do decide to pick this one up. Overall, it’s a very impressive debut. 4/5 solid stars for FINDING GRACE! It releases on July 8th! Highly recommend!