4.5-5⭐️ I am purposefully omitting a synopsis here as there is virtually no way to share one without spoiling this book. If you notice the publisher’s synopsis - there is next to nothing about the overall plot. I am therefore going to keep my review short, sweet, and to the point.

I really had to parse out my feelings towards this book versus my feelings towards the MMC. I struggled very hard to connect with him and his decisions throughout the entirety of the book. I think the narration itself really amped up my dislike of him, and I would be so curious as to why the author used the narrator she did.

And yet, and yet, I think the quality of the story, the writing, the character development is outstanding, particularly for a debut novel. Hence my very complicated feelings towards this story, and another reason it is becoming a standout to me - it’s clearly lingering in my psyche even days later.

🎧 I chose to do this as an immersive read, utilizing both the physical/ebook and the audiobook, to fully immerse myself in the story. Fiona Button does an outstanding job of bringing this emotionally wrought story to life.

Read if you like:
▪️unique narrators
▪️complex family dramas
▪️thought-provoking stories
▪️dual timelines
▪️emotional reads

‼️ There are quite a few triggers. Please research or DM me prior to reading if you are sensitive to them.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copies.

Loretta certainly knows how to write a beginning i felt it in my bones, tears streaming in my eyes. I feel like i need to take a few days to actually sit here in silence to think about what i have just read.

Heartwrenching but surprisingly interesting story just ended up not caring much for Honors husband near the end sadly.

Loretta Rothschild crafts a moving story about loss, healing, and the journey toward self-discovery through the eyes of a woman whose life is turned upside down. Rothschild’s writing is gentle yet emotionally resonant, painting vivid portraits of grief, love, and forgiveness.

This is a quiet, reflective read that lingers long after the final page—perfect for readers who enjoy character-driven stories about second chances and the strength that comes from vulnerability.

To be honest, I went in mostly blind. When the blurb mentioned a life-changing event and Honor kept going on about wanting another child, I thought, Oh, this is going to be another IVF mommy drama à la Rebecca from The Whispers by Ashley Audrain. But wow—I was not expecting this!

I almost gave up on the book because the twist was such a curveball, but I’m glad I stuck with it. It ended up being surprisingly reflective, emotional, and definitely an interesting story.

Tom, his wife Honor, and their young daughter Chloe look like the perfect family. No one but Honor’s closest friends know how much Honor longs to have another baby, and the possibility of using an egg donor. When tragedy strikes, Tom is left to pick up the pieces of his broken heart. Luckily, there is some hope on the horizon.

My synopsis is intentionally vague as I feel the shock value of the first chapter helped grip me and held my attention for this story. This story was very well written. I enjoyed the past and present timeline, and thought the narrator was extremely unique. However, the main storylines gave me the icks and made me feel creeped out. The audiobook was very well narrated and despite not loving the plot, I still was captivated and needed to see how the story would play out.

4.5 Stars rounded up

I really liked this book that, to me, was more of a story about living with grief and moving on from a tragedy—with a touch of romance. Finding Grace follows Honor, who seems to have it all until a devastating event changes everything. Years later, one decision sets off a ripple effect that intertwines two women’s lives in unexpected ways.

Blending emotional depth with a gripping moral dilemma, this debut novel is both moving and thought-provoking. My only critique is that the ending felt a bit rushed, but overall, it’s a beautiful, compelling story about love, loss, and second chances.

Thank you NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild is an engrossing literary fiction novel of love, loss, grief and healing. I don’t want to give too much away in my review, because it’s best to go into it blindly. Suffice to say, the story grabbed me from the surprising, explosive beginning and held my attention until the very end. I couldn’t put it down; I just had to know how this story would end.
It’s a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, told from an original and surprising point of view. I enjoyed the cast of both sympathetic and morally ambiguous characters, as well as the often hilarious side characters. I rooted for MMC Tom’s happiness, but it was such a struggle to forgive his abundance of lies and increasingly deceptive behavior.
Overall this is such an impressive debut novel that I highly recommend! I was able to listen to the audio version and follow along with the print version, and would highly recommend either format. 4/5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for advanced copies of this novel. Consider pre-ordering, it’s available 6/10/25

Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild has all the ingredients of a deeply moving novel—grief, redemption, and second chances—but somehow, it never fully delivers on its promise.

The story follows Tom, a man reeling from loss, and Grace, a woman with a complicated past. Their paths intertwine in ways that should feel profound but often come across as contrived. Rothschild’s writing is undeniably poetic, and there are moments of genuine emotional depth, but the pacing is uneven, and the character development feels incomplete. Tom's internal struggles are well-explored, but Grace remains frustratingly opaque for much of the book, making it difficult to truly connect with her journey.

Thematically, the novel tackles heavy topics, but it sometimes leans too much on sentimentality rather than letting the characters' actions and decisions speak for themselves. Certain plot twists feel more convenient than earned, and while the book aims for an uplifting resolution, it wraps up a little too neatly given the weight of its subject matter.

Overall, Finding Grace is a decent read with flashes of brilliance, but it doesn’t quite reach its full potential. If you love introspective, slow-burn literary fiction, you might find more to appreciate, but for me, it was just okay.

Wow,what a great book. Tragic but hopeful. I became frustrated with the main character at times but that was what was supposed to happen. Unique idea and written so well. The narrator was amazing. I will recommend to everyone

2.5* rounded up.
This debut started so strongly - what a first chapter! But the direction where it went was unappealing. It was sometimes maudlin with a lot of repetitive navel-gazing and then a section of beautiful writing made me continue. I would love to read the Rothschild's next book because of that beautiful writing. The narrator on the audiobook was excellent
Thank you to #netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC.

I throughly enjoyed this novel. The story starts off with a twists and develops into a love story. A fantastic family drama. I went back and forth between the written copy and the audiobook and it was seamless. The narration was done well. I really enjoyed how the story was told from the wife’s point of view.

Thank you #NetGalley, #St.Martin’sPress, #MacmillanAudio. #LorettaRothschild, #FionaButton and #FindingGrace for the advance copy for my honest review.

Wow, this book was not at all what I was expecting. It started off with a startling event, and it just spiraled from there.

I’ve been hearing about this book and thought I would take a chance with it. I was very happy with my choice! This story is very unique, it is told from the perspective of Honor, who you meet immediately in the beginning. I loved that the author choice her to narrate this story.

The way the author wrote this story was fabulous. It is told in present and past. And it really keeps you on the edge of your seat because Honor’s husband just keeps spiraling and you anticipate his every move throughout the book.

I don’t want to give anything away because it would be super easy to spoil this book. But I would recommend going in blind because it is well worth the surprises.

***Thank you NetGalley and McMillan audio for an ARC copy in return for an honest review***

I was enthralled with this book from the very beginning! The storyline is so unique, yet relatable in many ways. Really makes you think about how you would respond if ever out in a similar situation. Always something that kept me interested to learn how things would play out. If you’re a fan of Liane Moriarity you will love this book!

This book really goes there—grief, loss, trauma, infertility, surrogacy, toxic relationships, and the ripple effects of every choice made in the wake of tragedy. It’s a lot, and at times, maybe a little too much. But I still found it moving.

What stood out most to me was the way Finding Grace explored the long-term emotional fallout of sudden loss, especially from the perspective of surviving parent. Rothschild captures the highs and lows of grief not as something linear, but as something that loops back on itself, complicating new love and second chances. I appreciated that complexity.

That said, some of the relationship dynamics were wildly toxic, and while I think the book wanted to acknowledge that, it didn’t always go deep enough into the emotional consequences. The ethical layers around surrogacy and egg donation were compelling but also raised so many questions—this could've easily been two novels' worth of content.

Overall, though, it was good. A bold, messy, emotional debut that left me thinking long after I finished. Definitely one I’d recommend going into blind.

📚 Finding Grace 🎧
✍ Loretta Rothschild
📖 Fiction
⭐3.5/5
🌶️ 🌶️

🙏 Thank you to Macmillan audio, NetGalley and the author for an advanced listener copy of Finding Grace. All opinions are my own.
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My thoughts: This book started off with a bang and I was convinced for a hot minute that it was going to be a mystery- but it most definitely wasn't. It was much more of a winding fiction novel about the unconventional way a man connects with a woman tied to his late wife. While I wasn't a huge fan of Tom, one of the main characters, I loved the unique point of view and way the author chose to tell this story. I tend to find that many of the books I read have grief as a central theme but many of them seem to focus on experiencing grief and then moving on from grief whereas I found the way grief tied into this plot in waves with distinct highs and lows over time really poignant. The ups and downs of sadness in grief and its ability to be interrupted by bouts of happiness have always really struck me as powerful and I think this book captured a lot of that strange sadness/joy relationship. The audio on this was really well done and I recommend it because I think it brings the POV out in a novel way. I didn't find this as profound as I thought I would but it was still a good (and very interesting) read.
◾
Read if you're intrigued by:
*unique POVs
*complicated relationships built on lies
*poignant takes on grief and moving on without losing love
*fertility journeys
◾
See also: Till Death Do Us Part, The Love of My Life, Within Reach

Alright, so... I did not expect for this book to F**K with my heart and my emotions the way that it did. Shame on you, Loretta Rothschild! And you damn well know what I mean. This is a volatile time in our country, I'm already on edge and very vulnerable for you to torture me with this way.

Anyway, this was a beautiful debut and it will mess with your heart, and your mind, but there's beauty in the process.

Fiona Button’s narration was exquisitely executed. Special thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the free audiobook. Fiona Button does a superb job narrating this story and making it come to life!

A couple on vacation in France are the victims of a terrorist attach. The mother and child are killed leaving the father beyond grief. Upon his return to England, he discovers that their surrogate is pregnant and he will be a father. Through happenstance, the egg donor clinic accidently sends him the anonymous egg donor's contact and she is a dead ringer for his lost wife.

I absolutely loved this story and I do not read romance. I was surprised by how well written this story is and that its the first publication by the author. There are twists and turns in the book that are so unique. Very well written with likable characters and very relatable. 5 stars!!!

I'm often critical of plots that jump the shark, and maybe if you read a synopsis, this seems like it would. But, honestly, I thought it worked well and was clever.

No quotes as the final copies aren’t out in the world, but there are some bangers in here.

🎧 Thank you to Macmillan Audio via NetGalley for the audiobook ARC.

Out June 10!

I have a feeling this is going to be a read of the Summer for lots of people. The story opens following Honor, a children’s book author, her husband Tom and their daughter Chloe, in Paris. She is a woman who, after years struggling with infertility, is surrounded by love and friendship, but her attempt to conceive another is heavy on her mind. This twisty, and often tense, contemporary will compel you to just keep reading, but it also isn’t a typical “domestic thriller”, this is — at its core — a story that navigates grief, and the decisions we make when we are wrapped up in our own struggles. It ponders on love, forgiveness, and secrets but also motherhood, families and friendship. Because of the sensitive nature of the topics of fertility, specifically, I was worried that some scenes or conclusions might be handled poorly, but at every turn I found the author to have an honesty, and integrity that always centered the position of the person struggling. I loved Honor and Tom’s friend group, that might as well be family, and the people that come into their orbit over the course of the novel were also delightful. The writing was beautiful, and many of the scenes poignant and emotional. I really enjoyed this and it spurred many conversations about ethics and parenting. So if you’re looking for a page turner with a lot of heart, this is it!

A note on the audiobook… it’s great! Fiona Button’s narration is both believably acted and very animated. It really added to my reading experience, bringing the characters that much more to life.

The story starts with a bang. Jaw dropping. Did that really just happen? No way.
I have never read a story that started this way before. Instant turn to chapter 2.

However, the middle of story begins to drag. The concept is incredible. The grief feels real. Yet, the attraction, the chemistry, the falling in love feels forced yet also too quick. The reader does not fall in love with the love interest. Perhaps that is because it is not told from the POV of the main character, yet instead is told from the POV of his late wife.

The POV of a dead wife watching her husband re-fall in love is interesting. I liked it, but it was also a bit boring as it didn't evoke much emotion in the reader.

Overall, I adore the concept and hope to have more books like this published. It did make the reader grapple with feelings of guilt / almost cheating when falling in love after death isn't cheating but still feels weird

I enjoyed the narration.