There is potential in this, but wow more edits were needed.

The entire foundation of the plot makes no sense. There is an event lazily used as a plot device that is never explained in more depth and then a "clerical error" that has about 0% chance of happening in reality. This is compounded by Tom acting like a dingus at every turn and weirdly, his friends often enough encouraging it. I also had no emotional investment in these characters or their relationships, all of which felt shallow.

But also... why is the publisher being weird with the synopsis? <spoiler>Honor, our narrator, dies in the literal first chapter! </spoiler> My rule of thumb is it's not a spoiler if it happens within the first 10% of the book, so I'm not sure why the publisher decided to actively misrepresent the book to potential readers.

The narrator is <spoiler>dead, </spoiler>I think that's important to forming your decision to read this or not.

Complaints aside, the writing itself was generally decent, the story raised (though did not explore) a lot of interesting ethical questions around fertility/death/parenthood, and Fiona Button is a stellar audiobook narrator. I maintain the book needs further revisions, but given that this is a debut I will still look out for more from Loretta Rothschild; parts of this story were very compelling.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for the audio-arc.

Wow what a page turner!
This was a unique reading experience and will leave your jaw on the floor. There are some themes that might be triggering so please check those out.

Fiona Button does a wonderful job bringing this story to life.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this audio production.

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
WHAT WE DO NEXT RIPPLES THROUGH TIME, and we are never making decisions that only affect ourselves. That is my takeaway from this novel. It absorbed me! I was completely engrossed in its moving concepts from cover to cover. Loretta Rothschild understands originality in dramatic arc, narration, and in implementing themes.

Honor is consumed with having a second child. She has a beautiful daughter, Chloe, and a handsome, overworked husband, Tom. In Tom's eyes, this should be enough. They've tried everything the medical world can offer to conceive a child, and Tom is tired of it eclipsing their marriage. When a tragic event changes the trajectory of their family. Years later, Tom makes a decision that will have the lives of two women forever intertwined. Can the consequences of secrets kept still birth redemption in the end?

The plot line of this novel tracks like a roller coaster. The synopsis is vague because there are so many inciting incidents, moral dilemmas, and complexities! Every decision made and step taken matters. What we do next ripples through time, and we are never making decisions that only affect ourselves. Rothchild's choice of narrator is brilliant and bold. I couldn't get through this story fast enough. It needs to be a movie.

Fiona Button's voice acting proved to be crucial to this novel. Not only is she able to capture each character distinctly, but she captures them to the core. Loretta Rothchild's writing fuels Fiona Button's realism. Knowing what I know about Rothchild's chosen narrator, I wonder how this book would land in paper form.

A special thank you to NetGalley, Loretta Rothchild, Fiona Button, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to engage with this audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"Do you come from Heaven or rise from the abyss"

I love a good debut! With a brilliant title no less!
Rothschild kicks off the novel in a big way and makes you wonder what the reader is in for. The main male lead is presented with an opportunity for a second chance, but with it comes a moral dilemma. While he wants to do the right thing, he is overcome and spins a tangled web with expectant repercussions. I found myself saying "noooooooo" to his choices. But while on the surface, we may disagree with him, he is also mired in guilt and tragedy...it's complicated, so who are we to judge. I'm not sure I understand the choice in narration, but overall, I was a fan. Beautifully original, complex story about love, loss, guilt, ethics...worth a read!

I read the book as well as listened to the audiobook. The narrator, Fiona Button has a lovely tone, easy to listen to and nicely expressive. I felt she added much to the delivery.

THANK YOU NETGALLEY FOR THE ARC!

DNF - I felt a disconnect about 100 pages in. I kept trying to listen more, but this one just didnt work for me.

Finding Grace is a heartfelt and compelling read, though it falls outside the genre I typically gravitate toward. Loretta Rothschild’s storytelling is immersive, and the characters are richly drawn, making it easy to see why this book has resonated with so many readers. The emotional depth and themes of redemption kept me engaged, even if the pacing or style wasn’t entirely to my personal taste.

I suspect others—especially fans of contemporary fiction or character-driven narratives—will rate this book even higher than I did. Rothschild’s ability to weave vulnerability and strength into her protagonist’s journey is truly commendable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. While this wasn’t a perfect match for my preferences, I’m grateful for the opportunity to explore something new and appreciate the author’s craft.

You know the rom-com where one person isn’t completely truthful about who they are and it backfires?

So there’s that here, but without the comedy.

There are two ways to look at it.

Option A. The person who isn’t completely truthful is a liar who doubles down when caught. They are toxic and not to be trusted. Ever. Run!

Option B: their heart is in the right place and they deserve forgiveness and understanding.

If you believe in Option A: you will hate this book
If you believe in Option B: you will love this book

Me? I’m vacillating. The author did a good job in pulling at my heartstrings making me wanting a HEA so I'm giving it 4 stars. But yet. I can’t get behind the lying despite multiple opportunities to tell the truth.

Yeah I know it’s fiction, lighten up. But our family has been victims of a liar, which caused untold heartache & misery. Once a liar, always a liar. So I’m option A

Sigh…..I don’t like the word trigger but a readers personal experiences will affect how they approach a book. I don’t think this theme, as portrayed here, belongs in what is essentially a romance novel. So I guess as much as I hate the word, I was triggered.

No spoilers here. No plot synopsis. The less you know going in, the better.

I’m going to go with 4 stars because it’s well-written and tugged at my heartstrings. But I have reservations because I hate the plot point which drove the entire story forward.

I’m sure an outlier. I enjoyed the author’s writing and will definitely look for what she does next,

It’s hard to talk about this book without spoiling everything because something happens at the end of the first chapter that completely changes the trajectory of the story. The writing is really lovely and engaging but I actually ended up hating the direction the story took. I was on board at first, then it just got messier and made me hate all the characters. It felt like the author was really committed to what she thought was a great story idea without caring much about the execution.

The description of this book left a lot to be discovered, so I basically went in blind. And oh boy, this was a dramatic book to do that for. After the first chapter, I knew I was in for a whirlwind. This book was emotional and heartbreaking, but also witty and enjoyable. I loved the unique narrative nature. I’ve never read anything like it, so it was exciting and refreshing for me.
I spent a lot of the time wanting to scream at our mmc, Tom, but I feel like that was the point. I’ve read a lot of books using the trope of messy female characters, so it was kind of nice to see a messy male character without him turning irredeemable like many men do in books.
Overall, I really enjoyed this. I cried and felt gut punched a lot, and I’m sure this will stick with me for a long time.

Finding Grace is the cleverest of titles for this tale—a double entendre that perfectly hits the mark.

Honor desperately wants another child, but her husband Tom is tired of the conversation. To him, her obsession is unraveling their lives. But does he really deserve an opinion when he's barely present? Working 100+ hour weeks at his hedge fund, Tom is more ghost than partner, leaving Honor and their daughter Chloe to navigate daily life without him. As tension between the couple builds, a single tragedy will shatter their world in an instant.

Years later, a misdirected letter forces two paths—two timelines—that were never meant to cross to collide. Morally gray choices abound, reminding us that we're all just doing the best we can with what we're given...most of the time.

This debut is both shocking (I read the first chapter twice) and deeply emotional. At its heart, it's a story of second chances. Whether they’re deserved? I’ll let readers decide. One thing’s for sure: opinions will be divided.

Put this one on your summer reading list. You won’t be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and of course the author Loretta Rothschild for the advanced copy of the audiobook. Finding Grace is out on June 10th . All opinions are my own.

This is one of those books that seems to be getting polarizing reviews. Some people really love it and some people do not I fall in the love category. The start of the book is very explosive and then it kind of meanders into a story about love and a family and Decisions -the good and bad that we make. I really liked the themes of loss love fertility of course there were some frustrating parts and one of the characters was definitely very frustrating. There were a couple holes and I thought that it was gonna go in a different direction but at the end of the day I really enjoyed how it closed and I found there to be some very sweet moments throughout. I really liked the omniscient narrator as well

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

Like a slow moving train heading toward a wreck, the tension mounts page by page in this unputdownable debut novel. Reader, listen to all the reviews advising going into this novel with as little information as possible. I did as I was told and I’m certain it enhanced my experience.

London based investment banker Tom has it all, a lucrative career, a lovely wife and daughter. When two women in his life intersect with a blinding circumstance, his decision making is something he (and the reader) will question until the very last chapter. This is a haunting story of cataclysmic grief, self-sabotage and long buried secrets; a gripping tale and a stunning work.

This will especially resonate with readers who enjoyed Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones.

Fiona Button’s narration was clear and performative which added to my appreciation of the story.

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press for the early copy in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! Did NOT expect to enjoy this audiobook to the extent that I did. Was so surprised at the conclusion of the first chapter and then gripped the entire rest of the tale. - even as it emerged into a love story which is not usually my “thing”. I spend a lot of time in the “grief space” and was very impressed by the way grief was represented in this story. Loretta Rothschild obviously has a deep understanding of grief experiences and portrayed these in a hopeful and poignant way. I would like to think I would be friends with Honour, Grace AND Annie and I want to part of the Sunday Night Blues. I miss listening to this book already and Fiona Button is amazing. I will listen to another book just because she is the narrator. HUGE congratulations to Loretta Rothschild on this debut and please! Continue to write about relationships, love and grief. The world needs more of you. I rarely give a book a 5 but this one had me feeling ALL the feels and I throughly enjoyed the ride. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced audio book. Do yourself a favour - engage with this story! You will be glad you did.

Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild
Narrated by Fiona Button

Two women, never having met, are intertwined forever. One makes a decision that is wrapped up in an obsession and previous heartbreak. Another makes a decision that is wrapped up in heartbreak and wanting to get through grief. Really HE wasn't even a part of this at all, he was too busy for one and didn't know the other. So much guilt and anguish that will never let the living go and maybe won't even let the dead go.

I had been afraid to read this story but am so glad I read/listened to it. I think the way the story is presented to us, how it's told to us, is what helped me to feel so much about it and also helped me be able to handle the events. It's so very sad but luckily there were people for me to be angry at that helped me to handle the sad parts, it's always nice to turn your grief into something else, not healthy but so easy to do when you don't want to face the grief.

Tom, living with double grief, gets a letter not meant for him but he's already opened it, already read it. Now he can't let it go. Whenever he's on the verge of confessing his accident and later to confessing his continual avoidance of addressing what needs to be addressed, there is always an excuse not to do what needs to be done. There will be repercussions, Tom knows this, too many people know and see but he just can't stop what he's started.

There are a few people that I came to not like at all in this story. But there are more people that I came to adore, they became real, I could see what make them the way they seemed on the outside, I could understand their fears and how life had made them the way they were. These were just side characters and that is what can make such a good story for me, when I can get attached to even the side characters. I have both the ebook and the audiobook and Fiona Button did an excellent job with the narration of this book that is chock full of emotions of all types.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the ebook and audiobook of this ARC.

Honor, her husband, Tom, and their daughter Chloe seem like a perfect family. Still, Honor and Tom’s marriage is beginning to show the strains of repeated fertility issues, when something catastrophic happens that will forever alter their future.

Years later, Tom makes a decision that will impact every aspect of his life as he manipulates information, hides truths, and flat-out lies his way into someone’s orbit because of their connection with is family.

Trigger Warnings
Infertility

Why Kirsten loves it
I can’t say much about this story without ruining it, but I will say this. The end of the first chapter had me re-reading because I was so shocked. I cried, I winced, and I felt every moment of this deeply moving literary romance in my bones. I’ve never read a story quite like it. It will be one of my favorite books of the year. I just know it.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOUR SECRETS COME BACK TO HAUNT YOU?

Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild
Narrated by Fiona Button 👍🏻
10 hours 43 minutes at 1x
7 hours 9 minutes at 1.5x

I love that the Publisher only teased us with a vague synopsis (when so many others have given away too much) and that fellow reviewers have honored that as well-as this story is so much more impactful when you go in blind!

So what can I say that might make you interested in picking this book up, without saying too much?

The opening sentence: “The last time we were at the Ritz in Paris, I had my fifth miscarriage at breakfast.” *
*subject to change by publication date

The title, “Finding Grace” is a double entendre.

The start of the book is SHOCKING and immediately GRIPPING.

A letter is sent to the wrong recipient.

This letter will put in play a MORAL DILEMMA.

Intrigued yet? I hope so!
You can pick up this IMPRESSIVE DEBUT on June 10, 2025.

Listing Trigger Warnings would spoil this story. If you are sensitive to something specific, feel free to ask me in comments and I will respond privately by DM. No animal deaths.

This was an immersive read as I had written and audiobook copies, both provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!

Quick audio listen! Unique concept that kept me listening for more! It was a bit challenging as an audio at the beginning to follow along however that quickly settled itself!

This was such an interesting read! That first chapter had me going, wait, what? The point of view was so unique, it really drew me in and made me want to keep listening. I genuinely enjoyed the story and felt for everyone involved.

Thanks to Netgalley, Macmillan audio for my advanced audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

Publish date: July 8, 2025

Boy, was this a good book that looks into what relationships mean, how we interact with one another, and the precious people that are in our lives. There were so many little topics that this book explores that makes for deep thought and good discussion. I don't think you need to know a whole lot going into this one, and just allow it to take you on the journey.

The audio was well done, but I did notice that the "before" time blended into the "current" time and it was sometimes difficult to know where I was with all the pausing and playing.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the gifted ALC.

Keeping this very brief and vague so as not to spoil anything (and there are A LOT of things to spoil in this book).

I am very conflicted in my feelings about this story -- I was super engaged throughout even though I was also kind of mad the whole time? Honor's perspective was unique, and I thought the other FMC was interesting and sympathetic but also a giant dummy? I VERY MUCH did NOT like Tom (the MMC) or any of his choices, but still really liked how it all ended up? As previously stated: CONFLICTED.

I'm not sure what to even compare this to as a read-alike without ruining it with spoilers, so I will leave off with: this book was weird, but I weirdly loved it.

(And the audiobook narration by Fiona Button was spectacular!)