Welcome to Litsy!

A woman at the very end of her rope spends the day struggling to get to her estranged teenage daughter, no matter what ridiculous or horrible roadblocks stand in her way. I generally hate “After Hours“ type narratives, and this is a rough read, especially for a parent, but it resolves beautifully.

I thought I would find this light & funny like reviews suggested, or even quirky and sentimental like the comparisons led me to believe (“Ove”) it really this is a middle aged woman in the middle of her worst day, a complete crisis and her attempt at saving any relationship to be had with her teenage daughter and estranged husband. It gets a little over the top in parts, and is deeply sad in others, and is overall a generally ok story.

I wanted to like a book about a nerdy translator but I just can't with this one. The writing style is just not for me.

Oof. This book was a gut punch. I‘m glad I read it, but I don‘t see the humor that other reviews seemed to talk about. It was about the unraveling of a woman in her 40s- her body, her marriage, her relationship with her daughter. I found it hard to read at times and wish I had borrowed it from the library rather than buying it.

Some of her antics tested my interest, but overall very good. Def recommend, especially to perimenopausal women or anyone who wants to understand what we‘re dealing with. The bittersweet end won me over for sure. One particular sentence did me in. Beautifully written.

While I‘ve never had a day quite like Grace is having in this book, and I don‘t have kids, I found her relatable. And, quite frankly, I ended up loving this book. I liked the nonlinear structure, really enjoyed the characters, and did not want to put it down.

A low pick. I feel like there was a bit too much going on, the ‘reveal‘ near the end sort of threw me and it got a touch monotonous in the middle. I really loved the ending and the beginning though and the relationships between all of the characters especially that between Grace and her daughter. Also liked the way it portrayed how chance encounters and decisions can make/change your life.

Well, I loved this. We absolutely NEED more books about perimenopausal women! I‘ll be reading any I can get my hands on because, solidarity 👊🏻
Sure, there was a lot going on, but for a debut novel, this is solid and it just resonated with me on so many levels.

As others have said already, I was drawn to this cover, and to a MC in her 40‘s dealing with big life changes.

While I love the premise of Grace being fed up with circumstances that feel out of control and just abandoning her car in a traffic jam, I agree with other reviews that in the middle the story lost some momentum and dragged a bit.

Overall I did like it though. It discusses quite a few difficult topics. Life is messy, well reflected.

I absolutely picked this up because of its cover. Grace has a lot to be angry to about as she ditches her car in traffic on a quest to bring a birthday cake to the daughter that is currently not speaking to her. We are given glimpses of those reasons in flashbacks as she wanders London having misadventures. I think I would have liked this book more if it had a little less going on. By the time she picks up a golf club I felt my interest waning.

Misty! I love this pretty little bookmark, thank you!
(Reading the tagged book.)

It dragged a bit in the middle, but I really liked Grace's pilgrimage through London and her memories.

This was slow to start but compelling enough to keep me reading. Grace is a complicated woman with a complicated life and she is having a very bad day. Going through “the change” while trying to parent a daughter she‘s lost touch with and come to terms with a loss she‘ll never get over is a lot for anyone and today is the day she‘s had it. I related to Grace in so many ways but this was not a easy read. #BookspinBingo #ARC @TheAromaofBooks

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I loved reading a book with a complex main female character in her mid-forties! I was rooting for her the whole time to find her way. While there is wry humor in Grace‘s story, there is also darkness, which might not be expected from the way it is marketed as a feel-good read. It is, however, an engaging tale of reclamation and redemption. 🎧

Looking forward to this one! This cover is awesome! 💚💚

#TBR
#CoverLover
#Aardvark

As a woman in her late 40s, I have never felt more seen by a book in my life. I could totally relate to everything Grace was going through as you look back at your life and see every moment that has made you into the person you now are. The facet of this book that struck me the most was the idea that Grace, who literally can interpret dozens of languages, can't understand the language of her own daughter's generation.

Peri menopausal women raise up!! 🙌🏻🙋🏻‍♀️🙌🏻 I am loving these strong middle aged female characters and Grace is no exception. Fed up, she leaves her car and takes off across London on foot to her daughter Sophie‘s 16th birthday. Two other timelines follow recent events that made her daughter angry and the arc of her relationship with her ex-husband and Sophie‘s childhood. Strong pick! Nice job @AardvarkBookClub 🫶🏻

Major week for #RecentAcquisitions! I made my monthly #LibraryHaul trip, and I‘ve already finished the Williams and enjoyed it just as much as My Murder! Also how can you not love the Grace Adams cover?? I‘ve started it too, and it‘s the mid-40s book I need. Lots of other books to look forward to. I‘m especially excited for Year of the Tiger and Angel of Rome. The other @AardvarkBookClub picks are really tempting!! #aardvark

I packed my #aardvark box this month! I‘ve seen some promising reviews of MM from the august picks, so I threw that in, too. I know I‘ll be reading the new Emma Donoghue, but I‘ll get that from my library. And the Beukes looked interesting but just a touch too weird for me.

This debut novel did not live up to the hype for me. Let me count the ways. . . . Read my full review here: https://debbybrauer.org/#amazing-grace-adams

Publication is expected September 5.

#NetGalley #MacmillanAudio #Goodreads #HenryHoltandCo #AmazingGraceAdams

I think this book should have been called Annoying Grace Adams. I just could not warm to this character.

Amazing Grace Adams is a moving novel about determination and perseverance, even when nothing is going according to plan. It‘s not a laugh a minute, but it is deeply felt and poignant. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/amazing-grace-adams-fran-littlewood/

The Goodreads Giveaways Gods are still shining down on me! Whoop! It's kinda fun when you don't get (or miss) the email and #bookmail just shows up. Also... definitely digging this cover, it's a vibe 😂