Home › review › #BookReview: Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood @_franlittlewood @MichaelJBooks @NetGalley

#BookReview: Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood @_franlittlewood @MichaelJBooks @NetGalley

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Hi everyone! Today, I have a book review for debut author Fran Littlewood. I received a free Advanced Review Copy of this book from NetGalley >>>

About the Book:

Book cover for Amazing Grace Adams by Fran LittlewoodGrace Adams is one bad day away from saving her life . . .

‘Sometimes I have so much rage it scares me . . .’

One hot summer day, stuck in traffic on her way to pick up the cake for her daughter’s sixteenth birthday party, Grace Adams snaps.

She doesn’t scream or break something or cry or curl into a ball. She simply abandons her car in traffic and walks away.

But not from her life – towards it. To the daughter who won’t live with her anymore and has banned her from the party. To the husband divorcing her. Towards the terrible thing that has blown their family apart . . .

Today she’ll show her daughter that no matter how far we fall we can always get back up again. Because Grace Adams wasamazing. Her husband and daughter once thought so. They and the world might have forgotten. But Grace is about to remind them …

Amazing Grace Adams tells the story of a life, a marriage, a family, set against a single north-London day. A rollercoaster ride of redemption and discovery, it’s a powerful celebration of womanhood. 

 

My Review:

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

A fantastic read!

Many thanks to NetGalley, and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for a free ARC of this book.

First up, I have to say how amazed I am that this is a debut novel. I cannot wait to see what this author writes next. Amazing Grace Adams is a powerful, moving, riveting, and wholly believable novel about a woman who feels she has become invisible as she hits perimenopause and both her husband and daughter reject her. As soon as I read the book description, I thought of the movie Falling Down, and—indeed—this film inspired the idea behind this book. However, this story is told in a unique voice and perspective and comes alive in its own brilliant way.

‘Grace is hot. There’s the sun, like boiled breath, on the roof of her car but it’s more than that. This feeling from nowhere that she’s been set on fire from the inside out.’ … this opening line sets up the scene wonderfully, and when Grace ‘breaks’, the tension is delightful.

In many aspects this novel offers a quiet commentary on the sad state of modern society, especially in relation to victim blaming. Happily, it also shows the kindness of strangers—both older and younger, and even a teen boy, which I found incredibly heartening in a time when all the news seems to show us are endless stabbings and assaults. As well as the obvious angst in this story, the reader is also treated to the most wonderful humour and lively dialogue.

If you enjoy reading about love, loss, grief, life’s ironies, family drama, woman power, and ultimate redemption, then you’ll adore this book. Because it takes a deep look at the human condition, this is a novel that people from all walks of life will relate to on some level. If I could, I’d give ten stars for this amazing story. I can see this becoming a huge hit and definitely a tale made for adaptation to the big screen.

***

NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.

5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.

I’d love to hear what you think of this review. Thanks for stopping by 🙂

 

For anyone interested, here are the Amazon links …

UK … https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08R8XRTB2/

US … At the time of posting, I couldn’t find a link for Amazon US. The book is due to publish in the UK on January 19th, 2023.

 

28 Comments on “#BookReview: Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood @_franlittlewood @MichaelJBooks @NetGalley”

  1. Love the storyline of this book, and your great review Harmony. I’m adding it to my TBR. I’ve kind of given up on Netgalley. The last 3 books I requested, I never even hear back from them. Not like I don’t have 1000 other books awaiting me on my BFK LOL. <3

    • I’ve just closed my NetGalley account. They changed all the profile settings and lost all my info. Help desk useless. I repopulated the info, then got turned down by a publisher for lack of a profile, ugh 😑. The info hadn’t stuck. I don’t have the energy for such messing about and have so many books I still need to read. So glad you enjoyed the review. Thanks, Debby 💕🙂

  4. This sounds like a book I would enjoy. I love stories that look at real life through a magnifying glass. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Harmony!

    • I laughed so many times while reading this, as well as getting well annoyed at some of the characters, lols 😂 Thanks, Denise 💕🙂

  7. This book sounds, well… amazing. Thanks so much for your review, Harmony, and sharing the little excerpts. Between the blurb and your recommendation, I’m hooked. Happy Reading!

  10. Your enthusiasm for this book is obvious Harmony. If that alone could create a best seller this would be a shoo-in. If I ever manage to start writing again I wouldn’t want anyone else reviewing my work.
    You re honest, thorough and not unkind.
    Huge Hugs