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sadiebroussard's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I don’t particularly like this book but at the same time, I think it is well written and beautiful at times. I don’t usually give .5 in my reviews - 3 for books I don’t like and 4 for books I do. This one gets a 3.5.
This novel just isn’t for me. I’m not a mother and will never be in this lifetime. The story, at its core, is about motherhood. I understand the many themes of motherhood in the book and can sympathize with Grace. However, I can’t relate to her or empathize with her pain.
This novel is dark. Grace is in a lot of pain for most of the novel. I feel like I was baited and then switched. This is not a funny, light-hearted read like it is advertised to be. The story deals with some very heavy and serious topics. I didn’t laugh reading this book, I cried. It was heart-wrenching and I found it to be very depressing.
That being said, the novel is very well written. The plot device of flipping back and forth from the past and present worked really well. It felt like a mystery for 75% of the story. It was fun, I tried to figure out why people acted in certain ways and did certain things. The descriptive language throughout the book was beautiful at times and always made me feel like I was right there with Grace the entire time. It was like watching a movie.
This novel just isn’t for me. I’m not a mother and will never be in this lifetime. The story, at its core, is about motherhood. I understand the many themes of motherhood in the book and can sympathize with Grace. However, I can’t relate to her or empathize with her pain.
This novel is dark. Grace is in a lot of pain for most of the novel. I feel like I was baited and then switched. This is not a funny, light-hearted read like it is advertised to be. The story deals with some very heavy and serious topics. I didn’t laugh reading this book, I cried. It was heart-wrenching and I found it to be very depressing.
That being said, the novel is very well written. The plot device of flipping back and forth from the past and present worked really well. It felt like a mystery for 75% of the story. It was fun, I tried to figure out why people acted in certain ways and did certain things. The descriptive language throughout the book was beautiful at times and always made me feel like I was right there with Grace the entire time. It was like watching a movie.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Sexual assault, Grief, and Abandonment
Moderate: Infidelity and Death of parent
Minor: Body shaming, Mental illness, and Police brutality
tdesy20's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, and Abandonment
erinsca's review
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I wanted so badly to like this book but I really hated it. Some of the prose was really beautiful and the way the author described the struggle of middle aged womanhood and parenting was really lovely, but the plot, pacing, timeline, and events were unbearable.
This poor woman loses a burgeoning career because of an unplanned pregnancy and everything goes downhill from there. Her second child dies in an accident, her husband cheats while she is drowning in grief, her first daughter has an affair with a teacher, and in the end her husband and daughter leave her. The book is set in a single day with flashbacks interspersed and even that day is traumatic with a sexual assault on a bus and so much pain. In the end she’s arrested and there’s some familial resolution but I was so frustrated and demoralized by the end that the paltry amount of redemption was not enough to counterbalance the misery that was this novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Sexual assault
rachelsbookishlife's review
1.0
** spoiler alert ** This book took me 4 days to finish. I generally read a book in 1 to 2 days. I had no desire to continue picking this up, and usually i would DNF, but i made a promise to see it through. And that i did. So this 1 star comes scathing from my computer so i can rant to you all about how terrible Grace is. This book is everything but the kitchen sink, there is absolutely way too much going on. Grace is not redeemable, even with her tragedies. Grace is a miserable human being, as well as everyone around her. Her husband betrays her, her daughter is worst than an angsty teen. I don't think there was a good discussion on women's bodies as there was a constant focus on Grace's body and the discussion around the grooming from her daughter's teacher was also just poorly done. The author wanted to put so much stuff in that everything was only mildly touched on, instead of picking 1 or 2 big topics and really making sure they talked about the detriment of those topics. I did not like that she didn't want kids, but instead got pregnant and changed her mind. So you know just like everyone in society says. Not only that she then goes on to just not be a good mom. She slaps her daughter, she has weird thoughts about her body, she stops being a mom for 5 weeks and then just comes back and everything is supposed to be normal. Not to mention her current day timeline where she beats the crap out of a car because SHE HAS TO BRING HER DAUGHTER A CAKE! insert confused face meme here... But of course it's because she is Perimenopausal... because you know women and their hysteria and all.
The only thing i will give her is that she reported her daughter's teacher for being a POS.
The flow was clunky, the chapters confusing. It has 3 perspectives, 2 of them are past timelines - 1 is 4 months before and after and the other is 2002 and after, and it has a current day timeline. All 3 timelines are frantic and baffling, as they have flashbacks that come without warning. The current day timeline is all in the place of 1 day, which just adds to the chaos of this book. In the end, this book is nothing like Where'd You Go Bernadette, or Ove or Brit Marie or any other quirky character that isn't all sunshine and rainbows. Grace was insufferable and i will not change my mind.
The only thing i will give her is that she reported her daughter's teacher for being a POS.
The flow was clunky, the chapters confusing. It has 3 perspectives, 2 of them are past timelines - 1 is 4 months before and after and the other is 2002 and after, and it has a current day timeline. All 3 timelines are frantic and baffling, as they have flashbacks that come without warning. The current day timeline is all in the place of 1 day, which just adds to the chaos of this book. In the end, this book is nothing like Where'd You Go Bernadette, or Ove or Brit Marie or any other quirky character that isn't all sunshine and rainbows. Grace was insufferable and i will not change my mind.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Fatphobia, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
lingoreads's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual assault
gcarlson94's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, and Sexual assault
jan_db's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
i really enjoyed this book, it took me a while to get through it though but I couldn’t put it down in the last third. i really like her writing style and the characters were very interesting, albeit flawed. there were a few plot twists that i didn’t see coming, and definitely would urge people to check up on some of the content warnings because they kinda come out of nowhere
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Infertility and Infidelity
Minor: Death of parent
ambersbooksandbakes's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
jillwedemeier's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Grace Adams is having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Her husband has left her. Her beloved daughter, Lotte, has chosen to live with her father and won’t speak to her. She has lost both of her jobs. Today is Lotte’s 16th birthday, and Grace has one goal: to make it to Lotte’s birthday party and deliver the Love Island cake she specially ordered for her in the hopes of healing the rift between them. Stuck in traffic in London, Grace is late to pick up the cake. When she suddenly can’t take it any longer, she gets out of her car and walks to the bakery. As she makes her way across London, with some unusual and interesting encounters, Grace flashes back to the pivotal times in her life that have led her to this very moment. Her story is gradually revealed, beginning with the early days of her relationship with her husband, Ben, and leading up to the falling out with Lotte. How did the once amazing Grace Adams get to this point?
Compared to the likes of Eleanor, Rosie, Ove, and Bernadette, I was expecting a lighthearted comedy, but what I got was a gripping, emotional story about joy, love, grief, and hope. Yes, there were some very funny moments, but this novel was incredibly moving and, at times, heartbreaking. I found myself laughing out loud and also wiping away tears. This was an unforgettable read that had me captivated until the very end. Just a beautiful debut novel.
Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Compared to the likes of Eleanor, Rosie, Ove, and Bernadette, I was expecting a lighthearted comedy, but what I got was a gripping, emotional story about joy, love, grief, and hope. Yes, there were some very funny moments, but this novel was incredibly moving and, at times, heartbreaking. I found myself laughing out loud and also wiping away tears. This was an unforgettable read that had me captivated until the very end. Just a beautiful debut novel.
Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Miscarriage
weefeereads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A story of a family’s grief, though it doesn’t become apparent until we’ll through the book. Once famous polyglot Grace unravels over the course of an incident packed day, while trying to deliver a birthday cake to her 16 year old daughter. Several time frames.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Sexual assault