Grace is all over the place. Her daughter is living with her about-to-be ex-husband, her jobs (both of them) are precarious to say the least and life is just all over the place. In a traffic jam to pick up a cake for her daughter which she hopes will begin to mend some fences, Grace loses it and walks away from her car. Occasional chapters take us to two additional timelines- one when she met her husband twenty years ago and another a few months ago before it all went pear shaped. Very easy to follow. Of course the journey from the car to the cake shop isn't straightforward and as for the £200 cake….
I enjoyed this, it made me smile and sympathise and think about my own life in parts. I think many of us have been in that horrible situation where everything is just too complex and we would like to walk away from it all. Grace however walks towards it not away. Like most of us she is determined and her heart is in the right place even if some things have fallen by the wayside in the meantime. Lotte is a typical teen with angst and attitude, Grace herself is perimenopausal and suffering looking in the mirror seeing herself age. In the time past chapters we understand more of Grace and Lotte and even Ben and why things are as they are.
Wow! This is a debut novel and a stunning one, written as if by a very seasoned author. Fran Littlewood is most certainly an author to look out for in the future. Of life and language and the fluidity thereof. How one generation can learn from another and not always upwards. A powerful, emotional, touching, memorable, uplifting read. Go Grace!

A wonderful family drama, told with warmth, humour, and realistic descriptions of the ups and downs of family life. Grace is struggling with a family breakdown, missing her daughter, regrets from missed opportunities and a feeling of life passing her by. Through flashbacks we see how her life has changed in so many ways. An enjoyable read.

Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood.

Grace Adams is sitting in her car on a sweltering hot day in London. Traffic is preventing her from moving. All Grace wants to do is collect a birthday cake for her daughter's 16th birthday. Sometimes it is the little things that break a person when they have been carrying the big things for so long. Grace snaps. She gets out , abandons the car and walks away. Grace isn't walking away from her life , she's trying to walk back to it.

Grace Adams is one of the most relatable and wonderful characters I have read in ages and this book is not at all what I was expecting. Set over one day in summer in London, the reader follows Grace as she makes her way to her daughter, collecting and then carrying her birthday cake. Through a series of flashbacks, Grace's life unfolds, Her marriage, her career, her daughter, her worries, her loss and grief, all the obstacles life has thrown and all things Grace has to juggle, negotiate, make peace with and fight for.

This is Littlewood's first novel and when reading , at times it was difficult to believe it was a debut. The book is written with huge empathy, humour and tenderness. There were some elements that were almost difficult to read, they were so relatable and then there were other parts that made me cry. This is such an accurate portrayal of and celebration of women - Women approaching middle age. Women who have daughters. Women who have lost. Women who have had enough.

Stick with Grace in the opening chapters, you might not immediately warm to her but I fail to see how anybody could not be cheering for her by the end. A great story of redemption with a wonderful main character. Next time I have had enough I might be more Grace, get out of the car and walk away.

4-4.5

This is a great read, Grace is having a very bad day and we learn about the rest of her life in snippets of flashback, the events that all lead up to the very bad day. She has had enough and whilst she it becomes clear that she really has had a lot to deal with, there is real humour there too in the telling. The teenage daughter is very relatable, the husband fairly useless and the waspy mother-in-law was spot on. She had a lot on her plate and the book deals with some big topics. Hard to believe it's a debut, an author to look out for. Highly recommend.

Telling the story of one very pivotal day in the life of Grace Adams, this novel was a terrific read.

Far deeper than I originally thought it was going to be, this book touches on many emotions and some serious topics. It had me both laughing and crying.

With the use of flash backs, as the day progresses, we learn what has bought Grace to this moment. From meeting her husband years back to more recent happenings involving her teenage daughter, we learn of Grace’s adult life and the things that have kicked her down. Well now she is on one serious pick herself back up moment!

Topics and experiences included in the novel are death, divorce, abuse and mental health and they all make for some very moving scenes, which are handled with care and sensitivity. I particularly liked Grace’s character in present day, when it is portrayed as the peri-menopausal woman she now is.

A much deeper story than I first thought which made for a powerful read. At times this book had me in tears yet I found it an uplifting story.

Um, not too sure how I felt about this book! Mainly unlikeable characters, so you don’t feel invested in their story. I think if the tragedy had been revealed earlier, then the reader would have had more sympathy. I also thought the story jumped around too much. Despite this, I quite enjoyed the book, especially from a first time author.

A well written debut novel

Grace Adams gets stuck in traffic on the way to fetch her daughters Birthday cake, it’s a boiling hot day and her life recently hasn’t been great.

She gets out of the car leaving it in the traffic and walks away.

This book is a great debut, that was easy to read. Grace is a brilliant character who is far from perfect and I loved

It is the hottest day of the year and Grace is stuck in traffic on her way to collect a special birthday cake for her daughter from whom she has become estranged. Grace thinks the birthday cake will help them reconcile and is frantic to get the cake and deliver it. There are flashbacks revealing how Grace is a multi linguist and a bit of a genius and how she meets her husband theough their love of languages but how his career becomes ascendent whilst hers declines and what causes their relationship and her relationship with her beloved daughter to fracture so badly. I initially rather liked this story but I became increasingly frustrated with Grace's actions in the present and the jumping back and forth in the timeline. It just didn't hold my interest enough.

I struggled a little with this one, but in the end couldn't stop reading, and I am glad I did. The story of a woman who loses who she is, despite clinging on desperately hard, too hard, indeed. Amazing Grace Adams is just like almost every woman, ever. Clever, capable and totally unaware of her strengths - beset by Imposter syndrome, overwhelmed by hormones, devastated by loss... There but by the grace..., we might say.
Grace's journey, both figurative and literal, is interrupted by good people and bad, but each encounter triggers memories which help take her to the next place.
Written in a series of flashbacks, Grace's history is fed to us piecemeal, each one revealing a step, or mis-step, that brought her to where she is today. The characterisation is brilliant - Grace is finely drawn, her fragility and her strength writ clear. Her daughter is every teen girl ever, and will ring bells with many a mother, but Ben remains a little shadowed - you never really get to know Ben, but then, we ask, does Grace?
A brilliant book, but not an easy read. If you want something to make you think, this is it.

Amazing Grace Adams - Fran Littlewood

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. She simply abandons her car and walks away.
Today she'll show her daughter that no matter how far we fall we can always get back up again. Because Grace Adams was amazing. Her husband and daughter once thought so. They and the world might have forgotten. But Grace is about to remind them ...

‘She speaks five languages yet she could not find the vocabulary to articulate her heart sickness, to negotiate their grief.’

I loved Grace from the very first page, in the sweltering heat as Grace walks away from her car, I just knew I was going to love her!
She has more brains than I’ll ever have, gifted, anxious, terrified, an amazing linguist, a brave superwoman and a little bit broken perhaps -within a few pages I just felt I knew her.

‘Quietly, calmly, she has taken the bolt-cutters to social convention. She has set herself free.’

As the book progresses we jump back and forth in time unravelling the story of Grace, Lotte and Ben. I found this a bit tricky at times to place, due to the format I was reading but it still flows well. I also found it a hard read at times, I think because I have had teenage kids, the thought of some of the issues got to me and so I read this in segments over a longer period than I would usually.

‘It’s impossible to tell where the perimenopause stops and she begins, and she’s asking herself who she would be if it wasn’t for these chemical enemies raging through her body,’

However the characterisation is wonderful, you can feel the tension mounting as Grace’s day progresses, it’s an emotional maelstrom and incredibly vivid to read.

‘‘That’s not rage, darling. That’s your fear, your grief exploded.’ She pinches her fingers together, then springs them apart so that her empty hands are stars.’

I think there was just one conversation that I really loved and that was the kindly lady who buys her a drink and tends her wounds, worldly wise and truthful- it’s beauty in word form.

‘I know you feel like no one sees you,’ the woman says, and her breath is sweet, like lilac. ‘I’m here telling you, I see you.’

It is a book about words and languages and the power of words that are spoken and even more so those that are not. That even though we have these words we cannot sometimes articulate how we feel. It’s total and literally visceral heartbreak come the end, this book has taken me on an absolute rollercoaster of emotion and I urge you to do the same.

This is a debut novel by author Fran Littlewood and OMG I literally loved it! I found it super refreshing, funny and pretty amazing story.

Main character Grace Adams is at a turning point in her life, she is in the middle of a divorce, has one child (currently living with her ex) and nearing the menopause. Told through the eyes of Grace, we learn about her past and how she has become the woman that she is today.

I really identified with Grace, same age(ish) and a mother myself I really could see how Grace became this manic in the novel.

This novel made me cry and laugh and I literally love Grace as a character. I would love to read more about her - please let there be a follow up.

Thanks to NetGalley, Fran Littlewood and the publishers for allowing me arc in exchange for my honest review.

Grace has a daughter called Lotte, who is living with her dad, Ben as Grace & Lotte have fallen out.

Lotte is 16 today and Grace is determined to get her birthday cake to her, no matter what it takes, even though she hasn’t been invited.

We follow Grace on her journey to Lotte, it should be a short journey but many things happen to Grace along the way. Grace is peri menopausal, angry and taking no nonsense from anyone! The book drifts back to different periods in Grace and Ben’s lives and is easy to follow.

This is a lovely book that had me engrossed from the word go. I didn’t want to put it down at all, I needed to be with Grace on her journey. I found the story quite emotional at times and have to admit that I did have a little cry at certain parts.

This is a stunning debut and I hope the author writes more books.

My thanks to Michael Joseph and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

It's poignant, thought provoking, irritanting at time, and life affirming.
Grace Adams isn't a likeable and pretty young thing, she's a woman with a story and issues to solve.
It took a bit to be involved in this story and then I read it in one sitting.
A well written and compelling story with an interesting MC
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

3.5 rounded up to 4.
Amazing Grace Adams tells the story of a woman whose life has fallen apart. We find out what has happened as she travels through north London to deliver a sixteenth birthday, Love Island themed, birthday cake to her daughter, via events on the day itself and a series of flashbacks. I felt that it was slow to get going, and I felt very irritated by Grace’s character at first, but this actually reflects the effect she had on those around her in the novel. I’m pleased I stayed with her on her journey, as the scenes where we discover her back story are incredibly moving.

I did struggle a little with this one at first as it had a tendency to jump around a bit.
Having said that it was one I was unable to put down as bit by bit you came to understand Grace was really struggling.
I’ve been there so can understand a little of what she was going through & started to understand what the author was trying to get across.
Not an easy read by all means but then menopause is not an easy time for most & this story highlights a few of those feelings.
Hopefully we don’t all get in to the mess Grace did but overall it was an interesting read.

4.4 stars
Grace is stuck in traffic on her way to pick up her daughter 16th birthday cake, it has been a tough few months with Lottie moving to her dad and Grace losing her job and Grace has just had enough. She stomps out of the car, leaving it in the middle of the traffic jam, and decides to walk to the bakery. Grace has clearly lost it.

Throughout the day, Grace reflects on her life, since she met Ben at that convention, to her offer to split the prize, from the arrival of Lottie to her growing up and shutting down from her parents.

Very powerful storytelling and captivating characters. There are different point of views: Grace and Ben, and the reader goes back and forward between now, a few months ago, and other timelines, which at time can be a bit confusing. Many different topics, and not all explored in depth. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the book and couldn’t put it down.

This didn't quite hit the mark for me. I found Grace rather annoying and the back and forth timelines were a bit confusing. I found I didn't really connect with the characters as I thought I would which was a shame as I was intrigued by the concept. Still a quick easy read but didn't quite live up to expectations

I found this to be a solid 3* Good Read. An emotional , interesting tale about a woman going through some really difficult times as the story moves back and forth, recalling details in the past as well as more recent events.

Although I found it a tad messy at times, this is a book that deals with many sensitive issues and a cracking debut from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph Penguin Random House for the opportunity to preview.

I wasn’t sure what to accept when I was accepted for an arc of this novel. I had seen it all over social media and all the reviews were amazing so I had high high hopes…

I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest! I was hooked from page one and am so glad I requested the arc.

The book is a compelling narrative which will make you laugh, cry and be inspired to channel your inner Grace!

I liked this book but it didn't hold up to my expectations I'm sad to say.

Grace has had enough, she is in her 40's, perimenopausal and having a bad time of it. Her husband has left her and she has a temperamental relationship with her teenage daughter.

I found the jumping back and forward timeline a little bit confusing.

Some parts I enjoyed but others made me lose a little bit of interest.

Thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph for the ARC.