Book Review: Dear Grace by Claire Swatman

Finally, it is my turn to share my review for Dear Grace by Clare Swatman. I’ve been wanting to tell you all about this book as soon as I closed it for the final time a few weeks ago. Scroll down to see why.

Dear Grace by Clare Swatman

Title: Dear Grace

Author: Clare Swatman

Publisher: Nielsen

Genre: Contempory fiction

Release Date: 25th June 2021

Purchase: Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dear-Grace-Clare-Swatman/dp/1916906001/

• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1916906001
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1916906006

Blurb

The most unlikely friendship. The most unexpected consequences.

When Anna’s husband cheats on her, she’s sure she’ll never be happy again. But then she meets 94-year-old Grace. Despite an age gap of more than fifty years, the pair set out together on a life-changing journey halfway across the country in search of some answers.

Sometimes the only way to move on is to revisit the past. But will Anna and Grace be prepared for what they find?

A story about love, female friendship, heartbreak and learning to forgive.

My Thoughts

Oh my, where do I start? This book is phenomenal and one of the best examples of friendship fiction, the chemistry between Anna and Grace leapt off the page and showcased the depth of love that can exist between friends, whether they are new or old ones. Like in this story, age doesn’t matter; sometimes you meet someone and you just click like these two did.

Clare Swatman has captured realistic characters on the page and I instantly connected with them all but especially Grace with her fierce determination and meddling. She is the glue holding the other characters, Anna and Tom,  in place while they find their place in life. She made me chuckle on more than one occasion and I had to keep on reading when her past began to be revealed.

The descriptions of the seascape and locations are perfect, and atmospheric; I could visualise being on the beach and felt every lap of the ocean on the shore, and this along with the depth of emotion layered in this beautifully written tale immersed me into the trio’s lives. I didn’t want it to end.

Dear Grace is full of humour, love and stunning use of words and it is more than just a novel about friendship, it’s about living your life and loving those you meet.

Would I recommend?

If you have read the above, you know the answer. This is a must read of the year. It’s uplifting and heart-breaking and grabs your soul, making you want to reread it again and again. This is one for my forever bookshelf to be treasured. I now need to read Before You Go.

Author Biography

Clare Swatman

Clare Swatman is an author and journalist. She has had two previous novels published, with her debut, Before You Go, selling in 22 territories around the world. She has also spent 20 years writing for women’s magazines in the UK.

Her latest novel, Dear Grace, is inspired by her love of Lowestoft, the town where she spent many happy holidays with her late grandparents.

Clare lives in Hertfordshire in the UK with her husband and two boys. Even the cat is male, which means she’s destined to be outnumbered forever.

Facebook at Clare Swatman Author, Insta @clareswatmanauthor, and twitter, where she’s @clareswatman

Why not pop to other blogs on the tour?

Thank you Random Thing Tours for inviting me to this tour and providing an advanced copy for me to review and give my honest and unbiased opinion.

Love

The ever increasing to read pile

All bookworms have them whether it is on a bookshelf, pile next to the bed or hidden in the Kindle library – a to-read pile. This collection of books rarely decreases but increases easily. For every book read, two replace it because favourite authors bring out new ones, the charity shop has the bestseller you never got round to reading or a debut catches your eye in the library. With the advent of Kindle along with its daily deals, it is even worse. A click of a button and another one materializes without leaving your bed. With this is mind, this month’s theme is to read ‘Something you already own’. Forgotten books hidden amongst others or the next one in the queue we are busy reading them for next weeks Book Club Party on Friday 24th June.

Facebook Page

As well as our Duvet Dweller Book Club on Facebook where we regularly meet, we now have a Duvet Dweller Book Club Extra page to like, share and read for all bookworms whether they are members or not. We will give updates on the group, blog but will also use this space to share books by Spoonie authors.

Coming soon on this blog

Book reviews  by book club members and an opportunity to read about current or upcoming books of all genres from authors who live with chronic conditions in Meet the Author.

Watch this space!

Until then happy reading

 

 

From Love to the magical world of childhood

February, the month of love was recognised by the ‘self care’ theme, after all in the world of chronic illness looking after yourself is essential.  The theme was open to include general self-care and finding more about your condition so a range of books were discussed including Diagnosis Dystonia and The Drama Free Way of Life.

 

 

We revisited childhood in March, in honour of colourful and delightful  World Book Day where children and adults dress up as their favourite characters to celebrate the joy of books.   The book could have been your favourite dog-eared book you grabbed repeatedly of the shelf (or kept close under your pillow) or a book you always wanted to read. There is a wealth of enchanting books to choose from, including the classics from Roald Dahl, Frances Hodgson Burnett and J K Rowling.  Children’s stories can be magical, inspiring or heartbreaking such as one my old favourites ‘Goodnight, Mr Tom’. There are so many, it was difficult to decide because a title is mentioned and  memories of childhood reading flood back – favourite reading places, library or book shop visits or  friends. Not only do you relive the story and catch up with long forgotten characters, you also capture snatches of time as memories of the when you last read the book resurface. It is a theme that should be have a sequel or two.

 This theme should also come with a warning – your to-read list grows exponentially as you brainstorm books you have read and want to read again

Still looking back in time

 

From revisiting old favourites, April’s theme is all about reading someone else’s history in the form memoirs and biographies. Any person can be chosen, from any period of time. Maybe it is someone you admire, intrigued by or they lived through an experience you either relate to or want to know more about, the choice is yours.  This is a genre I do not normally read so I am looking forward to giving it a go as well as catching up on everyone else’s finds.

What will be on your next book be?

Happy reading until next time.

 Future Book Club Dates

April – Biography or Memoir – 29th April

May – A book with a colour in the title – 27th May

June – A book you already own – 24th June

To join our book club click here for a warm welcome