The Audacity of Sara Grayson
Fiction
Post Hill Press
May 25, 2021
Advance reader copy
384
Free from publisher
What happens when the world’s greatest literary icon dies before she finishes the final book in her best-selling series?
And what happens when she leaves that book in the hands of her unstable, neurotic daughter, who swears she’s not a real writer?
Sara Grayson is a thirty-two-year-old greeting card writer about to land the toughest assignment of her life. Three weeks after the death of her mother—a world-famous suspense novelist—Sara learns that her mother’s dying wish is for her to write the final book in her bestselling series.
Sara has lived alone with her dog, Gatsby, ever since her husband walked out with their Pro Double Waffle Maker and her last shred of confidence. She can’t fathom writing a book for thirty million fans—not when last week’s big win was resetting the microwave clock.
But in a bold move that surprises even herself, Sara takes it on. Against an impossible deadline and a publisher intent on sabotaging her every move, Sara discovers that stepping into her mother’s shoes means stumbling on family secrets she was never meant to find—secrets that threaten her mother’s legacy and the very book she’s trying to create.
Lots of things to love about this book. First let's talk about the cover. A woman with bunny slippers and a book, sign me up to read this please. Second, it's a book about writing a book, another yes please. Third, while it may look like a fluffy read without a lot of substance, it actually had a lot more serious stuff to offer along with the humorous parts. It's really a story about coming to accept that you may be capable of more than you think. Sara's mother obviously knows this when she leaves her to write the fifth volume in a highly successful book series upon her sudden death from cancer. Sara doesn't believe that she is up to the task, and worries about the repercussions from all the series adoring fans who are clamoring to know how the story will end. Some of her publishers are not even on board with Sara's qualifications, causing a rift among the people she needs to please before the book goes anywhere near the readers. Also, Sara believes that with the timeline that her mother worked under, that book five would have already been penned before she got sick, so where is it? A little bit of intrigue, a little humor, a great sibling relationship, and a coming of age story, make this a satisfying read. And of course there are secrets about her mother's life revealed along the way, that add to the narrative. I do wish that we got to see what was in the box, just to see if I was correct in my prediction, but all in all that didn't effect the well constructed ending.
A book about books and the publishing industry, with a character who discovers a lot about herself along the way, make for an enjoyable read. You will be hard pressed not to root for Sara in her book journey!
