Easily relate to Grace and if you’re lucky, everyone will have a Monika in their life! Lots of laughs, feel good moments, but also some sorrow, I’m not ashamed to admit it had me in tears. Not going to go into more detail, I don’t want to give it all away, but what I will say is this... it’s a bloody good read! Solid 4 stars from me!! Well done Kim.

Grace is a young single mum, she adores her ten year old son, Archie, and takes Becks her labradoodle for long walks in the woods. However, having to cope on her own hasn't been easy for Grace and dealing with the emotional scars left over from her marriage to her domineering ex-husband has sort of prevented her from trying to have a meaningful relationship with anyone else. That is until her friend, Monica, persuades Grace to try the dating scene with disastrous results, and then she meets Vinnie...

What then follows is a lovely story by an author who really knows just what's needed in women's fiction. There are an abundance of strong characters who tug away at your heartstrings, a delightful dog who makes you want to slip on your walking boots and head to the forest, and the most gorgeous leading man, who makes your heart skip a beat every time he appears on the page.

There's lots going on and it's not all hearts and flowers in this romantic tale as there's more than enough angst supplied by the dastardly ex-husband, who you really hope will get his comeuppance! But throughout it all is Grace who really is amazing and who is such a warm and lively character that you can't help but warm to her, and ultimately, want what's best for her.

Beautifully written from start to finish, Amazing Grace, is one of those proper stories which has a lovely beginning, a wonderful middle and an awe-inspiring conclusion. It's also a fabulous debut from a talented new author and I hope that this is just the first of many stories from her. I can't wait to read more

Kim Nash's debut is a realistic take on the everyday life of a single mom with a sprinkle of romance to bring the cheerful and perfect ending. Reading this has been like living through Ibsen's 'A Doll's House' all over again. Here, in a very modern scenario, Grace is confronted with the same choices as Nora -- should she sacrifice her happiness for the love of her child or should her needs be prioritized? Years must have passed by, but for a woman, it is still hard to make a decision when it involves her kids.
What touched me most about the book is the way Grace is led by her mother's spirit and her vocalisations given at the end of each chapter is really quite beautiful and tear-jerking. The role of the mediator was unsettling since I don't believe in that stuff, but the firm belief that our dear ones are watching over us from heaven is something anyone can share.
On the whole, the book has left me brooding. Reading Grace's story has made me realise the hopeful side of this earthly life. If you have good friends and encouraging siblings any murky water can be waded through with ease.

Favorite Quotes:

I’ve been on eighty-seven dates so far but have still not yet found the girl of my dreams. There’s been something wrong with every single one of them.

Derek, here’s a tip from me. On your next first date, treat your lady like a princess. Turn up on time, be nice to her, buy her a drink, ask her about herself and don’t talk about poo.

To be honest, even if David Beckham woke me up saying he wanted to roger me senseless in the middle of the night, I’d slap him and say, David, don’t bloody wake me up.

He treats me with kindness and respect, something that you don’t appear to have for anyone, not even your own family. And I suggest that if you ever want people to like you, go look those words up in a dictionary.

My Review:

Amazing Grace was a fun and lively read and the publishing debut for this talented weaver of words. I just love finding new authors to fangirl! The storylines were creative and eventful, yet easy to follow and fairly well-balanced in emotional tone between periods of angsty indecision and Grace’s gradual personal transformation as she waded through tense encounters and confusing exchanges with her ex-husband, rueful reminiscences of her mother, parenting issues, a thrilling new love interest, and other-worldly influences; until she finally found her own voice and regained her long-lost sparkle.

Ms. Nash’s writing was pleasantly engaging and evocatively detailed with shimmers of delightful humor that occasionally found me barking out a laugh. She has definitely earned a spot on my Ones to Watch For list. And an interesting addition to my Brit Word List was “big girl’s blouse,” which the Urban Dictionary defined as British slang for “a wimpy, emasculated and weak man. In particular, one who complains immoderately.” Hmm, I used to work with one of those… Retirement is oh, so, sweeet!

Given all the excitement surrounding this book and of course that gorgeous cover, I was excited to sit down and this, a book about Grace, mother of the lovely Archie, owner of the adorable Becks (her dog!) was totally up my street!

. On meeting Grace, who’s forgotten how to be herself since her self esteem was smushed into the group by ex Mark, I was thrilled. I loved Grace, who is ever positive, albeit feeling dull. I totally empathised with her remembering years gone by, the things she wore, the confidence she used to have and it made me think about how grey you can feel at times, and how sometimes you just need something to shake that up. Luckily her best friend stepped up to the mark and before we knew it we were seeing a whole new Grace. Of course to go with that Grace was put into the world of speed dating, with disastrous results and then I was kind of wondering if her friend knew her at all!

I’ll admit that I would have liked a warning on the sad parts of the book, even a mention of her her deceased mum speaking to her or the use of the word ‘tears’ as I would have been better reading this another time. I’ve a few friends going through the loss of parents at the moment and what with tiredness and a few family things this kind of brought me back to thinking about (sobbing about, which, in all fairness is commendable to the author) Dad. A lot of people accept and sometimes enjoy going through a range of emotions in a book, but to be honest at this time I would have preferred something that was non stop sunny and these passages just tipped it for me at times.

Saying that I did really enjoy this book, with its chortle out loud humour, lovely romance, drama, but above all the fun sparkly element. Thanks so much to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources and Hera books for the book in return for an honest review.

Rating: 4/5

Amazing Grace is the story of a woman named Grace who is trying to reclaim her life after suffering from her husband’s infidelity. Her husband, Mark is not out of her life as she shares the custody of her young boy, Archie with him. Later we meet Vinnie, the romantic interest and with the help of a few other characters, we see Grace become an amazing, self-confident and independent person which is quite a contrast to what she was as Mark’s wife.

I really like stories that focus on self-discovery and finding one’s way to strength and happiness after a loss or tragedy so, I was excited to read this one when I received the ebook from NetGalley. However, I lost interest in it very early and very quickly. I found the story to be too detailed and felt that it dragged in most of the places. I found the writing to be unexciting and the story became typical and cliched. In my opinion, if the author had spent less time complaining about Mark and more on Grace and Vinnie’s relationship, with gripping twists, the story would have stood out. On the whole, I found it to be a disappointing read.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Kim Nash and Hera Books for sharing an egalley of this book with me in exchange for an honest review.

Amazing Grace is simply AMAZING!

Kim gNash’s debut is possibly the most relatable book I have read this year! Grace is a single mom and as a single mom myself I found her struggles so authentic. That constant worry that your kid is missing out on something because they don’t have two parents in the home, the constant attempt to be everything to everybody, and the complete loss of who you are. Grace is a real woman, living in the real world, dealing with real problems... isn’t that refreshing! Life is messy, but it is also Full of humor and heart and hope. Kim brings an honest portrayal of life to the pages of this book.

Grace is left to pick up the pieces after she discovers her husband Mark cheating. She stays strong for the sake of her son Archie and with the help of her dog Becks. Her BFF Monica is also by her side gently encouraging her to jump into the dating world again. Grace’s experiences with online dating were simply hilarious. I was cringing, then laughing, then cringing, and then crying because I was laughing so hard. Who hasn’t gone out on a really bad date? Just thinking about the dates in this book is making me smile. It’s not all laughs though, the book also touches on grief. Grace lost her mother many years ago and misses her still every single day. I love the way Grace’s mother was incorporated into the story it was so beautiful, and I hope with all my heart that this is true. I am very fortunate to still have my mom, but I hope I will still be able to feel her presence after she is gone. The romance in the story is so sweet and swoony. Vinny is seriously the perfect man and if I ever were to meet him I might be willing to give love another chance. Unfortunately I believe men as perfect as this probably only exists on the pages of books, but I guess I could be wrong?

Uplifting and heartwarming with just enough tension to make it authentic. This is just one of those stories that will make you smile and feel good about the human condition! Absolutely recommend!

*** many thanks to Hera Books for my copy of this book ***

Kim Nash is very special to me. She’s one of the very first book publicists I made contact with when I first became a reviewer!! I’m absolutely thrilled that she’s now become the published author of this absolutely lovely book – the first of what I hope will be many more!

I think I smiled from the beginning to the end of Amazing Grace. And I know I definitely want to find a Little Ollington of my own so I can go and live there. Kim’s descriptions make the place sound so welcoming and homey. Of course it would also be nice if there was a Vinnie thrown in for good measure too!

Grace is just getting her life back together and getting used to being a single mom to her little boy Archie. She adores her dog Becks, her gorgeous cottage and her kind neighbours. Her best friend Monica always has her back (often with hilarious results – especially when it comes to dating). She’s great at her job even if she doesn’t realise how good she really is, and how much she’s appreciated. Although she’s more or less content with her life, she does feel that something’s missing. She has dreams of opening up a book shop of her own one day but thinks that she could never do this on her own as she just doesn’t have the confidence in herself.

One of the biggest causes of all her self-doubt is her ex, Mark. Grace is practical enough not to romanticise what they had, but she does miss the man she’d fallen in love with and married all those years ago. And she does miss having a companion. It’s lonely when Archie’s at his dad. She hasn’t yet found a way to keep herself busy on those weekends and eating Chinese takeout and lounging around in tatty old pyjamas isn’t quite doing the job.

Until hunky landscaper Vinnie turns up on her doorstep and Grace’s romantic landscape starts to look a lot more positive! But does the course of true love every run smoothly? Hell no!! There are ups, downs, hiccups and hilarity aplenty in their path and who knows what the outcome will be?

Grace is just delightful, and readers will love her! Nash has created a character who so many will identify with: someone who just wants things to turn out ok for herself and people she cares about. She doesn’t expect too much, she tries her best, is sometimes funny and sometimes and epic fail – and that’s ok too! She’s just like all of us (especially those of us who adore our 4-legged children)!

There’s so much in this book to love. Especially touching are the occasional encouraging messages that come from Grace’s mom, who’s no longer with her, but whose presence Grace still feels so strongly. The people we lose are never really gone when we think of them so often and ‘talk’ to them, as Grace does with her mother. She feels her support and her love so strongly and this gets her through so many of her challenges. I adored these moving heart-to-hearts.

I just have to mention one little touch that I loved (among many, obviously). Towards the end of the book, Grace notices Archie settled in a corner, reading a book and she comments that he’s a bookworm, just like his mom. I loved this reference to Kim herself (intentional or not) and her own nickname that everyone on social media knows her as: Kim the Bookworm!

This book gets 5 heart-warming stars from me. Settle down and get comfortable with a cup of tea and your favourite biscuits, Amazing Grace is the type of book that will warm you up from the top of your head, right down to your toes.

Well, where do I start? I don’t read a lot of rom-com or romance or comedy or anything else that can be called light and fluffy. So perhaps I’m not the target audience for Amazing Grace by Kim but I was very excited to read it.

Grace is a character that I could relate to in many ways. She’s a single mother with a boy called Archie, her ex husband is a manipulating, cheating b*&%!*d. Grace’s self esteem is pretty low, all she wants is the best for her son but she constantly doubts herself.

She has a best friend who tries to help her get back on her feet after her divorce, getting her to pay attention to what she’s wearing and dragging her to the hairdresser. This friend also joins her up to a dating app and organises a few dates her her which are all rather disastrous. I’m not sure that I’d ever forgive my friend for setting me up with the men she found though, talk about disastrous! And also rather hilarious.

But then enters Vinnie, gardener extraordinaire who happens to be rather handsome and single. Grace is full of doubt, perhaps Vinnie is too good to be true, or maybe she should go back to the useless ex? But gradually Grace is able to let her defences down and trust herself to do the right thing.

I really loved Grace as a character, she’d been through a lot but she was still fighting and trying to make the best life she can for herself and her son. She was such a believable and likeable character and I loved reading about her as she slowly grew in confidence and reaped the rewards of her hard work.

Grace is also grieving the death of her mother, and her mother is a big part of the story as she regularly talks to Grace. This was the one bit that I wasn’t really sure about, but it worked well in the book and helped to give Grace the strength to keep going and do the best she can do.

Amazing Grace is an excellent debut novel, Kim Nash has created some wonderful characters who are believable and warm, people that you can imagine being your friends. The book was easy to read, it made me laugh and I probably spent a lot of the time reading it smiling, I’m sure that it will bring a tear or two to many as well.

I enjoyed my break from thrillers and crime books and I am looking forward to reading more from the author.

Amazing Grace is the story of Grace who is separated from her husband and is trying to re-build her life along with her ten-year-old son Archie and dog Becks. She’s ambling along in life – she has a nice house and a job she enjoys but she’s not feeling very fulfilled and her life is lacking some sparkle. Then one day Vinnie arrives and it might just be that Grace is going to get a chance at happiness.

I loved Grace from the minute I started reading this book. She’s so easy to identify with and I was rooting for her to get her happy ending from the start. She’s such a warm person and someone who wants to do right by the people she loves but she ends up spreading herself a little thin at times. I also adored her friend Monica who decides to help Grace makeover her life with a new wardrobe and some matchmaking!

Grace’s ex-husband Mark is such an arrogant, smarmy man and Grace is left agonising over whether she should forgive his affair and give him another chance because in doing so she’d no longer have to share custody of their son and she could be with Archie all the time. I was hoping she would give herself time to think about this became Grace is clearly way too good for Mark. I’m not a violent person but he really made me want to slap him at times in this book!

Vinnie on the other hand is a wonderful man who seems to just want the best for Grace. I have to admit that I was a little suspicious of him for a while as he seemed almost too good to be true. I soon decided that he was genuine and I was rooting for him and Grace to get together. I loved seeing Grace getting to know him though and finding her feet on the dating scene again. It’s not easy putting yourself out there after a long-term relationship and Monica’s ‘help’ wasn’t always the most useful (although some of the dates did make me giggle!).

Amazing Grace has some really moving, heartfelt moments throughout as Grace is still very much missing her mum who died a few years previously. I really felt for her as she so badly wanted to hear her mum’s voice or to ask for some advice. There is one moment in particular with Grace and her mum that made me sob when I read it but it was healing, happy tears. I really could identify with Grace, I still miss my mum so much and Kim Nash captures the loss of a mother so beautifully and poignantly. Amazing Grace retains its lightness throughout – Kim has such a deft way of writing heartache that shows the reality of it without it ever feeling heavy.

Kim has a huge talent for writing characters that feel so real – everyone in this book feels like someone I might bump in to. It takes real care to make even the more peripheral characters memorable but Kim does it brilliantly! The older couple that she met in the park for example are so vivid in my mind even now, and they were only in the book for a few pages.

Amazing Grace is one of those really special books that I will treasure. It made me snort with laughter, and it made me shed a few tears but most of all it made me feel happy, smiley and comforted – I adored every single second that I spent reading it. It’s an amazing book, one I would recommend to absolutely everyone. Amazing Grace is one of my favourite books of the year and I now can’t wait to read whatever Kim writes next!

Amazing Grace by Kim Nash

Grace is a single mum with an obnoxious ex and a very low self opinion but thanks to her old friend Monica and someone special who enters her life she begins to expect a lot more for herself and so begins the emotional and spiritual journey that she embarks upon.

I know I’m enjoying a book when only 9% in I am sitting there crying whilst reading it. It caught me a few more times as well but also made me laugh out loud a lot too.

Amazing Grace really struck a chord with me because Grace had lost her mum and the feelings of grief hit me right in the heart as I have also lost my mum so could really empathise with her. It was obvious that Kim was speaking from the heart when she wrote this because she also understands the pain of losing her mother.

I’m a very spiritual person and believe that our loved ones stay close to us even after they’ve passed away. So found it quite beautiful that at the end of each chapter we hear loving messages from Grace’s mum as she comforts her daughter and let’s her know that she will always be with her. Those pieces were very moving and I wish I could see messages from my mum like that to know what she was thinking.

Grace’s son Archie was an absolute joy and the closeness of their relationship was lovely to see. She raised an intelligent and loving boy.

Vinnie was such a hunk but Grace had to make a difficult choice concerning him and ultimately had to put her sons happiness first.

Amazing Grace was a comforting, emotional and joyful read and I can assure you that both you and your guardian angel will love it.

Grace's world revolves around her 10 year old son, Archie, determined to make life the best she can for him. She dotes on him and misses him terribly when he goes to stay at his Dad's. Grace needs to get a life of her own, and has some 'help' from a friend, resulting in some hilariously disastrous dates.
But Grace has her eye on Vinnie, and quite frankly, who wouldn't? Kind, thoughtful, and seriously hot, Vinnie could be the answer to her prayers. But how is another man going to fit into her life without causing disruption to Archie?

And then there's the ex-husband, who wants the family back together. That would mean Archie has his mum and dad, and Grace wouldn't have to suffer when Archie was at his dad's...

We all know the ex, is a controlling, selfish twat, and Vinnie is hot stuff! But poor Grace is torn between forging a new life for herself and making everything perfect for Archie.

It's a lovely story of a mother trying to balance her absolute love for her son with the need for her to have her own life. The relationship she has with Archie is adorable, but I was screaming at the pages whenever Mark was lurking around - surely Grace couldn't sacrifice everything for him? I genuinely thought this could go either way, because if anyone can make the best out of a situation, it is Grace.

It is fabulously written, with an emotive storyline that kept me reading through the night - just another chapter, oh, just another one... I was hooked!

I can't wait to read more from Kim Nash!

A lovely, feel-good rom-com that will warm the cockles of your heart. As the mum of an eleven-year-old son, I could readily empathise with Grace as she suddenly feels ancient compared to the other school mums. I have to say that I have a good few years on her though so imagine how old she made me feel? Her best friend is a breath of fresh air and the kind of friend we all need in our lives. I also appreciated the messages from Grace's mum from the other side - perhaps we've all hoped for that when we've lost someone close, even if the conversations are just in our head?
The characterisation is excellent and at times I found myself wondering how Mark ever became a head teacher as he is such a jerk! I couldn't believe how much his behaviour annoyed me. Vinnie, on the other hand, well - a girl can dream, eh? Seeing his sister and the cafe made him a well-rounded character and even the dog, Becks, has a personality all of his own. An excellent debut novel.

An enjoyable romance with Grace taking one step at a time to improve her lonely life.
Very readable with the feel good factor.

When a relationship ends there is a hole left but it is one where the real you has been hiding and it is time to waken it up. Grace thought she had the perfect marriage but her cheating husband had thought differently. So Grace was starting life over now with just their son Archie and the family dog Becks.
This is Kim Nash’s debut novel and it is truly amazing. I loved Grace straight away because I connected with his on every single level. The heart-break of betrayal followed by the uncertainty that you simple can’t do this on your own. The person she wanted to talk to most, her mum, had sadly died years before and she needed her more than ever now. Oh how I knew that feeling too, it is one that you have to experience to realise the sadness you feel. I loved that the author found the mystical possibility of her mum being there at her side, it really brought a tear to my eyes and a smile.
The story has some absolute wonderful little cheeky moments of double meaning delights in the exchanges between Grace and Vinnie that made me laugh. Vinnie is a character that made me go weak at the knees as well as he did for Grace. Grace wasn’t going to go into a relationship straight away with someone though, she had to dip her toes in this pool of men before jumping in with both feet. Her bestie signs her up for a dating agency which is hilarious. there I was this time crying with laughing.
There were so many cringeable moments in the story, with the choices that Grace made, all for self-sacrifice for what she thinks will make Archie happy because he is Grace’s constant love in her life, no matter what else happens. I really liked how his feelings and fears were explored in the story too, not something that many stories do.
This book felt like the author knew my inner thoughts and feelings as she had connected to every single one that I had experienced myself. A beautiful story with brilliant characters, but with one that is truly Amazing!

Of course, one of the risks of agreeing to a review a book for a friend and colleague is the danger that you won’t enjoy it and will have to work out how to review it honestly and tactfully at the same time. Thankfully, this was not an issue here because I absolutely loved Amazing Grace.

The main character in this book, Grace, was someone I related to immediately on a personal level, she was so convincingly drawn. A single parent following divorce, she is now trying to juggle job, life, friends and solo parenting her son, Archie. She has let herself go a bit and the last thing on her mind is finding a new man, especially when the old one is still trying to convince her to have him back. The dilemmas that Grace faces are ones that I, as a divorcee single mother myself, recognise only too well. Trying to balance parenthood with maintaining a sense of self, alongside the constant worry about whether you are doing the best thing for your children and that insidious, ever-present sense of guilt. Kim has captured all of this perfectly in the book, it speaks loudly to any woman who has found themselves in this situation.

There are so many characters to love in this book, each of them drawn clearly and convincingly. I am sure you will recognise someone you know amongst the meddling friend, the helpful neighbours, the unsuitable men, and the many others who people the pages. Kim obviously has a real eye for drawing out character traits and balancing realism with a healthy dash of humour which made reading about them a delight.

The story is a fairly simple one, but that is not a negative. It is what makes the story so believable, what will make you see some reflection of your own life somewhere between the pages. Most of us are not spies, or policemen, or criminals, of glamorous jet setters, but our lives, our problems, are no less interesting or taxing because they are played out on a small scale. For every individual, the stakes are the same. In the end, we all just want to be happy and this goal is what will link every reader to Grace and make them invested in her story.

What I was most surprised about was how incredibly moving I found the book, and Kim’s writing. I found myself very close to tears in parts, which just indicates how deeply the story touched me. There were other parts where I was screaming at Grace when I feared she was going to make the wrong decision or when she did something silly that looked like it was going to cause a problem for her. Luckily I managed to keep all of this drama internal so people around me didn’t think I was going mad, but these characters were totally alive to me whilst I was in the world of the story, which is quite an achievement.

This is a beautiful, warm, funny, charming and intensely touching book that I would not hesitate to recommend, whoever had written it. I could not be more pleased that it happened to be Kim.

It’s rare to be totally hooked from the opening pages, but as Grace faces another Archie-free day, greets Becks the dog, and wonders quite what she’s going to do with her life, I knew I was going to love this book. There’s a real talent in creating characters who are so real that you feel you could bump into them when you leave the house or in the nearest cafe: although our experiences are totally different, there was just so much about Grace and her day-to-day concerns that was totally relatable that I took her to my heart in an instant.

As Grace begins to find her own way, the “fat club” was just wonderful (and something I have experienced – the ritual humiliation, the nursery stickers and the infuriating catch-phrases!), and her on-line dating experiences brought back many uncomfortable memories (thanks, Monica…). But then something happens that every singleton – whose greatest excitement is a new pair of Tesco pyjamas – dreams of, when the man of her dreams knocks on her door, and he rather likes the look of her too.

Every character in this book is wonderfully drawn. I loved the way Archie was sometimes a small and vulnerable child but at other times became Grace’s champion and defender – his interrogation skills were wonderful to behold, and so well observed. Her husband Mark is selfish, manipulative and totally obnoxious – but never becomes a caricature, just an uncomfortable and unwelcome presence and a threat to the hoped for happy ending. I liked Vinnie very much – but that element of suspicion that Grace has, that maybe there’s something he’s not telling her (fuelled by her previous experience of Mark’s deception), is really well done. The minor characters are excellent too – Monica as the friend everyone needs, Vinnie’s sister Ruth, the friendly neighbours. At one point in the story they all come together at a really lovely party – I felt like I was there, and really wished I had been.

While it’s undoubtedly a romantic comedy, with both gentle humour and some more madcap moments that have you in stitches, I loved the emotional elements every bit as much. There’s a strong theme of a mother’s love – a beautifully drawn relationship between Grace and her young son Archie, filled with love, and the great sadness that Grace no longer has her mother to turn to in times of trouble. There’s no heaviness here, but the love is palpable – and I often found myself quite tearful as my heartstrings were gently pulled by the clever writing. The author’s emotional touch is quite perfect – laughter changes to sadness, and then back to that quite lovely lightness again, with total ease and absence of effort.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this book is that it’s a debut: the writing is really accomplished, and there wasn’t a single moment on Grace’s journey to happiness when I thought anything could have been done better. There was a point in this book when I felt I was really living it rather than simply reading it – as Grace teeters on the edge of a life-changing decision, I really wanted to talk to her in the hope I could make her see that it was wrong for her in every way. And as I approached the book’s end, I didn’t want it to be over – and that’s a real sign that the author’s drawn you into the world of her characters.

Moving, uplifting, totally convincing characters – desperately sad at times, but also very, very funny. I really loved this book, and look forward very much to seeing what Kim Nash does next.

Amazing Grace truly is amazing! I was so excited to read this debut from Kim Nash and it didn’t disappoint one little bit!

Grace was a wonderful character, the sort of woman we would all love to have as a friend. She came across as a “real” woman-curvy, fond of a G&T and happiest cuddled up at home with son Archie and doggie Becks. Her ex husband has treated her badly but she is tempted to go back to him when he asks just so that she will have Archie back in her life full time again. But the appearance of hunky gardner Vinnie, who seems to have been sent straight from a Diet Coke advert, throws a small trowel in the works!

Kim Nash has created a wonderfully authentic life for her very likeable heroine Grace. This book is just so beautifully written that every part of her story was vividly brought to life as we cheered Grace on towards the “happy ever after” that she so deserves. I think each and every one of us will identify with some part of Graces situation and that’s what makes her so authentic! When her friend Monica goes in to organise her wardrobe (my dream job btw as I’m always doing this for friends and family!) the comments regarding her underwear could have been made by me!! I did laugh thankfully and that humour continued all the way through Amazing Grace and, to be honest, it was much needed to counteract some very poignant moments throughout the rest of the book.

What I adored most about Amazing Grace was the stylish way in which Grace’s mum was brought into the narrative. I wasn’t sure when I first read her POV but by the end I came to love this perspective as it made Amazing Grace a uniquely crafted experience for the reader.

I can’t wait to read more from Kim Nash! Her beautifully expressive prose brought tears to my eyes-both with laughter and with sadness-and I thoroughly enjoyed the emotion journey she took me on.

Definitely an author to watch out for in the future!

Wow I'm a mess.....perhaps I shouldn't have read this gorgeous book prior to flying off to get married without my Mam and Dad - if you could see me now I'm almost buried under a mountain of tissues. This book couldn't have had more heart if it tried....I was bubbling by 8% and haven't stopped since but I just had to pick up my pen to tell you all how much I loved this book.

The story line was simply beautiful, I was pulled in in an instant and couldn't put the book down for even one moment. Grace was instantly likeable and I thoroughly enjoyed travelling on this journey with her, quietly watching her grow in strength as the book played out and I whooped for joy at several moments along the way. What a great character she really shone in her leading role and was the perfect character at the helm of this story. Archie by far was a stand out little star. His love and strong relationship with Grace was a joy to behold and I found myself grinning from ear to ear at his cheeky chappy ways - what a little scene stealer.

But I must say that my absolute favourite element of this story was the heartfelt speeches from Grace's Mam that weaved their way beautifully through the narrative. They elevated the story and added huge waves of emotion that caused me to crumble under a tissue mountain.

Amazing Grace is a perfection personified and I fell in love with every single word. I know for a fact that this story will stay with me for many years to come because of how much it resonated with me on a personal level. Bring on book two.... I shall be right here waiting patiently.

I have known Kim for a few years and had I known JUST how good a writer she was I would have been nagging in her ear a lot earlier. For a debut novel this book was absolutely amazing. Many people that know me are well aware I have no fear of criticising books even if the authors are people I consider friends. However, I am in absolutely NO position to criticise anything is this book as I absolutely loved it.Grace is a great lead character and in truth I think thousands of women will identify with her. She is a single mother who is constantly juggling childcare with work as well as trying to appease her (frankly loathsome) ex-husband. Archie is a lovely boy who is growing into that awkward stage of still wanting cuddles from Mummy but questioning quite a lot of what she does. Grace is self-depreciating and warm character that you just want to do well no matter what.Grace's friend Monica was a brilliant addition and think every woman in the world could do with a friend like that! The book takes us on Grace's journey as she tries to start taking control of her life and making decisions that will benefit her as well as Archie. One of the most poignant thing about this book is the exerts where Grace is talking to her Mum who she lost to Cancer many years before. I think this element of the book is done with such finesse that it's sad and poignant, yet reads like a positive experience (if that makes sense).I also had a slight girl crush on Vinnie, the man who makes an appearance in the book very early on. He and his family are amazing characters and they all play their part in this storyline. This was most definitely a positive and feelgood read. For a debut novel Kim has absolutely knocked it out of the park. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a new author in this genre.