Blurb:
Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance...
When facing death a mourning period is to be expected. But what if it's not a person but a relationship that dies? Grace and her boyfriend Jon have been together for three years. They live together and have shared many beautiful memories. Those memories are what keep Grace from admitting Jon has changed and is no longer the man she fell in love with.
Afraid of being alone and holding on to something that no longer exists Grace is a shadow of her former self. Her daily objective is to hide her pain from the world. Then, an unexpected letter sets off a whirlwind of potential life changes. In life sometimes the hardest thing to do is let go.
When facing death a mourning period is to be expected. But what if it's not a person but a relationship that dies? Grace and her boyfriend Jon have been together for three years. They live together and have shared many beautiful memories. Those memories are what keep Grace from admitting Jon has changed and is no longer the man she fell in love with.
Afraid of being alone and holding on to something that no longer exists Grace is a shadow of her former self. Her daily objective is to hide her pain from the world. Then, an unexpected letter sets off a whirlwind of potential life changes. In life sometimes the hardest thing to do is let go.
Leary says:
Stages of Grace is a story that follows the main character,
Grace, through the five stages of grief as she goes through the process of
deciding whether or not to end her three year relationship with her boyfriend
Jon.
Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
Acceptance
These stages are central to the entire story. At first I had a
hard time connecting with Grace. As we being learning about what has transpired
in her relationship with Jon over the last year I found myself thinking that
she was a bit weak and unable to stand up for herself. I took a little break
from reading the story to sit back and put myself in her shoes and I realized
that if I were in the same situation I most likely would have had the same
reactions.
Grace and Jon were madly in love for two years and had a
fantastic relationship. Jon was easy going and loving in the beginning but over
the last year his personality has done a complete 180. All Grace wants is it
get the old Jon back and to be happy again but is that even possible? Does the
Jon she first met still exist?
As each stage passes Grace becomes a stronger character. Her life
really begins in change when she receives a letter that takes her from Ohio to
Florida. What happens in Florida and the people she meets are the catalyst to the
final stages of grief. We meet a few fantastic characters about half way
through the book that speed up the final stages.
I definitely enjoyed reading this book. Even though it was a
light read I did find myself feeling the same emotions as Grace but it wasn’t a
gut wrenching roller coaster ride which was a great change. We got partial
glimpses into the relationship between Grace and Jon when everything was
amazing. These glimpses gave me the ability to connect with Grace during the
first couple of stages as I felt anger for the loss of what use to be.
I felt that there was a lot of development during the first two
stages but as the story continued I found the story to be a bit underdeveloped.
After I took my reflection time in the beginning I was extremely connected to
the story but as Grace was entering Bargaining and Depression I felt myself
drifting. During the Acceptance stage I
was able to reconnect with Grace and thoroughly enjoyed her relationships with
the new characters. Overall I thought it was an enjoyable read and I was
delighted that even though it was about the ending of a relationship it was
still lighthearted.
* 3.5 Stars *
Elle says:
In college, I minored in Psychology and when I saw in the
synopsis where this story tied in to The Five Stages of Grief, I was intrigued.
Carey Heywood brings a new twist to the rise and fall of a relationship.
Stages of Grace introduces you to Grace, a twenty-something
who is stuck in a relationship rut with her long-term boyfriend, Jon.
The story is told through her point of view and is mostly
done through Grace’s inner monologue. I typically prefer books to have a fairly
equal balance between dialogue and narration (or what I call “showing and
telling”). To my surprise, I found Grace’s narration enjoyable. Heywood won me
over by incorporating thorough imagery and detail, with a moderate amount of
dialogue, amongst characters that are either easy to fall in love with or very
easy to hate. When all of the elements
combine in Stages of Grace, the final product is a heartwarming story about
building relationships and finding closure.
Grace and Jon’s relationship starts just like any other.
They are absolutely smitten with one another. Through flashbacks in Grace’s narration,
the author highlights the happier moments between the couple.
Locked in the gaze of
the bluest eyes I had ever seen, Jon leaned in to kiss me. I had felt lit from
within, as though every nerve ending on my body was emitting heat.
These tender moments are a stark contrast from Grace’s
relationship in present day.
I used to live for the
weekend, for curling up with a good book or taking a day trip somewhere fun.
Nowadays, weekends seem like staring contests until Jon finds some reason to
scream at me.
“Don’t worry Grace.
You have nothing I want to see.”
The author takes you on Grace’s journey through the Five
Stages of Grief (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance) as she
tries to cope with her failing relationship.
Now all I feel is as
though I am walking a tightrope suspended over a deep canyon with no hope of
making it across.
As Grace progresses through each stage, her character adapts
and changes. She forms new friendships, embraces new experiences, and is given
the opportunity at a fresh start, all while trying to mend the broken parts of
her life. The transformation Grace’s character undergoes within these pages
makes her relatable and likable.
With each paragraph, I could see Grace’s confidence grow, as
she was one step closer to finding her place and purpose in life. I never
stopped rooting for her to reach the final stage of Acceptance.
Overall, I found Stages of Grace to be a delightful
journey through the ups, down, and sometimes new beginnings of a relationship. The
story is a quick read that’s easy to follow and you can’t help but fall in love
with the characters. I recommend adding this book to your TBR list as well as
becoming a fan of Carey Heywood’s on Facebook and Goodreads to keep up with
what she is publishing next.
Author Links
Bio:
I make up stuff and write it down. Here are some things that make up who I am, in no particular order; Books, Swedish Fish, Rivers, Kids (I have some), Husband (I have 1), Dog, Wuss, Reader, Elephants, Mermaid Shows, Belgian Chocolate, Plastic Rings, Fizzy Water, Abs (I don't have them...well yes, I have them but they're nothing to look at I meant Abs that I like to look at), Twitter (@careylolo), Making up Words, Chair Dancing, Old Movies, Cartoons, Belgian Waffles, Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, People, Kayaks, Screen Porches, Laughing, Colored Paperclips, Junky Green Laptop, Golden Rule, Falling in Love, Jumping in Puddles, Spellcheck, Windy Days.
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