Saving Grace

Saving Grace #1

by Katherine Spencer

When Grace Stanley’s brother is killed in a car accident just before her junior year of high school, her life is split in before and after Matt died. Before, she loved to draw, play lacrosse, laugh, and listen to loud music with her best friends. And after, she doesn’t see much point in anything--not school, not her friends or parents, not herself, and certainly not God. Then along comes Philomena, a mysterious girl who is always popping up unexpectedly . . . and who just might be exactly what Grace needs.
            Saving Grace  is the story of a vulnerable and remarkable girl who is struggling through profound loss, figuring out her faith and her place in the universe--and making plenty of mistakes along the way.

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2006

About the author

Katherine Spencer was a fiction editor before turning to a full-time career as a writer. The author of more than thirty books, she also writes the Angel Island series, as well as the Black Sheep Knitting Mysteries under her real name, Anne Canadeo. She lives with her husband and daughter in a small village on the Long Island Sound. Outside of her office, she is active in many community charity projects.

Reviews

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a lesson from this book. & i usually don't learn "life lessons" from what I read. I liked the girly kinds of books but i really liked this one. I never wanted to put it down. You find yourself figuring out that everything happens for a reason, to keep moving forward, & to always be true to yourself & the ones you know that will always be there for you. Grace is going through a hard time now that she lost her one and only brother. Now that she's alone will she take her friends & family that never left her forgranted?

[Annika Surya · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this book was a good lesson and it taught me a lot of things too but it wasn't very interesting. It was a very boring book but was very fast to read.

[Darby Dubose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book caught my attention from the first page. I couldn't put it down once I began to read it. Grace Stanley is lost due to the death of her brother from a fatal car accident. Grace, in a sense completely loses it. Grace becomes a totally different person after her brother, Matt, passes away. Grace becomes rebellious in many ways such as lying to her parents, failing her classes, and partying at clubs. Grace keeps her feelings bottled up and is emotionally scared from her brother's death. Grace begins to stop believing in God and blames him for Matt's death. With the help from her mysterious friend Philomena, Grace finally comes to her senses. Philomena seems to know everything about Grace, and Grace believes that she is an angel. Grace doesn't know who or what Philomena is, but Grace is sure grateful for her her because she has helped Grace out of many bad situations. In the end, Grace makes peace with her parents and friends, and realizes that one day she'll Matt again in heaven.

[Beautifully Broken · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really touched me. I haven't lost anybody like Grace did but just...the depth of her character really hit me. It also had to do with her looking for faith and hope. I love this book as much, if not more, than The Hunger Games. It took me a day to read it, partially only because I had the chance (free time in school) but mainly because it is a book you can not put down for long. Need a book to read? This is the one. It was simply amazing.

[Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Furious at God for taking her brother Matt in a car accident, Grace is finding it hard to return to school at the end of the summer. Nobody knows what to say to her, and hanging out with their mutual friends is not something Grace will ever be ready to do.

Her parents find comfort in their activities at the church, especially an event for the homeless that will be dedicated to Matt. Grace blames herself for Matt's death. She was the one who was supposed to pick up the milk that day. Matt agreed to go only after she begged him.

Grace finds a new group to replace her old friends. She overlooks their faults as she throws herself into alcohol and partying to forget. When her old friends have given up on her and her new friends drop her after a night of clubbing where she freaks out in a convenience store, Grace has one friend who doesn't turn away no matter how poorly she acts. Philomena's calm and serenity never waiver.

Grace throws herself into her studies to make up for time lost, but she still can't come to terms with her guilt and face a life without Matt. Although Grace is a likable character in spite of her faults, Philomena is hard to believe. She gives comfort and advice that Grace finds impossible to understand. The reader must decide whether Philomena is real or a figment of Grace's desire to accept her brother's death and go on with her life.

This review first appeared on www.bookloons.com

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saving Grace tells the story of a girl losing her older brother, Matt in a car accident. As the story unfolds you witness a girl lose her faith and most importantly, herself. This story made me feel uncertain. At times I was really sucked into the characters and felt a deep connection. And at other times I found myself getting a little bored. But, this story definitely was heart-wrenching and found myself crying. Overall this book was a pretty good read and I enjoyed the writing style.

[Cassie Zee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book for adolescents going through the grieving process of losing a sibling; especially for someone who is having difficulty accepting their faith after losing a loved one.

[Anjelica Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books of all time. I read it in one day. Loved it loved it loved it!

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Frizzie for TeensReadToo.com

After the death of her brother, Grace Stanley starts acting strange. She dumps her old friends, starts drinking, starts lying to everyone, starts hanging out with the popular kids, flunking her classes, missing study sessions, and skipping school.

But then something happens; Grace just snaps. Later, her parents confront her about missing classes and flunking math. They tell her that this isn't like her and that they didn't realize that she was having so much trouble.

She feels like she can't talk to them because they're always at church. But then Grace meets a girl named Philomena. She helps Grace with everything. See what happens. Find out what makes Grace say "enough!"

Grace has a lot of feelings and you get to hear them through her point of view. I think this book was excellent. It was thrilling and I didn't want to put it down. I recommended it to all of my friends when I was finished; it made you want to read more and more!

[Miriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saving Grace wasa an excellent novel. Overall,the mood of the story was sad. Thats what i did not really like about it. It was about a girl named Grace that thought hated her life, everything went wrong. During the middle her self-esteam got higher and higher. She ended up really liking her life. Then something happens and, she goes back hating her life, but then she realizes that her life is perfect but she did not notic it. This was a great story, if I had to I would read it agian. I would alaso recomend this book to girl teens, because it deals with sistuations that we go through.

[Connie T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd give it 3.5 stars, if possible.

Grace is having a hard time adjusting after her brother dies in a car accident. Feeling that much of life is pointless, and wanting to block out the pain, she makes some really bad choices. Just when she starts hitting bottom, she allows herself to open up to a new friend and begins seeing things from a different perspective.

Yes, the book has a feel-good ending, which some reviewers didn't like. But maybe that's part of the author's point. Teens need to understand that even when life is at its bleakest they shouldn't give up or give in. Life IS what we make of it.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I happened to accidentally read two stories of girls dealing with the unexpected loss of their siblings back to back (the other was Saving Zoe), and I feel that Saving Grace is the weaker of the two. The book isn't terrible; Grace seems exceedingly stupid at times, but what teenager doesn't? The odd addition of a supernatural element really didn't do anything for me; I'm not sure where the author was trying to go with that. If that aspect had been left out, I think the book would have come off a bit better.

[Shelby G.]

I thought this book was a great book becaues it was about a girl named Grace and her brother died one night from so to the store and her whole life changes and she goes in with the wrong crowd and starts to drink, party with her friends and lying to her mom and dad and she loses her old friends to hang out with her new boyfriend and her new friends but one night when they were out she ran away and one of her old friends found her and talked to her then she became herself again.

[Alexis Alcantar · Rating 4 out of 5]

i think this was a really good book that explains about life and to never take people in your life advantage of. You should always tell your family that you love them because you never know when youre last day is or when youre last day is. You should always being loving towards youre family and tell them how much you appreciate them.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. i could relate to it alot. Mostly because when my brother passed away, i lost control. I felt the way this girl did about God. It is deffiantly a good read if you've lost someone real close.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was a nice book. A really nice book. I stayed up all night (kind of) reading it. And, it's just hard to explain how nice of a book that was. Although, I hated the way Grace acted, for blaming God...but...yeah. It was a meaningful book.

[Ilana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book at first, but found the ending predictable yet completely at odds with the rest of the story. Grace's reactions were so realistic and the twist at the end just wasn't... I don't know, it just ruined the book for me.

[Ri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saving Grace is a really good book. Once I started reading it I didn't want to put it down. It talks about struggles of a teenage girl who has just lost her brother. Her behavior at some parts are extremely crazy, but she is struggling to get over the death of her brother.

[Alana harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book details the hardships of being a teenager after losing someone that you love dearly. The book exposes the journeys of becoming more mature in a teens life. Before Grace didn't really care about anything after her brother died but by the end she wanted to make a change in herself.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book. I recommend to all teens.

[Tristan West · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. Must read!

[Katherine Polanco · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book tought me that death is natural and when it happens to some one close to you, you have to get over it and go on about life because life goes on

[Melinda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting book. Really captured the emotion. Ending was strange, kind of let me down. Would not recommend this book to others.

[Eunice]

so far so good. it keeps me thinking whats going to happen next and also the book is full of surprises.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful and short story. You feel as if you are right beside Grace Stanley as she copes with the death of her close brother. It will hit a nerve.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grace is speeding out of control after her brother's death. An unexpected friend helps her find her way through.

[Victoria Dupont · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really liked the idea, and how the author set up the story.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is not often that you have completely neutral feelings about a book. This is one of those times.

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK IS AMAZING!!!!!!! It tackles different genres. A nd I am touched by every part of the book. I am simply wishing to have my own Philomena Cantus as an angel :) MUST READ!!!!!!!!