A lovely book about finding your own voice.
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This is what I would call a hidden gem that I wish I would've read sooner. It's an amazing, enjoyable, and down-to-earth story about a young woman whose mother dies and leaves a request as her dying wish for Sara to finish the last book in her famous book series.
Sara is learning how to live after a failed marriage, getting back into life after her mother's battle and death with cancer. She's only ever done writing for greeting cards and the like so it's a daunting task that is presented to her by her mother's death of trying to figure out how to finish writing her mother's bestselling book series and come out from the shadow of her famous mother. In the process, Sara finds and learns more about herself, her mother, her family, and her talent, hopes, and dreams.
This is a tale of overcoming self-doubt and building self-confidence and finally achieving your goals and realizing your dream and having the courage to follow your own path. This is also a heartwarming tale of family, love, loss, and romance thrown in the mix too.
I would highly recommend putting this on your radar, picking it up, and reading it for an enjoyable, fantastic read. ( )

A best-selling author dies before she can complete the fifth book in a wildly popular series that has been adapted for movies. In her will, she tasks her daughter, Sara Grayson, to complete that much-anticipated novel. Sara tried previously to write a novel but put that dream aside after her draft was eviscerated by a publishing friend of her mother’s. Her self-confidence had fallen even more after her recent divorce, and Sara questioned why her mother would give her what she thought was an impossible task.

Joani Elliott uses that premise to examine a number of themes, including creativity, self-worth, and family. The reader sees how Sara reacts as she questions her capabilities. Is it worth staying in a safe, smaller place in the world? Or is it better for her to take a leap of faith that could include pain, major life questions, and the possibility of a large-scale public failure?

The reader is inside Sara Grayson’s mind as she learns more about her family and herself. She writes in charming locales that welcome the reader to settle comfortably and appreciate how each one advances the story.

The Audacity of Sara Grayson is a wonderful summer read. Joani Elliott did a terrific job bringing the reader into an enjoyable story with a great ending. ( )

Wow. And I say WOW again!

What a book. This book is perfect for a vacation read, but it is a little 'heavier' than normal for a beach read. It has everything you need -mystery and a lot of that, romance but not the main focus, learning about what writers go through to get a book out there, a bit of villainy, a lot of sisterly love, and frustration.

One of the oddest things for me is that this happened to one of my favorite authors -she passed away before finishing the last book she was writing. I never thought about what it took for the 'replacement author' to finish what the original author started. So this book really made me think.

The only complaint I can say that I have is that the author talks about something in a safety deposit box, but we, the readers, never get to find out just what was in there! I thought that there might have been an epilogue explaining that, but alas, no!

*ARC supplied by the publisher, author, and NetGalley. ( )

Sara's mother has just died. Cassandra was a mega-famous author and the world was waiting for the last and final book in her much loved and made into a movie series Ellery. When Sara and her sister go to the reading of their mother's will - she is astounded and appalled that Cassandra wanted Sara to write the final book in the series. To say that Sara is unsecure is putting it mildly. Her first attempt at a novel years before had been rejected and she now spends her days writing greeting cards and coupons. Her husband has left her and she has only her dog, Gatsby to keep her company. Her sister is very supportive but she isn't the one who's been asked to write the book that the world is waiting for. Sara decides NOT to write the book until the publisher makes fun of her at a business lunch. She decides then and there that she WILL write the book and it will be successful. Along the way she discovers some hidden family secrets that cause her to question what she knew about her mother. Will Sara become strong enough to write the book that her mother has requested - will she be able to become strong enough to move past the criticism and her failed first novel? And if she does, how will it affect her life and her view of herself?

I really like the character of Sara. Yes she was insecure - not unstable as the blurb says. But why not, this final request from her mother is a huge responsibility. This is a book that will give you a main character to enjoy but also to laugh with. This is a debut novel and I look forward to future books from this author.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own ( )