Grace is the seventh child in the McCallister family. Famous for the musical talent of two of her older brothers, but mostly famous because of the kidnapping of one of those same brothers. Jake McCallister found his freedom by killing his abductor and abuser. That kidnapping changed the lives of every person in her family, and despite her young age, Grace, too was affected. When Grace is in high school she happens upon Rory, a street kid who survives by making money playing drums on some old paint cans and buckets. In him she sees her soulmate, but also someone like her brother who might need saving. Separated by circumstances they meet again seven months later and their adolescent love blooms. Until his past catches up to them and he disappears for five years.

Grace and Rory’s story was told in two different time frames. The first reads like a very hot young adult novel. All chemistry and feelings, but not a lot of depth. Rory was hiding a huge secret and terrified that anyone would find out. Grace, growing up in her dysfunctional yet loving family, knew all about secrets and was playing the long game hoping he’d eventually trust her enough to reveal his. Unfortunately he disappears for five years. I’ve always thought J. Bengtsson does a really good job at writing young love that is realistic and this portion of the novel felt true to that style, which she’s done in several of her novels. It felt real, I was sold on the story, and loved young Grace and Rory. The transitions from the characters younger storyline to the current timeline just wasn’t as interesting to me. I knew the end result would be them as adults but that timeline just lacked the urgency and finesse that she wrote into their younger selves.

I also need to talk about the darkness in this novel. All of the novels in this series go through dark moments because of what happened to Jake as a child. Each sibling deals with trauma, self reflection, etc. in individual ways. Usually the person they are paired with helps them overcome and not move on, but feel better about where everyone is in their lives. This story felt different for me because Rory had his own trauma too. It was really a dark novel, which affected how much I may or may not have liked the story. Not to say there weren’t moments of laughter and fun. The McCallister crew is really very funny. The scenes that included them included a lot of joy and mushy emotions, I just wish that there had been a little lightheartedness included between Grace and Rory too. Their romance was all urgency and darkness.

Now, saying all of that, it was not a bad novel at all. It was good. It just wasn’t my favorite novel of J. Bengtsson’s in this series. There are others I like better. However, it’s not one to be skipped. All of these novels add to the overall story and as the last sibling in the crew, this novel felt like a good conclusion. I’ve read that the parental units are getting their own romance, which I will definitely be reading immediately. They are a truly unique couple and knowing where they end up and how they helped their children through all the trauma, will give their characters an added depth. I can’t wait! ❤️❤️❤️❣️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Grace Note

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.