Book Review: The State of Grace by Rachael Lucas

Introduction

Source: Amazon.in

ISBN: 978-1509839551

Genre: Fiction/YA

Publishers: Pan Macmillan India

Price: Rs. 399/-

Behind the Book

Sometimes I feel like everyone else was handed a copy of the rules for life and mine got lost.

Grace has Asperger's and her own way of looking at the world. She's got a horse and a best friend who understand her, and that's pretty much all she needs. But when Grace kisses Gabe and things start to change at home, the world doesn't make much sense to her any more.

Suddenly everything threatens to fall apart, and it's up to Grace to fix it on her own.

Whip-smart, hilarious and unapologetic ally honest, The State of Grace by Rachael Lucas is a heart-warming story of one girl trying to work out where she fits in, and whether she even wants to.

About the Author

Rachael Lucas is an author, coach and freelance writer. Her bestselling debut novel, Sealed with a Kiss, has been downloaded over 130,000 times on Kindle. She lives and works in a Victorian house by the seaside in the north-west of England with her partner (also a writer) and their children.

As a kid all that we want to do is grow up and as an adult all we want is to go back to childhood. Somewhere in between these two desires is where life resides.

"Sometimes I feel like everyone else was handed a copy of the rules for life and mine got lost."

The above words from the blurb have been my thought so many times even till date and that is one of the million reasons I loved this book. If asked to choose one reason, then it has to be the sheer honesty of the author which reflects in each and every word of the book. Grace comes across as such a heartwarming character that you are instantly drawn towards her and her story which happens to be about her teenage life, her crushes and all the confusions that come along with it.

I really liked the way the author takes us on this turbulent journey of emotions filled with friends and family, making it seem more like a fun ride rather than a soppy emotional saga. Having said that I would like to add this book has emotions at the right places in the right dosage, but the hilarity of the situations have been brought out so well that you cannot help but smile at it all. Life, after all is like that. Amidst all the reasons to cry, you always have one reason to smile. The language is sassy making it a fun read all throughout.

Teenage is the time in a person's life when we are on a journey to discovery. We are discovering ourselves along with our families, friends and most importantly relationships. This book talks about that discovery in a manner that promises to take you down the memory lane to the time when you were a teenager. There are a lot of portions of the book which are touching and moving, however over all reading it is a sheer delight. While I myself struggle with social anxiety and introvert nature, for Grace having Asperger's must be adding to her woes. This book helped me look at the lighter side of it all. For I have been on a journey towards self acceptance in the last few years and this really helped me gain a perspective.

I would recommend this book to all for the way it talks about Asperger's and people who have it. I would recommend it for the beauty it is in terms of the story and the language which just flows. I would recommend it for reading it is an experience in itself, one that leaves you with a good feeling.

Foodie Verdict

This book is like Veg Yakhni Pulao- filled with deliciousness in every bite, you don't know what's in store for you!

Source: Archana's Kitchen

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