The Audacity of Sara Grayson- Book Review

The Audacity of Sara Grayson by Joani Elliott

Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
4.5 Stars 

Meet Sara, a 32 yo greeting card writer with a teaching position at college. She’s the daughter of the great author Cassandra Bond, whose Ellery series 50 million copies and is being made into a movie. The fifth book of this suspense thriller is supposed to be released. But Cass passes away, and there is no book. 

She leaves a letter asking Sara to finish the book. Sara, and not her perfection-craving elder sister Anna-Kath! With barely any writing experience and even lower self-esteem, can Sara even take up the audacious responsibility? Her mother definitely wants her to. Her sister is supporting and encouraging her. 

But can Sara do it? Can she finish the book without help from the dreaded Phil? Can she overcome the hurdles set by Jane from Iris Publishing? What about the whispers of plagiarism, and who is this Meredith Lamb? 

The book is about Sara learning to get back her confidence in life (after her husband walked out on her a few months ago) and understanding that writing is not scary; it’s terrifying and soul-satisfying. 

The book is 400 pages long, and I was a bit skeptical in requesting it. I like my books small and compact. 

However, the writing was engaging, and the narration flowed well from start to finish. The book is a potpourri of emotions, and that made the characters more real. No one is perfect, and no one is really a villain or a baddie. 

While I didn’t identify with Sara, I could understand her insecurities and vulnerabilities. It’s no small feat to finish a book from a bestseller series written by another person. As a writer, I know just how stressful it is. It’s hardly surprising that Sara wants nothing to do with the book or the series. 

But it’s time she accepts a challenge and proves her worth. How long is she going to mop around? What follows is Sara’s journey of self-realization while digging up a dark past that further complicates things. 

The book has its share of romance, but it is sweet and comforting, a perfect balance to Sara’s growing anxiety. 

We see Sara understanding what it is to be a writer. The words on paper are just letters stringed together if the writer doesn’t feel them tear their insides, isn’t it? What I love most about the book is how writing is presented to the readers. There is no glossing over writer’s block. There’s no exaggerating the frustration or the satisfaction when words flow. Each chapter in the book starts with a quote from a writer, and I love them all. 

The book has several elements, and at times, I wanted Sara to go ahead and take the plunge. There were instances I fast read a few paragraphs to get on with the story. That’s just me, though. I’m not the kind that relates to anxious heroines who take helluva time to decide their next move. 

However, the relationship between the characters more than makes up for Sara’s indecisiveness. Overall, The Audacity of Sara Grayson is a warm and inspiring book for book lovers and writers. You won’t regret reading this one. 

I received an ARC from NetGalley, Meryl Moss Media, and Post Hill Press.

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