Susan Kietzman’s engrossing and thought-provoking novel explores the choices and revelations that come with life’s most unexpected events. Grace Trumbull’s after work drink with Bradley Hanover, a handsome younger colleague, on a warm summer night turns into an impulsive, intimate encounter. After a few weeks of exhilarating secret dates, Grace—forty-two and divorced—realizes she’s pregnant. … she’s pregnant.
For Grace, whose estranged mother refers to her own teenage pregnancy as her biggest mistake, the prospect of parenthood is daunting. She’s just been made vice president of a media relations company and is childfree by choice. Still, something deeper than her fear makes her want to keep the baby. She knows she can be a better, more capable parent than her mother was to her.
As months pass and seasons change, Grace questions her decision to include Bradley in her plans. But they continue to navigate their complicated relationship, each struggling with what it means to make a commitment to someone. Most importantly, Grace begins trusting her instincts—maternal and otherwise—finding courage that will guide her through an uncertain future ripe with new possibilities . . .
Praise for the novels of Susan Kietzman
“Beautifully written and closely observed . . . captures the deep and complicated love of family. Reading this lovely novel, I felt the embrace of summer on the shoreline.”
—New York Times bestselling author Luanne Rice on The Summer Cottage
“Readers will find themselves drawn into the tragedies and triumphs of this fictional family—distinct and yet utterly relatable.”
—Hartford Books Examiner on The Good Life
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On the surface Grace looks to have it all. She’s cool, confident and extremely professional in the work place. She’s not someone who makes friends easily because of her kind of cool demeanor and because of that leads a rather lonely life, but it’s a life she is very satisfied with. Bradley is a young attractive co-worker at the advertising agency where Grace works. They get paired on an account together and really hit it off. He sees beneath her cool demeanor and likes what he sees. Grace is flattered at the attention from this young, good looking man and at an after works celebration they drink a bit too much and “celebrate” in the back of her car. A few weeks later Grace realizes she is pregnant and decides she wants to keep the baby.
This novel is about how Grace and Bradley, two people who are at different places in their lives, try to find common ground and balance in order to be parents to the child they have created. I found it very easy to relate to Grace because I, too, work in the advertising world. I understood the emotions they went through after having a great meeting and closing the account. I’m also childless by choice, although now a bit older than Grace’s forty-two, I certainly remember my own choices about ‘to be or not to be’ a mother. Bradley’s character was a little harder for me to grasp. I met my own husband when he was twenty-nine and I was five years older. Bradley is thirty in this novel and seemed so much younger than I remembered my own experiences with my husband at almost that same age. Of course, different childhoods and experiences create different people, but I found myself having very little patience for Bradley’s hesitations and “backseat” shenanigans. I will admit that I am drawing on my own life experiences in my opinion of Bradley, but most readers would and other readers also may not have those same feelings I did.
While reading It Started in June, I was not completely certain with how this book would end. Grace was so self assured even though motherhood would be a completely new event and as a child she didn’t have a great role model in her own mother. I do think that a lot of women would identify with her character and what she went through in this book. They would root for her to celebrate in her pending motherhood, regardless if Bradley were to join her on that journey or not. You’ll have to read the book to find out whether the two of them resolved their pending parenthood because I don’t want to give away the conflict and resolution, but I will say that while reading about these two characters it did make me reflect upon my own life’s journey which is a compliment to the author for really making me think.
I received a copy of this book from the author for my honest review and it was honest!
Independent woman has affair with a younger co-worker which results in pregnancy. Fighting stereotypes, they have a happy ending.
The book was just ok.
I enjoyed the subject and found the feelings honest and realistic.
The book was really good and I really liked Grace
It Started in June by Susan Kietzman
Starts out with Grace and she’s now divorced, 42 and just wants to concentrate on her new position that Paul had given her a new position with the company, a senior VP.
She is used to hard work and gets it done right the first time.
Also follows Bradley who has found Grace on the social media sites so he knows she’s single. He will be under her command as they work on the latest assignment, the maritime museum campaign.
At drinks after working late she relaxes and smiles to the things he’s saying and they end up in the back seat of a car later…. the boss doesn’t condone office romance nor does Grace….
She confides in her girl friend …she’s his supervisor and the condom had broken…
We also learn of her birth and her mothers dating in high school…
Grace knows she has to mend fences with her mother and with the soon to be mother in law she discussed the choices.
Bradley discusses the plans with his parents and they feel they should have a say into what happens and they are both doctors: a pediatrician and a phycharist.
I feel he’s 30 he should be able to make up his own mind about the situation.
They combine households as it’ll be easier to take care of the baby together and give it a rial run before the event.
Tiring parents and one makes a slight error and they part and you wonder if they will repair the damage done…
Received this review copy from Kensington Books via Netgalley and this is my honest opinion.
#ItStartedInJune #NetGalley