November 20, 2023
Entertainment Tonight writer McRady’s cookie-cutter debut revolves around a family in crisis. Six-year-old Gracie Lynn has disappeared with her grandfather “Big John,” who was recently diagnosed with dementia. The girl’s overprotective and downtrodden mother, LeeAnn Abernathy, is beside herself when she hears the news. A parallel narrative from Gracie Lynn’s perspective conveys her naivete: by liberating Big John from his nursing home, she believes she can help cure his disease. As the two visit Big John’s favorite haunts around town, he has memory and cognitive lapses—he calls Gracie Lynn by his daughter’s name and thinks he can teach her how to drive. Meanwhile, Gracie Lynn’s father, Dan, who left LeeAnn for another woman two years ago, steps up and joins the search, along with the PTA moms from Gracie Lynn’s school and LeeAnn’s distant older sister, Sarah. Will Dan and LeeAnn come to a rapprochement? Can they find their daughter and Big John before something terrible happens? Unfortunately, the insightful view of dementia’s impact on a family is undermined by one-dimensional characters such as the stereotypical PTA members, one of whom LeeAnn views as competition for Dan. McRady’s attempt to affect a Hallmark movie vibe falls short. Agent: Liza Fleissig, Liza Royce Agency.
May 31, 2024
As six-year-old Gracie's grandfather comes to terms with his recent diagnosis with dementia, the clever girl comes up with a plan to fight his sundowning syndrome by busting him out of his nursing home to follow perpetual daylight around the globe. When Gracie's estranged parents realize what happened, they join forces in a frantic search to find her before her grandfather's illness puts her in serious danger. McRady makes a powerful debut with this character-driven relationship fiction. Told from multiple perspectives, the events and emotions take on a sense of childlike innocence through Gracie's present and her mother's memories. Narrators Jennifer Jill Araya and Liam Dicosimo give expressive performances as Gracie's parents. From elation to anguish, they expertly portray every emotion. Haley Taylor shines as Gracie, infusing her with the charm and cheek of a precocious child. VERDICT This audio will appeal to listeners seeking a heartwarming story of love and loss that shows that families don't have to be perfect, just present. Recommended for fans of Fredrik Backman's My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry.--Lauren Hackert
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