Charlie in Progress: A Small Town Women's Fiction Novel

by Rachel Del Grosso

290 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication April 14, 2026

About the author

Rachel Del Grosso was born in Ontario, Canada. She began writing at a young age, but has since learned to write in complete sentences. She writes fiction about imperfect marriages, messy friendships, and complicated families. She lives in Las Vegas with her husband and son.

Reviews

[Wild Rose Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Charlie in Progress” by Rachel Del Grosso 📚❤️ @authorracheldelgrosso
📘 Format: e-Book
📚 Pub Date: 04.14.26
⭐️ Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars

“Charlie in Progress” by Rachel Del Grosso is an encouraging and inspiring narrative about a young woman, Charlotte (who prefers to be called Charlie), who was not given much love, acceptance or support during her lifetime from her family of origin, and her journey in finding her own way in life.

Along the way, Charlie becomes empowered and she chooses to surround herself with family and friends that are compassionate and caring. Throughout the storyline I was cheering for Charlie, and I was so invested in her story that I read it in just over a day! I loved how realistically her dilemma and her emotions were portrayed. She faces some significantly challenging circumstances, and she ultimately rises to the challenge.

“Charlie in Progress” is a deeply moving, powerful story of personal growth and reclaiming one’s own sense of self-worth, despite coming from a dysfunctional family. I highly recommend “Charlie in Progress” by Rachel Del Grosso.

I now want to go back to the first book in this series, “Harriet in Waiting”, to learn more about these characters that have captured my heart.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Rachel Del Grosso, and BooksGoSocial for access to this Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

#CharlieInProgress
#Rachel Del Grosso
#NetGalley
#BooksGoSocial

[Karen Axnick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel continues the story first established in “Harriet in Waiting,” which I thoroughly enjoyed (5 Stars). The protagonist now is Charlie (Harriet’s sister-in-law) who has had a rough childhood living in the shadow of her successful brother compounded by the fact that she was the product of an accidental, unwanted pregnancy that derailed her mother’s career. Neither parent provided nurturing and her father was a silent observer to her mother’s manipulation and emotional abuse. Now in her late twenties, all Charlie longs for is to be seen and respected for being her own person instead of the failed version of her mother’s expectations.

As life often does, an unexpected event changes the trajectory of Charlie’s life. Observing her transformation is inspiring and thought-provoking as she establishes her new reality with insight and a touch of humor.

This is a highly enjoyable read that kept me engaged and rooting for Charlie’s reclamation of her self-worth and her agency. She establishes clear boundaries, accepts support from appropriate people, and develops confidence in her ability to meet challenges. The novel culminates in a satisfying conclusion that left me wanting to spend more time in Charlie’s world.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

[Zahraa · Rating 3 out of 5]

**Thanks for NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review**

A solid 3.5 Stars read

I LOVED the writing style when the prose flowed effortlessly that it didn't feel like it's a 3rd person POV, the sisterhood between Charlie the MC and the other females was so precious and had me either grinning or tearing up at some poin and the highlight is definitely the character development that Charlie went through and how she emerged after all that she's been through.

If there's one thing that slightly deterd my enjoyment it'd be how I didn't know that there were other installments regarding the other characters like Hariet, which I'm looking forward to reading more about, and the slightly slower pacing in the last quarter.