“You can’t get someone out of quicksand if you’re stuck in it, too,”

First, thank you Netgalley for this review copy. All opinions are my own.

Second, when I read the blurb and saw Jamie McGuire is the author, I didn’t hesitate for one second to hit request and I was pleasantly surprised when I got approved, until I started reading it.

This lacked the Oomph that his previous books do and also insta love? Come on. One of the most annoying cliches in young adult books.

I was about to dnf it halfway through but then I read a review on Goodreads that compelled me to power through. I won’t say ‘and am I glad I did” because it was still meh for me but I did start understanding what the heck was going on. The dynamics that were shown here were expertly written. I honestly can say I didn’t know what the secret was. I thought it was ghosts but I do feel that she was old enough to think for herself and tell someone, instead of acting like a child.

I didn’t like how Elliot’s and Catherine’s relationship was portrayed. He seemed like an obsessive and dominating guy. It was wholly unrealistic, I actually rolled my eyes at the letter part(you’ll know what I’m talking about when you get there). I really wanted to love this book but it failed to strike a chord with me. However, I did like the little mystery part the author threw in AND I loved the twist that I didn’t see coming which is why I gave this a 3.5/5 stars.

I haven't read anything by Jamie McGuire since Beautiful Disaster. So I was super excited to see a new release because as problematic as Beautiful Disaster was, it still a favorite of mine and introduced me to the New Adult genre.

I really didn't know what to expect from this one. I didn't really read the blurb and I think it's better that way. There isn't really much I can tell you about the book because it has a plot twist here. The plot twist KNOCKED ME ON MY ASS! I had to put my Kindle down and think about everything I read and started piecing things together.

Jamie did her research here and made something really good. I loved the characters in this book, especially Elliott. He was so sweet and super protective of Catherine. I was always cheering for him. Catherine's story broke my heart. I wanted to jump through the book and be there for her. She hadn't had a easy life and was scared of being stuck in this town and this life forever. She needed someone in her corner and that turned out to be Elliott.

Elliot and Catherine had one of those first loves that stay will with them forever. Even though Elliott wasn't there when tragedy struck Catherine's life, he made sure to come back to her when he could. He taught her how to live again and actually want more.

All in all, this book was great surprise and I really ended up loving it! Definitely pick this up when it comes out!

I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a huge Maddox fan.
I adored a Beautiful Disaster, read it several times.
This was completely different, I didn’t enjoy it, it just wasn’t for me. I was so disappointed and I really struggled to finish it. The characters were so young and it was so slow. I’m sure lots of people would of love it. Just not me.

I will start by saying I received a copy of this book from Net Gallery in exchange for an honest review.

I have read Jamie McGuires’s previous series and loved them. So when I heard about this one I was super excited. I was disappointed. It is nothing like her previous books. The characters are in their teens, it is slow and confusing. This is a book that I wish I could have DNF’ed I wasn’t enjoying it at all. I can’t recommend it, I wish I could.

I'm not normally into contemporary romances. They're not bad by any means, but they usually don't appeal to me. However, every once in a while, a really special book will come along and make me glad I don't overlook this particular sub-genre of romance altogether. Jamie McGuire's All the Little Lights is just such a book. I finished reading it a few hours ago, and I can't wait for everyone I know to go out and buy their own copies of this sweet, compelling love story.

When Elliott and Catherine meet for the first time the summer after their freshman year in high school, they click immediately. Elliott is spending the summer with his aunt and uncle while his parents - who seem to fight far more than they get along - try to get their marriage back on track. He's immediately captivated by Catherine's beauty, but he's also struck by the sadness in her eyes. There's something about her that calls out to him for protection, and Elliott vows to always be there for her no matter what. But Catherine's life is pretty complicated, and she's not sure it's a good idea to make friends with Elliott. After all, she's a total outcast at school, and there's a part of Catherine that prefers to keep it that way. It seems to her that close friendships will just complicate her life further, and she's not sure she's up for that.

Elliott is persistent though, and it doesn't take long for Catherine to succumb to his charms. Soon, the two are inseparable, and Catherine begins to understand that Elliott's friendship might just be the thing that saves her from a life that she's always thought of as pretty bleak. Unfortunately, Elliott's mother comes to collect him several weeks ahead of schedule on the very day Catherine's father suffers a fatal heart attack. Elliott tries to say goodbye to Catherine, but his mother, who has a huge grudge against Catherine's family, refuses to allow it. So, Elliott is forced to leave Catherine behind when she needs him the most.

Two years later, Elliott's parents have divorced, and he's convinced his mother to let him spend his senior year with his aunt and uncle. He's desperate to be reunited with Catherine, but when he is finally able to talk to her again, she seems to want nothing to do with him. The sudden death of her father has plunged Catherine's life into chaos, and she struggles every day to keep her family's bed and breakfast afloat. She knows letting Elliott back into her life would be a huge mistake. He's already walked away from her once, and, if he ever manages to uncover the dark secret she's been hiding for years, she's pretty sure he'll leave her again, so what's the point of giving him the chance to hurt her that way?

As you can probably imagine, Elliott once again manages to break down Catherine's many defenses, and pretty soon, the two of them are dating. Finally, Catherine feels like she has a chance at true happiness, but then, a local girl goes missing and Elliott is implicated in her disappearance. Suddenly, he's a pariah in town and things become very dangerous for both Catherine and Elliott. Will their love survive?

All the Little Lights is a story of first love that manages to be incredibly sweet without being the slightest bit fluffy. In fact, Ms. McGuire tackles some very heavy issues here. Her characters deal with racism, domestic violence, and mental illness, and none of it is glossed over or romanticized. Instead, the author manages to give her readers a glimpse into the day-to-day lives of everyday people who struggle with these things.

The relationship between Catherine and Elliott is amazing. There is absolutely nothing these two won't do for one another, and if the depth of their feelings occasionally comes off as a little over the top, it's easy to push aside any momentary annoyance and remember the heightened emotions of our own first loves. It also helps that neither character is perfect. They both have challenges, and Ms. McGuire does a great job letting readers see both their strengths and their weaknesses.

The novel contains an element of mystery that I really loved. It doesn't shift the focus away from the relationship between Elliott and Catherine, and instead serves to add an extra layer of urgency to their story. I can't say too much about it without spoiling things, but I will say that I was completely surprised by the way things turned out. I'm usually pretty good at figuring things out, but my detection skills failed me here.

All the Little Lights is one of those stories that completely sucks the reader in. It's almost 450 pages, but the book seemed to fly by, and if life hadn't gotten in my way, I would have gladly read it in a single sitting. Have I convinced you to go out and get a copy yet? I certainly hope so. This is a book that will remain with me for a long time to come, and I'm eager for others to get lost in it the way I did.

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

Oh boy.

So back in 2012-ish I picked up Beautiful Disaster and quite frankly loved every bit of it. I mean yeah, it has flaws but it still won my heart. I also read Walking Disaster - which I also loved - and Beautiful Oblivion that was just meh. When I saw this book up on NetGalley I just had to request an ARC. I got the email that I got approved for it during class and you have no idea how I concealed my excitement.

I frankly had no idea what this book was going to be like. I thought it would be another love story the likes of BD and The Maddox Brothers series. But, it ended up taking me completely off guard.

First off, the Jamie McGuire I knew wrote average romance. But this was something much deeper than your usual romance novel. The writing was so good. It really shows how much she has grown as a writer. Because it wasn't just the writing that felt improved but also the story telling - the entire structure.

I'll put this out there before I say anything else, if you're looking for a fast paced, quick, summer romance this won't be your jam. For one, the book has a relatively slow pace. But from the first page on wards it did nothing but to pull me in till I reached the end. The romance between Catherine and Elliot was real and believable. It was incredibly sweet. But the romance isn't the star of the show. It is the atmosphere of the book. Or more specifically, The Juniper. Which is Catherine's ancestral home - now turned into a B&B.

Yes, that's all I'm going to say because I don't want to ruin it for you. The mystery elements are genuinely chilling and the end reveal got me. I had a few theories but all of them turned out wrong. But apart from this the book also deals with issues like mental health, racism, bullying, murder. It might sound a lot for one book but Jamie McGuire handles it like a pro and does not disappoint. I also loved all the side-characters, they were all fleshed out and I just really liked them.

Safe to say, this book will be staying with me for a long long time.

This E-Arc was provided by Net Galley. This is my honest review.

This book was a young love story at heart. The two main characters Catherine and Elliott found friendship and love at a young age. The story continues with them both facing trials and tribulations with their families. Even with all that they go through their friendship and love grow throughout the book. They grow individually and draw strength from one another. The deepness of their loyalty to one another was admirable to see for kids their age. There was a mystery that kept me turning the pages to find out what was going to happen also. I enjoyed this story and it was very different from other books I've read from Jamie McGuire. I would recommend this book to both teens and adults.

I have not read anything by this author, but in the past I loved everything I had read so decided to read an ARC copy of All the Little Lights. From the beginning I knew this book would be different. That being said, I read the book and it was amazing.

This book tells the story of Elliot Youngblood and Catherine Calhoun. When the story starts they are young and yet despite their differences get on very well. Elliot is visiting his aunt and uncle for the summer, whereas Catherine lives there.

As they get older, things change for both of them, but they still love to be together and at the end of the summer s0mething happens to Catherine that is devastating and changes her life in a drastic way. Elliot goes to see what happens, but his mother had arrived in town and forced him to get in her car and go back home with her. Elliot is desperate to get back to Catherine, but it takes two years for him to get back.

By this time, Catherine is the only person taking care of her mom and her father had passed away the day Elliot had left, so she is all alone. She gets bullied by some of the girls in High School where she goes everyday, and then back to her secret life, because Catherine has a secret she can't tell anyone and that includes Elliot.

This book is so well written, has a great plot and I did not know what was going on until the end. I loved the characters, and they were well developed, their love for each other very touching. All the minor characters were also well developed, and the end result was an awesome read, that I will read again.

This book makes me feel like this is the best book I have read by Jamie McGuire, even though I loved the other ones- this one was special and covers a very important subject. I gave this book 5 Stars!!

I received this ebook from Netgalley and I was so excited! I have always loved Jamie McGuire. To this day Beautiful Disaster is one of my absolute favorite books that I've read. I have yet to read a book from her that I don't love and "All The Little Lights" was no exception. This one was a little bit different than some of her other books that I've read because the two main characters are in high school as opposed to college age. I like YA and NA books a lot though so this didn't matter to me. I fell in love with these two characters and their story from the very beginning. I loved the element of mystery that this story had and it kept me wondering what was going on right up to nearly the end when we finally realize what is REALLY happening at the Juniper. And without spoiling anything, I never saw it coming. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes YA, NA, and especially if you are a Jamie McGuire fan. She never disappoints!!!

This book is quite a difficult one for me to review. I've read other books by Jamie McGuire and loved them but this one just felt a little flat. It's in the category of Adult romance but it's actually a young adult book. It begins with the two characters meeting when they are young and getting to know each other and becoming inseparable friends at fifteen. Elliott has to leave Catherine on the day her father dies and doesn't return for two years. Things have totally changed for Catherine at this stage and Elliott must try to get her to forgive him.

I found this book a little on the boring side and for the most of it, I was confused. We discover that Catherine's mother opened a B&B after her father died and we're given the names and get to meet all the different people that stay there. But there's never an explanation as to who these people are and why Catherine is so afraid of them. That was the main reason I continued reading the book as I needed to find out what was going on in the B&B and what had Catherine so terrified.

When Presley goes missing, a girl that has bullied Catherine all her life, Elliott comes under the spotlight because of his heritage.

I'd say the last 15% of this book was the best and it's where things really got interesting. There's lots of action and the secrets of the B&B are finally revealed. Before that, it just felt a little dry. Nothing really happened and it was more a typical teen romance novel. School, bullying, first love, football games, etc.

I can't fault the writing in this book at all. Jamie McGuire is an amazing writer and creates wonderful characters. I think the main reason for the confusion with this book is that it was categorised as an Adult romance so I was expecting a lot more. This is definitely a YA book.

Overall, I enjoyed the story, but I just didn't love it as much as her previous books.

The story of Elliott and Catherine is sweet--their pull magnetic. And the twists and turns in this book are so unexpected! Loved it.

I was hooked from the start. All The Little Lights, is a clean and fresh romance, with some unexpected twists and quite honestly some pretty chilling events.
I wish that some moments weren't glossed over and or skipped all together, I would have loved to see how certain situations were dealt with, but in no way did it take away from the story.
I will and am recommending ATLL to everyone.

Jamie McGuire's newest novel, All the Little Lights, is a story of first loves with aspects of a thriller.

This one was just too long for the content. It was wordy and not in the way I normally like and appreciate. It became repetitive and so much could have been cut out, and you wouldn't have missed it. It talked about Catherine not fitting in, a lot. She didn't really have friends. The popular girls picked on her. Etc. Etc. Etc. It dragged along with hints to something else, until you get to the huge reveal. The plot twist? It happens right before 90%. I knew there was something major; it was the only thing that kept me reading. Then I get there and just... no. It wasn't enough to make up for the lack luster story that promised a 'riveting tale'.

It's a shame about this one.

I was lucky to receive an ARC of All the Little Lights written by Jamie McGuire and due for general public release on 29 May 2018. This has not impacted on my provision of an honest review.

As a fan of the Maddox Brother series and Beautiful Disaster I was excited to read this new release.

This book outlines an initial friendship - leading to romance between Elliott Youngblood and Catherine Calhoun. Both individuals have troubled home lives and this story outlines how this impacts upon their daily lives, relationships with peers and with each other.

Unlike other books by Jamie McGuire I did not feel the passion and intensity with her character or story. Both Elliott and Catherine were awkward verging on boring. I found the plot quite slow to evolve and struggled to maintain my interest which is reflective in the amount of days it took me to read.

There is a large plot twist but readers require to wait until 90% complete to get there. At this point I suspected what could be coming.

This book tackles a multitude of important issues such as bullying, racism, domestic issues, neglect and mental health.

I enjoyed this book however, I have rated it 2 stars due to the pace of the plot. It has been categorised as General Fiction (Adult), Romance. I presume this is due to the issues mentioned above rather than the sexual content which is very minimal.

This is not what I was expecting as a fan of Jamie McGuire however this genre may attract her a new category of reader.

#AllTheLittleLights
#NetGalley

Going into reading All the Little Lights, I have to admit I didn't even read the blurb. As a long time fan of Jamie McGuire I knew I had to read this one. And just wow was I not disappointed at all. I love how different All the Little Lights is from her previous works. This was simply a beautiful and moving book of young love. But that is not all that it was. There is such an air of mystery that surrounds this entire story. It sucks you in like no other and leaves you to digest every detail for clues to what is going on. Which I must say I didn't see it coming but should have. SOOOOO GOOOOD. Catherine and Elliott have this connection from the very beginning. You just get this sense that Elliott wants to protect Catherine and help her anyway he can. Now with Catherine, you get this sense that of secrets and mystery that surrounds her. The love that forms between Elliott and Catherine is so beautiful. I love how their bond is so strong through everything. Families and members of the town may be against them somewhat but they don't let them win. I really don't want to give too much away. I'll just leave it with that this is a phenomenal read. I couldn't walk away from this one if I tried. This is one of those reads that needs to be one clicked like yesterday to read. So go do it.

I have read Beautiful Disaster series by Jamie McGuire...
But this book is nothing like her previous books and turned out to be so unique and amazing!!
Its not exactly romance.. More of YA, Mystery & Romance...
Elliot, visits his uncle and aunt at Oak Creek for Summer to escape his fighting parents... One summer, after freshman year, he becomes friends with Catherine.. They grow fond of each other and become best of friends.. And when tragedy strikes catherine that summer, Elliot is forced to leave her without even a good bye..
Elliot is so determined to get back to her.. However it takes 2 years for him to get back to Oak Creek.. Though it takes him some time to earn her forgiveness, there is something mysterious in Catherine's life that might tear them apart!!
The book started little slow, but i loved Elliot and Catherine... Their friendship at the young age and the love they had for each other was so beautiful.. It was so profound!! And i didnt expect the mystery to be that shocking!!
And that ending was just so beautiful.. Elliot and Catherine deserved it!!!

I was so excited for this. It's been years since I read Beautiful Disaster and I was lookng forward to diving back into the McGuire world. Sadly, this did not give me the same feels. Or any feels.

All the Little Lights was in one word, boring. What started as a nice small town story with two young protagonists with the potential to turn into a good YA/NA book, turned into a small town boring nothingness with a "twist" that did nothing for me, or the story.

Elliott and Catherine met when they are kids, he's on spring break and there's a lot of bullying and house drama on both sides (a few moments that made me cringe) but it was a nice start. Fast forward a few years after Elliott left, he returns for good and that's when the "real" story begins. Or better yet, takes forever to begin.

The story is so slow that by the time we get to the last shocking part, I didn't even care, I spaced out so many times during the endless school and family every-day-scenes that the last 10% honestly made me roll my eyes.

This is not the first book that deals with this specific mental illness, other books have done it justice, others not so much, this one did neither, it was just a thing that was happening and it got lost in the chapters somehow. I wish the book focused more on Elliott, I wanted more of him, he was such a good character with so much to offer and so much potential for his story that got lost in the drama.

All the Little Lights tried to be too many genres at the same time and it ended up being a mediocre mash up.

Let me start by saying that I'm a massive fan of Jamie McGuire. I went into this and wanted to love it so bad. That is not what happened. I had a feeling like something was missing through the whole story. It was kind of slow. It took me days to read. I am still a fan of Jamie's. I'm looking forward to From Here to You. I'll be reading it when it comes out in Aug.

This is the first book I have read from Jamie McGuire in quite a while, probably since reading the Beautiful series quite a while ago. I remember really enjoying that series when I read it so when I saw her new book, All The Little Lights, I decided to give it a read after the synopsis caught my attention. I found both of the main characters, Catherine and Elliott to be both unique and interesting characters. This book has several different aspects to it including romance and mystery. It also tackled some tough subjects such as family, relationships, bullying, abuse and neglectful parents. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but wanted to give a little bit of insight into the story. I did find Catherine a bit difficult to relate to, which sometimes makes me less interested in a story, but not in this case. Overall, I enjoyed this book and was fairly impressed with how the author wrote about some very difficult issues. It is definitely different from her first series that I read quite a while ago. I will have to go back and read her other books now as well.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book.

From the summary, the cover, the beginning, I was expecting a true summer romance novel that was full of second chances for the main characters, Catherine and Elliott. What I got, however, was a novel full of mystery and suspense that left me rooting for Catherine and Elliott all the way until the last page.
The story begins with the two meeting when they are younger and spending the summer together. Tragedy rocks Catherines family and Elliott is forced to leave her behind. I found this incredibly important to include in the novel as it shows just how much the two meant to one another even in the time spent apart. I'm really glad that McGuire decided to write a few chapters in the past it really allowed me to understand the bond these characters share. When Elliott returns, Catherine is closed off much like the bed and breakfast she helps her mother run. No one is allowed inside of the Juniper and a mystery surrounds it up until the end. I love the bond that Elliott and Catherine share, these are teenagers but they are written in the way that they understand the boundaries around their relationships due to what is happening in each other's lives. Also, I really enjoyed all of the mystery in this novel. There was suspense around most of the plot and I really did not see the ending coming. I was so shocked and impressed with what McGuire wrote that I will highly recommend this to anyone who needs a story with a good twist in it. All of the characters, the details, and the alternating POV's were well described which really drove the plot for me and kept me invested until the very last page.