I love everything that Jamie McGuire writes. All the Little Lights is much darker than what Jamie usually writes but I enjoyed it. This book is dark,gritty and suspenseful.

Elliott has a tough home life and spends summers with his aunt and uncle. The minute he sees the girl next door he falls in love. There is something about Catherine that captures his heart. Catherine's family has quite a reputation in town which forces her to keep to herself. When her and Elliott finally meet they form a tight friendship right away. Tragedy strikes Catherine's family and when she needs Elliott more than ever he is ripped away from her without a word. A few years go by and Elliott returns to his aunt's house. He is willing to do whatever it takes to get Catherine back but she wants nothing to do with him. These two go through alot for teenagers but as long as they stick together they can get through anything.

I loved the deep connection between Elliott and Catherine. The secondary characters added lots of depth to the storyline. I loved all the twists and turns this story took. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I can't wait to see what Jamie is working on next!

It's been a bit since I've read Jaime. This book brought out all the feels. It's so well written and so heartfelt.

The book is Elliot and Catherine's story throughout the years. Elliot spends his summers in his aunt and uncle's house. They live in a very small town in Oklahoma. And there he meets Catherine.
They become friends but he is forced to leave when she needs him the most.
Two years after, he comes back. For her. Both their families are less than perfect. In fact, their parents are not good ones. That's probably why they share a deep connection. They understand each other.
Most of the time the reader doesn't know what it's going on inside Catherine's house. It's a bed and breakfast. And it is visited by very creepy people.
Although I suspected something was wrong, I would have never imagined the truth. The last part of the book is really surprising.

It’s been so so so long since I read my last McGuire. If I remember correctly it was Beautiful Oblivion almost 4 years ago. And I hadn’t even realized that that much time had passed where I haven’t read recently anything of hers until a month ago when I stumbled upon this book on NetGalley. And let me tell you, that the minute I read the blurb, I requested it in ONE-CLICK and, after, I jumped up-and-down when I got the confirmation email that I got it.

Plus, expect going without a McGuire, I was going without a YA also for quite some time. And All The Little Lights surely proved to be the perfect and most loud coming back in that genre.

My mind is super blown away. Except getting caught off guard with how unique and how beautiful the story of Catherine & Elliot was, I was also stupefied and certainly terrified & chilled to the bone with that freaking plot twist towards the end when the secret that was looming over the whole book was finally revealed. I had to read that part twice until I actually got my mind wrapped around what I had just actually read. An almighty curveball ALRIGHT! *POOF*

Then, it’s the super awesome mystery & “darkness” that surrounded both the town, but most importantly Catherine’s life. Page after page, I was trying to figure out what she was hiding but I’d hardly scratch the surface of what actually was hidden. One of the coolest things that I experienced while reading this AMAZING book was that every word and every scene was forming in front of my eyes like an actual movie; like I was watching the book’s adaptation on the big screen instead of just reading it. And if there is a story that it deserves to become a movie, this is it!

Catherine & Elliot. How can I describe the avalanche of emotions these two created in me? What words should I choose so I can describe the beauty, the sweetness, and the innocence of their friendship-turned-to-love story? It’s near impossible. McGuire undoubtedly nailed it with these characters. She wrote them so damn well and gave them such deep, complicated and captivating personalities that it made complete sense for their story and journey to be also like that, now that I am thinking about it. Catherine, from the one side, being the retracted, to-her-self girl who wanted to get the hell out of Oak Creek and find her way, and Elliot, form the other side, being the outgoing, proud for his roots, artistic, strong-willed boy who was soaring through his teenage life doing what was expressing him while having to deal with his parents’ fights and was loving Catherine fiercely.

There are some facts about the book that they aren’t obvious but if you sit and watch the book from all respectives, you will see them.

1. The book may be a continuous story through its all 440 pages, but in reality, it’s divided into three parts.
It’s more than a love story. In reality, the love that Catherine & Elliot’s friendship blossoms into, it’s just a subplot which adds more intensity to the actual plot and makes its ending’s importance and impact heavier and with more dimensions.

2. The social “taboo” subjects of Mental Illness, Family Abuse aka “Domestic Violence” and Racism take center stage. What makes the huge difference, though, is that McGuire isn’t just raising these important subjects, but she is choosing to project them through the eyes of two 18-year-olds which only elevates the book’s importance and takes it in a whole new level.

3. McGuire doesn’t stay only in Racism. She also adds a subject that we see more often that we should and that is the Law Enforcement Abuse of Power, which more and more nowadays is connected with racist behavior. How many times do we see police officers using the power that the government has laid upon them to protect the citizens for their own gain or just “because they can”, ending in shameful actions?

4. It’s not by chance that the story is unfolded in a small town. Usually, in the big cities, people have the “choice” to overlook the important stuff and go on with their life as the modern lifestyle asks. But, when the same stuff happens in a small town, people don’t have the luxury to overlook; they are forced to take notice.

5. The story, also, negotiates with subjects as the importance of friendship, courage, standing up for yourself, being brave, following your dreams, the sacrifices we do for the people we love etc.

There are no limitations to all the things you can extract from the simple and, at the same time, complex story of Catherine and Elliot. But, that’s the beauty of a great book, right? Though, I have to admit that I wasn’t used to this new, rawer, more real and challenging kind of writing style that Jamie adopted for this book. Sure, her Beautiful series (Travis & Abby) was full on rawness and emotional overload and in levels that you thought your heart wouldn’t be able to take it till the end. This time though, all that took a whole new meaning which resulted in me being mind-blowing surprised. And honestly, I think this is the style that fits her better. I can’t wait to read her new From Here To You which comes out on August 21st.

I think its time for me to give up to give up on Jamie McGuires books- we just dont seem to get along.

This was was no exception for me- I couldn't connect to the characters- and to be perfectly honest she didn't handle the mental illness situation well- in fact it was pretty appalling to read.

I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve picked up a Jamie Mcguire book. Thank you to Netgalley for approving my request to read this title.
Let me start by saying that this book had me on a guessing game. My mind was blown when the twist was revealed. It did take a long while for the plot to be revealed but when it was all released all I could say was”DAMN!!!!!!!!”.
The story was interesting and a mysterious read. There was so much going on in the story that all I wanted was for the main characters to get a break from their hard lives.
The only downside is that I was not feeling with the relationship between Katherine and Elliott. For me it seemed more like friendship and one sided on his part.
But overall, I liked the story and appreciated the journey.

The twists and turns in the book really keeps you tied to the book. Page by page you will unravel not only a story of two teenagers that fall in love, but the creepy house that Catherine lives in. She has a secret there, one that know one can ever know. When she finally escapes the house her secret becomes out of control.
I was captivated with this story and it didn't disappoint.


** I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

I got this book from Netgally and Montlake Romance in exchange of an honest review. Thank you!! 

When I first started reading this book, my first thought was "It's not an Adult Romance fiction, than why its labeled (in netgalley) as one??" When I am done with the book my last thought was ,"Its definitely not an Adult Romance!" Its more of an YA mystery romance, which is my most preferred genre <3 

The writer seems to be very fluent with her writing and she is definitely an amazing storyteller. I loved how she bought our focus to the fact that “how hard it is on the kids having mentally unstable parents, or simply an always quarrellings one.”

Also this book had me thought, is really Bullying is that much vicious in 1st world countries?? These racism?? If so, why is that?? I mean.. Don't get me wrong. I came from a 3rd world country (Bangladesh). We might have a ton of problems in our country, but never in once on my life I have seen any students of our school to bully someone else! It was really a small school with around 2000 students? We never bothered with whose parents are rich, who lives in where... all we cared about is she is my classmate, and if we don't finish our homework in time, we both are going to be punished -_- Which is the way IT should be!! SCHOOL of all places is not a place for showing off or making someone feeling low!! What will you do when you are older??? 

Anyways.. back to the point, I really loved Elliot and Catherine. They seemed like a breath of fresh air, both with their own set of problems.. But never complaining.. Always looking on the bright side.. Always picking each other up..

"Catherine isn't a name for a princess.

Sounds like a warrior to me."

The story seemed a little dragged in the middle. I know it was a bit necessary for building up the plot twist, but it would have been better if was not dragged that much! And the plot twist had my heart broken in a million pieces!

This story is about first love, young and fresh.. about friendship.. about finding each other against all the odds...  

~ He inhaled and then breath out a laugh. "I was sure this whole time I was going to lose you."

A ghost of a smile touched my lips. "But you fought for me anyway."~

I just have two questions. I couldn't get answer of my own...

No. 1) Whats the deal with Tess?
No. 2) What it is about the suitcases of the basement?

Despite of being a little slow in the middle (and some loose threads) the story was indeed beautiful! 
so
4 out 5 stars!! <3

Who would have thought that the popular hit Titanium would sound so amazing in music box version? I surely didn’t. But now I am completely in love with the tune. And I have to agree that the Spotify list for All the Little Lights that I found on Jamie McGuire’s website is spot on! Listening to it as I am writing this review, brings back all the feelings.

When Elliott and Catherine first met, barely 15 years old, both awkward and gawky in their relationship towards each other, and both in the need of a friend, their families had their own set of problems that Elliott and Catherine had to deal with, first as kids and then as teenagers.

Elliott’s mother moved from this little town when she was young, running away from bullying, from unpleasantries and from her high school experience. Now, in an on & off relationship with Elliott’s father, suffering both mental and physical abuse, her mother often tried to sent Elliott away for the summer to her sister’s family. That is how Elliott got to spend every summer in the small town taking photographs of his favorite things.

Catherine, on the other hand, came from the famous, or should I say infamous, Calhoun family, but the only thing left from her disreputable ancestors is this big old house, where Catherine lives with her parents. Catherine’s father lost his job and her mother used to suffer from depression. There is a constant tension in the family, that forms her in the person she eventually becomes - insecure, secretive and emotionally cautious.

Families and life experiences made Catherine scared of opening up, and Elliott - protective of someone he loves. Their relationship couldn’t be any more complicated, or that is what you might be thinking right now. However, Jamie McGuire wasn’t satisfied with emotional tension of young love, adding even darker twists, shuddersome moments and emotional interactions.

Good twist makes any book so much more entertaining. And even though I “guessed” the twist from the middle of the story, I needed to see it confirmed!
This was my first book by Jamie McGuire, and it surely won’t be the last.

Jaime McGuire is an excellent storyteller and with this new book, she did not disappoint. All the Little Lights tells of two teens, Elliot and Catherine, in alternative voices, who are best friends and fall in love immediately. But, families and secrets keep them apart until Elliot returns to find Catherine's life is strange and unsafe. Catherine lives with her mother in a mansion inherited from her family. After her father dies, their lives change and no one in town knows of the secrets that hide behind the door of the Juniper bed and breakfast. Elliot does what he can to protect Catherine even as the town accuses them of hurting another teen. Are they guilty of the crime or are they innocent?

I could not put this book down because I needed to know what was truly going on in Catherine's house. The love story between Elliot and Catherine is authentic and relatable. In fact, my 16 year old self wouldn’t mind having a boyfriend like Elliot. I will say this story had me guessing to the end.

Thank you for allowing me to read this advanced copy Netgalley.

First off, this book was more of a horror story than a romance, and I am really not a horror fan.

Secondly, it drags and drags. The first 70% of this book was a struggle but I read on because I liked Elliott and wanted to know how the romance would play out. I did not like Catherine much. Not at the beginning. Not in the middle. And not at the end.

I don’t mean my review to be scathing. I did like McGuire’s clean prose and the creativity of the plot, but this isn’t Beautiful Disaster.

I don't even know where to begin on this review. Jamie McGuire absolutely blew my mind in the best way possible. All the Little Lights is a YA stand alone by one of my favorite authors, Jamie McGuire. I have been a fan since I first picked up Beautiful Disaster and was excited to get an opportunity to read and review this book.

So I'm going to start this review going straight to the ending of this book because Oh my God! I did not see that coming! I literally read this and yelled "What?!" out loud. This, ladies and germs, this is exactly how you get a person into a book and throw such a curve ball that the reader is left blinking in shock and needing to reread the book again to see the clues. This is the joy of a great writer who you know was probably writing this going "Hehe. You don't know it, but you are in for a huge surprise." That clever mind threw me for a loop. Wow. It elevated a really good book to a great book.

This is not to say I didn't already love the book. Elliot is fighting for the girl who he knows is his, Catherine is fighting to push him away and keep secrets from him, and both are dealing with racism and bullies. This book has everything and really, is everything that I could want in a YA. I didn't want to put it down. Her writing is engaging and flows beautifully from chapter to chapter. Each one being told in a different POV of either Catherine and Elliot so we get both sides of their love story that is so much more than just a story about love. It's about friendship, it's about overcoming the odds, it's about secrets that aren't yours to say. I adored it.

WHAT.A.BOOK!! All The Little Lights left me a ball of emotional goo! Jamie McGuire had me attached to my kindle until the wee hours! And when I finished the last sentence I was like nooooo I want more! Talk about book hangerover!
All the Little Lights is Jamie McGuire at her very best..... go one click this amazing book now!

i liked this book. Jamie has always been good at telling a story. The character development was well done. The story was unique and interesting and kept me guessing. Overall a good read.

Elliott visits his aunt and uncle at various points throughout his childhood. While there, he develops a friendship with neighbor, Catherine. He is fascinated by her and their relationship grows from friendship to something more romantic. Both of their home lives are challenging, to an extent that neither truly understands, but it is through this connection that they are able to truly rely on one another. One summer, when the two are young teens, Catherine’s father dies, and Elliott is forcibly removed from the town and her. Years later, Elliott returns. He wants to be back in Catherine’s life, but her life has become infinitely more difficult. Will love find a way?
It was hard for me to connect to the characters. I needed more about them and more development. I also was turned off by the treatment of mental illness in this book. It felt like mental illness was equated with being a monster and there wasn’t a layered approach to this issue.

"Catherine e Elliot se conheceram aos quinze anos quando ele foi passar o verão na casa de sua tia em Oak Creek. Com uma câmera em mãos dada por seu tio, Elliot encontra Catherine e seu pai enterrando o cachorro da família no quintal enquanto tirava algumas fotos do alto de uma árvore. A família Calhoun nunca foi muito bem vista na cidade, pois a família de Mavis, mãe de Catherine, envenenou a cidade por causa de sua indústria de metais. Com toda a família falecida por causa do trabalho na indústria, a família herdou a casa que estava na família há décadas. Catherine sempre foi muito apegada ao pai e um pouco distante de sua mãe.

O primeiro encontro entre Elliot e Catherine foi quando o garoto estava espancando uma árvore no terreno próximo à casa dos Calhoun por causa de um problema com seus pais. Com um pai violento e uma mãe ausente, Elliot se sentia mais feliz quando passava os verão em Oak Creek. Os dois passam o verão inteiro juntos até que, um dia, ao voltarem de um passeio, encontram uma ambulância em frente à casa de Catherine: era seu pai sendo levado depois de um ataque cardíaco. Vendo o desespero de Catherine, Elliot tenta se aproximar quando sua mãe o puxa e o manda pegar suas coisas e voltar para casa. Elliot tenta de tudo para verificar se o pai de Catherine e ela irão ficar bem, mas sua mãe diz para ele manter distância da família Calhoun, pois é uma família problemática. Mas na verdade, a mãe de Elliot odeia a cidade de Oak Creek, pois ela e o irmão, tio de Elliot foram mal tratados por serem Cherokees, descendentes de índios que viviam em Oklahoma.

Dois anos depois, Elliot para Oak Creek para terminar o último ano escolar e para se reaproximar de Catherine. Após a morte do pai, Catherine e sua mãe transformaram a casa (Juniper, como ela é chamada) em um bed and breakfast (um tipo de hospedagem na qual o hóspede geralmente passa apenas uma noite e tem direito a um quarto e café da manhã). Se sentindo abandonada por Elliot naquele fático dia, Catherine também se afasta dos amigos que ela tinha na escola, se isolando de todos. Porém ela também guarda um segredo sobre a casa onde mora."

Silly. Irresponsible. Baffling. Boring. Long. Slow.

All the Little Lights starts out slow and..ugh. I don't even know. It's a silly love story.. and then it picks up around 65% in...? I have no idea why the book was laid out this way. Catherine and Elliot were neither interesting nor multi dimensional. It's incredibly irresponsible in terms of mental health disorders and the portrayal of those disorders.

All the little lights was my first Jamie McGuire book and I have to say I was not disappointed. I loved this book and fell in love with Elliott and Catherine. This is a must read for all who believes in true love.

Beautifully written!! I’m excited to finally get something new from Jamie and she didn’t disappoint. I adore All the Little Lights

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆☆
To be honest, I have absolutely NO idea how to review All the Little Lights, as I'm going to do my best to avoid any and all spoilers and refuse to delve into book report territory. I went into reading the book blind, and I want everyone else to do so too.

Was I hooked from the beginning? No.

Why? Elliot is awesome – his child version was the sweetest, most protective little fella, but the setting and pacing were bizarre, and it never really changed from that point onward.

There are three eras to the novel. Child versions of Elliot and Catherine, which is only a handful of pages. Fifteen-year-old kids, which spanned a portion of the novel. The main portion featured a seventeen and eighteen-year-old Catherine and Elliot, including scenes in a high school.

What I truly appreciated within All the Little Lights is how the bond between Elliot and Catherine was instantaneous, but it wasn't romantic in nature. Real love must be based in friendship, not infatuation and lust. Over hundreds of pages, the pure connection between Elliot and Catherine is forged with organic, lifelike realism.

I'm a sucker for what I call Gothic romance, featuring a mystery surrounding a drafty old house filled with secrets. I love the classics and their remakes into film, and this book does hold a place in my heart because it reminds me so much of those types of stories. Which is why the high school environment felt so out of place for me, like the two parts don't necessarily form a whole.

I can't call this novel a page-turner, not with the baffling pacing and release of information. As I read, I could sense something beneath the surface. What was jarring is how it was Catherine keeping the secret, refusing to tell others what was happening, but the reader was literally INSIDE Catherine's head during her narration, which is what had me stuttering and stumbling as I read.

There was a door slammed between our narrator and the reader, and it created an emotional disconnect, while she was telling us her story.

The novel is definitely a mystery – a mystery the narrator is keeping from the readers and all the characters in the novel. While I love to be surprised, this slowed the pacing while simultaneously frustrating me. I was curious, but I could see some readers hanging up the towel because no information is given. There is no steady breadcrumb trail, no piecemeal delivery to keep the reader engaged. No trails for readers to follow as they connected the dots – no foreshadowing or information to be puzzled together to solve the mystery.

The reader has to wait through 90% of the novel to be given... something.

While reading everyday events, which did seem to feel redundant, slowing down the pacing even more while feeding my need to skim-read, there was this 'I'm in the Twilight Zone' sensation while reading about teenage angst, football games, and catty mean girls. The juxtaposition was jarring. Not only did it feel several hundred pages too long, it also read longer.

So, Erica, why are you handing out five stars?

Native American culture intrigues me, because I come from a region in the northeast that is heavily laced with Native American history. While there is a lot of racism shown, I don't feel as if it's the author's voice flowing through – more as if she is placing a voice to the ignorance that does infect through the generations. I will say, this felt more like what I would have heard when I was in fourth or fifth grade back in the early 90s, while I was second-hand bullied alongside a Native American boy in my class, not in a more politically correct 2018.

True story, as we sat next to one another - (boy's first name) "Green swims in Lake Erie!" (nickname for Erica) was a euphemism we dealt with several times a day for two school years, along with other racial slurs. So this portion hit me hard, because the treatment of my classmate and his brother has never left me all these years later.

I wanted to give Elliot the biggest hug and tell him he's an amazing person.

I also say time and time again, if the author surprises me, I don't care what else I found off within the novel, I will hand out a 5-star rating, because it's nearly impossible to surprise me. I will admit, I did get it right early on, but I dismissed it as quickly as it popped into my head... hundreds of pages later, I was like, WOW! HA! Awesome!

I adored Catherine and Elliot, even if I felt the connection was almost an unhealthy extreme, but it was the aloofness, the lack of emotion from Catherine as she kept her secrets, her codependency on her mother and Juniper that felt so off.

While I was entertained and awed, while I appreciated the writing and the story itself, that disconnect between Catherine and the reader was most difficult for me.

I'm glad I read the All the Little Lights, and I'll never forget it. However, reading is so subjective, I have no idea who to recommend this to – I did rec it to my own mother, though.

Young Adult age-range: 13+, featuring kissing and violent situations.


Veronica – ☆☆☆☆
We follow Elliot and Catherine from when they first meet and spend a summer together, to them being separated, and Elliot’s return to Oak Creek in his senior year. When Elliot returns, two years have passed and there have been some big changes in Catherine’s life, but he is still completely devoted to her.

If you decide to read All the Pretty Lights please be patient. It took me three days to read the first 40% of the book and it felt like three weeks. A lot happens in Elliot and Catherine’s lives but at the same time I felt like there was not much direction and I was wondering where the story was going. I also had a feeling of dread at what was to come next because it felt like it would be something big. Elliot’s love for and commitment to Catherine, coupled with my curiosity about what was actually going on at the Juniper, kept me reading.

All the Pretty Lights deals with lots of different issues. Family drama, teenage love, loss, bullying, and high school drama, as well as having mystery tinted with danger. Once the story really got going about half way through I couldn’t put it down. I was on the edge of my seat as it unfolded in ways I was not expecting.

Every girl deserves to have a guy like Elliot in their life and in their corner, and he is a big part of what makes All the Pretty Lights an excellent young adult novel. This story is well worth your time. My advice is don’t rush it, be patient, and just let the story unfold.


Jordan – ☆☆☆☆☆
This was my first time reading anything by Jamie McGuire and I have to say that I was completely blown away by All the Little Lights. I just have no words to describe my current feelings after such an ending because I am still reeling from it! All the Little Lights was definitely kind of a slow start for me, but by the end I was on the edge my seat and completely invested in Catherine and Elliot’s love story. I also really appreciated that the story rotated between Elliot’s point of view and Catherine’s. Although, I thought this was gonna be a nice, sweet young adult story about first love and coming of age, but what I got was actually a riveting tale with a gothic feel to it. If this is what I can expect from all of McGuire’s books I may have to start adding them to my TBR pile immediately because by the end, I could not put it down. I’m not gonna lie, I probably was leaning more towards a four star review, but by the end I was just so incredibly impressed that I can’t not give it a full five stars. Like, is it just me? I literally can’t stop talking about it. I am so enchanted that I want to immediately read it again! Don’t be fooled by the cute little synopsis and charming little cover picture because this story has depth!

I think fans of Jennifer L Armentrout's Don't Look Back and Sara Shepard’s Pretty Little Liars series will easily find themselves intrigued by this book.

5 stars for All the Little Lights by Jamie McGuire


Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
Oooh – this is a wonderfully creepy story full of Southern Gothic charm. On one level, it is the story of the friendship between the daughter of a wealthy family and the son of a blue collar aboriginal family. It is a dark coming of age story and the story of a childhood friendship that gradually becomes a romance. On another level – Nope. Not going there because revealing anything else might spoil the story for another reader.

There is a little bit of Harper Lee’s Maycomb in this book and a whole lot of Flannery O’Connor’s twisted imagination, but the story isn’t crafted quite as tightly as the classics by either of these writers. The pace is slow, and the time lapses and shifts in narrative voice don’t always work. Too many characters on the periphery of the story aren’t fully fleshed. It took time for me to get into the book, but I really enjoyed the stifling atmosphere and the gradual build of tension.

I wasn’t expecting to love this book. The young adult blurb and John Green style cover doesn’t really do it justice. But Elliott and Catherine captured my heart and my imagination. Once I got properly stuck into their story, I couldn’t put it down and I couldn’t get it out of my head once I finished it. I have to recommend it both to teens and to adult readers because – like all the best books – it doesn’t fit neatly into easy genre boxes.