I'm notoriously picky when it comes to contemporary YA novels and even pickier when contemporary blurs the line with romance. Maybe it's that I overdosed on too many cliched stories of young love when I was in high school, or maybe my attention span has shortened to the point where the only declarations of love I want to see are in pauses for breath on a battlefield. Whatever the reason, I tend to be skeptical of tales that revolve around the girl next door and small town flames, no matter how brightly they burn. It follows that a story like All the Little Lights should have had me dubious from the start. Yet, there was something so evocative about the description alone of Jamie McGuire's most recent novel that I couldn't help but want to take a chance on it ... and oh, I'm so glad I did.

It's clear from the start that All the Little Lights is Catherine Calhoun and Elliott Youngblood's love story, but it's more than just the unfolding of their relationship; it's a coming of age tale. They're both such strong characters with complex personalities that jump right out of the pages and make it impossible to not grow attached. I loved getting to know Catherine's inner resilience and Elliott's unwavering loyalty, through their own eyes and in how they see one another. I was impressed that McGuire had me rooting for their relationship from the start, and my faith in them only deepened as the story progressed.

McGuire has such a way with words. Everything about her writing tugged at my heartstrings the whole way through. All the Little Lights perfectly captures the claustrophobic nature of a small town and the sticky-sweet nostalgia of the summers of youth. The prevalent theme of found family brings together many of the characters in the novel, and it's a powerful reminder that some ties are deeper than blood. I was also pleasantly surprised to see the focus on Elliott's native heritage as well as the bigotry he faces.

There's definitely an element of mystery and intrigue to this novel, which is always another plus for me. Catherine's home life, the truth of which she strives so hard to keep secret from the outside world, grows m to keep under wraps, especially as Elliott begins to play a larger role in her life. Little contradictions seemed to crop up throughout the novel, which somewhat confused and irked me at the time, but the ending brought everything into focus, and I've got to applaud McGuire for pulling it off. My only lasting complaint is Tess's character, who seemed destined for becoming more of a plot point than she did, and I'm still scratching my head at her purpose.

Nevertheless, I truly enjoyed All the Little Lights despite any initial reservations I might have had over what appeared to be "just another teenage love story." Catherine and Elliott's tale is anything but cookie cutter—it's evocative and gorgeously written, with themes that run so much deeper than the innocence of first love. I'm always here for books reminding me I need to stop being so hasty to write off genres, and I'm so glad I gave All the Little Lights a shot. I definitely recommend this one!

Warm thanks to Montlake Romance for providing me with an advance reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

All the Little Lights is a young adult (YA) novel penned by bestselling author Jamie McGuire, and it isn't your usual YA romance read either. Unsurprisingly, McGuire has weaved a tale of two young people who find their way to each other only to be forced apart by circumstances beyond their control. When they're both seventeen, Elliott Youngblood forges the journey back to the tiny town of Oak Creek, Oklahoma to keep a promise he made to Catherine Calhoun. It's a promise she believed he broke two years prior, at a time when she needed the one person she believed she could lean on most. Elliott may very well convince Catherine to forgive him and give him another chance to get close to her, but while there are parts of them that have remained the same, there have been more that have changed over the span of a couple of years. As much as Elliott wants to get to know all the new things about Catherine, she knows that there is one particular secret that she needs to keep, because if the truth were ever to come out, he could very well leave her again--and this time, he'll do it willingly.



This book was way more than I was expecting it to be, and because I've read my fair share of Jamie McGuire's work in the past, I had quite lofty expectations to begin with. There is a love story that takes place, and it's one that's perfectly interspersed with the intriguing goings-on within the Juniper, the mansion that was once home to Catherine and her parents but was turned into a bed and breakfast by her mother after Catherine's father passed away. I was totally taken in by both aspects of this story because they never felt two separate elements. Catherine was at the very heart of everything that was going on, and Elliott made the very conscious choice to be by her side regardless of what was to come. This book also highlights the all too real issue of bullying and it isn't just up to those who are bullied to speak up but for adults to play a more active role in being aware of what these kids who are under their care are doing and doing something about the bullying. The same goes for what was suspected as neglect in terms of Catherine's well-being and care. Better to be proactive than reactive.



If you've read McGuire's books before, and you're hoping this is going to be something similar to her new adult (NA) stuff, I'm going to go ahead and tell you that this standalone is not like those. This book is very different, and in hindsight, I shouldn't even have been surprised. This is the same author who wrote a paranormal romance trilogy--which is what introduced me to her writing!--and a post-apocalyptic tale and those stories are on equal footing as far as I'm concerned with her NA romances. With this newest novel of hers, McGuire has offered up something extraordinary, and I for one enjoyed the heck out of this book. Catherine and Elliott's romance was easy enough for me to become fully invested in, but the same went for their individual stories. Just like stars shining brightest in darkness, these two teenagers may have gone through their share of challenges and adversities, but it was during those times when they realized just how capable they were of pushing beyond limits and moving ahead. All the Little Lights is a five-plus-starred must-read recommendation. ♥

Catherine meets Elliott when he comes to live with his aunt to escape from the terrible life at home. They become dependant on each other, coming closer. A tragedy strikes Catherine's life, but at the time when she needs him the most, Elliott is ripped away from her by his aunt. Two years later he's back to claim her, but by that time Catharine is far gone into her shell.
I had trouble connecting with the people, and some scenarios are weird. Just my opinion. Please go and read the book
3.5 stars

Being a die hard McGuire fan, I couldn't wait to get my hands on some new material! I absolutely love YA, and dark/mysterious is always a plus. I chose to go into this book rather blind and the element of surprise left me speechless. I can't really say what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't THIS! This book blew out my wildest expectations and then some.
In the beginning, I wasn't really sure what my thoughts were. It seemed a little slow, a little 'meh' and I just wasn't really sure where things were going. Over time, I became completely enamoured in this blossoming first love and trying to figure out the secrets that Catherine was keeping. I am usually really good at figuring things out and let me tell you, I NEVER saw this twist coming!
McGuire did a phenomenal job at capturing young love while hitting the nail on the head when it comes to cliques and bullying throughout high school. Not only was she not afraid to "go there" with these tough issues, she also drove head first into the tough topic of mental illness, respectfully and responsibly portraying several different types of illnesses and shedding light on these hidden worlds.
All The Little Lights is 5 plus stars and a must read!

3.5 Stars!

Jamie McGuire is an author at the top of my must buy list. She's the author who unknowingly pulled me out of a six-year book funk with her novel Beautiful Disaster. When I seen All The Little Lights I knew I needed to take a chance as I did a few years ago and request a copy and cross my fingers and hope like hell my request was approved. I was extremely excited when ATLL showed up on my Netgalley shelf!

If you're looking for a hot steamy novel with loads of sex and passion.....You definitely won't find that in this novel. But if you're looking for a novel with mystery, suspense, and a dark vibe, this would be the novel for you. 

Okay, Now is the difficult challenge of telling you about this novel without giving away spoilers. Let me first start off by saying, I'm not a huge fan of the YA genre when it comes to romance. I feel like the teenagers portrayed in these novels act older than their age... However, when it comes to ATLL I was all in and completely intrigued by these characters and the struggles and challenges they are faced with. I actually didn't mind the YA nature of this novel.

ATLL is told in two point of views and spans the time of three years.

Catherine Calhoun and Elliot Youngblood are both unique characters with two things in common. They both live in unstable households and they are both outcasts. One summer is all it takes for Elliot and Catherine to bond and share their lifelong details. The day before Elliot is supposed to go back home tragedy strikes Catherine's world. He's pulled away before he can see if she's okay. I really enjoyed the young Elliot and Catherine moments. From the start I sensed the protective nature Elliot held when it came to Catherine. I cheered when this young man put her biggest bullies in their places.

Two years later Elliot is back and he's about to face the biggest challenge of all, seeking Catherine's forgiveness. But he quickly realizes the Catherine he once knew is no longer the Catherine that stands in front of him. He'll do everything in his power to uncover her secrets and protect her from any threat. Some secrets though are to big to uncover without help.

And.... that is where I'm stopping the 'about the novel' portion of this review. Honestly it took me a few hours to write that small section and then rewrite it several times so it didn't contain little glimpses of spoilers..... Writing this review has been a nightmare for me!

There were two things I found compelling when it comes to ATLL. First is the Secret. This novel centers around a huge secret that nobody knows but everyone wants to find out. At 20% I had two theories in mind (theories that will not be added in this review due to spoilers). By 40% I had a feeling I knew how this novel would end and at 62% I knew exactly how ATLL would end. How did I know? well I have a way of picking out bits and pieces that are easily looked over. This is a curse for me when it comes to reading mysteries because I'm hardly ever surprised.... I almost always know the outcome! However, if you are unlike me and don't analytically try to prove your theories while reading, chances are this novel will honestly shock the hell out of you!

I loved the dark vibe that hovers over this world. The Juniper is a mansion in which Catherine has lived all her life, a mansion that has now been turned into a bed and breakfast in which Catherine and her mother still reside. The Juniper is a huge factor in this novel, this place is where all the mystery is held and because of this, Catherine has closed the door to all friendships refusing to let anyone in. To say The Juniper is creepy is a huge understatement.

I rated this a 3.5 star due to my ability to easily predict the ending. Certain moments felt like they were dragging on. I also had a hard time with the fact that Elliot was Cherokee but I didn't feel the Cherokee vibes. I wanted to feel more of that cultural vibe and experience it more through his eyes instead of just experiencing it through the bully's eyes and in a negative view.

Overall, I did enjoy this novel. I was sucked in from the very first page. I loved the young love between Elliot and Catherine. My heart was put through the wringer, I loved the swoon worthy moments Elliott brought to the book and the heartbreaking moments Catherine brought. I also loved the fact that Elliott is a fan of photography...and...he's a star quarterback! I could go on and on with all the little things I loved about this novel, but you all get the point. 

I really did enjoy reading All The Little Lights by Jamie McGuire!

Surprised.

That about sums up this book into one word. I was surprised by the story line and being so shocked at the end of the book. I was surprised by how different this felt from any other book Jamie has written. I was surprised that this was not what I expected at all. 

This was a roller coast of a book that had so many bumps along the way that I never knew what to expect. It was suspense the whole time yet it had an undercurrent of hope the whole way. It was very coming of age and yet had so many important topics being covered in it. 

While I really liked the story line and the mystery of it all, my rating comes down to never really connecting to the characters. For me, that took away some of the enjoyment for me personally. I still recommend this to anyone who likes these types of books. It's a good read either way.

I'll be honest, I was pretty excited to read a new Jamie McGuire book, and was also a little apprehensive to see what she did with a young adult novel. I'd read Beautiful Disaster and Walking Disaster ages ago and liked them a lot--and the blurb for this one sounded really intriguing. Family secrets, small towns, starcrossed/second chance romance. It was right up my alley. 

But while I liked the main characters a lot, and was pulled in initially by the family drama and will-they-or-won't-they romance of Catherine and Elliot (just kidding, it's always they will), I really felt like I was slogging through it even before the halfway mark. 

And, yes, there is suspense and "devastating secrets," and a huge twist at the end...but 1) it's at least a little problematic and 2) the rest of the book is still pretty dull. I ultimately couldn't connect to the characters, or their romance, and I felt pretty icky about how mental illness is handled in this book.

I just spent an entire afternoon reading this just so I could finish. What started off as a slow introduction to Elliot and Catherine's relationship turned into a powerful story about love, secrets, family and more. Catherinr and Elliot first meet the summer after their freshman year. Elliot is staying at his aunt's house for the summer and sees Catherine after her parents have a fight. He knows all about parents fighting because his fight a lot too. They spend the summer together until tragedy strikes Catherine. Fast forward two years and Elliot comes back to Oak Creek to live and finish his senior year there.

All the characters were great, even the ones we are supposed to dislike. Mrs. Mason and Elliot's Aunt Leigh were two of my favorites (along with Elliot of course!). While I didn't really like Catherine at the beginning, she grew on me as the book got further along.

The whole time I was reading I kept trying to figure out what Catherine's big secret was and boy did I get it wrong! If you like Jamie McGuire's other books and teen romances this book is definitely for you!

I enjoyed this book. I was happy to see Jamie had wrote a YA book. I love YA and this did not disappoint.
Elliot and Catherine were amazing and the plot...ohhh well read it and find out. I heart this book.
I think it's a must read!

This was different from the other books I have read from Jamie McGuire and whilst it took me longer then usual to get into, once I did get into it I was completely hooked.

I went into this book quite blind, not sure what to expect, just excited that it was a Jamie McGuire book and she did a great job keeping me on the edge of my seat in anticipation of what was going to happen next and in suspense of what was going on behind the closed doors.

I loved Elliott Youngblood and Catherine Calhoun together. They both seem so damaged and sad but together they seem to spark some life back into each other. The first time he sees Catherine he has never seen such a beautiful but sad sight. They are both outcasts dealing with families issues but they find an easy friendship with each other that is until the worse day of Catherine's life and Elliott is forced to leave town. When he finally comes back a few years later he finds a different girl who is more guarded. He will have to work hard to gain her trust again and break her walls down.

This book really dealt with some serious issues such as bullying, being judge based on your colour, nationality and culture, such emotive issues but so well written and dealt with, She also paired these with loyalty, protectiveness and friendship helping you overcome the obstacles in your way.

I am looking forward to seeing what Jamie brings us next

Jamie McGuire did it again! In this case it was with a YA book! I could not put it down an if I could give 10 stars I would..

Elliott and Catherine meet the summer of Freshman year...the year that Catherine gets throw for a loop. an he spends 2 years trying to get back to her. Finally Senior year he makes it back an works hard an getting her to forgive him for "leaving" through all this you know that Catherine is holding onto a secret but it isn't until the end that you truly find out what it is....Ms McGuire had me guessing until the very end and I was SHOCKED!! I truly loved this book an the added mystery behind Catherine's secret.

Can't wait to see what else she has up her sleeve!

Jamie McGuire always amazes with her books. Each time a new one comes out, I think to myself *this* is her best one yet! I absolutely loved All the Little Lights and will definitely be recommending it to others.

Well written romance that kept me invested. I have not read any of the author's other work, but will do so now because I loved this book.

Storyline: 5
Angst: 4
Tissue: 2
Value: 5
Panty Scorching: 0
Overall Rating: 4 Stars
Kindle eArc provided by Netgalley

I almost needed a few moments to process this young adult mystery/suspense. I really had a sense of the Bates Motel just starting off with this story when Catherine would just dread coming home of anyone visiting her. The relationship between Elliott and Catherine was just sweet. The boy/young man was so devoted to Catherine and just wanted to be there to protect her. She just has a secret so dark that she doesn’t feel she can share it with anyone. I liked how the twists kept popping up and the angst with all of the adversity thrown at Catherine and Elliott. This book deals with bullying, racism, neglect and much more. It really makes you think about small towns and the mob mentality you can see when people get scared or lack understanding.

Definitely a dark and twisted young adult novel I would recommend. It was very thought provoking as I would try to uncover what secrets Catherine could be hiding and why she would be hiding them. My emotions ran the gambit where I felt scared, sad, frustrated and love for the characters. Very interesting.

I won't be publishing a review on my blog because although I honestly enjoyed certain aspects of this book and appreciate it, I have nothing much to say about it other than the below,
This was an okay book. I enjoyed the writing style and premise of the book. The main characters are endearing and you see how troubling their family lives can be and you want them to be together. But, at the same time when they're together it can sometimes feel repetitive? The pace of the book felt incredibly slow so it was hard to get into the book as well. And the big 'secret' wasn't a let down, but was a little predictable.

*** Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC! ***

Okay, I think this is a break up with Jamie McGuire and I. I loved her first couple of books but I just can't anymore. She also has this obsession with guys and their anger problems. This book was just all over the place. I wasn't quite sure what it was trying to be. A contemporary romance? Romance? Mystery? I'm still not even sure. 

Now that I know the ending, it had SO much potential. It could have shined a bigger light on mental illness (I wont say because of spoilers). Unfortunately, I had such a hard time getting through this book. It was really long and it didn't need to be. This book is definitely a YA, which could be part of the problem. I'm not used to that from McGuire. 

I had to get about 60% of the way through this book before I was interested. It was such an agonizing process. I'm a fast reader and this book has caused me to have a major slump. Ugh. 

Anyways, the first part of this book is about these teens, who are neighbors but the boy is only there in the summer. They meet, fall in love and he has to leave. He then comes back and all this chaos has happened while he was gone. Now, I get that there is a twist and I didn't really see it until the end but that was part of my problem. I really wish that I would have been let in on what was really going on before I hit 90% of the book. I think it would have been a bigger impact than having her say over and over, "I can't. It's a secret." I just got tired of being dragged along. 

The love between Catherine and Elliott was just ehh, and I didn't really connect to them. I found myself having to skip over so much of the love stuff. It was just too corny and I couldn't take it after I hit 30% of the book. There was so much redundancy too. I don't know how many times she had to bring up that Catherine was quiet and weird. Elliott is the high school football quarterback and his devotion for Catherine is more than breathing and food? I find that a LITTLE hard to believe. 

The story was just so slow and it felt like McGuire was trying to acheive way too much with this one. 

I was really disappointed in this book and I'm sad about that. I'm sure I'll be in the unpopular opinion but that's okay. Not every book is for everyone. 

I want to thank the publisher, Montlake Romance and Netgalley, for providing me with a copy of this eARC for review!

It's been a long while since I have read anything my Jamie McGuire and this was unexpectedly different. It definitely has all the angst that we are used to in her books. Nothing at all missing there. It is one of those stories where you spend a bunch of time trying to figure out the mystery of the bed and breakfast and I found I had a few different scenarios playing in my mind (one was correct lol). This story, despite what I consider to be some difficult subject matter, was well written and thought out with plenty of teenage angst, characters that will anger you, but others that will absolutely knock your socks off with their strength

I received this book fro free from Netgalley and Publisher in exchange for a honest review.

I love Jamie McGuire's work and this was no different.

We meet 2 young people that go to school together and care very much for each but when Elliot leaves the school, Catherine has to heal. Elliot returns several years later for senior year, he wants nothing more than have the relationship that he and Catherine had before. but with popularly being at its differences between and the secret that Catherine is keeping causing drama for Elliot.

I really enjoyed this book and when I seen that Jamie had a new book, I had to request it. I was able to meet her last year at Penned Con in St. Louis, Mo. and she was so nice.

Beautiful journey to love that shows the depth and determination of first love. Elliott’s home life is less than stellar so he usually is shipped off to his aunt and uncles house for the summer. His Aunt Leigh loves him, though she is tough to know, but she inspires him with his first camera. As he explores town to take pictures, he sees Catherine and his heart is stolen. Now, it takes years for this boy to actually talk to her but when he does, a true friendship is born. Catherine’s world is tainted by her families’ past in town which follows her like a black cloud which hinders her from making friends. When she meets Elliott, she isn’t sure what to think but she needs an escape from her parents fighting which opens her eyes to a true friend. Then Catherine’s world crashes down on her while Elliott gets ripped away against his will. When Elliott makes it back to Catherine a few years later, he is determined to get Catherine back. But will Catherine let him in, a lot has changed over the years. I love Catherine’s strength, she is a teenager, navigating a small-town world that she didn’t make but gets judged by every day. She doesn’t always see her own strength but she is a true warrior. Elliott, oh Elliott, his love for Catherine is limitless and is willingness to throw himself at her mercy is heartwarming. He faces his own challenges due to his ethnicity and his mother’s prejudices about Oak Creek. This is an emotional roller-coaster that shocked me while it captured my heart for this couple to find the happiness they both truly deserve. I voluntarily read an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.

So having really liked Jamie McGuire' s Beautiful Disaster series, I was super excited to dive back into another one of her books after so long and was ecstatic when I got approved for her YA novel All The Little Lights from Netgalley. The beginning of this novel, I really liked. I loved their connection as children, which quickly grew to first love. I love how protective Elliot was of Catherine, I loved Catherine relationship with her dad, how he tried to protect her from her mother's mood swings, anger and depression. I really liked the background story of the town and how Catherine's family came to be the talk of it. And I really enjoyed (even though my heart broke for Catherine) the climax of the story that ends up driving then apart for several years, and leaves Catherine with a sense of betrayal.

When Eliotte does return to her, I really liked the sense that Catherine was dealing with some scary things, especially when it comes to the house she lives in with her mom. And it affected her relationship with her friends and even Ellliot, who she tries not stay mad at and fails. They are seriously an adorable couple, and were definitly my favourite part of the whole book. But then here is where it falls flat for me. I really wasn't expecting this suspenseful, thriller type of story. I went into this book completely blind and the synopsis gives nothing away as to what this book holds. And usually I don't mind that OR thrillers/murder mysteries. However, I tend to be more of a mood reader and it very well could be that I just wasn't feeling this type of story. For me, I felt that the suspense just carried on for way to long (from about 55% to about 80% when things start to unravel) and I found myself just getting bored with it and wanting to know what happened already. Although some parts of this book really gave me the creeps, and reading it at night with the lights out gave me the chills. Think Bates Motel meets some creepy ass horror movie!

I will say though that the ending and who the suspect is at the end really was a great twist to the story and made up for the long drawn out parts of the book. I knew something was up but I wasn't expecting who it was until I read it and was like "ahhhhh yes ok totally makes sense". Over all though, I didn't LOVE this book. I liked Catherine and Elliott's relationship, and I guess I was expecting more of a romance based around them and maybe some minor secret that Catherine was keeping. I really got thrown off track when it went into this suspenseful drama about what was going on in Catherine's life and then a murder mystery. It ended up just feeling drawn out and unnecessarily long for me. I think had I been more prepared for the type of story I was going to get, I would have liked the book a lot more because it really is well written. Overall though, it's a 3 star from me.