Meg wasn't expecting to be single at 34 but that's what has just happened. She and her husband have just uncovered a fundamental difference and they have split. When she calls her mother to let her know, Meg discovers that Sally has left Meg's father. After years of floating, Sally has decided that she may only have a little time left but she doesn't want to spend it with someone who doesn't want to travel and who grumbles when she does. He doesn't even realize that Sally is serious about leaving.
The two ladies go to the Cornish Coast where Sally and Ted had their honeymoon. There, they join in the Christmas festivities that are going on and learn a little more about themselves.
This book could have used another 100 pages to develop the characters and their situations a little bit more. This book was fast, fun, and fluffy and very surface level which works for some books but I wanted more from this one. We learned just enough about the characters to make me want more. I liked the ending and thought that King plotted the beats to make you understand what was going to happen and why.

Three and a half stars
This book came out October 28th
ARC kindly provided by Bookouture and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Thank you to Bookouture for my copy of this book via Netgalley and for letting me take part in this tour. Last Christmas I read Karen King's Snowy Nights at the Lonely Hearts Hotel and I loved it so I knew I had to read this book when I first heard about it.

Meg and Oliver have split up. They have been married for 7 years but Oliver has just dropped a bombshell on Meg. I kept thinking about how I would feel in Meg's position. I would feel extremely hurt and betrayed. There were times when I thought Oliver wasn't being fair on Meg but as the book progressed it was easier to see things from both sides.

Meg's mum Sally has also split from her husband. Sally suggests the two women spend Christmas away together to clear their minds. The two women were easy to like. Sally seems like the sort of person that everyone gets on with. She's kind, bubbly and always willing to lend a helping hand. Meg is quite similar to her mum. Both women also have a stubborn streak in them.

This may be a festive story but there's more to it. It's about relationships and compromise. How much compromise is too much? There are topics that are common among couples. They are realistic issues that you can easily relate to.

I loved the bunnies they were super cute! I also loved little Sam. It was lovely to see him change from a bored stroppy child to a happy one. Rose and her family were also a lovely addition to the story I really liked the whole family.

This book really gave me some food for thought. I can't wait to see what Karen brings us next time.

What a really enjoyable story.

Before I get into anything just have to say I loved every mention of Laurel and Hardy, they weren't in it anywhere near enough for my liking, but I just wanted to cuddle both of them. Strangely I find you just don't get pet bunnies in the books that I read that often, so always good to have a cute animal present.

Equally you don't often have bother mother and daughter announcing the break up of their respective marriages on the same day, in the run up to Christmas. Which made for a lovely fresh take on a book as the ladies went away to Cornwall, to deal with their heartbreak and see what life may have in store for them in the future.

Both have their reasons for leaving their partners, and the perspective swaps between both Meg and Sally, and on occasion their husbands, to give a reader a well rounded view of the situation.

Right up until towards the end I really wasn't quite sure how anything was going to turn out, there were potential red herrings thrown in for good measure, and I was very curious to see if either marriage would be savable.

The friendships the women made in the little Cornish village were great to see, and I really liked next door neighbours Leo and Sam, and anything that involved balloon animals. I do love a balloon animal, although how some of those designs were made is beyond me!!

There are certainly some lovely Christmassy moments, I loved the Christmas Fayre, the carolling, and seeing just what would happen on the day itself.

This was though so much more than a festive story, its about relationships, its about whether you should just settle when you get to a certain age or whether there can be more to life, its about whether two people are enough in a family or whether children are a deal breaker. So a lot of topics covered, all the while keeping you completely engrossed in the story.

Single All The Way is a really enjoyable, heart warming story set to a festive background that was a joy to read.

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I have to be honest – when I started reading this story, I wasn’t sure I would actually enjoy it. After all, who wants to read about a mother and daughter duo both deciding their marriages are done just before Christmas, right? Well… Me, apparently. I want to read that. Although I have to state, just for the record? I’m like 99.9% sure that that’s purely because of Karen King’s narration.
It’s not an easy thing to realistically put down to relationships that are strained – maybe even beyond repair? – because of very separate reasons. Somehow, though, the author manages to bring both Sally’s and Meg’s perspectives together into a really well-narrated whole.
What’s even better – even those people whom, naturally, you maybe wouldn’t like? Their motivations and feelings are revealed in such a way that you can’t help but root for everyone. So when, after some very nicely put up misdirections, there’s a happy ending that appears to work for everyone – ànd which is suitably Christmassy? Well, I could only finish this book feeling utterly content – and very happy about the little sneak peeks of “what happened next”!

There are moments in life where we just need to take a step back to be able to see things clearly. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Thankfully for Meg, she has her mother beside her to support her during her time of wanting clarity. Funnily enough though, Sally, Meg's mother, is in the same position as her daughter. Would Sally be able to be a shoulder for Meg to cry on, despite going through something similar? Or would her own opinion on the subject mean that her views are tainted?

The title of this book is such a clever play on words and, as a single person myself, I just happened to be curious about the storyline!

Before I go any further, I just want to say that I am a huge fan of Karen King, and i think that she is exceptionally talent. I am however, on the fence where this book is concerned because it was nice enough. There was a lot of warmth in the book, and the overall premise was quite fun, i just wasnt blown away by what i read. I'm not saying that i didn't like it, because i did. It was nice! Meg was such an intriguing character, and was definitely one who steered the vibe of the book. I found Sally's character to be a little bit flat at times, and I couldnt help but wonder whether she was really a fundamental character in the book. Like I say, I'm on the fence because I know Karen King is brilliant at bringing the electricity to her books - is it wrong of me to want more?

'Single All The Way' is a pleasant, warm read which tells the story of letting love evolve in it's own time, without forcing the situation. A fun, festive treat.

I have had the pleasure of reading and reviewing a few of Karen’s books now. Each one I have read, I have thoroughly enjoyed. I read the synopsis for ‘Single All The Way’ (nice play on a Christmas carol) and it certainly sounded like the refreshing kind of read that I needed at that moment in time. As soon as I could grab hold of a copy, I started reading straightaway. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Single All The Way’ but more about that in a bit.
I took to both Sally and Meg from the first moment I met them even if I did want to slap them with a wet flannel a few times. Sally is the mother of Meg and she has been married to Meg’s father for nearly 40 years now. Her thought was that once they had both retired they would do what they always dreamed of whether that was travelling the world or buying a flash car. The reality is something else entirely as her husband is quite happy staying at home and pottering around the garden. Sally has had enough and takes off to the cottage where she and her husband had their honeymoon all those moons ago. I wasn’t sure whether or not she was hoping that the short, sharp shock was what her husband needed to make more of an effort or whether or not she genuinely wanted the marriage to end. Sally also feels that she is being taken for granted. I began to wonder who I was reading about because Sally’s part of the story could have been lifted from my own family. An aunt and uncle, who no longer want any contact with me (hurrah), are both retired and my ex-aunt had all these ideas about what retirement was going to be like but the reality is much different because my ex-uncle is quite happy sitting in the house watching the television. On to Meg now. Meg splits from her husband because he suddenly tells her that he doesn’t want children any longer. Meg has been nagging him lately because she feels that time is marching on and she wants a baby now!! For goodness sake, Meg isn’t even 40 years old so there’s plenty of time yet. I did think that she and her husband needed to sit down and just talk to each other. When they got married they both wanted children but Meg’s husband has changed his mind and rather than walk out which Meg does, I would have been interested to find out why and then perhaps walk out but no Meg does the opposite. There were certain times when I almost wanted to jump inside the pages of the book and shake Meg slightly by the shoulders or throw a glass of water over her to calm her down. Meg heads off to the cottage to spend Christmas with her mother and they (Sally and Meg) will both take time to think what it is that they really want for the future. Will they make new lives for themselves or are their old lives calling them back? Are there twists and turns along the way? Well for the answers to those questions and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
It’s no word of a lie to say that it took me no time at all to become addicted to reading this book. It was the perfect sort of read for me- a fun, light hearted, amusing, uplifting and romantic tale. As soon as I picked the book up that was it, plans for the rest of the day were cancelled (not that I had anything exciting planned) as I knew that I would not be able to put this fantastic book down. For me ‘Single All The Way’ really is an unputdownable, page turner of a read. I would pick the book up only intending to read a couple of chapters at a time but I became so immersed in the story that I read far more than a couple of chapters. The book wasn’t exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I didn’t want to miss a single second of the story for fear of missing a vital nugget of gossip or for fear of missing out on something amusing. I reached the end of the story far quicker than I had either anticipated or wanted, which I was disappointed about. I don’t mean that I was disappointed about how the story ended but I was enjoying the story, the characters and the author’s writing style so much that I just wanted the book to continue on and on.
‘Single All The Way’ is superbly written but then I wouldn’t expect anything else from Karen King. She has a writing style that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. She draws you into the story right from the very first word and once she has your attention, she will not let it go. Karen has created interesting characters that seem to really come to life and they seem just as real as you or I. By the time I got to the end of the book I felt as though Sally and Meg had become friends of mine and I genuinely cared about what happened to them. The author writes so realistically and uses such vivid descriptions that I really did feel as though I was part of the story myself. I know that the story isn’t real but if I enjoy a book to the extent that I enjoyed this one then I tend to ‘live’ the story as if it were real.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed this uplifting and funny story, which had me gripped throughout. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers and particularly to those readers who enjoy fun festive reads. I can’t wait to read more of Karen’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of single all the way by Karen King. I loved this book so much. It is always my goal every holiday season to find the cutest Christmas related books out there and I found that in this. It’s a great mixture of holidays, family and romance. Try this for your next holiday read.

When Meg and her mother, Sally both leave their husbands just before Christmas, they end up running away to a cottage on the Cornish Coast. With time on their hands they are not just able to think about their respective relationships but get to know their fellow villagers and join in the Christmas celebrations. Whilst there, will the two women decide what their futures hold for them…?

Don’t be fooled into thinking this is a cosy, fun festive read!! It is based initially around Christmas, but it’s not all glad tidings and joy after Meg and Sally decide to leave their husbands. The story revolves around the two ladies and their decision to end their marriages. I liked Meg’s character and felt the reasons why she left her husband to be quite understandable. However, I didn’t initially like her mother, Sally. To begin with I felt Sally’s justifications for leaving her husband to be quite selfish and shallow. She did, for me, come across as quite self-centred, but as the storyline unravelled, you begin to realise that perhaps she was right all along!

I did expect it to be a bit more of a light-hearted story than it was. It was, however, an emotional story of love, life and relationships which showed that none of these things ever runs smoothly or as planned. Told from different characters perspectives, the storyline gives us the chance to see it from everyone’s point of view. With a well-written plot, there is something in this book which everyone can relate to in some shape or form!

The location of the book was stunning and the Cornish coastline can always conjure up great pictures to add to the story. This is a book of real-life relationships and the difficult decisions that we sometimes have to make in life. It’s not all doom and gloom though with lots of tender moments and ultimately the happy ending which Meg and Sally desperately needed!! An enjoyable read with some life lessons taught along the way! Would definitely recommend!

Sorry but this just wasn’t for me, nothing really happened, it’s spends most it’s time with the two main characters focusing on what went wrong in their relationship, it was slow and couldn’t hold my attention, sorry not for me

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Such a delightful Christmas sleigh ride into the stories and hearts of two remarkable women: Meg and her mother, Sally. Cuddle under a blanket and wonder at the decisions and emotions they both find themselves in just days before the holiday. A perfect read whether you're in your twenties or sixties, understanding a woman's thoughts and angst when at a crossroad in their marriage. The tiny coastal town they find themselves harbored in was filled with warm-hearted characters and events in itself. Brew a cup of tea and sink into the pages of this wonderful book.

😥 Two marriages at a crossroads and Christmas just 'round the corner🎄

🤔 This is not your run-of-the-mill holiday romance. The mother and daughter main protagonists both, for very different reasons, have made the wrenching discovery that their marriages are no longer working and the choice to leave their husbands. Taking a breather to reflect in a quaint Cornish village for a few weeks over the Christmas holidays provides some diversion in the form of new acquaintances and community activities; gives them opportunity to strengthen their bond and support each other; and eventually clarifies what they really want out of life and whether that can be achieved within their current relationships.

It's a very thoughtful story, with a few twists, complications and surprises along the way. I did find Meg's and Sally's musings about their marital problems a bit repetitive at times and the story's momentum flags some in the middle, but ultimately it was an enjoyable, clean, worthwhile read with a realistic look at the marital condition and a very positive and tidy conclusion.

Thanks to publisher Bookouture and NetGalley for providing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

Love is a wonderful thing. It can make you dance in the rain or swing on the chandeliers, but when something goes wrong it can make your heart break in a million pieces.

Being in a relationship often means compromising. You need to put water in your wine, but when one ends up with only water and the other one with only wine, things need to change. How, though? Do you let go of your dreams in order to make your second half happy? Do you hang on to your dreams in order to make yourself happy? 

Sometimes love means letting go. Sometimes love means not letting go. It's up to you to figure it out. Should you stay or should you go?

Often being happy apart is better than being miserable together ...

A very enjoyable feel good story! 5 stars.

Thank you, Karen King and Bookouture (via Netgalley)

A thought-provoking read that highlights the difficulties of long-term relationships and the in's and out's that go into making them work. Both Meg and her mother Sally are both contemplating ending their long term relationships and decide to get away together over the Christmas break to mull things over. Both characters reflect on the issues of their relationships and whether they are worth fighting for, both supporting eachother through this turbulent time. I enjoyed the mother/daughter aspect and how, despite going through something similar, they both reacted and acted differently. Single all the Way is an interesting and thought provoking read that, whilst not your traditional Christmas story, is enjoyable and engaging.

While Single All the Way by Karen King is technically best classified as a contemporary romance that takes place at Christmastime the cover makes it seem a bit more whimsical than it is. This one is not the light and fluffy feel-good you may normally find during the holiday season but instead a book that takes a deep look into two separate relationships and whether those are worth fighting to keep.

Meg, who is in her mid thirties, has been married to her husband, Oliver, for five years after having dated him for a few more years before then. The couple are very much in love spending all their time together even starting their own business. However, Meg felt it was time to sit down and have a talk with Oliver and when doing so she finds he never told her a huge secret about himself which causes Meg to pack up and leave.

With Christmas so close Meg was unsure of where she could spend some time to get away and think about her marriage until she calls her mother, Sally, and finds Sally has made reservations and plans to leave her husband too. The two women head to a cottage on the Cornish coast where they can lean on one another and examine their relationships.

So beginning Single All the Way I thought wow, this is rather depressing for a holiday romance but as I quickly became engrossed in these ladies lives I found it was rather thought provoking. The point of view mainly changes between Meg and Sally but you will get glimpses of others too. And along the way there are plenty of ups and downs with emotions too so it didn’t turn into a complete downer but instead sprinkled the sadder moments with some laughter and joy to have an overall feel good story by the end.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Meg is 34 and wants to start a family before she gets to old to have kids. Her husband keeps putting it off and then finally tells her he never wants kids. She feels like she wasted her life and that he lied to her and led her on so she leaves. He feels they should be happy just the 2 of them because they love each other.
As Meg is ready to tell her mom she receives a phone call from her mom that she left her dad. She isn't happy and hasn't been for awhile. He is happy just sitting home and puttering around in his garden and she wants to go out and see the world. So Meg and her mom, Sally go on vacation together and to make it even harder is that it s Christmas.
We watch these 2 women , who are mother and daughter deal with their decision and try to understand each other's feelings. I found both of them very confused but pretty much set on what they want. Their spouses think they are selfish and only thinking of themselves. I did not see that at all. I found 2 women who have always wanted their life a certain way and now being told no and to be happy with what they do have. Very emotional on a lot of levels.
I received this ARC from Bookouture and NetGalley for a review.

The title “Single all the Way” drew me in but the story kept me there. Well written, funny, and heart warming it is a step away from your traditional holiday romance, but worth the read.

Single All the Way is a holiday romance all about relationships. Meg and her mother Sally have just made the decision to leave their significant others right before Christmas. They go to a cottage to reflect on their relationships and have to decide if their relationship is worth fighting for.

I love when an author gives us the perspective from more than one point of view. In this book, there are four different perspectives. In this case, it made the story more honest and vulnerable.

Meg owns a party planning business with her husband. Their love is something special and everyone has always seen how much they care for each other. They are supposed to be the perfect couple, but her husband Oliver gives her news that she can't forgive at the moment. As her marriage is falling apart, she seeks advice from her mother Sally.

Sally is a strong woman who has always put her family first. When she hears about her daughter leaving her husband, she feels empowered to make a choice about hers. She too decides to leave her husband.

I thought it was unique to show marriages from the perspective of a mother and daughter. Although there is an age difference, love is universal. They both face the same stresses and insecurities. The author also tackled the stereotype of a failed marriage. Karen King says 'No, no one cheated.' and dares to question people by making them think harder. 'Maybe the drifted apart and didn't have anything in common anymore.'.

Overall, I thought Single All the Way highlights relationships/marriages placing it in a Christmas setting to pose the question of 'does Christmas, one of the happiest holidays, have an impact on a relationship when it comes to deciding whether to stick it out or let go.?'

Meg and Olly have a wonderful relationship, a solid marriage and are very much in love. The only thing missing is a baby, something that Meg has been planning on for years. But Olly is not so sure: his childhood was a tumultuous one, and he’s frightened about the commitment. When he tells Meg, after all their years together that he’s not wanting kids, she’s upset and devastated – believing that he’s lied to her for years and time is running out. Meanwhile, Meg’s parents Sally and Ted have been married nearly forty years, both retired now, Sally is chafing at Ted’s refusal to, and sulking about, her trying new things and socializing. Sally knows that they’ve grown apart and she’s feeling trapped and lonely. Her decision made, she’s rented the little cottage in Cornwall that was her honeymoon site – a place to regroup and decide on her next step. With Meg having left Olly with no plans to go anywhere: Sally invites Meg to spend time with her and they’ll celebrate their Christmas together and without men.

Told in multiple perspectives, we see Sally and Meg try to reconcile the disruption in their marriages and to make decisions about moving forward. While both men are obviously hurt and confused by the choices their women have made, it’s clear that communication has broken down, and while Meg and Olly need to really discuss his fears and worries, Sally and Ted have fallen into a routine – one that she’s not willing to endure for the rest of her life. With introductions and welcome from the local residents, Meg and Sally are soon involved in the local Christmas Faire, helping out and becoming a part of the little community that has welcomed them. And, this gives everyone time to find their feet and start to make choices until Ted’s heath deteriorates in rather dramatic fashion and everyone is sent reeling.

While not quite a “happy happy joy joy” holiday story, the clear explanations and descriptions of relationships diverging and heading down different paths, either with people growing apart or a lack of communication, the story is easy to follow along and understand. Clearly, there is much affection between both couples, and it never gets truly to the ‘recrimination and bitterness’ stage for any length of time. Keeping everyone’s options open and showing just how different Ted and Sally have become, as well as bringing Olly and Meg together to actually discuss a future and find new opportunity and hope in a new place will go a long way to sorting out what was wrong – and love – the ability to let it go or allow it to define your every thought about someone is truly enough here – and lets everyone find a new ‘happy ever after’.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-ayz/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

I enjoyed this book immensely,more so as in the summer i was in Boscastle!! Funny how things work out once you leave your partner. Made me laugh at times. The details were on form and made you feel you were there too.

It's an unusual Christmas story, well written but the story didn't grab my attention and it fell flat.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.