First of all the cover! Second of all the book is written by Cynthia Hand who made me fall in love with YA contemporary again, as I was about to give up!

This is truly a coming of age story. As a young adult, I could relate to this book! It has a lot of drama, family secrets, sibling fights, and more! I liked the setting of the book, makes me want to visit Hawaii more.

As it is contemporary, I think you should just go into it! I preordered a copy of this book &I will pick up Cynthia’s solo works as I have enjoyed most of them in the past!

Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for the early copy!

I want to thank Harper Teen for supplying me with a copy of this book to read and review.
I won't lie, I had high hopes. I have always loved Cynthia Hand and her writing. Angels, contemporary, collaborations, she seems to be able to take it all on.
That being said, this is not her greatest work for me. If you are looking for a drama filled book with a self-centered teen (I know, I know, that's typical in real life, too!) who makes serious errors in much of what she does and chooses, this one is for you. Is it a lesson? Probably. Did she learn it? In my opinion, no.
The main character is 16 year old Ada who seems to be fixated on fixing her life with sex. Do 16 year olds think about it? Sure. Do they obsess on it? Maybe. But for me, it was way too large of a part of this book. I found her constant return to and reiterations of it tiresome and ridiculous. I also had issue with her sister letting her flounder and wallow in her own self-pity.
Overall it was a fast read but considering my affinity for picking books up by this author, not one I can see myself recommending. Too much drama without real situations for my taste.

Ada’s life is far from perfect. The day after not losing her virginity to her boyfriend she finds him cheating on her. It doesn’t help that her older sister just loves to give advice on everything, including Ada’s nonexistent sex life. Her life falls apart, even more, when she finds out her mother is having an affair. It was supposed to be a time for family bonding in Hawaii, but even her family vacation wasn’t exempt from her life imploding. That is when Ada decides she just wants to get it over with. Sex that is. She has a plan, but is she ready to execute it?

With You All the Way is a stand-alone romance that will leave the reader wondering what is going on in other peoples’ brains. There is a lot of sex talk, yet this is totally PG-13 without a lot of explicit descriptions. There were points in the book where I didn’t like the protagonist, but her flaws were key to the story coming together in the end. I recommend With You All the Way to all YA romance readers.

What a fun, drama-filled read! I can see this being made into a movie.
Humor & Family Relationships -- and while it discusses Ada's thoughts (and attempts) surrounding losing her virginity, it remains PG-13. A great beach read.

I really loved this book! A family story about secrets, and sisters, and first times. I liked how most of the book was set in Hawaii and how we got flashbacks of different memories of Ada and Afton and Abby together. I felt that really showed the connection between the sisters and how even though they fight they still have that forever bond.
I connected with Ada and felt for her from the beginning. I loved the dynamic between her and her sisters and between her mom and step-dad. I liked how Nick and her developed a nice friendship. This book just pulled at my heartstrings. I know not everyone can relate or will connect with these characters but I really did. I felt like I saw some of myself within Ada.

Thanks NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC!

4.5 stars

_With You All the Way_ is my first Cynthia Hand novel, but it will not be my last!

Ada, the m.c., is invested in one task when the novel begins: having sex. In some ways, this goal is a backdrop for the entire plot, but as is the case in all good YA, there is much more texture to this work.

Ada's family is incredibly well drawn. Her mother is a high achieving surgeon who works outrageous hours and is often absent from the rest of the group. Her older sister, Afton, is externally perfect, and their relationship reveals both a closeness and complexity that a believable sibling bond - particularly at this age - should. The youngest child, Abby, is largely Ada's responsibility, and she is wildly endearing. The step-father is unlike 99% of his fictional and IRL counterparts: awesome. I love the way these characters are presented, how they exceed expectations, and how they interact with each other.

Sex is a backdrop for the changing and tenuous relationships: past, present, and future. I love how the typical teenage desire to rip off that Band Aid comes through in this piece, how conversations about consent and what makes the "right" time and partner/s come through (though these discussions are notably quite hetero), and how sex can be both fantastic and destructive depending on the circumstances and players. To me, this was all handled in a believable and responsible-without-being-didactic manner.

Ada leaves this novel in the way that all good YA m.c.s should: changed. She makes mistakes, she grows, she learns, and she remains likable - even in the face of some challenging circumstances - all the way through to the end.

I will be making an effort to check out some of Hand's earlier works and will absolutely be looking forward to whatever comes next. Recommended!

After reading the blurb for this book, I felt like it was going to be an impactful read about a family and let me tell you, it didn’t disappoint. This book is so relatable and realistic, even as an adult.

Ada’s a character I saw myself as when I was teen. She is new in the relationship department and things just aren’t going well. Everything that happens to her is realistic and honestly has happened to me but just a bit different. It was so easy to understand how she felt.

At that age (the MC is sixteen), we want to make adult decisions and we also think that we are the only one with a messed up life. I mean, I still have days where I feel like I am the only one just living at the bottom of a dark hole but when it comes to adult decisions, I just don’t want to make them, ha. It’s easy to look at your siblings and parents and think everything is going right for them because we don’t know any better. I loved that this book showed us both sides of the coin. In a family there will be fighting among siblings and even parents, sometimes it both and this book doesn’t shy away from that. What matters is getting it all out, being understanding, and realizing that life for anyone isn’t perfect.

This book does talk about sex a lot but I liked the way the author talked about it when it came to the characters. There are really great messages included.

Even though I figured certain things out, it didn’t stop me from loving this book. I loved the characters and the plot.

Honestly, I am not even sure if this review makes sense or if I have even given this book justice. All I can say is that I loved it and hopefully you will too.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the setting and thought it was well detailed so I felt like I was experiencing what Ada was experiencing. I enjoyed how Ada really came to understand herself better through this vacation and learned to stay true to herself.
I wanted to know more about some of the side characters, particularly Mom but maybe there will be a later book about this family. I did enjoy the stories from Ada's childhood sprinkled throughout the book. This was done well and helped me understand more about Ada's life. I also really enjoyed the relationships between all 3 sisters.

Lots of drama and a positive message add up to making this a must add for high school collections. With the focus on "should I or shouldn't I" and " what is the big deal about the V word" for the entire book, the story does teeter over the edge for middle school (maybe okay for 8th grade) in my opinion, but it doesn't travel anywhere too untoward. Friendship, sisterhood, family, and self-identity are all themes that are explored within this story and dealt with from within the protagonists own mind and outwardly with others.

Cynthia Hand creates a sweet, coming of age novel with very believable characters. At first the title made me think of a best friend or boyfriend who would be with Ada, the main character, until the end, but I was delighted to see that Hand is weaving a wonderful story of the relationships among family members, especially the bond between sisters. Even though Ada and her sister, Afton, argue like most sisters, in the end, both realize how much they are alike more than they are different. An underlying topic in this novel is that of virginity, and I feel it was discussed in a very acceptable way. There is some foul language, but overall, this was a great, fast read. I really enjoyed it!

Cynthia Hand is an auto-buy author for me. I loved "The How and the Why" and the Jane series.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I found Ada's emotions realistic but somewhat tiresome. There were times I just wanted to shake her and wished her sister would just interrupt her and put an end to some of her ridiculousness.
Nick was a cute, believable teenage boy and I really enjoyed the interactions with he and Ada. I also loved the relationship that Ada has with her stepdad.
Thank you for the early read. I can see this in our library collection, especially when we do our summer escape display.

With You All The Way releases March 21! Special thanks to @netgalley and @harpercollins for this ARC!

Synopsis: Ada’s life is a mess. She just caught her boyfriend cheating on her after a humiliating attempt at losing her virginity, and she’s had it up to here with her gorgeous older sister’s unsolicited advice.

But things really hit the fan during a family vacation in Hawaii, where Ada discovers her own mother is having an affair. Apparently, everyone is falling into bed with people they shouldn’t. Everyone except Ada. But when Ada decides she’s going to stop trying and start doing—sex, that is—her best laid plan overlooks an inconvenient truth:

Feelings, romantic or not, always get in the way.

Review: this felt real and raw. It’s been a while since I’ve read a YA book. I liked it a lot, the way the story was paced, how the characters interacted, how each layer added something different to the book. Also the Hawaii setting was pretty great!! Who couldn’t love a little time in paradise? I think this topic was well approached and felt like a modern response! Don’t miss this out in March!

This book was okay... I wasn't the biggest fan of it but it also wasn't the worst you know what I mean. Ill try her out again with her next release.

16-year-old Ada has decided she’s ready to check the box on losing her virginity. But when she discovers her boyfriend has been cheating on her, it seems like that won’t happen anytime soon. She’s always been close to her older sister Afton, but lately things are off with them. And when she finds out that her pop can’t come with them to her mother’s annual medical conference in Hawaii, that’s just one more thing.

The beauty of Hawaii doesn’t improve things, especially when Ada stumbles across evidence that her workaholic mother is having an affair with one of her fellow surgeons. On the one hand, Ada wants to confront her mother; on the other, she wants to protect Afton and their 5-year-old sister Abby and not destroy their fragile family dynamics.

In the midst of the turmoil, Ada reconnects with Nate, a self-proclaimed nerd who she’s never spent much time with at these annual conferences. But in her determination to discover just what the big deal is about sex— why her mother would be willing to risk their family and Afton wants Ada to make better choices than she did when she was 16– Ada and Nate decide they will lose their virginity together.

Hand channels 16-year-old humor and awkwardness and curiosity and frustration and frankness so skillfully in Ada’s voice. There are clear themes of agency and choice and sex-positivity. Readers are in for a very satisfying story of the messiness of love in all its forms.

Thanks to HarperTeen and NetGalley for the electronic ARC.

Ada's life has suddenly turned into a huge mess--she learns that her boyfriend is cheating on her after their own unsuccessful attempt, her relationship with her older sister is becoming more and more contentious, and while on vaction with her sisters and mother, she discovers that her mother is having an affair. Ada decides that since everyone she knows is sleeping with just anyone, then she can too and she begins to plot and plan how to achieve this. But what Ada learns is that feelings--whether they are romantic or not, get in the way and people can hurt.

Ada is a an interesting character--the reader does root for her, but there are times when her self-pity gets a bit wearing (and isn't this really true of most teenagers). It was interesting to watch her grow throughout the book from someone who thought she understood how the world work, to a person, who could see that even adults have trouble navigating the world. The secondary characters are an integral part of the story and contibute greatly to Ada's growth. I did have some issues with Ada's mother, who seemed much to vested in her career to be a good role model for any of her daughters. Ada's stepfather was much more parental, although he felt more like a tertiary character than even a secondary character.

With You All the Way is a fun read, with some good messaging, but is more appropriate for high school libraries and students.

This book was a total drama fest. It reminded me of one of those reality tv shows, in which everything that can go wrong, does. It was addictive, and drew you right into the family drama.

This book follows Ada and her family on a business trip to Hawaii. And although they’re vacationing in paradise, the events of their trip are anything but. From breakups and heartbreak, to accusations of cheating and crashed weddings, this book is a total roller coaster ride.

Part of what made this book so enjoyable was it’s similarity to a train wreck. Don’t get me wrong, it was written super well, it’s just that there was so much drama. At times, I had to put the book down, just to take a ten second break. Of course, I dove right back in afterwards. The plot sort of reminded me of The Best Laid Plans, but I actually liked this better.

Like most family dramas, every character had their own distinct personality. I loved Marjorie, who took on the persona of the gossipy aunt. Every time she showed up, I knew some serious tea was about to be spilled. I also really liked Ada and and Nick, although Ada made some comical mistakes.

I would definitely recommend this for fans of romances, especially people who loves drama. Plus, this is set in Hawaii, so there’s a healthy dose of volcanoes, sea turtles, and paddle boarding. All in all, a great book!

<I> Thanks to Netgalley and for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review </I>

Ada Bloom thinks she's finally ready to have sex with Leo, but she backs out at the last minute. Embarrassed, she turns to her older sister, Afton, for help, and sets a time where she knows for sure she'll be ready. But just as she's coming up to see him after his swim meet, she finds him kissing his teammate, Kayla. He then brushes her off, claiming that she wasn't really his girlfriend and that he wants more.
Afton tells Ada that having sex with Leo would've been a mistake, and that she should save her first time for someone who truly cares about her and loves her. After all, Afton's own first time wasn't great. But Ada just wants to get it over with.
Soon after, Ada's mother is called to Hawaii for an annual surgeons' conference, and brings the whole family along, except for Ada's stepdad who is left behind to work. Afton suggests that Ada find a rebound there, but Ada doesn't think that there are any cute enough boys at the resort, or even boys her age. She is enjoying her vacation until she opens the door to her mother's hotel room and finds her having sex- with her coworker, Billy.
Ada is forced to question everything she ever thought about her parents' marriage and if they don't love each other anymore, but decides to keep this finding to herself. Her five-year-old sister, Abby, would be devastated.
Right after she finds this out, she runs into Nick Kelly, the son of a conference member who she realizes is the same age as she is. She's never thought of him as cute until now, but after spending some time with him, she decides that he could be the ideal person to lose her virginity to. She asks him directly, and he agrees to meet up some time later in the week. With Nick. Ada can almost forget about her mom and Leo and have a good time.
I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH. It was basically the perfect YA. There wasn't as much romance as I expected, but everything else made up for it. You'll love the descriptions of the scenery, the resort, and the vacation activities. With travel currently posing a risk for spread of coronavirus, I wish so badly that I could go on a vacation like this one.
For fans of Have a Little Faith in Me. That was my favorite book of 2019, and this is equally as good.