“Georgie All Along” is a fun, cute, light-hearted read. After a sudden change in her life in LA, Georgie goes back to her hometown to think about her future. When she arrives home, she finds herself very surprised to see a housemate. Georgie's parents let Levi Fanning (the brother of Georgie’s teenage crush) temporarily live in her home, while his house gets fixed (Georgie’s father forgot to tell Levi she was coming home). Also, Georgie finds her old “friendfic” diary where she wrote everything she wished she had done as a teenager. Now in her twenties, with no way to go, she decides to let the diary guide her future. While Georgie and Levi are very different, they eventually bring positive changes in each other's life. Levi helps Georgie complete her wishes, and as they do, they find they each need to let go of their difficult past and find what makes them happy.

I loved the book's characters and felt I could relate to them from the beginning. Georgie is caring, wild and self-determined in finding herself, she is relatable and fun. Levi has such a nice development and makes readers fall in love with him. The connection between these characters is beautiful and meaningful. They have a lot of chemistry and are made for each other.

The dual POV makes the readers know both the character's thoughts and creates a more interesting plotline. The pacing of the book was good, but it did not leave any amazing impact. However, it is worth reading and I would recommend it if you are interested in a cute romance book.

4 ⭐

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC.

This book, wow. I’m amazed, this being the third book I’ve read by Kate Clayborn, by her writing style every time. This book was so thoughtful and beautifully written. I’m in constant awe of it. The only reason it’s not an automatic 5 star read is because it took me a while to get into the story. However, I predict that will change on a reread.

Georgie and Levi, can you just say “couple goals”. They are so beautiful and skillfully written. We’re given a chance to get into both of their heads and learn how they came to this moment in their lives. Levi especially is consciously choosing every action he takes as a result of his past and is unable to break from that hold. Georgie is back home after her all consuming job and is trying to figure out the next step in her life. I related to Georgie so much. She eventually comes to the realization that not everyone needs to plan out their lives and that it is totally okay to live in the moment. And wow, does that realization hit home so much. Reading this book, I kept making plans about gifting copies to people in my life who would benefit from and appreciate the beauty of this story!

This book. This book! I'm not sure I can say enough good things about this book.

From beginning to end, I loved this book. 🥰

Why?

I loved the dynamic between Georgie and Levi. Their curiosity about each other and toeing the line of what should or shouldn't happen between them.

I loved the awkward moments like green beans in a pasta dish.

The laughable moments like the nicknames Georgie made up for Mr. Fanning like her Dad always made for her, even though she had an inkling none of them were close.

The sweet moments like Levi deciding he wanted to help Georgie.

The 'figuring-it-all-out' moments.

And, oh man, the steamy moments. 🥵🥵😏

But really, I love this book because, while there is a love story, this story is for anyone who worries they may have missed out. For anyone who fears they screwed it all up. For anyone still trying to figure it out and believes they're the last to do it.

It all made me want more, and it all tied together perfectly.

I also loved that it helped get me out of an ungodly reading slump - I'm forever grateful!!! 💕

So many thank yous to Kate Clayborn, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Well, I loved this. I think it's my favorite so far by this author, and I've been a fan of almost everything I've ever read by her. I definitely think this one qualifies as a comfort read. I was hooked right from the start and fell in love with both of the MCs really quickly. I also loved all the side characters, and was especially pleased with the casual inclusion of a side character using they/them pronouns. This was one of those books where I just really enjoyed being immersed in the world of the story. I was worried about how a couple of the story threads would play out, there was definitely potential for drama and some big misunderstandings, but actually the way it ended up unfolding felt so right for the story and really low stress to read, which I appreciated. I'll absolutely be recommending this as one of my favorite romances so far this year. A real treat to read.

A delightful modern romance about two people who don't quite fit in with the overachievers around them finding they do fit perfectly with each other. Clayborn's greatest gift is how realistic the relationships are between her romantic leads - they behave like real, natural people and I love that.

Lord bless Kate Clayborn. She is an instant buy author for me and Georgie, All Along was a true gem of a book. I really loved Georgie and her growth from lost and hot mess express from LA.. to new woman in her small hometown. This book is sooooo freakking sweet, relatable, fun and SWOONY AND SPICY. Levi... I love you and Hank..I love you and Georgie and Levi, I love you!. Their chemistry was so amazing and seeing them open up together and be there for each other is... *chef's kiss*. This book has it all. It brought me SO MUCH JOY.

I *really* loved this one. It was equal parts emotional (with out being manipulative) and squee-cute (without being cheesy). It turns a few tropes on their head in the best way. My only real critique is it could have been a tad shorter with a tighter edit - but no matter, loved it.

From my initial opinion, I did not think this book would hit me so emotionally hard, make me think, or be so easy to binge. I'm not a huge romance reader, but the main character's personality description in the synopsis is what sold me to pick it up. This is now an all time favorite, and probably my favorite adult romance I've read to date.
I loved Goergie and everything she offered to the story, but I looooved Levi's character and his growth. I knew I'd be sold on his character when his dog, Hank, made an entrance. This was the small town, country setting, grumpy x sunshine or my dreams. I was holding back tears for 20% of this book towards the end.
The best part? The third act conflict was actually amazing! A lot of third act conflicts make me angry because they're stupid, but this one felt reasonable, wasn't over the top, and it made sense for our characters!
And author? Evan needs his HEA now! I'm so glad his character wasn't used to be a "bad guy." These characters all felt so real and relatable at times. The overall message was BEAUTIFUL and perfect for people who don't have their lives figured out and think they should.

GEORGIE, ALL ALONG - KATE CLAYBORN

ARC WAS PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR AND PUBLISHING COMPANY VIA NETGALLEY!

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

TW:
- mentions of verbal abuse

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Georgie Mulcahy is not really used to being contemplative of one's life decisions, five-year plans or even with exact plans for the weekend. She usually thrives in a chaotic mess, usually successfully navigating her clients through the not so shiny everyday bumps along the road.
For several years she enjoyed not having to think about the future, but then came the life-altering decision made by her boss. Now, she finds herself jobless and homeless in the manner of speaking. Trying to find some resemblance of "Georgie-Normal" things, she jumps on a chance to help her best friend with all her nesting plans. Even if it means going back home and facing the past her 18-year-old self happily left behind.
As she faces the unknown, surprisingly enough, her old fictional diary she founds becomes her guiding light.
With the help of a newly attained - and handsome - former bad boy/reformed caring citizen roommate, Levi, in her wake, Georgie re-lives the tales of a once 13-year-old girl, whose silly dreams and expectations may be the thing to keep her going forward.

REVIEW:

I never imagined I'd got to be lucky enough to receive a Kate Clayborn ARC, but here we effing go!
I tweeted my confirmation email as soon as I got it from NetGalley, as I generally don't have the biggest luck with such things.
I would’ve purchased the book - and I probably still will if the paperback will be available for my country - but getting my grabby hands on such treasure in advance made my week.

And it made me happy and giddy and ecstatic while reading it, too!
I must admit, after the first three chapters I re-aligned my Kate Clayborn books' rankings in my head.
I figured it out pretty quickly, that with her prose I really like when she writes in the first-person narration. So, this... this was everything I could've asked for.

Georgie seemed - from the description - someone I couldn't possibly have anything in common with, but I was too quick to judge. As my peer, her struggles and life experiences had a lot in common with mine. Her "mini" crisis was honest, relatable and I admired how determined she was to find a solution, a path, or any sort of guidance. She was not afraid to make fun out of herself, was always supportive of her parents and friends. Tried to make amends about past mistakes and was all-around a caring, warm individual.

Levi Fanning had a complexity I like when it comes to contemporary romance heroes. He was the right amount of caring and mysterious. Had good intentions, but not always knew how to express his true self and feelings. He was a flawed, anti-social man, who stumbled upon a force to be reckoned with and started to develop feelings for someone, who sits comfortably in chaos.

The banter was - as always - witty, heartfelt. I cherished the small moments that we had a chance to witness, really appreciated how the quietness could direct the movement of a story in ways which were more profound than any big declarations or acts could have been.
There's just always-always something about Kate's prose that has me feeling big feelings, they give me a reason to be grateful and peculiarly joyous about the fact, that I voluntarily chose to be a lit-nerd.

Thank you again for the reading opportunity!

TROPES:
- opposites attract
- quiet, serious MMC - sunshine, boisterous FMC
- homecoming girl
- small town romance
- opposites-attract
- found family
- forced-proximity

Georgie, All Along was such a fantastic feel-good novel. I think every reader can identify with Georgie’s situation. Losing their job and finding themselves floundering of life’s choices. Also, finding a connection with a grumpy but sexy man. Well, I did the first, but not the second but her journey of finding herself, with Levi’s help was emotional, personal, and oh so fun to read.

Like I said above, Georgie was so easy to like. She may have been a little lost but her heart was in the right place and her method of finding her way entertaining. Levi was also that grump you always secretly crushed on. A troubled past combined with his taciturn nature made him slightly mysterious but also his story pulled at your heart. I knew immediately that I was going to root for these two to find their way to each other. Georgie never had that feeling of completeness, and Levi never had his own person to belong to. They were perfect for each other!

Most of my favorite romance authors include great groups of friendships in their novels and Georgie was a girl that collected friends. I loved how each of them wanted the best for her and supported her in finding her way, but also delivered the truths that she needed to hear. Levi didn’t have that gang, but that made his need for Georgie resonate even more and their union supreme.

If you are in the mood for an emotional journey that hits those storytelling high notes, this is the book you need to pick up. I enjoyed this one a LOT and this author is now on my must read list.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

Did I thoroughly enjoy this book? Yes. Yes, I did.

Georgie, all along, is a book about Georgie Mulcahy (ex)personal assistant to a famous screenwriter/director who chose to give up the Hollywood life for a more peaceful farm life, now leaving Georgie unemployed and not too sure as to what the next step in her life is.

She finds herself more than a little lost as to what to do next until her childhood best friend Annabel (Bel) asks her to come to help her and her husband with the prep of their new house as they wait for their baby to arrive. The kicker is that said house is in their hometown, a place where everyone considers Georgie to be an irresponsible and unreliable flake… And as soon as Georgie steps back into her old town she’s shown just how much their previous impressions of her have stuck.

What helps Georgie (sort of) get over the town’s thoughts of her is the bucket list/fic/journal she finds while helping Bel unpack. It contains all the things that the two girls had wished to accomplish during high school but never got the chance to complete (or even start — I think).

With this new goal in mind, Georgie heads to her parent's house, where she’d be staying for a couple of weeks while they’re away on vacation. What she wasn’t expecting, however, was a man — specifically Levi Fanning, older brother of Evan Fanning, her high school crush — to show up, with his dog in toe, claiming that he was meant to say at the Mulcahy house while they were away.

Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn
Contemporary romance. Grumpy sunshine.
Georgie returns to her childhood home to help her best friend set up her new house before the baby is born. Georgie has to decide what she wants to do next in life since her last boss retired, leaving Georgie as loose ends. A journal written in junior high might be just the thing Georgie needs to make some decisions.

Georgie wants to try to figure out what to do in the future as a career. She feels empty and hopes the goals she had as a teen will direct her in the future.
Levi keeps his head down but is drawn by Georgie’s effervescent smile. As Georgie and Levi spend time together, Levi also has work to do on more than just building a dock.
I fell in love with the characters. I highlighted a few passages of Levi’s thoughts about Georgie and I also cried as life throws them a few hurdles.
A heartwarming and emotional novel of discovery, self analysis, and personal growth. For the characters.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

Her best work yet!!! I LOVED this story. Georgie has to start over. Levi has hardly been living. She falls for her childhood crush’s brother!!! He falls for his complete opposite! There was so much growth and so much love! Levi and Hank were the sweetest! Georgie and Bel were friendship goals! There was family drama, there was healing, and there was happiness. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read in exchange for a review!!!

I love Kate Clayborn's writing and Georgie, All Along confirms why. I loved the premise, the setting, and the characters. There is wit and depth, and I believed in the characters and their relationships. I will be reading this again and have already recommended it to my audience, with a podcast episode on the way!

I'm sure many of us can relate to Georgie when she ponders where she expected to be in her life but is yet to achieve all that. So now she is back to her hometown unemployed to figure it all out but meets Levi, a grumpy hero who is exactly her opposite yet brings about profound changes in her life. Their romance was so endearing and cute and their chemistry is amazing. All the characters were very likeable and that in turn made it a joy to read! Levi himself has a tragic past and is making something out of his life when he meets Georgie. Overall, super fun, heartwarming and romantic read!

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. While I may not agree with the sentiment of "An Uplifting and Unforgettable Love Story" I did enjoy the book. Seeing Levi and Georgie slowly get together and figure out what they want out of life was intriguing and the ending was quite sweet,

I picked up this arc on a quiet weekend getaway and promptly read half of it in one goddamn sitting. Kate's books hook me in so hard and reading one just makes me want to re-read them all again. Georgie leaps fully-formed from the pages along with Levi and I so enjoyed jumping between their perspectives as they figured each other out. Every side character felt fully-developed and I would read a SERIES of books set in this world. Olivia's story when??? I am recommending this one far and wide, what a delight.

This book lived up to all the hype and all of my expectations for it. I love a cinnamon roll of a book boyfriend and Levi is so perfect for that. Add in a small town setting and I'm so sold. 5 stars, this book doesn't have perfect characters and it adds so much.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington books for access to this arc.


Georgie Mulcahy returns to her home town of Darentville, Virginia to spend some time with her best friend, Bel, and to sort out her life. She’s been working in Hollywood as a PA to a screenwriter and when said screenwriter decided to leave LA and try a less hectic life, Georgie found herself without a job and without a direction. She’s spent a lot of years looking after other people and hasn’t paid attention to herself. She feels “blank”. She doesn’t know what she wants. Coming home, even though on any view she had a successful career as a PA, feels more like failure than anything else. She has a reputation (from back in high school) as being flighty. Her parents are hippies who march to the beat of their own drum so they were no help in her quest to fit in. (That’s pretty much the only thing she lacked from them however.)

On her way into town she stops to pick up a milkshake for herself and Bel and bumps into her old music teacher, Mrs Michaels, who Does Not Approve of her in that passive-aggressive way women, especially older women, can do so well – it’s in the tone and the eyebrows I think – and Georgie just feels wretched. It does not help that she’s left her wallet in the car and can’t pay. Now she looks even more incompetent. She is “rescued” (ie he pays for the milkshakes) by a surly dude in a ball cap. He’s dusty and tired-looking, not into conversation, but also, Georgie can’t help but notice, very good-looking.

Once Georgie gets to Bel’s she feels even more lost. Annabel has a baby on the way, a new house which is all spick and span, beautiful and organised. She and her husband, Harry, have recently moved to Darentville from the DC area. They seem to have it all together. Georgie came to help but what help does Bel really need? There is one room in the house which is disorganised though and when going through it for Bel, Georgie finds an old “friend fic” that the pair did in middle school and into high school. It was full of plans for things they would do in school – large and small rites of passage that teenagers often went through in the Darentville area (for example, writing a wish in Sharpie on your arm and jumping off Buzzard’s Neck dock) and also full of Georgie’s fantasies about her teen crush – Evan Fanning, the local golden boy.

All those things she and Bel wrote? Well, they didn’t end up doing any of them. Evan Fanning certainly never took her to prom. But now, maybe Georgie can revisit some of the fic, with tasks brought up to date for the present day of course and by doing so, maybe she will be able to fill in the blank and decide what’s next. She feels like she should have a plan. That’s how to be a successful grown-up, right? But she is at a loss, so maybe the fic will kick start the plan-making.

Georgie’s parents are out of town on one of their many road trips and Georgie will look after their plants and the house while she’s in town. Remember when I said that Georgie’s parents march to the beat of their own drum? Well, as it happens, they’ve also arranged another housesitter; Levi Fanning. The grumpy guy from the milkshake shop.

Levi is Evan’s older brother. He’s the screw up. The one who got in trouble as a teenager and was sent away. He doesn’t have a relationship with his family anymore and it’s a pain point for him. He doesn’t talk much and certainly not about what happened when he was young. Levi lives a stable, structured life. A small life. Georgie terrifies him but also fascinates him because she is so expansive. Everything about Georgie is large and open and chaotic. Georgie lives in the now. Levi is always thinking of the next thing.

Levi builds and maintains docks in the Darentville area. He and his rescue pit bull, Hank, are a pretty self-contained team. (Hank is awesome.) But then he meets Georgie.

For a few days, they share a house, bumping awkwardly around each other, feeling the chemistry they have but not sure what to do with it. Levi makes some mistakes and needs to apologise but he does it well and Georgie senses he’s, in some ways, something of a kindred spirit. For different reasons both of them are searching for their place, both of them feel they don’t fit, they don’t measure up.

As Bel is heavily pregnant, she cannot do quite a few of the things Georgie picks out of the friend fic but Levi eventually volunteers to be her wingperson. Mostly this gives Georgie and Levi opportunity to spend time together.

While I didn’t get into the trouble Levi did as a teen, I related more to Levi than Georgie; I’m more into stable structure – chaos scares me. Georgie is the kind of person I’d like to be around and whom I’d admire for all of the qualities she has that I don’t, but I sometimes found it difficult to understand where she was coming from. I admit I didn’t quite see how the fic was going to give her any answers and in the end, I thought it was a bit of a McGuffin. Still, over the course of the book, Georgie realises who she is and her journey to self-acceptance was relatable.

I enjoyed the friendship Georgie had with Bel and how it had expanded to include Harry. The history that Bel and Georgie shared and that “ride or die” that she and Bel were for each other was great to read.

“Who you are is wonderful,” she says, and of course I love her for it. But I don’t want a murder defense at this moment. Sometimes, someone loves you so much that they can’t quite see you clearly. Right now, Mrs. Michaels might be more right about me than Bel is, and that’s a bummer, since Mrs. Michaels truly sucks.

Georgie also develops friendships with others in the area – most particularly Evan and Olivia – Levi’s siblings. This creates some tension of course because of the estrangement between Levi and his family.

The book is split about 50/50 between POVs from both Georgie and Levi. I’m a hero-centric reader and, as I said above, I found Levi easier to understand and relate to so of course, I enjoyed his sections more. I loved his baffled attraction, his reluctant welcome of Georgie into his life. How he couldn’t help it. That’s catnip to me. As much as I’m a hero-centric reader, a lot of what I like about a hero is bound up in what he thinks of his love interest I’ve realised. Like here:

I pretty much pay attention to all of it, but also, she came out of the bathroom with that robe on again, loosely tied over a pair of sweat shorts and another one of those tank tops that’s been sent to murder me. I probably miss a few things.

And I’m sure I miss more than a few things once the movie gets started, including a good number of people getting murdered by things other than tank tops.
Levi stumbles quite a few times in his courtship with Georgie. He’s not used to peopling. He’s not used to acceptance. He’s not used to talking or explaining himself. And, when threatened, he tends to close up which is kind of the opposite of what Georgie needs. But he’s so all in for Georgie he stretches those emotional muscles and along the way, finds his own self-acceptance.

Levi talks to Georgie but he will never be gregarious like her. And she doesn’t require it of him. They fit together nonetheless. Every now and then though, Georgie will tempt him to step a little outside of his comfort zone and he finds his world getting bigger and bigger.

All of this is wrapped with beautiful writing which kind of sneaks up on you and then hits you between the eyes..

Grade: B/B+

I don’t read much m/f romance these days, but I’m always up for one of Kate Clayborn’s because they’re so thoughtful and tender and honest. She writes complex, well-drawn characters who are dealing with relatable, real-life problems, and while not ‘flashy’ or full of drama, her books nonetheless pack a real emotional punch. Her newest release, Georgie, All Along seems to be a retread of the ‘protagonist returns to small home-town and finds love and a new direction in life’ trope – and, to an extent, it is – but in Ms. Clayborn’s capable hands the story transcends the trope and becomes something simultaneously deeper and refreshingly different.

Georgie Mulcahy always had a reputation for being a bit flaky and unreliable in her hometown of Darentville, Virginia. She didn’t amount to much at school and never had any real ambitions beyond it; but her ability to live completely in the ‘now’, to adapt and to think on her feet proved to be exactly suited to working as a PA to high-powered (and high-maintenance) intensely creative – and often intensely chaotic – people in the entertainment industry. For the past three years, she’s worked for Nadia, a well-known screenwriter and director, but when Nadia decides – spontaneously – to retire, Georgie is left at a loose end, coming face to face with the fact that she’s never really had a plan for what to do with her life. With Nadia’s suggestion that she can take the time to do “all the things you want to do”, Georgie decides to head back home for a little while, spend some time with her best friend and her family while she works out what she wants to do next.

Arrived in Darentville, Georgie stops at what she remembers as the general store but which she is surprised to find is now somewhat more upmarket than it used to be. In fact, the whole town seems to have undergone a transformation, the slightly shabby place she remembers giving way to new housing and shops and the signs of a flourishing tourism trade. It’s this ‘renewal’ that has drawn her best friend, Bel, back there, to a new life in a new home with her husband and their soon-to-be family (Bel is eight months pregnant). Georgie decides to buy them a couple of strawberry milkshakes – hopefully they’re as good as she remembers – only to be realise she’s left her purse in her car. Embarrassed – she’s only been back in town less than a hour and already she’s living up to people’s memories and expectations of her as a total flake – she’s checking her pockets just in case, when a guy wearing scruffy work clothes and an irritated expression, steps in to pay for the shakes so he can buy his own stuff and be on his way. The guy is pretty dismissive when she says she’ll pay him back; that, and the knowing looks on the face of the other customer – one of her former teachers – only bolsters Georgie’s determination that when she leaves town this time, she’s going to have figured herself out and worked out what she really wants.

One of the things Georgie had banked on was being able to help Bel out in some way – maybe with unpacking or getting the nursery ready – so she’s a bit disappointed to discover that Bel is on top of everything and doesn’t really need her help at all. She brightens a little when Bel takes her to a room full of boxes and bags that she realises contain a lot of stuff from when Bel was younger – and becomes excited when she finds the notebook containing their eighth grade ‘friendfic’, story after story about what they’d do once they got to high school, surprised to discover her teenaged brain teeming with ideas – albeit on a small scale – about her future. She decides to take it home with her – maybe she’ll be able to work out what happened to that girl (who had actual intentions) – and decides that if she can make some of her teenage dreams come true, she’ll be able to get closer to finding a new path for herself.

Georgie’s parents – who are retired – are away on one of their regular road-trips, so Georgie isn’t expecting company when she goes back home, but she’s in the middle of reading through the fic when she hears a key turning in the lock and the familiar creak of the door sticking before it opens to reveal the guy from the store. And his huge, lumbering dog Hank, who barrels right in.

Levi Fanning is the black sheep of his well-to-to family as well as being Darentville’s ‘bad boy’ – despite being in his thirties and the owner of a successful business. He’s also the older brother of Evan, on whom Georgie once had a massive crush, and is clearly as surprised to find Georgie in the house as she is to see him there. It turns out that her dad had offered him the use of the house for a few weeks because his own is having some badly needed repairs done – and had forgotten to tell Georgie about it. As a set up, I admit it feels a bit contrived, but once we meet Georgie’s lovingly chaotic, free-spirited parents, it becomes perfectly plausible.

Georgie and Levi embody certain romance novel stereotypes (she’s the ‘quirky’, ‘flighty’ heroine, who travels with belongings in trash bags in the back of her car and doesn’t have a Plan; he’s a grumpy, shy loner with a troubled past), and one of the things I really enjoyed about the story is the way the author shows that Georgie’s ‘flightiness’ is part of what made her so very good at her job, how her adaptability, intuitiveness and creativity are great strengths. Levi’s backstory emerges slowly, but his bad reputation is down to his going through a more than rebellious phase that continued into young adulthood which has led to his being estranged from his family. In the years since, he’s worked hard to make something of himself and to dispel that old image – but the locals have long memories and he keeps himself pretty much to himself now, keeping his head down, doing his job and kind of creeping around the edges of life, believing he doesn’t deserve anything more. By contrast, Georgie comes from a loving – if somewhat scatty – family, who always loved and supported her, giving her the space to make mistakes and be a mess – but it’s only now that she starts to see that what they were really encouraging her to be was herself.

These two are authentic and honest with one another and are prepared to give each other time and space when they need it. I loved that Levi is able to really see Georgie when others – even those closest to her – aren’t always able to, and that while Georgie always calls Levi on his bullshit she’s never aggressive or unkind. She doesn’t push him for more than he’s comfortable sharing but also makes it clear why she’s calling him out and that she wants to understand and help if she can. They both make mistakes – Levi, in particular, makes some choices I wasn’t happy about – but when they do, they take responsibility for them and do their best to fix them.

This is one of those books where nothing much ‘happens’ but where there’s a lot going on under the surface. The relationships – Georgie and Bel (the revelation as to the origins of the friendfic is just brilliant), Georgie and her parents and, of course, Georgie and Levi – are all beautifully written, and the romance is poignant and charming.

Georgie, All Along is a treat of a read, a wonderful story of love and self discovery to sink into and get lost in.

Grade: 4.5 stars / B+