I found a hard time relating to the characters in this book, which made it a bit of a drag for me. Georgie is not someone I’d want to hang out with, and despite this book being about her growth, I didn’t feel any real change as we progressed. Perhaps the only thing I enjoyed was the evolution of her and Bel’s friendship, they had much more chemistry than I think she and Levi did.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my heart, this might be THE most romantic book I’ve read in ages - and I’ve read tons of them! I love how Georgie All Along has it all: the meet cute, the chemistry, and many happy, fun and swoon worthy moments - but the greatest part about Georgie and Levi falling in love was them figuring out how to be the best version of themselves for themselves. Georgie and Levi finding their place in life, living it in the moment, and learning the lessons they need for themselves allowed them to love each other to the fullest. An impressive takeaway. I loved it!

What a gorgeous love story! This is EASILY my favorite of Clayborn's romances (so far), and the bar was already pretty high. I loved the instant zap of connection I felt towards these characters, from those awkward first encounters to the subtle shifts in their relationship. I loved this grumpy hero - a man who shows his prickly exterior to hide the soft spots he's got inside. Every time he revealed another layer of himself, I adored him even more. Yeah, he stumbled along the way, but learned from his mistakes and got up to try again. And I loved, loved, loved how these two total opposites find their way together in a way that felt rich and deep. There's small town goodness, emotional moments, and such a great progression from near-strangers to tentative roommates to lovers. The steamy moments were so intimate and electric, and the introspective tone of the whole story was both fulfilling and unique.

The story follows Georgie, a woman who can only think about the present - and her present situation is a hot mess. She's never seemed to do things like everyone else, and that has left her jobless, single, and back home (hopefully) temporarily, crashing at her parents' place while they're away. But when Georgie discovers that her flaky parents have accidentally double-booked their home, she finds herself with a roommate. Georgie never met Levi, but she knows him by reputation - he was always known as the troublemaking brother to her teenage crush. Now a broody and reserved man, Levi is the complete opposite of Georgie's chaos. Spending time together reinforces the fact that they both need to make some changes in their lives, but spending time together also brings them closer. As these two work through their internal struggles, they realize that they might just have been perfect for each other all along.

I avoided looking up details and decided to dive right in, because Clayborn's one-of-a-kind love stories have never steered me wrong. She has a way of writing that feels so all-encompassing and different; vibrant and distinct in a way that I haven't experienced from anyone else. And the streak continues with Georgie, which is a small town/roommates romance on its surface, but something all-together different in the details. The vibe is so unique, with that introspective quality and a softer, quieter feel. Plus, both characters are complex and interesting, with backstories that felt authentic and raw. I loved peeling back their layers - especially Levi, let's be honest - and I loved how they came together as works in progress still figuring themselves out. There are some truly SWOONY moments in here, some moments of extreme connection, and it ended up being such an engrossing read. Those final chapters had me smiling like crazy, and that's how I know a book really made an impact. I loved it! I received an early copy, and am voluntarily leaving a review of this quiet romance.

Romance+ coming back home + self discovery= an enjoyable read

Georgie All Along
By Kate Clayborn @kateclayborn.author
Coming January 24th
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Georgie returns home after her LA employer goes a different direction with her life. She is surprised when she comes home to her high school crush’s brother staying at her parents house. Georgie finds an old notebook with a “friendfic” she put together with her best friend, Bel, when they were young. She decides to relive the things they dreamed up together.

The romance was great but I really enjoyed that both of the MC’s were on a journey of finding out who they are and what is next. They found what they needed to grow themselves and how they could help each other.

I think this is a good addition to your January TBR.
Thanks to @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Both in location and tone, this book felt more similar to Clayborn’s first series than the her most recent standalone books. This is set in a smaller town in Virginia along the Chesapeake Bay, rather than the a big city like Chicago or New York. And, while I think this is a standalone, it has more potential for spinoff books for supporting characters than the recent standalone books. One thing that is consistent with all of her books, and I felt was especially true here, is that her stories are character-driven and told with care, consideration and compassion. I always come away feeling “seen” in a way few books can accomplish.

Georgie, the heroine of the story, is rather lost at the beginning of the story. Having been an assistant in Hollywood for years, she’s used to putting others needs in front of her own. Now that is over, she is not sure what to do with herself. Taking time to go back home and spend time with her best friend, she finds an idea in trying to make her teenage dreams a reality.

Levi, the hero of the story, had a rough youth, including estrangement from his family, and he’s been working to overcome it. He’s dedicated to his work, and while a bit gruff, he’s at least aware of his lack of social Frances. He reminds himself to be “friendly, not fragile”, even if it doesn’t always. It crushed me every time he was repeating the mantra.

This a story of two lost and lonely souls. It’s a balm. It is not my favorite by Claybor, but I did really enjoy it and have a bit of a book hangover now.

<I>Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review this story. Views are my own.

Kate Clayborn does it again. There is something about her writing - charming, funny, and quietly meaningful, with beautifully done characters - that I've fallen for since Love Lettering. Georgie was a wonderful, charming lead, chaotic and messy but a character who isn't about being a mess, capable and clear about the things she does know she wants. I loved how the story allowed her to figure things out without perfectly tying them up at the end, and she comes to accept that she isn't someone who will plan everything. Levi is another winning Clayborn love interest, dealing with his own issues without them overwhelming the story or defining his character. It was lovely reading about them getting to know each other, slowly opening up and finding each other, and then handling their problems in a mature but deeply felt way. The side characters of Georgie's parents, best friend Bel, Levi's family, and more (Hank!) were so wonderfully added to fill in their lives and felt like real people with real relationships. In particular, Georgie's friendship with Bel was so central to the story, and I loved the way their past writing guided the story and eventually turned out.

The "back in your small hometown figuring things out" premise isn't my favorite, but I loved it here. You feel how Georgie has complicated feelings about home but gradually comes to want to stay, rather than a dramatic change or doing it just for the love interest. (As a fellow Virginian, I connected with the setting too, and loved the subtle signs of it in characters' speech, in the descriptions of the town, in the talk of water and weather.) This book deals with some very large themes and questions, but she handles them so well, not overdoing them in a way that would unbalance the story, feel out of place in her style, or simply become annoying. They feel like real, everyday issues, for people going on with life while dealing with both big life questions and the regular daily things.

A gorgeously written romance. Kate Clayborn is absolutely singular in her talent, and she managed to exceed even herself with Georgie, All Along. This is a beautiful romance I'll be returning to again and again.

A delightful grumpy/sunshine romance! This one had me smiling and thinking about it even when I wasn't reading it. I loved the deeper themes of family trauma and figuring out what you want when life hasn't worked out. This one was a bit steamy, very dog-friendly and cute. I really enjoyed this one.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Georgie finds herself heading back to her hometown, homeless and jobless, to help out her very pregnant best friend from childhood. She uncovers a diary of sorts from high school and decides to create a bucket list in order to finish items she missed. I absolutley adored this one and read it in one day! Clayborn's writing was bingeable, and the two MC's had excellent sexual tension, witty banter, and deep back stories!

Adored this. Wonderful. EXPANSIVE. I’m late writing this review (finished the book about six weeks ago) and constantly thinking about Georgie and about being expansive.

This book had a great story behind it and some sweet moments but it was not one of my favorites. It was a little slow and also had some very in depth sex scenes. FYI if this is not your thing. Georgie is the main character that the story revolves around but her personality was over the top for me at times. I am glad that she found happiness and found out how to love herself and others but overall it was a bit much for me at times. I give this one 3.5 stars. Thanks NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

This is my first Kate Clayborn but certainly will not be my last. Suck a sweet story of finding yourself, finding love and surviving your past no matter how messy. Levi is perfection and Georgie is so perfectly flawed they make an amazing pair. Loved everything about this story.

A wonderful mix of romance and serious fiction. Georgie, the protagonist, is the perfect blend of likeable, relatable, without being characterized to silly. As she faces a crossroads in life, she goes home to collect herself and help a friend. With major life themes this book covers a lot while still giving you all the feel good fun. As is fairly normal, Clayborn delivers on the romance. I don't remember it being too graphic, but I could be wrong. A solid 3.5 stars, I'll round up to four.

Georgie Mulcahy's job as a personal assistant is coming to an end when the Hollywood director she works for decides that she wants to retire. Not sure if she wants to remain a PA, Georgie heads back to her hometown not only to decide her next path in life, but to also help her best friend who is getting ready to have a baby.

While there, Georgie comes across a "friendfic" that she and her best friend, Bel, wrote right before starting High School. Except, Georgie never completed any of the wishes and dreams that she wrote about. Seeing an opportunity, Georgie decides to go back and accomplish all these things she wrote about hoping it will somehow inspire her next steps in regards to her future. However, Georgie wasn't expecting Levi Fanning.

After a youth spent getting in more trouble than not, the last few years has seen Levi keeping his head down leading a rather solitary life. Then, Georgie Mulcahy barrels into his life and Levi begins to think that it might be time to put his past to rest.

I think this is my favorite book so far of Kate Clayborn's. I just immediately identified with Georgie. The idea of not knowing what you should do with your life is something I think everyone has faced at least at some point.

But it's just Georgie's presence that really clicked for me. I love that she's unashamedly herself and doesn't try to fit into other people's perceptions. Despite not knowing her future path, she's not trying to change who she is in order to figure it out, she's continuing to be herself.

Levi and Georgie are electric on the page. They're seemingly opposites, but I think that those opposite qualities are the ones that draw them to one another. Like they each fit into the missing spaces of the other to make each other full.

The story alternates chapters between Georgie and Levi. I really liked getting both of their perspectives on each of the conflicts their facing. Although I feel like, by the end, Levi's overtook Georgie's initial uncertainties. I'm not mad about it. I honestly felt like Levi's conflicts were more deep seated and needed the space to be worked out in good pacing.

This book just left me feeling so happy and hopeful. It's a wonderful, cozy read that gives a great perspective about our pasts and futures.

Georgie, All Along is my favourite Kate Clayborn book to date! I love character-centric books, and this one really delivered on the character growth/development. Georgie and Levi are both so different, yet similar; both of them struggling with figuring out their places in the world. I loved seeing them open up to one another and how they understood each other so perfectly, even from the start. The writing in this is really beautiful too, and I really felt like I was right there with Georgie/Levi, feeling everything that they were feeling.

Very enjoyable and even though there were a couple of things that didn’t exactly work for me, overall I can definitely recommend.

I think it’s just me and not the book (because I’m a huge fan of Kate Clayborn), but I really struggled to connect with Georgie. I loved the premise and it’s really well written, again I think it’s just me and not the book

Clayborn is a romance queen! I’m obsessed. I loved reading Georgie’s journey about going back home, finding some fanfic from high school and wanting to fulfill small quests she wish had occurred hoping to use it as a guide to where she should land. Then walks in Levi… who I can vividly picture… he has his own story and these two both shined alternating chapters flawlessly.

A few of my favorite things…
Friendships
Found family
Georgie’s parents
Small town
This sofa scene 👀

Forever a new favorite

I think this is Clayborn's best contemporary romance yet. On the surface, the story uses a simple sunshine-grumpy trope, but there's actually a lot more to unpack with our two leads, Georgie and Levi. Typically, I'm not a huge fan of the dual narrative in romance, but I looked forward to both Georgie's and Levi's chapters in this book. Georgia is back in her Virginia hometown after many successful years as a personal assistant in Hollywood. She's there both to help her BFF, who is expecting her first child, and to figure out her life plans, which are a big blank. Levi has built a small, constrained life for himself after a past as a troublemaker and a complete estrangement from his family. This is a lovely slow-burn romance, and it's as much about the two characters learning to love themselves as it is about them learning to love each other. Add in a fantastic dog, enjoyable secondary characters, and some funny moments, and this was a real winner. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for a digital review copy.

Sweet story about a woman who returns to her hometown feeling empty and lost, and finding meaning, purpose and love there. I really enjoyed the character of Georgie, she was messy and real and so likeable. I also loved her parents, who were hippies to the core and always consuming some mind-altering substance. I struggled a bit more with Levi, who seemed inconsistent, and the idea that Georgie was looking for direction from a notebook she wrote as an 8th grader. However, the story was cute, Georgie and Levi had good chemistry, and it was satisfying to see both Georgie and Levi grow as characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.