Very sweet love story. It was wonderful watching Levi fall head over heels for Georgie, so I loved the dual POV. At first glance, it seems like an opposites attract/grumpy x sunshine trope, but it’s more like teaching each other how to live freely again after being boxed in for so long.

Surprisingly deep emotions and issues within the romance story, especially with Levi and his family, and Levi’s and Georgie’s experiences with growing up with poor reputations in their small town and how it affects them through adulthood.

Aside from the romance, themes of self-discovery, self-forgiveness, reconciliations, personal growth. Not the lightest of romances, but one that is surely going to be popular and well-recommended.

This book is so good. I’m shocked. This is my first time reading something by Kate clayborn and I’m impressed. I LOVE GEORGIE AND LEVI SO MUCH. The love of my life <3 her writing style is amazing.

I DEVOURED THIS! I'm not kidding, a few hours of lost sleep, totally worth it. This is my favorite from Clayborn yet!

Perfection! I'm a bit shocked at how good it was! This truly feels like a fever dream to me. Georgie, All Along is a marvelous workpiece.

Georgie, All Along has the bones of a highly-recognizable setup: Georgie has lost her high-powered job as a personal assistant to a Hollywood and responds by stuffing her very few belongings into trash bag, throwing them in the back of her car and driving home to the small Virginia town she grew up in. She discovers that her parents have "double booked" themselves a set of house-sitters. And now to the story - two very loveable main characters, Levi and Georgie, who you feel you know almost instantly, and a lot of side characters that you feel just as at home with.

My new favorite Clayborn. Just such a lovely, warm read with beautifully nuanced characters. The plot doesn't have any billionaires or werewolves (not that there's anything wrong with those) - instead, it's firmly grounded in the reality of friends and families and real emotional stakes and personal growth.

Georgie is at an in-between stage in her life and comes back to her hometown to regroup. She encounters Levi, the black sheep brother of her high school crush, who's navigating his own baggage with the town. The quiet way their intimacy grows, built on little observations and everyday interactions, is so tender and subtle. I was just luxuriating in it all as I was reading. I think this book will really hit the spot for anyone looking for the book equivalent of a mug of soup and a warm blanket.

Kate Clayborn is now officially 3 for 3 in getting me to cry joyful tears by the ending of one of her books, so that's something. It's also possible that this is my new favorite book of hers as well, for reasons that feel entirely indicative of how GOOD Clayborn is at writing a romance between two people who have things they need to work on independently before they can become the most complete version of themselves as a pair. And boy, oh boy, is it impossible for me to resist a bearded, gruff, secretly soft hero with an equally lovable dog.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Kate Clayborn seems to like messy women and broken men. Georgie, All Along, Clayborn’s latest novel, is a quintessential example. Main character, Georgie, has no idea what she wants from her life. SAME, girl, same. She is back from LA, jobless and unsure what’s next.

Her love interest – enemies to lovers YES! – is Levi, a bad boy turned model citizen. They meet at the local grocer (who apparently makes really great milkshakes. This is a store I should visit.) where, awkwardly, she doesn’t have the needed money for the milkshakes she ordered. Angry, silent Levi pays but wants nothing to do with Georgie because … model citizen, remember?

Levi has major trust issues. Georgie does too, though she seems mostly to lack the self-confidence to trust herself. She decides to do all of the bucket list items from her high school journal. They’re fairly silly, though Clayborn makes it believable.

Georgie starts on her quest with her high school best friend who is nine months pregnant. Not surprisingly, that doesn’t work out. Heavily pregnant women probably shouldn’t jump off piers and climb statues. When Levi steps into the role, self-discovery isn’t the only outcome.

I enjoyed this book so much I had to look up Clayborn’s other novels and have already read two. I absolutely loved Hank, the rescue dog. Georgie’s parents are delightful as middle-age hippies. Other characters are also well-developed. I’d love to read stories about Levi’s siblings.

Pre-order this treasure so you have it in your hands as soon as possible.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have a new favorite couple!! Georgie and Levi have set the bar for other couples I read about after this!!

This book is leisurely paced and character-driven but feeds your soul as you read. It begins with Georgie returning home to the small town where she grew up after working as a personal assistant to Hollywood players for years. As soon as she gets into town, she stops at the local market and runs into one of the local gossipy, judgey women and some guy behind her in the checkout line who seems to be in an awful hurry. Can you guess what happens next? Of course, the guy at the market will meet up with Georgie again.

I love how this story develops into Georgie revisiting her past and coming to terms with the choices she did and didn't make. Then, lo and behold, Levi, the guy from the market, ends up helping her with that while he works out some traumatic and painful memories from his past.

This book is not an easy, simple contemporary romance. However, there is substance here, and with each page, layers peel away. I first thought the story was developing too slowly. I now realize that it gave me time to absorb and appreciate what was unfolding. The character's backstory is heavier than other contemporary romances, so the slower pace fits this book.

This book also passes my overall “five-star” test. Would I like to know these people IRL? Most definitely, yes!! The main characters are good people who have the back of those they love. And they're fun! I could see myself hanging out with them.

Kate Calyborn is one of my favorite authors because she writes suffering heroes and they are my absolute favorite. Give me a suffering hero and I will drop everything to read the book!

I loved Georgie, All Along, it's such a great read. Georgie is struggling without a job in her late twenties and has to return to her small town, which has changed a lot since the last time she was there. She has a bit of a reputation, but it doesn't matter to her because she's there for her best friend.

Georgie is a mess of a character who does not have her life figured out. That really resonated with me because I was someone who didn't know what I was going to do career wise after I graduated high school. Georgie is a well rounded character; I easily felt connected to her and her struggles and her desperation to figure out what happens "after".

Levi Fanning was just *chef's kiss* perfect. Reid Sutherland from Love Lettering will always be my book boyfriend, but Levi is a close second. I loved him, and I loved his dog. A hero who doesn't know how to react to the heroine but can't resist her charm is absolutely swoon worthy.

From start to finish, this book was perfection and it's going on the re-read pile for me. The romance, the small town atmosphere, both characters struggles and the resolution was all on point.

Thanks to Kate Calyborn and @kensington.parties for the opportunity to read this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington for an advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

Here’s the thing about Kate Clayborn: her books are meant to be read many, many times. Every time I reread her books, it’s like visiting a painting I know well, but in which I discover something new every time. So whereas I’m giving this book 5 stars, I appreciate that I’ve only read it once, and much of its genius is yet to be discovered.

Georgie returns to her hometown after spending years being the most competent person in the least glamorous job in Hollywood. Having spent her adult life making sure things run smoothly for others, she’s disturbed to realize how blank her own slate of ambitions is…and how blank it’s always been. Levi, by contrast, never met a rebellious deed he didn’t throw himself into, with the singular goal of pissing off his uptight family – until he got older, got sober, and made a carefully quiet life for himself that he’d do anything to protect. Together, they embark on a plan to uncover Georgie’s true self, but they must confront whether their pasts need to be rediscovered, or reburied.

What Clayborn does better than any other author working in romance today, in my opinion, is weave a singular theme between two characters who are diametrically opposed in every way, yet perfect for each other. In this case, we have a character whose personality tends to get erased by the people around her and a character whose excess of personality has landed him both too close and too far away from the people he hurt, and who hurt him in turn. The two of them have nothing in common, except the way the world has hurt them, therefore love is inevitable.

Once again, Clayborn’s prose remains some of the most beautifully precise word work in the genre – surgical poetry, if you will. The way she hits certain words in certain places evokes a response that I struggle to name. Is it Pavlovian? Is it Svengali-like? In any case, I’m hypnotized.

I think this book will strike a chord with anyone who’s ever felt directionless, like life expected something grand from them and they’ve failed to deliver, or just plain failed. I’m really looking forward to reading this book again and again.

When I realized Georgie, All Along was much of the romcom variety, I worried Kate had decided to be too light and fluffy from what I expect from her. I love my light trope-y romantic comedies, but this is our Kate Clayborn who writes light fiction over deep messy love so you don't know how wrapped up you are until you're in knots. Georgie is lovely, and Levi is an ocean and there's no silly miscommunication that makes people leave things unsaid. There is messy life and love and it's wonderful. But still kind of a romantic comedy.

Brb, have to come up with random things that incorporate my kids' names to start calling them that, instead. I did always want my son Spencer to have a lawn mowing business and put out signs saying "Spencer For Hire". GEORGE FOREMAN GRILL, amazing.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I’m a big Kate Clayborn fan and I was really looking forward to this book. While I enjoyed it, it didn’t quite work for me (I seem to be in the minority here). I’ll try and unpack why:

- It was slow to start. It took me a while to warm up, and usually I need a faster pace to get me hooked into the story
- I found the “friendfic” and the referral to the “fic” really immature. I couldn’t get on board with doing a list of things written in 8th grade. I’m all for a book about bucket lists, it just felt really immature to me
- There wasn’t much build up between Georgie and Levi. I feel like they went from 0 to 100 really fast. I think there could have been less internal monologuing throughout and more conversations and scenes with them building their connection
- Levi’s backstory wasn’t mapped out as much as was teased, and I think the book lacked conciliatory scenes between the siblings and redemption scenes with the father (given the emphasis placed on this storyline)
- I thought that an element of the conflict (seeing the name with hearts all around it from a teen girl’s journal) was too immature

Having said all that, I really love Clayborn’s smooth voice. Her writing can be poetically lovely at times. Levi was an interesting lead, and I enjoyed having a romance hero with a troubled past. The pairing of recluse/sunshine worked well.

Maybe my experience was due to my high levels of anticipation – I might try this on audio to see if it changes my views on the maturity level.

In short: sweet romance, it just felt like the characters weren’t acting their ages.

This book was so sweet, in the typical Kate Clayborn style! It was a slow build, with lots of character development for many characters- not just the main one! The characters were sweet and fun to read about. It took a while for me to get into the story with the slower build and plot, but once I got into it, the plot sped along!

I enjoyed so many things about this story! I felt for Georgie who comes home after achieving a certain type of career success but now is left trying to decide what she really wants for her life. When she finds a journal she wrote as a teen, she hopes going back to some of those old goals will give her some insight. Enter Levi who is still trying to prove he’s not who he once was, who believes he’s unworthy of love because he wasn’t the type of son his father wanted. When Georgie’s absentminded parents lend them both their house at the same time, these two find themselves helping each other out as they get to know one another. Forced proximity, main character coming home to small town, opposites attract. A great read!

Note: I received an ARC via Net Galley. Really a 3.5 but I will round up

This was a very sweet "girl returns to her small town and falls in love." I found Georgie completely charming, and I loved the idea of her bucket list. :) There are a few too many plot points that don't quite get fleshed out well and seem to hastily be resolved but all in all, a very diverting read!

I really enjoyed Georgie and Levi's story--it's the quintessential opposite attracts and it definitely attracted me. She's a creative and a dreamer--she kind of floats rather than walks through the world--and while she may appear to be flighty and unconcerned about what happens next, she' really not. She's a little lost and looking for that something that will launch her on her next thing.

Meanwhile, Levi is precise and orderly and maybe even a little of a control freak. He doesn't color outside of the lines (anymore) and isn't a fan of surprises...and really of anything. He comes off as a grump. Really he's just been burned so badly, when it comes to love and trust, that he doesn't love and he doesn't really trust. He guards his heart..and everything fiercely.

So when Levi and Georgie inadvertently have to share a space for a little while, it would seem that disaster would be imminent but crisis is averted when they get to know each other better and can see that neither of them is there to judge the other. As Georgie goes on a quest to find herself, Levi decides to help and inevitably they fall in love. Of course it's not that simple; it never is--there are misunderstandings and hurtful words and hurt feelings--but the ultimate ending really is a happily ever after.

At first, I hesitated as I read the first chapter, wondering if I would find Georgie driving me crazy with her seemingly disoriented disorganization. As the chapters continued on, I realized the Georgie's gift and flare for where she was in life was hidden so fully from her, that her journey to find herself became my journey of cheering her on when things went horribly wrong and beautifully right in those moments. There were chapters where I winced with her in pain, and chapters where I smiled as she recovered with grace.

What I loved most about this book is the fact that Georgie kept a spirit of trying when we live in a world where it seems so easy to give up and accept the status quo of what is versus what could be. The optimism that no matter where things fall flat or become mud coated, Georgie shows us how to remember to be resilient in a world where nothing is always as it seems. A resilience that we can lose in a moment, or perhaps in some ways didn't always learn well within our own lives. If every reader takes a little bit of Georgie's resilience with them into their own world, then our world may become a little bit brighter and lighter.

I’ve really enjoyed Kate Clayborn’s other books and, while I wasn’t sure about this one at first, it turned out to be lovely. Georgie’s journey of rediscovery made me want to look back at my own diaries and childhood dreams and do all the things I missed.

Der Klappentext hörte sich nach einer wunderbaren „romcom“ an, wie es im englischen so schön heisst, einer „romantic comedy“, und sowas mag ich ja für zwischendurch immer sehr, sehr gerne. Die Autorin sagte mir nichts, aber jetzt gleich vorab: das Buch war wundervoll, und Ms Clayborn muss ich mir vormerken 😊.
Also, auf Deutsch, hierum geht es: Georgie Mulcahy, knappe 30, Personal Assistant aus Hollywood, kehrt zurück in ihre heimatliche Kleinstadt. Die hat sie damals gerne und schnell verlassen, denn zu Schulzeiten fühlte sie sich immer eher unbeachtet am Rande. Jetzt ist ihr aktueller Hob ausgelaufen, und da ihre beste Freundin Bel hochschwanger ebenfalls wieder in der alten Heimat wohnt, lag es für Georgie nahe, zumindest vorrübergehend hierher zurück zu kommen. Jetzt ist sie da, und im Haus ihrer Eltern, das sie eigentlich leer aufzufinden gedachte, wartet eine Überraschung auf sie: es gibt noch einen weiteren Hausgast. Levi, ein paar Jahre älter als sie, dessen eigenes Haus gerade renoviert wird und der nun mit seinem Hund zusammen ihr neuer Mitbewohner ist. Levi war seinerzeit stadtbekannt als Troublemaker, ein Ruf, mit dem er immer noch zu kämpfen hat, obwohl mittlerweile geschäftlich erfolgreich.
Und dann findet Georgie in Bels Umzugkartons ein altes Tagebuch, ein „friendfic diary“, in dem die beiden Mädels ihre Teenagerträume aufgeschrieben haben. Alles, was die Mädels sich damals erträumten für die Highschool, für das neue bedeutsame Leben, haben sie aufgeschrieben – und beim Lesen wird Georgie sehr nachdenklich. So viele Dinge, die sie damals vorhatte, hat sie nicht verwirklicht. Sie beschließt, das nachzuholen, und macht ein Projekt daraus. Bel ist dabei, und Levi auch – es wird spannend! Und Georgie stellt fest, dass einiges, was ihr damals extrem wichtig war, es heute nicht mehr ist – und was wichtig ist, das stellt sie auf dem Weg fest.
So, und hiermit hätte ich jetzt grob die Ausgangssituation beschrieben, die Lovestory aber noch gar nicht erwähnt. Natürlich haben wir eine Liebesgeschichte zwischen Georgie und Levi, die sich zart anlässt und teilweise sehr witzig wird (ich sage nur: das Tagebuch!), es wird romantisch, es wird heiß und sexy, und eine Prise Drama fehlt auch nicht. Was mir persönlich aber am besten gefallen hat, waren die Entwicklungen von Georgie und Levi. Beide eher auf Außenseiterpositionen, kommen sie beide peu a peu bei sich selbst an, und das fand ich teils herzzerreißend zu verfolgen. Georgie, die immer damit kämpft, „a mess“ zu sein, und doch eigentlich nur sehr spontan und kreativ ist. Schon krass, wie man sich selbst immer an den Maßstäben anderer misst, und nicht sieht, wieviel man doch selbst zu bieten hat. Das hat die Autorin sehr gut herausgestellt. Hatte Identifikationspotential (und bestimmt nicht nur für mich). Levi, der als „bad boy“ abgestempelt wurde, und sein Leben komplett umgekrempelt hat. Und der sich jetzt ernsthaft verliebt hat. Auch da waren spannende Entwicklungen. Und nein, es war nicht klischeehaft, und genau das fand ich richtig gut umgesetzt.
Ich spoiler jetzt mal: es gibt ein Happy End. Natürlich, das war klar – ich liebe glückliche Enden, und dieses hier hat mein Herz erwärmt 😊.
Also, mein Fazit: es war eine richtig schöne Geschichte. Protagonisten zum Mitfiebern und -fühlen, und für mich hat alles gestimmt.
Wunderbar flüssig geschrieben, sehr bildhaft und lebendig, immer abwechselnd aus der Sicht von Levi und Georgie, sehr emotional, sehr mitreißend.
Alle Daumen hoch! Vielen Dank an den Verlag und Netgalley für das Rezensionsexemplar, und ich hoffe, ich kann viele deutsche Leser bewegen, sich auch mal an ein englisches Original zu wagen – dieses hier lässt sich flott lesen und macht einfach Spaß!

What a breath of fresh air. Georgie, All Along is a beautiful romance involving two characters who are trying to change their past in order to figure out their future. Based in a small town, Georgia and Levi’s relationship starts off a bit rocky but when they are forced to live together you get to watch their relationship evolve. I love how mature the characters were. If there was a miscommunication they discussed it like adults. I love the modern take on a small town romance. The whole story was adorable and so refreshing to read. 4 ⭐️

Thank you to Kensington Books and the author for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.