I have read Beautiful Disaster series by Jamie McGuire...
But this book is nothing like her previous books and turned out to be so unique and amazing!!
Its not exactly romance.. More of YA, Mystery & Romance...
Elliot, visits his uncle and aunt at Oak Creek for Summer to escape his fighting parents... One summer, after freshman year, he becomes friends with Catherine.. They grow fond of each other and become best of friends.. And when tragedy strikes catherine that summer, Elliot is forced to leave her without even a good bye..
Elliot is so determined to get back to her.. However it takes 2 years for him to get back to Oak Creek.. Though it takes him some time to earn her forgiveness, there is something mysterious in Catherine's life that might tear them apart!!
The book started little slow, but i loved Elliot and Catherine... Their friendship at the young age and the love they had for each other was so beautiful.. It was so profound!! And i didnt expect the mystery to be that shocking!!
And that ending was just so beautiful.. Elliot and Catherine deserved it!!!

I was so excited for this. It's been years since I read Beautiful Disaster and I was lookng forward to diving back into the McGuire world. Sadly, this did not give me the same feels. Or any feels.

All the Little Lights was in one word, boring. What started as a nice small town story with two young protagonists with the potential to turn into a good YA/NA book, turned into a small town boring nothingness with a "twist" that did nothing for me, or the story.

Elliott and Catherine met when they are kids, he's on spring break and there's a lot of bullying and house drama on both sides (a few moments that made me cringe) but it was a nice start. Fast forward a few years after Elliott left, he returns for good and that's when the "real" story begins. Or better yet, takes forever to begin.

The story is so slow that by the time we get to the last shocking part, I didn't even care, I spaced out so many times during the endless school and family every-day-scenes that the last 10% honestly made me roll my eyes.

This is not the first book that deals with this specific mental illness, other books have done it justice, others not so much, this one did neither, it was just a thing that was happening and it got lost in the chapters somehow. I wish the book focused more on Elliott, I wanted more of him, he was such a good character with so much to offer and so much potential for his story that got lost in the drama.

All the Little Lights tried to be too many genres at the same time and it ended up being a mediocre mash up.

Let me start by saying that I'm a massive fan of Jamie McGuire. I went into this and wanted to love it so bad. That is not what happened. I had a feeling like something was missing through the whole story. It was kind of slow. It took me days to read. I am still a fan of Jamie's. I'm looking forward to From Here to You. I'll be reading it when it comes out in Aug.

This is the first book I have read from Jamie McGuire in quite a while, probably since reading the Beautiful series quite a while ago. I remember really enjoying that series when I read it so when I saw her new book, All The Little Lights, I decided to give it a read after the synopsis caught my attention. I found both of the main characters, Catherine and Elliott to be both unique and interesting characters. This book has several different aspects to it including romance and mystery. It also tackled some tough subjects such as family, relationships, bullying, abuse and neglectful parents. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but wanted to give a little bit of insight into the story. I did find Catherine a bit difficult to relate to, which sometimes makes me less interested in a story, but not in this case. Overall, I enjoyed this book and was fairly impressed with how the author wrote about some very difficult issues. It is definitely different from her first series that I read quite a while ago. I will have to go back and read her other books now as well.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book.

From the summary, the cover, the beginning, I was expecting a true summer romance novel that was full of second chances for the main characters, Catherine and Elliott. What I got, however, was a novel full of mystery and suspense that left me rooting for Catherine and Elliott all the way until the last page.
The story begins with the two meeting when they are younger and spending the summer together. Tragedy rocks Catherines family and Elliott is forced to leave her behind. I found this incredibly important to include in the novel as it shows just how much the two meant to one another even in the time spent apart. I'm really glad that McGuire decided to write a few chapters in the past it really allowed me to understand the bond these characters share. When Elliott returns, Catherine is closed off much like the bed and breakfast she helps her mother run. No one is allowed inside of the Juniper and a mystery surrounds it up until the end. I love the bond that Elliott and Catherine share, these are teenagers but they are written in the way that they understand the boundaries around their relationships due to what is happening in each other's lives. Also, I really enjoyed all of the mystery in this novel. There was suspense around most of the plot and I really did not see the ending coming. I was so shocked and impressed with what McGuire wrote that I will highly recommend this to anyone who needs a story with a good twist in it. All of the characters, the details, and the alternating POV's were well described which really drove the plot for me and kept me invested until the very last page.

I loved the first book I ever read by Jamie McGuire which was Beautiful Disaster and everything after that has a hard time following it. This was no exception.

I loved Catherine and Elliott - they had a sweet, caring love story...but this was also a suspenseful and sometimes a "sit on the edge of your seat, don't know what's going on" kind of book. So, why did I only give 4 stars? There were some spots in the book where it got slow it places and I felt it took me out of the book and I started thinking of other things, wanting to do other things and that's never good. However, the mystery surrounding the storyline pulled me in and in those places left me wanting to read more.

This was an awesome storyline of friendship, the differences in ourselves as a society and what happens when people in that society treat you differently because you're different. This showed what the innocence between two people were and how it could change after time and the beautifulness of it. I'd recommend this to anyone that is looking for a book that's about mystery, suspense, love, uniqueness and becoming who you are meant to be.

I was given an ARC copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own and do not reflect anyone else's.

What is it about Jamie Mcguire’s books that I love so much? It’s that they captivate me! I simply can’t put them down until I finish and that’s exactly how it was when reading All the Little Lights.

When Catherine and Elliot met, they seemed to click right away. As young teens, both were dealing with their own problems, yet they became very close and started–what seemed like–an unbreakable friendship. When Elliot is forced to leave town, Catherine is left to fend for herself and as time moves on, she has to find a way to heal. When Elliot returns for senior year a few years later, he’ll do whatever it takes to win Catherine back, but everything is different. They’ve both grown and changed so much. He’s now the high school football team’s star quarterback and seems to have no problems making friends and being popular, while Catherine struggles to make ends meet with feeling like an outcast at school, and maintaining her family owned bed and breakfast. As if their relationship wasn’t complicated enough, Catherine has a secret she struggles to hide and Elliot gets caught up in drama involving a missing student.

I thought this book had a very interesting and complex plot. The story alternates throughout with Elliot’s and Catherine’s point of view. It seems simple, but there are other elements and a lot going on in the background to where you’re left to guess until the end what’s really happening. I didn’t feel like it was too predictable and I was surprised with the outcome. There were a few themes that did remind me of some of my other favorite romance books like The Notebook for an example, but I won’t spoil anything with details. This book deals with many teen struggles including divorce, bullying, racism, neglect, family/peer pressure, mental health, and others.

I thought the characters were unforgettable and I was totally invested! Elliot was everything I wanted him to be including persistent, loyal, courageous, and totally supportive to Catherine. He would do anything for Catherine and puts up with a great deal from her. Both of them want what’s best for each other, but deal with drama and pressure from students and both sides of their families. With that said, I did find Catherine a little annoying sometimes, but I needed to remind myself that with all she’d been through, how she acted was understandable as she was quite confused and dealing with a lot. I liked her strength and appreciated that she stood up for herself and for what was right regarding certain events, especially with the other students in her school. By the end of the book, everything tied together nicely.

Overall, I loved this book. Even though it was different from other Jamie McGuire books I’ve read in the past, I was very pleased and it didn’t disappoint. This is easily a book that can be finished within one sitting, even with its length. I could barely put it down. I do highly recommend this one!

I’d like to thank NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for sharing a copy of this book with me in exchange for my honest review.

5*****

Nicely written YA romance. Elliott and Catherine are meant to be although their journey takes some twists and turns. There's a little mystery here in addition to the love story and that elevated this for me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Easy read

Both Elliott Youngblood and Catherine Calhoun feel like outcasts and find an easy friendship with each other because of that. But when Catherine needs him most, Elliott is forced to leave town. When he finally returns, he and Catherine are different people. Catherine hasn’t forgiven Elliott for abandoning her, but he’s determined to win back her friendship and her heart.

I don’t know whether to call this book a romance or mystery, but the mystery seemed the more prevalent story line. As far as the romance goes, there is definite chemistry between Elliott and Catherine. I liked them together and watching them grow together as a couple. However, the mystery element is what kept me turning the pages. I read with my brow furrowed trying to figure out what was happening at Catherine’s home, the Juniper. The ending = WOW! I didn’t have a clue THAT was coming! Both the romance and mystery ends are tied up nicely and I closed this book a happy reader.

My first book by Jamie McGuire has left me eager for more. After reading All the Little Lights, I’m going to get to those already on my TBR sooner rather than later.

Posted to Goodreads: For a more in-depth review watch: https://youtu.be/bqvLrbPSic0

Elliott and Catherine have a special connection the moment they met the summer after freshman year but the two are pulled apart by their parents. Now, two years later Elliot is back and will do whatever it takes to get his first love back but is Catherine willing to open her heart to him again?

I have read several Jamie McGuire books and I usually really enjoy them so I was disappointed by "All the Little Lights". The book's description promises the young couple's relationship a challenge that doesn't actually happen until almost halfway through the book which made the pacing feel very sluggish. Also, the surprise twist felt very obvious as well as not at all realistic. I'm sure there are a lot of readers out there that will enjoy this book however, for me, it felt too much like melodrama to be enjoyable.

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

There's something about Jamie McGuire's writing that just falls flat.
I read BEAUTIFUL DISASTER when I was sick and glued to bed and despite all of her desperate tries to seduce me into liking it, I just kind of scorned both lead characters.

ALL THE LITTLE LIGHTS had a bit of a thriller-ish synopsis. And I was sure I would totally dive into a plot like that, but I must say this one was even more flat than her first one.

I think it's because her characters don't seem to be real people, or at least they don't seem to feel like real people. The dialogue just goes on - more chattery than emotionally building-up to anything - and you just wait for some sort of BAM! but instead, there's a next corner and another set of circumstances and a bunch of dry dialogue.

I've come to realize that I admire Jamie McGuire's business sense much more than her writing. Much like people say about John Green when someone openly asks on some forum...Wait, why are these books so popular, they're so boring and draggy? And usually, one or another person will politely explain that he's purchased the book only because he likes John Green or better - what John Green represents!

Well, it's similar with me and Jamie McGuire.

This book is more for those who like light chick-lit sort of romances, and believe me - don't despair seeing that word <i>tragedy</i> in the synopsis. It's not half as frightening as it sounds at first.

Thank you Netgalley for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

I received this ARC in exchange of my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I started this book like two days ago and completely consumed it between work breaks and night-time in bed ignoring my ever-growing Netflix binge-worthy tv shows. It's been a long while since I've read Jamie's books. I fell in love with Beautiful Disaster and then I didn't get to read Maddox Brother's books because part of me is scared I won't love as much as I loved Abby and Travis story.

But the moment I saw this standalone cover and summary I knew I had to read it and luckily enough I was granted an ARC before it hit the bookshops around. Catherine and Elliott stole my heart in a way I'm not sure I'll ever get it back and I'm not sure I want to. I was so excited reading their story, having my heart broken with their problems and cheering for them all the way until the end.

Summary:

The first time Elliott Youngblood spots Catherine Calhoun, he’s just a boy with a camera, and he’s never seen a sadder and more beautiful sight. Both Elliott and Catherine feel like outcasts, yet they find an easy friendship with each other. But when Catherine needs him most, Elliott is forced to leave town.

Elliott finally returns, but he and Catherine are now different people. He’s a star high school athlete, and she spends all her free time working at her mother’s mysterious bed-and-breakfast. Catherine hasn’t forgiven Elliott for abandoning her, but he’s determined to win back her friendship…and her heart.

Just when Catherine is ready to fully trust Elliott, he becomes the prime suspect in a local tragedy. Despite the town’s growing suspicions, Catherine clings to her love for Elliott. But a devastating secret that Catherine has buried could destroy whatever chance of happiness they have left.

I felt my heart break every time Elliott had to endure racial prejudice or Catherine having to endure harassment and bullying for not being popular or not having friends letting the others make fun of her and even downright extremely mean. It hurts to know this happens on a daily basis with people on schools more commonly in high school. But both of them found each other and their safe haven and for me that was everything.

They met at fifteen but circumstances brought them apart and they only saw each other again when both of them were seniors in high school. Elliott fought very hard to gain Catherine's trust again and for me his unwavering love was what got me for the whole book, he knew she needed him even when she was pushing him away and he stayed, he fought for her because he knew she was the best thing that have ever happened to him and he couldn't just let go of her. Catherine tried her best to keep him away from her demons and secrets but her love for him was something she couldn't fight against it.

Catherine is so strong, after a brutal summer at fifteen when her life turned upside down she kept being strong for the people she loved, tried keeping holding on and just help her mom every time she needed her to. I kept wanting to get inside the book to just hold her a little bit, to let her cry it out her feelings and to keep the bullies away. Being called a weirdo and teased all the time she just shrunk inside herself more and more, it was painful to see but then Elliott came and little by little things started to change for her.

Elliott always loved her, even more than his camera which is a big deal through all the book. He lost her once and he was not going to lost her twice, he did everything in his power to regain her trust and her love. Both of their families has problems and demons letting these two kids to fend for themselves. They grow up so strong by themselves and together, piece by piece Catherine lets Elliott take care of her the way she needs to be taken care of. His whole world is her and he wouldn't have any other way.

The other characters like Sam, Maddie, Uncle John and Aunt Leigh are my other favorites. They help develop and enriches the main characters and I really like the friendship that blossom through all the book. Maddie is a perfect companionship for Catherine and she understands her so perfectly, Sam cracked me up a few times and I loved how caring and supportive Uncle John and Aunt Leigh were for Elliott. Kay is his mom and I struggle a little bit to really connect with her but I think she comes from a place of love with all her way of dealing with Elliott and his passion for Catherine.

Mavis is Catherine's mom and a very complicated character, it takes time for you to understand certain things about her and I really think to the end they could've done better in lots of things that happened but I can understand why it took so long for everything to sort it out.

This book approach topics like family struggles, high school bullying, racial prejudice, first love, maturing through problems, letting go of demons and letting yourself be taken care of. For me it's a masterpiece of Jamie McGuire I was waiting for a long time to read. And I really liked how you figure it out the title of the book, it was beautiful and so meaningful for the characters at the end, it was one of my favorite things about the title.

I loved Beautiful Disaster, but this book stole first place in my heart and I'm happy it did. For me it's her best book yet. The plot twist at the end was something some of us could see it coming and other will be left gasping when finally everything clicks together. Life is not easy and this book shows a reality that lots of teenagers live in. It started like this first summer young love but at the end became something much more mature and lasting.

I can't wait for other books like this coming from McGuire's writing style because it's fluid, it's gripping, it's an easy reading with your emotional everywhere. I'm so grateful for having the opportunity of reading this one.

This was my first Jamie McGuire book and it definitely will not be my last, I was captivated right through, it was thought out and written so well!
I highly recommend this book!

Ho-ly buckets. This book just came out of nowhere and blew my everloving mind. I have no idea what I expected going into this book, but it wasn't the sort of eerie, atmospheric, darkish story that I got. The whole story played out with a sense of foreboding and, I'm not going to lie, I thought I had it all figured out early on. I sailed through pages thinking I knew exactly where this was heading.

I was wrong.

And GAHHHHHH I love so much that I was wrong!

Sorry, I think I'm still a little bit buzzy from that mind-blowing ending. I felt it like a physical blow and all my senses came alive. Amazing.

Elliott and Catherine were interesting and compelling characters. I was fascinated by them and loved their unique and powerful connection. I might have liked to have felt a little more chemistry between them - but nonetheless they stole my heart in scenes and moments that left me a little breathless and starry eyed over them.

This is a very long book and it did drag for me in parts. I found myself frustrated, wanting the story to move forward, wanting answers to the questions that were building up in my head, and wanting to be proven right about my assumptions over how it was going to play out (which, obviously never happened). I skimmed a bit in the middle, but was 100% invested and needed to know what was going to happen next. And, in case I haven't made it clear: what happened next was phenomenal!

In all, this was a little darker than I was expecting. The romance is sweet and endearing, but almost takes back seat to the mystery that hums in the background for the first half of the book before roaring to life in the second half. All the Little Lights was a fascinating read and definitely worth picking up!

All The Little Lights was the first book I’ve read by Jamie McGuire in quite a while. While it was a big departure from What some may expect from her, it is certainly worth the read. There are some slow parts but power through.

I want to thank Montlake Romance for providing me with an eARC via Netgalley. 

Releases on May 29, 2018

From Goodreads: "The first time Elliott Youngblood spots Catherine Calhoun, he’s just a boy with a camera, and he’s never seen a sadder and more beautiful sight. Both Elliott and Catherine feel like outcasts, yet they find an easy friendship with each other. But when Catherine needs him most, Elliott is forced to leave town.

Elliott finally returns, but he and Catherine are now different people. He’s a star high school athlete, and she spends all her free time working at her mother’s mysterious bed-and-breakfast. Catherine hasn’t forgiven Elliott for abandoning her, but he’s determined to win back her friendship…and her heart.

Just when Catherine is ready to fully trust Elliott, he becomes the prime suspect in a local tragedy. Despite the town’s growing suspicions, Catherine clings to her love for Elliott. But a devastating secret that Catherine has buried could destroy whatever chance of happiness they have left."



Firstly, I want to give a heads up to couple topics that might be triggering for some readers that are a part of this book including both physical and emotional abuse. 

I requested this novel as I had enjoyed Jamie McGuire's Beautiful and Maddox Brothers series when I read them years ago. I want to preface this review by saying that All the Little Lights is very different. I would not even know whether or not to classify this as Young Adult or New Adult. The majority of Goodreads readers place it as a YA, and that makes sense based on the age of the main characters. Due to McGuire's past NA works and that she still wrote this like her past series I would recommended this for people just getting into NA.

This story also differs in topic and execution from her past series. Do not go into this thinking it is going to be some cutesy contemporary love story, that's what I thought I was walking into and I was really wrong. This book is heavy and creepy, and full of twists and turns. It is not your average YA contemp, just warning you.

Now that all that is out of the way, my review...

Characters: The story is told in dual point of view. The lead female in Catherine Calhoun and the male lead is Elliott Youngblood. I did not connect to Catherine very much which is always an essential for me while reading a book. I could express sympathy towards her, but as I have never been in any of her circumstances there was a disconnect. Elliott is Naive American, specifically his parent's are both Cherokee and this informed his character without being the main focus of his story He faces some racism and bullying due to his ethnicity and Jamie McGuire did a great job of interweaving these incidents into the larger story. All the side characters bring various purposes to the story. My personal fave side character was Elliot's Aunt Leigh who was both present to help both Elliot and Catherine, but also had her own interesting story as a caucasian women who married into Elliot's Cherokee family and was not warmly accepted because of her ethnicity. 

Writing: Nothing super horrible, but also nothing super special. Pretty easy to get through the majority of the time. The language is very YA, no crude sexual descriptions. 
World/Setting: Oak Creek, Oklahoma was set up as a small almost run down semi-rural American town. It only had two functioning restaurants and the AC just kept not working everywhere the characters would go. Air conditioning was a huge staple of this setting cause it was bloody hot, but it was mentioned way too much. This is not the small town American that charms you, it's more the one that would have probably housed a bunch of Trump voters. 

Pacing: Pacing is very important to me when I read, cause I like to read fast and constantly be enthralled. The plot kept me hooked to the story, as I kept needing to know what would happen next. Pacing did lag though. The book clocks in at over 400 pages, which is long for contemp, and it definitely felt too long.  

Romance (yay or nay?): The romance was the only cutesy thing in this story. I was rooting for Elliott and Catherine the entire time, that never wavered. The pacing of their relationship was great in my opinion, no one rushed into anything or made brash decisions. Except for the secret Catherine withheld from everyone the communication in the relationship was pretty good. This element is what kept the book's rating higher up on the scale. 


My rating for this book is truly around a 3.5 but because Goodreads cannot possibly give us what we want (the ability to give half stars) I round up to 4/5 stars!

I would recommend this book to somebody looking to transition from YA to NA or to someone who is already a huge fan of YA contemporary and wants to read a book that turns the genre on it's head.

Thank you so much for reading and thank you again to Montlake and Netgalley!

I think I keep looking for Travis , he’s a fave of mines. The love or obsession for Abby was too much but it was too cute too.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jamie McGuire comes a riveting tale of first love that starts young but runs deep.

The first time Elliott Youngblood spots Catherine Calhoun, he’s just a boy with a camera, and he’s never seen a sadder and more beautiful sight. Both Elliott and Catherine feel like outcasts, yet they find an easy friendship with each other. But when Catherine needs him most, Elliott is forced to leave town.

Elliott finally returns, but he and Catherine are now different people. He’s a star high school athlete, and she spends all her free time working at her mother’s mysterious bed-and-breakfast. Catherine hasn’t forgiven Elliott for abandoning her, but he’s determined to win back her friendship…and her heart.

Just when Catherine is ready to fully trust Elliott, he becomes the prime suspect in a local tragedy. Despite the town’s growing suspicions, Catherine clings to her love for Elliott. But a devastating secret that Catherine has buried could destroy whatever chance of happiness they have left.

Really enjoyed this book. Very well written and definitely has some twists I did not see coming. Overall good read.

I received this book from the publisher through Netgally for a review. Catherine and Elliot become friends at a young age. He leaves town and comes back years later. The town causes drama for them. This was a bit slow paced for me. I'm used to Jamie's Beautiful books which were fast paced and I loved them.
When the twist or Big reveal happened, I wasn't totally surprised.
All in all it was a good book. Definitely not my favorite from this author.

Almost 4 stars for me. I was wondering what to expect from Jamie McGuire since we have been wrapped in her Beautiful world for some time. I have read her earlier books and what I like about her writing is she dabbles in different ideas and storylines. This book is a great fusion of romance, fiction, and psychological thriller. Well maybe not thriller, but close enough. I think that's where it lost a little of the luster is that I would have liked a little more oomph when it came to the end. I wanted to know more about what happened. I felt like some parts of the story were told rather than described. The twist was great and I had figured it out about half way through but it made for a good read because I was looking for evidence to support my thoughts.

I'm having a hard time describing this book without giving away some of the plot points but simply put, it's a story about a boy and a girl who meet one summer. They have a summer love and are ripped away from one another. Elliott vows to come back to Catherine but can't seem to get in touch with her for years. He finally moves to her town and tries to renew their friendship. Catherine has gone through a lot in those years and harbors some serious secrets from Elliott and her town.

I have to say one of my favorite characters in the book was Mrs. Mason. I really enjoyed her backstories with Mr. Mason and Catherine and I liked that she was a strong female role model for Catherine. Elliott was a sweet character and I loved how he looked out for Catherine when she was very clearly floundering on her own. Catherine was a complex character, a young woman/teen who is living an adult life and dealing with adult issues. I liked how Jamie McGuire presented her because at times she was immature and naïve but then so mature and aware in other moments.

I really liked this book and the journey I went through reading it. It was an interesting and different telling of young love and high school life. I definitely recommend it!

**ARC given by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review