The real after the HEA!

This book was just wonderful. It shows a strong marriage, but after twenty years and several years of disappointment and taking things for granted.

Oh my - my heart. It was pulled, tugged, wrapped in a warm hug, and everything in between. This was a fantabulous story that was so real and full of emotion and heart!!

Lauren and Jack are well past the honeymoon phase, have two great kids, and are about as far apart as can be. Lauren is now contemplating divorce, so she can finally live life for herself and the kids. But when the kids realize what might be happening, they team up and decide to ensure one last family vacation to remind their parents of more idyllic times.

From the very beginning of this story, you felt Lauren's pain. And what surprised me was how much I felt Jack's pain too. Lauren isn't the only one who has been suffering. They've each been absent from the other one.

This book peels away what's left after the initial romance fades and life becomes full of distractions and other priorities that pull you away from each other.

It's a great read for any married couple to either see themselves or to see what pitfalls to avoid in the future.

I adored this story and it just has so much heart!

"'...marriage is hard...The thing that got us through them was simple - we wanted to get through them. It's amazing how far that one little thing goes.'" Amen! Marriage is work!

I voluntarily requested and read and loved an uncorrected advance reader copy from the publisher via Net Galley.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205402909-takeover
This is truly a testament to the saying, after the wedding comes the marriage. Art imitating life is an unmistakable snapshot in the captivating tale of Lauren and Jack’s life.
I think if you’ve been married as long as Lauren and Jack you can identify with these characters in one way or another.
It’s a handbook for navigating through the waters of married life. It doesn’t always take a storm for there to be problems. Sometimes it’s the stagnant waters, the humdrum, the slow leaks of not keeping up with the little things, the boredom, the unspoken burdens, the lack of appreciation to point out the issues that takes it’s toll. It doesn’t always take an operation or a mechanic to correct the issues. Sometimes you need a quick stitch to patch it up before it develops into something unfixable. You have to communicate what is going on and not accept everything at face value. There’s always a yin to the yang.
Watching Lauren and Jack rediscover this was so heartening.

Side note: I know this is going to sound weird but I appreciate the fact that the main characters have regular names.
Reason: It makes this story more relatable. That’s just me.

If you’re not married, engaged or even dating you will enjoy this book. I wouldn’t want to see it get prejudged. It is a sweet, truthful story.
While I was reading a song popped into my mind by Carly Simon, Coming Around again. If you look up the lyrics you’ll see what I mean. Remember nothing stays the same but if you’re willing to play the game it could be coming around again. If you believe in love. I do believe. I do believe in love!

I don't think I have ever needed a book like I needed Nothing But It All. I have read several books by Adriana Locke and each one increases my love for her writing and emotional storytelling. This one, by far, will probably never be topped.

Reading romance books gives us all a nice fantasy world of how we all wish love could be. I know sometimes if I read too many in a row I will start to get irrationally angry at my husband for not being romantic. Finally getting stories about what happens after the happily ever after is where the true stories lie.

My husband and I have been married for ten years this December and it's nice to read romance books that resemble where we are in life. We both work and we have two kids that are always busy doing something. He's a coach and does a lot of stuff for the community. So it's so easy to get caught up in the things that don't really matter and take our loved ones for granted.

Nothing But It All follows Lauren and Jack as they continue to pull further and further away from each other. They have each learned to follow their own paths separately and just are married in title only. While they may have been fooling themselves, they weren't fooling their kids or Jack's father. A little scheme by the three results in a very awkward family vacation. Will the forced proximity give Jack and Lauren a second chance at finding their happiness together?

I think I have a new favorite trope after this. Nothing But It All really helped me kind of see the problems from an outsiders perspective and it has really given me hope that my husband and I can get back on track and remember why we fell in love with each other in the first place.

So if anyone has any Marriage in Trouble recommendations please send them my way. I know After I Do by TJR and Letters to Molly by Devney Perry are favorites of mine because of this trope.

***ARC Provided by the Publisher via NetGalley***

I was really intrigued when I read the blurb for this book.

Lauren and Jack are married, and their marriage is falling apart. And as readers we get to go into the middle of the marriage, to get to know the characters and to see inside the marriage.

There were parts of this that I really enjoyed.

Why the 2 stars you ask? This book didn't feel balance to me. All of the blame felt like it was on Jack. There were occasional moments where Lauren seemed to realize a marriage is 2 people, but then the narrative went back again to what Jack was doing wrong.

Was he wrong? Yes, he was. But, was she? Apparently not. The issue for me was that I didn't find myself believing things with them were going to continue to be ok...as it didn't feel like a couple working to working on their marriage, it felt like a list of what was wrong, all by the man.

I wish I could recommend this title, but I am not able to do so.

If you are looking for a “traditional” Adriana Locke book like the Landry or Gibson boys- this is not that story. Nothing But It All is an emotionally evocative book more along the lines of Sacrifice or Written In The Scars.

So many romance books focus on the beginning of a relationship and we typically don’t get to see what happens after the happy ending. Here we meet Lauren and Jack when they are roughly 20 years into their marriage and in the trenches in terms of relationship work.

I’m not going to recap the story- that’s what reading is for, but I will say that Ms Locke captures a situation a lot of people can relate to. The hard work of life, raising kids, and growing businesses has replaced the effort of maintaining a romantic partnership. One aspect of the story that I really appreciated was that while Lauren was the partner vocalizing the core issues from her perspective, she was also able to turn that introspection inward and see places where she contributed to the situation they were in.

Highlights are not really my thing while reading, but I will say that this book has multiple pearls of wisdom for anyone in a long term relationship. The cast here is small - Jack, Lauren, their kids, his dad, and just a few friends. The underlying core of love in all of these connections makes the premise of the story work.

The situation here (once the issue is identified) is a bit of an ideal and I’m not 100% real life would go as smoothly, but I also appreciated that Ms Locke did not present this as a “magic bullet” where everything was “fixed” by the end of the story.
This is a book I would highly recommend to anyone in the “trenches” of life as a good example of how to come back from the cliff edge that it is easy to find ourselves on.

marriage in trouble tugs at my heart and sometimes rips it to shreds but it’s a trope i’m loving currently.

lauren and jack have been married for twenty years and are on the verge of divorce. but to save their marriage, their scheming teenagers plan one last summer trip. for two weeks, lauren and jack are stuck together under the same roof and either they reconcile or they end in divorce.

there’s something about lauren and jack that is so raw that i loved. jack spent so much time on his own business that it took over his life. he was married to his work and unfortunately, it tore his marriage apart. lauren didn’t recognize the man she married anymore and she decides that she needs to figure out who she is because she’s become a shell of herself, especially in the last few years. reading their conversations about what went wrong hurt, but it’s also clear that their kids are a joy in their lives. they drop everything for maddie and michael.

and harvey was such a fun character too. he’s an unapologetic old fart living out the rest of his days without a care in the world.

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Genre: Romance

Jack and Lauren have loved each other for a long time. They made a life together and had 2 kids, but somewhere along the way they have let other priorities get in the way of their marriage. Jack works all the time and when he's home they are fighting that he's not around enough, even though he feels like he is providing. Lauren was a stay-at-home mom for many years and takes care of all the day-to-day mental load, but now that her kids are teenagers she has started her own successful scrapbooking business that Jack is not a part of. Lauren starts wondering if they are better apart. When the kids see what is going on, they pull a classic "Parent-trap"-esque move bringing them all to the family summer cottage for one last time together to try to rekindle the flames.

This book was SO relatable (even for couples whose marriages are not in trouble!), especially for families with a working parent and a stay-at-home parent. I loved how the author didn't paint one half of the couple as "neglectful" and one as the "victim" either. They both made mistakes, they both got caught up with life (as one does with kids and work), and they both are able to acknowledge and work on their own issues. The side characters--the teenage kids, the kids' significant others, Jack's dad and his love interest, Lauren's best friend, and a puppy added to the mix breaking any tension at just the right time! And they just continued to be examples of how life will always be in the way, but how does a marriage work through that! The whole book felt real and raw and honest and I loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Valentine PR, and Adriana Locke for the opportunity to read the eARC of Nothing But It All in exchange for my honest review.

Oh, it was so good!

Adriana, I loved that they were an established couple that's closer to my age. Look, I love first love as much as the next reader, but this was a great storyline.

Lauren and Jack are great people. They've been the standard for a lot of people. Were. There's been cracks in their marriage, and they've done nothing but grow.

I enjoyed that it wasn't exactly one person's fault. It showed a great example of what happens when you're both not working on it.

It's kinda a parent trap situation, except the kids didn't just meet. They work together with their grandpa who definitely don't want their parents' marriage to end.

There's some shenanigans, some truths revealed, and a lot of work done. You can still feel the love between the two of them.

Nothing But It All was SO REAL! I myself have been married almost 25 years and have found that marriage is truly a journey. Kids, job pressures, elderly parents- I could relate to everything in this book. Jack and Lauren's story was so realistic and relatable. I felt it all- I was broken for them at the beginning of the book, and cheered for them as they worked through their issues. Narrators Amy Hall and Ryan Duncan were new to me, but their performances were nothing short of fantastic.

Oh, how this one pulled on my heartstrings. “Nothing But It All” is an emotional, heartfelt and sweet marriage in trouble that once I started, I couldn’t stop reading it.

Lauren and her husband, Jack, have been married for twenty years. While they still love each other, they have grown apart. Jack has focused on his business and this has left Lauren feeling like a single mom. They have tried to keep it from their teenage kids but they’ve noticed. And the two have conspired with their grandfather for one last trip as a family and to help the parents heal their marriage. Lauren thinks it’s too late but Jack is determined to win her back.

From the moment I started reading, I connected with Lauren and Jack. They had been together for a long time, raised two kids and went through all the realistic things couples go through. This story will be relatable to a lot of people and I love that it will have that connection. Lauren is a great mom who raised her kids and gave them everything. But when she starts to find herself again, that’s when she shines. Once the communication with Jack was open, she didn’t hold back and that was so important. And the best part… Jack listened. He never tried to disregard her feelings and actually took it to heart. They both took responsibility for any of the actions in their marriage. Their kids were great and I loved how sneaky they were with their grandfather, who was a favorite for me. The ending was so sweet and perfect for them.

*An advance reader copy was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.*

In this beautiful story, we meet Lauren and Jack Reed, who have been married for twenty years but are growing in different directions. Jack has opened his own garage, where he spends the majority of his time providing for his family. Lauren, a stay-at-home mom, now wants more from life than just being a mother to her teenagers, and a roommate to her husband, whom she never sees. She has started a small scrapbooking business, which has taken off since her appearance on a morning tv show.

Every summer, Lauren, Jack, the kids and Jack’s dad, head to their little cabins in Story Brook, OH to spend two weeks. Except this summer, Lauren cancels the trip, claiming both she and Jack can’t take the time away. But the kids and their grandfather won’t take no for an answer and figure out a way to get everyone together at Story Brook for what may very well be their last summer vacation as one big family.

Jack knows in his heart that he loves Lauren and only Lauren. He understands that he needs to figure out a balance between his garage and his family. These two weeks are his last chance for him to prove himself to Lauren that he can be the man she can rely on. But will Lauren take that chance with an open heart or will she not believe what he’s saying and showing her? Can they have this kind of a life together once they get back to their everyday lives?

I’ve always said that Adriana Locke is the queen of small town romance. But then there are her stand alones (Sacrifice, Wherever It Leads, Written in the Scars) that pull you in and let you live in those worlds for just a bit. They are the ones that stay with you and make an impression on your heart. This book is one of those stories.

Adriana Locke wrote a beautiful story about how every day life can overwhelm a loving marriage. Jack and Lauren lived their dream life...marrying, having two kids and building a business fron scratch. Jack's autobody business was growing so well, he barely made it home for dinner or to his kids' school events. Soon enough, Lauren was shouldering all of that on her own until she had to make a decision about her own happiness. When the kids stumble on the next step Lauren is willing to take, they conspire with their grandfather to try and bring their parents back together.
The author takes us on a roller coaster of emotions as Jack and Lauren attempt to really listen to one another and admit responsibility for the parts of the marriage that collapsed. They receive advice from some very wise side characters, "The thing that got us through [challenges] was simple--we wanted to get through them. It's amazing how far that one little thing goes." Loved how these two found their new normal!

This book will resonate with any marriage that has had it’s ups and downs. What started as a blissfully spicy, happy marriage turns into the everyday doldrum of get up, go your way, do what’s expected of you, rinse and repeat. Then add to that a child or two and then instead of just the two of you there are three or more as years begin to add up. While your husband goes off to work every day and he has contact with other folks. As a mom/wife you run the house, plus whatever it takes to keep things running, meals, laundry and other necessary things. Added to that as children get older there is the addition of extracurricular activities for them that took up even more of your time. The next thing you know things like date night, special occasions, doing things with friends fall by the wayside, leaving the two of you settling into boredom.

NBIA is the story of Lauren and Jack Reed whose twenty-year marriage has reached a crisis point. Jack spends most of his time away from Lauren and his teens at a business that he started. There are often nights that he stays overnight at the business. It seems to him that going home he feels that he does nothing right in his wife’s eyes. Seldom home for meals or his kids’ activities, you’ll also find him sleeping on the couch when he is. Lauren just wants the man she married back! He was her best friend who shared secrets and sexy times with her and as the family grew was there for her and the family. Yet through the years Lauren was a stay-at-home mom who did whatever needed to be done at home in addition to chauffeuring her son, Michael and daughter, Maddie’s wherever they needed to go. Frustrated and lonely it seemed that all she and Jack did was argue. Starting a successful at home business helped to fill some of her time but still something had to change. You’ve heard the term “it takes two to tangle” well it also takes two to become complacent.

It’s when Michael and Maddie sprang into action with the help of their grandpa to try and turn things around with their parents. Those three guys their plans were brilliant, devious but well thought out. But will they work? Jack and Michael off on a fishing trip without the girls ultimately decide to make a fast trip to their grandpa’s cabin. It’s on this trip that Jack has his eyes opened to just how deep the rift was between him and Lauren conversing with Michael. The realization that he was partly to blame for the shape of his marriage made him determined to do whatever he had to salvage his marriage. Likewise with the boys gone for the weekend Lauren and Maddie made their own plans. Plans that were changed when once grandpa called from his cabin needing his insulin, how could they refuse? It’s on their drive that Maddie brings up she knows about her mom’s appointment with an attorney.

When Lauren arrives at the cabin with grandpa’s insulin she sees Jack and Michael getting upset thinking Jack had planned arranged this to happen. Angry, accusing him of concocting this to happen only to have Jack tell her they’d been set up by the kids. Lauren finally agrees to stay and the awkwardness begins. And believe me it was pretty awkward their first night there. Arguing over who would sleep on the couch to eventually sharing the bed with a pillow wall between them… talk about a lousy night’s sleep!! Even though Lauren would try to avoid Jack I loved how he pushed her to open up to him. To find out exactly what he had done that brought them to this point. It was Jack’s determination that helped Lauren see that there was plenty she was guilty of too.

There were so many things about this book I loved. Jack’s determination and his unwavering love for Lauren. Of course it might have also helped to have the kids being invited to a friend’s house for dinner or getting stranded when the boat runs out of gas too. Michael, Maddie and grandpa are truly the unsung heroes of this book and it was so cool they were like the catalyst to this unexpected vacation.

This story is a beautifully written, poignant journey that shows you what happens after the HEA. This book brings to life the utmost highs and the lowest lows of a marriage. And the very real struggle of holding together the life that you’ve built and the love that you still have for each other. This book shows you what happens when you’ve lost your way and what it takes to find your way back to each other. This story hits on so many levels and the realism and sentiments that Adriana brings forth proves why she is a powerhouse of an author. If you’re looking for a book that will make you feel things, you’re not prepared for than this is the book for you.

An angsty, emotional and at times humorous romance where the hero and heroine Jack and Lauren still care about each other but after twenty years of marriage and two children the spark has gone out of their relationship and they’ve grown apart. I felt there was also a touch of resentment from Lauren who is looking at her life with fresh eyes as her children get older and need her less. Nothing But It All was such a strong story and shows that Adriana Locke can write contemporary romance with the best of them. Jack and Lauren were both relatable characters who had forgotten how to communicate and couldn’t see a way back to each other. No one was to blame just the daily pressures of life. With the help of their son and daughter, not forgetting their grandfather who were determined to keep their family together and brought some levity and a dose of the humour we’ve come to expect from this author to the story as they schemed and plotted to make their parents see that the love that had brought them together in the first place was still there. They just needed to find it again.

I don’t think anyone does second chance romance better than Adriana Locke. Nothing But It All is an emotionally gripping story that will make you laugh, cry, and swoon. The story centers around Jack and Lauren, a married couple that's been together for over 20 years. When the book begins, their marriage is failing, and it seems they've both become rather apathetic to one another. They can't even manage to go on their annual family trip to their cottage with their kids, Michael and Maddie, and Jack's father, Harvey. One thing leads to another, though, and thanks to a bit of strategic planning by their kids and Harvey, the whole brood winds up at the cottage anyway. Will Jack and Lauren be able to find their way to each other again, or is their marriage doomed?

I'm beyond in love with this book. It's emotional and well written and there's nothing I'd want different about it. Literally from the plotline to the characters to the pacing, it all works. I love that it's about a couple that's been together for a long time. I love that there's no horrible, devious something that happens. I love that there's something so normal about this story. It's so real, and it's that realness that creates a narrative that's believable and feels authentic to what actual marriage is like. Jack and Lauren lost their way. They forgot to really be there for each other and be one other's friend, and that's caused a serious, nearly impossible to get over rift. The road back to each other is hard, and Locke does an amazing job at navigating their conflict and resolution.

And the characters are absolutely genuine. Jack is the husband that's a bit out of touch and thinks things are mostly fine in his marriage...unless you're counting that he and Lauren are barely even talking anymore. Then there's Lauren who's like many women and has put her family first for so long that she lost herself but is now working on getting herself back. They might be at quite the impasse when the story begins, but there's still love under there somewhere and a whole lot of chemistry between them.

Plus, I've never loved a trio of meddling characters as much as I did Michael, Maddie, and Harvey. Even Snaps, the dog Jack "rescued," helps Jack and Lauren along in his own way. We get some Parent Trap vibes in this book, and these secondary characters not only propel the storyline but also contribute humor to it. The kids are cute and lovable without being saccharine, and Harvey's got a charming feistiness to him. They're great additions to the story and absolutely necessary without taking away from Jack and Lauren.

Nothing But It All is a moving tale of what happens when two people that love each other let life and themselves get in the way of being happy together. It traverses love on all the levels and is a definite must read/listen. It's a beautifully done contemporary romance, and you're not going to want to put it down.

So comfy and heartwarming. Well Adriana thank you for writing this beautiful story about a marriage in trouble, second chances and the cutest dog ever.

I love the truth in this story, that marriage is not always this easy thing that just happens. She showed that sometimes things just fall apart, but I love how both Jack and Lauren took responsibility for what happened and decided to actively change to save this marriage.

Outside of Jack and Lauren, the side characters completely stole the show and my heart. Micheal and Maddie conspiring with Harvey and Parent Trapping these two. Harvey being ornery while also being funny as hell. One thing you don’t see too much of but I love too is when the setting of the story also becomes a character in the story and that is exactly what happened here in Story Brook. It made the story come to life.

Great book would definitely recommend.

Lauren and Jack are at a point in their marriage where she's seriously wondering why they're even still married. The spark has gone out and she's teetering on leaving. Then her kids and her father-in-law meddle and now they're stuck together at the family's cabin. All the forced proximity is giving them time to actually communicate. Can they work things out, get on the same page and find the spark that made them fall in love in the beginning? Or have they left it too late to fall back in love?

This is the second marriage in trouble story I've read lately, and both have really made me start liking this trope. I've been married for about the same length of time Lauren and Jack have, and I can only imagine how I would behave if my husband and I were in the same situation as they are. I can see myself, really, any couple who've been married for this long, in them, and appreciate how realistically Adriana drew them. There's so much pain between them, especially in Lauren's behavior, that I despaired that they would ever get past it. Jack was just so freaking clueless, as men are sometimes (often times) and couldn't see what the problem was in their marriage. They are actually very, very lucky their family loved them so much and meddled because I have my doubts they would have fixed things without the push. Though they were supremely frustrating, I love how they slowly started to communicating and righting what had been wrong for so long. I think I'll start reading more troubled marriage stories now, after falling in love with this heartfelt, realistic journey.

Audio/Kindle Review -

Adriana has the innate ability to write stories that will have you laughing and swooning, and then switch things up and write stories full of so much emotion you'll be teary eyed multiple times throughout. This story was definitely one of those.

Nothing but it All brings us real life AFTER the epilogue. After the first happily ever after. After real life steps in and knocks you on your tush. There are arguments, loss, massive life shifts, successes, failures, inadvertent neglect, and so much more.

Jack and Lauren are on the brink of divorce, so close to just throwing in the towel. But life, and 2 meddling kids and a grumpy grandfather decide to take matters into their own hands and hopefully get these two to see all of the amazing things between them!

I adored this book from start to finish. It caused me to take a step back and understand that life isn't perfect, it never will be. And that's OKAY. Who do you want by your side during the toughest moments? During the best? When you realize who that is, it's truly a moment you'll want to hold on to forever. Definitely a 5⭐ read for this year.

Jack and Lauren have been married for over 20-years and have two teenage kids. With the cracks showing, and they are drifting apart, divorce seems inevitable, but their kids and grandfather conspire to bring everyone together for the holidays.
This is a well written story which is an emotional roller coaster, with meddling family, heartbreak, drama, humor, witty banter, revelations, regrets, second chances, and love, which leads to an entertaining, poignant, unpredictable, and heartwarming, small town romance.
I look forward to reading more from this talented author whose work I highly recommend.