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readwkatie's review
4.0
Sara and Hunter have been married for a few year and are on their last IVF round, hopeful to finally grow their family. Sara has her heart set on being a mother, but Hunter's focus is solely on the possible sale of his father's company. Though there love for one another is obvious, Hunter doesn't know how to console Sara about the possibility of not being able to have a biological children and finds it hard to pull himself away from the company he worked so hard to build.
I loved this book - possibly one of my favorite Jamie Beck books so far. It was so easy to sympathize for Sara as the author did a wonderful job of making her lovable. I was incredibly invested in this book, especially with the family drama and felt torn for both Hunter and Sara as they figured out how to navigate this tough time. Without a doubt, such a great read - can't wait to read the third in this series!
I loved this book - possibly one of my favorite Jamie Beck books so far. It was so easy to sympathize for Sara as the author did a wonderful job of making her lovable. I was incredibly invested in this book, especially with the family drama and felt torn for both Hunter and Sara as they figured out how to navigate this tough time. Without a doubt, such a great read - can't wait to read the third in this series!
cressthebookdragon's review
3.0
I feel like this one was ruined for me because I saw the cover of the next book. I had to put this book down a couple times and come back to it to finish because it just seemed to drag on.
norwayellesea's review
5.0
I read All We Knew as a standalone and its book two in The Cabot's series.
Hunter Cabot is CFO of Cabot Tea Company and has been working as long as he remembers to prepare to eventually take over the running of the business from his father. It's one of two passions in his life; his wife is his other. However, when his father and stepmother plan to sell the business, his world's thrown into turmoil especially when the love of his life doesn't see his point of view because of a personal battle they are fighting.
Coming from a large family, Sara Cabot wants a family of her own but after failed attempts at IVF she's distraught especially when her husband chooses to focus on his battle to save the company he was born to run.
I jumped in blind with this novel and I'll admit I wouldn't have chosen it because of the difficult topics entwined within the narrative. Yet, I became sucked into and enveloped within the story as Hunter and Sara work through their problems to keep their marriage together. Their love for each other is unquestionable however, their upsetting predicament highlights problems within their relationship and neither are on the same page to solve them. It's incredibly emotional as the couple navigate the peaks and troughs caused by their current circumstances and the author nails the impassioned feelings beautifully.
Jamie Beck is undoubtedly known for writing realistic stories and All We Knew can't get any more real when you can identify with the protagonists because character traits are so similar to yourself and loved one. Sometimes, the dialogue between Hunter and Sara made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on-end when exchanges are so convincing it's like an echo. I'm nothing like Sara and have never experienced the heartbreak she has endured, but that doesn't stop the heartfelt and often upsetting dialogue between her and Hunter sounding eerily like conversations I've heard or experienced before on a personal level. Ms Beck wholeheartedly brings her protagonists to life in a way that blew me away.
This is only the second novel I've read by this author and whilst I thoroughly enjoyed the previous one, All We Knew is even better. This is a heartfelt love story between two people who managed to drift in different directions but able to find their way back and I'm eagerly looking forward to the next instalment in this series as Gentry Cabot is definitely someone of interest.
5 stars
***arc generously received courtesy of Montlake Romance via NetGalley***
Hunter Cabot is CFO of Cabot Tea Company and has been working as long as he remembers to prepare to eventually take over the running of the business from his father. It's one of two passions in his life; his wife is his other. However, when his father and stepmother plan to sell the business, his world's thrown into turmoil especially when the love of his life doesn't see his point of view because of a personal battle they are fighting.
Coming from a large family, Sara Cabot wants a family of her own but after failed attempts at IVF she's distraught especially when her husband chooses to focus on his battle to save the company he was born to run.
I jumped in blind with this novel and I'll admit I wouldn't have chosen it because of the difficult topics entwined within the narrative. Yet, I became sucked into and enveloped within the story as Hunter and Sara work through their problems to keep their marriage together. Their love for each other is unquestionable however, their upsetting predicament highlights problems within their relationship and neither are on the same page to solve them. It's incredibly emotional as the couple navigate the peaks and troughs caused by their current circumstances and the author nails the impassioned feelings beautifully.
Jamie Beck is undoubtedly known for writing realistic stories and All We Knew can't get any more real when you can identify with the protagonists because character traits are so similar to yourself and loved one. Sometimes, the dialogue between Hunter and Sara made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on-end when exchanges are so convincing it's like an echo. I'm nothing like Sara and have never experienced the heartbreak she has endured, but that doesn't stop the heartfelt and often upsetting dialogue between her and Hunter sounding eerily like conversations I've heard or experienced before on a personal level. Ms Beck wholeheartedly brings her protagonists to life in a way that blew me away.
This is only the second novel I've read by this author and whilst I thoroughly enjoyed the previous one, All We Knew is even better. This is a heartfelt love story between two people who managed to drift in different directions but able to find their way back and I'm eagerly looking forward to the next instalment in this series as Gentry Cabot is definitely someone of interest.
5 stars
***arc generously received courtesy of Montlake Romance via NetGalley***
txbooklover's review against another edition
3.0
Better than the first one in the series (which I didn't like all that much).
taisie22's review against another edition
4.0
Hunter Cabot is the successful CFO of Cabot Tea. His wife Sara is home, having quit her job to follow through on fertility treatments which are unsuccessful. She's consumed by her infertility while Hunter is absorbed with his work and family feuds. They've had a loving and successful marriage up until now, but the lines of communication are breaking down and neither knows what to do.
Ms. Beck writes realistic stories on real-life themes. Sometimes they're a bit heavy, and this is one of those, though it is well-written and the characters interesting. It takes a while for Hunter and Sara to realize how lucky they really are, and there's a convenient ending. The secondary characters are more intriguing here than in the first book. Leslie, Hunter's mother, comes across as more nuanced and not as dippy as she seemed in the first book. Gentry, who underwent some redemption in the first book, loses all that and more here, acting much more like her mother who's a witch (I know this is a setup for the last book in the series, but she's very hard to like). While I feel bad for Jed's illness, his character weaknesses are on display here.
It's a good read, even if I thought the ending a little too convenient. Now onto Gentry's story.
Ms. Beck writes realistic stories on real-life themes. Sometimes they're a bit heavy, and this is one of those, though it is well-written and the characters interesting. It takes a while for Hunter and Sara to realize how lucky they really are, and there's a convenient ending. The secondary characters are more intriguing here than in the first book. Leslie, Hunter's mother, comes across as more nuanced and not as dippy as she seemed in the first book. Gentry, who underwent some redemption in the first book, loses all that and more here, acting much more like her mother who's a witch (I know this is a setup for the last book in the series, but she's very hard to like). While I feel bad for Jed's illness, his character weaknesses are on display here.
It's a good read, even if I thought the ending a little too convenient. Now onto Gentry's story.
bananatricky's review against another edition
3.0
Hunter Cabot is the CFO of his family's tea business, the Cabot Tea Company or CTC. His father is CEO, his father's second wife Jenna is head of marketing. He and his wife Sara have been married 10 years and are trying to have a baby without success, as the book opens they are involved in their third round of IVF, Sara is superstitious and 100% focused on having a baby. Hunter on the other hand has just been told by his father that he is entertaining the idea of selling the family business to a huge conglomerate, reneging on his promise to keep the business in the family and pass it on to Hunter.
Hunter and Sara are drowning in angst. He has abandonment issues following his parents' divorce when he was a child, his default is to try to fix things, to make grand romantic gestures, his father's volte face rocks him to his core and he feels deeply betrayed. Hunter is barely holding it together, it seems as though he is being assaulted, falling short, on every front. He feels frustrated that his father and Jenna have blocked his ideas for expanding CTC and now they are trying to sell the business that he has spent his life learning to run.
Sara has given up her high-flying job in marketing because she was concerned that the stress was preventing her from conceiving, but six months later still no pregnancy. Her entire life is now wrapped around trying to get pregnant and yet her husband seems to be more concerned with office politics and fighting with Jenna than creating their own family. He spends less time at home and more time at the office, talks to her less and in the back of Sara's mind is jealousy about his assistant.
This book was dripping in angst and frankly by the end I found both Sara and Hunter to be whiny, self-absorbed, sanctimonious bores.
Hunter and Sara are drowning in angst. He has abandonment issues following his parents' divorce when he was a child, his default is to try to fix things, to make grand romantic gestures, his father's volte face rocks him to his core and he feels deeply betrayed. Hunter is barely holding it together, it seems as though he is being assaulted, falling short, on every front. He feels frustrated that his father and Jenna have blocked his ideas for expanding CTC and now they are trying to sell the business that he has spent his life learning to run.
Sara has given up her high-flying job in marketing because she was concerned that the stress was preventing her from conceiving, but six months later still no pregnancy. Her entire life is now wrapped around trying to get pregnant and yet her husband seems to be more concerned with office politics and fighting with Jenna than creating their own family. He spends less time at home and more time at the office, talks to her less and in the back of Sara's mind is jealousy about his assistant.
This book was dripping in angst and frankly by the end I found both Sara and Hunter to be whiny, self-absorbed, sanctimonious bores.
jeannewrites's review against another edition
4.0
I was excited when I received an ARC of this book to read. I'd already fallen in love with Hunter and Sara from book one so it was nice to read more of their story. This is a love story, not a romance. There is a difference. Hunter and Sara have been married for many years and struggle with issues that go far beyond falling in love. This is my kind of story - one that could be happening to my next door neighbors, or even my kids.
This is a story of two people desperate to keep the ones and things they love. Longing for a child Sara becomes hyper-focused on creating a family. Hunter is struggling to prevent his father from selling the company he was promised out from under him. Neither is truly listening to the other and is therefore unable or unwilling to provide what is needed. There is a HEA ending, so I'll leave the review at this so I don't spoil anything.
This is a story of two people desperate to keep the ones and things they love. Longing for a child Sara becomes hyper-focused on creating a family. Hunter is struggling to prevent his father from selling the company he was promised out from under him. Neither is truly listening to the other and is therefore unable or unwilling to provide what is needed. There is a HEA ending, so I'll leave the review at this so I don't spoil anything.