Scan barcode
steph01924's review against another edition
3.0
I think I'm a sucker for the 'best friend loves the other best friend' storylines. I enjoyed the first two thirds of the book quite a bit. It got a little more bogged down in the last part when Josh's whining overshadowed everything, but we all knew how it would end up, so I was fine with skimming. Katie was a no-nonsense and no-whining gal, so I liked her quite a bit.
I wonder if there will be a third distant branch of the Kowalski guys we don't know about or if Stacey will start making stories for the other townspeople. I feel a little bad that Hailey never got any good side-story romances out of three entire books. Poor librarian, forever alone!
I wonder if there will be a third distant branch of the Kowalski guys we don't know about or if Stacey will start making stories for the other townspeople. I feel a little bad that Hailey never got any good side-story romances out of three entire books. Poor librarian, forever alone!
jbarr5's review against another edition
5.0
All He Ever Dreamed Shannon Stacey
Joshua Kowalski lived at the Lodge with the housekeeper, Rose, Katies mom.
Katie Davis was Josh's best friend and she'd never tell him how she really felt about him...
Once the snow came to Maine he'd be busy with the Northern Star Lodge..
but Rose had pneumonia again and hospitalized. The plan is that Katie will move into the lodge to get it ready for the season and the family Christmas holiday where everybody would spend several nights at the lodge and this way be able to keep an eye on her mother's health and get the rooms ready for occupancy..
Rose's plan was going to work but she needed to push them together more...
Love hearing about the rest of the family as I have read other books in this series. Just a down to earth family...
Book also follows others relationships and love life's.
Others who come to visit with Rose discuss the lodge. The family wants to sell it as everybody has another life outside the lodge, Josh due to his broken leg was the one to run it and he hopes this will be his last season but it's a family decision.
And where does that leave Rose? At her business running the barbershop her father had started.
Hot steamy sex scenes only add to this book. Such choices to make that could turn disastrous in the long run...
Joshua Kowalski lived at the Lodge with the housekeeper, Rose, Katies mom.
Katie Davis was Josh's best friend and she'd never tell him how she really felt about him...
Once the snow came to Maine he'd be busy with the Northern Star Lodge..
but Rose had pneumonia again and hospitalized. The plan is that Katie will move into the lodge to get it ready for the season and the family Christmas holiday where everybody would spend several nights at the lodge and this way be able to keep an eye on her mother's health and get the rooms ready for occupancy..
Rose's plan was going to work but she needed to push them together more...
Love hearing about the rest of the family as I have read other books in this series. Just a down to earth family...
Book also follows others relationships and love life's.
Others who come to visit with Rose discuss the lodge. The family wants to sell it as everybody has another life outside the lodge, Josh due to his broken leg was the one to run it and he hopes this will be his last season but it's a family decision.
And where does that leave Rose? At her business running the barbershop her father had started.
Hot steamy sex scenes only add to this book. Such choices to make that could turn disastrous in the long run...
bookloverchelle's review
4.0
Shannon Stacey takes us back to the Kowalski Family with the latest, All He Ever Dreamed. Josh is the youngest in the family and he’s the one who’s been left holding the bag. One by one his siblings have moved away from the family lodge and have gone on to live their dreams but Josh has stayed to take care of the family business. He’s ready for his chance at an adventure but maybe he’s found something a little more exciting at home with his best friend, Katie. This is probably one of my favorite story lines, best friends to lovers. Except Katie’s been in love with Josh for years and everyone in town seems to know it except Josh. But just when their relationship seems to be taking off Josh gets the opportunity for his adventure. Can he say goodbye to Katie and what they could possibly have to fulfill his dreams? Really great story about seeing what’s possible right in front of you and discovering what you really want from life. I love being able to revisit with the Kowalski’s and really hope there’s more coming from Ms. Stacey. Great read and I’m ready for more from Maine and Ms. Stacey!
tessisreading2's review against another edition
3.0
This was really sweet and all but I didn't really grasp why this moment - of all moments - was why Katie and Josh finally both made the moves to end up together; and because I didn't get that, a lot of the plot kind of annoyed me - Katie's agony over Josh being unwilling to stay, Josh's hope that Katie would be willing to go - and the fact that at the end
Spoiler
Josh left: on the one hand, I get it, he had to go for himself, but on the other hand, it just made him come off as selfish. He calls Katie his girlfriend, tells her he loves her, and then goes off to find himself? Then realizes that life really is better in the small town he's spent his life trying to escape and comes home? I don't know, I didn't buy it, and I didn't particularly enjoy it. I don't have a lot of patience for pining, I guess, and when it comes at the end of a novel rather than the beginning I have even less.erinnejc's review against another edition
4.0
Josh and Katie have been slowly building up over the course of the books, and their actual happily ever after is a sweet read. Great.
scoutmomskf's review
5.0
I loved this book. Josh has been one of my favorite characters from this side of the family and I was so happy when he finally got his story. Josh got stuck with running the family lodge by default when his father died and his siblings already had their own lives away from Whitford. He has dreams of his own that don't include the lodge. The only thing that has made life bearable for him is hanging out with his best friend Katie. But when she moves into the lodge to help out her mom, Rosie, something changes. Josh runs into her in the kitchen late one night when she's wearing somewhat skimpy pajamas. Suddenly he realizes that Katie isn't just his best buddy, she's also a woman and a pretty hot one at that.
With her mom being the housekeeper and surrogate mom to the Kowalskis, Katie has been around them all her life. She's been in love with Josh for years and frustrated by his "best buddy" attitude. Now that he's actually seeing her as a woman, she couldn't be happier - except that he still plans to leave as soon as he can.
This was so much fun to read. Everyone in town can see that Katie and Josh belong together. Josh's obliviousness is amazing to see. He spent so long resenting being stuck running the lodge that now that the end is in sight he can't see anything else. I loved their late night encounter and the way that Josh is so completely blindsided by his sudden attraction to Katie. His internal dialog is absolutely hysterical as he tries to cope with these new feelings. As they are thrown together to help Katie's mom, Josh continues to fight his feelings, fearing that getting involved with Katie will ruin their friendship and also cause him to give up his dreams. I loved seeing him finally give in. Instead of damaging their friendship, it seems to make it stronger as their feelings give it new dimension. I loved seeing the way that being with Katie settles his feelings somewhat, but his need to leave is still there. When he's given the opportunity to go, he is so conflicted. There's a lot of heartache for him as he realizes his two greatest desires are incompatible. I loved seeing his journey as he follows his dreams and learns what is most important to his heart.
Katie was great. She is comfortable with herself as she is, but fears that Josh will never see her as more than his friend. I loved her reaction to their kitchen encounter, and his actions the next day. She sees his reactions but his fighting of it really frustrates her. Her decision to shake things up was great, and I loved seeing what she did on Christmas Eve that pushed things over the edge. But now that they have made that jump, Katie is afraid that things are going to change for the worse. She can see that he is still not completely happy and that he still needs to leave Whitford. She wants him to stay but thinks he will begin to resent her for keeping him from his dreams. I ached for her as she let him go, but was so happy that she loved him that much. I loved seeing her keep their friendship alive during his journey and what a difference it made to them at the end.
There was so much fun to Josh and Katie's romance, as they deal with reconciling their romance with their long friendship. The banter between them was great, from their bet about Max's job to their attempts to keep their new relationship secret. I loved seeing various other characters get involved, from helping Katie with her Christmas Eve plans to ragging on Josh about not seeing what was in front of him the whole time. I loved Katie's ability to see what Josh needed and put her own dreams on hold to make his come true.
I loved Katie's mom Rosie and her vital part throughout the books. She was such a great mom figure to them all. It was fun to see her behind the scenes work to get Josh and Katie together. I also loved seeing her with Andy and how she goes from hating him in the first book to love in this one. Andy's patient devotion to her was terrific. I also loved his part in making Josh's dreams possible.
With her mom being the housekeeper and surrogate mom to the Kowalskis, Katie has been around them all her life. She's been in love with Josh for years and frustrated by his "best buddy" attitude. Now that he's actually seeing her as a woman, she couldn't be happier - except that he still plans to leave as soon as he can.
This was so much fun to read. Everyone in town can see that Katie and Josh belong together. Josh's obliviousness is amazing to see. He spent so long resenting being stuck running the lodge that now that the end is in sight he can't see anything else. I loved their late night encounter and the way that Josh is so completely blindsided by his sudden attraction to Katie. His internal dialog is absolutely hysterical as he tries to cope with these new feelings. As they are thrown together to help Katie's mom, Josh continues to fight his feelings, fearing that getting involved with Katie will ruin their friendship and also cause him to give up his dreams. I loved seeing him finally give in. Instead of damaging their friendship, it seems to make it stronger as their feelings give it new dimension. I loved seeing the way that being with Katie settles his feelings somewhat, but his need to leave is still there. When he's given the opportunity to go, he is so conflicted. There's a lot of heartache for him as he realizes his two greatest desires are incompatible. I loved seeing his journey as he follows his dreams and learns what is most important to his heart.
Katie was great. She is comfortable with herself as she is, but fears that Josh will never see her as more than his friend. I loved her reaction to their kitchen encounter, and his actions the next day. She sees his reactions but his fighting of it really frustrates her. Her decision to shake things up was great, and I loved seeing what she did on Christmas Eve that pushed things over the edge. But now that they have made that jump, Katie is afraid that things are going to change for the worse. She can see that he is still not completely happy and that he still needs to leave Whitford. She wants him to stay but thinks he will begin to resent her for keeping him from his dreams. I ached for her as she let him go, but was so happy that she loved him that much. I loved seeing her keep their friendship alive during his journey and what a difference it made to them at the end.
There was so much fun to Josh and Katie's romance, as they deal with reconciling their romance with their long friendship. The banter between them was great, from their bet about Max's job to their attempts to keep their new relationship secret. I loved seeing various other characters get involved, from helping Katie with her Christmas Eve plans to ragging on Josh about not seeing what was in front of him the whole time. I loved Katie's ability to see what Josh needed and put her own dreams on hold to make his come true.
I loved Katie's mom Rosie and her vital part throughout the books. She was such a great mom figure to them all. It was fun to see her behind the scenes work to get Josh and Katie together. I also loved seeing her with Andy and how she goes from hating him in the first book to love in this one. Andy's patient devotion to her was terrific. I also loved his part in making Josh's dreams possible.
elliefufu's review against another edition
4.0
I have been eagerly anticipating Josh and Katie's story and it was very good. I wanted to hit josh upside the head a few times or shake him but all in all it was what I wanted.