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jessgj's review
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book is so lovely. It feels a bit strange to call a romance book lovely but it is. This is my first Clayborn book and I'm definitely picking up more of her books. My taste in romance runs more dramatic (One could even say chaotic and messy) but this book, y'all.
I'm about the same age as Georgie and Levi so Georgie's confusion and feelings landed a little too close to home. I was also someone who had no idea what I wanted to do or be when I got older. I've seen people my age (Or younger) get married, get divorced or have kids. Meanwhile, I'm just strolling through life, knowing what I didn't want but not knowing what I did want. Wondering if everyone has their lives together. It can be frustrating and lonely and Clayborn's writing really captures that feeling.
This isn't a big, flamboyant book about finding yourself but a soft, comforting, slow burn of finally sitting with your thoughts and feelings. Those moments aren't flashy but god, they feel so triumphant.
Clayborn's writing style is so natural and easy, it's stunning. The slow reveal of Levi's past worked so well because it almost feels like you already knew it. The scenes with the natural and familiar back and front between Bel and Georgie or the settled quirkiness of Georgie's parents were just so good. I have read so many other books trying to do the same thing and it can feel flat or sitcom-ish but this? Clayborn shines. (As a writer, I both want her to teach me her ways and cry about how I'm never going to be that good, lol)
Also, as a reader, one of my pet peeves is characters (Read: Writers) using outdated pop culture reference/slang. No matter how good the book is, it will always be jarring when a 25-year-old character makes a reference to something like Matlock. Thankfully, Clayborn knows her stuff and I was spared. Her references to Twilight and the Jonas brothers landed with the perfect level of nostalgia and embarrassment.
If I had to nitpick, I'd say this is a slow burn of a book. Not just with the romance (Although that too) but the pacing. It took me about to get really get into the groove and get attached to Georgie and Levi. I mostly stuck around for Hank the dog. I cannot stress enough how much I love Hank. He is the best boi, TEAM HANK 5EVER!!!
I give this 4.5 stars. Highly recommend it if you need a slower, gentler read that packs a big emotional punch.
Trigger warning: drug use, offscreen drug abuse, offscreen violence, parental abuse, offscreen death of parent
This book is so lovely. It feels a bit strange to call a romance book lovely but it is. This is my first Clayborn book and I'm definitely picking up more of her books. My taste in romance runs more dramatic (One could even say chaotic and messy) but this book, y'all.
I'm about the same age as Georgie and Levi so Georgie's confusion and feelings landed a little too close to home. I was also someone who had no idea what I wanted to do or be when I got older. I've seen people my age (Or younger) get married, get divorced or have kids. Meanwhile, I'm just strolling through life, knowing what I didn't want but not knowing what I did want. Wondering if everyone has their lives together. It can be frustrating and lonely and Clayborn's writing really captures that feeling.
This isn't a big, flamboyant book about finding yourself but a soft, comforting, slow burn of finally sitting with your thoughts and feelings. Those moments aren't flashy but god, they feel so triumphant.
Clayborn's writing style is so natural and easy, it's stunning. The slow reveal of Levi's past worked so well because it almost feels like you already knew it. The scenes with the natural and familiar back and front between Bel and Georgie or the settled quirkiness of Georgie's parents were just so good. I have read so many other books trying to do the same thing and it can feel flat or sitcom-ish but this? Clayborn shines. (As a writer, I both want her to teach me her ways and cry about how I'm never going to be that good, lol)
Also, as a reader, one of my pet peeves is characters (Read: Writers) using outdated pop culture reference/slang. No matter how good the book is, it will always be jarring when a 25-year-old character makes a reference to something like Matlock. Thankfully, Clayborn knows her stuff and I was spared. Her references to Twilight and the Jonas brothers landed with the perfect level of nostalgia and embarrassment.
If I had to nitpick, I'd say this is a slow burn of a book. Not just with the romance (Although that too) but the pacing. It took me about to get really get into the groove and get attached to Georgie and Levi. I mostly stuck around for Hank the dog. I cannot stress enough how much I love Hank. He is the best boi, TEAM HANK 5EVER!!!
I give this 4.5 stars. Highly recommend it if you need a slower, gentler read that packs a big emotional punch.
Trigger warning: drug use, offscreen drug abuse, offscreen violence, parental abuse, offscreen death of parent
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Gun violence
kcbatts's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Sexual content
analenegrace's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I do believe Kate Clayborn is becoming one of my favorite authors (although I've only read two of her books). Her books make me feel emotional, but they also make me laugh and kick my feet because of the way I love the characters, and their relationships, and Georgie was no different!
I really enjoy the way Clayborn introduced both Georgie and Levi to us, to show the expectations that the world around them has about them. Georgie was a character I immediately felt drawn to because of the way she loves people and places and her home. When we first met Levi paying for her milkshakes, I had a feeling he would be the love interest, and I was very excited for the grumpy/sunshine dynamic, which we got, but Clayborn also made Levi so compelling and more complicated than just "grumpy."
I enjoyed Georgie's perspective of this book, and her, greatly, but I do think I loved Levi's more. I loved the way he talked and thought about Georgie, especially the way his mind worked through his holdups. Even during the third-act breakup, which I usually hate, I enjoyed seeing both of their personal growth over the short period they were apart and how much it was necessary, even if they hated it! His relationship with his siblings was really well-done, and I liked that we got a resolution, but not a perfect one, making the characters feel more real.
Lastly, I loved how fleshed out the side characters were, especially Annabel and Hank... Yes, I mean the dog... I loved that we got details about Hank that made him feel like a real dog and constantly had me laughing or awwing at him. Annabel was a character whose ending I didn't expect, and I really enjoyed it!
I'm not sure why I'm not giving this book 5 stars but I know that while i loved it, it didn't do the thing to my brain that 5 star books do, so there we go!
I really enjoy the way Clayborn introduced both Georgie and Levi to us, to show the expectations that the world around them has about them. Georgie was a character I immediately felt drawn to because of the way she loves people and places and her home. When we first met Levi paying for her milkshakes, I had a feeling he would be the love interest, and I was very excited for the grumpy/sunshine dynamic, which we got, but Clayborn also made Levi so compelling and more complicated than just "grumpy."
I enjoyed Georgie's perspective of this book, and her, greatly, but I do think I loved Levi's more. I loved the way he talked and thought about Georgie, especially the way his mind worked through his holdups. Even during the third-act breakup, which I usually hate, I enjoyed seeing both of their personal growth over the short period they were apart and how much it was necessary, even if they hated it! His relationship with his siblings was really well-done, and I liked that we got a resolution, but not a perfect one, making the characters feel more real.
Lastly, I loved how fleshed out the side characters were, especially Annabel and Hank... Yes, I mean the dog... I loved that we got details about Hank that made him feel like a real dog and constantly had me laughing or awwing at him. Annabel was a character whose ending I didn't expect, and I really enjoyed it!
I'm not sure why I'm not giving this book 5 stars but I know that while i loved it, it didn't do the thing to my brain that 5 star books do, so there we go!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Pregnancy, Forced institutionalization, and Child abuse
literaryintersections's review
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn is a wonderful story about being kind to yourself. It’s two mismatched people finding their way to each other, and back to themselves. A woman trying to battle her wild, chaotic past back in her hometown. And a man trying to battle his harmful, bad boy past in a hometown that still judges him. They are so similar yet it takes them a while to figure it out. This is sweet, and sad, and swoony and perfect remedy for a winter day.
Review to come but holy wow this book is amazing *as I sit here with tears still leaking out of my eyes*
Review to come but holy wow this book is amazing *as I sit here with tears still leaking out of my eyes*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Child abuse
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