Another great book by Kate Clayborn. Our MCs both learn to let go of what other people have said about their younger selves and to accept they don't move the way the rest of the world does. Their romance is quite sweet and I do love the people surrounding them. And Georgie's journey has helped give me a little clarity on my own. There is value in just being present. ( )

Easy to read ( )

I gotta say, it was refreshing reading a romance that isn't about a high-powered career woman trying to have it all. Who doesn't get dropped into a Hallmarkized plot that exists to deliver sweetness overload so she can have it all. Just an average girl, trying to figure life out as she goes, without having to break up with her boyfriend to "find herself." Apparently a lot of modern romance tropes are getting on my nerves lately, haha. (Though to be clear, this is definitely still a heart-warming, cozy read, just one that feels little more real and relatable.) ( )

I had read Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn and had really enjoyed it, and those same reasons are why I loved Georgie, All Along. I’m so glad that Clayborn’s romance writing seems to be consistent, and when I need a dose of romance I know which author I’ll be picking.

There are two main reasons why I enjoyed the book so much, and they are the same as to why I liked Love Lettering. The first is there is not a lot of fighting between the characters, a little bit of mixed signals,, and none of the I love him but can’t tell him. All of these tropes drive me nuts when they just keep going and going and going.

And I really enjoyed that Clayborn focused so much on the character development and their stories. I had stopped reading romances for awhile because of their lack of character development and how whatever trope they decided to focus their storyline on just kept going.

Georgie was a refreshing character with how in the moment she was, and I could relate to how she just wants to fix people’s problems because she really does know what they need. Levi was a cute grump who really does the work to make himself a better person. And even the supporting characters like Bel (BFF) and Georgie’s parents were super fun.

If you are looking for a sweet romance with great characters and an actual story, check out Georgie, All Along! ( )

Georgie, 28 years old, in spite of being highly successful at her job as a personal assistant has recently been let go by her latest employer. She takes a break and comes home to her rural hometown due to feeling like huge parts of her are simply “blank”. She finds an old notebook she created when she was 13, shortly before entering high school. So what’s a successful 28 year old to do? She decides to do what her thirteen year old self considered great ideas: Like jumping into a river from a dock that was probably “safe enough” some 15 years ago but has been neglected since… What could possibly go wrong, eh?

In the process, Georgie meets Levi and proceeds in her teenage rampage with him - including heavy petting and extensive dry-humping on her parents’ couch… I could certainly relate to that - not at 28, though.

Then there’s Levi. For most of the book, Levi “who is very nearly in [his] midthirties” is brooding, angsty, anxious and insecure. He, too, has come a long way: From local troublemaker to local dock builder, Levi rose to many occasions - just not confronting his toxic father and, thus, he’s also estranged from his siblings for no good reason at all.

Yes, I get it, it’s certainly possible to deeply and thoroughly internalise parental abuse but Levi is in therapy and yet never addressed his daddy issues?! Sorry, that’s hard to believe…

Also, dear Levi acts immensely immature at a certain point. That scene was so mind-numbingly stupid I could hardly believe what I had read. The “big reveal” about the “blankness” Georgie feels was another major let-down; the explanation of it all is so ridiculously simple that only our 28-year-old going on 13 could come up with it.

At several points I wondered how those two people had even made it alive to 28 and mid-thirties respectively…

Thankfully, there are some redeeming qualities: Once everyone starts actually talking with each other, things start making some sense at least. A certain scene between Levi and his brother actually felt real and believable.

All in all, this read like a shallow “dramedy” rather than the romantic comedy I expected but this novel failed to realise its potential.

A generous three stars out of five.

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