Tropes: second chance, small town, marriage in trouble

I always have loved a second chance romance and this one was so good due to the forced proximity of a separated married couple.

In true parent trap fashion, Lauren and Jack’s two kids Michael and Maddie have worked together to get both their parents to be together in the same house for 14 days. What is at first uncomfortable and awkward turns into a second chance and a romance that is reignited between Lauren and Jack.

This story is one I truly enjoyed and Maddie and Michael were fantastic and I loved the relationship that they have. Lauren and Jack are meant to be together and seeing them find love with each other again was great and everything I needed in a story.

I can't even put into words how much Nothing But It All touched something inside of me. I knew Adriana Locke could pack the emotional punch but I didn't know she had this in her. I mean wow.

There was so much to like about both Lauren and Jack. Both hardworking and dedicated. Both unsure of how to move forward, both wanting to, just in different directions. Only Jack wasn't having it. Thank goodness for his dad and kids and their scheming to help him.

I loved Lauren and Jack's quasi second-chance journey. It was heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. The raw, honest look at marriage and what happens when life gets in the way. It was about the small moments that equal the big things. About making the time and wanting it to work. And that ending...just the Story Book ending they made happen.

As a woman who has been married for many years, this book touches on some hard, but realistic issues! I felt the heartache to my core because Locke not only hit the issues head-on, she had the characters fight through their struggles and come out head. It wasn't a magically perfect happily ever after. This love story is one that teaches partners to fight for what they want and how to adapt to put their relationships first as their kids grow older.

I was not expecting a heavy hitting book, but that's what I got. It took me longer than expected to read but I think it was because I took time away from the book and thought of all the little things that add up in my own life and marriage and appreciated them that much more.

A beautifully written second chance romance between a husband and wife who have lost their way and can't stand each other after twenty years. However, they still really love each other. There's lots of angst and frustrating scenes re their relationship. We have teenage children and a meddling father in the mix, trying to get them back together. While I enjoyed reading it, I know what the outcome would be, and it was a fairly predictable story. I did wait until the book was published before reviewing this for NetGalley and I borrowed the book via kindle unlimited which also included the audio book. Narration was very good and I liked the story as a whole. 3.5 stars.

Nothing But It All by Adriana Locke is a heartfelt and inspiring story that delves into the complexities of what happens after the usual happily ever after, beautifully capturing what happens after the happily ever after, showcasing the struggles of day-to-day life and the importance of communication and compromise in a relationship.

The story is incredibly realistic and raw, portraying the ups and downs of a marriage that has lost its spark. I found myself cheering for the characters, rooting for them to find their way back to each other. This underrated trope of a marriage in peril second-chance romance is expertly crafted by Locke, who infuses the narrative with humor, frustration, and most importantly, a huge amount of heart.

I was captivated by the journey of both Lauren and Jack as they navigate through their issues – even if only thanks to a little nudge of their closest loved ones – and rediscover their love for each other. The growth and development of their relationship felt authentic and relatable, making me believe that anything is possible when desire and determination are backed by love.

Overall, Nothing But It All is a charming and funny read that will leave you feeling inspired and hopeful. One of my favorite marriage in trouble stories I’ve come across so far.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

💖 Second Chance Romance
💖 Marriage in Trouble
💖 Meddling kids & grandpa
💖 Small Town

This book is in a league of its own! This was one of the most raw and real marriage in trouble, second chance romance books I’ve read. It was relatable and full of emotion, while still making me giggle at the Parent Trap-like plot.

Watching Jack & Lauren re-discover each other, after drifting apart for years, was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. Thankfully, in that order!

With meddling teenagers, and a grumpy and hilarious grandpa, this story had all the feels. Even though it wasn’t super dramatic or high angst, it definitely reeled me in, and kept me invested along the way.

Such a beautiful example of the importance of not letting life get in the way, and continuing to make our relationships (of all kinds) our priority.

OH MY GOSHHHH I READ THIS IN ONE SITTING + STAYED UP UNTIL 1AM TO FINISH + I LOVEDDDD IT.

Marriage in trouble hits such a tender spot in my heart. I felt EVERY-STINKING-THING with Lauren and Jack on this emotional rollercoaster of a book. Adriana hit all of her marks with this one.

Honestly, this book was so hard and beautiful and wonderful and bittersweet and SWEET and STEAMY. It had so many things to love/hate. Marriage-in-trouble is hard because the main characters are lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers, and that hurt, the tension, the pining through the walls erected around hearts that have been bruised and beat up and broken, it captures marriage perfectly.

List of things I LOVED:
- Jack being jealous in the first little bit of the story (swoon)
- Lauren being an absolutely beast of a mama bear, working so hard for her kids and then for herself
- The meddling teenagers and the grandpa who needed to insert his own learned wisdom
- Jack doing dishes with his shirt off
- That the reconciliation was a forced proximity situation
- More meddling teenagers ;)
- When the fighting turned to breakthroughs and I just wanted to CHEER AND SCREAM with gratitude
- When Jack and Lauren rediscovered things they love about each other
- Jack forcing his help on Lauren
- When they start to believe the best in each other again
- The specialness of the lake cabin
- The memories
- The way that this family felt real and you could just imagine all of the ways that this fictional family felt so imperfectly perfect and real

Thanks for early access to this ARC via NetGalley to Montlake and Adriana Locke and her team! These are my honest thoughts!

"𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈— 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈—𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰’𝒎 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒇𝒆."



𝖂𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖙𝖔 𝖊𝖝𝖕𝖊𝖈𝖙:

💜 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦
💜 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦
💜 𝘚𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯
💜 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳
💜 𝘓𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦
💜 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘱 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘖𝘯 𝘎𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘗𝘰𝘯𝘥



“𝑰𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝑰 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝑰 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖.”


This was the first book, or least that I remember, that deals with such a every day struggles and real life that I read. This isn't your usual romance story. This is a story about what happens 20 years after you say "𝐼 𝑑𝑜".

Most of us can probably relate to this story in one way or another, because I know I do. This story will make you feel resentful, angry, sad... But also smiling, happy, laughing out loud and all of those every day emotions that we all feel on a daily basis.


“𝑯𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒍𝒚, 𝑳𝒂𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒏, 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅. 𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒍, 𝑰’𝒎 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕. 𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒅𝒐. 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.”


You might be asking " 𝑊ℎ𝑦 𝑑𝑜 𝐼 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑦 𝑚𝑦 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒? ". Well I will tell you why. Because sometimes, we need to look at the situation from another point of view to really see it the way it truly is. Most things in life have two sides to it and just like a coin you need to look at both sides to see true value in it.


“𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒐, 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆. 𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒔𝒉𝒆’𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆.”

Okay, so I want to start off by saying that I don’t usually read books about couples who are not only already married, but who are also having problems. However, I was definitely willing to give Jack and Lauren’s story a chance. And I’m so glad I did!

Jack and Lauren had a lot to work through. Their marriage problems had become a serious issue, but they both had things they needed to improve on when it came to the other.

They happen to be parents to two teenagers, Micheal and Maddie, who end up conspiring with their grandfather, Harvey, and using trickery to get Jack and Lauren to both come to their family’s lake house. Once they were trapped, they felt obligated to stay.

I thought this was an amazing read! It was certainly angsty at times, but it had enough humorous moments to break it up. I felt like Michael, Maddie, and Harvey all had unique personalities, and their presence made the story more enjoyable.

Jack and Lauren were both likable characters, and I was invested enough in their relationship that I really hoped they would work things out - not just for Michael and Maddie, but for themselves. No spoilers, but I was very satisfied with the ending! This was absolutely a 5 star read for me!

marriage in trouble is my FAVORITE trope & this might be the best version of it i’ve ever read. meddling kids!! a husband who doesn’t realize how bad things have gotten, and a cabin that’s a place of safety for them all. i love love love love this story & i can’t wait to push it on all my friends as well.

I’m an Adriana Locke fan, and will read anything she puts out.

I went into this book not knowing if I was going to like it but it was so good. This is just basically a second chance romance.

I think that a lot of married couples can relate to this book and maybe even help some couples relate to their spouses.it has the typical Adriana Locke banter and emotions that I love.. this book is great do yourself a favor and read it now.

Nothing But It All is a second chance romance that really hits hard in the reality department. Real problems, a real family that is falling apart from the inside as their mom Lauren finally decides it is not worth the trying anymore with her husband Jack. It has been 20 years, two kids, so many lonely nights and that loss of the husband wife connection that has Lauren wanting to give up. I loved watching this family feel, understand, love and just try!!! Such a great story.
~~Michele McMullen~~

Marriage in trouble books are such a slippery slope for me - for everyone, I would think. They have to be done just right... and unfortunately this one was a little bit off.

📕 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Nothing But It All by Adriana Locke

📙 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: Standalone

📗 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀: ARC e-book read on Kindle. 🆓️ on KU

📘 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: Contemporary romance

📔 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀: Marriage in trouble, all the feels.

📖 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: Lauren and Jack had a storybook romance, but as the years have gone by they've lost each other. Jack is distracted by work. Lauren is unfulfilled. And as they move toward divorce, their kids trick them into two weeks at their family cabin as a family.

🌟 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: Alright, so for context here - I am married. And I think we all have different boundaries and agendas when it comes to our marriages. So marriage in trouble books are an acquired taste, and if they don't match the values you have in your marriage you're not going to vibe with it.

This might sound silly, but my only five star reads for marriage in trouble come when there's some therapy involved. There's no way that two people are going to truly solve deep-seeded issues without professional help. I haven't seen that in my reading travels just yet.

Jack and Lauren's story was sweet, but the fact that 5 years of marriage issues and an impending divorce is solved over two weeks at a cabin is really tough for me to stomach. Which I realize is ridiculous, because I spend a lot of time reading insta-love. But this is all just me.

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 3/5 ⭐⭐⭐

𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹: 3/5 🌶🌶🌶

𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏 𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘.

I wish I could say I loved it but I didn't.
I'm not a fan of Second Chance but I decided to give this book a chance since it had marriage in crisis which is not something you often see in a romance book. At least not when the couple is trying to be better, do better, and make their marriage work.
I didn't like Lauren. It seemed like she blamed a lot of her marriage troubles on Jack. She had a moment once when she realized it takes two to tango and she too is to blame but then she came back to the old narrative.
The book focuses a lot on family dynamics, mainly their teenage children and Jack's father, and not a lot on the romance between Jack and Lauren. I get that marriage isn't only two people, it's the whole family, but this book rarely had a scene where Lauren and Jack were both together without other people around. And even if it was, it was because their kids made them to be together (trapped on a boat, for example). Also, yes, I missed the smut! I really thought this would be a cute ''The Parent Trap'' retelling with some spice in it but this one was more ''family problems all over'', children's relationships, Jack and his father's relationship, and not enough Jack and Lauren. Who are they together? I honestly don't even know how they got back together.

I loved this book, it focuses on the challenges that married people don't talk about often. We all get in that slump after being together too long, and don't realize we have let things slip. Communication is important in relationships, and this book really touched up on how important it is to sit down and reflect with each other to keep your relationship strong.

Adriana writes both Jack and Lauren beautifully, and I enjoyed watching(reading) two people fall in love all over again. While this book is emotional, please don't be scared to pick this one up. It is like all of Adriana's books, where it is light and fluffy and gives you all the happy feels.

Also if you are a fan of the parent trap, you need to read this one! Mischievous children (and grandpa) are simply the best

This is a story about a married couple Lauren and Jack, headed to divorce unbeknownst to Jack. Lauren has called off the family summer vacation and has called a divorce attorney because she can no longer stand being neglected by Jack. Their two teenage kids, Maddie and Michael, and Jack's dad, Harvey, tell some white lies to get Jack and Lauren up to their cabin anyway to stay for their two week vacation. When Michael spills the beans that Lauren is thinking of divorce to Jack, Jack does everything he can to win Lauren back. There is one bed, blue collar, small town, lake and the outdoors, and a marriage that has a second chance. And a cute little puppy named Snaps!

Well Ms. Adriana Locke has done it again. This story had me hooked at the dedication of the book to Adriana's own father, I had tears running down my face thinking of my own father that I lost 4 months ago. This book had laughs, it had angst, it had love and family, everything you have known to love about an Adriana Locke book. You can't beat forgiveness and coming back together again. I have never been married or divorced and don't have children but I still loved this book. So take a chance, you won't be disappointed with this beautiful story.

This is a great read for anyone who loves a second chance, marriage in trouble trope. It has some Parent Trap elements that are really fun too!

I really enjoyed this story from start to finish. Jack and Lauren have been married for twenty years and turned in to strangers. I love how the book genuinely explores how everyday life can have negative affects on a marriage accidentally. They loved each other and were clearly hurt by the distance but slowing down to make time for each other was difficult with businesses and two teenagers. .It really takes you through how relationships change essentially by accident. How the day in and day out routine can push a marriage into mundane before apathetic. Everything about the journey was just really relatable and touching. It was drama without being overly dramatic. Relatable without being entirely predictable.

I loved the nod to The Parent Trap with the meddling teenagers and grandpa setting the couple up to force them on their annual family vacation. All of the little setups led to very sweet moments. Jack and Lauren really talked things out, worked through their argumnts and communicated. It is a slow burn, almost entirely clean but the marriage redemption was perfect. It’s a really cute, heartwarming, and short/easy read!

Another great read by Adriana Locke. If you’re in a mood for a marriage in trouble, second chance, small town romance look no further. I was hooked from the moment I started this one. It was pretty much a one sit read for me. I could relate to this book so much. Not in the sense that my marriage is in trouble, just how after being married for so long things just get to be routine. I thought that this was a realistic portrayal of how if you don’t take care of one another you can find yourself on a slippery slope. While there were heavy moments in this book there were times of laughter too. A great read that I definitely recommend!

Received an arc for a honest review.

Adriana does it again. She manages to make me fall in love, rip my heart out, and put it back together again, within the pages of this beautifully written book. She always finds a way to evoke emotions out of me that have me wanting to throw a book across a room. Finding a second chance with these two was a beautiful story told in the best of ways.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️
Lauren is a stay at home mom with teenagers and she is at her breaking point. Her husband Jack doesn’t see it and chooses work over family. This marriage in trouble story is captivating, heart warming and humorous all at the same time. You can’t help but to empathize and sympathize with Lauren and the current state of her life. You don’t pity her, you applaud her bravery, strength and resiliency. Jacks vision of life is clouded with the need to provide for his family. Once his family is in peril that veil of clouds is lifted and rocks him to the core. The changes in him are almost instant. You love him for the way he listens, adapts, accepts responsibility and perseveres. I adored these two and the lie beautiful crazy family and thoroughly enjoyed the whole book. What a beautiful story about love, commitment happiness. So real and raw that I literally could not stop reading. Bravo for another fantastic book Adrianna.